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Kraftwerk: Publikation – Biography by David Buckley

August 31, 2012 · Posted in Uncategorized

Omnibus Press presents a new and major biography of the first-ever all-electronic pop group, Kraftwerk, one of the most influential bands in popular music history. David Buckley examines the cult enigma that is Kraftwerk! The inner workings of this most secretive of bands are revealed through interviews with friends and close associates. The story of their incredible impact on modern music is traced up to the present day using interviews with a host of musicians, from original electro pioneers such as Gary Numan and the Human League to contemporary acts still in awe of the original Man Machines.

3.5 ‘Tomorrow Belongs To Those Who Can Hear It Coming’

It wasn’t just young would-be musicians who were listening either. The old guard were listening too. In 1975, modern music’s most important icon, David Bowie, was listening hard to Kraftwerk. Receiving an endorsement from Bowie, at the time the most innovative and critically lauded rock star on the planet, was a big deal. It’s hard now to imagine how influential David Bowie was in the seventies and early eighties. Far and away the most sought after interviewee by the UK music press, his every move was scrutinised, his every word picked over by an adoring audience.

Not that 1975 was personally a good year for Bowie. Commercially, he had never been more popular. ‘Fame’, an unlikely collaboration with John Lennon, became his first US number one, and a re-released ‘Space Oddity’ from 1969 would top the UK charts later that autumn. But physically and emotionally, Bowie was a man of shellac, ready to shatter into pieces, addicted to cocaine and obsessed with the occult. However, amongst the nonsequiturs and ridiculous assertions in his interviews, Bowie was, once again, picking up on a massive shift within modern music. He felt that rock, as a statement, was over. His music of the time, dubbed by its creator ‘plastic soul’, was his first attempt to break free from rock cliché. His second attempt, more fully realised, and much more artistically successful, would be just around the corner. ‘Rock ’n’ roll certainly hasn’t fulfilled its original promise,’ he told Anthony O’Grady in August of that year. ‘The original aim of rock ’n’ roll when it first came out was to establish an alternative media speak voice for people who had neither the power nor advantage to infiltrate any other media or carry any weight, and cornily enough, people really needed rock ’n’ roll. And what we said was that we were only using rock ’n’ roll to express our vehement arguments against the conditions we find ourselves in, and we promise that we will do something to change the world from how it was. We will use rock ’n’ roll as a springboard.’ Bowie continues: ‘But it’s just become one more whirling deity, right? Going round that never-decreasing circle. And rock ’n’ roll is dead … It’s a toothless old woman. It’s really embarrassing.’

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About Me

brown-13-300x226The language of music, like many forms of art, transcends translation.  The words, as in notes and expression, speak in ways that written or verbal communication cannot, creating a truly universal language.  I am involved in this form of communication in a variety of ways and I take on several different roles when working with the instruments.

I became interested in pianos as a young man.  By the time of my high school graduation, I had decided to attend Western Iowa Technical School to study piano tuning and repair.  After completing the coursework, I furthered my education by apprenticing in two piano repair shops before opening my own business in 1980.  Because of my love for old instruments, I have focused my business on restoration and have sought out old and unusual pianos and organs for my personal collection, which is now extensive and quite complete in scope.

When working with clients my role is often to listen and consult in an effort to give them a sense of direction in finding the type of sound and tone quality they want from their instrument in order to help them make decisions about what type of piano they need.  In other situations, I am more of a mechanic and by working with diverse examples of pianos and organs, I have come to see and understand how pieces of wood, iron, and felt can be put together in a way that by a mere movement of a finger on a key, sound is produced.

In my role as an artisan and craftsman, it is my desire to maintain and improve these individual design features in ways that balance the originality of the instrument with advances in piano technology to continue to give each piano “life” and still maintain its integrity.

I act as a conservator and historian by researching old and historic instruments and by maintaining my own archives.  I cultivate relationships with other museums and institutions to study their pianos in an attempt to add provenance to the instruments in my collection and those of my clients.  My clients describe me as a magician.  I suspect that by combining all of the above facets this comes together somewhat magically.  My real desire is to enable the performer to create and enjoy their music, to truly hear what is in their soul.

Steve Misener, Collector

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Tag Archive: aggghh

Nov 28

The Mystery of the Missing Chunk

Seriously, before you read this post…find your latest novel/short/poem/screenplay and hit SAVE! Hit it multiple times, hit it with vigour and purpose, hit it with a large tree branch ripped from the nearest Larch! Don’t do that last one, it will probably do more computer harm than good. I’m telling you this because I’ve just lost …

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Nov 03

Punch the walrus

Sometimes I avoid doing certain things because they make me angry, not necessarily because they’re bad things but because I’m easy to wind up. But then I realise everything makes me angry to some degree. You think this would make for an easy decision, if I’m going to be pissed off either way, and I …

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Oct 21

Don’t Panic!

Some of you will have ideas by now and some of you won’t. But panic knows no bounds. Just because you have an idea doesn’t mean you haven’t chewed your fingernails to the cuticle and worn a line in your office carpet walking back and forth trying to convince yourself your idea isn’t a worthless …

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Oct 17

They’re heeeere…

Yes, I’m talking about the NaNoWriMo haters. I’ve already seen the moaners, the whingers, and the blissfully ignorant laughing and pointing their fingers. “HA HA HA HA, writing? You don’t know what writing is!” Half of them say “You should be writing every month!” and the other half are saying “50,000 words in 30 days? …

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Nov 01

NaNoWriMo – Day 1: One small step

So NaNo has begun…wooooo! (50% actual woo / 50% sarcastic woo) I started at midnight, which was a mistake as I haven’t been sleeping well lately and I probably should have been tucked up in the land of nod…but waking up on the 1st with 1,235 words under belt was worth it 🙂 This isn’t the …

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Stewart Smith

The World’s End

The World's End movie posterThe trio of director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have produced several cult classic comedies over the years. Firstly, there was Shaun of the Dead, a film about a man who struggles with growing up and leaving behind his stoner best friend. Also, there are zombies. Then there was Hot Fuzz, a film about a man who is completely obsessed with his career. Also, there is a killing spree. Now, finally, they are putting out the final film in what is unofficially known as the “Cornetto Trilogy” — The World’s End.

This time around, Simon Pegg is playing the lively Gary King, a happy-go-lucky drunk who is stuck living in the past age of his youth as he gathers his old friends together for a final attempt at The Golden Mile, a twelve-stop pub crawl in his old hometown which he describes as the height of his life. Of course, although it’s endearingly funny from the start, it really picks up when the movie draws out its wild card — an Invasion of the Body Snatchers-esque science fiction theme, in which they discover that everyone in their childhood town has been replaced by robots.

The first thing noticeable about this movie is its distinctly British atmosphere. Everything has the air of a bunch of mates going out to the pub, and even the dirty bits don’t go over the top like any big-name American studio would have them. But right now you might be thinking: “Of course you would say that, Stewart! After all, you are from British descent! I’m American! I like big, hardy American comedies!”

Well, while that may be true, I honestly don’t feel that biased towards really British comedy either. There’s a lot of dry wit out there which I just can’t get into. It’s just too far down the spectrum. For instance, the Monty Python films featured brilliant, intelligent humor without going too far outside the range of slapstick. And The Hangover was a hilarious comedy which, although touching subjects in an outright ridiculous manner, held on to that spark of clever wit which made it a great film in its own right.

But what’s unique about the Cornetto Trilogy is that it falls right in the middle. It appeals to both sides evenly, with as much sophistication and as many one liners as outlandish situational humor. It can entertain everyone to an extent, and can really cover a number of comic bases. I’m not saying that it’s the best series in the world, but it’s definitely a direction which leads to really enjoyable films for both outgoing and reserved demographics.

The acting itself in The World’s End is still great, although unlike in their previous films, Frost is more of a straight man and Pegg plays comic relief. This swapping of roles is surprisingly well tuned, and Frost retains his quirky elements as Pegg retains his sincere relate-ability.

The main things which this movie might have against it is that its timing lingers a little bit in some places and it takes itself too seriously in some comedic situations. But honestly, if you can just sit back and embrace it as a rambunctious, laugh-out-loud comedy about a bunch of drunken mates in increasingly unbelievable situations, it’s a heck of a ride.

Age Recommendation: Erm… It’s an R rated film, but since I often don’t agree with those I’ll just tackle the prominent issues. It’s violent, but it’s pretty much just against robots, and while they bleed it comes across as more bursting out filling than leaking out life. Sex is referenced, but not shown. Characters swear frequently, in that loose, British way. And, of course, the entire movie is about drinking. And so, with all this, I would put this film as 13/14+. Why?  Because I think kids that age can take it. Honestly, I don’t think that it puts any worse people into the world by letting young people who are mature enough enjoy some more adult films.

Final Verdict: A really fun, really enjoyable comedy. It would have worked without the Sci-Fi stuff, but it came out equally brilliant. 9/10

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Stewart Smith

Planes posterNine years ago, Toy Story 3 was announced as a project to be produced by a studio outside of Pixar. Well, it wouldn’t be the same movie of course; the planned plot sounded oddly akin to that of Toy Story 2; but all in all, it would have been another Toy Story movie, this time made without Pixar. Now, thankfully, that production was shelved once Disney had acquired Pixar, and eventually Pixar decided to make the film themselves, forming that brilliantly heartfelt film we all know today.

While Pixar continued making their own franchises, Disney kept the idea of a spin-off at hand. And when the Cars franchise started doing really well in merchandising (despite a fair amount of criticism), they decided to go for it once again by creating Planes, a spin-off centering around an entirely new cast.

The film stars Dusty (Dane Cook), a crop-duster who dreams of entering races (racing is still all they could come up with), finally gets his chance to prove himself with a spot in a race across the world. But before he can take the prize, he has to conquer an irrational fear of heights, as well as make up for his farming-based build.

The thing is that due to the merchandise-oriented nature of this movie, it is absolutely devoid of substance. The plot, although perhaps structured to a basic degree, lacks charm, and feels about as dynamic as an after-school special. There is no excitement, no surprise, and it just makes the audience feel as if they’re coasting until the end. While there are a few points of intelligent humor, it’s mostly poorly executed and uninspired.

The characters are basically hollow, cultural stereotypes, and not one of them feels memorable or genuine, with the possible exception of Skipper (Stacy Keach), a grounded naval aviator with a tragic past. But regardless of his apparent depth, Skipper is effectively just Doc Hudson from Cars — the older, traumatized mentor hiding in his shell. In fact, while we’re on that subject, the character filling the “best friend” role is pretty much just another Mater.

On the whole, this movie is just a marketing ploy. There’s nothing to it that’s worthwhile — it’s just a means to get kids excited for the Cars franchise again so that Disney can make money on the merchandising. But what they’ve created has little more worth than that.

Age Recommendation: No problems here.

Final Verdict: The little heart that this movie has is stiff and clichéd. 2/10

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Stewart Smith

The Way, Way Back

The Way, Way Back posterIt’s nice to see another Sundance movie out in theaters. They tend to be unique and endearing, and kind of push back against modern Hollywood tropes which we see so often on screen nowadays.

The thing about them is that, being independent, they tend to spread further over word of mouth than from any kind of marketing. Having said that, I would strongly urge all of you to get out there and support this film.

The Way, Way Back is a coming of age story about a socially inept boy named Duncan (Liam James) who spends the summer with his family at the summer home of his mother’s verbally abusive boyfriend (Steve Carell). While there he spends most of his time aloof, avoiding his family and wandering the town, at least until he discovers a home at a local water park alongside its smooth talking manager, Owen (Sam Rockwell).

In addition, a summer romance between Duncan and quiet, rebellious neighbor Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb) serves as a sort of way to measure Duncan’s social progress, and his abused, concerned mother Pam (Toni Collette) demonstrates some excellent and subtle emotional content.

This is, at heart, another summer vacation movie, but it makes up for its unoriginality with a kind of emotional endearment which shapes it into a pretty heartwarming story. It also develops quite smoothly, with Duncan slowly and visibly opening up as well as discovering some of the darker secrets behind the curtain.

While James creates a protagonist we can truly and emotionally get behind, Carell creates a kind of antagonist who feels cold and reproachable. Also impressive is the performance by Rockwell, who makes an excellent catalyst who really seems like he can carry the film. Meanwhile, Collette genuinely appears confused and fragile, while  Robb holds up as a snarky if not somewhat underdeveloped love interest.

Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, the writers/directors of The Way, Way Back won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2012 for their work on The Descendants. Fox Searchlight, the studio responsible for The Way, Way Back also released such works as Little Miss Sunshine (2006; also starring Carell and Collette) and Juno (2007). All of these films are renowned for both wit and emotional depth, and I feel that this movie, although perhaps less serious in nature, keeps up that legacy surprisingly well.

Age Recommendation: It’s a sweet film, and I would mark it as 11+ or so in spite of a few adult themes (which pop up for brief moments) and a little cursing (although not enough to push it into an R-rating).

Final Verdict: A funny and heartwarming story which, although somewhat unoriginal, is an excellent watch. 8/10

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Stewart Smith

Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2 posterAll those years ago, back when Shrek came out, it was considered a huge success. It had a story which felt easy to get sucked into, with a unique theme and a punchy comedic style as well as characters of various, specific personalities and a convincing chemistry. Three years later, in response to this success, Shrek 2 was released. And unlike most modern sequels, it actually wasn’t bad.

However, many of the things which made Shrek great were different from the things that made Shrek 2 great. While the characters remained as lively as ever, the story had a little less impact. It did, however, feel more epic; more drawn out. And while it dealt with more complicated themes, it did so in a way so as not to subtract from the overall atmosphere of the film.

I think that this relationship between Shrek and Shrek 2 is somewhat mirrored in the more recent Despicable Me and its new sequel, Despicable Me 2.  The original film followed Gru (Steve Carell), a diabolical supervillain with plans to steal the moon out of the sky. However, when complications arise, he is forced to adopt three orphan girls in order to remain on track. (Then he increasingly grows attached, rethinks his life, et cetera et cetera)

In this film, Gru is enlisted by a government organization to assist in the search for a new villainous threat. Helping him is his female partner (you know what that means), Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig).

Unlike the first film, which was fairly linear in nature, this movie jumps into several subplots, most of which address central themes, such as the childhood need for a mother and teenage detachment. However, while these make up some of the more serious segments of the story, there’s plenty of action and humor to go around. Like with Shrek 2, this story feels a lot less constrained, and that attitude alone manages to carry the movie’s faults, such as its slightly weaker plot.

The best thing about Despicable Me 2, however, is its humor. Don’t get me wrong, it has fart jokes (it is a kids’ movie), but it also has a lot of more clever humor, including some references which will probably miss kids entirely. Overall, it is consistently funny, and if you’re like me, it shouldn’t leave you bored for a second.

Age Recommendation: Are you afraid of exposing your kid to a few fart jokes? If so, fine, don’t take them. But I really think this movie is pretty much suitable for everyone.

Final Verdict: A lively continuation of the first film, which, although being somewhat predictable, is captivating the whole way through. 9/10

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Stewart Smith

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger posterThe Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean was made for the ride of the same name located at Disneyland. It was a movie largely made in order for Disney to use a new theme, specifically the theme of a swashbuckling seafaring adventure.

And it was a smashing success. It had life, it had energy, and it just had this ability to sweep you into it like you were a part of the story. The highlight, however, was Johnny Depp, who portrayed Captain Jack Sparrow, whose witty dialogue and charming attitude carried the film to its highest level.

The Lone Ranger is an attempt at the same kind of thing. Although it wasn’t made from a ride this time, the premise is no different — an excuse to make a movie with a western theme. And you can pretty much tell this without even seeing the film, because it was mostly made by the same crew. Same director (Gore Verbinski), two of the same key writers… Even Johnny Depp was called back in to play a snide, witty Tonto.

The plot itself has a mature taste to it, one a little too mature for the Lone Ranger brand. Tonto and John Reid (Armie Hammer) are out for revenge against a dangerous (and cannibalistic — kind of an unnecessary trait) criminal who massacred Tonto’s people and John’s ranger squadron. In their pursuit they uncover a web of greed and corruption which they alone can stop. Also, there’s a kidnapping, because you can’t have an adventure movie without a kidnapping, that’s filmmaking 101.

This movie is, in essence, an attempt to recreate Pirates’ charm in a new setting. What Disney failed to realize was that that this kind of nature does not translate at all into a movie of this theme, and especially not a movie with these characters. It feels like it drags a little, like it doesn’t have its heart in the right place. It just doesn’t feel strong or suspenseful enough to be a true western. (At least not until the climax, but honestly, if I was desperate for a really good action sequence I still wouldn’t wait two and a half hours to see it.)

Age Recommendation: Don’t be fooled by the Lone Ranger branding or the Disney stamp: This movie is far darker than one would initially expect, and unnecessarily so. For example, the villain cuts out a man’s heart and eats it, and there are a few parts which get just a little bit racey. 13+

Final Verdict: This is effectively a movie made off of an attitude of “It worked before”, and that is an absolutely awful way to look at films. While it has a few moments of quality action, they’re just far too scarce for the movie to wholly rely on them. 4/10

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Stewart Smith

Now You See Me – Guest Review

Guest review by Milton Posner

Now-You-See-Me-posterNow You See Me is an interesting film. It centers around four talented magicians who are brought together by an unknown benefactor and start putting on shows a year later under the name “The Four Horsemen.”

For the finale of each show, the Horsemen steal money from various financial targets – a French bank, an insurance magnate, and a safe guarded by the FBI. After the first robbery, the FBI starts pursuing the Horsemen, helped by magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman). Despite attempts by FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Vargas (Melanie Laurent) to stop them the Horsemen always remain one step ahead of the FBI throughout the film.

The acting in this movie is good, but nothing really special. Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, and Woody Harrelson make up the Four Horsemen, while Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Melanie Laurent, and Michael Caine make up the rest of the cast. Some good actors are present, but I doubt anybody is getting an acting award for this movie.

What I do like about this film is how all of the events fit together and it becomes fun just to watch and figure out exactly what just happened. It can be difficult at times, but it’s entertaining to watch, and makes perfect sense since the characters are magicians. It sort of reminded me of Inception in that sense, though this is definitely less confusing. The movie is always leaving you wondering exactly what is going to happen next.

Just watching the magic tricks is fun. Even though it’s still a movie and the actors probably didn’t even have to execute most of the tricks they are still amusing.  J. Daniel Atlas (Eisenberg) and Jack Wilder (Franco) are card trick/general magicians, Merritt McKinney (Harrelson) is a mentalist, and Henley Reeves (Fisher) is an escape artist.

I highly recommend watching this movie, the plot of which is quite original. There have been many movies featuring magic (one in particular comes to mind), but this the first movie in which magic is used to pull heists, sometimes on a global scale.

Age Recommendation: There are a few sexual references and one sexual scene between two characters (no nudity) plus a few swear words. In terms of violence, there are a few fights and an exploding car. A little kid might not be able to handle it, but most kids should be fine, as sexuality and violence are far from being a centerpiece in the film.

Final Verdict: A great film, with magic and mystery aplenty. 8/10

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Small Business Services: Online and In Person by Stacy

If you have a small business or are thinking about starting one, then be sure to check out the library’s many resources located inside the library and online.

We recently created a new Small Business Center which pulls together our hardcopy small business resources into one convenient location.  The SBC includes materials on everything from starting a business, dealing with employees and filing taxes to merchandising, marketing and rescuing a failing start-up.  We also post local business related classes, brochures and tax materials in the same area.  When the 2011 tax forms arrive, look for publications like Tax Guide for Small Business, Retirement Plans for Small Business, Business Use of Your Home, and be sure to pick up forms like the W-2 and 1099 MISC year-round from us.

Our online Small Business Reference Center is a great resource if you can’t make it into the library.  This service, located on our database page under EBSCO HOST, includes hundreds of full text industry-specific trade journals.  Just a few titles include “Restaurant Hospitality,” “Retail Merchandiser,” “Auto Week,” and “Travel Agent.”  It also includes the most popular Nolo business titles such as “Legal Guide for Starting and Running a Small Business,” “Smart Policies for Workplace Technologies,” “Marketing Without Advertising” and twenty more.

E-Reader users should visit our downloadable service.  While we’ve only begun to collect business e-books, we do have several including “Branding Your Business” by James Hammond, “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do about It” by Michael E. Gerber, and “The New Positioning: The Latest on the World's #1 Business Strategy” by Jack Trout.

Whether you come in to visit or stay at home using our website, the library has reliable, up to date information for your business.  Just ask at the Help Desk for assistance or explore online at

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the very good articles in your blog about business. Venturing into business takes a strong passion, dedication and acceptance of whatever outcome it yield.


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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Shine on.

December's 'Another Year of Schnibbles' was not a Schnibbles but 'Mini Shine' by Sherri.  I love the regular size Shine...even bought the pattern the minute it was released.  I haven't made it yet but that's beside the point.

You can see the parade of Schnibbles on either of these blogs.  Mine will appear on Sinta's Pink Pinchushion blog and the other half of the parade will be on Sherri's A Quilting Life blog.

I enjoyed this pattern so much that I made two.

For the first one I had a partial charm square pack of Sunkissed by Sweetwater.  I love that fabric line.  I used it in a quilt back in 2011.

While creating Mini Shine I really enjoyed matching up the little sets that would become each star.
(See how handy those little clips are?)

I'm not sure which square is my favorite.  I like the pink and gray...

 ...but the yellow is what I bought yardage of when I made the quilt a few years ago.

 Such a cute little quilt.

I liked it so much that I went on and made another one using a couple fat quarters for a Valentine's look.

You'd think I was new to this process, though, when you see what a little spritz of water did to the red.  Grrr.  I used all the tricks but nothing got the red out.

Enough time has gone by since my last red-running incident that I got complacent and didn't test the red fabric.

It is still a darn cute little quilt.

Can't wait to see what is on the menu for January.

Monday, December 29, 2014

It's Monday again which means

it is time for the latest Grand Illusions update.

As promised this clue was very quick and easy.  Four patches...29 of them in two different combinations.

 I cut strips...

then sewed them together by just adding a new strip as needed.  That helps keep things mixed up.  The end result will be scrappier if there aren't too many of the same combinations.

Super easy.

Head over to Bonnie's blog to see what other people have made.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

The final day of counting has arrived.

December 24th has finally arrived.  We can all stop counting for another year.

I had one last dash into my sewing room this morning.  I finished a little project that isn't available for viewing quite yet.  You'll have to hold on for another week.

However, I did have one cute little finish that was finished just in the nick of time.

Christmas Cookies by Country Cottage Needleworks.

And finally, a couple seasonal photos.

A couple days ago I finished stitching this very cute little wool kit I purchased at one of our local quilt shops.  The pattern is called 'Waiting for Santa' by Little Bits by Joan.

The wool piece is mounted on a piece of gold silk (included in the kit) and framed in a frame sold at the shop specifically to fit the Little Bits by Joan pieces.  I have since fixed the little pucker in the bottom left.  Naturally, it doesn't show up that obviously in real life so I didn't see it until I saw the picture.

I stitched this piece years ago.  The date in the corner says 2006.  It was a pattern published in a magazine at least 5 years prior to me stitching it.

I think it sums up this day...our stockings are hung...

 Merry Christmas everyone.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

With Christmas just hours away...

I have finished a project that has been years in the making.  I know I've mentioned how much I like Advent Calendars so it shouldn't be a surprise that I've made a new one.

Back in 2008 Sam Sarah Designs came out with the pattern: Twenty Five Days of Christmas.  I am sure I didn't start the little ornaments right away but once I did it probably took me a year to slowly make my way through all 25.

Once they were finished I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them.  I thought, planned, and scrapped options until I decided to finish them with a simple turned in edge.  When I was stitching them I outlined a piece for the backing and stitched numbers in the middle.  Finishing them took forever.  I started last fall...as in 13 or 14 months ago.  The pinching and stitching was too hard on my hands and once I realized I wouldn't be able to finish them before Christmas I packed them all up again.

This past fall I pulled them out and worked at getting them finished.  Once they were done it still took me a couple weeks to decide what to do with them.  This is that Advent calendar I finally came up with.

Years ago...more than 10 but I can't remember exactly...I took a class using Jodi Barrows Square in a Square designs.  I have several of her books but can't find the one the Christmas tree is from, though.

The tree quilt hung in my sewing room for years until I decided to turn it into the Advent calendar using the Sam Sarah ornaments.

Up close you  can see I've attached buttons and hung the ornaments so they can be flipped accordingly.

It came out just like I expected and will help us count down to Christmas for years.

When I was a kid we would call today 'Christmas Eve Eve'.  2 days!  Hope everyone is just about ready.  Today will be my grocery day.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Link-up Monday

It's Monday again already.  This time I'm finished with my Grand Illusions Clue in plenty of time for the link up on Bonnie's blog.

True to her word, Bonnie went easy on us.  We had to make 80 broken dish blocks but the aqua/pink half square triangles were left overs from clue one so that part was already done.

With just a quick glance it looks like these blocks are all the same but they're not.  It took a bit of attention to detail to make 40 one way and the next 40 a bit differently.

My two piles on the left are assembled a little differently than the 2 piles on the right.

I swung my piles around so that the aqua started to look like star points.  Who knows if that will be how it works in the end, though.

3 days left.  The grocery store was a mob-fest.  I will do the real shopping tomorrow but much earlier than my noon-time errand today.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

The flip side

of Christmas stuff being in the stores so early is this....

Yep.  That's what I saw in the store this morning when I was picking up some groceries.

4 days.  (Really...3.5!)

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Counting on one hand now.

We are so close to the big day.

One nice perk of having things under control (knock on wood) is that I have all sorts of time in my sewing room.  People always ask me how I 'get so much done'.  Well...one secret is that I don't sleep.  An exaggeration for sure but I am an early riser and with that I am up and at it when it's still dark.  I try to force myself to forestall the work of the day until after I've had breakfast but that rarely works.  So, what happens is that I have my day's work done before lunch then have the entire afternoon (and sometimes an hour or two in the morning) to sew.

Another secret is that I am never, ever doing only one thing at a time.  The kind of work I did meant I had to multi task in the extreme.  My mind works fast.  Too fast for a lot of people.  The DA I worked with and I were exactly the same so we were a very good combination.  We listen, we type, we write and talk all at the same time.  I have friends who ask me constantly how I accomplish everything I do.  What I wonder is what the heck they do with all their time!

I was reluctant to show this but this is my work space right now.  On the left is my ipad with the instructions for the latest quilt...plus I'm emailing back and forth with Carol.  We are talking about cookbooks, among other things.  See the cookbooks on the right?  My phone is by my machine where I am having a text conversation with my daughter.  There isn't anything on the tv right now but I had a Christmas movie on earlier.  There is, however, Christmas music in the background.  The computer on my ironing board is where I am writing my blog post between stretches of sewing.  I am also writing to a friend about the wonderful Christmas gift she sent...there are remnants of that on the ironing board, too.  I won't even mention what is going on in other parts of the house...the oven, the washer, you know...just the usual.

Anyhow, those thoughts are what bring me to today's post about a project 'on the side' that is not ready to be shown.  I was trimming up pieces and started to wonder if people knew about this very handy trimming ruler.

I am making hour glass blocks.  They come out larger than necessary so need trimmed.

You can see how busy my usual Omingrid ruler is when dealing with such a small block.  I am trying to put that diagonal line on the seam created by the block.

It was all going along swimmingly until I ended up with a point that looked like this. In such a small block that will be hard to adjust.

I thought maybe my Bloc-loc ruler might do a better job.

This ruler has a groove that fits into the seam created when sewing a half square triangle.  You nudge the little groove in and make sure you have excess larger than the markings on the ruler and trim what hangs over.  Then you flip both the ruler and the block around and really line up the markings on the ruler and trim the over hang from the remaining two sides.

My hour glass blocks are going into this block but I can't show the actual pattern yet.  There are probably a few people who recognize what I'm doing??

Counting today...only 5 days.

Friday, December 19, 2014

A finish from my pile of unfinished stuff.

I don't know what else to call it but 'stuff'.

Last spring I took a couple classes from Doug Leko of Antler Designs when he visited my local quilt shop for a few days of classes and a trunk show.  He is very young...younger than my own son...and already a famous quilt designer.  He's got a great style and is very knowledgeable about designing and teaching.

The class I took used the book 'Through the Winter Woods' using Holly Taylor's line of fabric with the same name.

This wasn't exactly a time consuming finish since I actually finished the top in the class then let it 'age' for 8 months in my sewing room.

The table topper is called 'Blessings' and is really not hard.  I didn't actually need the class but signed up for Doug's afternoon class and trunk show so decided to just make a day of it.

While the colors are Christmassy it really isn't just for Christmas.  The woodsy print will carry through the winter.

6 days.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

More baking.

I've been holding off on baking our favorite holiday cookies until Buttercup was on hand to open all the Hershey kisses.  Not my favorite part.

We made two batches.

The kitchen was over run with trays and cookies.

Half went into the freezer.

But a few, along with some from the freezer, went into a tin for a friend of Buttercup's.  She came home from school to find her parents enjoying a new vegan, vegetarian, all natural, whole grain type diet.  Poor kid was missing a few familiar tastes and was envious of Buttercup's assigned wrapper removing job.

I feel like there is no nicer way to spend a cold December afternoon.

One week!  Seven days.  Time to turn my focus to menu planning.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

A project update.

Back in August I showed a quilt I'd made in the summer.

'In From the Cold' by Kate Spain.

I loved making this quilt so much that my quilt guild decided to do it as a block of the month.  Since I'm on the program committee I am in charge.

I wanted my second 'In From The Cold' quilt to be something other than Christmas.  I had some nautical fabric and decided to use that as my inspiration.

Each month I make the following month's block to show at our meeting.  So far I've made 5 blocks but I haven't shown a single one here.  Shame on me.

Here are all five lines up like they would appear in the quilt.

I had a paper pieced pattern for a sailboat I used in place of the wreath.

Even though I pointed out to the ladies that they could put anything in place of those itty bitty pinwheels I still couldn't resist making them.  I had all the reds in my scrap therapy box.  Woot...love having that box of squares to dig through when I need just a little something.

Here is my inspiration for the mugs.

I need to make January and February's blocks by January 5th so I really should pull that project out but there are just so many other tasks this time of year.  I sure hope I don't regret not working further ahead come January 5.

Oh boy.  8 days.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Get your tacky on!

Tacky or ugly sweater, that is.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.  It's all the rage.

There is an ugly sweater luncheon coming up so we did a little thrift store shopping.

This is for my husband.  He so doesn't do this sort of thing.  He's way outside his comfort zone but I once won an ugly sweater contest so I feel confident in my skills.

We almost felt like we were prettying it up too much with the buttons around the neck.

Thank heavens for glue guns....and double sided heat'n'bond.

9 days left.  I've started making lists.  It's down to the time when it's critical I don't forget anything.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Grand Illusion update.

Clue #2 took a very long time.  I didn't finish it until Friday afternoon, hours after clue 3 was released.

Wonder why it took me so long...

I mean I had one on one help like this.

I even discovered errors before I'd finished sewing them so I only had to rip out a few stitches.

I did manage to finish all 200 units and started clue 3 on Friday.

Like always...here is the link on Bonnie's blog where you can check out every one's link-up.

And here is the start of my clue 3 block.

Just 120 units this round.

Since taking the picture I did finish all 120 blocks.  Now I can work on a little something else while I wait for the next clue on Friday.  Bonnie said she thought the next 2 clues would be a little less work.

10 days....although since it's already evening it's more like 9 1/2.


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WWWList: Let's Get Fit!

Weekend Wear Wishlist 6/17/11

My schedule is packed these days and I always feel more productive & energetic after a good run. Hope this Weekend Wear Wishlist inspires you to get moving too! If you're new to running-I'm not going to lie- the first two weeks of steady running will hurt & feel awful. But if you can get through those first weeks, you'll notice it will start to feel great! Pretty soon after you'll start to crave your workout. So let's get going. I'll be here feeling the burn too & cheering you on!

(If the thought of running is too much, you can start walking a few times a week first, then move up to walking and jogging intermittently in the same workout, and then after a few weeks move up to a steady run. You can do it!)

Super Girl Retro Sports Bra

One Pocket Army Camo Kick Shorts

Timex Ironman 50-Lap Digital Watch

GT 2160 Running Shoe with Synthetic Upper

Narrow-Mouth Loop-Top Water Bottle

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Please, Thank You, and I’m Sorry: Three Keywords for Married Couples

“Please,” “Thank you,” “I’m sorry.” Pope Francis teaches that although these words are easier to say than to mean, they are absolutely necessary. They are part of good manners, meaning respect and the desire for the good of the other, not hypocrisy or pretense. “If a marriage is to preserve its initial charm and beauty, […]

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Getting to Know God

Low Sunday* brings to my memory a pious tradition of my own country. On this day, in which the liturgy invites us to hunger for spiritual food — rationabile, sine dolo lac concupiscite, to desire the spiritual milk, that is free from guile — it was customary to take Holy Communion to the sick (they […]

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Working for Love

The new encyclical of the Holy Father Francis is closely tied to the opening pages of Sacred Scripture. God created the human being as man and woman and placed them in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it (Gen 2:15). And he brought all the animals to the man to see how […]

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MoDOT Closes I-44 Shrewsbury Ramp

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Starting Monday, you will need to allow yourself some extra time when entering and exiting the city limits from Interstate 44.

MoDOT will begin preliminary work to renovate the I-44 bridge over the Burlington North Santa Fe Railroad. Crews will be closing the ramp from Shrewsbury to eastbound 44.

Michelle Voegele of MoDOT warns drivers to be cautious of workers as road work begins.

“This is a full bridge reconstruction project, We have a lot of work on the Interstate 44 corridor from Shrewsbury here all the way to the Poplar Street Bridge, so drivers need to be aware that workers are out in the roadway,” she says.

The eastbound ramp from Shrewsbury will remain closed until late this year in December.

Drivers are being asked to access I-44 from Arsenal, Big Bend or Southwest as an alternative route.

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CBS Sports’ Brendan Haywood Breaks Down The Bracket

Ryan Mayer

With the First Four beginning tonight in Dayton, NCAA Tournament season is officially upon us. There’s been plenty of discussion since Selection Sunday about whether the committee got the seeding right, which teams will make a run and who will travel to Phoenix to play in the Final Four.

CBS Sports college basketball analyst Brendan Haywood joined us to break it all down.

>MORE: NCAA Tournament Coverage

CBS Local Sports: The tournament is upon us. As you look at the bracket, what’s the most intriguing first-round match-up?

Brendan Haywood: There’s a lot of good first-round match-ups but, I’m really intrigued by the Minnesota-Middle Tennessee State match-up. That’s going to be a very good game. I really like Middle Tennessee. A lot of people remember them from last year when they upset Michigan State, who a lot of people thought was going to win the national championship. They just have a good mix of talent. They have Giddy Potts, [Reggie] Upshaw, those guys are able to cause problems. Potts is a very dangerous three-point shooter, and Upshaw is dangerous as well. They do a lot of different things and create a lot of match-up problems.

Minnesota, with the loss of Akeem Springs, might be ripe for the upset, so it will be a very interesting match-up.

CBS Local Sports: Villanova is the number-one overall seed after winning the title last year on Kris Jenkins’ memorable last-second shot…

Haywood: We’re not talking about that, as a Carolina fan, we do not talk about Kris Jenkins’ shot. That shot never happened. (laughing)

CBS Local Sports: Fair enough, we won’t talk about the shot, but Nova’s the number-one overall seed and as such, what chance do you give them of becoming the first repeat champion since Florida in ’06/’07?

Haywood: Villanova’s going to have a very tough road, because they probably have the toughest two-seed in the whole bracket in Duke. Duke, right now, is playing excellent basketball, and they’re looking like the team that a lot of people thought they were going to be going into the season. They struggled early, they were young, they were injured, even Coach K was injured, but now they’re starting to put it together. Duke has the best collection of wing talent in all of college basketball.

It’s going to be very interesting to see how Villanova handles that. It’s going to be a very tough match-up for them. I’m not sure that they can win that game, but Villanova is gritty. I like Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. They have the championship pedigree, along with Jenkins as well. Jenkins hasn’t played as well as he did last year, but he can get hot at any moment.

That said, Villanova has a tough road ahead, because Duke is absolutely loaded. We saw how capable they (Duke) were in the ACC tournament when they beat Louisville, North Carolina and Notre Dame in back-to-back-to-back nights.

CBS Local Sports: One of the biggest storylines coming out of Selection Sunday was Wichita State as a 10-seed and whether they were seeded properly. What are your thoughts on that? And what kind of damage can they do in a loaded South region?

Haywood: The South region is definitely loaded, and I don’t think that Wichita State was seeded properly. Kentucky, in the second round, if Wichita State is able to make it there, Kentucky is going to be in for a dog fight.

This is a team that plays excellent defense, and they’re built the way you want a team to be built from an offensive and defensive perspective. They can score the ball, averaging 82 points per game, but they only let opponents score 62 points per game. They have great half-court defense, but they’re prepared for any style of basketball game, because they also trap you, they do some full court things. I’ve seen a couple games where they were trapping teams three times in the back court. Who does that? They were able to trap the ball once, trap it again and then get another trap at half court.

This team can play great defense, they’re able to score the ball, and they’re able to spread you out, because they have a lot of three point shooters. If you look at this team, they have four to five guys who shoot over 40 percent from three, and they shoot 40 percent from three as a team. Anytime you have a team that can defend and knock down the three pointer… that’s a dangerous team in the tournament.

>>MORE: NCAA Tournament: 5 Potential Bracket Busters

CBS Local Sports: I know you’re a Tar Heels guy, and they’re the top seed in that loaded South region. Do you have them coming out of the South? If not, which team are you picking?

Haywood: I’m so torn between my heart and my head. My heart says take UNC, but my head says take UCLA. I really like what Lonzo Ball has done. I really like how he leads this team, and I like how Alford has them playing. They’ve beaten some very good teams. They beat Kentucky already this year, they beat Oregon, they beat Arizona, so this is a very tough ball club. They have probably the best collection of offensive talent of any starting lineup in all of college basketball. You look at Lonzo Ball, Alford, Hamilton, Thomas Welsh — I don’t think I’ve seen Thomas Welsh miss a 15-footer in any game, the kid just doesn’t miss the mid-range jumper. Oh, and they also have TJ Leaf, who’s going to be a first-round pick as well. They’re absolutely loaded. They’re deep off the bench. I really like what UCLA does, and they score the ball. So I’m scared for Carolina, because if they get into an offensive battle, which Carolina likes to do, it could possibly favor UCLA, because they have slightly more-talented players.

CBS Local Sports: Does the defense for UCLA concern you? That seems to have been their Achilles heel this year.

Haywood: Yeah, you have to be concerned about that, because in the NCAA Tournament, if you have a game where you come out there sleepwalking on defense, it could definitely cost you. You have to be geared up and turned on at all times. In the tournament, you can’t come out there and have a five to 10-minute stretch when you’re not playing your greatest defense. Everybody has to be locked in on defense.

Defense in basketball is the same thing as defense in football. It travels. It can win you games when your offense isn’t playing well. UCLA, sometimes, earlier in the season, it looked like defense was optional. Now, they’ve gotten to where they’re a middle-of-the-pack-type of defense. It has to be a concern, but when they are defending? This is a very scary ball club, because we all know they can score.

CBS Local Sports: In the West region, there’s some big-name coaches looking for their first Final Four appearance, which one makes it?

Haywood: The head coach set to make his first Final Four appearance is Sean Miller. When you look at Arizona winning the Pac-12 and then coming back and winning the Pac-12 tournament, they’re playing great right now. Some of the losses they had earlier in the year they didn’t have all their players. They didn’t have Allonzo Trier due to suspension and now they have him back. They have [Lauri] Markkanen, who stretches the floor. This team can defend, they can get up and down. I really like their talent level.

They play with a little bit of an edge too, so I like Arizona to win this region. Gonzaga is the weakest of the number-one seeds. Notre Dame can shock some people as well. I really like what Bonzie Colson does inside, he’s 18 and 11 every night. He’s undersized, but he plays big. That said, I think Arizona has the talent to get out of this region.

>>MORE: NCAA Tournament: West Region Game-By-Game Picks

CBS Local Sports: For the past several years, we’ve seen a 7-seed or higher make a run to the Final Four. Last year it was Syracuse. Is there a team you think is capable of doing that this year?

Haywood: Those teams… [it’s] so hard to determine who they’re going to be. It’s hard because, for example, I think Middle Tennessee can make the Sweet 16, I don’t know that they can make the Final Four. I think Wichita State can make the Sweet 16 possibly. But, as far as making a Final Four run, looking at teams seeded seven and under? That would be a very tough call right now.

I really can’t see it this year, because the one, two and three lines are so strong. The threes could all be ones. UCLA could be a one-seed. Oregon, before the [Chris] Boucher injury, they could have been a one-seed. So, when you look at some of these threes and twos and ones, they’re all the same type of ball club. And this is the first time we’ve seen that. We’ve seen some talent before, but we haven’t seen it like this. There’s arguably 10 teams that could win this whole thing this year. So, I’m not sure I see a seven-seed making it that far. But there are some teams that can make it to the Sweet 16, possibly the Elite Eight.

However, if there’s any seven-seed or lower that’s going to make a run to the Final Four, it’s going to be Michigan. I like the way the team’s playing. Walton Jr. is playing like the best point guard in the whole Big Ten. This team has looked like they’ve bonded because of the whole plane incident. So, if there’s a seven-seed or lower that’s going to make it to the Final Four, it’s Michigan, you heard it here first.

>>MORE: Michigan’s Road To The NCAA Tournament

The tournament got underway tonight, when 16-seed Mount St. Mary’s beat fellow 16-seed New Orleans for the right to play Villanova in the Round of 64.

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Friday, July 29, 2005

Living Good in the Neighborhood

When we first lived in St. Louis, from 1986-1989, we lived in an apartment out in West County near Olive and 270. We fell in love with St. Louis, but there were a lot of things we missed about our home state of California. Fresh fish, good Mexican and Asian foods, and sour dough bread were a few.

In 1989, a job offer from a real estate developer enticed us to return to California. Going against our better judgement (a side-by-side comparison showed St. Louis a better place to live than Northern California), we decided to accept the California offer.

Three years later, we were pregnant with our son Matt. We decided we wanted to raise him in St. Louis - the City. So, with Kerri 8 months pregnant, we moved back to St. Louis and purchased our first home, a 2-bedroom, story and a half bungalow in South City.

That was 12 years ago, and have things sure changed in St. Louis. Most of the things we missed most about California, especially things like fresh fish, ethnic restaurants, and hand crafted breads are now widely available here.

Best of all, now we're exporting our local brand of breads to California...

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Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives at EU and WIPO Level

On 20 March, IFLA and C4C organised a breakfast debate to discuss whether the existing international and EU copyright framework strike the right balance between access to information, research and innovation, and the need to protect creators.

  1. Welcome | Mr Stuart Hamilton (IFLA)

  2. Mr Stuart Hamilton, Deputy Secretary General at the International Federation of Library Associations & Institutions (IFLA), started the breakfast debate by setting the scene. IFLA is debating a Treaty for Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). He emphasized that such a Treaty would benefit the 66.000 public libraries and 4.500 academic and research libraries. Especially, seeing that these institutions spend €24 billion on content, of which €5.5 billion is spent in the EU. Although, the current EU copyright framework is not supportive for libraries. Currently, there is a skewed balance between safeguarding public interest v. the protection of copyright. Mr Hamilton encouraged the European Commission to send a library expert at the next WIPO meeting, just as our US counterparts already do. He concluded the EU needs to help libraries turn their visitors into 'consumers'.
  3. Opening Comments | Ms Amelia Andersdotter (MEP)

  4. Ms Amelia Andersdotter, Swedish Greens/EFA Member of the European Parliament, emphasised that the EU lacks a proper (digital) strategy to deal with the core values of the digital age. She also highlighted that in the EU, Internet innovators such as Alan Ellis - who was behind the OiNK website - are sometimes apprehended instead of applauded. This leads MEP Andersdotter to conclude that the current copyright framework is quite hostile for innovative EU entrepreneurs.
  5. EU Commission perspective | Ms Kerstin Jorna (EC)

  6. Ms Kerstin Jorna, Director of the Intellectual Property Directorate at the European Commission's Directorate-General Internal Services and Market (DG MARKT) started off her intervention by informing the participants about the state-of-play of the European Commission's (EC) recent public consultation on the review of the EU copyright rules. The EC received more than 11.000 replies, from which about half are coming from individuals. On the last night of the consultation deadline alone the EC received 4.000 contributions. DG MARKT has set-up two task-forces, a first one to open all contributions - still 2.000 to go, and a second one to analyse all of them. This last task-force counts about 30 people. The next step for the EC is to publish these contributions.
  7. The public consultation is complemented with a whole string of (legal) studies. In the coming weeks, DG MARKT will publish the studies on text and data mining (TDM) and reproductions. More studies can be expected, amongst others on the economics of copyright, specific limitations and territoriality. All this, together with the outcomes of the Licences for Europe (L4E) process and the EC's Audiovisual Green Paper feed into a White Paper that's being prepared by the end of June. This document should help orientate the future debate on copyright, and be taken on by the European Commission and the European Parliament.
  8. On the subject of libraries and other cultural institutions, Ms Jorna acknowledges that these institutions have evolved and need a copyright framework fit for purpose. The current legal framework adheres to their special needs, but the open-ended nature of the exceptions has led Member States to use them in various degrees.

    For example, the exception on preservation is quite narrow and excludes format shifting in many Member States. There is also the exception for consultation on dedicated terminals, which has not been implemented by 11 Member States, and the question should be raised if it is still pertinent this day and age. There is also the question of the public lending exception, which does not take into account e-lending.

    Ms Jorna stressed that the current process is not about quick fixes or finding the silver bullet. The EC is careful about solving one issue without creating another at the same time.
  9. Regarding the discussions at the WIPO level, Ms Jorna emphasized that the EC's priority is to first get the process right at 'home'.
  10. Ms Jorna also informed the participants of the breakfast that the Council of the EU decided on 19 March to sign the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled.
  11. Why libraries & archives seek an international copyright treaty @ WIPO | Ms Ellen Broad (IFLA)

  12. Ms Ellen Broad, Manager Digital Projects & Policy at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), explained that the international focus is on enforcement and not on limitations and exceptions (L&E). In 2010 the WIPO's Standing Committee on Copyright & Related Rights (SCCR) started to work on L&E. Libraries are facing  an increasing inability to provide their services due to a shift to licences in the digital environment. Cross-border activities are becoming increasingly more difficult in the digital age, instead of easier. Digital preservation projects, for which shared infrastructure between institutions could be cost-beneficial, have the potential of infringing copyright. Several works of the Republic of Congo are stored in the Paris Library, but due to copyright and the lack of international L&E, Congolose citizens cannot request access these works. There is a need to flatten inequalities in access to knowledge in the EU and across border, to facilitate this new L&D need to be developed with this goal in mind.
  13. in 2012, more than 41,000 farmers filed online applications for agricultural subsidies at public libraries, resulting in more than €45.7 million in subsidies from the Ministry of Agriculture.
  14. Challenges for libraries in the EU: EBLIDA’s objectives | Mr Vincent Bonnet (EBLIDA)

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About David Sealey – It all started with Lego

Lego sets are the enduring memory of my childhood. From the box of bricks that built up over many years I created buildings, cars and even a mechanical money box. This desire to build and create stayed with me when I was given an Amiga 1200 one Christmas. Soon afterwards I got hold of a copy of the AMOS basic compiler and purchased a book on how to program in Basic allowing me to create with code rather than bricks.

Amiga 1200

Whilst the Lego, Amiga and AMOS programming book have all gone; my desire to create, experiment and learn remain as strong as ever. Whether it’s a business process, marketing campaign, data analysis or a program, I still want to create amazing things.

I’ve been blessed to have a career that has enabled me to program, design, sell, manage, coach, market and consult with amazing clients and colleagues. This breadth of experience gives me a unique perspective on life, marketing, technology and business.

Why I started this blog

Technology can improve business. Fact.

However a lot of businesses I see get this wrong and it is my desire to help organisations improve the experience their customers receive. This blog contains my thoughts, analysis and interpretation on what is going on in the world of digital technology, marketing and business and how this can help organisations today.

All opinions are my own and not necessarily those of my employer (I’ll do my best to highlight synergies).

Connect with David Sealey

You can connect with me via LinkedIn or Twitter.

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Monday, December 7, 2009

Another weekend - another world...

Yesterday, Sunday, I went to the farm after a week away. I had missed the monkeys and was looking forward to spending some time with them. And they did not disappoint. The lemurs "popped" at me as I came into the barn - always a welcoming sound. Little Mickey Marmoset chattered away at me several times throughout the day. And old Susie (when George would give her room) came over to get her head scratched as often as I stopped by their enclosure.
But this was not an ordinary Sunday. The Sanctuary had been breached and it was a horrible feeling.
Sherri, Leonard, Malcolm, Jackie and I piled into the car to drive along Sherri and Leonard's property line to the site where a trap had caught a neighbour's dog the week before. Thankfully the dog was ok - but several other animals were not...their carcasses were strewn about the area, and it only took looking to realize that the bodies had been skinned - the furs whom, for what purpose??? Unknown as yet - but there is an investigation started...we identified a beaver - the tail was still there although the body had been largely destroyed by local predators. There was a fairly complete little body too - missing only its fur - not entirely sure, but the more I think about it, the more I think it might have been an otter. And other remnants too - maybe 5 animals represented in all in that small area close to the spot where the trap had been found. All illegally trapped on Sherri and Leonard's property by an unknown person. We looked further, trying to find other evidence - traps, carcasses, trails - but there was nothing we could spot immediately. The trap was of the cruel sort - where an animal caught in it will try to gnaw off its leg in order to gain freedon - the dog was already beginning to work on that, but was freed before any real damage could be done.
Who does this? What good would be a few pelts of such small animals? Who treats them, processes them? Who buys them? There must be a market or this would not be happening.

Such an invasion, such a feeling of violation - I am hoping the perpetrator is caught SOON - perhaps in a trap????


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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Another Thank You!

So sorry to be so tardy about this - but there are more huge thank-yous to be sent out!

First - the Toronto Veggie Food Fair - what a great weekend! Once again we got to meet many old and new friends.  We want to thank everyone for all the support that they showed us at this event! Many people signed up to help out at Lumberjack Days coming this Fall - the September one is over, but October and November are still to come.  Check the website and register to be a part of the team that keeps the monkeys warm over the winter!

And that is the second thank you:  to Kevin and Katharine who came to the Lumberjack Day in September and worked hard all day at getting the wood supply ready for the winter.  They got to meet all the monkeys too, and I think they enjoyed their visit! We hope they will be back!

It is now fall, and the monkeys have seen the last of the really warm days and nights. The doors are mostly shut now come evening, since it gets too cool in the barn for our tropical residents to be comfortable.

And that is why we need your help!  That wood furnace goes through a lot of wood, and we need to have an enormous pile ready to feed it over the next few months!  So - if you are looking for a way to support our rescued primates - please consider coming out to a Lumberjack Day!  The more people we have working, the faster the woodpile grows.  And if you have experience with a chainsaw or a wood splitter - you are GOLD!!!!!!

Check out to sign up!

So - once again - a huge thank you to everyone who supported us over the past season - Holly's Hope attendees and Sharon, its wonderful organiser, Open Day visitors, Baseball tournament participants and its great organisers, the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival and all the visitors who dropped by the SBFPS booth, Lumberjacks - both past and future! We could not do what we do without your help.

One last word - we have 2013 calendars for sale as well, each month featuring a different resident.  They are selling for $20.00 each. If you are interested, find them on our website!

Happy Fall!!!!


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Monday, 30 June 2008

A Monsoon Dream...

When I was younger, I always found the monsoons to be a time when magic happened.
Sure, it rains torrentially for three months in a row, but the serenity and peace that comes with the rains, is something that I find unmatched even to this very day. Maybe it was the earthy smells -- the wet mud, fresh greens... wet everything. Maybe it was the scenery... the lush greens, reds, browns... everything as nature intended it to be. I remember sitting on the spiral staircase near our flat and just staring out into the world thinking, "This is where I come from ... this is who I am."

I have one distinct memory about the rainy season in Goa. My mum was driving us home from school one day, and it was raining uncontrollably. After we got home and she parked the bike, she went upstairs to get started on dinner. Instead of following her to our flat, I ran up to the terrace, in the rains, in my khaki school uniform and just stood there. Without my raincoat, without my shoes. I felt the water pour down on me, as I stood there, 6 storeys high. The water gushed over me like someone was pouring down buckets from the heavens. It soaked my clothes, making them cling to me... heavy. I still remember how my feet felt on the concrete. The water wasn't cold... but it wasn't warm either. I remember standing there and just breathing. I was 10. I was alive. I was one with the earth.

These days, I long for those feelings of being grounded. I long for days when I was forced to stay home on lazy afternoons and really appreciate life and beauty. Spring in Toronto cannot match the beauty of Goan monsoons. I remember literally going to bed one night and waking up the next morning to full blooms in the garden... dancing in the rain.

It's raining in Goa right now. I know this because I have the weather tuned to Toronto and Goa on my computer. Perhaps if I can make an even blend of the two temperatures, I can articulate how I feel at this very moment.

I still can't. I've been at a loss for words for about a week now. There's so much that I want to say and yet, I can't bring myself to do it.

Everyone can use some magic in their lives these days, you know?

Wednesday, 25 June 2008

A fish out of water

For the first time in a very long time... I'm struggling for words.

It's strange how certain events in my life can make me lose focus of what really matters. For years I have been dedicated to my studies, career, family and friends... trying never to miss a step along the way.

It's been an odd path, but it's also been worth it. Because here I am... on the brink of a field I have waited my entire life to be part of.

I can't undo the mistakes I've made... and as most of you know, there have been a handful. But I can learn from them... and I am...
It's strange, processing these emotions. Some go through so easily and others just don't make sense -- creeping in on you when you least expect it.

I made a decison today.

I should have made this decision a long time ago, but as the war between my head, heart and physical state move into phase 4... it's gotten a lot harder. But this time, I'm sticking to it.

The thing about being a writer (not a journalist...just a writer) is that it's hard to seperate emotions from words. Especially when the words are drawn from emotions.

But I'm working on it. I really am.

Thursday, 19 June 2008

Serendipity or a Cruel Joke?

A fortunate accident...

... Do any of you believe in it?

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason, in specific times and places in our lives? Or is it a result of something we've created on our own - situations and circumstances that we consciously place ourselves in?

Or do you think these incidents come as a result of something we have no control or power over? That they just sort of... happen - and in the aftermath, we are left changed, thinking about what transpired?

My mum told me to pray for love the other day... and cynical me told her that if that actually worked, then there would be no divorces and that everyone in the world would be with the person they were meant to be with, because EVERYONE prays for love.

Sooo... I guess I'm a bit jaded...

Wednesday, 18 June 2008

One of those afternoons...

Sometimes I wonder if absence does in fact make the heart grow fonder. I thought about this recently, after my visit to Goa. I'm not a fan of feeling so nostalgic, but I guess sometimes it can't be helped. I came back refreshed from the trip, but now all I can think about is finding a balance between my two worlds once again.

When I moved to Toronto, I always realized how much I missed my family and life when I was a child. However, it wasn’t until I came back for a visit, that I fully became aware of how much I longed to be back there.

When I left Goa for the second time this past May, I was taken back to my 10-year-old self. I don’t recall another day when I cried as much as I did then. I wasn’t sure where I was going or what was in store for me. It was exciting in a sense, but I also felt as though I was heading into uncertainty. All I knew was that I had packed everything that I “held near and dear” to me, in one little red suitcase. That was it. 10 years of my childhood in the smallest suitcase in the bunch.

After being back here for a month, I started to play around with thoughts of absence. What do I miss from my trip? What do I want to go back to? What did I want to bring with me? What did I leave behind?

I realize that whatever material things I left behind in Goa will continue to stay in the place I left them. Just like the pair of shorts I found from when I was eight, left sitting in my mother’s cupboard.

The cups and saucers will be as I left them – sitting in a rack by the kitchen sink. The books will be by my bed – as I left them in May 2008.

But what about the people? Will those who I hold so close to my heart be as I left them? Probably not. My family and friends have changed a lot over the past decade or so. People have died, and there have been many young additions. Loved ones have moved away while others have gone back to Goa in search of something they thought was missing in their lives.

I understand that change comes as a result of time. Still, there’s a part of me that hopes not much will change before my next visit or stay.

I was given a small taste of something that means the world to me. But for now, reality shows that that is all it can be ... a taste.

I wonder... if I play around with destiny and go with the flow, will my reality eventually be what I’d like it to be?

Perhaps in this case, only time will tell.

Saturday, 14 June 2008

An Open Letter to My Girlfriends

Over the past few months, I have come to realize and truly value the relationships I have formed with my various girlfriends. I've gotten to a point in my life where I feel that the friendships which stemmed from different moments in my life, may be a reflection of who I am at this moment.
So I figured, in the spirit of all these emotions, that I better dedicate a good ol' blog post to the women who matter the most to me, in this crazy, unstable world!

Let me start off with my gals in Europe. Ladies, I know you're reading this because you're two of the only people who ever comment on everything that I write here. I hope you're having an amazing time, because I know how hard you two worked to achieve this well deserved break. I hope you come home with an arsenal of stories, photos, mementos and 2 amazing tans! I'll be measuring you up to my own skin. Thank you for finding me, no matter where you are in the world. I don't think you realize how much I appreciate you taking the time out of your itinerary to read my work. I love you and I hope you're staying safe. The thought of my posts reaching Italy, Croatia or Greece mean the world to me... literally!

I know that this trip will add to the wonderful women you already are. It will set you on the bigger canvas, making you into global citizens. Few people have that privilege, and I know it will do wonders to who you already are... I will be living vicariously through both of you... if only for now!

To the ones at home... well, you know who you are. You are the women who have steadied me when I couldn't find my legs... the ones who were my mouth-pieces when I couldn't speak and the ones who listened, when I was full of words and words and words and words.... (and repeat!)

I've come to value you in a way unlike ever before. I realize that a handful of girlfriends who know the way you function can be more deadly and lethal to troublemakers.... than pepper-spray, high heeled shoes, or even a big bad bouncer.

You are the ones who aren't afraid to point out reality when I get lost in the clouds.... and you're the ones who encourage me to dream, when I become weighed down with life.

I want you all to know how much I love you. Every word, every hug, every smile... everything!

Tuesday, 10 June 2008

Almost a month after my visit to Goa, I am left feeling as though I'm standing with a foot on either side of the world.

My visit to Goa was long overdue, to say the least. Although the trip to Goa itself was quite uneventful, (aside from the minor customs mishap, the nine-hour transit in Mumbai, the sketchy porters from the international airport to the domestic airport, and the questionable food on the domestic flight) the three-week experience is something I could write an entire novel on.

As our pilot announced our arrival into India over the intercom, I couldn't help but think of one of my favourite lines from Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Eat, Pray, Love... "People always arrive and leave India under the cloak of night."

It wasn't until the end of my trip that I realized how true that statement was. our transcontinental flight arrived in India around 8 p.m., touching down in Mumbai at 9:30 p.m. It wasn't until 6:30 a.m. the following morning that we were able to catch our connecting flight to Goa.

Now you have to understand, Goa is a 45 minute plane ride from Mumbai. So the idea of staying over at an airport for over six hours for a 45 minute plane ride is something a lot of people won't even hear of. However, short of going to a hotel for 3 hours, this was our only option. Goa only has flights from 6:30 a.m to about 8 p.m.

We arrived in Goa at about 7 a.m the next day, to no fuss at all. Although I should mention that I had left Toronto in a jean jacket, scarf and jeans... all of which came off by the time I found my suitcases in Mumbai... In a speed unknown to me, I fished out a pair of shorts and a thin t-shirt, that I subconsciously packed. Something told me this was going to happen. It was close to 40 degrees overnight when we landed.

At the Goa airport, we walked from our 50-seater flight to the terminal that overlooked the belt, which carried our luggage.

While I stood at the belt, waiting for what seemed like eternity, I glanced to the waiting area and passenger pick-up area, to see if any of my family had come.

With one look, I saw the only person that mattered at that moment. My aunt. The lady who was the source of all things wisdom and beauty to me. It was at that point I realized, that the exhausting 48-hour journey meant nothing at all, because it had led up to this single moment.

My aunt... 72, strong, beautiful and poised stood at the doorway to the airport all by herself - despite sickness and age, because she wanted to see my mother and me.

I can't even begin to describe the emotions that passed through me in those few moments. I took it all in... her frailty, her shinning eyes, my mother's sadness/joy, my aching back... everything.

Aunt was holding flowers that looked like they were clearly plucked from a garden.

"These are for you," she said. "St. Anthony's flowers - the smell of Goa."

My aunt later explained that she was looking for something significant to give me, when she first saw me after over a decade. Then, being true to herself, she realized that the best way to touch on anyone's emotions was to play with the senses.

I remembered the first time I inhaled the heady scent of these simple white flowers (I was 4)... I remembered the feasts where we adorned the altars with these flowers (every year)... I remembered the garden in my grandmother's house where there was one bush of St. Anthony's flowers, strategically placed in the centre...

And it was in that moment that I realized... I had actually come home.
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World class computing and information science research at Strathclyde...

The Strathprints institutional repository is a digital archive of University of Strathclyde's Open Access research outputs. Strathprints provides access to thousands of Open Access research papers by University of Strathclyde researchers, including by researchers from the Department of Computer & Information Sciences involved in mathematically structured programming, similarity and metric search, computer security, software systems, combinatronics and digital health.

The Department also includes the iSchool Research Group, which performs leading research into socio-technical phenomena and topics such as information retrieval and information seeking behaviour.

Automated extraction of data from text using an xml parser: an earth science example using fossil descriptions

Curry, G.B. and Connor, R.C.H. (2008) Automated extraction of data from text using an xml parser: an earth science example using fossil descriptions. Geosphere, 4 (1). pp. 159-169.

Full text not available in this repository. Request a copy from the Strathclyde author

Many valuable earth science data are not available in a digital format. Manual entry of such information into databases is time consuming, unrewarding, and prone to introducing errors. Taxonomic descriptions of fossils are a good example of valuable data that are overwhelming and available only in printed volumes and journals, some of which are increasingly rare and inaccessible. The highly structured nature of taxonomic procedures and nomenclature means that many previously published data remain equally valid to the present day, and contain information that is currently not available on the World Wide Web; these data would be of great use to a wide variety of scientists and other end users in government, industry, academia and the general public. This paper describes an XML (extensible markup language) parsing technique that allows taxonomic descriptions to be fully digitized much more rapidly than would be possible by manual entry of the data into a database. The technique exploits the high degree of structure in taxonomic descriptions, which are written in a standardized format, to automate the processing of tagging separate sections of the text. Once tagged using XML, the data can be subjected to complex searches using queries written in any of the XML query standards. The XML-tagged data can potentially be imported into existing databases, in effect removing the necessity to manually enter the information, and hence overcoming the main bottleneck in generating digital data from printed material. Individual parsers can be tailored precisely to the nature of the text being analyzed, and once the underlying concepts and procedures are understood, those interested in acquiring and using digital data will be able to generate XML parsers dedicated to text with different styles of standardized formatting.