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Jillian C. York

Jillian C. York is a writer and activist.

Month: September 2008 (page 1 of 4)

If you haven’t seen this film and want to, don’t read beyond the third paragraph.

I’d only just heard about the film Towelhead when I read this KABOBfest post. I’d seen a preview, which made it abundantly clear that there would be some sort of inappropriate sexual relationship between the characters played by Aaron Eckhart and Summer Bishil, but aside from that had no idea what I was getting into.

Let me address the Arab issue quickly and move on. First of all, main character Jasira and her father are Lebanese Christians living in Texas. Her father is fairly conservative, mostly supporting President Bush Senior’s policies on Iraq, and posting an American flag on the front lawn to one-up the neighbors. He’s also conservative in the other sense, slapping his daughter in one early scene for coming to breakfast in skimpy pajamas and telling her not to date a black boy from school, lest he ruin her reputation. He is also a single father who has not had any hand in raising his daughter and thus doesn’t know the first thing about how to do it.

But, for a movie called Towelhead, you could’ve too easily substituted “Lebanese” with “Greek” or “Latino” (and towelhead with another unpleasant moniker) and it would’ve been almost the same film. The actual Arab issue (including the repeated use of the words “towelhead”, “sand nigger”, and “camel jockey”) was hardly dealt with which, to me, was a good thing, but to the vast majority of whitebread Americans that will see this, is unfortunate. I actually overheard someone in the cinema say “I didn’t know there were Arab Christians.” But I digress.

Aside from that, my first impression of the film was that a) It was extremely difficult to watch and b) that I enjoyed it nonetheless. Hard to watch because Jasira is so painfully awkward. And the story is more a lesson on what happens when a young, beautiful girl has no strong adult figure in her life than anything else. Her father is at first strict, but then frequently leaves her home alone for sleepovers at his girlfriend’s house. Her mother is a negligent woman who sends her to live with her father when things get rough, then begs her back and cries loneliness when Jasira doesn’t want to go. And it only gets worse from there.

I won’t delve into the plot too much, but what I think a lot of people will not take away from this film is how – statutory rape aside – utterly normal Jasira’s sexual curiosity and even experimentation are. Fortunately, one character – a little too late in the film if you ask me – gets it. Their pregnant hippie-esque neighbor, played by Toni Collette, takes an interest in Jasira and manages to save her from her predatory neighbor, albeit somewhat too late. She also manages to sum up what I hoped the film would by helping Jasira understand what’s normal and what’s not (namely sexual curiosity = normal, sleeping with your married adult neighbor = not).

Another itty bitty bit of pleasing salvation comes when the neighbor/rapist briefly encounters Jasira at the end and tells her “it ain’t your fault.” Cinematically, it was probably used to show that Jasira will eventually be okay, which makes total sense given how rapidly the movie ends after that; realistically, I think it shows that these things aren’t as black and white as we’d like them to be. That although inter-generational sex as such is certainly against the law and certainly unhealthy, between the two parties involved, it’s just not that simple.

Anyhow, I liked the film, but I’m glad I saw it with a female friend with whom I’m close. I cannot imagine any two people wandering into that on a first date. Holy awkward. In fact, if you’ve read this far still having not seen the film (what did I tell you?) but are intrigued, do me a favor and wait for it on DVD.

I can see Russia from my bathroom window!

I have a whole new respect for Katie Couric following this interview. Katie doesn’t talk down like Charlie does. Katie asks Sarah about the Russia incident…

Katie: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials?

Sarah: Well, it certainly does, because our next-door neighbors are foreign countries. They’re in the state that I’m the executive of.

Death to Mickey!

So here’s the story:

Some Saudi cleric is answering a question about mice; namely, whether or not they should be killed in the house. It’s a valid religious question that anyone might consider (including PETA), but the cleric goes perhaps a little too far and claims that the presence Tom & Jerry has softened kids to the evils of mice. Here’s the video:

It’s pretty clear to me that when he says “according to Islamic Sharia, Mickey Mouse should be killed,” he’s saying it with a smirk on his face and a tongue in his cheek. And yet the American media got ahold of the video (which was put out by MEMRI) and all hell breaks loose:

Suddenly the cleric’s words are being twisted to say that Mickey should die, that there’s a fatwa on Mickey, that Tom & Jerry are evil. Dude didn’t say that at all. What he said is that, according to Islam, mice are dirty and when found indoors should be killed. He only brought up Mickey to explain how children have become immune to mice because they see them as cute little cartoons rather than dirty, infected rodents.

Give me a break, FOX and accomplices.

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Saturday, August 01, 2009

Arabs reject US appeals for confidence building gestures

THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 1, 2009 ,by AP and Herb Keinon:

"NO!!"...Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, Friday
Photo: AP
Saudi Arabia on Friday bluntly rejected US appeals for improved relations with Israel as a way to help restart Middle East peace talks. . .

President Barack Obama, Clinton and Mitchell all have been urging Arab nations to improve ties with Israel with confidence-building measures such as opening trade offices, allowing academic exchanges and permitting civilian Israeli aircraft to overfly their airspace as a way of demonstrating their commitment to peace.

US government sources have said in recent weeks that Obama's pressure on Israel to stop settlement construction has been accompanied by equal pressure on the Arab world to make some gestures of normalization toward the Jewish state at the beginning, and not the end, of the diplomatic process.

Obama's overtures to Saudi Arabia have, however, fallen on deaf ears so far, and a personal letter to Morocco's King Muhammad VI earlier this year to 'be a leader in bridging gaps between Israel and the Arab world' has not had any visible effect.

Clinton repeated the call in her remarks, saying the Obama administration wants "the Arab states, including our friends in Saudi Arabia, to work with us to take steps to improve relations with Israel, to support the Palestinian Authority and to prepare their people to embrace the eventual peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis."

"Saudi Arabia's continued leadership is absolutely vital to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace," she said.

A bipartisan group of more than 200 members of Congress delivered a similar message Friday to Saudi King Abdullah, urging him to drop opposition to the administration's appeal for intermediate confidence-building steps.

"We have been disappointed thus far to see the public reaction of your government to President Obama's request," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the monarch. "We urge you to assert a strong leadership role and help lead the Middle East to a new era of peace and reconciliation by stepping forward with a dramatic gesture toward Israel akin to the steps taken earlier by the leaders of Egypt and Jordan."

But Saud flatly ruled that out.... ....The Saudi stance is complicating Mitchell's efforts to bring the Israelis and Palestinians back to negotiations....
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Friday, December 04, 2009

West Australian Public Sector Union: "activism" without accountability

The Commonwealth Public Sector Union / Civil Service Association (CPSU/CSA) Executive Committee adopted the following anti-Israel resolution on 11 February 2009. It was endorsed by the CSA Council on 25 February 2009:

1. This meeting of the CPSU/CSA Executive Committee strongly condemns the Israeli military offensive against the Gaza Strip....

...3. This meeting of the CPSU/CSA Executive Committee expresses our support for the campaign of Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) directed at Israel until Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian territories in accordance with UN resolutions....

...5. This meeting of the CPSU/CSA Executive Committee calls on Unions WA and the Australian Council of Trade Unions to commit their support to the BDS campaign...

A concerned union member recently wrote to Ms Tony Walkington, Secretary of the CPSU/CSA, and kindly provided a copy to JIW:

Dear Ms Walkington

I refer to the CPSU/CSA resolution to support a boycott of Israel and condem the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

As a Union member I am very unhappy that you would presume to make such a serious decision on my behalf.

Why boycott the only liberal democracy in the region. Israel has an enviable justice system which protects the rights of all its citizens regardless of gender, race or religion. It has a history of providing practical assistance and sharing technology with struggling third-world countries and has given a home to hundreds of Vietnamese refugees at a time when many countries were reluctant to do so.

Like any democracy Israel is not perfect, but it does have a system of checks and balances. Free speech is a basic right and diverse political views are accommodated. Israelis are politically aware and are never reticent in criticizing their governments. One thing they all agree on is that they desperately want to live in peace and not to have to send their children to war to defend their country against constant attack.

Have you considered the impact that this proposed boycott could have on the thousands of Palestinians who work in Israel on a daily basis. Israeli unions protect the rights of those workers and are actively engaged with Palestinian unions in an effort to bring peace to the area. Israel is the only source of economic security for many of those people. So much for worker solidarity.

Why didn’t you condemn Palestine when Hamas bombarded Israel with over two thousand rockets during the last eight months of the cease fire? Did it concern you that many of those attacks were directed at schools? Did you complain at all during the last eight years of the Infitadah where Israel was constantly under attack from suicide bombers, rockets from Hezbollah in Lebanon and scud missiles from Iraq?

Clearly you did not seek to inform yourself of the argument for Israel before making this decision. In the interest of balance you should have. I understand that you are very busy and perhaps cannot study every issue in depth. I also understand that those who push anti-Israeli propaganda are strident and convincing.

I have attached a recent speech delivered by Col. Richard Kemp to the UN Human Rights Council which addresses the allegations against Israel in Gaza. I hope you will take the time to read it.

I strongly urge you to reconsider this resolution, reverse it and join TULIP (trade unions linking Israel and Palestine). This offers an opportunity to work constructively towards a peaceful solution in the area and sidelines those who perpetuate the war in order to serve their own dark purposes.

I look forward to your response – which will of course determine my future as a member of the CPSU/CSA.

Yours sincerely
Judith Lewis

Judith has received no response to her letter after many weeks. She will keep us informed of developments.
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I’ve been spending a lot of time working on clothing lately. A couple of tops for me (a Wiksten Tova and a Renfrew Tee), pajamas for the boy, and two new pajama pants for the girl. I’ve also got a leotard and bathrobe for Alexis on the blocks, and lots of fabric for more shirts for myself. If only I still had the motivation to get through that stack!

But today I’m going to tell you about my favorite piece so far. I’ve made a couple of Tova tops before out of quilting cotton. One of them I really like (and actually wear) but both are bit tight in the shoulders and underarms. The one I like less is really really tight despite my letting it out by nearly 3/8 inch all around. But I think if I went up a size, the rest of the shirt would just drown me. So even though I real like the pattern, I put it away for a while. Then I saw this top on pinterest. (You can see some of my other fashion — if you can call it that! — inspiration here.)

That version is actually the dress from the pattern, but I just loved the clean comfortable lines of it. It goes wonderfully with jeans. Perfect for work. So I went in search of a pretty gray wool and was determined to figure out how to broaden the back/shoulders of the pattern. Instead, I came home with a gray knit. The pattern is NOT made for knit fabrics. Which I knew, and I blatantly ignored my brain when it told me that I was nuts.

Of course that meant that I had lots of trouble sewing this shirt up. First of all, this is the first knit I’ve used that flat out wouldn’t work with a ball point needle. Skipped stitches galore! After some research (and rethreading and cursing and searching for a new machine and more rethreading and cursing), I found what I needed. On Black friday (of all days!) I headed to the local Hancock to buy ONE package of micro point needles. I had to wait in line for over 45 minutes for that little package of needles that cost me all of $2… but I was determined!

Once home, the difference was amazing. The clunk clunk clunking the machine had made before was minimized. (The serger still sounded like a train wreck, but at least it wasn’t skipping, too.) So what was going on that this magic thin needle helped? Turns out sometimes knits like this one don’t allow the needle to punch all the way through, which means the bobbin thread isn’t caught and thus skipped stitches. Have you ever had trouble pinning a certain fabric? Yeah, that’s the same issue. (Solved that one by getting these awesome pins from clover recommended by Sunni at A Fashionable Stitch.) BTW, I also read that you can solve this problem by putting a piece of waxed paper or tear out interfacing underneath the seam you are sewing to support the fabric so that it won’t stretch, but these were some long seams and I didn’t want to deal with tearing and moving paper all the way down.

I’d originally cut the pattern as the dress as my inspiration photo showed, but it was SO long, so I ended up cutting it off at the original hemline for the “top” version.

Knit Tova Sleeve Changes Knit Tova Sleeve Changes

I also made a few changes to the pattern on the fly. First of all, I basted everything by hand before sewing it at the machine. (You can see my lovely red basting stitches in the sleeve photo above.) Also, you can imagine, top stitching through multiple layers of a thick (already persnickety) knit is no picnic, so after sewing the placket and collar, I decided to install the sleeve cuffs differently. I only folded the cuff, matched it to the edge of the sleeve and serged around it. I skipped all the quilt-binding style sewing and top stitching and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.

On the hem, I simply serged around the bottom, and then planned on using a twin needle to sew it down. But, alas, the micro point twin needle did NOT alleviate the skipped stitches problem, and in the end (after several false starts and unpicking), I just sewed two lines of regular straight stitching. They aren’t perfect, but close enough. Lastly, the placket is much more floppy than it is when made from a woven, so I ended up needing to tack it closed about 2 inches up from the bottom.

This shirt is SO comfortable and isn’t tight through the shoulders at all. It’s my favorite shirt at the moment and I’ve been searching for another great knit so I can have another one!

Despite the tag line from this blog (I’m not a geek, I just play one in real life) and a previous post to the contrary,  I am actually a geek. Well, in some ways anyway. Apparently even friends from middle and high school know this all too well…

A week before Sewing Summit an old friend contacted me and wanted me to make a Tardis quilt for her to give as a gift. The catch? She wanted it before Halloween (the recipient’s birthday — no it wasn’t me — obviously, hehe.) I knew I was going to be gone for 4 days for Sewing Summit, and that even if I took it with me I wouldn’t get anything done on it in SLC, so I basically had 2 weekends to knock a whole quilt out.

I sketched it up in my notebook pretty quickly and estimated the fabric. Then we started hunting for the perfect background and backing fabrics. (The rest of the quilt is in Kona solids.) The backing was pretty easy, there is this teeny tossed Tardis fabric on Spoonflower. (I’m really starting to think there are an awful lot of closet geek sewers and quilters.) So my friend ordered that and had it sent to me.

Tardis - signage

The background was a different story. We searched and searched for something “starry”. Finally I went into my LQS, and found this print by Robert Kauffman. It’s “Mixmasters Luminescence.” (On a side note, I can’t believe I spelled luminescence right on the first try!) I took a photo with my phone and texted it to her to get her approval. Don’t you just love technology? How in the heck did people survive before they could take pictures of fabric with their phones?!

The signs were my biggest problem. I knew I could print the black on white text on with a printer using the freezer paper method. We actually went and bought a new printer during this process because the inkjet we had only had pigment (which is more permanent than dye-based)  ink for black. The new printer does color with pigment inks, too. I’m excited to try that out soon.

The white text on black had me stumped for far too long. I finally realized I could use silk screen ink with a freezer paper stencil (yeah, I love freezer paper) and print my own sign. I love how it came out.

Tardis - signage

I was also asked to embroider a little message on the back, and this is what I came up with. I actually did the “I” and the “YOU” on my machine, and hand stitched the red hearts.

Tardis - back

You can also see that the spoonflower fabric wasn’t quite wide enough, so I added a strip of the background fabric to finish it out.

I actually ran out of the background fabric in the middle of this project. I bought 2 yards originally and thought that woud be about 1/2 yard too much, but boy was I wrong! And not because I wasted any of it either. I had to send Chris back to the LQS during his lunch one day to get some more. (Yes, he’s definitely a keeper!)

Tardis - back

The quilting doesn’t show up well in these pictures at. all. But I quilted in the ditch around the Tardis, and then in radiating lines from the “light” at the top over the rest of the quilt. It’s not a ton of quilting, so the whole thing is still rather soft and snuggly.

Tardis - close up of quilting

Even though I was worried that I wouldn’t have time to get this quilt done by Halloween, I actually finished and bound it (in a solid Kona blue) a few days early.  It was really quite a simple quilt to put together once I solved the issues with the text fabrics. Of course, I could have had those printed at Spoonflower, but they take FOREVER and if the sign was the wrong size it would be a major disaster.

I’m surprised that I seem to have come to a point where a single quilt doesn’t take me months (or years) to complete! OTOH, I have a few quilts that I’ve been struggling with (or rather, designing on the fly, thus taking more thought than planning the dumb thing out in advance) for quite some time. But I’ll show you those in a future post…

On that note, I started a new geek job, so I’m kind of stretched for time these days. I’ll try to keep the blog updated, but don’t worry, I haven’t disappeared off the face of the Earth… yet.

Warning: Longest post ever is ahead.

Last weekend was the 2nd annual (it is going to be annual, isn’t it?) Sewing Summit. I’ve had the privilege to attend both years now, though, getting in was a lot easier last year before everyone knew about it and the tickets were so coveted. Heh!

As far as I can tell, most everyone had a great time, but everyone returned home flat out exhausted. I know I did. I didn’t sleep well at the hotel for some reason. I woke up over and over again all three nights. I think I should have just stayed in the sewing rooms until late every night rather than toss and turn in a strange bed. But there I go off on a tangent again…

We should start at the very beginning (a very good place to start*). Well, perhaps not the very beginning, that would involve boring you to death with details of registration and agonizing over which of the classes (out of so many awesome offerings) to try to attend. Rather I will start with the flight out. It was rather an uneventful flight (which is definitely a good thing!), until we were somewhere over Utah (I think). The clouds had finally cleared from below the aircraft, and the amazing landscape below was revealed. I’m sure I looked insane taking photos out the window of the plane with my iPad, but the views were just breathtaking.

Over Utah

One thing that I didn’t get a photo of because the “turn off all portable electronics” sign (have you noticed these replacing the no smoking signs in planes lately?) had lit up, was this giant hole in the earth. It was ah.maze.ing. I’ve since figured out that it is the Bingham Canyon Mine and is one of the largest man made holes in the Earth.  I also spotted a big spire on the banks of the great salt lake (I think) but I don’t know what it was, so if anyone could tell me… And lastly, just before we were to land the lake itself came into view. I have to say, I don’t think I realized it was quite that big. Views like these make me realize just how tiny we are. It’s mind boggling.

Little America

After meeting Veronica to share a ride over to the Little America hotel, and an uneventful check in, I headed up to my room to drop my stuff off and went down to the hotel’s coffee shop for a sandwich I’d been waiting for since the last Sewing Summit. Alas, it wasn’t quite as good as I remembered it. Isn’t that how it always works out?

Long awaited sandwich

Then I met up with a friend from Austin and her mom for some shopping. She and I live in the same city, used to work together about 9 years ago, and haven’t seen each other in almost that long. It’s ridiculous that we had to fly to another state just to get together. But we had a great time hitting a yarn store with a cute Yorkie puppy, and two awesome quilt shops. I picked up some of the Sarah Jane Children at Play On Parade yardage. On sale. Score! And we saw this adorable monster quilt at Quilt, etc. The prairie points for teeth is just killing me!

Quilts, etc

Once I returned to the hotel it was time to get ready for the opening reception. And here’s where I have a confession… I’m an introvert. Really. I hate crowds. I hate mingling. I hate approaching people I don’t know. I am awful with names. And I hate making small talk.  But I went, and I got my glass of red wine and I sat in a corner and talked to random people that came and sat at my table. It was quite pleasant actually. Until it wasn’t anymore, and the noise got to me. Then I left to go back to my room to get ready for dinner.

Back in my room I was clearing my pockets to repack my bag and discovered that my driver’s licence was not in my pocket. Oh. Shit. I hightailed it back down to the reception and started looking for it. I was practically crawling on the floor underneath tables trying to find it. I finally found Erin (oh wonderful Erin who busted her butt the whole weekend making everything go so smoothly!) and was going to have her make an announcement, but guess what? Awesome as she is, she already had it on her! Phew. I thought I was going to have to have Chris FedEx my passport to me so I could get home!

I had organized (ha! it was rather more chaotic) a group of ladies to go to Red Rock Brewery for dinner. It was within walking distance from the hotel and was a great time to chat with some new friends (in small groups — yay!). When the ten of us arrived we asked for a table, but then were informed of another large group. Were we part of that group? We asked if they identified themselves… The hostess says “Well, they have hand sewn name badges… ” Um, yeah, that’s our group!

So we sat, had way too much food and giant beers and all exchanged Moo and business cards. Then we walked back to the hotel for various swaps and open sewing. I didn’t last long since I’d been up since 4 am Utah time. By 10 I was done and headed to bed.

Sewing Room

I think I’ve discovered that mornings are among my favorite times at Sewing Summit. Heading down to the lobby early to grab a giant cup of (actually better than decent) coffee and just hanging out with all the other sleep deprived sewists is just so pleasant. Last year I spent a lot of morning time with Faith and her sister, but this year when I headed down I didn’t immediately see anyone with a handmade bag or stitching or blogging or whatever it is that makes a sewing summit attendee so obviously part of the group. So I grabbed my coffee, had a seat and started checking instagram. And there, posted 15 seconds earlier was a picture of Jessica’s feet. So against my very nature I went over to say hi. And I’m so glad I did. We had some great chats, and also some great “just sitting there in silence” moments, too. After that, other people found us quite quickly and before I knew it a whole group of people had come to sit and have a light breakfast.

When 9 am rolled around, it was time for classes. I have to admit I was pretty excited about most of my classes, and most did not disappoint! There were a couple where I felt guilty for taking a spot since the material covered was really things I already have plenty of experience with. Interestingly, this year my selections had a lot more to do with sewing clothing than quilts.

Mena’s Handmade Wardrobe class was a riot! She told some great stories of fabric acquisition and kept us generally entertained with her quips and anecdotes all while inspiring us to make our own clothing. Her blog stats slide was pretty funny as well.

Mena's Stats

The rest of the day was filled with more classes. Zippers with Sara (who had the most awesome dress!), English Paper Piecing (which was funny because I insisted on doing everything the exact opposite from the way the instructor, Katy, was telling us — yeah I’m such a rebel), and Children’s Pattern Making with Carrie. That last class was one of my favorites! I had such an ah ha! in the middle of it. I’ve tried my hand a few times at making clothing patterns, and I’ve been pretty successful so far, but now I have a real understanding of how and why pieces are shaped the way they are. I can’t wait to get drafting again.

After classes, I participated in the zippered pouch swap, picked up my i-spy charms from that swap and received my swapped fat quarters. A nice haul for about 30 minutes of time. Then I went shopping down at Pine Needles Quilt Shop in Gardner Village with my Austin friends. What a great time! There was a bit of a festival going on. Lots of people were dressed up as witches, and kids were running around having a great time despite the fact that it was 47 degrees and raining. There were also sales going on in every store. Seriously, I left Pine needles with 4 fat quarters and 2 yards of other fabric for less than 19 bucks! After all that commotion the three of us had dinner at a quiet local Italian place that I forget the name of. It was a perfect end to a long day.

Saturday morning I was up early again and found my friends in the lobby rather quickly. After lots of chatting and even more coffee it was time for another day of classes. This year we had two full days of classes and I think that was a great decision.

First up for the day was a class I’d been looking forward to since I heard it would be offered. Shapes and Angles with Kati and Faith was all about some more “advanced” quilt piecing techniques. I say “advanced” because after the instruction and during the practice time it was like “Duh! why didn’t I think of that!”. Their class was one of the most organized classes as well. It was one of the few where we made it through all of the material during the (way too) short time limit. (Sorry for the goofy expression, Faith, but trust me, this was the best one!)

Faith Jones

Partial Seams

The rest of the day was consumed learning about Finishing Details with Anna, Blogging tips with Tauni (also completely hilarious), and finally Make and Take Knit Top with Sunni. Sunni’s class was great because it was very individualized. It was basically a start sewing and ask questions as you go class. And I finally got someone who knows what they’re doing to measure me, since I can’t seem to measure myself accurately. I was also sitting next to the amazing Katie (yeah, there were lots of Kat[y-i-ie]s!) who just was all around very nice and very knowledgeable about sewing and altering clothing. I finished up the knit shirt in open sew later that evening, but that’s for another post.

The closing dinner was up next, and the air was starting to have a bit of a sad-its-over-but-I’m-tired-and-want-to-get-home-to-my-kids/husband/cat air to it. After dinner I actually went to the sewing room (apparently the wrong one as the fun stuff was going on next door! Yeah, you guys know what you were up to!) and worked on a few things.  But all too soon it was time to go upstairs and pack for my way too early flight the next day.

Back in the room I crammed all my clothes and this:

into this:

Packed up

And the next morning, I was on my way home, but not without one last amazing sight. The sun coming up over the mountains:

Sunrise over SLX

I’m already looking forward to next year.

* a very good place to start according to Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music (yes, I am a nerd)

Have you seen the tutorial for these great open wide pouches on Anna’s blog, Noodlehead?

Open wide pouches

Last year for Sewing Summit I had cut the fabric I used here for the grey pouch, for another zippered pouch to match my improve tote. But I never made the pouch. So when I came across it in my sewing cabinet recently, I decided to give the open wide pouch tutorial a try. It’s such a quick project, but I will admit I did get hung up a little trying to keep the end of the zipper out of the way while sewing. It’s not quite as easy as it looks, but with a little seam ripping and trying again it is definitely achievable.

Open wide inside

I’m not sure what has gotten into me, but I’ve been taking some of my smaller scraps and just sewing them up into big old patchwork pieces, which I then decided would be great as a pouch for the pouch swap at this year’s Sewing Summit (next week! ahhh!). I love how it came out. So much so that I almost made a different pouch for the swap. Instead, I sewed up more scraps into patchwork for an iPad case. Yeah, we’ll see if I ever get there.

Open wide scrappy

I gave the grey bag to Alexis, and she is using it for her grip bag for gymnastics. It’s the perfect size for that and so easy for her to grab fast. (And trust me, she really needs the help being speedy… hehe.)

Open wide with Grips

So tell me, are you going to Sewing Summit? Did you make a pouch for the swap? And even if you aren’t or you didn’t, will you try out the open wide pouch tutorial? Or what is your favorite pouch? (And on that note, I’ll quit blabbering…)

Open wide zips

do. Good Stitches - August 2012

August was my month to be the quilter for our do. Good Stitches circle, Dream. I chose to have everyone make this (what I thought would be) simple starburst block by Ashley at Film in the Fridge. Looks easy right?

As it turns out, it’s really a lot more of a pain to get those points to line up than I ever imagined. I ended up making two of these blocks. Our group is in a bit of flux right now due to new babies and moving members and other exciting stuff, so we were a little short. I was going to make another 3 to make the whole quilt 3×4 blocks, but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Those blocks are a pain! I apologize to all the lovely ladies of the dream circle for picking it.

do. Good Stitches -- August 2012

As it turns out though, the 3×3 layout inspired the quilting. After I’d quilted along the block seams I realized I had the perfect tic tac toe board, and so I quickly cut out an X and an O template and laid them out for quilting.

do. Good Stitches -- August 2012

The binding I chose was a plain teal blue. Originally, I’d asked everyone to include a bit of gray in each brightly colored starburst as a way to tie them all together, but as it luck would have it, the aquas and teals really stand out more.

do. Good Stitches -- September 2012

And here’s my block for September. I’m afraid it doesn’t look as bright and cheery as it did when I first pulled the fabrics. Really, quite muted.

Now, I just need to find the time to package these two goodies up and send them off.

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J. Michael Summitt

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Summary of Qualifications

  • Over 20 years' experience in application development and maintenance, project management, and system administration.
  • MCSD: Visual Basic, SQL Server 2000.
  • Technologies include Apex/VisualForce/SOQL, .Net, Javascript/Ajax/jQuery, XML, JSON, HTML, PL/SQL, T-SQL and others.
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This website developed in Visual Studio 2010 using ASP.net 4.0, C#, HTML 5, CSS 3, and the AJAX Library.


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I am a vice president of a medium-sized, publicly traded company headquartered in Vermont. I am an advisor to the company's chairman and chief executive officer on organizational and leadership development, human performance, brand strategy, public affairs, business and market trends, and corporate communications. I'm also an executive coach to over 200 mid- and upper-level managers and numerous work teams.

I'm a speaker and panelist who offers thought-provoking and often unconventional views and insights in the areas of leadership development, organizational and problem-solving culture, business and cultural trends, economic development, corporate responsibility and sustainability, and life/work balance

I'm an adjunct instructor and serve as chair of the Board of Advisors for the University of Vermont's MBA program, which focuses on Sustainable Entrepreneurship and is designed to create the next generation of business and organizational leaders who will change the way we live, lead, and profit.

I am currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, and chair the Vermont Climate Economy Action Team. I was a member of the Vermont Climate Change Economy Council during 2015 and 2016. I recently completed twelve years of service as a member of the board of directors of the Vermont Council on Rural Development. I also served as the chairman of the Vermont Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy steering committee during 2013 and 2014.

I have served on the Vermont General Assembly Speaker’s Business Advisory Council, and am a former member of the boards of directors of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and the Rutland Economic Development Corporation. Prior to 1995, I was an Albany, N.Y.-based political and corporate communications consultant serving political candidates, state-level political parties, lobbyists, public affairs advocacy groups and corporate clients (energy, software, retail) throughout the northeastern U.S. I have also held several staff positions in the New York State Legislature.

My wife, Renae, and I have five children.


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Vinyl Enhanced Tile (VET)

Azrock® Color Essence Vinyl Enhanced Tile Flooring

Color Essence™ VET (vinyl enhanced tile) is a cost-effective, bright and inviting flooring solution available in 51 exciting colors and six coordinating slip resistant options. Color Essence has a wide selection of color ways, pattern and design to suit many types of interior design in a multitude of segments and applications including healthcare, education and retail. Its durability is enhanced by the UV-cured, factory applied polyurethane surface treatment that keeps high-traffic areas flowing and maintenance costs lower. Color Essence™ VET design allows for straight or turned installation and coordinates perfectly with Azterra ™ VET flooring solutions.

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Underground water in Varanasi contaminated with Uranium

Underground water in Varanasi contaminated with Uranium

A study conducted by G C Chowdhary, former Professor at the Geology Department of Banaras Hindu University and S K Agarwal, also a professor of Geology, has shown that the drinking water in the University premises some other places in Varansi contains radioactive Uranium more than the recommended limit.

Samples for the study were collected from 11 tubewells tapping deep aquifers (more than 100 meters deep). The Uranium content varied from 2 to 11 ppb (parts per billion) while the permissible limit is only 1.5 ppb.

Chowdhary said the underground water also contains heavy metals such as Chromium, Manganese, Nickel, Ferrous, Copper, Zinc and Lead. He said they had also published their first research paper in this regard in the Hydrology Journal of Indian Association of Hydrology in 1990s, clearly predicting health hazardous of water contaminated with these elements beyond the permissible limit.

Health Topics A-Z, Diseases, Symptoms,Treatments, Beauty Tips

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Thursday, 26 May 2016

Whisky Tango Foxtrot is a bit of a chaotic movie, but in many ways that represents the chaos of life in the 'Kabubble' as the press corps called Kabul during the (latest) Afghan war. Journalist Kim Baker is thrown into the life of a foreign correspondent and the film watches her 'journey' and (to an extent) how her values change... As with many films, it leaves you with the question as to how or even if you might have changed in similar circumstances.

Given that it was filmed thousands of miles from Afghanistan, it gives a plausible representation of what life must have been like. The script and editing are tight and some of the characters are simply delicious, especially the general played by Billy Bob Thornton. This is gritty and sometimes funny story based on real events. Go see this.

One of the things I admire about the armed forces is their capacity to be uncompromising and inflexible. Without giving anything away, there is a moment in the film where a marine says to the principal character something like "No way Mam, not going to happen, not on my watch!"

Sometimes leaders have to be that definitive too: sometimes the no (or yes) has to be written in big bold letters, as it were. This might be on matters of strategy, organisational values or simply a procedure that is (rightfully) sacrosanct. But any leader needs to know what their boundaries are.

When was the last time you were definitive? (Why?)

Blog 171: in my 2014/15/16 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with updates at the end of 2014 and 2015). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

#leadershipinfilms | #WhiskyTangoFoxtrot

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Friday, October 05, 2001
In transit right now, so a short post to say that, yes, we do know the FAQs are coming out black on black right now, and, no, we aren't just doing it because we thought it would look cool. This is not frustrating stylishness, as several of you seem to think; this is just a common-or-garden cock up.

But you can think it's style if you like...


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Pectoriloquy |

Tendai Rinos Mwanaka
Author and Funding Information

Editor’s Note: The author has published stories that deal with life in modern Zimbabwe and numerous pieces published throughout Africa.

Reproduction of this article is prohibited without written permission from the American College of Chest Physicians. See online for more details.

Chest. 2013;144(5):1729. doi:10.1378/chest.13-0626
Text Size: A A A
Published online

He thought he had taken everything
Maybe he didn’t have to think about it
Maybe he really had to leave me
I thought he took away a part of me
I told myself he left with something, mine
But I couldn’t ask him not to
He left me an empty blue sky
Dry air is all I could feel inside me
I felt open, like an open sky
The sun mercilessly pouring hot
No clouds, no air, no breeze
I felt my insides drying, dying
Into a dead, dried, listless bird
He took a side path and left me alone
He left me alone in the lonely road
As I approached the intersection
He left me to die on the cusps of
Something life changing, life taking
He took something that is life giving
It took me years to find out
I had to die inside for me to find
That he hadn’t taken anything
That I still had everything inside me
I had to face another loss
My mother dying of Alzheimer
Made me realise what loss really meant
Those bouts of forgetfulness of
My mother’s. That she could
Forget me. That she could even
Forget who she was. Where she was
That her death didn’t represent loss
For she had nothing more to lose
Made me realise that I hadn’t lost
Anything, me or even him. That he
Was the one who had lost me
To find myself again on the road of life
That he had abandoned me in
For me to find myself again
To find my way home again.

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n Tax Breaks Newsletter - Penalties imposed on a taxpayer : treble tax, interest : penalties

Volume 2009, Issue 284
  • ISSN :

The Income Tax Act 58 of 1962, as amended, imposes various penalties on a taxpayer for default, omission, error, or the late submission of tax returns. Section 75 creates various offences under the Act, for example, if a taxpayer submits a late return, fails to register as a taxpayer for the relevant year of assessment, fails to submit any return or document so required, or defaults in a material sense as is envisaged by that Section.

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has been a member since Jan 2010 and goes by AjaxRose3.

Excited to get started! I'm just launching my own photo business this year (Ajax Rose Photography, LLC) and Iove to look at the work of others! I hope to have my own little url soon!

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Dogwood Blossom

28 Jan 201020 views, 1 comment
In "Bloom"

Autumn Riches

28 Jan 201014 views

Wings Of A Dahlia

28 Jan 201017 views, 1 favorite

28 Jan 201024 views

Turn The Other Beak

28 Jan 201019 views, 2 favorites, 2 comments

28 Jan 201055 views, 3 favorites, 5 comments
In "Title Me!"

Stopping For Directions

28 Jan 201056 views, 1 favorite, 2 comments
In "Great Outdoors"

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Dallas Shines

Submitted to Reflections
Uploaded 30 Dec 2009 — 3 favorites
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© Sarah Philipson
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  • Fine and Dandy
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  • A bubblegum machine alone

Photo license: © All rights reserved

Taken during the 2nd Annual Scott Kelby Photowalk in Dallas, TX. I spent 40 minutes checking obsessively, waiting for the sun to be in position for this shot. I didn't notice the clouds had arranged themselves perfectly as well until I pulled the photo into editing.

The only edits made were a slight crop, and an increase in the clarity. All other "effects" courtesy of Mother Nature.

1 response

  • Samuel Zanti

    Samuel Zanti gave props (31 Dec 2009):

    Sweet....Beautiful Photo... Mother Nature and Glass...Wow

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Submitted to Beloved
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Photo Info
UploadedJanuary 25, 2007
TakenDecember 28, 2006
MakeNikon Corporation
ModelNIKON D70
Exposure1 sec at f/4.5
FlashFlash, Auto-Mode, Return light detected
Focal Length70 mm
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Q: I am really into my wildlife photography but cannot afford a super zoom lens, I have a 300mm and am considering a teleconvertor. Has anybody had a experience with these and would you recommend them?

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Photo license: © All rights reserved

Even the cat knows she is the princess!

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 photo history 1

Rachel Wells Photo History

Part 1

During my career, I never saw the value of collecting things, therefore I’m so thankful to my friend Herman and others for saving pictures, publications, and other memorabilia that served as factual relics that I had to draw upon when I put my thoughts onto paper. Most of the pictures have never been seen before outside my small circle of friends, and quite honestly, some should probably not be seen at all as many are not professionally done nor are they very flattering, but they are part of the history of Rachel Wells, so I’m willing to share them. It's okay to laugh.

 My very first drag picture at the Cruise Quarters in Atlanta, September 1971. I'm the tall one in the back.
Eve Starr is posed on the floor.
The Red, White and Blue Revue early in 1972.
My first production number at the Gum Head: Millie, Rose, and Mame. God, what a booger drag! 1972

Me with my partner, Reba.

  The Sweet Gum Head became my home during the 70's. I was fortunate to cross paths with so many wonderful people during that time. The showbar on Cheshirebridge Road was my Xanadu, my Camelot.

Being congratulated after winning Miss Gay Atlanta 1972 by outgoing Miss Gay Atlanta 1971, British Sterling.
Ah, at last, my first tiara! A booger drag no more. 1972
Right before the talent segment, Miss Gay Atlanta, 1972.

My very first poster promoting the doomed Phoenix Affair.1973
  Looking "fishy" with my long hair. I was hoping to be a hippy, but... 1973 One of my new looks in early 1973.
    3rd runner-up in the 1973 Miss David Contest in New York.
Here I am with Lavita Allen performing on the road at the Scorpio in Charlotte, NC. 1973

Performing a Melissa Manchester song at the Sweet Gum Head. 1973
Back row from the left:
Michael Andrews, Satyn Deville,
Rachel Wells,
Art Elliston (manager),
Lavita Allen, Marlo,
Toni Duran.
Bottom: Deva Sanchez, Julie,
Lisa King.
A rare Sweet Gum Head cast picture, 1973.
After being crowned Miss David 1974, Miami FL. Performing as Miss David 1974 at the Sweet Gum Head. One of the early softball team pictures. #15 with the big butt is catcher Deva Sanchez.
The Sweet Gum Head soon became a place for celebrities to visit, and of course, an unannounced visit to the dressing room was quite common.
  Singer & song writer, Melissa Manchester, backstage with me, Lisa King, and Satyn Deville. 1974 Backstage at the Sweet Gum Head.
With Lavita  in another comedy production. 1974
  Performing Lady Marmalade at the Sweet Gum Head. 1975 Burt Reynolds with a surprise visit backstage at the Sweet Gum Head. 1975
  From the left:
Satyn Deville,
Lisa King,
Rachel Wells,
Hot Chocolate,
Kelly Keebler,
Deva Sanchez.
Sweet Gum Head Cell Block Tango! 1975   Three Dollies:
Rachel Wells,

Deva Sanchez, and Lavita Allen. SGH 1975
Me in a 50's production number. 1975 Jesus Christ Superstar, 1974. Jesus Christ Superstar, 1974.
With Lavita Allen performing a song from Pippin. 1975 Backstage at the
Sweet Gum Head. 1975
Out of drag photo session. 1976
  Rachel Wells 1976


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Lilypie First Birthday tickers

Lilypie - Personal pictureLilypie First Birthday tickers

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Third Check-Up

Today was my third doctor’s check up and it went very smoothly. I was in and out of there in less than 25 minutes (and that includes my 5-minute wait at the reception area when I arrived). One of the things I like best about my doctor is that he is a very no fuss person (but he never makes you feel rushed either) and it carries over to even his administrative staff. They set an appointment for you and if you come on time, everything is done rather effortlessly. Thank god for that since I took an hour off from work and was worried because the rain was pouring that I would be late. Luckily, I came in with 5 minutes to spare.

Today was just a routine check-up. As usual, we did a urine test (which is pretty standard). I also got my vitals checked (weight, blood pressure, heart rate, etc). Surprisingly, since my last visit (4 weeks ago), I had not gained a single ounce. What are the odds of that??? I thought for sure I would have gained some weight since my regular clothes kind of feel snug these days – I guess this extra girth is all Jellybean and not belly fat!

Dr. Chen came a few minutes later and we checked the baby’s heartbeat. This time, we had no trouble locating it. The sound was strong and very clear. Dr. Chen said this was an excellent sign. He then checked to make sure my uterus was in place and did some other routine examinations. He pronounced me as proceeding “perfectly” with my pregnancy and told me to keep up the good work. Then we had a brief Q&A session. As usual, I had a multitude of questions, such as:

1.) Is it normal to have so much falling hair (which I am experiencing)? He gave me a long, scientific explanation, but basically can be summed as as “Yes, it is normal”.
2.) What kind of medication can I take if I get a cold (I thought I was getting one last week)? He gave me a list of meds that are ok (such as Tylenol and Claritin).
3.) Can I start pre-natal aerobic classes (which I am planning to sign up for)? Basic answer is “yes, but don’t overdo it”.

After a few more questions, Dr. Chen told me the results of our genetic counseling blood tests were in and everything has come out negative. He told me I could now breathe a big sigh of relief and to go ahead and enjoy my second trimester. I do have another round of blood tests scheduled next week but so far, so good. YAY! I’m just so glad that everything is going well so far.

mom said...

I am so happy for you Joanne. I can hardly wait for the arrival of our little Jellybean.

Auntie Lillian said...

Glad everything is going well for you and the baby. Keep healthy and eat healthy. Take care.

joyeee said...

I';m glad everything is turning out well.:) Congrats on not gaining dets...:) and have fun in your pre-natal aerobics classes!:)


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Empire editorial: Vote for school bonds

Posted: Sunday, May 25, 2003

Juneau voters will go to the polls for a special election on June 3 to consider two school bond propositions. Proposition 1 will determine whether the city should issue $12.6 million in bonds to pay for the remaining part of the planned high school at Dimond Park in the Mendenhall Valley.

Proposition 2 is a separate $12.5 million bond measure that would help pay for continuing the renovation of Juneau-Douglas High School and possibly other schools.

The bond measures are the final components of a long quest to adequately fund Juneau's long-term high school needs. The evolution of the two projects has followed a circuitous and complex path.

While other cities around the state have upgraded their high schools in recent years, Juneau's facilities have remained in need of modernization and expansion.

JDHS was built in the late 1950s is undergoing its third upgrade. The facility was built to hold 1,200 students but has 1,650 jammed into it. Retrofitting is expensive and problematic even under the best circumstances. Renovation costs have risen for a variety of reasons. However, the $12.5 million bond, which qualifies for state reimbursement, will allow the job currently underway to be completed.

Voters should know that Proposition 2 would not affect their property taxes. It simply transfers the equivalent of sales-tax-based and other CBJ funds already raised into a bond debt. The bond debt is eligible to be reimbursed by the state at 70 percent, which will have the effect of freeing up $5.6 million in funds to be used for the JDHS renovation and other school projects.

A number of important improvements included in the original JDHS design were eliminated due to cost limitations. Proposition 2 will restore some of those improvements by providing funding for improved traffic circulation and parking, a playing field that's been overdue for 50 years, equipment, classroom furniture, and completion of an exterior facelift and roof work.

Since voters approved $49.9 million in bonds for a Valley high school in 1999, it has taken three years to secure the state matching funds needed to move the construction phase of the project forward. A lot has changed in three years. The added $12.6 million provided by Proposition 1 will cover increased construction costs, expanded classroom capacity, an auxiliary gym and expanded food service.

Although there is some difference of opinion in the community on the scale and features of the final Valley school design, there is broad consensus that the two high schools should be similar in size with student populations of around 900 at each when the doors open in 2006.

With the increased scale provided by Proposition 1 both schools would have the capacity to absorb future growth in enrollment for a long time to come, which will save taxpayers money.

The final working design of the Valley school represents the effort of many dedicated people who have worked collaboratively over a period of seven years. Their work has produced a comprehensive, well-thought-out design for a school that will also host community events.

The Valley school will not be a palace. It will be a functional, attractive school that, when added to the upgraded JDHS facility, makes a powerful statement that Juneau has an eye to the future and cares about education.

A project team comprised of three Assembly members, 3 school district representatives and facilitated by city and school-district staff now guides the process. The group has made substantial progress over the past two months in fine-tuning the design and function of the new school.

Another team made up of professionals from outside of Juneau recently conducted a peer review. Their work produced 100 recommendations that include access improvements, construction cost efficiencies, a more cost-effective roof system, reconfiguring the two gymnasiums to reduce cost and increase seating capacity and a host of other improvements.

Passage of Proposition 1 will raise the capacity of the Valley school to 1,100, add 12 classrooms and expand a commercial-grade kitchen that will provide hot lunches for several schools. The Juneau school district is one of the few that doesn't provide a full hot lunch program.

The timing of the two bond proposals is fortuitous for Juneau, as bond rates are historically low and the two school projects qualify for the debt reimbursement program. The competition for these funds across the state will be intense and the funds are limited.

The combination of low interest rates and high reimbursement level by the state means taxpayers should see an assessment level at $89 per $100,000, 26 percent lower than estimated in 1999, even with the added $12.6 million bond in Proposition 1. Proposition 2 won't cost the taxpayers anything.

On June 3, voters will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to complete a vision for Juneau's future high school needs while minimizing the impact on property taxes. Beyond the brick and mortar improvements, the community and school district must invest an equal amount of energy in supporting its teachers and creating programs for the future.

Don Smith

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going to heaven in a wee row boat (junkierawkstar) wrote,
going to heaven in a wee row boat

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so yes, it's true i turned 27 on Dec 7th
i was at the mall with my bestfriend when i ran into another close friend of mine (uci) who was looking for a present for my other friend (lissy) who's having a birthday on dec 8th .. errr.. puzzling, i know..

anyway.. we gathered up at this small cafe when my korean friend, song young min called. He was heading off back to Korea and wanted to see me before he left jakarta and he asked me if i could ring my other friend, Tarie, so she could join the fun.

When young min showed up, he brought me this creamy fruity cake and said he was meaning to bring a champagne or wine as well but my other friends (tarie and uci) said he shouldnt because the notorious aee shouldnt be drinking due to her liver problem. pffft..

uci, tarie + transgender aee

me + uci :

me trying to be cute

me + donna :

me looking tired and shitty..

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Contact Us

Austin Mahone Describes His Perfect Date

Austin Mahone
Bryan Bedder, Getty Images

Brace yourself, Mahomies: Your dreams of dating Austin Mahone are about to get a bit more concrete!

The singer, who thankfully is back in action after just being released from the hospital, has described his perfect date — and we’ve got the details.

The 17-year-old shows an old-fashioned side with many of his choices for the evening, but he’s still a teenager, so he’s going to sleep in! “I have to get a good rest before a big date, so I’d sleep in until about noon that day,” he tells BOP! magazine. “Then, we’ll go to lunch at Panera. I’ll get a ham sandwich with American cheese, toasted, a side of macaroni and a green tea.”

Gotta love a guy who knows what he wants! And he clearly knows what we want, too, as his next item on the date’s agenda shows: “I’d take you shopping, and buy you some nice clothes.”

With food and shopping out of the way, it’s time for romance and a “nice sunset walk on the beach right before the sun goes down,” he says. He’d end the night watching a movie at his date’s house — and here comes the best part: “I’d give you a kiss before I leave, then text you tomorrow to tell you how awesome you are,” he says.

Awesome, Austin!

Vote: Who Has Better Hair -- Austin or Liam Payne?

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Kalamazoo getting new baseball team | News

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Kalamazoo getting new baseball team

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP/WZZM) - A new baseball team is scheduled to start playing next summer in Kalamazoo and a contest is taking place to find a name for the club.

The team calling Homer Stryker Field home will be a member of the Northwoods League, a summer league made up of teams of top college players from North America.

Submissions will be accepted on the team's website until Sept. 30. Five finalists will be put to an online vote to determine the winner.

The grand prize winner will get season tickets for life along with a jersey and hat, and the honor of throwing out the first pitch at the home opener. Other prizes are being offered as part of the contest.

Click here to submit a team name idea - http://kzoobaseball.com/submit-name


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Any Way It's Measured, Tesla's $5B 'Gigafactory' Is Huge

Feb 27, 2014
Originally published on February 27, 2014 11:31 am

Just how big a deal is the "gigafactory" that Tesla Motors says it's going to build to make batteries for its electric cars?

-- It's projected to cost $5 billion between now and the year 2020. Tesla expects to invest about $2 billion. Partners — who it's rumored could include Apple and Panasonic — would invest the rest.

-- The plant would eventually employ about 6,500 people, Tesla says.

-- At its peak the factory would produce 500,000 vehicle batteries per year, the company projects. That's more than the current combined output from all such factories in the world.

-- The facility would cover about 10 million square feet. That's more than twice the size of the Mall of America.

-- There's surely going to be stiff competition from the four states that Tesla says are its finalists to be the factory's location: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. Bloomberg News says there's going to be "a bidding war."

-- This huge investment is one of the keys, analysts say, to Tesla's effort to keep cutting the cost of its cars, which now start at $71,000. It's hoping to debut a model that retails for about $40,000 sometime next year.

As veteran auto writer Micheline Maynard writes for Forbes, Tesla founder Elon Musk is "taking on a manufacturing project that might give pause to companies with much more experience." She also notes, though, that "whether it's shooting rockets into space, or building a $70,000 electric luxury car ... Musk has never shied away from a challenge."

He's a big dreamer, as All Tech Considered has said before: "A Closer Look At Elon Musk's Much-Hyped Hyperloop."

Tesla expects to choose the site for its gigafactory and begin construction later this year. If all goes as planned, battery production would begin in 2017.

Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


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Negotiations On Debt Crisis Run Aground, Again

Jul 30, 2011

Your plan is dead. No your plan is dead.

Those were the messages exchanged by the Senate and House over the past 24 hours, and the events of Saturday left the debt crisis no closer to resolution.

In fact, it appeared to be getting further away.

The House met in a rare Saturday session for no reason but to tell the Senate it had no interest in the solution that chamber has been considering since last night. On Friday night, the Senate began a series of procedural moves toward a plan of its own after voting, 59 to 41, to reject the one sent over by the House — a plan Speaker John Boehner had spent 72 hours jamming through his recalcitrant chamber.

On Saturday, the House voted on a hastily drafted bill based on what it believed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was pushing in the Senate. The House turned thumbs down on that bill, 246 to 173. So there.

House Republicans were clearly stung by the snub the Senate had given their own work, which took Speaker John Boehner three days of extraordinary maneuvering and last-minute rewrites to pass. Even when he did win a bare 218 majority of the 435 members, he had nary a single Democrat on board and 22 of his own party stalwarts said no.

On the Senate side, Boehner's handiwork was nixed by six conservative Republicans who stood with the Tea Party in saying no to raising the debt ceiling.

No one expected any of those six to help Reid and his 53 Democrats (and independents) reach the 60 votes they would need to stop the filibuster of the Democratic plan in the Senate. But Reid clearly hoped some of the other Republicans might come over just to find some kind of way forward.

That hope, too, was dashed on Saturday, when the Senate GOP delivered a letter signed by all but four of their number. The letter told Reid to forget about any help from 43 of the 47 Republicans in the chamber. The leader was at least two votes shy of the minimum to keep his own plan alive.

It should be noted that the plans being pushed by the two parties are not worlds apart. Neither has revenue increases of any kind. Both would cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion over 10 years and raise the debt ceiling by a roughly commensurate amount.

But the Republican plan also included a requirement that both House and Senate adopt an amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced budget, a feat that would require two-thirds in both chambers. Absent such a feat, the debt ceiling would be reached again in January. The difficulty of passing a constitutional amendment opposed by a majority in the Senate makes it tantamount to a permanent debt ceiling that would be reached by the end of this calendar year.

So the negotiations, if they can be called that, have run aground yet again on an issue no one had expected to be part of the final deal — or even the later rounds of talks. President Obama said in his radio address Saturday that it was time for House Republicans to compromise, rather than continuing to widen the gap between the two sides. The Saturday vote on the House's notion of the Senate plan showed how well that idea was playing in the GOP ranks.

Tonight, Reid had hoped to hold a crucial cloture vote in the wee hours of Sunday to break the logjam and get close to actual consideration of his actual plan. He was ready to alter his plan to lure GOP votes. With that hope appearing to be vain, the need for a cloture vote may be moot. Or Reid may yet proceed with it.

Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi went to the White House at midafternoon on Saturday. Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were to confer with the president later in the day.

With the prospect of default now just a few days away, most Americans are still averting their eyes from the astonishing spectacle in Washington. But that may not be possible much longer.

Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


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About Varied / Hobbyist Emma HoneybunFemale/United Kingdom Groups :iconabefanart: ABeFanart
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Emma Honeybun
Artist | Hobbyist | Varied
United Kingdom
I'm an English & Creative Writing teacher from the UK.
My main interests are in His Dark Materials, cyberpunk, Yoshitoshi ABe animes Haibane Renmei & Serial Experiments: Lain, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Discworld and Marvel comics, My Little Pony, industrial metal music, Disney Princess, Street Fighter, Pinky Street and kokeshi dolls...

Disheartened at how many people are ignorantly moaning at our cause on social media by assuming we all jobless and crap with money. Feel free to share this post:

I'm a teacher and my husband works too (self employed) but it's not enough to cover child care - and that's even with family doing some days for free so others will have more to claim and will therefore be more out of pocket. It sickens me that the worst off who have previously proved they need the most to make ends meet are those who lose the most and get into the worst debt compared to those just losing a little top up.

Within 5 weeks of no tax credits we've used up our little savings, overdraft etc
Being £650 down has been a nightmare - got to pay childcare or can't work and get wages. Got to pay key bills or will be homeless. I've been lucky enough to borrow from family and sell a few bits on eBay so have managed to survive better than some others.
Some won't be able to buy uniforms or fuel cars - what do you choose to cut? I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt like there was nothing we could cut as we already live pretty hand to mouth if you are on tax credits. Cancel holidays or sky tv? Oh no wait, we hadn't been able to afford such luxuries in the first place. Can't cut phone bill or electricity or how will you make those endless phonecalls appealing to Concentrix? I can put off buying the kids winter coats for now. For many, food will be the only area they can cut back on.

Not all jobless and bad with money
Originally shared on the Facebook group Concentrix mums:

Concentrix and HMRC Tax Credits – Science Fiction copycats

An organisation punishes people not on the basis of evidence of crimes they’ve committed but pre-emptively with no warning, evidence or fair appeal system. If you're thinking that sounds a lot like the premise of Philip K.Dick’s ‘pre-crime’ from ‘Minority Report’ you’d be right.

HMRC tax credits have employed American Concentrix to help deal with potentially fraudulent claims. Innocent things can mark you as suspicious –in my case, I was never directly accused but a manager revealed their computer algorithm saw my having two paid childcarers as a threat (despite that being a plausible option on their paperwork let alone a reality many parents face). I had proved the figures were correct last year and again this February yet they sat on the claim, didn’t hand it back to HMRC and didn't send renewal reminders and then in August cut our money off.

They are clearly ripping off Orwell’s ‘1984’ double think too with the way halted claims  can get caught in a weird limbo of being both HMRC’s problem and Concentrix’s so therefore neither of them can help.
And of course why would they help when they are a private company paid by HMRC for each claim they close?
There is an appeal process but that too is with Concentrix themselves and it would not be in their interest to grant these.
How about a complaints process? No, you can't complain to them directly but you can write to HMRC (if you have enough money left for stamps) not that that does anything either. We tried this and got a HMRC manager explaining how awful the system was, confirming we should have had letters but that he was powerless to actually do anything as they can't see, let alone fix, our claim until Concentrix give it back. It is not lost on me that Concentrix’s logo and name bring to mind the inescapable circles of hell from Dante’s ‘Inferno.’

The vogon bureaucrats manning the phones are straight from Douglas Adam’s ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.’ Often you won’t be able to even get into the queue to speak to one as 5 hours of trying sometimes only produces a busy line tone. If you are lucky enough to be put on hold, you are treated to 45-60 minutes of repeated recordings that mockingly apologise for the wait and any inconvenience caused while they help other claimants.
The vogon will promise that the problem is almost dealt with and suggest you call back them back in a few days (on their not-free number of course). Sometimes they will mock you by admitting they've not only not passed your claim back as promised but have had the power to reinstate it in house but instead decided to do nothing at all with it for a week. Today, we found out nothing had happened since the last in a long line of “it's almost fixed” interactions as the last advisor had failed to tick a tick box…

I know it's worse for others who have, perhaps in homage to ‘Star Wars,’ had accusations that they are secretly related to people they never expected or in romantic relationships with family members. Some are apparently in same sex relationships with themselves or even with old tenants of the same address who they have not only never met but, in some cases, have been dead for many years…

This needs resolving before they start taking ideas from other dystopias – are we are heading towards some sort of ‘Soylent Greens’ or ‘Logan’s Run’ scenario?

So, in the interests of sanity and a happy ending, please sign this petition…
or better still, write to your local MP.

Emma Henderson is a part time teacher of A-level English and Creative Writing.
She has been without tax credits to pay for childcare for 6 weeks and counting. The hysteria induced by dealing with HMRC and Concentrix has caused her to write in the third person.

‘Ajin: Demi-human’

anime review and further recommendations

The premise of ‘Ajin: Demi-human’ is that 17 years before the story is set, approximately 60 immortal beings were discovered who looked just like normal humans but when they died they came right back to life again. These ajin spend their lives in government facilities – the official line is that they are cared for there but the internet contains leaked but potentially hoaxed footage of their sedation and torture in the name of scientific experimentation. There are rumours that the government would give out a massive reward for the capture of any new ajin discovered.

Our protagonist, Kei, a devout student who dreams of becoming a doctor, is learning about the ajin phenomenon in a history lesson at school and is horrified at the assumptions of his teacher and classmates that ajin are not really human so if the rumours of their inhumane treatment are true then it wouldn't matter as they're not truly human anyway.

Soon after, Kei is run over by a truck on his way home from school and discovers he is an ajin. This happens in public in broad daylight so there is an instant manhunt launched to find him. He has no one to turn to but Kaito, an old friend from childhood who risks his own life to help Kei escape the authorities and bounty hunting individuals.

We are then plunged into a maze of mysteries and ethical dilemmas. Is it okay to kill an immortal being if they'll only come back anyway? They still feel pain but the shock diminishes upon each death. If death is no longer your greatest fear, what becomes of your morals and priorities? What exactly are the strange black ghosts that ajin seem to be able to summon?

While from the outset, ‘Ajin’ felt like it was going to be a sort of supernatural or religious mystery with the first ajin we encounter being presented as an angelic immortal it actually becomes a combination of paranormal horror and science fiction about identity, prejudice and morality. Thankfully for those of you who are squeamish, the worst of the gore happens off screen or is cunningly hidden from the audience but the fact you can't see it actually helps build the tension.

The antagonist Sato, also known as ‘the hat man,’ is an ajin who says he wants rights for ajin-kind but captures the ajin who oppose his plan and sells their organs for money to fund his terrorism. He has a self-proclaimed love of gaming on hard mode and is an ex-military man who gets off on more and more extreme violence, luring out top level security forces for fun. Sato steals the show with a corridor siege scene reminiscent of those in ‘The Matrix’ or ‘V for Vendetta,’ particularly with the creepy vacant smile while he tactically cuts off his own arm after being hit by a tranquilliser to gain himself a few more seconds advantage. He also purposely allows Kei to fall into the hands of the human government so that Kei can be experimented on in order to  learn to hate humans and so come around to Sato’s cause. Think of Sato as a bit of a Magneto figure.

The other major antagonist, Tosaki, is a human working for the secret government agency for monitoring ajin but keeps the secret that his assistant, Izumi, is an ajin too and functions as his own personal spy and bodyguard.

There are 13 episodes in the first series. It leaves off on a cliff hanger moment with the protagonist Kei teaming up with another young ajin, Kō, whom previously he had not only refused to help but had in fact deviously poisoned and kept prisoner just in case his presence spoilt the peaceful new life he had found himself. As an audience, we are left to ponder whether Kei has always had this capacity to be so selfish or whether he has simply adapted to a world where he has found both humans and other ajin are quite happy to take advantage of him. Then again, Kei was able to form a very sweet bond with an old lady he knocked over and only belligerently helped up out of guilt but turns out to be more than happy to harbour the young ajin.

The soundtrack contains contrast, echoing the juxtaposition between the quiet life Kei craves, often associated with living close to nature, and the fast paced techno metal beats that accompany the superb action sequences. The opening song, ‘Can You Sleep at Night?’ (Yoru wa Nemureru kai?) by Flumpool, is particularly fast paced and catchy.

It is an excellent anime in terms of action, plot and character but for those of you who really enjoy a deeper reading, there is much left open to speculation and analysis in ‘Ajin.’ It lends itself to etymological and post-semiotic reading with heavy hints at the theories of Baudrillard’s ‘Simulacrum and Simulation,’ particularly from the mouth of the biophysicist character Oguru. Interestingly, Oguru wears a Tshirt with the phrase “I know nothing except the fact of my own ignorance” echoing Socrates’ ‘wisest is he who knows he does not know’ while Kei borrows a Tshirt featuring the phrase “All men by nature desire knowledge.”

The relationship between the media, rumours and reality is explored. In fact, there is a theme of doubles and fakes throughout: rewards that turn out not to exist, references to redrawing the map and of course doppelgängers in the form of the black ghosts. The anime is filled with paranoia and a thirst for knowledge that the series never fully satisfies as each new piece of knowledge actually just leads to more questions.

The series on is available on Netflix but there is an extra episode (sometimes known as an OED or OVA) which is essentially a straight to DVD release. This complete side story and prequel is definitely worth checking out as it departs from the core characters and adds a new interesting twist to the concept of what the black ghosts are. The OVA comes with a limited edition bundle of the 8th volume of the manage and another has been promised with the 9th volume – more info here:…

The second series will be released in the autumn of 2016. My hope is to find out a little more about the fate of the humans Kei left behind especially his ailing sister and childhood friend, Kaito, who was so pivotal in the early episodes.

Already enjoyed ‘Ajin’ and looking for something similar in the mean while?

Other recommendations:

    ·         ‘Tokyo Ghoul’ – Another anime linked in terms of the theme of dehumanisation.

    ·         ‘ Haibane Renmei’ – another anime from Yoshitoshi Abe of ‘Serial Experiments: Lain’ fame. It features a group of angelic looking beings who hatch from cocoons into a walled city with no memories of their previous lives. Reki is a potentially amoral character who worries she has no empathy and is not really good as she is only ever kind for her own benefit. This also has a haunting soundtrack and is full of mystery.

    ·         ‘Ghost in the Shell’ – there are many iterations of this franchise but the original film and ‘Stand Alone Complex’ anime series are famous for being cyberpunk science fiction with a focus on philosophy and morals in a world where the development of cyborgs and AI have meant the definition of ‘human’ is rapidly changing.

    ·         ‘The Strain’ - if you liked the combination of horror, science fiction and religious imagery, I’d suggest checking out either the book trilogy or television series by  Gullimo Del Toro, best known for his films ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ and ‘Hellboy.’

Ajin anime review
Ajin anime review - some mild spoilers but more to explain and tease the plot.
New review up on The Good Men Project from me on the Fight Club 2 graphic novel:…
So, an old acquaintance from college days had been sharing anti-new-female-Ghostbusters paranoid ramblings (the film is awful but only good reviews are being written because bad ones are seen as sexist and the establishment won't let anyone say women are bad). I guessed while there might have been the potential to be some truth in it what really had me confused was his then calling on people to boycott the film. But then how could people form their own opinion? If you're so convinced it's awful then why not let people watch it and confirm your bias??
I ignored this but was stung by his post the next day saying he was outraged he had scored as very sexist on a quiz to see how sexist you are. The outrageous comment that I made the mistake of reacting to was his assertion that "feminists are the most sexist of all." I pointed out that that is the opposite of the definition of feminism which was to bring about equality and that perhaps he was confusing the term with misadronists or so called 'femi-nazis', that the prefix fem- was there because at the start of this anti-sexism movement it was women on the whole trying to get equal rights to pay and voting.
Then both this 'friend' and someone else he knew lay into me saying that men have worse rights, that the sufferegettes had guilt tripped men into going to war, get longer jail sentences even for the same crimes, that women want to be better than men etc. I was really shocked as while I'm happy to entertain a civil discussion (and have myself written for The Good Men Project as part of my interest in male identity) this tirade was nasty and not what you'd expect from two educated men. There were two men telling me women wanted to be better than men while being upset that they had been deemed sexist in a quiz they had sought out, and therefore were hoping to be offended by, ganging up on a woman pointing out facts. The ludicrous turn led me to react in a way I am not proud of as it probably only affirmed their world view that women are angry and don't want to acknowledge the issues men face - I wished them luck with actual research and luck with ever getting laid ever if this was their view of women and promptly deleted and blocked them.

(I also sat the sexism test as he'd posted a link but withheld my gender - I scored lower than average men and women on both malevolent and benelevolent sexism. My criticism of the test would be that it only judged sexism towards women not men which showed a bias in itself. There are also only options to agree or disagree, even slightly or strongly - there is no neutral option to some leading statements such as 'should women be cherished?')…

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tonnamprathumtree Featured By Owner Jun 11, 2016  Professional Artist
Do You Create Azelf Senshi Pls
Texhnolized Featured By Owner Apr 3, 2016  Hobbyist Traditional Artist
Hello !
Thanks for the favorite about Lain !

Don't know if fully understanding the anime didn't take longer than the artwork ^^
But isn't such an amazing and uncommon serie ?

Have a nice day !
kaoshoneybun Featured By Owner Apr 8, 2016  Hobbyist General Artist
I loved Lain so much I named my daughter after her!

It is hard to get head around - definitely recommend Haibane Renmei from same character artist
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Angelo went out of their house one night. Angela saw his son walk out and followed him, but he disappeared from a cloud of smoke. Angelo then was with his daddy Lucas. Lucas showed Angelo their "kingdom".

Angelo strikes again as one of his classmate disturbs him while the class is praying. Through his "friend", his classmate was lifted up and then is dropped to the floor. His classmate was rushed to the hospital. At the school grounds, he was stoned by his schoolmates, so he rushed to the gate. Outside, David and his friends were waiting for Angelo to come out, and when they saw the boy rushing out, they hit him with their vehicle.

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Kapamilya Overload | Ang Blog ng mga Kapamilya!


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Cramond (/ˈkræmənd/; Scottish Gaelic: Cathair Amain) is a village and parish on the outskirts of suburban Edinburgh, in Scotland. It is located to the north-west of the city at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth. The Cramond area has a long history, with evidence of Mesolithic, Bronze Age and Roman activity.
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The Latest

Attached Garage Gives Whittier Couple Room to Grow

6a00d8341c630a53ef00e54f198a038833-800wiAs you lean back against a comfy armchair in Barbara and Gene Noller’s family room, you can hardly grasp what they’re telling you: This used to be a garage.

Outside garage after

Nothing here speaks the architectural “language” of a dreary, drafty garage: not the wood floors, the French doors, not the sheer swag curtains at the windows or the custom bookshelves on the walls.

Outside before

But this room did indeed start its life as a garage, attached to the house through the service porch, with a cement slab floor, exposed wall studs, tarpaper, and overhead wood rafters.

A few years ago, the couple transformed the room with $12,000 cash and what Barbara calls “sweat equity.”

Inside before

Inside before

The Noller’s bought their two-bedroom house in anticipation of Gene’s 1996 retirement from Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The sturdy, ranch-style house was built in 1953 on a 1/2-acre lot in the upscale Friendly Hills area of Whittier.

Their previous house in San Gabriel, where they lived for 34 years, had grown too large after their three children left home.

But eventually, this house grew too small.

Inside during

Once retired, Gene needed an office for consulting and an art studio for painting. Barbara needed a crafts room. And they wanted space to entertain their growing circle of retirement-era friends.

And mostly they needed somewhere to entertain and supervise their seven grandchildren, all of whom were younger than 11, when they came to visit.

“That’s it,” Barbara had said one Thanksgiving, a few years ago, when the grandkids were underfoot. She was ready to turn the garage into a family room.

The first step was building a new garage behind the house. The city required it, and the large lot allowed it. The 24-foot-by-31-foot structure includes a studio for Gene and a crafts room for Barbara.

In remodeling the old garage, the couple had several assets: Gene’s skills (he did the design, plan and much of the engineering), his and Barbara’s labor (they painted the walls and installed the parquet floor), and Barbara’s decorating talents.

All of these skills have been honed during the couple’s four decades of remodeling experience. Their previous home was remodeled so thoroughly that by the time they sold it, not one original wall remained.

Plus, for this remodel, the couple had the abilities of to the tile installer and brick layer they had used on other projects.

“They’re like family,” Barbara said.

Most important, they had the services of Whittier general contractor Raul Camarillo, who had previously fixed their roof to specifications even more rigorous than those called for by Gene.

“It was super-right,” Gene said, still in awe of the superior flashing Camarillo installed on the roof. “He’s like a second cousin.”

However, as with nearly all remodeling projects, there were some arguments. Barbara was adamant that the floor of the garage, which was on ground level, be raised up to be level with the floor of the house, which is on a raised foundation. But a 14-inch supporting beam in the garage hung so low that, if the floor were raised, there would not be enough headroom to meet building codes.

Camarillo tried to talk Barbara into raising floor just a little, leaving it one step down from the house.

“I didn’t want that,” Barbara insisted. “That would always feel like it was a garage.”

Finally, a structural engineer found a solution that would still carry the load of the roof: Fashion a beam that is twice as thick and but only half as deep. Rather than taking away from the aesthetic of the room, the beam adds charm.

Once the height of the new floor was determined, the room began to take shape. The ceiling was drywalled and recessed lights were added. From the beginning, the couple planned to leave one wall free of furniture in order to display their art collection, both purchased by them and painted by Gene. Several ceiling lights focus toward the art wall.

On another wall, Gene built and installed bookshelves deep enough to accommodate his collection of large gardening and art books.

The two-car-garage door, which faced the back yard, was replaced with a solid wall punctuated with a large picture window and a hunter green door.

Barbara, who considered a career in interior design before she got married, made elegant swag curtains. The high-quality Pella brand windows include narrow Venetian blinds between the panes of glass, keeping the blinds dust-free. The window in the Stanley door was recently retrofitted with a similar product. Because she was made clean blinds as a child, Barbara has no appetite for that.

On the opposite wall, the original window opening was enlarged. From his reading chair, Gene looks out the new French window, set between his bookshelves, to the liquid amber and birch trees that the couple planted, and which he festoons with twinkling red and white lights during Christmastime.

For the floor, the couple wanted a corridor of tile, matching that in the service porch and kitchen, to run through the room from the back door into the service porch. The idea was to avoid tracking mud from the garden onto a more delicate wood floor. “It hasn’t been entirely successful,” Gene said, though Barbara keeps after him to wipe his feet and provides a small collection of boot scrapers just outside the door.

For heating and cooling, Gene bought and installed a small wall unit, eliminating the need to adjust the size of the whole-house systems already installed. Extra insulation in the ceiling, walls and floor gives the room a steady comfort.

According to Barbara, the garage remodel is the last major remodeling project they will ever do on this house.

Before this, the couple added a wall of French doors in the dining room, built a redwood deck and brick pathways in the back yard, created a luscious shade garden, built a new brick porch out front, changed the house color from yellow to sand, and remodeled the kitchen.

“We’ve been in process for nine years,” she said. “I think we’re coming to an end.”

# # #

At a glance:

Project: Transform garage into family room

Duration: 2 months

Cost: $12,000

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Teenage father faces murder charge for infant's death

A 19-year-old is being accused of causing the death of his child.

Dustin Lee Watson, of Searcy, was taken to White County Detention Center Monday.

Za'Ymia Watson, who was only 4 or 5 months old, was brought to the White County Medical Center on June 19, with severe head trauma. The infant was transferred to Arkansas Children's Hospital and later died.

Searcy police said last week they were waiting on autopsy results to determine if the death was accidental or intentional before they decided to make an arrest. They said Monday their investigation led them to determine Watson caused the injury.

Watson is charged with 1st Degree Murder, and will have a bond of $500,000.


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Hogs Run Wild In 110-80 Senior Night Win

{}The Razorbacks set a new SEC game scoring record at Bud Walton Arena en route to a 110-80 Senior Night rout of Ole Miss on Wednesday. The Razorbacks have now won eight of nine in SEC play after starting 2-6.

The five seniors combined for 38 points and 11 assists behind a career-high 18 points from guard Mardracus Wade. Fifteen of Wade's points came on a career-high 5-of-7 from downtown as part of a season-high 17 Razorback threes, shooting a blazing 57 percent from outside the arc.

Sophomore Anthlon Bell 's hand heated up during the first half a never cooled down, draining a team high seven treys on the way to a career-high 23 points. His 7-of-10 effort from three point land was a big part of the team's dominance from three point range and included a 9-0 #BellInBunches run during the first half. Behind Bell's 23 the Razorback bench added 71 points for a 45 point edge off the pine.

Arkansas' #Fastest40{}style of play proved too much for the Rebels, who gave up 16 turnovers leading to 27 Arkansas points. The Razorbacks 27 assists gave head coach Mike Anderson his 81st win when his teams dished out at least 25 dimes.

Ole Miss senior Marshall Henderson was shut down in Fayetteville, going 3-of-11 from downtown for his worst outing in 2013-14.

For more information on Arkansas basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.