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Towards rebuilding a FreeBSD operating system on a local area network -- such as for compiler optimizations, viz a viz /etc/make.conf, and for upgrading the operating system to a newer version, as for instance in upgrading from FreeBSD 10.1-RELEASE to 10.2-RELEASE -- there are a few references that would be useful, in the FreeBSD handbook.
As to augment the existing documentation, I'd like to add a few small annotations -- to highlight a small number of concepts addressed in the conceptual topic repository of the FreeBSD handbook, and in an annotations sense, to add some augmentative information -- as follows
- Building and Installing a Custom Kernel
- Concept: Kernel configuration
- See also
- Shell command: `sysctl -n kern.conftxt`
- Manual page config(5)
- Ed. Notes - Misc
- TBD: Cross-compiling the FreeBSD kernel (see documentation)
- TBD: HOWTO FreeBSD Kernel Configuration GUI
- See also: GNU/Linux kernel - `make menuconfig`, `make xconfig`, ...
- TO DO: Produce an index of all kernel configuration parameters noted in the FreeBSD handbook
- Rebuilding World
- Concept: FreeBSD Base System
- Ed. Notes - Misc.
- See also: Previous link, as with regards to FreeBSD kernel configuration
- TBD: Configurable parameters of the FreeBSD base system build
- TBD: FreeBSD Base System Configuration GUI
- See also: Poudriere; Augeas
- Note: Licensing terms of FreeBSD base system components
- Note: Concepts, Licensing and Software Distribution
- TBD: Cross-compiling the FreeBSD base system
- TBD: Issue tracker integration
- See also: Debian `reportbug`
- Tracking for Multiple Machines
- Concept: Build set
- Common features:
- make.conf
- src.conf
- networked filesystem configuration (e.g. NFS)
- Recommended feature:
- Test machine
- Application: Integration testing for compiled base system and kernel
- Optional feature:
- Change management shared files
- NIS/YP - see following notets
- Concept: Toolchains
- Ed. Notes - FreeBSD Toolchain
- See also: Following notes about make.conf, src.conf
- Concept: Networked filesystems
- Ed. Notes - Networked Filesystems
- Juxtapose to: Block-level filesystems; Virtual filesystems
- See also: Network File System Service
- Bill Swiggle "Network File System (NFS)". ed. FreeBSD Handbook
- mount_nfs(8). Manual page
- See also: Network Information Service (a.k.a YP)
- "Network Information System (NIS)". FreeBSD Handbook
- Hal Stern, Ricardo Labiaga, Mike Eisler. Managing NFS and NIS, 2nd Edition. O'Reilly (2001)
- See also: LDAP Directory Service
- Dag-Erling Smørgrav. Pluggable Authentication Modules
- Toby Burress. LDAP Authentication
- See also: Certificate Authority Service
- Setting-up a Simple CA Using the strongSwan PKI Tool. strongSwan documentation
- strongSwan 5: How to create your own private VPN. Zeitgeist. web log
- See also: Wireless Networking Services and WPA2-Enterprise Wireless Authentication Services
- Wireless Networking". FreeBSD Handbook "
- HOWTO: WPA2-Enterprise with FreeRadius. FreeBSD Forums
- "FAQ." FreeRADIUS Guide
- See also: "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)". FreeBSD Handbook
- Advice: For each network client configured to obtain its IP address via DHCP, the DHCP server may be configured so as to reserve a specific IP address for each network client, as per the MAC address published of the connecting client's network interface. Each such reserved IP address may then be applied in the NFS configuration, on each NFS server and/or the NFS client.
- Alternately, if a network is configured with static IP addressing, each IP address, network mask, and router address may be entered manually at each respective client machine.
- See also: Histories of UNIX(R)
- See also: Andrew Filesytem (AFS)
- See also: Zettabyte Filesystem (ZFS)
- See also: Filesystem in Userspace
- FUSE: FIlesystem in Userspace. web site
- FUSE Module. FreeBSD Project Wiki
- See also: GlusterFS
- GlusterFS. FreeBSD Project Wiki
- Coyle, James. ZFS and GlusterFS network storage
- Gluster. web site
- Installing GlusterFS - a Quick Start Guide
- Ed. Notes (add'l)
- TBD: Handbook-wise documentation about files /etc/make.conf and /etc/src.conf
- Concept: Toolchains
- Concept: Machine-specific optimizations
- e.g utilizing SSE machine instructions on later Intel architectures
- See also:
- Manual pages
- make.conf(5)
- Context: all system builds, including ports, kernel, and base system
- src.conf(5)
- Context: kernel and base system (?)
- /usr/share/examples/etc/make.conf
- /usr/src/share/mk/bsd.cpu.mk
Orthogonally: Though I cannot believe I'll ever be able to sell the FreeBSD project about using DITA, but it's "A thought," though.
The FreeBSD Handbook, by in large, already serves as a topically focused -- and very usefully detailed -- reference manual about the FreeBSD operating system. As a knowledge resource, the FreeBSD handbook very much "Holds its own," as furthermore a manner of a reference manual.
The Handbook is published in a format like of a set of thesis documents about individual components of FreeBSD. In a DITA format, each article-like section in the FreeBSD handbook could be rendered as a DITA Topic. That, in itself, might not exactly serve towards further development of the FreeBSD handbook. However, perhaps it might serve as an aid to users and developers, as towards a manner of extensibility about the FreeBSD handbook -- at least, then, to authors whom would be both familiar with the DITA format, and familiar with the "Internals" of FreeBSD.
The overlap, in that proverbial set -- perhaps it might not seem to be any very broad kind of an overlap, at least outside of an ideal estimate, as of a hypothetical universe in which DITA is something anyone would voluntarily learn, beyond the small community of technical documentation geeks, and those of us somewhere in orbital space to the same.
The FreeBSD Handbook, in its original format, is developed onto the DocBook toolchain -- a long tried and trusted toolchain for technical documents. The DocBook toolchain is comprised, essentially, of the DocBook Schema -- in any single format, such as of a Document Type Definition (DTD) or a RELAX-NG schema -- and the DocBook modular stylesheets. The DocBook stylesheets, in turn, are available in both of DSSSL format -- for application onto SGML DocBook documents -- and in XSL format, for application on to XML DocBook documents.
Though there is a mapping -- as commonly available of the DITA Open Toolkit (DITA OT) -- for transforming DITA documents onto DocBook, but presently, there might not be an inverse mapping for DocBook onto DITA. It might be a fairly trivial matter, to semantically invert any much of the DITA-to-DocBook transformation module, from DITA OT, in defining a DocBook-to-DITA transformation. However, the question of whether and how that may be pragmatically worth it might remain to be addressed.
There's a topic that the author of this article is not willing to venture to address, in any offhand regards, at the FreeBSD forums: "Anyone else wants to use DITA to document FreeBSD?" Though the author of this article might fancy himself to be sufficiently familiar with SGML, XML, DocBook, and DITA formats, sufficient to be able to manage such a project by himself, but the social incentive of such a matter might seem to be fairly much "In doubt," as it may seem to be fairly much "Non-trivial," as a prospective effort, in numerous independent points of view.
In a manner of a rhetorical question: How would a "Proof of concept" be regarded, for a DITA transform of the DocBook format of the original FreeBSD Handbook?
It might seem to need some kind of a "Run-up time," such a project, if it could ever be a project that might be any furthermore adopted by the FreeBSD developer community. Though the author of this article, in particular, fancies DITA to be as simple as push-button editing -- except for all of the visible markup of it -- but not everyone might quite agree.
In a further juxtaposition of DITA to DocBook: In DITA, there are also the matters of content inclusion and seperately, of linking, each of which such concepts does not occur exactly in such a manner, in DocBook, not in exactly as it occurs in the syntax and semantics of DITA. Furthermore, in DITA, there is the topic 'class' attribute -- probably a very much interesting features, to those of us whom may be, furthermore, object oriented programming (OOP) geeks.
Ed. Note: ...and then there's something about "How to avoid arbitrary topics," as towards, orthogonally, towards a manner of a Wiki model for DITA or -- contrarily -- towards a centrally edited topic repository model for DITA
It would definitely be a project applying the Java(R) programming language, to document FreeBSD with DITA. DITA OT uses ASF* Ant, for instance, in DITA OT's own build automation framework. ASF Ant is a tool developed in Java(R). Whether or not all persons editing DITA documents may prefer to use editor platforms also developed in Java(r) -- such as the commercially licensed Oxygen XML product -- and the author of this article would rather prefer to use Emacs and PSGML, candidly -- but for so much as building the finally formatted documentation, it would definitely need to use Java(R), such a project. It may be at least a convenient thing, then, that FreeBSD is really good at running Java(R) applications.**
Is that enough of an incentive, in itself? Most probably, it is not. DITA is not the hottest kewlness online, and -- candidly -- all of this amounts to anything very much unlike a hot rod sports car view of FreeBSD. It doesn't exactly become easily to a metaphor about Minetest, either -- not to game around about operating systems design. This article describes some concepts of documentation, as in or towards a manner of a developer's view.
* ASF: The Apache Software Foundation.
** It could seem almost like a kind of Digital Magic -- the efficiency at which FreeBSD runs Java(R) applications, even on the desktop. Perhaps it's rather a matter of the operating system design in FreeBSD.


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Yet Another Horizon Zero Dawn Video Before Launch
AHHHHHHH! Is Horizon Zero Dawn here already?! No? Dammit. With all the videos constantly being poured out by PlayStation and Guerrilla Games, you'd think the PS4 exclusive had launched. To prove our point, another video advertising Aloy's adventure hit the internet today. This time it's all about the world building and what you can expect to experience. Some of the devs even touch upon the quality of graphics for such an open-world game and how that plays into the environment. Additionally, the dialogue and voice acting are also touched upon. There's not a lot of footage but there are some nice new views to be seen in the trailer above.
Horizon: Zero Dawn is developed by Guerrilla Games for the PlayStation 4 and will release on February 28th in North America and March 1st for Europe. If you so choose it can be pre-ordered here. If you'd like to join us in our great anticipation, meet us down in the comments below so we can comfort each other until the disc is actually in our consoles. You can also check out all our Horizon Zero Dawn coverage here.

subset: commoncrawl


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General Information:
Costa Rica Trip 2018–For any students interested in learning more about a trip to Costa Rica this summer, there is an informational meeting on Thursday, August 31 at 6:30PM in 252N. If you have any questions, please see Ms. Enburg as soon as possible. See you Thursday!
Thank you to all of the Student Council members who walked with us in the Silvis Moonlight Parade.
Ladies, if you forgot your swim clothes last Friday and they were dropped off in the general office—please stop in and pick them up.
Can you name the organ located in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen that stores immune cells and destroys red blood cells? If so, UT's new Scholarship Bowl team might be the place for you! We'll have our first meeting next Thursday, Sept. 7, at 3:15 in room 123E. See Mrs. Peterson for more information, and if you know the answer to today's question you could win a prize!
There will be a student Council meeting Friday morning at 7:30 am in the auditorium. Bring decoration ideas for homecoming activities and bring homecoming t-shirt ideas.
Authentic Voices has had a name change! We are now called Sheroes. Who is a shero? A shero is someone who knows she has the power to create change and that she isn't just fighting for herself but for others too. We are still a female-only group, any and all UT females who are interested in becoming a shero – you are welcome to come to our first meeting on Wednesday, September 6, 3:10-4:00 in room 206 South.


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Please Help Make a Difference!
My name is Latosha Moody, a 44-year-old proud mother of four boys and grandmother of one grandson. On February 18, 2014, I was diagnosed with stage-4 kidney failure. Testing showed my kidney function was at only 1% for each kidney! Now, I am in end-stage renal disease and my doctors at Oklahoma University have told me I need a kidney transplant to survive.


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Dr. Azizzadeh Reviews The Best Candidates For Facelift
Many times, patients come to the CENTER without being fully aware of which type of facial rejuvenation technique is best for them. To better help assist his patients, facelift expert Dr. Azizzadeh wanted to review information for his patients regarding who makes an excellent facelift candidate.
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The harness has revolutionised how the musician lives with his or her instrument, allowing men, women and children to enjoy their musical instruments without pain or discomfort.


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Today Images agency is a coalition of three photographers, Biniam Ghezai, David Osuna and Nathalie Paco. As an independent, locally owned company with deep roots in Madrid, we're committed to serving the community through quality photography for many years to come.
Our goal are to propagate and standardise best working practice in our industry for the mutual benefit of photographers and clients alike.
We offer professionalism, attention to details and a hand-on approach, tailor made for the clients needs.


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Posts tagged 'Peru'
The backpack diaries – our top ten South American experiences
So this post is a little late – over a year late to be precise – but that's okay because we still remember every miniscule detail of the trip as if it was yesterday. We're determined to get back on the blogging horse and we have a few great European posts up our sleeves for you, including (home sweet home) Dublin, so don't go away yet. To get the ball rolling here is our long overdue Top 10 of South America, it took almost a year of arguing, biting and scratching to compile so you had better enjoy it…
10. Paraty, Brazil
Pretty little Paraty may not make it onto many Top 10 of South America lists but this picturesque gem of a town beat tough competition from Ilha Grande to appear on ours. The reason is its unusual charm, the product of pristine beaches married with a picturesque historical centre. In town you have uneven cobbled streets lined with white-washed cottages, windows and doorframes a flipbook catalogue of bright blues, reds, yellows and greens. Outside of town there are endless perfect beaches backed by rainforest that get quieter and quieter as you trek through the forest, away from parents sipping beers on plastic chairs and kids playing football. Walk far enough and you're sure to find your own deserted patch of sand.
9. Colca Canyon, Peru
Hidden away from the world by towering canyon walls is a tiny gem of a place. Giant cacti bearing bright red fruit, birds with a three metre wing span, terraced fields, well tended orchards, winding paths sheltered by overhanging fruit trees and little girls chasing stray sheep. This is where the mighty Amazon begins as the gurgling stream we dipped our toes into after the long slide downhill. The only problem? What goes down must come up. It was a hike that for me at least, was more difficult than the three day Lares trek – but we did it in two hours.
8. Wineries in Mendoza, Argentina
Take six wine-loving backpackers, six dodgy bicycles, one hand-drawn map and dozens of world-class vineyards, chocolatiers, olive oil producers and absinthe brewers. Throw in a dash of sunshine, a sprinkling of local characters and you have yourself one hell of a day.
7. Trekking in Tupiza, Bolivia
Who would have thunk it? In the arse end of Bolivia, itself the (lovely) arse end of South America, we found the whirlwind adventure we had been chasing all this time. Our reluctant partners in crime, advertised as Argentinian stallions, turned out to be a bunch of fat, grumpy Bolivian mules. Together we cantered across arid scenes of red-sand cliffs and rocky terrain worthy of John Wayne, we crossed railway tracks, fast-flowing rivers and fields of waist-high grass. When we slept it was metres away from them. When we ate they were tied to the trees under which we sat. We wore cowboy hats, chewed coca leaves and spat a lot. It was breath-takingy beautiful and eventually, bum-numbingly painful and it was our biggest South American adventure.
6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
You don't walk in Rio de Janeiro, you dance. You tap your toes as you sit in a restaurant, wiggle your bum on the beach and shake yo' thang at the Lapa street party. Here salsa is king but caparinhas shaken by large-bottomed women with infectious smiles are a close second. Rio lives up to the hype. We came expecting endless white sand beaches with beautiful people playing volleyball, City of God slum towns where kids wandered alleyways with guns slung over their shoulders, skyscrapers that winked in the sunlight and entire neighbourhoods that spent all night dancing in the streets. It was all of that and more, so why isn't it better than Buenos Aires? Because we were expecting it.
5. World's Most Dangerous Road, La Paz, Bolivia
At certain points, if you go over the edge of the World's Most Dangerous Road you fall 600 metres before there's anything to grab hold of. So obviously we had to try it. And obviously we were bricking it. The start was a fantastic warm-up – smooth tarmac road, a metal barrier and space enough for everyone – but eventually the road changed into a narrow, gravelly track that wound blindly around corners. Then came the trucks, hurdling towards us at video game speed. They took the inside lane while we spun out to the very edge, our toes teetering over a vast drop where birds circled above a rainforest canopy far below.
4. Iguazu Falls, Argentina
At Devil's Throat it wouldn't be hard to convince yourself that the waterfall is actually inside your head. With the way it thunders and pounds, sheet after sheet of white noise, it's hard to think of anything else really – just the waterfall and those suicidal little sparrows that nose dive into huge clouds of spray. Foz Iguazu is actually 275 waterfalls spread over 2.7km in two countries. At it's highest point it drops 83m, that's 29m more than Niagara and at one viewpoint, visitors can enjoy 260 degrees of waterfall – a fact that prompted Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to sigh "Poor Niagara!" on her first visit. Poor Niagara indeed. Surrounded by national park, the Argentina side has a fantastic array of wildlife too, from rainbow coloured butterflies to (reportedly) tigers. And no visitor should miss a chance to take a speedboat into the waterfall either – all those screams you hear are happiness at it's most hysterical. Just leave your clothes on dry land.
3. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Since we've been home people have asked us time and time again where did we like best. Now we don't like to play favourites but if we were to pick just one place where we could stay suspended in time for ever and ever, it would be Buenos Aires. Maybe it was because we had a reunion with a long-missed friend or maybe it was just because Buenos Aires really is just that good. It has tango dancing in the streets, steak you can cut with a spoon, a nightlife that never seems to stop, real life cowboy markets, a cemetery you could easily build a home in and so much to do that you could never get bored here. Buenos Aires is all that and a bag of chips.
2. Lares Trek, Peru
Okay so there was a little bit of altitude sickness but there was also a team that sprinted ahead of us to cook four course meals three times a day in an oven made from stones, a guide that made us giggle, hours of singing The Sound of Music while we skipped down mountain sides, and eye-opening visit to a Quechun village, beautiful scenery, much coca leaf chewing, a night spent drinking macho tea under the stars and of course, the star of the show, Machu Picchu. I defy anyone not to include this beauty on their top ten of South America list.
1. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
For two days we saw nothing. The sandstorm was so bad it tore the roof off a hostel (the temperature was -20°c), so bad that it blasted all the paint off one side of our jeep, so bad that we couldn't see to the end of our bonnet. Then we arrived at Salar de Uyuni and it stopped. At first it was just a mirage glimmering on the edge of the desert but as we got closer it sucked all the colour out of the world until all that was left was a bright blue sky and a ground so dazzlingly white, we needed sunglasses. This wonder of nature is one of the few places in the world where you can clearly see the curve of the earth.
There are more pictures from South America available in the gallery
Just hurtling through. Huacachina, Peru
It's not hard to see why Huacachina was once upon a time a playground for the rich and famous. A postage-stamp sized resort town, it is no more or less than two parallel streets which circle around a swampy lagoon. What is memorable about Huacachina is its location, plonked right at the centre of an unbroken ring of sand-dune mountains. It is, in every sense of the word from its waters to its palm trees and exotic flowers, an oasis.
While colonial buildings and inflated prices bear witness to previous greatness, it is clear that Huacachina is past its heyday. In the time we spent in town there wasn't a single busy bar or restaurant – not that there are that many around – and not really a whole lot of fun to be had. Sure there were sand boarding and dune buggy tours on offer. Yes you can rent a boat and punt about the lagoon/pond for an hour. And there is no doubt that the sandy mountains were well worth climbing for sunset views but beyond a day on the dunes and some time by the pool, Huacachina doesn't have that much appeal.
While the charming little oasis was a perfect stop off for us in our hurdle south, as high season comes to its conclusion in Peru and the flashpackers head back to university, I probably wouldn't recommend it as more than a one or two-day stopover.
There are more photos from Huacachina available in the gallery
The road to ruins. Lares to Machu Picchu, Peru
There are a handful of moments on this trip that I know I will remember forever. Walking the Great Wall of China; taking my first breath underwater; watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat; and trying to decipher the curve of the earth in Salar de Uyuni for start. Now I have another snapshot to add to my gallery – struggling uphill to a crumbling ancient tower and stopping to catch my breath only to have it stolen away again by my first complete view of Machu Picchu, 'The Lost City of the Incas.' Like our Great Wall of China visit, the first hour of our visit to Machu Picchu had been swallowed by a thick mist, making a joke out of our guide's best attempts at a tour ("if you just look at that mountain over there…")
Bit by bit, stone by stone we uncovered the city behind the fog. First a manicured terrace used for planting crops, then a small house, a temple built to honour the sun and a dozen seemingly throwaway stones placed with precision to catch the summer and winter solstace and reflect the light in a basin of water. Slowly we were realising that in this ancient city – built 500 years ago by people that searched high and low for the perfect stones and soil, carrying them hundreds of kilometers from the lowlands and jungle with only a few llamas for help – there was no such thing as a throwaway stone.
In Machu Picchu everything had its purpose be it to tell the seasons, please the Gods or enhance the community. Sound from the top terrace was magnified by the mountains so that the layfold could hear the words of their leaders and priests from their living rooms. This is not a city built by amateurs or 'uncivilised' folk as was the presumption of Bingham, the American who 'discovered' the 'lost' city while it was inhabited by three families and after it had been visited by two Europeans. No wonder Bingham bashing is such a popular sport among tour guides and visitors to these parts.
By the time the fog lifted our guide Paul had showed us the city's every nook and cranny, somehow finding spare time to deliver a full history of Peru from pre-Incan times to present day. We thought that we were finished but how wrong we turned out to be. To be truly appreciated Machu Picchu has to be seen from a distance – admired as a whole. So we climbed up to the tower and gasped and sighed and then filled ourselves up with sugar in preparation for the climb up Huayno Picchu, a very steep neighbouring mountain.
Mark, Gary and I had been up queuing since 2am in the hope of securing three of the limited tickets handed out daily to scale the peak and gaze upon the ruins. In hindsight this may not have been such a great idea because (warning: controversial statement to follow) while the view may be worth climbing the steep, backbreaking steps for it probably wasn't worth the early morning and lingering exhaustion. In my opinion the view from the tower is better although it is rather nice to perch on top of a rock at the top of a mountain looking down on one of the world's wonders, marvelling over how it can be so very intact after sitting uninhabited at the top of a mountain for so long. Have they really done so little renovation work on it?
Getting to the ancient city was no walk in the park either. Over the past three days we had hiked 42km up back-breaking hills and down into tumbling valleys. We had huffed and puffed as we reached the crest of a mountain only to realise that we were just half way to the top. We had threatened to vomit from altitude sickness and taken long breaks in an attempt stave off dizzy spells. Katie had fallen over at least a dozen times and I once when karma kicked me in the face for laughing at her.
We had zig-zagged our way up, down and across so many different landscapes that it seemed impossible we were still on the same trail. Occasionally a horizon once dominated by a record-breaking, snow-capped mountain melted into a hazy afternoon image of horses grazing by a ribbon of freshwater lakes. We walked for hour upon hour without meeting a single person only to find a lively village where schoolchildren chattered on their way home and indigenous women laid out blankets laid with Coca-Cola and alpaca wool hats for us to buy.
Our biggest challenge came with our highest peak. At almost 4,700 metres above sea level the Lares Trek topped the Inca Trail for height and just about killed us. That said it was never as hard as Colca Canyon and knowing what real misery felt like made it that bit easier. Getting to the top on our second day to realise that the worst of it was behind us and to chow down on chocolate bars almost made the whole exercise worthwhile too. No pain no gain right?
It wasn't all sweat, complaints and tears though. Mostly the Lares Trek was a lot of fun. For every uphill there was a downhill which Gary, Mark, Katie and I invariably took at full speed, arms outstretched belting out tunes like The Elephant Love Medoly from Moulin Rouge and the entire Sound of Music and Sister Act soundtracks (much to Paul and the nearby llama's pleasure.) Then there was the food – the wonderful, delicious, wholesome food that our genius chefs Mario and Mario somehow managed to whip up three times a day in a small tent in the middle of nowhere using only an oven made of stones and a bit of creativity. We ate stuffed avocado salads, chicken satay, omlettes, chips, steak, soups, vegetable rice, fried potatoe salads…. Quite frankly the best food we had eaten since leaving Sucre and that posh French restaurant to be honest. On top of that the SAS staff laid out a basin of warm water and soap for each person, set up our tents, packed away our sleeping bags and roll mats and even carried a portable toilet for three days just to make us more comfortable. We were really slumming it.
Unlike the Inca Trail, Lares was pretty people and culture-focused. Some days it seemed like we were stopping every five minutes to chat with locals, stick out our tongues at grubby faced children and offer a handful of coca leaves to farmers on their way to and from work. Not to mention our first evening when Paul (an absolutely flawless guide and a barrel of laughs) brought us to meet a local family in their homes. There he introduced us to their way of life – from weaving blankets to cooking dinner in an iron pot over a fire and planting and harvesting potatoes and coca plants depending on the season. We saw their farm equipment, the many hats that made up the womens' daily traditional attire and much to our surprise, the hundred or so guinea pigs that ran freely around the house and shed. Life in the rural valleys of Peru was unquestionably hard but brightened by a strong sense of community and some 100 watt smiles. And to be honest, the thatched roofs and simple but seemingly happy way of life didn't look a world away from the Ireland of old that we had so often heard lamented.
By the end of our trek we felt like we had really experienced a slice of Peru that few people get to see. We herded hundreds of bleating sheep, llamas and alpacas over a mountain. We watched a full moon rise over the mountains while we sipped macho tea (tea spiked with rum) by a camp fire. We slept soundly in the great outdoors. Plus we had made some fantastic new friends.
As the train trundled its away from Machu Picchu and back down to Cusco we were restless at the thought of leaving our new friends and having to resume our normal life again – well as normal as our lives could be considered. How would we survive without Paul showing us where to go, what not to sit on and how to appease Pachamama (mother nature) before drinking a mug of home-brewed chicha? And how could the rest of South America ever hope to compare to the 'Lost City of the Incas'?
There are more pictures from the Lares Trek and Machu Picchu available in the gallery
Making guinea pigs of ourselves. Cusco, Peru
It's lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon and Cusco's main square is black with tourists. Most of them are standing in front of huge, imposing cathedral watching a line of people in colourful costumes and homemade masks parade past. A handful of the younger ones are lounging on park benches around the fountain in the main square in twos and threes cosied up next to lovers and friends and trying to ignore the persistent tauts that want them to buy paintings, sunglasses and bootleg cigarettes. On the other side a group has gathered around a traditionally dressed little girl who, to a chorus of oohs and aahs, is holding a newborn lamb on the end of string. The lamb is wearing a green hat and is blinded by a dozen flashing cameras.
As big as the space is it is starting to look a little crowded as more and more people stream in every minute from the narrow winding streets that stretch uphill in every direction. Sometimes it feels like everywhere you go in Cusco is uphill. Like that familiar old boast, "When I was your age I had to walk six miles to school. Barefoot. And uphill. Both ways." Climbing hills at 3,400m above sea level is no fun but Cusco, with its warren of cobbled streets, artesan markets, Incan ruins, bustling squares, lively cafes and thumping nightlife is worth every painful step and every laboured breath. Cusco (and of course the famed Machu Picchu nearby) has been the beating heart of Peru for centuries.
Adding to Cusco's appeal (for us anyway) was the arrival of two of our friends from home – the dashing Mark Grennan and the sparkling Katie O'Connor. Mark and Katie had also brought along two friends of theirs, Roisin and Deborah so it was party time. Cue yet another stint in one of Loki's hostels, counting the minutes until the bar's 1pm opening and eating our weight in delicious western food. It really is hard to beat a good Loki. After a few days of hardly leaving the sunny courtyard, Gary Mark and I reckoned we weren't really giving Cusco a fair hearing so we grabbed our sunglasses and set off for Saqsaywamán, one of the city's many many Incan sites which was – surprise surprise – a long, sweaty uphill climb away.
Half an hour and many complaints later we were staring at an absolute marvel. Row upon row of gigantic rocks cut to fit perfectly together raised all sorts of questions – where did the stones come from? How did the Incas cut and finish the rocks so smoothly? How did they get them up the hill without trucks? Why did they bother? It was incredible but, since we could see it without going in, not worth the ridiculous €20 entrance fee. Instead we climbed up the hill right beside the site where we found Jesus and a Peruvian man playing the guitar.
Inspired by our day of exploration, we went back to Loki, dragged the girls out of the bar and headed off in search of another cultural experience – cuy. Cuy is what you call guinea pig when you skin it and roast or fry it, usually serving it up whole complete with beady little eyes, menacing claws and protruding front teeth. Sometimes it even comes wearing a hat. In Peru cuy is a pretty common delicacy that is eaten by families on special occasions such as birthdays or when there is an important visitor. Guinea pigs are generally allowed to run free around the house or shed and then when the day comes, are just picked up off the floor, killed, boiled to take the fur off and then roasted. They taste like a cross between rabbit and duck but a little greasier – the skin is the best part, like crispy roast chicken skin. Mmmmm.
Cusco was also where we were to meet Mark's friends Darragh and Elaine who we would go to Ecuador with but that's a story for another day. Before any of that we had to tackle the Lares Trek and explore one of the wonders of the world – the one, the only "lost" Incan city of Machu Picchu. Life is so hard sometimes…
There are more pictures from Cusco available in the gallery
Yes we canyon! Colca Canyon, Peru
There are very few things that merit getting up at 3am in the morning, being shaken to bits for four hours and having your eyes and airways lined with dust. Standing at Cruz del Condor, gasping as a condor with a 3 metre wing span glided over our heads, we knew we had found one of them. When we signed up with Land Adventures to do a three day hiking trip in Colca Canyon we thought that the 3am start was an unavoidable pain in the ass. Really we just wanted to do the hike – warm up for the Lares trek next week and maybe shed a few of the pie pounds that were still clinging to us after New Zealand and Oz. Yet somehow watching these three huge, graceful birds swoop through the canyon was worth every hardship. With only the slightest twitch of a feather they dropped from mountain top to valley floor, relentless in their search for food. Every now and then they thrilled their audience by gliding only a few feet over their heads, causing many (myself included) to almost stumble over the cliff edge as they craned their necks to get a closer look.
Suddenly wide awake and ready for action we got back on the bus and headed to Cabanaconde where we met our group over breakfast. As was the Land Adventure promise there were only five of us and one guide on the trip – one strange German and two even stranger (and definitely more fun) Kiwis, Brooke and Mahea. After the first of many delicious feeds that our very pretty guide Lucia was to cook for us we set off on our trek. Half an hour outside of town we came to a halt at the edge of a mountain and got our first glimpse of the world's biggest canyon.
Now I don't know what the exact criteria is for becoming a canyon but Colca certainly didn't look anything like the dramatic plain of sheer walls and steam-rolled floors that I had imagined it to be. To be honest it just kind of looked like a valley, albeit a nice one. On the side we stood there was very little – a few cacti and two paths that zig-zagged their way from top to bottom. The other side was where all the action was – inca terraces, precariously balanced villages and on the canyon floor a river (the start of the Amazon would you believe!) and what could only have been a mirage. Shimmering in the midst of unnaturally lush and green foliage was a string of bright blue swimming pools. "That is where we are going," said Lucia before she galloped off down the hill. And as we all know, what goes down must come up…
The first few hours were a pretty boring downhill stumble. We could see our end goal the whole time, indeed we had a clear vista of the entire canyon most of the time during the two days we spent in it, but we just didn't seem to be getting any closer. When we did eventually get to the suspension bridge we raced down to the river and stuck our very swollen feet in the Amazon. Divine.
Our second surprise of the day came when we crossed over the river. It seemed that without even realising we had gone through the wardrobe and opened the door in a whole other world. Gone were the coarse shrubs and menacing rocks to be replaced by well-tended grass, orchards and a narrow path that was bordered on one side by a tiny gurggling canal and sheltered by overhanging trees. Little girls chased runaway sheep while their mothers hobbled amiably behind them. Lucia led us through the warren pointing out different flowers and fruits – some we had never seen before and some, like avocados the size of our heads, we were well acquainted with. The cactus was a big feature, offering up spikey fruit but more valuabley, tiny little nodules that when squashed surprised by turning from chalky grey into 15 shades of red – perfect for dying llama hair or wool threads.
As was to become a reoccuring theme though, our steep downhill climb was matched by an equally steep uphill struggle. At the top of the hill sat our homestay accomodation for the night and five ice cold beers so there was no two ways about it really. We would have to climb the hill. Forty minutes later we had collapsed on the grass at the top, panting and staring with horror at the mountain we had to climb the following day. If we couldn't get up one tiny hill how were we ever going to get out of the canyon? Hiking at this altitude was like walking around with lead in your shoes and six cigarettes in your mouth. And as Gary so helpfully kept reminding me in his puzzlingly fit, totally-able-for-these-hills state, if I couldn't do the Colca Canyon there was no hope of ever getting to Machu Picchu.
Lucia woke us up the next morning with pancakes, an obvious but delicious ploy to try and make us forget about the day ahead. Our first stop was a cool little museum in someone's front room where we sampled the local maize beer – tipping a little out onto the soil for Pachamama (Mother Earth) – and marvelled over the locals and their innovative use of dead animal carcases as water containers and bull's testicles as ladles. Mmmmm soupy. The next distraction was the promised oasis, a bizarre and really contrived little area on the valley floor where a cluster of hotels with swimming pools had been built as a way to attract tourists. For four hours we sat by the pool staring at the mountain that loomed over us. After lunch we would handle it but for now we would have to settle for a spot of sunbathing.
Of course lunch was over far too fast and then… The Hill of Death. Over only 2km the dusty, rocky, gravelly little path of doom snaked its way up a whopping 1,200m ascent. I was able to keep up with the boys at the start, marching 10ft along the path before stopping, turning almost 180 degrees and walking 10ft in the opposite direction then another 10ft and so on, zig-zagging up the sheer mountain face. Eventually though my muscles started to ache, my throat started to call out for oxygen and my head started to throb. As I sat and gasped on a rock, trying desperately to ward off an oncoming asthma attack and some impromptu vomitting, the boys sped off towards the top. So much for sticking together. For the next half an hour I stumbled along alone, stopping for a rest at every bend and cursing those lazy tourists who had opted to hire a donkey to do the walking for them. Thanfully Brooke and Lucia soon caught up with me though and my misery was halfed – if I was going to die climbing this stupid hill then at least I wouldn't die alone (although gossiping may not have been the best use of our limited oxygen). In the end Gary got up the hill in 1 hour and 48 minutes (but who's counting right?) while I brought up the rear at 2 hours and 40 mins. I won the race to the shower though and after scrubbing off several layers of skin and devouring a delicious alpaca steak and a mojito, we were dead to the world.
The last day was a bit of a waste of time. It consisted mostly of time spent back on that awful bus being shaken to pieces although we did get to go to the hot springs – tepid springs would have been more apt – and we got our money's worth at the fantastic buffet lunch we had at the hotel in Chivay. Meanwhile Gary ran around outside taking pictures of little girls and their alpacas. At least the scenery on the way home was beautiful, a lot more impressive than the canyon itself actually which, although Land Adventures were a fantastic tour company and Lucia was a great guide, probably isn't worth all the effort unless you are warming up for the Inca Trail or one of its alternatives.
There are more photos from the Colca Canyon available in the gallery
Viva indeed! Arequipa, Peru
It's 6pm on August 15th in Peru's second largest city, Arequipa. On the street below our window a small Cassanova in a cream three piece suit twirls his six-year-old seňorita. Her colourful skirt billows out around her and for a moment her partner is lost in a cloud of pinks and blues. When he re-emerges it is on bent knee, a pristine hanky clutched in his waving hand. The crowd goes wild and one enthused fan leaps out of her roadside seat and rushes onto the tarmac. Like the consumate professionals that they are, the minature dancers pose gracefully for photos before the brass band starts up again and they tango their way onto the next block.
Just as we started to regret their departure a deafening sound rounded the bend of the parade route. Were Santa and his reindeers making that racket? In August? Line by line the street started to fill up and the brass band were shoved out of our eyeline by a huge crowd of peacocks. Strutting about with a dozen tiny bells stuck on each boot were three dozen handsome Peruvian men in matador-esque costumes. Bejewelled to the hilt they somehow managed to come off as pure, bottled testosterone, stamping, air-punching and shouting like the All Blacks mid-haka. Scattered in their midst were a few girls in similar outfits and caps but who was really watching them twirl their sticks while their male counterparts were executing backflips in the middle of the street. Women swooned, men made grunty noises within minutes no-one was thinking of Cassanova anymore.
From 1pm until around 9.15pm the party raged on Arequipa's streets. Aztecs, Indian warriors, hula girls and beauty queens danced, drove, waved and floated along the 5km parade route. It seemed like the whole world had shown up to the city's 470th birthday party. Local business competed with corporate giants like Coca-Cola for who had the bigest and loudest float, who could dress their beautiful dancers in the least clothes and who could throw out the most fliers, sweets, t-shirts and… potatoes? Despite the chaos there was a strange symmetry in the proceedings, loaned by the fact that every band, every hi-fi system and every truck was pumping the same three-note song. Do do do do do do do, bam bam bam bam bam…HEY.
But it wasn't the floats and dancers that made the day. It was the audience. Ferociously proud of their beautiful, glittering, sunny city to the point that they would seek independence from the rest of Peru, the Arequipiňos were giving it socks on their city's birthday. For days beforehand they had gamely lined the streets to watch the troupes practice for the big day, the pinnacle of which had come the day before when a few of the more… rural… floats had done a few laps of the block. Pity the organisers had forgotten about the cattle grid on the edge of the square. Never mind, not even two bulls tied together rushing headfirst into the path lined with children could ruin their spirits. "Viva Arequipa!" screamed one little girl on her Daddy's shoulders to a hearty response by the gathered crowd. Viva Arequipa indeed.
So come Sunday the Arequipiňos were rearing for a party. They came out in force, filling the tens of thousands of plastic seats that lined the parade route hours before the festivities began. Three or four generations of families came along, colonising sections of the narrow paths for themselves and buying just about everything that went past – ice-creams, whistles, paper hats, and inflatable toys. For the next eight and a quarter hours they got soaked in pisco fired out of a cannon, they got covered in glitter, they jumped up and down to catch the badges and sweets thrown out by beauty queens, they swooned, they rushed onto the road to embrace and photograph the paraders and they got up and danced on the streets – showing the tango dancers exactly how things were done.
By the end of the day, exhausted and full of borrowed emotions, Gary and I were about ready to sign up as citizens of wonderful Arequipa. We had encountered the friendliness and spirit of its inhabitants on another occasion – when we met Sophie and Min for an emotional, booze-filled farewell party. By the time the Brits left to get their 2.30am bus to La Paz they were well-oiled and we had expanded our party hugely to include two giggling local teenage boys who Sophie and I had dragged onto the dance floor, a bi-lingual lawyer and the most beautiful young Peruvian Mum to whom Gary was confessing his undying love. Thankfully she hadn't a word of english and after so many Cusqueňos, Gary's limited spanish wasn't serving him so well.
The city's appeal wasn't limited to its citizens and celebrations though (which, by the way, put Dublin's St Patrick's Day party to shame). According to the locals (and my dated Lonely Planet), "When God seperated the moon from the earth he forgot about Arequipa." Built mostly out of silica, Arequipa is another 'White City' although this one is far more enchanting than even lovely Sucre. The main attraction is the central square where a huge cathedral looms, surrounded eternally by a flock of pigeons and the odd condor that it has bankrolled to flap endlessly around the steeples. And there is plenty to do – a gigantic monastary/city to be explored and the Ice Maiden, a woman who was sacrificed to El Misti volcano thousands of years ago and was unearthed recently by archeologists and laid to rest in a glass cabinet in the university museum, to be visited. Not that we had any time for that. We were busy rejoicing in finally, after nearly a month in Bolivia, finding some real, healthy, guilt-free food, the highlight of which was Fez on Av. San Francisco which serves the most incredibly falafel that has ever passed my lips.
A lot of it must have been the novelty factor too. Having spent the last 10 months travelling three continents only to always show up the week after a huge festival or the morning after a life-shaping party, we were thrilled to finally be in the right place at the right time. In fact, so far we have had 9 months of winter. Maybe lovely, sunny, crazy Arequipa would change our fortunes.
There are more photos from Arequipa are available in the gallery


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Released digitally on December 8, 2017 this was sent to Country radio today (January 29, 2018) for immediate impact.Courtesy playMPE: An incredible new COUNTRY duet by acclaimed recording artist Krystal Keith and hit songwriter/label mate Lance Carpenter. The powerful, well-crafted love song, "Anyone Else" was written by Kelly Archer, Greg Bates and Emily Shackleton. Produced by Lance Carpenter and Ilya Toshinskiy.
Label: Show Dog Nahsville | Universal


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I've always had a fondness for Alistair MacLean. My father would return home from work in Dublin City centre and leave his wool coat steaming in the hall. There was a second hand bookshop near the train station and he would stop off on Fridays and special occasions and buy a handful of paperbacks. The rules of the game were as follows, if I'd been good, I would be directed after dinner that "You might find something interesting, if you look in my coat."
If reports were bad, these might mysteriously disappear. A little personal reconnaissance before the appointed hour was acceptable, but woe betide the Kinch minor that tried to snaffle one before his time. MacLean, Captain W.E. Johns, Richard Jeffries, Rosemary Sutcliff and a variety of boy detectives features a great deal. Henty was bigger and only came solo, as there was a limit to what Dad's pockets would hold. Curiously enough, I don't recall ever getting Ice Station Zebra.
The tale on the face of it is simple enough, there has been an accident at a British Antarctic Base and a US Navy Nuclear Submarine is dispatched to help. On board is Dr Carpenter, a mysterious Englishman, who is tasked with discovering what exactly occurred at the station.
As is traditional in an Alistair MacLean nothing is quite as it seems. Dr Carpenter, who is also a narrator, is revealed as steely eyed secret agent demonstrates the typical MacLean virtues of immense physical endurance, dogged determination and deeply cynical humour. There is no sex or romance in the story and comparatively little violence as the most brutal struggles of the book are pit man against the landscape. The nuclear submarine USS Dolphin is a prominent character in the action, this is not a techno-thriller in the Clancy mould. MacLean is far more interested in men than machine. This is a relatively short book, I read it over a day. It is also an old fashioned story in that it is one where things happen. There is precious little time for reflection or character development, not when there are Reds to outwit and icy tundras to cross.
In a strange way Ice Station Zebra has more in common with classic Christie mysteries like "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Ten Little Indians" then the bullet laced thrillers of our own day. The hero must solve a puzzle against the clock while trapped with his array of suspects. Ultimately despite his brute strength, weapons and the exotic locale, Dr Carpenter must resolve things the old fashioned way, by thinking.
And for those of you who like that sort of thing, this is exactly the sort of thing that you like.


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Conditions for the submission of
Enquiries concerning Annual Exhibitions: Kie Stewart, Secretary to the Hanging Committee
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
tel: 01557 339121
An exhibition fee of £ 12 is charged to contribute to the upkeep and insurance of the gallery.
Artists may submit up to four of their own original paintings
(no prints).
Particular attention must be paid to the presentation of paintings submitted.
Frames, glass, screw eye/ D-ring fittings, wire/cord must be in good condition.
Paintings may be rejected if they do not meet these requirements.
Paintings must be handed in between the times and on the date stated on the invitation letter, generally between 2.00pm and 3.00pm on the Sunday before the exhibition opens.
Annual exhibitions open at 10.30am, generally on a Monday, and close at 5.00pm, generally on a Saturday, (except the Autumn Exhibition which closes at 4.00pm).
Unsold works must be collected between 5.30pm and 6.00pm on the day the exhibition closes
(between 4.15pm and 5.30pm for the Autumn Exhibition) .
The Harbour Cottage Trust does not accept responsibility for loss or damage to paintings left in the gallery after the end of the collection period for each exhibition.
The sale price of each painting is set by the artist.and shall not be altered in the course of the exhibition.
Prices must be in multiples of £5. Minimum price £50.
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Sold paintings may be removed by purchasers.
Except in the case of a sale no painting may be removed from the exhibition unless by agreement with a member of the Hanging Committee or Gallery Supervisor.
When a painting is sold the artist may be invited to submit an additional painting for hanging as a replacement, subject to the approval of the Hanging Committee.
Artists over the age of 16, regardless of where they live,
may apply.
Artists interested in submitting to the Open Exhibition must register their interest in one of the following ways:
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If, after registering an interest, you decide not to or are unable to take part you must notify the Secretary of the Hanging Committee promptly to allow the space to be re-allocated.
Harbour Cottage Trust
is a Scottish Charity
Registration Number SCO 14415


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Numark MixTrack Platinum
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This release includes a number of highly anticipated updates including a full-featured 2-deck Practice Mode, 64-bit support for better performance and stability, support for high resolution screens, a refreshed UI and an improved help & support section in-app.
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- Numark Mixtrack Platinum
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So here we are: midnight, boozed up, letting the brain go like an old Viking who threw the oars to the deep with a curse to the creature who impedes its progress into the heart of King Sea and drifts, waiting for the sun to make of him a mummy to deliver to distant shores.
But do we kid ourselves with this? Words are power, are spells, are vibrations in the air, are throat ejaculations given meaning by a thousand years of cowardice in the face of mammalian burp magic. What word ever changed the world? What sound can distract the looming Juggernaut (all trees dying at one time and falling in an Earth-ending answer to an ancient question)?
Do these uniform tick marks convey anything to the realm of stimulus a buzz with bees unworldly (drones and queens both dancing to the tune you've heard all the every time before)? Or should we rip and fling bullets from our eyes and kill our readers before they crack open the first page to save them the boredom of looking, staring, processing, pretending, remarking, etc.?
Too many questions this night. Better to free my fingers than to add to the confusion. Watch the skin part. Watch them fall, crooked sausages full of bone.


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The video player could not be built.
Do you want to chat with a missionary?
We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Start a chat or call us at 1-888-537-6600.
Hi I'm C. McBeth
I was born in California. I teach and repair pianos. And I'm a happy Mormon!
About Me
I have been married for 34 years and have 5 children. Three are married in the Temple. One son is serving a mission in Montana and a daughter is currently working as a photographer at Disneyland. I have more boy grandchildren than girls. The count is 5 Boys and 2 Girls. They are wonderful and seem to grow so quick. While growing up my mother taught me to paint and cook and sew. I learned to make bread and sell it to relatives. My father was an Electrical Engineer. He taught classes on Magnetic fields and has done research on cold fusion which was successful and the process patented. My dad also taught me to play the piano for a few years before I was taught by a professional teacher. My dad fixed and repaired everything at home by himself. I loved watching and would spend hours as he rebuilt various parts of our cars. When I was young he showed me how gas weld, and many wood working tools. Because of this experience I love to repair and fix things and that is how I got into repairing and tuning pianos. I fell in love with a small edition of the Book of Mormon that had illustrations in it. I love the story of the Brother of Jared so much that I named my first son Jared. While I was pregnant with Jared I oil painted my own version of the Brother of Jared based on the oil painting done by Arnold Friberg. Since then I have painted many religious paintings. Many of my paintings I did on commission so I could buy more supplies. I love to paint sunsets, oceans, sailboats, animals and landscapes too, but I feel my spirit grow when I paint gospel themes. I am grateful for family and how it has enriched my life to where I am free to paint and repair. Both of my parents were members of the church and their parents were also. My mothers mothers mother crossed the plains as a child. When I was a teenager I was able to meet Annie before she passed away. I think of her many times of what change she saw in her life time. She entered Utah valley as a pioneer child and witnessed the completion of the Salt Lake Temple and went from covered wagons to airplanes in her life time.
Why I am a Mormon
Spiritual matters are found deep in the heart. The gift of knowing and understanding who God the Father is and His Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost have been made known to me as I have searched the scriptures. What an amazing gift of grace and love our Father in Heaven has for all of us, His children. We can not erase our own sins or raise ourselves from the dead. It is through the love of God the Father, who sent His Son to earth. It is through Christ that this perfect sacrifice was offered and that our sins are washed away. Often I have prayed for guidance to have the Holy Ghost bear witness of truth as I teach. All members of the Godhead work together to bring us back into their presence. They are united together in purpose and direction and in love for each one of us. I feel nothing but love and appreciation for them and felt the witness from the Holy Ghost on many truths that are taught in the Bible and Book of Mormon.
How I live my faith
I am currently teaching High School Freshman in a early morning, 6:20am Scripture class. I am a volunteer who was called to teach by my church leaders. I love to study the gospel and have learned so much about my Savior this past two years of teaching. I am so grateful that the Lord has organized this Church to operate all of our service without pay. It allows me to grow through sacrifice. If I were paid I would be robbed of the blessing that comes from service. Being called to serve over the years in various positions has enriched my life. I direct music in our meetings and play the organ when asked. I remember playing for a funeral for the first time for a person not of our faith and was offered some money for my service. I was actually surprised and did not want it. Service is one of our ways to show love. The more I serve the more love is expressed. Not only to those I serve, but to my Heavenly Father.


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What I believe in…
I've been posting a lot lately about politics. That's unique for me. Mostly, I don't talk about what "I believe" to people. One of my major criticisms of this election is the partisan treatment of individuals from opposing parties. Neither is innocent. I'm going to keep politics out of this because politics have little to do with beliefs. The line will become blury, but anytime I talk about government or rights in regards to my beliefs, remember these are what I believe and not criticisms of any political party. Individual beliefs help create the lens that is shaped by your experiences through which you view life.
Here's my list. I'm sure it will grow and change.
I believe…
- Everyone is created equal when it comes to rights
- Everyone has freedom to speak their mind and disagree with anything they don't like.
- in personal responsibility for your actions.
- there is a hierarchy of priority when it comes to family: kids>parents>sibblings>extended family>friends>Everyone else
- anyone with love and commitment who wants to get married should be able to
- in a kind, trusting god
- you never get delt more than you can handle
- things happen for a reason
- god has a plan. We can't see it but if we look, we can catch glimpses of the pattern when looking back over our lives.
- it's not my place to judge other people and their decisions to have abortions or not. Looking my children in the eyes, I could never imagine deciding to take a life of an unborn infant, but we each must make that decision based on our faith and beliefs. Government should not tell us how to live our lives.
- assisted suicide for terminal patients should be an option.
- stem cell research should go forward, but we shouldn't create life to do the research. That's lazy and science has shown it's a shortcut we don't need.
- cloning is ok. God didn't just create life, he gave us the ability to use tools, learn and evolve. Life is life.
- in a free market society. Demand should drive success or failure. Capitalism beats socialism everytime.
- Government should provide limited regulation to prevent abuse, consistent infrastructure across states and national defense. States should have more power. This is vague and I know it.
- Government should promote our ideals and help guide/push society to find better ways. This includes scientific advancement, human rights, education, commerce. Notice I said promote and not enforce.
- there should be no salary/career limitations/disparity based on sex, race, religion, age, disability or anything else but experience and ability.
- rapists should become eunichs on their first offense and killed on their second.
- premeditated murderers should reap what they sow.
- politicians should have an upper limit on their salaries and no lifetime benefits.
- there should be a difference between real unbiased journalists and politically-biased media and they should be upfront about it
- CEO's, board members and every executive of a company should have their salary/benefits tied to the success of the company. if the company fails, they get little to nothing.
- Taxes shouldn't be viewed as patriotic.
- government employees should strive to constantly be fiscally responsible and treat the money they spend as if it's their own, not funny-money they can just spend however they please.
I know there is more I'll add to the list.
What do you believe?
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JamesView September 20, 2008
Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
View September 21, 2008
Thanks, James! Welcome!
[…] This continues from things I believe in… […]
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DAVAO CITY (March 10, 2018) – Sarangani Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon and Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo sign the Commitment of Support for Sarangani Bay Festival 2018. This agreement aims to strengthen a nationwide Private-Public Partnership project amongst the government institutions, academe and private sector towards a sustainable tourism program through promotional partnership, participative planning and co-organizing of the entire Sarbay Festival. This was held at the New Building Institute for Women and Newborn Health of the Southern Philippines Medical Center on March 8. (Jake Narte-Donna Mahusay/SARANGANI COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE)
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How To Build Your Small Business
Like A Franchise
by Tom Edge
This article is by my good friend Tom Edge from England. Learn from his words of wisdom and visit his web site at the end of this article.
It is common knowledge that a franchises stand more chance of surviving than any other business format.
Over 95% of franchises will still be running five years after start-up while only 15% of traditional businesses will still be trading.
Most of us do not have the capital to buy into a franchise but in this article Tom Edge examines how we can profit from what franchises have learned.
He shows us how to use business building tools like operating manuals, organization charts and budgets to safely build your businesses just like a franchise.
Top : Home
Many people who start their own businesses start with some skill that they have learned in a previous employment then they take this skill into self employment.
Instead of a boss or firm now employing them they employ themselves. They are literally Self Employed.
They do not own a business - they own a job. In fact they are the job - often even naming it after themselves.
Sixty, 70, 80 hours a week are not uncommon, neither are divorce, heart attacks or bankruptcy.
As the economy improves or the work gets even tougher within 2 years over 80% close their doors and take a "proper job" working for an employer.
Because most people are used to doing work they focused on their product or service and not on building a business to supply that product or service.
Most small business owner/managers are product led when all successful businesses are customer driven.
Most business people are too busy doing work to make any money. Most business people are too busy doing work to build a business.
Most business people are too busy doing work in the business to work on the business.
My definition of a successful business is: "A money harvesting machine" I often give the analogy of a business being like a three legged stool having a marketing/sales leg; a production leg; and a financial leg.
These legs need to be in balance if your business is not to tip over.
So a successful business is really three machines all working harmoniously together with one aim; to delight profitable customers.
Draw an organization chart showing what the business will look like in, say, 3 years time when you have finished building.
The most powerful tool for building a business is an organization chart.
Initially it will have three legs but a fourth may be added later when you build the franchising "machine" to duplicate your prototype.
Top : Home
All businesses start and finish with the customer. What can you do to delight a specific group of people?
You must get to know this group better than they know themselves. You must know their psychographics I.e.
What makes them buy? What colors enlist what reactions? You must do market research. This is an on going function.
Once established you will be forever asking "What is the one thing we can do better next time?" Then you do it. You must build this into a system with a questionnaires or suggestion boxes.
You can be the best in the world at what you do but if you can't sell, your business is dead.
Advertising does not get you customers - it gets you shoppers so you must build a sales machine firstly to get shoppers then to turn shoppers into customers.
How many adverts or letters or leaflets (contacts and leads) do you need every month to sustain your business?
Recently while in the USA, I stayed with a Sales Director who was a master of information. Every evening by 6.30 PM all of his 100 sales team would fill in a report form on the intranet.
The report form detailed their days activities. Letters sent, appointments scheduled, fact finding visits undertaken, verbal quotes given, proposals written and value of sales made.
The system statistically compared one salesperson with the others showing who was "on system" and where improvements needed to be made by which salesperson.
My friend had spent the first six months of his job experimenting and finding what worked with his customers and what did not.
He was recently recruiting more sales people and inducting them into his system. The sales manual has become the training manual for new sales people halving their training time.
In my own seminar business I send 87 direct mail letters every month. These get me ten fact finding visits which in turn get me four proposals and two new customers - average every month.
In the early days I made the mistake of relying on word of mouth only. Never learning how to advertise and sell my sales hit a minor down turn and I was in deep trouble.
Experimenting at each level I have since optimized my sales machine and can turn it on or off at will.
I use direct mail and always have a hand written PS because with a hand written PS I get an 11% better hit rate.
I always wear a blue suit for customer visits because again I found, through experimentation, I get a 19% better success rate wearing a blue suit than a brown or gray one.
And of course I have experimented with the best questions to ask in order to close the sale.
In his book "Grinding it out" Ray Kroc describes his amazement on discovering how the MacDonald brothers had built a hamburger restaurant like a "machine" giving consistent food products and a high sales volume.
Ray Krocs' genius of course was to take the next step and produce a "machine" for selling McDonald franchises all over the world.
If you buy a McDonalds franchise you will go to Hamburger U for six weeks where they will teach you how to run a McDonalds restaurant using an operating manual.
Running a McDonalds is a performance. Running any business can be reduced to a performance with a script and stage managed events.
An operating manual with a simple checklist means you can hire almost any labor and they will perform exactly how you want.
At this many of you will exclaim "What an order, I can't go through with it." "Besides my customers need me, personally and my business is different!"
At this stage I will ask you to keep an open mind. Every business I have ever seen could be run this way if the owner took the time to do it.
Failure to run a business on these lines condemns the owner/manager to a lifetime of work with little or no chance of ever having time off or making serious money.
Probably the most important statement I can make to a new business owner is " You are not the business and it is not you. See it as separate.
Something you are going to build that is independent of you. Build it in such a way as it will work when you don't."
Most people hate doing the books and would rather do work. Yet I did not start to make or keep any real money until the day I started to do my own books.
Only then did I start to control my expenditures.
The trick here is to have a simple computer program that turns the numbers into pie charts and graphs so you can "see" where the money is coming from and going to.
The human brain works on pictures so an A4 color chart is much more likely to be acted upon than a spread sheet or print off containing hundreds of numbers!
A really mature business works to budgets. These can be fed into a simple program and a print off should show targets and measure how much is left until the end of the period.
Most people cannot control what they cannot see so simple control information is vital to your businesses success.
Once the prototype business has been built and the bugs ironed out it is time to replace yourself with a system. Build the business from the bottom of the organization chart upwards.
Each position on the chart will have an operating manual/checklist and now fill each box with a person until the last job of Manager is filled.
Remember that one of the managers tick lists is to daily check people below are all working to their lists too.
Now move to the next location where there are enough potential customers to support the business.
Calculate this number.
Then look for the location. Duplicate EXACTLY the color scheme, process, layout, themes, forms, systems and so on so the second business is a clone of the first.
Then decide if you are going to franchise the second or get a manager to run it while you build your third and so on.
There are definite financial advantages to franchising your prototype but the biggest advantage is that a franchisee will be more motivated than most managers to make the business grow.
Your cut from the business may be smaller but your efforts will be considerably less.
Get further advice from the US Small Business Administration or the UKs Small Business Service before deciding.
© Training Projects
For more on Tom Edge visit www.tomedge.co.uk
400 FREE Articles and Tips on the SITE MAP PAGE - CLICK HERE
Check out Tom's YouTube Video Channel For More Great HOW TO Content - CLICK HERE
Top : Home
Listen in on Tom's weekly radio show "Open For Business" on AM 1450 KMMS Radio, Bozeman.
Have a business question for Tom? Click here to get Tom's advice for free.
Stay up to date on business issues. Join Tom's Blog.
This article may be reproduced for your non-profit group or organization provided it is not altered in any way and the following is attached:
Used With Permission
© Eagle Marketing PO Box 271, Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
http://www.smalltownmarketing.com - (406) 585-0219
Email: email@example.com.
Based in Bozeman, MT, Tom Egelhoff is the author of How To Market, Advertise & Promote Your Business Or Service In A Small Town, and The Small Town Advertising Handbook: How To Say More And Spend Less. He is also a seminar and workshop presenter and trainer. He may be reached at 406-585-0219 or PO Box 271, Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
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My Tech Cloud
Living in a computing cloud.
Friday, 5 September 2008
Seinfeld and Gates
The new Bill Gates-Jerry Seinfeld ad was aired last night during the NFL game, it is 90s in length, check it out below and let me know what ya think. Personally, I find it brutal. Gates is an awful actor, Seinfeld gives a sub par performance, and Microsoft isn't mentioned until second 90 in this 90 second commercial. Microsoft, you just can't do anything right these days.
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Subject: Online payment not credited
My Name: Baxi Hemalkumar Vijaykumar
My City: AHMEDABAD
My State: Gujarat
My Complaint Against: Gandhidham nagarpalika
Complaint Category: Others
Claim Amount (Approx.): 3364
My Complaint Description:
We have paid property tax on 1-2-2016 by online gandhidham nagarpalika portal through sbi bank of Rs 3364 but in current bill it is not credited to account, demanding interest in bill which is not justice. Please do needful as soon as possible and necessary action.
Gandhidham Nagarpalika Complaint – Online Payment Not Credited
Subject: Online payment not credited


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A service of the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at San Diego State University
Friday, April 20, 2012
RIP SQUEAK AND HIS FRIENDS by Susan Yost-Filgate
Rip Squeak is a mouse fascinated with adventure—finding it, experiencing it, and writing about it. Just as Rip starts writing about his adventures, he hears a rustle and a brand new set of adventures begin. Rip meets Abby, who is a little kitty left behind when the family moved out of the cottage. With her family gone, Abby is scared, sad, and lonely, so Rip introduces her to his sister, Jesse. Rip and Jesse try to cheer Abby up by distracting her with games and adventures. An outdoor adventure in the rain nearly becomes deadly when a tomcat corners Jesse. Fortunately, a green creature, complete with a big hat and sword, comes to Jesse's rescue. Euripides, a frog fond of theatre, music, costume, play, and, most of all, imagination, enters the lives of Rip Squeak, Jess and Abby. The story closes with a thankful Abby sharing her favorite room, the toy-room, with her friends. Rip, Abby, Jesse, and Euripides play to the point of exhaustion until they curl up in Abby's soft fur to dream about tomorrow's next big adventures.
Not only is the storyline of Rip Squeak and His Friends engaging, but the illustrations by Leonard Filgate enliven Rip Squeak's world. One of the most charming scenes is Jesse in a bright yellow raincoat and boots, swinging a blue cocktail-size umbrella, and splashing in the rain. The visual of the dashing Euripides—hat in hand—introducing himself to the trio is equally enjoyable. The closing scene of four friends—two little mice, a kitten, and a frog—dreaming of adventures to come leaves the reader wanting more of Rip Squeak and his adventures.
Stephanie Ashley
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Hello friends,
I just wanted to tell you about a nice little special effect I created earlier this week. It's a very light weight "God Ray" effect, allowing to add the kind of light situation you've got underwater or in a forest when the sun stands low.
I hope it's useful to some of you! =)


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The Enchanted Viper is a Backup weapon created by BastionMann.
Appearance Edit
It is a purplish revolver. It has a wood grip, a steel cylinder clip, an iron barrel, 6 muzzle brakes, 2 yellow cosmetic eyes, and 2 fangs under the barrel.
It also has 2 enchanted augments under the gun.
Strategy Edit
It has moderately high damage, good rate of fire, low mobility and moderate mobility
Tips Edit
- Use this weapon as a backup, rather than a main weapon. Switching to it will be faster than reloading a weapon, allowing continuous fire.
- It is useful in attacking in short range due to its low accuracy.
- Aim for the head to maximize damage.
Counters Edit
- Attack the user while they are reloading.
- Pick off user from long range.


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Yes, it is Green Day-St. Patrick's Day where everyone no matter what race or ethnicity seem to be Irish!! People of all ages, shapes, & sizes are wearing green. Green shirts, green hair, green faces and even green beer.
Are they wearing green in hopes of the luck of the Irish?? Maybe for the petal on the shamrock the will bring a wish their way. Or the the 4 leaf clover to bring luck, health and happiness.
Whatever it may be it is St. Patrick's day and and everyone have the Irish spirit in hopes that their blessings outnumber their troubles. However, some may think if you are lucky enough to be Irish then you are lucky enough.


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NBA's Delonte West uses Twitter to seek new job
Say what you want about Delonte West but he's an aggressive - and entertaining - job seeker. After all, this is a man who during the NBA lockout last season got a gig at a local furniture store.
Now the veteran guard, who was waived by the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, has taken to Twitter to look for a new employer. (West, who has bipolar disorder, was cut loose by the Mavs after being suspended twice for "conduct detrimental to the team.")
Rather than sulk on his couch, West is touting his "resume" online. His biggest selling point: He's a smart player who won't cost a team a lot of money.
The "motorcycle" mention is a self-deprecating reference to West's 2009 arrest for riding a motorcycle with multiple loaded weapons while under the influence of bipolar medication.
West, who has averaged almost 10 points a game over his career, plays up his skills to potential employers:
He goes on to implore NBA coaches out there to consider his basketball acumen:
And if those coaches are sticklers for spelling, West has news for you:
So there you have it: West may have his moments of "detrimental conduct" but he's a proven NBA veteran who will work for the league minimum, can play three positions and will provide locker room comedy.
A similar Twitter plea didn't work for Terrell Owens earlier this month, but West is only 29 years old and even if an NBA team doesn't call, Regency Furniture Showrooms will probably be happy to have him back.


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Access to a portable drug screening system that delivers results within 10 minutes could help with more accurate assessment of offenders' treatment needs on arrival at prison.
Drug testing is essential to support a wide range of offender management activities, from mandatory drug screening to the assessment of offenders on arrival for addiction support and prescribing services, as well as voluntary testing that underpins schemes for drug-free wings.
Thanks to its portability and non-invasive approach, Intelligent Fingerprinting's Drug Screening System provides a hygienic and convenient point-of-care drug test that can be easily implemented to support random or unannounced testing.
Access to a portable drug screening system that delivers results within 10 minutes could help with more accurate assessment of offenders' treatment needs on arrival at prison.
Fingerprint sample collection is hygienic and non-invasive, with none of the biohazards associated with handling urine or oral fluid samples, so testing can take place any time, anywhere with no need for specially prepared sample collection areas or clinical waste disposal.
Simplified screening with the portable Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System helps prison staff to ensure that only abstainers are able to access drug-free wings and their associated privileges.
Portable, fingerprint-based screening makes spontaneous drug testing a reality, helping to address problems associated with diverted medication by detecting those involved and creating an effective deterrent against drug diversion.
The UK Government's Prison Safety and Reform White Paper (November 2016) includes recommendations to address drug misuse within prisons, with a particular focus on supporting governors to enable drug testing on entry and exit while also increasing the frequency of drug testing. New drug screening methods – such as Intelligent Fingerprinting's revolutionary drug screening system – could be beneficial in supporting the Government's proposed reforms, particularly if they reduce the amount of time prison staff have to spend in sample preparation and collection.
In the UK, we are working with Her Majesty's Prison & Probation Service to trial fingerprint drug screening within probation services.
To handle the drug testing process effectively, prison services require access to rapid point-of-care drug screening tests that can be deployed at short notice to provide drug use intelligence. The Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System's portability, non-invasive testing approach and its ability to deliver rapid, reliable results make it an ideal solution for drug testing within prisons.
Press Release: MTB Distribuciones appointed as first Spanish partner to…
Press Release: National SME Business Innovation Award win....
Blog: Radio 4's Inside Science interviews Prof David Russell...
How does the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System work?
Our fingerprint drug test screens for drug use by analysing chemicals (known as metabolites) contained in the minute traces of eccrine sweat found in a fingerprint. The presence of drug metabolites in someone's fingerprint sweat indicates drug use by that individual. Note: Drug metabolites are produced by the body as a result of normal metabolic processes and can be analysed to identify the drug substances a person may have ingested, inhaled or injected. Find out more in our Technology section.
Why should I switch to the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System?
In short, for speed and convenience. Our portable fingerprint drug test is quick and easy to perform any time, in a variety of locations. In comparison with traditional screening procedures involving saliva or urine, fingerprint sample collection is dignified and hygienic and it takes just 5 seconds to deposit a fingerprint onto our disposable Drug Screening Cartridge, with results within 10 minutes. The test can be administered by non-medical, non-gender-specific staff and there is no need for specialist collection facilities or clinical waste disposal for used cartridges.
How easy is it to use?
Fingerprint-based drug testing is simple and hygienic to administer, while sample collection is dignified and non-invasive for those being tested.
Here's how it works: The fingerprint sample is collected onto the Intelligent Fingerprinting Cartridge. The Cartridge is analysed using the portable Intelligent Fingerprinting Reader 1000 (which is battery-powered or can be plugged into the mains and is touchscreen-operated). Within ten minutes the Reader 1000 provides a negative or positive result for each drug in the test, against pre-determined thresholds. Our video shows how easy it is to use the system:
Which drugs does it detect?
The Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System currently detects four commonly abused drug groups: amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine and opiates.
How reliable is fingerprint drug screening?
Our drug tests have been fully validated in line with the requirements of BSI ISO 13485 Medical Devices standard. This internationally recognised standard sets strict rules for validation of our products and our manufacturing processes, in addition to Quality Control release of each product. Product accuracy, precision and reliability are comprehensively evaluated and presented within performance information.
How quick is the test?
It takes just 5 seconds to collect a fingerprint sample onto the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening Cartridge and the Intelligent Fingerprinting Reader 1000 screens the sample for multiple drugs of abuse within 10 minutes.
Is your Drug Screening System available to order?
Yes! Please contact us for details.
How much does it cost?
The Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System is competitively priced to align with market expectations and individual customer requirements. Please contact us for a quotation.
Which regulatory approvals do you have?
The design, development and manufacture of our products are fully compliant with our ISO 9001:2015 certification and our ISO 13485:2016 certification status for the manufacture of medical devices (renewed June 2017).
We are an FDA registered company and our procedures operate with associated compliance to FDA requirements. Further FDA product registration is being pursued for additional US markets.
Do you have FDA approval?
Intelligent Fingerprinting has held initial meetings with the FDA regarding approval. We are currently preparing the product for submission regarding FDA regulatory approvals.


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Conservatory Flute Student Achia Floyd Advances in Competition
Achia Floyd, a first-year MM/Flute Performance student who studies with Mary Posses, is one of only 16 performers who have advanced to the Semi-Final Round of the WAMSO Young Artist Competition in St. Paul, MN January 15, 2011. Those invited to this live round were selected from Preliminary Round recordings. They will compete for cash prizes, an appearance with the Minnesota Orchestra, and scholarships to summer music programs such as Aspen, Interlochen, Chautauqua, and Madeline Island. Ms. Floyd is a native of Tallahassee, FL and completed an undergraduate music degree at Florida State University. WAMSO, the Women's Association of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, is the Minnesota Orchestra's primary volunteer support group. They have sponsored this competition since 1956. For more information, please contact:
Name: Dana Self
Name: Dana Self
Phone: 816-235-2949
Email: email@example.com


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Baklava Is Better Late Than Never!
The guilt, the GUILT! I've been neglecting my fellow web team members' taste buds as of late. Most of the edibles I have cooked recently haven't been able to make it into our web team office. That's why it's completely understandable that when I stumbled upon a picture of baklava the girls in the office automatically labeled it my duty and responsibility to make it for them. This is the part where it gets even more sad…
Due to my (awesome) trip to St. Louis and lack of time at home it took me nearly two weeks to make baklava for them! They waited patiently while each passing day brought more dishonor to my culinary name. Eventually my fantastic group of office ladies became skeptical that I would even bring in this Greek (or Turkish?) treat! I not only had to prove them wrong but I HAD to make a pastry worthy of the wait.
You know you've done a good job making baklava when the diner eats it up and then goes after the crumbs! Now that I know my recipe is fairly delish it is time to post it up so my office mates can use it in the future!
- 16 oz package of phyllo dough
- 1 pound chopped nuts
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup melted butter
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup real honey
I want to start out by telling you a little bit about making baklava. THIS IS NOT THE DESSERT TO MAKE RIGHT BEFORE A PARTY! Constructing a good baklava can be a time consuming experience but worth it! Also, when choosing the kinds of chopped nuts to use in your baklava keep in mind that pistachios and walnuts are a more traditional combination. I used nothing but pecans in my recipe and it turned out equally great so the choice is really up to your personal tastes!
Start out by making the sugary honey sauce for the baklava. A lot of people tend to make the sauce while their baklava is in the oven but this isn't a great idea. First of all the sauce will still be fairly hot when the baklava pops out and will cause the baklava to turn soggy once you've added it. For a great baklava you want to have a completely cooled sauce to pour into your piping hot phyllo dough.
To make the honey syrup add your water, brown sugar and white sugar to a pan and bring to a slow boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and then stir in the vanilla and honey. Let the syrup simmer for 20 minutes and then take it off of the stove to cool. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the teaspoon of cinnamon to the nuts and mix well.
Time to butter it all up! Take a 9 x 13 pan and brush it down very well with melted butter. I actually bought a new really cool brush, the iSi dual basting brush. This brush is made from silicone so it's easier to clean than a natural bristle brush and is very heat resistant. I love how I can switch the brush head from one side to another for optimum use and differing brush angles! Pretty cool and very affordably priced at $4.55.
Now that you have the pan buttered up unroll a roll of phyllo dough. Tip: keep a clean, moist towel close by to cover your dough as it will try out easily. Carefully take your first paper thin sheet of phyllo dough and lay it into the bottom of the pan. The edges of the sheet may be going up the side of the pan so just fold them back. Don't worry too much about having a perfectly flat piece of phyllo either. Baklava is best when it is full of wrinkles and layers.
Brush the phyllo sheet in your pan LIGHTLY with the melted butter. Don't over butter the sheet or you'll get a soggy baklava. I know, I know, butter IS amazing but I promise just a thin coat will do. Keep on adding layers of phyllo dough and butter until you have 8 layers of dough.
Butter the 8th layer like the others and then sprinkle a small handful (or about 3 tablespoons) of the chopped nuts onto the layer. Add 2 layers of buttered phyllo on top of the nut layer and then add more nuts. Repeat these layers (nuts, buttered phyllo, buttered phyllo, nuts) until you are out of chopped nuts. On top of your last nut layer you should have enough phyllo left over for about 5-8 buttered phyllo layers!
Now that the long job of assembly is done, it's time to get slicin'! For this you will need a VERY sharp knife. You can slice it in any shape you desire whether it is in squares or triangles but make sure you DO NOT SLICE ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM. Slice about half way through. Once it is out of the oven and sauced up we'll be able to slice it the rest of the way. This lack of complete slicing keeps the sauce from pooling at the bottom and allows it to spread within the pastry.
Bake your pastry for about 50 minutes. It should be a beautiful golden brown! Immediately begin spooning your cooled honey sugar syrup into the cuts of your pastry. Once all of the syrup is gone let your baklava cool completely before serving. Another last bit of advice: don't cover it while its cooling or it will (once again) become soggy.
Remember: Soggy baklava is sad baklava. [:'(]