text:
Snowvisions Status Report

Website is Online when last checked on 01 February 2017
This report has been viewed 0 times since it was first created on 20 January 2016 is a 1 year old domain, situated in United States. The domain is linked to the IP address which is provided by the hosting company Akamai.

It was registered by Masayoshi Hoshikawa , who can be reached at . The site is owned by Zombie Domain. Registration details show that it was registered on 07 Jan 2016 through Dynadot and will expire on 07 Jan 2017.

The site returns a status code of 200. The site is being served through nginx.

Registration Details

This data reveals what information was provided to the site registrar Dynadot when was registered.
Registered by Masayoshi Hoshikawa
07 Jan
11 Jan
Expiry of registration
07 Jan
Registrar Dynadot
Reseller -
Status clientTransferProhibited
Name Masayoshi Hoshikawa
Organisation Zombie Domain
Address 80 Robinson Road,10-01A Singapore, Singapore
Name Masayoshi Hoshikawa
Organisation Zombie Domain
Address 80 Robinson Road,10-01A Singapore, Singapore
Name -
Organisation -
Name Masayoshi Hoshikawa
Organisation Zombie Domain
Address 80 Robinson Road,10-01A Singapore, Singapore

SEO Analysis

Get a free On page SEO analysis report of
  1. Page Title: No page title found
    There is no title present on the page, which is bad for SEO.
  2. Meta Description: No meta description found
    Meta description isn't used in SEO signals anymore, but is still relevant as it explains the site purpose in search results.
  3. Meta Keywords: No meta keywords found on the page
    Meta keywords are ignored by search engines. We are referring them, because they too show the site purpose just like meta description.
  4. Compression: Enabled
    Compression increases the speed of the website. Header data sent by the website shows that compression is properly configured on the website.
  5. Mobile Optimised: No
    Responsive design is not being used on the website, which is extremely important nowadays.
  6. Outgoing links: 3 links found.
    Site has links to 3 other websites on its front page.
  7. Content Rating: Probably Unsafe
    Our content rating algorithm suggests that the content of might not be appropriate for all age groups.
  8. Language: English

Technical Background

Important background details of the website
    Google Analytics is being used to track visitors on the website. Website home page is 8 kB in size.

IP Address Details

All stuff related to IP address of the website.
Primary IP Address
IPv6 Address
  • Server country: United States
  • DNS is hosted by
  • Web Hosting: Akamai

Complete whois text

Whois Server Version 2.0

   Registrar: DYNADOT, LLC
   Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID: 472
   Whois Server:
   Referral URL:
   Status: clientTransferProhibited    Updated Date: 11-jan-2016
   Creation Date: 07-jan-2016
   Expiration Date: 07-jan-2017

For more information on Whois status codes, please visit

The Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET, .EDU domains and
Registry Domain ID: 1992307954_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server:
Registrar URL:
Updated Date: 2016-01-11T22:32:50.0Z
Creation Date: 2016-01-07T19:01:00.0Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2017-01-07T19:01:00.0Z
Registrar: DYNADOT LLC
Registrar IANA ID: 472
Registrar Abuse Contact Email:
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.6502620100
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: Masayoshi Hoshikawa
Registrant Organization: Zombie Domain
Registrant Street: 80 Robinson Road
Registrant Street: 10-01A
Registrant City: Singapore
Registrant State/Province: Singapore
Registrant Postal Code: 068898
Registrant Country: SG
Registrant Phone: +65.64206393
Registrant Email:
Registry Admin ID:
Admin Name: Masayoshi Hoshikawa
Admin Organization: Zombie Domain
Admin Street: 80 Robinson Road
Admin Street: 10-01A
Admin City: Singapore
Admin State/Province: Singapore
Admin Postal Code: 068898
Admin Country: SG
Admin Phone: +65.64206393
Admin Email:
Registry Tech ID:
Tech Name: Masayoshi Hoshikawa
Tech Organization: Zombie Domain
Tech Street: 80 Robinson Road
Tech Street: 10-01A
Tech City: Singapore
Tech State/Province: Singapore
Tech Postal Code: 068898
Tech Country: SG
Tech Phone: +65.64206393
Tech Email:
Name Server:
Name Server:
DNSSEC: unsigned
URL of the ICANN WHOIS Data Problem Reporting System:


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

WARC-Type: response

text:
Showing posts with label Nya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nya. Show all posts

Thursday, 20 September 2012

Kawaii Kitties!

We are all aware that Miss Kitty White is KAWAII but what other Kitties and other kitty things are also kawaii?

My Kawaii hunt was not that hard.
There is lots of cute cats out there and I've named a few,I can not possibly show every Kawaii Kitty in one post!
One Kawaii Kitty Chi,From Chi's Sweet Home is supper cute and funny to watch,.
I have her in a plush which I got from Keep it Secret and from their Kawaii Club a compact Chi Mirror.

You can watch Chi's adventures on youtube.
The other Anime Kitty I came across is a funny yet kawaii anime Fruit Baskets of one of the main characters Kyo whom is cursed by a family curse of the Zodiac.Its really funny and sweet to watch.

But even cat and kitten prints are in fashion!
Check out some of these cute cats in fashion,Id love to have these things!

Galaxy Kitty print Leggings!
From Glitter for dinner

Kawaii King of Kittys top.
I really want one of those so cute!

Kitty's are pawing their way into cute jewellery too.

The cutie felines have also got into house hold themed items and helpful yet sweet accessories!

Hello Kitty will hold onto your Spec's for you!
Okay I know I was going to avoid miss kitty white but it is very cool and cute!

Chi Compact mirror

Nyanpire Neko will look make your bento box look extra yummy and cute!

Kawaii Range of Handbags with kitty faces and eyes on the internet too!

Also don't forget about Choco Cat too
I have a few things like pens and notebooks,I simply adore Choco as my own cat looks so like him!

but this has to be my fave KAWAII Kitty thing!

This lil cutie is pluged into earphone ports of moblie phones...How to make your phone SUPER Kawaii just with with lil guy!
FACT Kitties are Kawaii!

Stay super kawaii

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-170-22-195.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-43
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for October 2017
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

text:
Thursday, 10 February 2011

Other Projects Pushed Back

My other projects that I usually begin filming in mid-March will be pushed back to late April to make way for the filming of Kidnapped due to the way it's going to be filmed. Instead of filming all the scenes first it has recently been decided that one scene at a time will be filmed and edited due to the assumed length of the special.

We aim to film and edit one scene per day starting Monday, so I hope to collect lines (if they haven't been sent to me already) over the weekend.

A release date has still yet to be decided on.

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Step two...

The next phase of online self indulgence.
I made the mistake of monkeying around with my original BLOG located here and ruining it.
I am useless.
I am starting over..and here we go.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Our Home and Native Land...

Watch the link below and be disgusted....half the city of Windsor is unemployed and they are living there for free...literally

DIG THIS......

This shit is real...and it is not just Mexico

And yet all of our cost of living is care is falling to shit...unemployment is rampant...

Our Agency is looking at a 800 person job loss Nation wide  due to "Strategic Deficit Reduction"....Yet we have money for this friggin madness????

Sunday, February 19, 2012

So here is something neat.

My life and the life of my family growing up was a little shy of 'Leave it to Beaver' and such....

Not everybody can have the Norman Rockwell coziness that is tacitly implied as 'normal' through commercials and greeting cards.

It could be that it doesn't really exist at all and it is just an idea that it is impossible to live up too.

My Wife's family is close.
They have solid ties and great family traditions.
Funny though..Even after all this time I am still looking for the cracks...

Nobody's perfect...I sure as hell am not...but Kims family is close.

Mine never fact most of my youth was a horror show that was barely survived..and that's OK.

It wasn't 'OK' for a while but I have come to realize that the struggles I faced growing up were essential to me developing into who I am today...
..and I am more than alright.
The sum of our experiences and all that.

My wife's naivete is something I really love about times envy...but in the end I wouldn't thank you for it.

Rose coloured glasses are not for me.

I recently had to explain to my daughter the reason that my father is not in our family picture.

A tough one that I knew was coming.

How do you tell your little girl that your father was an absolute horror of a human being??

They were doing family studies at school and she had a little sad spell because she couldn't say anything about her Grandpa on my side.

She is a smart kid and after a little talk I think that she is alright.

It helps that Gerry is perfection when it comes to the Grandfather role  ...and the father role for that matter.

He makes me realize just what I missed out on and that is kind of sad but he is now a great friend and more importantly a great example of family dedication and love.

It was harder for my sisters...much harder.

Enough of that..however...through the storm we came and yesterday I was part of a family that welcomed a wee little baby into the world blessed with people that are dedicated to her and full of  love for her.

It was a beautiful thing that represents supreme triumph over the worst kind of adversity and I am so proud to be part of it.

I am now a Great Uncle...and my sister is a Grandmother!!!

That sure helps the midlife crisis....tick

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Made In China???

So the guitar search continues...

I just received my T4 and should be able to find the time for taxes in the coming weeks.

Might be a tough sell with the warden but I am leaning towards spoiling myself a bit with a guitar purchase from my tax return money.

It has been one helluva year and I may have discovered a relatively affordable option here...

Eastman Guitars

These guitars appear to be very well made and hand crafted by people in China of all places.

I have searched the internet and it is impossible to find anything negative to say about them...and they look fantastic!!

The antique style finishes they put on their guitars are old school classy and right up my alley taste wise.

There are a number of options for obtaining one.

A store in Rochester NY has a great selection...and even a few used ones kicking about...and I am not above that at all.
Most guitars require a break in period anyway before they start coming into their own sound wise and a few scratches here and there just saves me time!

There is another store in London ON that carries them but in typical Canadian fashion they are stupid over priced in I could order one off ebay and have it shipped to my door and save about $400.oo...
I might head there next week though just to play something similar and see if they are all they are cracked up to be ...

It would be weird owning a guitar made in China...almost makes me feel guilty in a way...but shit...I am tired of getting hammered with overpriced big name garbage...and it is a viable option moneywise..

If I had tons of dough I might buy a Collings or something similar...but I don' this is the way I am leaning...
For Now.

But spells like this are easily broken  ...

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Winter Blah

Was it a good trip?

But the fishing was extremely difficult with a healthy dose of Norland Curse thrown in just in case.

It is hard being me...sometimes it really is.

This is in no way me feeling sorry for myself...

Anyone who really knows me can figure out pretty quick that I do not suffer false modesty and I am my favourite person by far....but shit hits me sometimes...probably my own doing 90% of the time..makes for good comic relief..even for me...

But ...truth be told...the insurmountable centrenpin birds nest on Stuhans boat just about sent me over the edge...literally...I almost jumped in the fucking water and swam for shore...

But I didn't...and Jeff set me up with his rig without hesitation...class....and I was embarrassed.

So ...rewind a bit.

I finally am able to make a few moves with the schedule at work and take part in a 3 day trip to Brian's Michigan Cabin.

I had been dying to take advantage of the above average temps this year and the outstanding fishing opportunities.
Like usual, this time of year puts me in a position where there is no official leave in the bank and any extended time off has little to no flexibility as far as timing...

Its roll your dice and I am cool with that.

So par for the course...

Temps plummet, head cold sets in, traffic jam for two hours on the way over, Muskegon River Steelhead get lockjaw and the Manistee fish are not much better, develop a back-lash on my PIN the likes of which have never been seen before on this earth in the midst of a trip that has my nerves so frayed I am thinking about giving up fishing entirely...Sound like fun???

..well it was ...a blast actually.

The thing is... you get used to it ...and I now come to expect it once in a while.

I am fond of saying you wouldn't know a good day if there weren't any bad ones.

Well,..I have had my share of both fishing and the fish owe me nothing.

Bottom line is I am a clumsy fuck... and iced guides high winds and mounting frustration are a bad combination...but roaring down a cool river with two cool guys searching for the greatest fish that swim is a wicked way to spend a day.

I did catch my first fish on a maggot...I am not sure that I am happy about that at all really...Maggots???......Really???

The curse even found its way into Morin's Cabin ...kind of funny.

It was not without amusement ...watching him out in the minus seven degree weather snaking the septic system through all of the shit trying to fix that thing...

He had this 15 ft long steel rope contraption that he would wiggle around in the plumbing only to pull it out and whip it in the snow to get all the goo off it....
Disturbing image...

Like some sort of bizarre Lion tamer with a shit whip in the snow covered woods of the Manistee National Forest.

So good times was hard but good like fishing can be...I spent most of the time drunk and ate some really great food.

Pulled in the driveway last night and Avery ran up to greet me!!...Genuine enthusiasm and glad to see me!!!
I threw my arms around her and tossed her above my head ...and felt my back go out.....I have been in agony ever since and heavily medicated...

sigh....NORLAND...I am Norland

Norah Jones (with Wynton Marsalis) - You Don't Know Me

Oh My...

I would like Norah Jones to be my Valentine....


text:
Monday, December 8, 2008

Party Pinwheels

These little appetizers are great for parties. You can make them ahead of time and just slice them before you are ready to serve. As for the toppings, you can really use whatever you like!

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix (about 1-2 tablespoons, some of the larger packets are more than one ounce so be mindful of that)
2 green onions, minced
4 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and green onions. Spread this mixture on each tortilla. Sprinkle red pepper, celery, black olives, and cheese over the cream cheese mixture.

Roll up the tortillas and then wrap in aluminum foil.

Chill 2 hours or overnight. I like to make these the day before if I can. Cut off ends of the rolls, and slice the chilled rolls into 1 inch slices.

No comments:


text:
Thursday, November 10, 2016

New American Made Brand Fabrics

I recently had the pleasure to play with some new fabric by American Made Brand. This line of fabric is a gorgeous quality, solid colored line that is grown and made right in the USA. It can't get better than that!

There are three new fabrics coming out and they are perfect for all that I do. But then again, the solid colors they offer are perfect too, because they are the ones that I screen print my own designs onto. But, if you happen to be a dyer and printer and want something that is ready to design with, then you will like the new offerings.

The three new fabrics are:

  1. AMB PFP cotton is fabric Prepared for Printing.  Fabric is free of finishing and treated in a way to let inks immerse the fibers in color during the printing process.  For the tech-savvy artist wanting to transform their digital creations into fabric works of art!
  2. AMB PFD cotton is fabric Prepared for Dyeing.  No starches, sizing, or finishes applied to the fabric, allowing dyes and paints to saturate the fibers.  Perfect for dyeing, batiking, fabric painting, block printing, and all types of textile art media.  Let this fabric serve as a blank canvas to unleash your inner Picasso!
  3. AMB Natural Muslin
Here is what I did with my piece of PFD cotton.

I first dyed the PFD cotton with an orange fiber reactive dye. The color came out brilliant and gorgeous. Next I used textile paint to add some stenciled leaves to the surface.

I decided to split my piece of PFP fabric in two so I could print two designs on it. For the first design shown, I used one of my Thermofax screen designs, another leaf design, and screened an avocado green color over the surface.

For the other piece of PFP fabric, I used one of my compressed sponge shapes. Yes, another leaf design (I must have been in a leafy mood). I sponged on textile paint in a teal color.

And for the final fabric, the natural muslin, I again used a Thermofax screen to create a fabric that has a stripe pattern.

Once the four pieces of fabric were finished I pulled some of my other printed AMB fabrics from my stash and created a small collection.

This collection called to me to make something so I decided to create a small quilt. I made an improv quilt block with a wonky plus design and then repeated the same block in a smaller size for the border.

I am very impressed that AMB has added these new fabrics to their line. I love using the AMB solids with my screen printing and now I can add these new fabrics to my stash so I can have an even larger variety of options when I want to create unique and original fabrics for my projects.

If you would like to see more of these fabrics and other AMB solids that are available, please visit:

American Made Brand fabrics is found on the web here,

American Made Brand fabric is a division of Clothworks,

As always, thanks for stopping by and visiting. Please leave a comment if you have any questions.


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Article Text

Medical judgement analogue studies with applications to spaceflight crew medical officer
  1. Michele L McCarroll1,
  2. Rami A Ahmed2,3,
  3. Alan Schwartz4,
  4. Michael David Gothard5,
  5. Steven Scott Atkinson3,
  6. Patrick Hughes2,
  7. Jose Cepeda Brito2,
  8. Lori Assad2,
  9. Jerry Myers6,
  10. Richard L George2,3
  1. 1Clinical Medicine, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, Yakima, Washington, USA
  2. 2Medical Education, Summa Health System, Akron, Ohio, USA
  3. 3Northeastern Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio, USA
  4. 4University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
  5. 5Biostats, Inc, East Canton, Ohio, USA
  6. 6NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Michele L McCarroll, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, 111 University Parkway, Suite 202, Yakima, WA 98901, USA; mmccarroll{at}, mccarroll314{at}

Background The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed plans for potential emergency conditions from the Exploration Medical Conditions List. In an effort to mitigate conditions on the Exploration Medical Conditions List, NASA implemented a crew medical officer (CMO) designation for eligible astronauts. This pilot study aims to add knowledge that could be used in the Integrated Medical Model.

Methods An analogue population was recruited for two categories: administrative physicians (AP) representing the physician CMOs and technical professionals (TP) representing the non-physician CMOs. Participants completed four medical simulations focused on abdominal pain: cholecystitis (CH) and renal colic (RC) and chest pain: cardiac ischaemia (STEMI; ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) and pneumothorax (PX). The Medical Judgment Metric (MJM) was used to evaluate medical decision making.

Results There were no significant differences between the AP and TP groups in age, gender, race, ethnicity, education and baseline heart rate. Significant differences were noted in MJM average rater scores in AP versus TP in CH: 13.0 (±2.25), 4.5 (±0.48), p=<0.001; RC: 12.3 (±2.66), 4.8 (±0.94); STEMI: 12.1 (±3.33), 4.9 (±0.56); and PX: 13.5 (±2.53), 5.3 (±1.01), respectively.

Discussion There could be a positive effect on crew health risk by having a physician CMO. The MJM demonstrated the ability to quantify medical judgement between the two analogue groups of spaceflight CMOs. Future studies should incorporate the MJM in a larger analogue population study to assess the medical risk for spaceflight crewmembers.

  • Clinical Judgement
  • Medical Judgement
  • Decision-making
  • Simulation
  • Astronaut Health

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:

Statistics from

At the dawn of long-duration missions to Mars, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed plans for more extensive use of high-fidelity medical simulation to prepare astronauts for potential emergency conditions from the Exploration Medical Conditions List.1 NASA’s participation in nearly 10 years of long-duration missions confirms that it is difficult to assess whether a loss of life, loss of mission or loss of function condition will occur on long-duration missions.

Applicant backgrounds to become an astronaut at NASA range from a breadth of scientific disciplines of engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics.2 In fact, the majority of International Space Station astronauts are from non-medical professions.3 ,4 In an effort to mitigate conditions on the Exploration Medical Conditions List and maximise the astronaut’s health throughout all phases of long-duration missions, NASA implemented a crew medical officer (CMO) designation for eligible astronauts.5 The CMO astronaut training occurs during the 2-year period leading up to the actual space mission.6 In order to serve as a CMO, future crew members receive 40–70 hours of medical training within 18 months before missions.5

Currently, NASA-STD-3001 mandates that for missions longer than 210 days, the CMO must be a physician astronaut—a requirement based on subject matters experts’ opinion with the assumption that a quick return to earth is unlikely for missions of this duration.7 Additionally, the subject matter experts determined that the medical decision-making ability or medical judgement associated with physician CMOs would be superior over non-physician CMOs resulting in mission-related medical risk reductions. Kienle and Kiene studied several approaches to assess causality associated with medical judgement and, while they concluded that it was important, did not provide any outcome or risk-based analysis.8 Thus, the rationale for a physician CMO over a non-physician CMO for long-duration missions lasting 210 days or longer has not been quantified as an acceptable mitigation approach to reducing or recovering from diagnoses on the Exploration Medical Conditions List. In a similar fashion, the effect on mission risk of not requiring a physician CMO for shorter missions has also not been quantified.9 In addition, medical decision making has not been determined to be better from a physician CMO over a non-physician CMO in the confines of space, especially since most physician CMOs are no longer involved in day-to-day medical practice.10 It is possible that medical decision-making ability decay in a physician CMO could threaten long-duration missions.

Medical decision making (judgement) is not easily assessed.11 , 12 Moreover, there remains significant variability in medical decision making by specialty and the amount of training a clinician has received.13 , 14 With this in mind, NASA investigated the impact of incorporating medical simulation to analyse the impact on crew autonomy of a physician CMO as part of the team.15 Unfortunately, the study did not quantitatively measure the effect on crew health risk by having a physician CMO or the physician CMO clinical judgement. Hence, this pilot study aims to add knowledge to the Exploration Medical Systems element of NASA’s Human Research Program to develop data that could be used in the Integrated Medical Model to quantify the change in risk posture associated with a physician CMO versus a non-physician CMO.

The Summa Health Institutional Review Board and the NASA Johnson Space Center Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects approved the study protocol. This study was a non-equivalent group’s trial of a NASA astronaut physician and non-physician analogue population. The analogue population sample was recruited based on the current NASA astronaut pool demographic data of gender: 60% male, 40% female; age (SD): 48.04 (±5.21) years; and background: engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics (4). The analogue cohorts were stratified into administrative physicians (AP) representing the physician CMOs (n=10, 6 men and 4 women) and technical professionals (TP) representing the non-physician CMO group (n=10, 6 men and 4 women). For the AP analogue group, the study team recruited board certified physicians; age 40–70 years (NASA astronaut age average ±3 STD); practising as administrators for more than 2 years; and performing clinical duties for less than 8 hours/week. For the TP analogue group, the study team recruited masters or doctoral prepared scientists in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics; aged (NASA astronaut age average ±1 STD); and with no medical training or experience.

Upon completion of the informed consent, each participant completed a demographic questionnaire to collect background information on education (for inclusion/exclusion criteria), physical activity,16 musical instrument (musicianship),17 video game,18 aviation, managerial, simulation and boy/girl scout experience.19 Each subject also completed standardised surveys consisting of General Self–Efficacy,20 Big Five Inventory,21 PROMIS Global Health Scale (QOL),22 the Teamwork and Safety Climate Survey (SAQ)23 and the NASA Task Load Index (NASA TLX).24 The NASA TLX was completed after each medical simulation to assess whether workload was different between the four medical simulations.

A high-fidelity adult simulator was used for all simulations (METIman ECS). Each bay was stocked with a crash cart, LIFEPAK 12 defibrillator, standard hospital airway equipment, as well as a trauma cart with standard equipment for a US hospital including thoracostomy supplies, vascular access equipment including an EZ-IO intraosseous power driver and needles. The patient bay also had a simulated patient monitor with the ability to display the patients’ vital signs, diagnostic imaging and ECGs.

Participants completed one practice and four scored medical simulations focused on conditions from the Exploration Medical Conditions List.1 The practice simulation was a patient with a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (a common and non-esoteric clinical situation) to reduce participant anxiety regarding study procedures, expose all participants to medical simulation regardless of background and incorporate all of the aspects of clinical assessment and care. The four scored simulations were abdominal pain: cholecystitis (CH) and renal colic (RC) and chest pain: cardiac ischaemia (STEMI; ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) and pneumothorax (PX). Each subject was tested on CH, RC, STEMI and PX in a randomised order by using the random numbers generator in Microsoft Excel V.2007 (Redmond, Washington, USA). All medical simulations were conducted out of the Virtual Care Simulation Lab located at an American College of Surgeons verified level I trauma institution in the USA. The Virtual Care Simulation Lab used the simulator METI ECS with HPS6 software (Medical Education Technologies, Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada) for all simulations.

In each tested medical simulation, participants were informed that they were in a moderate-sized community hospital emergency department in the USA and were asked to care for the patient as best as possible by identifying the necessary screening, testing, treatment and diagnosis. Each participant had access to standard medical equipment and a nurse to use the equipment at the command of the participant. The full body METI mannequin was capable of receiving any of the tests and manoeuvres as directed by the participant whereas verbal and/or visual feedback was provided by Virtual Care Simulation Lab staff. All laboratory values, radiographs, electrocardiographs and ultrasound images were provided without interpretation beyond reference laboratory values and in a scaled time-delay fashion.

The participants had a maximum time limit of 15 min for each scenario to perform a history, physical examination, order diagnostic testing, medications, and make management decisions including performing life-saving procedures. The 15 min time limit for each scenario was felt to be an adequate amount of time and any additional time was unlikely to lead any change in results/management. The myocardial infarction case was designed to proceed to cardiac arrest after 8 min if no critical interventions were performed. The CH case and RC/pyelonephritis cases were designed to similarly have a change in mental status at about 8–10-min if key interventions were not performed reflecting a septic picture. For example, in the PX case, the participant must quickly evaluate a patient with a history of chest trauma and sudden shortness of breath. They must either confirm clinically (absent breath sounds, increasing pulse, decreasing blood pressure, decreasing pulse oximetry) that the patient has a tension PX, or quickly order a chest X-ray demonstrating an obvious tension PX with midline shift and immediately perform a needle decompression of the affected lung or place a chest tube (tube thoracostomy) in the affected lung. If this manoeuvre was not executed within 6 min of the start of the encounter the patient would progress to pulselessness (pulseless electrical activity) and require cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

After each simulation, the participant had a 5 min rest. Each participant wore a heart rate monitor (Polar Heart Rate Monitor; Polar Electro, Lake Success, New York) where baseline and maximum heart rates during each medical simulation were recorded. During the rest period, the participant filled out a NASA TLX survey and another resting heart rate was obtained prior to commencing the next simulation. Participants were audio and video recorded during the practice and scored medical simulations.

Statistical analysis

The Medical Judgment Metric (MJM), as well as a simulation scenario-specific critical action checklist, and a categorical determination of the patient’s final outcome (stabilised, loss of function or loss of life) were used to evaluate medical decision making (judgement). The MJM is a tool that measures medical judgement in four clinical domains: history and physical, diagnostic, interpretation, and management, with a maximum score of 4 in each domain on a 0.5 interval scale up to an overall maximum score of 16. 25

All four medical raters had backgrounds in emergency, trauma and medical simulation and were trained in using the MJM. The medical raters independently scored participants using the MJM either live or using the video recording of the medical simulation. A minimum of three raters were required for each medical simulation. The simulation medical director also performed three pilot simulations prior to execution of the first simulation using the MJM to provide feedback to raters’ scores on excellent, average and below average performance in an attempt to have greater inter-rate reliability in scoring. The raters were blinded to the subject’s name and participant cohort. Demographics and baseline survey measures of the two cohorts, as well as each simulation’s MJM, outcome determinations, maximum heart rate, and NASA TLX score were compared using non-parametric tests (Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables or the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables). All statistical analyses were completed using STATA V.14, SPSS V.23.0 and Microsoft Excel V.2007.

There were no significant differences between the AP (n=10, degrees of freedom (df), n-1) and TP (n=10, df, n-1) groups in demographics of age: 59.6 years (±7.78) vs 52.3 years (±3.71) (p=0.143); gender: female n=4 (40%) and male n=6 (60%) (p=1.00); race: White n=9 (90%), Asian n=1 (10%) vs White n=10 (100%) (p=1.00); ethnicity: not Hispanic or Latino n=10 (100%) vs n=10 (100%) (p=1.00); education: doctoral degree n=10 (100%), master’s degree n=0 (0%) vs master’s degree n=2 (20%), doctoral degree n=8 (80%) (p=0.474); and heart rate: 81.8 bpm (±12.11) vs 81.1 bpm (±8.41) (p=0.912), respectively (table 1). The AP analogue group age 59.6 (±7.78) years was higher, though not significant, than the TP analogue group age 52.3 (±3.71) years due to recruitment criteria for the AP analogue cohort. There were no other significant differences in other baseline characteristics of interest. The only baseline characteristic with a significant difference (p=0.043) was the experience in medical simulations (4/10 experienced in the AP group vs 0/10 in the TP group). For baseline surveys and questionnaires, no significant differences were found. However, the AP group had a significantly higher SAQ scores (773.7±47.6) than the TP group (7.4±12.4, p=0.001).

Table 1

In each of the four medical simulations, the AP analogue group reported significantly lower (better) NASA TLX ratings (CH: AP=54.4 (±21.59) vs TP 83.8 (±16.81), p=0.002 (table 2); RC: AP=52.2 (±31.11) vs TP 89.7 (±9.52), p=0.015 (table 3); STEMI: AP=54.3 (±26.04) vs TP 91.8 (±16.32), p=0.01 (table 4); PX=50.5 (±30.04) vs TP 86.5 (±19.67), p=0.011 (table 5)) than the TP analogue group in each simulation. No other significant differences were found.

Table 2

Biliary colic simulation results

Table 3

Renal colic simulation results

Table 4

STEMI simulation results

Table 5

Pneumothorax simulation results

The AP analogue group outperformed the TP analogue group in the correct categorical determination (stabilised, loss of function or loss of life) of the simulated patient’s final outcome (table 6). The AP analogue group had significantly higher (better) MJM scores compared with the TP analogue group for each simulation scenario. In every simulation in the TP group, except for one, each categorical determination by the raters was a loss of life of the simulated patient regardless of any intervention attempted by the TP participant. The PX simulation was the one exception where a TP participant prevented a loss of life in the patient and left the patient with a loss of function. In contrast, AP participants prevented loss of life in 21 of the 40 simulated cases, loss of function in 10 of 40 simulated cases, and loss of life in 9 of the 40 simulated cases.

Table 6

Medical Judgment Pathway Metric and outcomes

The main result of the study indicates that there exist significant differences in medical judgement and simulation performance outcomes in spaceflight crew analogue groups of non-physician CMOs versus physician CMOs. This study compared two analogue groups, demonstrating an effect on crew health risk by having the medical background of the AP group as a physician CMO over the TP group. The ability to quantify medical judgement using the MJM and its impact (stabilised, loss of function or loss of life) in the analogue samples using medical simulation added missing knowledge to the existing Exploration Medical Systems element of NASA’s Human Research Program.

NASA’s Human Research Program and the Integrated Medical Model are focused on various components of crew health and how the qualifications of the CMO may impact crew health. While medical judgement is one aspect of assessing a CMO’s impact, it may not be the only factor. Wang and Wu demonstrated that leadership qualities and crew support were positively correlated with a crew’s cohesion, expressiveness and involvement which impact crew psychosocial precepts.26 The CMO leadership trait is also supported by Musson et al where simulated medical support operations in an earth-based analogue environment demonstrated that crew autonomy, crewmember status and crew communication were parallel to crew health.27 Moreover, Kanas reported that decreasing leader support, tension and negative emotions impacted crew health, especially if the crew were from diverse cultures.28 Thus, medical judgement scores using the MJM, in addition to interpersonal leadership styles and crew responses to stressors, will need careful interpretation, application and consideration when applying them to the IMM for long-duration missions. In addition to the above qualities, the ability to complete a complex task under pressure might impact the MJM scores even though we found no differences in physical measures (baseline heart rate, maximum heart rate). The physical measures may not be different due to levels of stress being similar in both groups where the AP group felt stress performing procedures that they have not completed in an extended period of time and the TP group completing procedures they have never completed.

As a pilot analogue study, there are several limitations in applying the results to spaceflight personnel during long-duration missions and in medical personnel in medical training. Perhaps the most glaring limitation is that the participants did not have the current 40–70 hours of NASA CMO training. Even with a practice simulation, the non-physician CMO analogue group exhibited nervous behaviour prior to medical simulation testing in anticipation of not knowing what to expect. One quote from a participant in the TP group after the medical simulation was, ‘you sure know how to make a smart person feel dumb.’ During the breaks between each medical simulation, the TP participant’s disposition, anxiety and emotional vulnerability were observed while ruminating about whether they had the correct medical diagnosis, medications and courses of action to help the simulated patient. The results of the NASA TLX scores appear to reflect the distress in the TP group as they were significantly higher than the AP group. Additionally, the physician CMO analogue group demonstrated similar distress when faced with a medical scenario outside their practice specialty. Another point to consider is that there was no attempt to communicate with an analogue mission control flight surgeon or medical consultant as the focus of the study was to implement a new instrument measuring an individual’s medical judgement without an additional support. One of the most glaring limitations of this first pilot study is the sample size of the two analogue groups. Since there were only 10 in each group, it is difficult to draw strong conclusions and further testing is necessary to obtain a level of inference. Lastly, the medical simulations did not assess the ability of the two analogue CMOs to effect treatment (such as a minor invasive procedure) and this may further describe the differences between the two analogue groups.

The study demonstrated that when placed in an unfamiliar situation outside of one’s expertise, or profession entirely, these participants were able to, or unable to, make the correct medical decisions in a potentially life-threatening situation. While this pilot study was not powered to undertake a subset analysis of performance by specialty, attending physicians in the field of emergency medicine and general surgery displayed the most composure and the highest MJM scores during these Exploration Medical Conditions List specific scenarios.

Despite the rich history of medical education and training, measuring and quantifying competency in medical decision making presents significant challenges. However, the study demonstrated the ability of the Medical Judgment Pathway Metric to quantify the difference between untrained AP group and the untrained non-physician analogue groups. To truly assess whether the MJM is a robust enough tool for inserting the scores into probability analyses determining a change in risk posture, we first need to use the MJM in a larger trained analogue population of CMOs. Also, current CMO training schedules and medical simulations should incorporate the MJM to assess whether there are parallels to clinical skills and competencies. These future studies should also include a variety of participant backgrounds to improve predictability and applicability of reducing risk on long-duration missions.

We wish to thank Zin Technologies, Inc. for their leadership and support for the study.

View Abstract

  • Contributors MLM, RAA, AS, MDG, SSA, PH, JCB, LA, JM and RLG have substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work; acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data; drafting and revising the work; final approval of the version to be published; and have agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

  • Competing interests Summa Health System received financial support for this study. The funding was provided entirely by a subcontract with Zin Technologies, Inc. The funding agreement ensured the authorsâ€™ independence in designing the study, interpreting the data, writing, and publishing the report. The authors report no other conflicts of interest.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Ethics approval FWA00000026.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Correction notice This paper has been amended since it was published Online First. Owing to a scripting error, some of the publisher names in the references were replaced with ’BMJ Publishing Group'. This only affected the full text version, not the PDF. We have since corrected these errors and the correct publishers have been inserted into the references.

Request permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.


text:
Sunday, October 21, 2012

a really random and accidental meal during our walk - a seattle-style teriyaki joint that had opened up a few days ago, apparently.
they only had one flavor of sauce (teriyaki), unlike in seattle, where they have other sauces like spicy, but these were pretty good deals - huge platters of rice, veggies and teriyaki meat of choice, freshly cooked, at under $6 each - nothing to write home about but decent, filling, huge food.


text:
Thursday, October 2, 2008

Nip In The Air

I absolutely adore, love and live for fall weather. It makes me sing, dance, smile and feel rejuvenated. Seriously, I feel during the fall like a completely new woman. Which is great, cause summer weather wears me out.

This time of year is my time to go for long drives in the country and take some time for myself. I love the changing of the colors, the smells in the air, the crisp clean feel of it all. Like a new birth of change.

It also makes me want to get out there and shop! With the crisp, cool mornings I love sweaters, boots and leggings. I know what your thinking here, a 46 year old, mid life woman is NOT supposed to wear leggings. I say, Aw poof on it. If you got legs, flaunt em!
This type of clothing is comfortable and chic. I love it.

So while in the mall the other day I ran across a boot sale. I haven't worn boots in years. I had to have me a pair. Not to mention the sale sign was drawing me ever closer. So I found a pair of suede scrunch top black boots, they were just screaming my name. And we all know if you buy a new pair of boots you have to have at least one matching outfit with it. Well low and behold if I didn't walk a little further down the mall and discover (while searching of course) the cutest sweater dress and leggings. And they were on sale too. My heart stopped, the angels sang and my breath left my body. I had to have them. No two ways about it. Who cares if I am 46, in my mind I'm still at least 36.

The sweater dress I bought is a deep dark purple though.

Mental P Mama said...

You. Go. Girl. I love a nice sweater dress, and boots!

Frazzled Farm Wife said...

Just like my mom always says "you are only as old as you feel" and some days I still feel like a teenager (and then my body creaks and reminds me that I am not a teenager).

Living on the Spit said...

I often say that I suffer from emotional retardation. I am 44 but have made it recently to atleast 35!!! I love the swater dress and scrunchie boot look too. I think I wore similar looks in the late eighties. I love to shop this time of year too. Happy Fall finally!!!

Asphalt Widow said...

How cool to see those boots making a comeback! It sounds like you found some bargains!

I love fall too. My munchkins are ready for Halloween!!

QueenofPlanetHotflash said...

I'm lovin the boots and sweater dress :o)

Train Wreck said...

I just threw all my sweaters in the laundry today!! I love sweaters!! And I want a pair of Uggs! I thought they were ugly...Now I want some!

Snooty Primadona said...

Oh, I so hear you! I love Fall weather. I sweat less, lol.

Love your choices. I haven't bought a thing yet, lol. The styles just don't appeal to me lately.

Looks as if you're set to go.


text:
Portfolio > Limited-run prints

All prints are on 290gsm Hahnemuhle Bamboo (90% Bamboo & 10% Cotton Rag), environmentally-friendly Cotton Rag.

Ink details-
HP Vivera Pigment ink printed on HP Z6100 Designjet 8 colour printer

Purchases can be made through Steve’s PayPal account. If you're interested in more information regarding the printing process, email: artprintstevecross@live.com.au

steve Cross, sinking, print, mrstevecross, artist steve cross, korpus, korpus tattoo
15cm x 10cm


text:
Thoughts on Kingdom, Church, and Grace from an American living in Hong Kong

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Day 0: St. Bees

Our friends Mark and Christine drove us from their place near the Wales border all the way up to the Coast to Coast starting point in St. Bees.

Of course it would't be a trip through merry old England without a side trip of some form. Our side trip came in the form of a stop to visit The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool. Gabriel is a HUGE Beatles fan but I had been telling him for weeks that we would not be able to stop in Liverpool on the way up as we were under a time crunch. Mark and Christine though thought it was doable but we decided to surprise him until the last minute. As we approached Liverpool he looked at me and I said, " Mark, is there anything you want to tell Gabriel?" Mark replied, " Thought we'd pop into Liverpool and see The Beatles museum". Yep, Gabriel was a happy.

After a tour of the lives of the Fab Four we were then off to ST. Bees. The rain hit just as we arrived in pulled into our B&B, The Stone Farm house. Dinner was at the Queens hotel up the road and we mostly settled on Fish and Chips except for Gabriel who got the Toad in the Hole. Jennings Bitter on tap and then we topped the evening off with a stroll down to the sea where we would begin the walk the following morning.

No comments:

There was an error in this gadget


text:
Thursday, October 23, 2008

Mosque of Jesus Christ in Madaba (Jordan)

In Madaba our muslim brothers have called a mosque the 'Mosque of 'Isa al-Masih'. They say they have done this in order to create closer ties with the Christians of the city. Dutifully those Christians said that this was such a fine idea. But do we think they really care a bit? As if naming a mosque after the foundation of our faith, makes any difference. The imam will continue to preach that 'Isa was 'just a prophet' and that he did not die on the cross.

Just imagine that a Church in Amman decides to call itself the Church of Muhammad... Why not? I happen to know many Muhammad's who go to church, as they met Jesus as he really is. But would the authorities in Amman allow such name for a Church?

Names of Mosques or Churches do not mean much. What they preach, that is the issue.

No comments:


text:
Monday, September 1, 2008

Catchin' Up

It's the last day of August and the weather is contributing to my feeling that summer has ended by bringing in clouds, cooler weather and showers. I should be out weeding while the ground is moist and soft but I don't want to. I'm using the weather as an excuse to stay out of the yard and catch up on projects inside--one of them being this blog.

Recent events in our lives include the following:

We made a weekend visit to see Abby in Scottsbluff the weekend before she returned to Lincoln. It happened to be Scottsbluff County Fair weekend so we checked it out and attended the bull riding Friday night with Abby and Jorge. I think one cowboy managed to stay on his bull for whatever the required seconds were. The rest bit the dust fairly quickly.

The next day we did some hiking in the Wildcat Hills and visited the Monument. It was a hot day but we found a great spot to stop and rest and have a grape-throwing contest. If it was an Olympic event Jorge would have won the gold for the furthest and straightest. Abby attempted to win the gold for distance but what she actually won was the gold for the biggest splat made by a grape when thrown a mere 1 1/2 feet in front of you. I would have won the gold for a grape thrown the furthest off-target and Dean would have won a gold just because he tried so darn hard to beat us all.

We've had lots of grandkid time which is so much nicer than 3 days once every 3 or 4 months. One day in August we kept them so Leslie and Ryan could get some things done in their house. The bulk of the day was spent playing in the pool which is a great place to be when little bodies are covered in popsicle juice.

We spent this past Friday night and Saturday in Denver visiting friends, experiencing the food and festivities at "A Taste of Colorado", drooling over the fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market and shopping at REI's Labor Day sale.

We also got to walk by the booths near the convention center that were still set up selling Obama gear and once again felt as though we were walking among our own people. Two people honked at us as we were driving in downtown Denver. I'm sure it was because of the Obama sticker on our car and had nothing to do with Dean's driving.
I wasted a large part of yesterday baking. First I made a plum streudel which tasted okay but was so dry you couldn't eat it without a large scoop of ice cream or a generous portion of cream on top and since neither Dean nor I like working out as much as it would require to burn off that much fat ... into the garbage it went. I followed that up by making a loaf of zucchini bread using the leftover plums and some rhubarb. Once again, edible but not so great. Apparently plums are too moist and I should have added more flour. There was nice sunken center to the bread. But since it's moist and sorta edible, it's still on the counter.

Today I thought I'd attempt ciabatta bread. I saw some at the farmers market in Denver and since it's hard for me to buy bread because I think I should be able to make it myself, I gave it a whirl today. It looks like the photo in the recipe (sorta) but not like the thicker bread you see at farmers markets and I didn't get those big holes in the bread. However, it is tasty so I think we'll be eating it with cheese tonight for an easy supper.

1 comment:

Abby said...

Some days baking just doesn't work out!


text:
Thursday, February 23, 2012

What Color Are Your Eggs?

There are so many kinds of chicken soup these days.  Chicken soup for the soul, for the body, for your cat, your dog, your turtle, your toenail, and yes, for the common cold. If chicken soup is supposed to help cure a cold,  any second now my nose will stop running, my ears will stop aching, my throat won’t scratch and Dean will stop covering his ears every time I cough.  Because in the last 48 hours I have eaten lots and lots of chicken soup.  Actually, in the last 48 hours I have eaten almost nothing BUT chicken soup.

A steaming bowl of chicken/noodle soup for lunch?  Why, thank you.  I don’t mind if I do.

For dinner I believe just one luscious bowl of chicken and rice soup will suffice.  I will have it straight up tonight.  No crackers.   Oh, and might I have an Ibuprophen on the side?

Today’s lunch special is hearty chicken soup with wide noodles?  How delightful.  And please bring my decongestant with my lemon tea.

A gourmet delight of thick country chicken soup for dinner sounds very pleasing.  The orange flavored cough syrup will pair nicely with it.  I believe I will splurge and add a side of soda crackers if you don’t mind.

No, you must be mistaken.  I plucked before I left home.

Art Elser said...

Cathy, you sound a bit grumpy. But colds do make some people grumpy. We flew from Denver to Denton, TX, to get a few more miles between your cold bug and us. You can give it to Al as our Casper representative.

Abby said...

Chicken soup gets really old, really fast. I hope you start feeling better before you OD.


text:
PLEASE NOTE: The gallery is only open at weekends

Loading Events

« All Events

Resident Artists’ Exhibition and Work in Progress

1st October 2017 - 31st March 2018

Event Navigation

Oil Painting copyright Bernard Barnes

For the winter months the gallery is reverting to being a studio for Bernard Barnes and Reyna Rushton on week days, and will open as a gallery on Saturdays and Sundays only, 11 am to 4:30 pm.

But, if you visit on a week day and the lights are on, you can still knock on the door to have a look around and say hello to Bernard and Reyna. If the lights are off, they are probably not there.

The music unplugged evenings have also finished until the Spring. Please subscribe to this website or have a look back in the Spring for notifications of the sessions starting up again.

Bernard is currently working on a large piece in one of the bays, which will eventually be installed as one of the ceiling panels. Read more about the ideas behind this piece here:

1 October
31st March 2018
Event Category:

Oriel St John’s Hall Gallery
St Johns Hill
Barmouth, Wales LL42 1AF United Kingdom
+ Google Map


text:
Friday, February 04, 2011

Jug Band O' Birds

Humans hate birds. When we’re not shooting them, eating them, or chasing them into the sky to dice them with our airplane engines, we’re making up phrases that highlight how lame we think they are. For instance, something that is foolish or ridiculous can be classified as “for the birds,” someone who’s not very bright may be called “bird brained,” “killing two birds with one stone” is a bird-hating substitute for the term "multi-tasking," and if you mention to someone with a gentle honk that their texting is putting your life in danger, they will almost always thank you for your courteous warning by “flipping the bird.”

As if threatening and insulting the entire bird population with phrases like these isn’t enough, consider the negative connotations that are associated with individual types of birds... like chickens, turkeys, loons, cuckoos, dodos, stool pigeons, silly geese, and lame ducks. No one wants to be called bird names. That's mean... and it's not 1955.

Are birds doomed to be loathed by mankind forever? As long as we're using phrases like "a bird in the hand is worth squeezing to death," it appears so. Which reminds me... please start using that phrase.

Ricardo Chucky said...

JUST AMAZING!! love your style!

dwestburg said...

Another great picture. Hope everything is going okay for you and your co-workers with the announced layoffs at various Disney video game companies.

S.T. Lewis said...

So far our studio's been fortunate to avoid the layoffs, and we hope that continues. Thanks for the concern!

Nate said...

You forgot "sitting ducks." This blog is my monthly laugh. (I really do laugh more often than that, I just really love reading this blog.)

Nathan Lindsay said...

That owl...

Kraxpelax said...

My UNIQUELY styled Wallpapers. During some ten years, I have developed an extremely complex and unimitable technique that should carry some interest of anyone pursuing a serious artistic ambition and expertise. And it's quantity as well: by now close to 5 000 wallpapers, all created by me. Why not tune in on my rapidly growing art blog? Its Copyright Anyone, as it SHOULD be for this genre!

Weathertime Wallpaper Windows

I run Deviant Art in parallell:

Kraxpelax on Deviant Art

And I write poetry in several languages:

There's much in the world that you can't explain.
It's revealed for you to remember
by the whispering voice of a distant train
or a midnight rain in november.

Horizon within! You can always find
the keys to Enigma. Let's mention
one basic Truth: of spirited Mind
Is Nature naught but extension.

Internal expanses! In dreams, ridden
by fear and longing you roam
that deep Southeast in your soul hidden
...on your random journey back home.

Single Swingle

Casualidad sopla la sangre
de alguno señor desconocido
durante los pocos restantes
momentos del resplandor de faroles

que se vislumbran tras el follaje
flameando de las obsesiónes
igual efimero como gotas
del cinzano de la soledad –

En aquel tiempo me levanta
dentro uno incidente avejentado
que en seguida palidece
al camouflaje de abstraccion;

chica, nadie conoce que tus grisos
ojos significan aún; con todo
el sueño que hube evacuado
tu escudriñas nuevamente.

My Spanish poetry!

Un orage nocturne illmuna maintenant l'Amazonie, franchis les Andes, envoya des jeux de cartes gigantesques et frappantes en bas à la Pampa –

Puis: petit déjeuner à melon; café fumant !

À la bague du cigare tu lis, étonné: GÉOGRAPHIE.

Das Leben dergleichen Halbfaßung
der Welt wahr immer nicht wahr,
nicht wahr? Die fristlos Entlaßung
am Ende wird kaum wunderbar.

So laßen uns Menschlingen viele
besonders besonnene zum
Zeitweilegem Zeiten als Ziele
des Lebens halbfaßen darum.

Fremde Gedichte

We need a new analysis of probability. My hypothesis is that disorder is as constant as energy, since increasing material disorder, entropy, is counterbalanced by increasing structural regularity, symmetry. I tell you the Law of Entropy and the Law of Symmetry, ruling approximatively equal universal validity derive through bifurcation of the still more basic Law of Probability, that is, math, and rather simple math at that. Can you dig this?

My philosophy:

My Stockholm photos:

And I am a very experienced I Ching practitioner, not for fortunetelling ,but for Wisdom and Spiritual Devclopment. Heavy stuff:

And: reciprocity. You do me a favor promoting your blog on mine!

- Peter Ingestad, Sweden

locuriatoons said...

luciano said...

amazing, very very nice work.

Nathan Lindsay said...

Shane, why don't YOU make wallpapers and parallel poetry?

Ewgene said...

Very good picture and very interesting text! Reading your blog I used to learn lot of interesting expressions in English.


text:
indique samosa

I’ve wanted to try Indique in Cleveland Park for a while, so was quite happy to finally get a chance to have dinner there a few weeks ago for my birthday. (^__^)v ♥

It feels a little more down-home and cozy in comparison to Rasika, and although the tables are a little cramped together, the noise level wasn’t too bad. (Whereas with Rasika, you have to yell at one another across your table to have a conversation during peak dinner hours!)

Pictured above is the vegetable samosa chaat, looking a bit deconstructed. I thought it looked a little messy, but it tasted great (from the one bite I took of it; it wasn’t my appetizer).

The rest:

indique aloo tikki

Aloo Tikki
Potato patties stuffed with spiced lentils, served with assorted chutneys

Mmm…potato patties. Hard to go wrong here, in my opinion. Especially when accompanied by my favorite of the chutneys: mint. Refreshing and lovely, with a slight dash of heat made it perfect with the creamy patties.

indique chicken makhani

Chicken Tikka Makhani
Marinated boneless pieces of chicken cooked in tandoor
and finished with a flavorful tomato based gravy

Butter chicken is one of my favorite of the curries, so naturally, I almost always order this dish at Indian restaurants. Just looking at it now makes me covetous for more! Very rich, creamy, flavorful and never too spicy. I could eat this stuff every day. The curry came with a plate of rice and a small side of daal (lentils). I thought the daal was a little bland, unfortunately.

I also ordered a bowl of cucumber raita. I love drizzling the fresh yogurt over my curry and mixing it all together with the rice. On a side note, I prefer relatively liquidy raita, even though most restaurants (including this one) don’t serve it that way.

indique naan

Breeeeaaad. Can’t have curries without the bread! I think we got two kinds here: the garlic naan and the onion kulcha, both white flour based breads.

As per usual after a great Indian meal, I was much too full for dessert.

Thank you lovely people, for a fabulous b-day dinner!! I had a great time, and don’t think I’ve laughed that hard for a long time. You guys crack me up! XD

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • tags

  • categories

  • recent

  • archives


text:
Captain White’s Seafood

Captain White’s Seafood City is located on the Southwest Waterfront, right on the water. It’s pretty chaotic getting in there, and trying to find parking is pretty tricky business. However, it’s worth the effort if you’re a seafood lover! My friends and I checked it out last Saturday afternoon, and the place was swamped with people. We waited for seemed like forever to get our food. (O____o);;

I got the clams and fries box, pictured above. It’s a lot of food for a good price! I should have gotten some packets of cocktail sauce, but I was too lazy to walk back there from the seating area to fetch any. XD;;

more »

Granville Island

Granville Island was one of my favorite places in Vancouver! So much so that in the short few days I was in the city, we went there twice…even though it took a couple bus transfers and a hike to get there. It’s a marketplace that has everything you could possibly want (almost), from fresh produce and seafood to fancy baked items and chocolates. If I lived in Vancouver, I would try to make my way out there every week. (*___*)♥ Love!

The market itself is indoors, housed in a very large building that holds dozens of vendors. I could spend hours browsing the aisles! There was a tiny booth specializing in tea, complete with a mini counter where you could drink your freshly brewed cuppa. Counters upon counters of delicate and delicious looking pastries that made my mouth water. A large shiny display of fresh caught salmon – pricey but well worth it (we took home a few to cook for dinner). There were soup counters, spice sellers, coffee vendors and candy makers. Even a shop that specialized in pies – both sweet and savory.

You could also shop for non-food items, like handmade crafts, fine art, photographs and the like. The second market building next door had more of those crafty shops too, though it seemed that those stores were more established ones, compared to the more casual market vendor feel in the main building.

Pictured above is one of the colorful and delectable pastry counters. I wanted to order everything in there!

More under after the jump:

more »

15 Sep 2009, 6:58am
dessert market:

leave a comment

Penn Quarter Farmer's Market

PQ market tomatoes

First off, apologies about the previous post on Cafe Atlantico. I was messing around with the edit function on WordPress’s iPhone app and managed to delete the majority of the post! It’s been fixed (in other words, rewritten from scratch), so if you were wondering where the rest of the post was, it’s back. (^___^)b

So, Penn Quarter holds a farmer’s market every Thursday from 3~7pm between the months of April and December. They’re relatively small in comparison to markets I’ve seen elsewhere, but it’s quite accessible at least. It’s located on 8th Street near E, close to the Gallery Place Chinatown Metro station.

I popped over there a few weeks ago and picked up some nectarines. They were incredibly flavorful and juicy! But I suppose it’s never a guarantee from week to week, and I found that the nectarines I picked up the following week weren’t as juicy.

more »

  • tags

  • categories

  • recent

  • archives


text:
You probably know by now that I am a huge proponent of reading more books. Anyone can become a bookworm, including you! Sometimes the hardest part is just getting out of your own way. Drop the pre-conceived notions about what you think it takes to be a bookworm and start reading already! Here are 5 common misconceptions about reading to banish from you reading habits.

You Have To Finish Every Book

I have said it before and I’ll say it over and over again, giving myself permission to put down a book I’m not enjoying has vastly improved my reading experience. Before implementing this flexibility into my reading habits, I would avoid or procrastinate reading when I was in the middle of a book that was boring. I don’t like feeling that way about something I enjoy as much as reading, so say it with me: “Love it or leave it!”

You Must Read One Book At A Time

I’m always reading at least three books at a time, sometimes more! The reason this helps me to read more is that I’m not always in the mood for a thriller, memoir, or young adult novel and if I’m only reading one book at a time I’m stuck in that genre until I finish it. Variety keeps me interested and this strategy has definitely helped me read more books.

You Should Enjoy Reading Classics

This one I’ve felt guilt over. I’m sorry you guys, but I just can’t get into “The Iliad”. I’ve tried. Multiple times. It’s just not for me. You should read books that are interesting to you. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of your bookshelf, read what captivates you, moves you, challenges your worldview, keeps you engaged, and brings you joy.

You Need More Time

We make time for things that are important to us. Read 3 minutes every day. Read 30 seconds a day. Habits don’t start themselves! Once you find a book that wets your whistle, you’ll end up wanting more. If you’re looking for specific tips on how to make time to read more books, check out the 5 simple strategies I use to read more books.

You’re A Slow Reader

Whenever I’ve taken breaks from reading (yes that does happen) getting back into the habit feels a bit clunky, awkward, and slow. I’ll think to myself I used to speed through books like this, but just like exercising regularly, reading is a habit that gets better with practice. Remember to let go of expectations and read for enjoyment. I’ve found that with time reading has become easier and easier. You can do it!

I’d love to know…

What hinders your reading habits?


text:
November, 2011 Archives

Peacock Inn by William Gawin Herdman

In earlier blogs, I have lamented the scarcity of pre-1880 photographs of Liverpool. I have the odd image but they hardly represent a substantial body of work. However, the occasional early gem surfaces from time to time and I am grateful to Coin Weekes for allowing me to post this fascinating photograph of the Peacock Inn, which once stood on Park Road, near to High Park Street. Once thought to have been the residence of the keeper of the Ancient Park of Toxteth when it was a royal hunting park, it was probably constructed in the early seventeenth century. Judging by the top hats and also the dress worn by the girl on the right, I reckon the photograph dates to about 1870. Why the group is gathered is not clear but it is the earliest photograph of a Liverpool pub I have come across. By way of contrast, I have also reproduced an earlier painting of The Peacock by WG Herdman.
The building was of a style once common in Liverpool. The artist Brierley painted many such cottages in the 1830s but all were demolished in the town centre with the last one surviving well into the first half of the twentieth century.

Occasionally I post a photograph that really does not need too much text. The year is 1910 and seven boys are lined up for the photographer (there is an eighth boy half-hidden behind them). This is at the height of Liverpool’s prosperity. The Port of Liverpool building had just opened, the Cathedral was underway and the Liver Building scheduled to be completed the following year. Liverpool had more millionaires per capita than nearly any other city in the world – yet here are barefooted boys dressed in rags. The recent demonstrations about the unfair distribution of wealth throughout Europe and the United States bring into sharp focus the inequalities bred by capitalism – none more so than in today’s poignant image.

A mother walking with her children through a derelict docklands. Like a frame from one of the ‘kitchen sink’ films of the early 1960s, it brilliant captures the dying moments of a once-bustling port. I am not sure about the location. My first thoughts were the granaries which once dominated the southern end of the docks but, on closer examination, Birkenhead docks might be the answer.
My reason for using the photograph, apart from its dramatic quality, is to illustrate the dilemma faced by the City Council in deciding on the merits of Peel Holding’s plans for the Liverpool Waters scheme.
The report that the Unesco team was potentially minded to withdraw World Heritage status should the scheme go ahead without serious modifications raised a storm of adverse comments on the Liverpool Echo forum. The consensus seemed to point to Liverpool going the way of development and foregoing the hard won World Heritage accolade. (Of course there were the usual anonymous posters suggesting banning all Unesco officials from Liverpool permanently – but that, sadly, is the norm of internet forums). The basic argument is whether outsiders have the right to challenge Liverpool’s future by imposing conditions on any future development. Peel is seen as representing a golden future with the promise of thousands of jobs and the badly needed regeneration of north Liverpool.
In my opinion, there is a different scenario. Peel have already stated that their plan is a 50 year plan – hardly immediate development. The time scale makes no sense if plans are being put forward now that cannot be fundamentally changed (which is Peel’s position – stating they have already compromised on the number of high rise buildings and that the economics of the development will not add up otherwise). So far, the whole plan is speculative – no major commercial parties have been announced who might underpin Liverpool Waters. All we have seen are fairly wild artist impressions of what might be. In other words, is there any substance to Peel’s case or is it just a case of getting planning permission for the old-fashioned carte blanche approach to planning (the kind that blighted Liverpool in the 1960s and 70s – allowing whole areas from St John’s Market, Derby Square/South Castle Street and the Georgian quarter around the University to be removed wholesale)?
Of course most of Peel’s land is already cleared, which is an important distinction, but should we just sit back and let them do what they think is best (for themselves or the city?).
What is essential is that Liverpool gets it right and it must take the necessary time to make an informed decision. If Liverpool Waters is a 50 year plan, what is the problem in having a public inquiry and allowing anyone who is concerned to see Peel’s proposals in detail. I have never heard of a development planned over half a century before – even over a decade there are significant changes in economic circumstances to say nothing about architectural tastes. The argument must be about a sustainable and sensitive development that brings back Stanley Dock and other important features into proper focus. Skyscrapers are not necessarily the answer. Very few are architectural masterpieces, most are uninspiring filing cabinets in the sky (especially in Manhatten, London or Shanghai). The Unesco officials are right to be concerned – Liverpool’s heritage is too important to be railroaded by speculative developers.

I reckon that one way to double traffic to my blog is to mention Everton (well – increase numbers slightly!). I’m sorry to disappoint any football fans, though, for today’s photograph is a rather striking image of a policeman looking over his beat from the heights of Everton. Netherfield Road is below but I cannot decipher the street name on the side of the corner building.
The city he is observing is about to be dramatically changed.The closely-packed terraces are about to make way for that critically flawed high rise housing policy which destroyed well-established neighbourhoods for very little gain. The tower blocks have largely gone and now parkland rolls down the hill to Great Homer Street. Visually a huge improvement but I am sure there are many readers out there who will look at the disappeared landscape with more than a touch of regret for a lost community.

Picture Post on Liverpool available in Waterstones, WH Smith, Book Clearance Centre etc. and on Amazon:

Two photographs of the same block on Brythen Street, with the Playhouse clearly visible in the first photograph to fix the location. A bit of a pub crawler’s dream – with The Old Royal next to Quinn’s Oyster Bar, Roberts (bird dealers), The Dart and The Old Dive on the opposite corner.
I have already posted a number of photographs around the Williamson Square/St John’s Market area. The destruction of the network of streets and squares to make way for the new market, road widening and (abandoned) civic centre scheme was one of Liverpool’s most significant architectural losses. My reason for resurrecting my opinion is the visit of Unesco officials to determine the threat posed to Liverpool’s World Heritage Status by Peel Holdings’ proposed Liverpool Waters development.
It is reassuring that the issue is being discussed at this stage. In the 1960s, the heritage lobby would have been brushed aside as an irrelevance. Today, the balance has shifted but is Liverpool Waters a threat or a necessary, even essential, scheme to create a future for the city? I am fairly clear where I stand. Unlike the 1960s redevelopment, which removed over a century of character and history, the Peel proposal is on derelict land which has been vacant for decades. The physical integrity of Pier Head is not threatened, the key issue is the visual impact (which has already been badly compromised by the Mann Island development). I cannot say I am a great fan of skyscrapers unless they are of a very high architectural quality – and most in this country are not. I prefer the human scale of smaller buildings in a more intimate setting where a restored Stanley Dock could take pride of place. Clearly Peel will have a strategy that will accommodate revisions to their plans and I hope that the public can have some input. Development at all cost is not the issue – even with 12,000 jobs at stake – but what future Liverpool has got without an ambitious plan.

On Friday, my book on Picture Post on Liverpool will be in the shops. It contains a fascinating collections of photographs, published and unpublished, taken by photographers of the famous but now defunct magazine.
During my research, I made many unexpected discoveries. The most interesting story was that of an article on Liverpool’s slums that was written by Fyfe Robertson in 1956 (who many older readers will remember for his dry humour and sharp reporting on television). He was supported by his future son-in-law, photographer Thurston Hopkins. I can find no trace of Robertson’s journalism on Liverpool as the article was rather scandalously ‘spiked’ by the magazine’s proprietor, Edward Hulton, after Liverpool councillors (presumably Jack Braddock and others) complained that the impending article was a slur on the city. So the feature never appeared but the photographs survived (now in Getty Images archive for whose permission to reproduce today’s image I am grateful). And what a magnificent series they are! All unpublished, they give a shocking insight into the real poverty that was so evident in many neighbourhoods.
Remarkably, Thurston Hopkins is still going strong at 98. (He actually apologised for taking time in replying to my questions because he was so busy!).
One photograph he particularly remembered was of the young girl in a bed covered with newspaper. The girl’s grandmother had tipped him off (another stunning photograph of an old woman in an alley – ‘like out of a Rembrandt painting’ as Thurston described her). He was accused later of having staged the photograph but he said it was real enough. Every day, the girl’s mother would cover the bed with newspaper to keep the rain from ruining the bedclothes.
How many others lived in such appalling conditions? No wonder the Council wanted the article buried.
The book Picture Post on Liverpool is available from Waterstones, WH Smiths, the Book Clearance Centre and other shops from Friday, price ?7.99

Available from Amazon:

Scrubbing Steps 1954

Today’s post is another milestone – my 200th. Since starting the blog in January 2010, it has grown steadily and is now read by over 10,000 people every month. This is a real pressure to keep it lively and interesting and I hope you are all enjoying the mix of photographs (and commentary).

For many years, I have been fascinated by Picture Post magazine. It started in 1938 before the outbreak of War and its innovative photo-journalistic approach rapidly pushed its circulation to over one million. Many of the best photographers and journalists were recruited and it set a standard in journalism and design that is still remembered over 50 years since its demise.
I decided to research the magazine’s coverage of Liverpool and managed to collect all the copies dealing with Liverpool. Remarkably, apart from one feature about the dockers in 1941, nothing else appeared until 1949. Then, over the next seven years, a further eight features appeared, regrettably mainly negative in their concentration on urban poverty. The photograph by John Chillingworth above (courtesy of Getty Images) was for an article The Best and Worst of Cities. In the case of Liverpool, the emphasis was mainly on the worst. In my communications with John, who is still active in his 80s, he admitted to remembering little of his assignment except for memories of a very tired string quartet in the Adelphi Hotel where he was staying.
I have put all the articles and many of the photographs in my new book, Picture Post on Liverpool, which will be out next week. Many of the photographs were never published and are in print for the first time – including a fascinating unpublished feature on Liverpool’s slums which I will feature in my next blog.

I am dedicating this blog to Claire McKeown, a truly beautiful person who was tragically killed in a road accident in Norfolk recently. Claire worked for me in Bluecoat Press for five years before moving on to City Challenge, Acme and River Media and she had become a leading light in Liverpool’s creative sector. She was an exceptional talent and will be deeply missed.


text:
Taming the Wild Mare

During Spring Break, 2008, Dylan Hintz ventured out to the West to tame the wildest of horses. This is his story.

Dylan Hintz
Sam the Horse.

Shot by Jenny Driscoll
Edited by Dylan Hintz

1:27. When watching on Youtube be sure to watch in High Quality!

  • Vehemens

    You’re getting a lot better every movie, man. It’s awesome.


text:
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Betcha just thought I was joshin' when I said I was thinking about making Mr. Greenjeans in a bulky wt...... Behold.

An icky, poorly lit, through the mirror, self portrait, of an unblocked bulky wt sweater, but a photo nonetheless. It practically flew off my needles. If it wasn't for the fact that I had to do the sleeves, not once, not, twice, but three times, (even seaming one of the sleeves each time, which is the bane of all things good) I would have been done two days ago! I wonder when I will learn that those nifty little gadgets they call tape measures are worth their weight in gold?? Guess I should have taken a clue from the gold market of late and used one. Obviously "eyeballing" is not a good thing.

Specs: Vintage yarn...Ballybrae Bulky by Brunswick 100% virgin unscoured wool with natural oils. 135 yards/100 grams. (total yardage 675) #10.5 needle 3sts=1 inch color Dover White Tweed.

Um yeah, they weren't kidding when they said, "unscoured wool with natural oils" It took me longer to wash the stuff than it took to knit the sweater! WOW

I sort of followed the pattern, but not really. What I did was follow the silhouette. Just changing the gauge and going from there doesn't work too well sometimes and I just knew it wouldn't have worked this time. So basically it's just a raglan, with a deep v-neck, and an empire waist. There are darts here and there that are not in the orginal pattern and I changed the cable a tiny bit. Each cable twists in the opposite direction than the one before it. I'm thinking I should have gone a tad bit longer in length (I have one skein left) but then there's the issue of the button/neck band....sigh Oh well, it's still long enough to cover my butt when I sit so it's all good.

Languishing while my attention was focused on "Papa G" (as I'm calling the Mr. G bulky remake) was "Pretty in Red". I know, it's a lot of red. I'm about half way up the back, as you can see. The fronts aren't much and then the sleeves. I was orginally going to make this long sleeve, but Gillian thinks she wants it 3/4 sleeved, so 3/4 it will be. It won't be done in a day or two, but it will be done soon.

I am totally enamoured with the pleats!

On the spinning front, I've been sporadically spinning here and there. This is what's on the bobbin now. It was originally supposed to be part of my Ravelympics....oops. You can see my Ravelympics prep for this fiber here. I dyed it myself.

The ball of roving seen here on the left is exactly what the ball on the right looked like before I began spinning. Large ball 242 grams, smaller ball, 119 grams.

The plan is to have a sportish wt. 2 ply with a really long color sequence (ala Kauni). Then a I'll use a solid/semi-solid in a dark color such as black or navy, and do some color work. I've been "stealing" and adapting paisley prints from my stash of fabric and charting designs, we'll see how that goes. :o)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Lotsa Stuff

Whoops, it's been a while huh. Perhaps this will make you smile....Joe and I had a photo shoot. Some of these are old some are new, I don't think there are any surprises. I'm pretty sure I've at least mentioned them before, then again, maybe not.

This is the ever popular Mr. Greenjeans. I had hesitated to make this merely for the fact that it is so popular, but a KAL in one of my Ravelry groups spurred me on. I love it. Made with reclaimed cotton. I WILL make this again in a heavy wool for winter. Pattern here. Other blog posts here....hmmm no other posts about this?!? Here's the Ravelry project.

This is GreenDay another pattern that received a lot of chit chat but not as many takers. That was clearly understandable once you see the pattern. It's a translation from Norwegian? Swedish? I was swayed by the same Ravelry group to join the KAL. (honestly, I'm such a push over!) Pattern here. Ravelry project here. IF there was going to be a next time I wouldn't make the ribbing on the bottom as deep. I did raise the original neckline and worked it in the round.

Ahhhhh my saddle shoulder cardi. LOVE this cardi!!!! I can't wait for cooler weather. I know you've already seen this done, minus the buttons with Vivian wearing it, thought I'd share a photo of me wearing it, buttons and all. :o) Lots of blog posts on this one here. Ravlery project here.

Another you have seen plenty of, blog posts here and its big sister here. Ralvery project here. I live in this sweater. I took a pic today cuz you guys have never really seen a side view like this...isn't the diamond on the deltoids to kill for?!? It thrills me to no end. Case in point, do you really think I'd post a pic of my drapey old chicken neck like that if I wasn't so thrilled with the diamond and thought you'd be thrilled too????

Did you really think you'd get away without seeing another Drops pattern?!? My Open Cable Top (Ralvery project) blog posts here. I did modify this just a tad. I opened up all the cable crosses, the pattern calls for only the top one to be open, and I lowered the neckline.

I made this one last summer and realized I hadn't said anything about it. Yes, it is the same reclaimed cotton that I used for Mr Greenjeans. There's an awful lot of yardage in a man's x-large cabled sweater. :o) (I still have some!) The pattern is here, obviously I did not add the bling, and if I remember correctly I made the shoulder straps differently. Here I braided some i-cord to make the shoulder straps. This too is on my list to make again, it is super fast, easy to make and very easy to wear. Oh yeah, I worked it in the round too.

What am I doing now? There still are some older UFO's on the needles, and if you check out my Ravlery projects page you'll see quiet a few of them (not all of them mind you but a few of them) They will all get done in their own time. Someday. The current project that has most of my attention is this Drops pattern. (go figure it's a Drops!) I'm making the long sleeved version. It is suppose to be for Gillian, but if she doesn't like it I'll be happy to keep it. I'm using Classic Elite Four Seasons in red. It is a cotton wool blend I thought would be a nice winter sweater Savannah style where Jilly goes to school.

I'm itching to cast on for something new. Something wooly, bulky, and big., OR something light and lacy. I'd love to cast on for the winter Mr. Greenjeans, but that really doesn't fulfill either of my yearnings and I'm afraid it would languish longer than usual. Maybe I ought to make Mr Greenjeans in something bulky! lol Now that's not a half bad idea......

gotta go!