text:
Making Mistakes

29 Sep

Wouldn’t life be easier if we never made mistakes?

Sometimes I think that as I muddle through language learning; slip up in a major way, or put my foot in my mouth. (I wonder that even more when I do all three at the same time: such as the time when I humorously insisted to my cousin in Slovenia that I’d eaten a whole bowl of cevjle (shoes) rather than the cesnje (cherries) I was talking about. Rookie Slovenian pronunciation mistake).

It’s tempting to wish that life were error-free—that it had an autocorrect feature the way that Microsoft Word does, so that every time we metaphorically make a typo in life, the letters would magically rearrange themselves to display what we’d actually intended. (Of course, that isn’t always foolproof, either). It’s at least tempting to wish that life had a backspace button, where were could just make all go away relatively quickly, even long after the fact, and replace the old words with new ones.

In an interview with the New York Times this week, however, Dominic Randolph insists otherwise.

Randolph, the headmaster of one of the most elite institutions of learning in New York City, the Riverdale Country School, asserts that failures are the things that make us successful.

“Whether it’s the pioneer in the Conestoga wagon or someone coming here in the 1920s from southern Italy, there was this idea in America that if you worked hard and you showed real grit, that you could be successful,” he said. “Strangely, we’ve now forgotten that. People who have an easy time of things, who get 800s on their SAT’s, I worry that those people get feedback that everything they’re doing is great.”

Many college-bound high schoolers would give up a lot of a perfect 800 on each section of the SAT.

Well, they’d give up a lot—except the extreme dedication it would take to quit a bunch of extra-curriculars to study for the exam full-time, which would be an ill-advised venture anyways, as SAT scores aren’t the only things that colleges look at.

Maybe it’s good that most high schoolers wouldn’t give up enough to get that perfect 800, though.

“We are actually setting them up for long-term failure,” Randolph said, in reference to students who sail through the SATs or other similar exams to get that perfect score without much effort.

“When that person suddenly has to face up to a difficult moment, then I think they’re screwed, to be honest,” he said. “I don’t think they’ve grown the capacities to be able to handle that.”

It was a frank comment coming from the headmaster of a school which is considered one of New York’s best, where parents with Ivy League dreams for their children line up to enroll, from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

His comments, though, were enough to make me grateful for the countless errors—and difficult frustrations—I’ve had with learning foreign languages. If we are speaking in academic terms, there is quite possibly nothing more frustrating than the series of difficult moments that foreign language learning requires as you progress from elementary to advanced fluency.

But once you make errors, you begin the process to which Randolph alludes: correcting them.

And in conversation, it’s not as easy as hoping spell check or grammar check with rescue you. And in real life, there’s no backspace.

Oddly enough, though, the words, phrases, and things I’ve said wrong are the things that have helped me learn best.

Take, for example, when I was first learning how to decline cases in Slovenian, which is a typical Slavic language that requires you to, in effect, conjugate each noun and adjective according to six different cases. I had no idea what cases even meant when they were explained to me in the classroom—until I encountered them in real life.

“I’d like a Fanta, please,” I said in Slovenian sweetly to the waiter taking my order in a Ljubljana café a few years back, when I first began learning Slovenian. The problem was, I’d asked for a Fanta.

But if I’d wanted a Fanta, I should have said Fant-o instead, due to a case declension when you use a noun as a direct object.

Instead, what I’d done, in effect, was ask the guy out: I’d asked for a boyfriend (fant) which, when declined into the type of sentence I was saying, becomes fant-a.

From that day forward, I never forgot how to use that particular set of case endings.

The problem with the educational system that is that it often doesn’t allow room for error. Each assignment is graded and impacts a student’s final grade, which in turn impacts their chances to advance to the next level, apply to colleges, and succeed in their academic careers. This can be a very frustrating and nerve-wracking process for students. It’s easy to stand on the outside and say we become more of a success because of occasional (or frequent) failure.

The good news is that one day school ends and the pressure lets up a little bit, at least in an academic sense.

It’s no coincidence, after all, that it was only when I was out of school that I felt comfortable enough to make language errors, laugh at them, and learn from them in Slovenia—which resulted in the fastest level of fluency I’ve obtained in any of the three foreign languages I speak or am trying to learn.

Published this week by the Southbridge Evening News and other Stonebridge Press newspapers.

One Response to “Making Mistakes”

  1. zgodbo October 2, 2011 at 8:28 pm #

    I read that article and liked it too. I remember in freshman year of high school, my science teacher gave us a lecture about how she wasn’t going to give us good grades just because that’s what we were used to getting. She meant on a little rant about grade inflation and how seniors who didn’t deserve As complained that she was hurting their college admission chance, etc. I found out later that year that she was going through a hard time since, as she put it, “25 years is a long time to be married to an a**hole” so perhaps she was a bit peevish for other reasons as well. Nonetheless, she probably had a point : )

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The Slovenian Thanksgiving

26 Nov

As I headed to the grocery store the week before Thanksgiving, I was overwhelmed with the number of frozen food cases that had been converted from ice cream storage bins into turkey bins.

This, of course, is not unusual in the U.S. Around this time of year, frozen veggies, pita pockets, and other various frozen foods are cleared out to make way for turkeys, ranging from 12 lbs. to 16 lbs. or more.

Last year, however, as I pondered how to hold a Thanksgiving dinner in Ljubljana, Slovenia, there were no turkeys to be found.

Me, cutting apart one of the tiny turkeys at last year's Thanksgiving celebration in Ljubljana.

Sure, you can usually buy ground turkey meat and other cuts of turkey in an average grocery store, but I couldn’t find a single whole turkey at any store. A group of Americans who had been in Ljubljana the year prior warned my American roommate and me that we might not be able to procure a turkey for the big day, but we were determined that this would happen.

So, four weeks early, we started our hunt.

First, we checked our corner market, a small version of a German grocery store.

No luck.

Over the next two weeks, we tried every single corner store on every corner we could find.

Still no luck.

With a week left to go, we trekked 30 minutes across the city to a much larger grocery store, housed in the basement of a multi-story department store complex, where they sold exotic things like cheddar cheese imported from the U.K. (which went into the shopping basket for scalloped potatoes) and sweet potatoes (which went into the basket along with the so-called “American nuts,” as they were labeled (pecans) for a sweet potato pie).

We might have found a few other ingredients, but still, when it came to the turkey: no luck.

Finally, we heard rumors that just outside the city center—a 10 minute drive—at a French-sounding grocery store, we might find the one food item that would make or break the authentic Thanksgiving meal we were hosting for curious friends and my family members.

I sent my roommate off by herself, as I stayed home to size up the various foods we’d collected over four weeks, which were stored in cupboards, drawers, and the freezer. We were almost ready for our grand meal: squash soup, salad, homemade bread, stuffing with chestnuts, scalloped potatoes garnished with bacon, sweet potato pie, green beans, and a whole slew of desserts from American-style chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and cheesecake.

When my roommate got to the French-sounding grocery store just outside of town, she called me. I was waiting at home, compiling our list of ingredients, trying to make sure we had all we needed. No pumpkin in a can? No problem. We had a real pumpkin, and we were set to carve it out and extract the insides to make one of our favorite American dishes: authentic pumpkin pie.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi,” I said back, wondering why her voice sounded a bit funny.

“So,” she said.

“No turkey?” I asked.

“Well, yes, I found one,” she said.

“Great!” I said, as I sighed with relief. Really, I felt like dancing around the room. We were going to have a real Thanksgiving! Even if we had to host it the Sunday before Thanksgiving day—since everyone would be working Thursday—it would truly be Thanksgiving.

“Well,” she said again. “I can’t do the conversion from the metric system, but it’s, like, three pounds.”

That certainly threw a monkey wrench into things. A 3 lb. turkey? How were we supposed to stuff a 3 lb. turkey, cook it, and expect to feed eight grown adults?

“Um,” I said, insightfully. “Um.”

“Well,” she said again. “There seems to be another one here, too. I think I’ll buy two.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, buy two.”

I glanced around at our small oven. How were we supposed to prepare two tiny turkeys at the same time, along with all of our other food? All of a sudden, the idea of an authentic Thanksgiving seemed almost impossible.

In the end, we spent 12 hours on Saturday baking and cooking various dishes, and then cleared out our refrigerator to store them overnight. Sunday morning, tiny turkey number two (which was probably closer to 5 lbs. or so) went into the oven.

Miraculously, the Slovenian guests (plus on Kenyan friend) arrived promptly at 2 p.m., to find a kitchen full of American specialties.

Meleah's cheesecake was carved into quite creatively by our guests, most of whom had never had cheesecake before.

Miraculously, they seemed to (mostly) like the dishes, though the turkey we worried about so much didn’t seem to make much of an impression. (In contrast, the cheesecake became a bit of a legend, though, having not seen one before, our guests appeared confused with cutting themselves a slice, and instead of cutting a traditional triangle sliver of a piece carved out geometric shapes from the middle. Needless to say, the leftovers… looked like creative pieces of art.)

But the real fun came a few days later, on the real day of Thanksgiving.

Rushing home from classes at 12:30, my roommate and I sat down and piled up plates of potatoes, vegetables, bread… and what remained of those two tiny turkeys, who had given their lives so that we could have a taste of what we missed most from home on the most American of holidays.

Published this week by the Southbridge Evening News and other Stonebridge Press newspapers.

One Response to “The Slovenian Thanksgiving”

  1. zgodbo December 1, 2011 at 2:13 am #

    I love it! Oh the memories. I hate to fact check you but I think it was three something kilos which would make it more like seven or eight pounds :) Wish you could have been here to peel scalding chestnuts and drink cheap champagne with.

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Musings from a new mom.

The Book Wheel

There is no friend as loyal as a book. - Ernest Hemingway

Liz Boltz Ranfeld

Living and Parenting as a Liberal Feminist Christian

Craig Robert Brown

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The Breakdown of Taboo

Is Taboo Dying?

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AZ7845 flight schedule & details

Alitalia international flight AZ7845 served route Paris to Milan. This is archive flight and it is currently unavailable. Last known departure date was 17th April, 2017.

Flight AZ7845: Paris - Milan

Departure day 17th April (Monday)
Departure time 08:45 (8:45 am)
Departure terminal Terminal «2F»
Airport name Charles de Gaulle
Airport IATA code CDG
City Paris
Country France
Arrival day 17th April (Monday)
Arrival time 10:10 (10:10 am)
Arrival terminal N/A
Airport name Linate
Airport IATA code LIN
City Milan
Country Italy
Flight number AZ7845
Airline name Alitalia
IATA carrier code AZ
Flight type International
Airplane type Airbus A318
Arrival day Same day
Flight duration 1h 25m
Distance 646 km / 401 mi.
Operated by Air France flight AF1812
Flight AZ7845 route from Paris (France) to Milan (Italy)

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G31038 flight schedule & details

Gol Transportes Aereos domestic flight G31038 serves route Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro. The flight departs approximately six times per week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday). Provided details are valid for the flight departing on 28th July, 2017.

Flight departure days

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Flight G31038: Sao Paulo - Rio de Janeiro

Departure day 28th July (Friday)
Departure time 16:10 (4:10 pm)
Airport name Congonhas
Airport IATA code CGH
City Sao Paulo
State / Province SP
Country Brazil
Arrival day 28th July (Friday)
Arrival time 17:10 (5:10 pm)
Airport name Santos Dumont
Airport IATA code SDU
City Rio de Janeiro
State / Province RJ
Country Brazil
Flight number G31038
Airline name Gol Transportes Aereos
IATA carrier code G3
Flight type Domestic
Airplane type Boeing 737-800
Arrival day Same day
Flight duration 1h 00m
Distance 366 km / 227 mi.
Flight G31038 route from Sao Paulo (Brazil) to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

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G31533 flight schedule & details

Gol Transportes Aereos domestic flight G31533 served route Ilheus to Sao Paulo. This is archive flight and it is currently unavailable. Last known departure date was 15th April, 2017.

Flight G31533: Ilheus - Sao Paulo

Departure day 15th April (Saturday)
Departure time 15:30 (3:30 pm)
Airport name Jorge Amado
Airport IATA code IOS
City Ilheus
State / Province BA
Country Brazil
Arrival day 15th April (Saturday)
Arrival time 17:30 (5:30 pm)
Airport name Congonhas
Airport IATA code CGH
City Sao Paulo
State / Province SP
Country Brazil
Flight number G31533
Airline name Gol Transportes Aereos
IATA carrier code G3
Flight type Domestic
Airplane type Boeing 737-700
Arrival day Same day
Flight duration 2h 00m
Distance 1262 km / 784 mi.
Flight G31533 route from Ilheus (Brazil) to Sao Paulo (Brazil)

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H12170 flight schedule & details

Hahn Air Systems international flight H12170 served route Kingston to New York City. This is archive flight and it is currently unavailable. Last known departure date was 15th April, 2017.

Flight H12170: Kingston - New York City

Departure day 15th April (Saturday)
Departure time 02:10 (2:10 am)
Departure terminal N/A
Airport name Norman Manley
Airport IATA code KIN
City Kingston
State / Province
Country Jamaica
Arrival day 15th April (Saturday)
Arrival time 07:00 (7:00 am)
Arrival terminal Terminal «1»
Airport name John F. Kennedy
Airport IATA code JFK
City New York City
State / Province NY
Country United States
Flight number H12170
Airline name Hahn Air Systems
IATA carrier code H1
Flight type International
Airplane type Boeing 757
Arrival day Same day
Flight duration 3h 50m
Distance 2535 km / 1575 mi.
Operated by Overland Airways flight OJ270
Flight H12170 route from Kingston (Jamaica) to New York City (United States)

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JL486 flight schedule & details

Japan Airlines domestic flight JL486 serves route Takamatsu to Tokyo. The flight departs daily. Provided details are valid for the flight departing on 28th July, 2017.

Flight departure days

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Flight JL486: Takamatsu - Tokyo

Departure day 28th July (Friday)
Departure time 20:00 (8:00 pm)
Departure terminal N/A
Airport name Takamatsu
Airport IATA code TAK
City Takamatsu
Country Japan
Arrival day 28th July (Friday)
Arrival time 21:20 (9:20 pm)
Arrival terminal Terminal «D1»
Airport name Haneda
Airport IATA code HND
City Tokyo
Country Japan
Flight number JL486
Airline name Japan Airlines
IATA carrier code JL
Flight type Domestic
Airplane type Boeing 737-800 (winglets)
Arrival day Same day
Flight duration 1h 20m
Distance 548 km / 340 mi.
Flight JL486 route from Takamatsu (Japan) to Tokyo (Japan)

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Globalist Stunts: Somali Piracy

Part three in an ongoing series exposing globalist stunts foisted upon humanity at the cost of our lives, our livelihood, our past and our future. Click here for previous "Globalist Stunts."

By Tony Cartalucci

According to CNN a South Korean fishing vessel was hijacked early October, 2010, by Somali pirates. It was supposedly off the coast of Lamu, Kenya, a city lining the Somali-Kenyan border. This isn't the first foreign fishing vessel hijacked by Somali pirates. This year alone, Thai and Taiwanese fishing vessels were seized as well. Over the last decade the captured crews of fishing vessels caught by Somali pirates off their coast could double as a "mock UN" assembly.

International fishing fleets sail from around the world to
plunder Somalia's lawless shores.

And while the mainstream corporate media sensationalizes the freighters being hijacked, ships being victimized simply for 'passing by,' mentions of captured fishing vessels are glazed over, explanations as to why vessels are caught half-way around the world from their home ports are absent, and the concept of "illegal fishing" is buried deep within articles. Certainly it would be difficult to explain why a South Korean vessel is fishing over 6,600 miles away from its own shores.

Indeed, the very genesis of Somali piracy was illegal fishing off their shores. According to "War is Boring," foreign fishing fleets representing a multi-billion dollar global industry have been muscling Somali fishermen out of their own waters since 1991. But what does "War Is Boring" know? They are just "citizen journalists" after all, and besides, CNN and Fox News say the Somali pirates are terrorists, even in league with Al Qeada.

The Globalist's Reality

Glenn Beck of Fox News provides us with the pinnacle of globalist propaganda regarding "Somali piracy."

Glenn Beck manages to insult Thomas Jefferson, the French, the United States Marine Corps, Islam, history, and our intelligence all within the span of a nine minute clip.

He characterizes the pirates and their piratical economic operation in the Mediterranean Sea as "Islamic extremists" who harassed our ships because they despised everything that we stood for - instead of just making money like the countless non-Muslim pirates before them had since the beginning of naval history. He goes on to retrospectively rewrite the history of the Marine Corps which at the time of the Barbary Wars was already celebrating its 26th anniversary, and in reality, received its "baptism of fire" during the Revolutionary War, not in Tripoli as Beck suggests. And all the while Beck links the modern Somali pirates to Al Qeada and Islamic extremism, shamelessly without a shred of evidence to bolster his claim - ignoring evidence that suggests otherwise.

To one degree or another, all mainstream media outlets rehash this narrative. CNN's article comes the closest to the truth by stating, "Pirates have often justified the capture of fishing vessels as punishment for what they view as illegal fishing off its shores." Of course this is written with as much ambiguity as possible to allow your conditioning to discard it as "enemy propaganda."

The Reality

Conceding to those who would rather believe only "officials" and shrug off reports like those from "War Is Boring," a rare spot of honesty can be found if you know where to look.

After 3 Thai fishing vessels were seized earlier this year, the Thai Navy deployed 2 ships with over 300 sailors, marines, and Thai Navy SEALS on-board. According to the Bangkok Post, Rear Admiral Chaiyos commanding the anti-piracy effort said "the Somali people had previously tried to protect their marine resources from foreign exploitation by demanding fees from fishing trawlers and cargo ships that might dump toxic waste. They later turned to piracy and hijacked the ships for ransom."

Despite this observation, Rear Admiral Chaiyos is sending 2 navy ships to Somalia's coast to confront them in an unprecedented deployment to protect "Thai interests" overseas. And despite the overt hypocrisy, Rear Admiral Chaiyos' assessment gives us insight into the true nature of "Somali piracy."

The Somalis have something everyone wants, and little or no means to protect it. They have no voice or influence in the "international community" and so the media can easily recast them as anything their nefarious imaginations want. This has opened the door to over a decade of illegal fishing, waste dumping, and recently, the invitation of the degenerate murderers for hire at Blackwater to find yet another way to waste tax payer's money and/or raise shipping costs.

Even though British and Icelandic naval forces threatened confrontation over fishing rights off their own shores on several occasions during the "Cod Wars," and the fact that say an, Iranian fishing fleet 40 miles off the coast of California would never be tolerated, the Somalis in their limited way defending themselves from wall-to-wall exploitation are branded terrorists with the full brunt of military force brought against them. They haven't blinked.

Meanwhile, the issue of "piracy" is yet another conflict in a long parade of manufactured and manipulated crises to promote globalization and the undermining of national sovereignty for the sake of global governance. That the "pirates" are Muslim is an added bonus for the globalists who seek any tree, rock or bedpost to hide their imagined bogymen behind.

Surely there is money involved for the Somalis as well as defending their waters from exploitation, and perhaps also they were hoping the high profile ships they took, and headlines like "Pirates seize South Korean fishing boat off Kenya" would beg people to wonder just why a South Korean fishing boat is "off Kenya" in the first place and who the real pirates actually are.


text:
3 Realities You Aren't Being Told About Afghanistan

January 11, 2017 (Ulson Gunnar - NEO) - US commander of US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) General John Nicholson's December 2016 briefing was paradoxical and perhaps indicative of the bankrupted foreign policy that defines America's occupation in Afghanistan.

The US Department of Defense published General Nicholson's full briefing titled, "Department of Defense Press Briefing by General Nicholson in the Pentagon Briefing Room." In it, three truths in particular emerged.

1. "Stronger Afghan Military" Still Requires Years More of US Hand-Holding

The briefing paradoxically claimed that America's proxy regime in Kabul it has attempted to prop up for the past 15 years is gaining strength and independence from US-NATO assistance, even as US Marines prepared to deploy back to Afghanistan's Helmand province for what the Pentagon announced will be years more of US troop rotations.

The Washington Post in an article titled, "Thousands of Marines fought in southern Afghanistan. Now, the service is going back," would report that:
About 300 Marines with a unit called Task Force Southwest will deploy, advising the Afghan army’s 215th Corps and Afghan national police with the 505th Zone. The forces will work in part from a large Afghan installation known during earlier Marine operations as Camp Leatherneck, but will be based in other locations and could face combat, senior Marine officers said Friday.
The Post would also report:
Senior Marine officials did not say why the service will take over the mission in Helmand, but it is expected that there could be several rotations of Marine task forces there in coming years.

In other words, promises of a US withdrawal from Afghanistan, promises that formed the foundation of political campaign promises for years, were made in vain with US troops facing an unending, futile commitment to occupying the Central Asian state for years to come, just as US troops did in Vietnam during the 1960s-1970s.

Likewise, claims by military commanders and US policymakers that Afghanistan's government is becoming increasingly "independent" defies even the most basic admissions the US military and government themselves provide in terms of statistics and US troop deployment schedules.

Like the now non-existent South Vietnamese government, the current Afghan government cannot sustain itself without a significant foreign presence, because despite the immense amount of monetary, military and political resources poured into it, it lacks legitimacy in Afghanistan itself where it matters most.

2. US Taxpayers Will Pay Twice for Afghanistan's Ineffectual Military

General Nicholson's briefing also revealed that the military assets US taxpayers have provided Washington's proxy regime in Kabul will essentially be rendered void since most of them depend on Russian parts and maintenance assistance no longer available under Washington's ever-expanding sanctions targeting Moscow.

General Nicholson, in response to a question during the briefing, would state:
...the Afghans traditionally had a core of MI-17 pilots who were trained on the airframe and some of them very experienced. So early before Crimea, Ukraine, before sanctions, there was international support for continuing with Russian-made airframes.

That all changed after 2014 and after those sanctions were imposed. So the issue now is the sustainment of that -- of that fleet to continue while we field a new fleet. President Obama forwarded to the Hill a request and the supplemental for purchase of UH-60 alpha model helicopters. So these helicopters will be modified with an improved drivetrain transmission so to enable them to operate better in the environment up there. But it will involve a transition for the pilots.

This means fleets of Mil Mi-17 transport helicopters Afghan forces have used for years will be replaced by US-made Sikorsky (owned by defense giant Lockheed Martin) UH-60 Black Hawks.

With this move, not only will pilots have to be retrained to fly the Black Hawks, but part inventories, airport infrastructure, supply chains, ground crew training and all other aspects necessary to sustain the Black Hawks will have to be established and maintained as well.

In essence, US taxpayers find themselves paying twice for helicopter transport capabilities with the Black Hawks costing drastically more - the entire plan costing hundreds of millions of dollars more according to Reuters - to support an Afghan military already struggling just to survive.

3. The US is not Fighting Terrorism in Afghanistan

During General Nicholson's briefing, he claimed that the US presence in Afghanistan persisted in order to defeat Al Qaeda and the self-proclaimed "Islamic State" (ISIS). However, it was clear that listening to his briefing, that the US-backed proxy regime in Kabul's primary threat was the Taliban.

General Nicholson berated Pakistan, Russia and Iran for what he claimed was their collective "malign influence" within Afghanistan. In particular, he condemned Russian and Iran for lending legitimacy to the Taliban.

General Nicholson would claim:
Russia has overtly lent legitimacy to the Taliban. And their narrative goes something like this: that the Taliban are the ones fighting Islamic State, not the Afghan government.

However, General Nicholson strategically omits the fact that the US and some of its closest allies in the Middle East have lent the Taliban legitimacy as well, with the US attempting to negotiate with the group and its ally Qatar allowing the Taliban to open what is for all intents and purposes an embassy in Doha, Qatar's capital.

UK newspaper, The Times, in a 2011 article titled, "Taliban office in Qatar approved by US," would report that:
The US has given its blessing for the Taliban to be brought in from the cold with a critical step towards reconciliation as the world paused to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Washington has endorsed plans for the Islamist network to open political headquarters in the gulf state of Qatar by the end of the year. The move has been devised so the West can begin formal peace talks with the Taliban.
More recently, the US State Department's Voice of America media platform in a December 2016 article titled, "Taliban Seeks Recognition for Qatar Office, Direct Talks With US," would report:
The U.S. State Department released a statement Friday that acknowledged American officials have seen the Taliban's statement, and appeared not to explicitly rule out the prospect of talks with the militant group.

"As we have long said, the only way to end the conflict in Afghanistan is through a peace and reconciliation process with the Taliban. We are ready to accept any political resolution of the conflict between the Afghan government and the Taliban so long as the outcome of any process ensures that the Taliban cease violence, break associations with international terrorism, and accept Afghanistan's constitution, including its protections for women and minorities," the statement said.

This clearly conflicts directly with General Nicholson's statements.

By recognizing the Taliban as a legitimate political movement, and with US allies affording the Taliban offices in their capital cities from which to bolster their legitimacy, the US, not Russia, has done the most to undermine its own narrative regarding the so-called "War on Terror" and the entire premise with which it justifies its continued presence in Afghanistan.

While the US claims that it is fighting Al Qaeda and the so-called "Islamic State" in Afghanistan, it is clear that the real battle it fights is against the Taliban and its control over the country vis-a-vis America's proxy regime in Kabul. The negotiated settlement it is trying to concurrently strike with the Taliban as its military campaign against the movement approaches two-decades, is both a bid to save its struggling proxy regime in Kabul, and an acknowledgement of the limitations of US influence in the region.

Coverage of America's ongoing presence in Afghanistan has dwindled within the US and European media specifically because the alleged narrative underpinning the occupation has diverged so drastically from reality. Over the next year, for those who carefully follow the conflict, the US will continue manufacturing excuses to remain in the country while it focuses on both negotiating with the Taliban and attempting to diminish them politically and militarily.

For the Taliban, time is on their side, and if General Nicholson's statements are true about the Taliban receiving protection and resources from abroad are true, then no amount of negotiations or military might within Afghanistan itself will render victory for Washington and its proxies in Kabul.

Ulson Gunnar, a New York-based geopolitical analyst and writer especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.


text:
I’ve been waiting for you

After watching The Great Gabbo it brought to mind other films of dummies and madness.  I think HBO showed Magic when I was young but it seemed really boring to a nine-year old me.  A popular subject explored in TV and films there are no shortage of examples.  Michael Redgrave arguably has the crown as the king of mad ventriloquists.  Being in love with him since The Lady Vanishes I’ll agree.  The whole film The Dead of Night is the hooray in elegant and intelligent horror.  May that style live again.

Hugo walks at 8:47

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Rebels coast past Highlanders in impressive season-opener, 85-41

Stanback, Bellfield, Marshall spearhead strong offensive effort

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

UNLV students Blaine Tingley (L), Kyle Killian and Ben Leavitt (R) sing the UNLV fight song before the Rebels season opening game against UC Riverside Friday, November 12, 2010 at the Thomas & Mack.

Updated Friday, Nov. 12, 2010 | 9:27 p.m.

Final, UNLV wins 85-41

As many expected, things didn't stay competitive for very long between UNLV and UC Riverside on Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Rebels torched the Highlanders by 23 points in the first half, then went on a torrid run out of the break, cruising to an 85-41 victory to open the 2010-11 season.

Chace Stanback led all scorers with 17 points, doing so in a variety of ways on 7-of-12 shooting.

A charged-up Anthony Marshall added 16 points for the Rebels, starting in place of the suspended Tre'Von Willis, while Oscar Bellfield scored 15 points, had five assists and no turnovers.

UCR was just 15-of-67 from the floor in an ugly showing, while UNLV pummeled their Big West foe on the glass, 44-34.

UNLV is back at the Mack next Wednesday against Southeastern Louisiana.

For full postgame coverage, including stories, analysis, stats, photos and the Rebel Room Postgame Edition, stay tuned to

11:16, Second Half, UNLV leads 62-24

It's becoming a legitimate laugher at the Thomas & Mack Center. With just over 11 minutes left to play in the 2010-11 opener, UNLV holds a commanding 62-24 edge on lowly UC Riverside, whose spirits appeared to be broken long ago.

The Highlanders have struggled to a 9-of-50 shooting performance. The 18 percent is by far the lowest a Rebels' foe has recorded in, um, quite some time.

Meanwhile, UNLV is showing a good amount of swagger, and clearly is enjoying going for the jugular.

Just before the last media timeout, Derrick Jasper soared from behind on a fast break opportunity to record a crowd-lifting block into the second row. He followed it up with his career-high 13th career rebound.

Elsewhere, Chace Stanback is putting all kinds of moves on UCR's perimeter defenders and has a game-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Oscar Bellfield has 13 points, four rebounds, five assists and no turnovers in a stellar all-around showing.

One would have to assume that UNLV's next foe — Southeastern Louisiana at the Mack next Wednesday — will be close to the same caliber as UCR. With that said, it's a good bet that UNLV will head into next Saturday's marquee matchup at home against Wisconsin with plenty of momentum.

Halftime, UNLV leads 42-19

It's hard not to be impressed through one half, as the Rebels are thoroughly dominating a game they are supposed to be winning big.

UNLV is up on UC Riverside at the break, 42-19, and the stat sheet tells the story. Might as well jump right into it ...

— Maybe the best stat line of any Rebel belongs to Carlos Lopez. Look past the one point he's scored. The 6-foot-11 frosh has five rebounds, four blocks and four assists.

— Chace Stanback leads all scorers with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, and he also has three rebounds. Anthony Marshall and Oscar Bellfield have 10 apiece on combined 7-of-11 shooting. Bellfield also has three assists and no turnovers.

— While UNLV is a respectable 16-of-34 from the floor, UCR is dreadful. The fact that 10 of the Highlanders' players are newcomers and haven't played together yet is clear. They are 8-of-39 from the floor with six turnovers and only three assists.

— UNLV is dominating the glass, 30-22. Derrick Jasper has 10 — yes, 10 — boards. His career-high is 12, last season against Weber State. He's reached double digits only four times before in his career.

Should be a pretty routine second half, but note UNLV's aggression. Lon Kruger won't be happy if the Rebels slack off or let up.

6:10, First Half, UNLV leads 28-16

The starting backcourt of Anthony Marshall and Oscar Bellfield is off to a red-hot start to the 2010-11 season, and the fact that last year's leading scorer — Tre'Von Willis — is in street clothes at the end of the bench is an afterthought so far.

Marshall has eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a crowd-pleasing 3-pointer, while Bellfield leads all scorers so far with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. The junior point guard is 2-of-2 from deep, and the Rebels as a team are 3-of-9.

The best stat so far, though, for UNLV is its 20-12 edge over the Highlanders on the glass. The effort so far is led by Derrick Jasper, who has seven caroms. He was sorely missed in that department late last season, and is wasting no time this year in showing that. Chace Stanback and Carlos Lopez each have three boards.

UC Riverside continues to look far from cohesive, as Jim Wooldridge's club is having a tough time handling UNLV's backcourt pressure defense and is just 7-of-25 from the floor.

15:51, First Half, UNLV leads 9-6

UNLV's first bucket of the year came on a Derrick Jasper two-handed flush off of a feed from Anthony Marshall in transition.

After that, the Rebels scored points the old-fashioned way.

Sophomore Kansas transfer Quintrell Thomas got the start, but was spelled by junior Brice Massamba early. Massamba came in and grabbed two big offensive rebounds and converted one of them into an easy layup.

Oscar Bellfield leads the Rebels with five points, including a 3-pointer on the right wing and a coast-to-coast layup off of a defensive rebound. Bellfield is doing a nice job of getting the Rebels moving on the break and keeping the pace of the game fast.

Meanwhile, Riverside is hanging for the time being, but the fact that this group has never played together in a real game until tonight is apparent.

If you go by the trends of the local sports bettors, a lot is expected tonight from the UNLV men's basketball team as it opens the 2010-11 season at home against UC Riverside.

The line on tonight's game opened at 15 points, but is now up in the 22-point range, as several are obviously expecting the Rebels to show the same execution they displayed in a pair of convincing exhibition victories.

In it's last time out, UNLV applied 40 consistent minutes of defensive pressure and attacked the rim at will in an 88-53 victory over Division-II foe Washburn on Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The outlook for the Highlanders looks a bit bleaker now tonight.

In today's preview story, I documented how it's a rare roster in that only one of the 12 members actually played for UCR last year. Well, now make that number zero. Junior forward, who was a little-used reserve last season, blew out his knee two days ago and is out for the season. He had four points in 12 minutes in UCR's lone exhibition game — an 86-72 victory over Cal State Los Angeles. Jim Wooldridge's club features a senior point guard coming back off of an achilles injury in Javon Borum, one true freshman and nine junior college transfers.

Look, UNLV should win tonight. Easily.

Still, UNLV has a long way to go before it's in mid-season form. In order to take some significant steps in that direction, here are three things to watch for tonight ...

1) Rebound, rebound, rebound Wait, is this a blog from the 2009-10 season? Seriously, I probably talked about this before every game, and it'll be the case again this year. Lon Kruger will constantly emphasize aggressive rebounding for 40 minutes, and UNLV should be much better in this department than last season with the additions of Quintrell Thomas and Carlos Lopez. Still, Kruger can't let up on them. And he won't.

2) Start fast Tonight, a quick start out of the gates like the one the Rebels had against Washburn could bury the Highlanders quick. UCR has a team full of guys who have hardly played together at all, and that means will likely have a tough time fighting back from behind. But UNLV will need this to be a consistent theme throughout the year, as its defensive prowess and athleticism will make it tough for almost any foe to mount comebacks.

3) Who hits the shots? UNLV was a combined 12-of-24 from 3-point range in its two preseason tilts. Not bad at all. Anthony Marshall and Chace Stanback both looked good from deep, and Oscar Bellfield will launch plenty of treys, too. UNLV won't have to live and die by the three as much this year as it did at times last season thanks to increased athleticism and inside presence. Still, with Kendall Wallace and Matt Shaw both gone, they have to at least be good in this department.

I'll talk to you all throughout the night, starting just after tip-off. And, as always, if you want to join the in-game conversation on Twitter, add the unlvmbb tag to your tweets.

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  1. Looking at the box score of the Kansas game, it seems as if Elijah Johnson didn't even play, no stats for him.

    Elijah, please transfer back home, UNLV will welcome you back with open arms. Showcase your talents here, the Runnin Rebel faithful await you.

    Rosco and Shabazz with Elijah transfering back home, sprinkle in some Anthony Marshall and you have a team that will go down as Las Vegas legends!

    The stars are alligned for you guys to do something special in your hometown, don't let an oppurtunity like this slip away. No university or city will ever care about you guys as much as we will, stay home and make us proud.

    Anthony Marshall, please get on the phone and call your friend Elijah, tell him something special is happening in the desert and he should come home. Then get Rosco and Shabazz in on a 3 way phone call and tell them that with a core group of you 4 players that there is no stoping Vegas. It's the wild wild west and you 4 are the new sheriffs in college basketball ready to put the boot to the competition and make the Thomas & Mack as electric as the strip!

  2. Sorry I forgot one thing.

    Lights Please.........and now, your Runnin Rebels!

  3. WOW.....just WOW.We have basically scored almost 90 pts for 3 games in a row WITHOUT Tre'von. We will drop 100+ at least 5 times this year no doubt.

    Im with you J-Rocafella......Add Carlos Lopez as a center to that 4 man line up and national championship here we come.


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Las Vegas Sun

July 28, 2017

Currently: 94° — Complete forecast

high school football:

Fresh off the best season in school history, Mojave eyes spot as a perennial contender

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

Mojave High football players (from left) Latrell Fleming, Efrain Iglesias and Asante’ Lee before the 2013 season.

Joe Delgado, Mojave head coach

Joe Delgado, Mojave head coach, talks about the upcoming season.

2013 Prep Football

Valley High football players (from left) Noble Hall, Demarrius Oliver and Tyrone Prewitt before the 2013 season. Launch slideshow »
Prep Sports Now

Football season preview

Prep Sports Now returns from hibernation just in time for football season. Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Ray Brewer and Case Keefer go through every league and discuss every team in town, giving predictions along and players to watch along the way.

The 2012 season was a coming out party for the Mojave High football team.

The Rattlers made the postseason for just the second time in the school’s near two decades of existence and was able to capture the first playoff win in program history.

“It meant a lot getting to playoffs and overcoming the season prior to it. It meant that the turnaround school wasn’t just education wise, but athletic wise,” Mojave coach Joe Delgado said.

Delgado was hired as part of the turnaround project in 2011, when Mojave was one of three underachieving high schools in the Clark County School District that received federal money to help upgrade facilities and resources with the goal of improving test scores and graduation rates.

The transition is noticeable with the football team. The difference between 2012 and 2011 when the Rattlers were 2-7 is obvious to Delgado: “Eligibility to be honest,” he said.

In 2011, the Rattlers had 20 players ineligible at one time or another, meaning the team’s depth was cut drastically, the coach said. Without strong player numbers, competing at a high level would be difficult.

Last year, they only suffered one casualty to grades, taking advantage of a “Rattler Period” where students can start their homework and receive assistance from teachers before heading home or to practice.

As for what it will take on the field to take the next step and compete for a state championship, Delgado is keying on penalties.

Last season, the Rattlers averaged close to 12 penalties a game with most of them, Delgado estimates, coming before the snap.

“We have to be more disciplined,” he said. “If we slow down and be more patient, that will help.”

The Rattlers also made it a point to get into the weight room, wasting little time after the season ended to start working.

“We ended our season and got into the weight room the following month,” Delgado said. “Hopefully we’re stronger and faster.”

On a team loaded with underclassmen at key positions, seniors Lorenzo Guerrero and DeAndre Armstrong will be counted on for leadership and experience.

Junior quarterback Zack Arave will man the offense at quarterback, while fellow juniors Ty Flanagan at running back and Marcus Parker are also slated to make a difference. Flanagan is one of the area’s top juniors.

With all the pieces on the field and off addressed, Delgado is expecting his team to take the next step and carve its place among the state’s best — alongside perennial powers such Moapa Valley and Truckee (Calif.). Moapa Valley has played in eight of the last nine state championship games and beat Mojave in last year’s semifinals; Truckee has won the past four state titles.

“We want to be one of the dynasties as Moapa and Truckee are,” Delgado said. “They’re great football teams, and I’m sure they’re good. … But as long we keep kids in the program and eligible, we’ll be right there.”

Paul Delos Santos can be reached at 990-2416 or mail to [email protected] Follow Paul on Twitter at

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Las Vegas Sun

July 28, 2017

Currently: 94° — Complete forecast

Clark County considers removing Strip news racks to make way for its own

Christopher DeVargas

Eddie Munoz owns and operates numerous news racks along Las Vegas Boulevard. The news racks are the subject of a proposed countywide ban. Munoz is seen Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013.

After last year’s attempt to rid the Las Vegas Strip of news racks was foiled by the First Amendment, Clark County officials are taking a new tack: If you can’t ban them, own them.

County commissioners are considering a new ordinance this month that would force private owners of the news racks to rip out their boxes. In their place, the county would install and maintain news racks of its own. The county-owned boxes would then be rented to private companies who would stock them with advertisements and magazines.

The move would allow the county to standardize the appearance and coordinate the location of news racks. The news racks, which come in weathered shades of white, red and yellow, have been criticized for their ugly appearance and for impeding foot traffic.

Commissioners have targeted the news racks as part of a broader effort to clean up Strip sidewalks. The new policy would focus on 288 racks on the Strip and would cost $300,000 to $400,000 to replace. The county plans to spend a total of $2.3 million on pedestrian improvements along the Strip this year. That includes moving obstructions — such fire hydrants, utility boxes and light poles — and improving wheelchair access.

But taking over the news racks could also put the county uncomfortably close to an industry that trades in strip club advertisements and other sexually oriented magazines and fliers.

Current news rack operators say their businesses would be negatively affected by a county takeover. Although they would be first in line to receive permits allowing them to use the new county-owned racks, they’d still be out hundreds of thousands of dollars they’ve already invested in their business, said Strip Advertising owner Eddie Munoz.

“What are we going to do with all of our news racks? That’s my life savings. They’re putting that at risk,” said Munoz, who operates 450 news racks on or near the Strip. “What they’re trying to do is make the (news racks) uniform. They already are uniform, they already meet the county code.”

Kathryn Gentile, president of Southwest Advertising, worries that new county-owned racks might be smaller than the racks she currently operates. If that’s the case, it could cut into her distribution numbers and require workers to replenish the news racks more often.

Still, county-owned news racks are likely a better alternative for the owners than the outright ban the commission considered last year. Commissioners scrapped that plan after several months of deliberation. News rack owners, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, promised a legal challenge on free speech grounds.

ACLU General Counsel Allen Lichtenstein said the county’s latest proposal to take over news racks won’t have the same free speech issues.

“The courts have said that does not create a First Amendment problem because there’s the same access for speech and for consumers to read these things,” Lichtenstein said.

The county could run into trouble if they remove too many news racks or if it discriminates based on the type of content being distributed.

“As long as it's done in a way that’s number one, fair, and number two, does not significantly reduce the amount of speech that is there,” Lichtenstein said. “What they cannot do is pick and choose who they like and who they don’t like.”

Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak said the county isn’t interested in regulating what’s inside the news racks. To avoid the issue, new permits will be given out through a lottery system.

Sisolak said his concern is with the exterior appearance of the news racks and making sure they don’t get in pedestrians’ way.

“It provides consistency in the news racks. You know that they’re going to be well done because we’re doing them, instead of leaving it to some operators who might be less responsible than others,” he said.

Sisolak said he’s not concerned about any negative perception from the county doing business with distributors of sexually oriented materials.

“We’re in no way is endorsing or advocating for any product or service that’s represented (in the news racks),” he said. “My concern is that we clean up the Strip, that we make it safe for people and that we comply with the First Amendment.”

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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Fishapple Tree

Just finished this rug! I was initially thinking of hooking a fish tree, but it looked rather bare so needed to add some apples to zip it up a bit. ...but may still do a fish tree. Yes!, fish is very much on my brain...stay tuned for "Lady Walking Fish".

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Pre-Shrunk at Argyle Fine Art

Didn't get a chance to see the show last night? No worries, the weather outside was a tad frightful. The entire show is on line at www.argylefineart.com and look for the Apple Tree!!! by your favourite hooker.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Fish Dress SOLD

Possible titles for this rug are, "There is something fishy about this dress" or "Honey, do I look like a fish in this dress"...why no herring.oops, I mean honey, you look great!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Nice day to take your Fish Out

Or another title for this one could be "THE FISH ATE MY BABY!" tee hee. This one was a little different for me as I don't usually do purple skies, but happy with the way it turned out.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Argyle Fine Art Pre-Shrunk Show 2012

Yipee, good news! My pieces were accepted for the show. I am a happy camper.
You can get the details for the show at,

Mourning Fish

Mourning Fish

I just finished this one, on this chilly January morning. Hmmm, just looking at it now..think I will change the colour of her shoes to red..yes! red...to match her hair..and the dead fish.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Women in Black

I have been hooking a lot of woman wearing black lately..not sure why..just seems to work. I drew a woman with a dead fish on her lap, as well as a woman pushing a fish in a baby stroller. ..I think I will put them in black dresses as well. The imagination is a wonderful thing!...and so are black dresses.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Two more 4 x5" for Argyle Fine Art

                              I couldn't stop at one, these little guys are fun to make!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Hooking a 4x5" for Argyle Fine Art Pre-Shrunk Show

Hooking a 4x5" piece is a bit of challenge as I use a wide-cut  and loosely woven burlap. But I did it! I went down to a 6 cut and used lots of sari-yarn and I was able to get some more detail. So, I 'll keep my fingers crossed that this piece is accepted and in the show.


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Katy Perry’s Facebook Music Video

Worst music video ever? Yes, Katy Perry likes Facebook so much, she made a music video about it. Katy Perry’s new video for her latest hit ‘Wide Awake’ is quite literally an ode to her Facebook timeline  to highlight what two years in the life of a successful singer looks like in flow chart form. Whilst Mark Zuckerberg will be pleased about her choice of style, her fans on the other hand are not. Surely the best thing about Katy Perry is seeing her in cool outfits and different coloured wigs? Who wants to watch readily avaliable Facebook footage. C’mon K-pez, give something back to the fans. [Disclaimer: I am not a Katy Perry fan, but you can’t deny how catchy all her songs are].


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Is the EPA in Trouble?

This week I want to address Scott Pruitt, who’s been a controversial nominee for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and was confirmed by the Senate on Friday.

Scott Pruitt at Senate Confirmation Hearing. Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Newscom via ZUMA

The former attorney general of Oklahoma was confirmed by the Senate with a 52-46 vote. This came after Democrats held an all-night session to dissuade the vote for Pruitt.

According to Reuters, Pruitt has sued the EPA dozens of times as Oklahoma’s attorney general, accusing the Obama administration for overreaching regulatory boundaries on oil and fossil fuel companies. He has also emphasized his intentions to both political parties that America will give up its position as the leading country to fight climate change. So why is he now in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency?

Scott Pruitt is one of several Republicans who have doubted human impact on the climate. He, along with other Republicans believe that the EPA has overstepped its legal bounds under the Obama administration.

During Pruitt’s confirmation hearing, many environmentalist protested outside, arguing that Pruitt was only interested in the oil and gas industry and would destroy the work the EPA has done.

Mother Jones reported that during Pruitt’s hearing, he acknowledged that global warming is not a “hoax” and that humans have at least some impact on the climate. But he added, “the ability to measure and pursue the degree and the extent of that impact and what to do about it are subject to continuing debate and dialogue.” According to Mother Jones, this is a common line used by Republicans to side step tougher questions regarding to policies on reining in greenhouse gas emissions.

The reality is that the scientific community has been clear on its stance with climate change. That it’s happening, and there are consequences like rising sea levels, droughts, and increased wildfires.

During the hearing, Pruitt repeatedly insisted that his job would simply carry out the intent of Congress, and that his “personal opinion is immaterial” when it comes to climate science. Mother Jones reports, “what he didn’t mention, is that the EPA administrator is mandated by Congress to evaluate the best-available science and implement regulations based on what is needed to protect public health.”

Throughout his confirmation hearing, Pruitt seemed to contradict his record as Oklahoma attorney general and was unaware or confused when it came to public safety on hazardous gases and materials.

Scott Pruitt at Senate Confirmation Hearing. Credit: Ron Sachs/CNP via ZUMA Wire

Pruitt also has ties to coal, oil and gas interests.  According to Mother Jones, in the past two years both the Center for Media and Democracy and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma have requested the release of emails between Pruitt and the fossil fuel interests, but these requests were not fulfilled. Last week, following a lawsuit and a request for additional emails, Pruitt’s office released only 411 of more than 3,000 relevant emails, according to the Center for Media and Democracy.

On Thursday, the day before Pruitt’s confirmation hearing, the CDM and ACLU were able to get Pruitt’s office to turn over the rest of the 3,000 emails but the deadline was extended till Tuesday. The ruling did little to help Democrats and green groups who were hoping there would be useful information to sway voters. Though it is unlikely that there would be any red flags in the emails, Democrats pushed for the vote to be delayed until after the release of the emails, which was denied by a majority vote. Mother Jones reported, that Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) was asked during a press conference,why he didn’t postpone the vote until Pruitt’s emails were released the senator answered,”Because I choose not to,”.

EPA staffers have also showed their concern for their new boss. During this week, nearly 800 employees signed a letter urging senators to vote against Pruitt.

Since Pruitt has been approved by the Senate, President Donald Trump is expected to sign between two to five executive orders as soon as next week. The executive orders are expected to target the EPA’s Obama-era regulations and begin to cripple the EPA’s work on climate change.

For more information:

Huffington Post: Scott Pruitt Confirmed As EPA Chief Despite New Firestorm

Mother Jones: Senate Confirms Trump’s Controversial EPA Pick – Without Reading His Emails

Scott Pruitt vs. Science

Washington Post: Scott Pruitt, Longtime Adversary of EPA, Confirmed to Lead the Agency

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September 3, 2012

Hope Springs International

Information about Chad

Area: 1,284,000 sq. km (496,000 sq. miles)

Population: 11.2 million (2010 World Bank est.

Capital City: N’Djamena (population 700,000 est.

People and languages: The population of Chad is made up of 200 ethnic groups. The official languages are French and Arabic but local languages are widely used

Religions: Islam is predominate in the north and, Christianity, Animism and indigenous beliefs are all practiced in the south

Currency: CFA Franc (Fixed to Euro

Head of State: President Lt. Gen Idriss Deby Itno (re-elected in 2011

Chad is a resource-poor, landlocked country, bordered by the Sudan, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, and Libya. Chad is mostly desert in the north and then progresses to semi desert to savannah in the south.

Like Sudan and Nigeria the country is divided equally between  Muslims in the north and Christians, animist and others to the south.

Hope Springs International presently…

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All Black Formal Men’s Watch

A great timepiece for a great man, this watch is offered for 65£. Not cheap but affordable, this watch looks great with any formal wear or even some casual shirts. A great value and a great addition to the watch collection of any man (The free worldwide shipping and 24 month warranty doesn’t hurt either).

Size 42mm
Case thickness 7.5mm
Case colour Black
Dial colour Black
Movement Japanese Miyota
Strap width 20mm
Strap Genuine leather
Strap colour Black
Water Resistance 3 ATM

Link to buy:

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Archive for the 'Recipes' Category

Win a Cookbook: The Whole Hog Cookbook: bonappetit.com

Win a Cookbook: The Whole Hog Cookbook: bonappetit.com.

So honored that Bon Appetit chose my super cute “pork for chicks” cookbook as one of their favorites. Win one here by leaving a comment on their site. Book release date is fast approaching: September 13th!

Setsuko's Ham Fried Rice

Grilled Tenderloin and Romain Salad

South Cackalacky Spare Ribs

Lemon Curd

Two Surviving Lemons = One Delicious Curd

Two of them were just hanging there, the only survivors after last week’s cold spell here in the South. I had been so busy with Paula that I had forgotten to cover the small potted tree from the cold. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have a jewel box of a green house just a few feet away from this citrus carnage.

The survivors I’m referring to were the only two lemons left hanging on my variegated lemon tree last week. Sad…I know, but still inspiring for a cook. So, what’s a girl to do with only two very juicy lemons? Drinks (I’m not that thirsty).  Hummus (I’m not that bored).  Looking no further than my own kitchen counter, I had my inspiration. Sitting alone on my counter was a just-baked batch of sweet bacon scones (a recipe I was testing for Paula). Why not rock the Anglophile in me and bust out a simple lemon curd!  No pretense, no intimidation and no difficulty.  This recipe yields a sweet and tart cream that you will make again and again. I’d like to thank the two surviving lemons who made this recipe possible. Your life was well served.
Survivors Lemon Curd

3 large farm fresh eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¼ cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon zest

In a medium stainless steel bowl set over a simmering pan of water, beat the eggs and sugar. Stir in lemon juice, butter and lemon zest. Cook over the simmering water for 15 minutes or until thickened (about the thickness of a Hollandaise sauce). Remove from the heat, cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
Have a great week and eat something homegrown,

Another Year, Another Red Velvet Cake

Josh just celebrated another birthday. This means another Red Velvet Cake. Anthony and I could never really stomach them in the beginning, but now I can finish a piece and actually like it. (I can’t speak for Anthony) There are different schools of thought on the frosting. Sorry Grandmother Paul, but that marshmallow, coconut and nut thing is nasty. Even worse is the original one Josh’s mom sent me. FLOUR based frosting….I’ll fake my own death before I eat that. What IS the best, and I’m sure Cheryl Day of Back In The Day Bakery would agree with me is a cream cheese butter frosting. (my recipe is at the end of this post) Smooth and rich with a little tang. Friends came to share a piece with Josh. Happy Birthday Mr. President!

The Captain and Dr. Tennille (aka cake and icecream)

The Captain and Dr. Tennille (aka cake and icecream)

The first slice is the reddest

The first slice is the reddest

Business in the front

Business in the front

Party in the back

Party in the back

Josh’s Birthday Red Velvet Cake Frosting

(note I always make a lot)

1 cup butter, softened

3 8oz. pkgs of cream cheese, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted

In the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add confectioners sugar by the cup full being sure to fully incorporate after each addition. Chill slightly before frosting crumb layer of cake. Return to refrigerator while crumb layer is setting. Remove from refrigerator 5 minutes before using to frost the final decorative layer on the cake.

Asian Crab Slaw

Asian Crab Slaw (recipe by Cynthia Creighton-Jones)

2 lbs. Special Crab

2 Leaves Bok Choy, chiffonade

2 Leaves Chinese Cabbage, chiffonade

1 English Cucumber,seeded and julienned using a mandolin

1 medium carrot, julienned using a mandolin

1 medium zucchini, julienned using a mandolin

2 medium yellow squash, julienned using a mandolin

1 medium red pepper, julienned by hand

1/4 C Cilantro, chopped

1 T Vegetable oil

4 T Sesame oil

1/4 C Sesame Seeds, toasted

3 T Rice Wine Vinegar

In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for at least two hours.

Serves 8


text:
 KSFO Collection | Stanford Libraries
KSFO logo circa 1950-1965

KSFO logo circa 1950-1965

KSFO Collection

Though it originally went on the air in 1925, the era of radio station KSFO covered in this collection is largely from 1956-1983, when the station was owned by Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasters. Besides airing popular music, jazz, and nostalgia, KSFO provided the San Francisco Bay Area with news, sports, and other programming with cosmopolitan flair. Notable broadcast personalities at the station included Don Sherwood, Jim Lange, John Gilliland, Gene Nelson, Al "Jazzbo" Collins, Wally King, Herb Kennedy, Jack Carney, Del Courtney, Dan Sorkin, Terry McGovern, and Carter B. Smith.

Legendary sportscasters Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons spent much of the 1960's on KSFO, announcing games for the San Francisco Giants and the San Francisco 49ers as well as Oakland Athletics baseball and Stanford University football. A few airchecks of these broadcasts are part of the collection. However, the majority of the audio found here is from KSFO's production library. This library, maintained on open reel tape, consists of jingles, IDs, music beds, advertising, and featured programming (such as the Mike Powell 5:30 Report) in various forms and versions, although airchecks and related recordings (often marked "Save") are present.

KSFO's famous theme song "Sound of the City" exists in multiple iterations, as do recordings of "Bye Bye Baby," the opening music for San Francisco Giants baseball broadcasts, inspired by Russ Hodges' catch-phrase. Singer Mel Tormé lent his signature "velvet fog" croon for station identification, and there are several reels featuring his voice here.

The Commercial Vault was KSFO's own name for a series of tapes documenting notable ads as originally broadcast on the station. Although incomplete, it remains a fascinating record of local music-related advertising in the 1960s and 70s. There is also a series titled Promo Vault, which archives the station's promotional campaign spots during the same period.

KSFO jingles and other advertising and marketing were produced both in-house and by other companies. There is some content pertaining to management, but very little documentation regarding the internal workings of the station. Almost all printed matter in this collection was originally distributed to the public in one form or another.

The collection also contains material from other stations, particularly KYA. In 1983, KSFO was sold to King Radio Broadcasting, which had already owned KYA. It appears that with all the changes in ownership, material from different stations has been intermingled. It would also appear that, due to the overwhelming volume of promotional material, it is likely that much of this collection is derived from KSFO's promotions department.

One way for the station to promote itself was through fundraising campaigns. Among the several events KSFO organized, the United Crusades and Police Athletic League games are generously represented in a variety of media. Other contemporary events covered in recordings include news of the John F. Kennedy assassination, Dan White on KRON in 1979, and commentary from S.I. Hayakawa during the student strike at San Francisco State University in 1968. Physical media in the KSFO collection is primarily audio on tape (around 650 objects), with some video (largely U-Matic cassettes), 16mm film (four reels), photographs, slides, and ephemera (eight scrapbooks of printed matter).

This collection has been processed with generous financial support from the National Historical Publications & Records Commission.

Jerry McBride

Jerry L McBride

Head Librarian, Music Library
Head Librarian, Archive of Recorded Sound

Related resources


text:
Advisory Board

Rick N. Tumlinson

Rick N. Tumlinson’s recent book is Return to the Moon. He was named one of the world’s top “Space Visionaries” and one the top one hundred most influential people in the space field by Space News, he is the cofounder of the Space Frontier Foundation, which has been called “pound for pound the most effective space organization on Earth.” From an old Texas family whose pioneering credits include helping start the Texas Rangers and fighting in the Alamo, Rick has spent his life fighting to open the space frontier.
The son of an Air Force Sergeant and his English wife, he was educated primarily in England and Texas. He worked for noted scientist Gerard K. O’Neill at the Space Studies Institute, founded the New York L-5 Society, and was a key player in starting the Lunar Prospector project which discovered hints of water on the Moon. He also helped pass the Space Settlement Act of 1988, testified before President Reagan’s National Commission on Space, and was a founding trustee of the X-Prize. Over the years he has been a lead witness in six congressional hearings on the future of NASA, the U.S. space program and space tourism, including testifying before Senator John McCain and the Senate Space and Technology Committee on the Moon, Mars and Beyond program.
To support his activism in his early years, Rick produced the animated videos used to gain funding for the Air Force’s DC-X rocket project, the International Space University, the X-33 rocket program and the Air Force’s Space Command. He also created the first ever paid political announcement for space, which was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. Not satisfied to just talk, write about and help get funding for projects, he has put his time and money where his mouth is. He cofounded the firm LunaCorp which produced the first ever TV commercial shot on the International Space Station for Radio Shack. He led the team which turned the Mir Space Station into the world’s first commercial space facility, and was a cofounder of the space firm MirCorp. (The story is told in the book NASA: Lost in Space.) Along the way he personally signed up Dennis Tito, the world’s first “citizen explorer”, to fly on the International Space Station, and has assisted in numerous other such projects.
Rick was also Executive Director and cofounder of the Foundation for the International Non-Governmental Development of Space (FINDS), a foundation which funded breakthrough projects and activities such as Helium 3 research, laser launch studies, and asteroid processing projects. The organization provided the first $100k in seed money for the founding of the Mars Society, operated the Cheap Access to Space Prize and supported such projects as The Watch asteroid search program. FINDS also underwrote and cosponsored a very successful series of Senate Roundtables on space issues. He founded the Permission to Dream project, which has over the years placed dozens of telescopes in the hands of schools and educational groups around the world, from Sri Lanka to Iran and Russia. In 2005 he also cofounded The Institute for Space Law and Policy, a Washington based think-tank.
A regular contributor to the space industry paper Space News, his writings and quotes have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Washington Post, Reader’s Digest and dozens of other publications. He has appeared on the front page of the New York Times, has been featured in two issues of Popular Science and around the world from Britain’s conservative Economist to the People’s Daily in China. He has appeared on such television programs as ABC’s World News Tonight, and Politically Incorrect and appeared as an expert guest on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, CNBC’s Open Exchange and is a frequent commentator on CNN. Internationally he has appeared on TV sets from Russia to China’s CCTV and the BBC.
In 2004 Rick was one of only 20 guests invited by the White House to hear President Bush announce his plans to return to the Moon and explore Mars. Often a public critic of the agency, last year he joined NASA’s prestigious Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, helping behind the scenes to lay out the framework for the first human outpost on the Moon and steps towards putting humans on Mars. He has also been a consultant to the Heinlein Prize Organization, and is starting his own space firm “XTreme Space”.
He authored Do we go to play? Or do we go to stay?, Here We Go Again, A Giant Leap Forward – or a Giant Step Backward?, Private Industry Can Help NASA Open the Space Frontier, Return to the Moon For the Right Reasons, in the Right Way, There is No Debate Between the Moon and Mars, You Can’t Call Them Space Tourists Yet, A Goal worth Dying For, and The Third Wave of Alternative Space.
Rick is known as one of the best speakers in the field of space. His stirring and freewheeling talks range from critiques and discussions of current national space policy, to the presentation of a “Frontier” ideology for opening space, to the how and why of returning to the Moon, to a deeply spiritual discussion of our place in the universe, the search for other life and the reasons we are reaching for the stars.
Listen to Rick on The Space Show hosted by Dr. David Livingston. Listen to him on American Antigravity and on Hour 25.


text:
Our Father Cares: Truths That Transform 05/17

The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

The truths of the Bible, treasured in the heart and mind and obeyed in the life, convince and convert the soul, transform the character, and comfort and uplift the heart… The Word makes the proud humble, the perverse meek and contrite, the disobedient obedient. The sinful habits natural to man are interwoven with the daily practice. But the Word cuts away the fleshly lusts. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the mind. It divides the joints and marrow, cutting away the lusts of the flesh, making men willing to suffer for their Lord.

The service of Christ is a heavenly and holy and blessed thing. The Word is to be diligently searched, for the ministry of the Word discovers the imperfections in our characters and teaches us that the sanctification of the Spirit is a work of heavenly devising, presenting in Christ Jesus the true perfection that if maintained will become a perfect whole in behalf of every soul. We are educated in Bible lines to become complete in Christ-likeness and to see His Father’s face in Him who gave His own life for the saving of the soul.

If you are an intelligent Christian you will maintain religious vitality and will not be deterred by difficulties… You will work the works of God in gloom as well as in glory, in shade as well as in sunshine, in trial as well as in peace. The truth must be treasured up in your heart as well as incorporated in your being, so that no temptation and no argument can induce you to yield to Satan’s suggestions or devices. The truth is precious. It has wrought important changes upon the life and upon the character, exerting a masterly influence over words, deportment, thoughts, and experience. The soul who appreciates the truth lives under its influence and senses the tremendous realities of eternal things. He lives not to himself, but to Jesus Christ who died for him. To him, God lives and is very cognizant of all his words and actions.

“Our Father Cares”, by Ellen White, pgs. 129-130.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me to set aside time daily to read the Bible. It is Your Word, full of truth and eternal treasures. I pray that when I read this eternal Book, my life will be transformed according to Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

“The Conscience Corrected”

Even a child is known by his deeds, by whether what he does is pure and right.—Proverbs 20:11 New King James Version.

“One way that the Holy Spirit exercises His convincing ministry in our lives is by addressing our consciences, prevailing upon them them to take the way of Christ in every issue. Romans 9:1 brings together the objective standard, ‘the truth in Christ’, and the subjective standard, ‘my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit.’

“Some people say, ‘I’m living in accordance with my conscience—isn’t that enough?’ No, for conscience by itself is not a safe guide. Conscience is the capacity to distinguish between right and wrong—according to the standards you uphold. It can be taught to approve directly opposite things.

“For example, a missionary intervened to stop an Indian woman from throwing her child into the Ganges River as a human sacrifice. ‘But my conscience tells me to do it,’ she said. ‘Yes,’ said the missionary, ‘and my conscience tells me to stop you from doing it.’

“Conscience is not an infallible guide unless it has in it the highest content possible—the Holy Spirit. He can be relied upon to act as Jesus would act in every situation, for the Spirit is a Christlike Spirit. I am bold to day that there is not one of you reading these lines (if you are a Christian) who, by the mercy of God, doesn’t know something in your conscience of the work of the Holy Spirit as Convincer. He pleads in you and with you to bring your conscience to the highest place possible, ‘a conscience without offense toward God and men.’ ” (Acts 24:16)

Devotional message from “Every Day with Jesus”, by Selwyn Hughes, Copyright (c) 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000.

Bible verses are from the New King James Version.

My Utmost For His Highest: Taking Possession Of Our Own Soul

When a person is born again and becomes a Christian, it is up to the individual to maintain his/her character. Only the person doesn’t do it, it is Jesus, who lives in the heart that keeps the character from being spoiled by sin. All the Christian has to do is be submissive to the Lord and Savior.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You live inside of my heart. I can do Your will with Your power. I will never say, “I can’t”, for when I say that I mean “I won’t.” Sometimes my emotions try to get the best of me. But no matter how I feel, You say I can do all things—when I trust in You. Thank you. In Your Name, Amen

“Karen The Lightbearer: A Light Shining In A Dark Place” Part Twelve

“You wretches will not brainwash my daughter!” he hollered at Karen and Eddy, who looked upon him quizzically at his accusation.

“Brainwash?” said Eddy confused.

Karen tried to straighten out the misunderstanding. “Sir, we are only sharing what our Majesty has bidden us to share. We are not brainwashing anyone.”

“It’s true, dad,” said Kelly standing up for her friends, “Karen and Eddy are not bad. What they say is good and the King that they serve is truly a good God. Dad, I want to be a Believer of their God. Please let me.”

Quincy stood in front of the stage and scowled at his daughter’s plea. How dare she turn against him! How dare she disobey him! He then looked up at Karen and Eddy, “You loathsome Lightbearers have ruined my dear daughter! You shall pay!” He then snapped his fingers and troops of the Carnal Security Squadron emerged from the crowd.

Gabriel hurriedly ran to the front of the stage and faced the Mayor, “Mister Mayor, don’t do this to the Lightbearers! They are servants of the Good King of Heaven. They haven’t done anything wrong! All they want to do is share the Light that they have been given to bear. Don’t arrest them!” he pressed him.

Quincy smirked at his Chauffeur, “Are you a Believer of the Good King too?” he asked him.

Gabriel’s fear of showing his true colors to his boss begin to come back to him. He didn’t want to lose his job or have the Mayor’s wrath upon him. But he loved his God more than his job or his boss. He was not going to hide his faith anymore. He just saw the Good King in the beauty of His Holy Word and he was not going to trade Him for anything!

“Yes, I am,” said Gabriel bravely.

Quincy reached out his hand to where Gabriel was on the stage and struck him. “I’ll deal with you later, Gabriel Mc Roberts!”

The Chauffeur rubbed the stinging pain on his face.

Quincy then yelled at his daughter, who was staying close to Abby:

“You shamed me and disobeyed me! I told you to not see the Lightbearers! How could you do this to your own father?! Now you are mindless as a droid! Oh, why did you not listen to me?”

Kelly tried to answer her anger stricken father but he wouldn’t let her.

“I’ll have to put you through some of the city’s best psychiatrists so that this garbage that has wrapped your brain can be gone. It’s going to cost me lots of money, but it will be worth it.” Quincy said, moaning silently at the expense of such a treatment.

“Dad, I don’t want to be cured,” said Kelly, “I’m so happy to know about the Good King of these Lightbearers. I heard Him today. He spoke through the Lanterns. He loves us, dad. Why are so against Him?”

Quincy grabbed his top hat from his head and tore it with all of his strength. “Enough! Enough!” he shouted.

Kelly and Abby backed away.

Quincy then pointed at Karen and Eddy, who amazingly showed no fear at his rage, “Arrest them!” he commanded.

The crowd who had been touched by the Light of the Good King’s Truth soon sided with their Mayor. The Master of Darkness was in that mass of people and he was working his dark charm on them, making them turn against the Good King, who had just recently spoke to them. In his disguise as Juan T. Moore, he smiled devilishly as the Carnal Security Squadron advanced toward the stage.

A blinding flash of Light came out of the Lanterns and surrounded the enemies of the Lightbearers. The Mayor, troops, and the crowd stumbled and fell to the ground. They were so afraid. Even the demon in his human form was on the ground, cowering and whimpering. He feared the Most High and His Truth more than anything!

“That’s our cue to go,” said Eddy, remembering what the Good King told them last night; how the Mayor would try to arrest them and they would be saved from being captured.

“It sure is,” said Karen as she picked up the Lanterns. “We better get a move on!”

“Let us go with you!” said Kelly and Abby together.

“No,” said Karen gently, “You two must stay here. If you go with us you will be in great danger.”

Kelly pleaded with her. “Karen, my friend, you must let us go with you. You heard my dad; he said that he’s going to send me to a psychiatrist so that all the things I have learned today will be gone. I don’t want to forget about the Good King. I love Him, even though I don’t know Him well enough yet. Don’t let my dad do this to me!”

Karen embraced her. “Kelly, don’t be afraid. His Majesty will be with you. He won’t let His Word be gone from your mind. He’ll protect you. He’ll be with and protect your friend too. You girls are safe in His hands.”

While Karen was comforting Kelly and Abby, Eddy was talking with Gabriel. The Chauffeur also wanted to go with them but it was not the Good King’s will for him to do so. Eddy kindly told him that everything would work out fine in the end.

“His Highness will be with you and He will protect you. Have faith and don’t give into fear!” the Small Faith Person encouraged him.

Gabriel thanked him and shook his small hand.

The Lightbearers then made their way to the backstage with their shining Lanterns. They waved goodbye to their friends and assured them that they would return.

To Be Continued


text:
Tag Archive: Lightmatt

Took me 46 mins. to get pass that one part. Fucking necros.

For added fun turn on CC.

Grim Rain Comics’ creator Kogachirst and I have been buying alot of games during the steam sell, and I figured it would be a good idea to document what we experience.

Check Kogachirst’s sprite comic Grim Rain comics here

Cody-SSFIV Voice Patch by Lightmatt
Orginal character by Gou-san

How to install:

1.Download the character. You can get him here: http://ma.mgbr.net/index.php?sec=chars
2.Unzip the rar’s contents to the characters folder.
3.Click “Yes” to overwrite all the files with the patch files.
4.Try it out. If it doesn’t work, repeat steps 1-3.

Get the patch here:Click here

Small Video Update

For the same amount of info check the video out:

Thought of the day: I hate my new cell phone; it looks like a Debbie Cake coated in Blue cheese.

Kiuske 1.0:
Click on mugen charsacters page.

Today’s post is an audio post, click the link to listen.

Click Me now!

Today’s post is another audio post. Kinda like doing these, its make my job easier.

Open me in another Tab/window

Warning: today’s post is an audio post please click on the link below to listen to the post.

Open me in another window!

One of my favorite chapters in the Left 4 Dead game. The church is very humorous when you run to the church and demand entry into the safe house.

Today’s quote: Lightmatt once said: “AL-La-Ba-LA-Bakam” <– Not meant to hurt anyone, its just something I say at ramdom sometimes

Post 6: Cooking animes with Lightmatt

Today’s dish of text-based horror is the making and serving of what is the average anime. For this dish you’ll need the following:

-A pot full of Story plot
-A bag of Fan service
-Sliced Funky fighting styles
-A jar of bad guys
-Exposed Boobs (at least a boxful)
-A bottle of Love stories that never work out
-An emo-like character (optional)
-And the “Blood, gore, giant swords, energy blast” variety mix.

-Step 1: Heat the animator to at least 30 to 35 FPS for about 24 minutes.

-Step 2: Once the animator is warmed up, place the pot of story plot onto the animator.

-Step 3: Crush a bag of fan service and pour it into the pot.

-Step 4: Wait for the plot to boil, (If filler-season steam begins to arise, don’t worry it is perfectly normal.) then throw in your sliced funky fighting styles.

-Step 5: Leave the animator on low for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the box of boobs by pulling off the bras.

-Step 6: Add the boobs. (One at a time!)

-Step 7: Add a dash of “Love stories that never work out”. (To spice up this dish add more and throw in the emo-like character; for bitter taste

-Step 8: Strain the excess plot and place what is left in a bowl

-Step 9: Perpare a second bowl and add to it nothing but the “Blood, gore, giant swords, energy blast” variety mix. (Then Stir for 4 minutes.)

-Step 10: Get out serving plate and combine both bowl together. (And there you have it!)

Well that is all the time I have for today, see you guys next time.

Today’s quote: Lightmatt once said while playing search and destory on Call of Duty 4: “[The bomb blows up] Oh yeah! Now thats home-cooking!”


text:
Simple Country Beauty

Maybe it’s just me, but I was struck by how cool these giant hay bales looked scattered throughout this field.

So, after several days of admiring them everytime I drove past on my way to town, today I finally pulled over –

– braved the chigger filled weeds by the side of the road,

and snapped a few pictures. Sometimes it’s just simple things like this that make me happy – and that’s okay!

About lilruby jewelry

My name is Joan Williams and I'm a self taught jewelry designer and mixed media artist. I was born and raised in the Chicago area, and I now live in the Missouri Ozarks with my husband, son and jillions of beads - along with lots of ephemera and stuff that my packrat ancestors saved (and I'm so glad they did)! My passion is creating jewelry that bears the patina of time and travel, using a blend of new components and found objects. I'm also crazy about antiques, horses, flowers, rusty hinges and chipped paint, so you never know what I might be inspired to talk about. I hope you'll stop by from time to time to see what I'm up to! Click below to visit my Etsy shop and my Facebook page, and to see additional photos on Flickr.

2 responses »

  1. Not surprisingly Joan I have always found this scene peaceful for some reason. Growing up in farm country I always admired the work and precision. Back then they were all rectangular bales. Sounds weird, I am sure, but these huge perfect round “bales” represent a more quiet time in life.

    • I was thinking when I took the pictures, that all I remember seeing growing up in Illinois were the smaller rectangular ones too. Maybe that’s why I was fascinated with these!

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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Windows 8 - A tip that will save you many clicks.

Take a look at what Robin Vallis created.  This video will demonstrate how to create your own clickable tile on your start screen.  One click and the computer shuts down!  This is very impressive!

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How is this STEM?

I saw this today and I stopped cold. I thought I recognized it but I really wasn't certain, I didn't think it was possible for a ...


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Open Source

Submission + - Best open source license for guitar? ( 1

PraxisGuitars writes: "I am working on developing an open source electric guitar. I wish to make the basic structural system completely open and free, with a standardized interface allowing different body shapes and modules to be bolted on. I am having trouble figuring out the best way to release the files. There seem to be at least half a dozen open source licenses out there; The Thingiverse has some precedent for open source 3d data, but version control seems like it might be difficult. I have looked into sourceforge and github, but don't know enough to know if that would be the best choice. Are there other precedents out there? Is there a better way?"
This discussion was created for logged-in users only, but now has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Best open source license for guitar?

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  • I opened this thinking you were looking to license guitar music. You can't copyright a guitar, if you have a new method of manufacture or design, you need a patent.

    How long have you been a luthier?

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