text:
Jake's Journey with Apraxia

And the Friends We Met Along the Way

by Amber, Contributing Writer

When we started speech therapy, one of the first things they did was teach Cason sign language. I immediately had a “Duh!” moment. Of course he should do sign language! Why hadn’t I been doing that all along?

When my daughter was little, I taught her a few signs. When I taught Pre-K, I taught my students sign language. Why hadn’t I been teaching sign language to Cason?

Children with apraxia understand what is being communicated, but aren’t always able to effectively communicate back, which causes frustrations. We had a lot of frustrations going on with communication, on his part and on mine. He would become frustrated because I didn’t understand his needs and wants. I would become frustrated because I didn’t understand him. The result was a lot of crying, and sometimes the crying came from both of us.

Before introducing sign language, we would play a “game” of 20 questions. I call it a game, but it was anything but that. It was just me going down a list of things I thought he may be trying to say. “Do you want milk? Do you want to eat? Do you want your cars? Do you want the monkey? Do you want_____?” He would start crying when he wanted/needed something, and I couldn’t guess what it was.

He couldn’t point to what he wanted (that was a delayed skill). He would start crying and that would be my cue that he needed something. Now, if he was an infant, then crying would be a normal cue for communicating a need. But Cason was over 18 months old and really needed to be able to communicate in a more effective way. Sign language was our lifesaver during that time. But we did run into some problems.

When we started sign language, we started with the sign for “more.” After a week or so, he was able to make that sign. The next word I wanted him to learn was “milk.” I felt it was important for him to learn that word in sign language because it would help with his frustration level when trying to communicate with me when he was thirsty.

We started trying to learn the sign for milk, but that sign took a while to learn. The sign is to open and close your hand, kind of as though you are milking a cow. Cason had problems getting his fingers to work, and it turned out to be another motor planning issue.

He would hold his hand out, look at it, and his fingers would start to kind of twitch. I knew his brain was telling them to open and close. I knew he was wanting them to open and close. However, the brain and hand just couldn’t seem to get on the same page. Finally, after quite a while, he figured it out.

We continued to teach him more signs and sometimes ran into the same motor planning problems. For the most part, he was able to pick up the signs fairly quickly. We also bought the Signing Time DVDs. Those were awesome!

I had a few people express concerns when we started sign language. They were afraid if Cason learned to sign, he would choose to do that rather than learn to talk. However, that is rarely the case when a child is learning sign language. Cason wanted to talk, and the desire to do so was strong. Sign language just gave him an alternative way to communicate while his brain was still figuring out speaking.

We actually found that when he started learning signs, he also started trying to vocalize the words. For example, when he signed milk, he would say “mmmm.” When he signed eat, he would say “eeeee.” Those were such big steps, and it gave us something to build on. He gradually progressed to saying “mih” for milk while he signed.

As the words started coming over the next year, the signs started fading for Cason. We starting using signs with his brother, Callen (three years old and currently in speech therapy), and now we do sign language with our youngest, Caden, who will start speech therapy next week (at 19 months old).

Sign language has been a huge part of our life during the past five years. I always encourage mothers of infants to start sign language early. It is so helpful, and it’s something the whole family can get involved in and learn.

Bio: Amber lives in South Carolina with her husband and four children. She has two sons diagnosed with apraxia of speech and sensory processing disorder. Her older son also has hypotonia. She is a stay at home, homeschooling mom who taught public school for eight years. In her free time, she likes to read and sew.

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Leeds Wedding Photographer Portfolio

We believe in keeping your wedding photography relaxed, and as un-posed as possible. Everything we do should be about capturing the day you remember it and not about forcing you or your guests into doing things the way we think they should be done – that’s just not us. We’ll teach you how to be relaxed in front of the camera and if you hate your photo being taken, that’s no problem, we love it when we get awkward laughs and we’ll be using your burst-out-laughing photos rather than the ones of you looking nervous. We know how to work with people and be unobtrusive, you’ll barely even notice we’re there. And because we come dressed the same way as all your guests will, we won’t be looking out of place or standing out like a sore thumb. We’ll blend into the background to capture everything as it happens and let you and your guests party how you want.

As wedding photographers in Leeds, we’re used to a bit of British weather so you needn’t worry about what happens if rains on your wedding day, we’re creative and experienced enough to tackle any weather and lighting problem to still deliver you the most beautiful wedding photos possible. It’s important to us that you’re free to enjoy your day which is why we put in all the behind the scenes leg-work before your wedding so that on the day, we won’t have to bother you about timings, plans or any of that boring admin. You can rest assured we’ll be taking care of everything whilst you can enjoy the party.

Why we love Medium Format

We're one of very few Yorkshire wedding photographers offering to capture your wedding day in the wonderful colour and crisp clarity of medium format film. Even sharper and more beautiful than digital it's a way to add something a little bit extra special to your wedding photography package.

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Thursday, 26 July 2018

Daniel Smith half pan watercolour sets.

I've been asking Daniel Smith paints to create pan colours for many years, as they are a far simpler way for people to get started in artist quality watercolours than buying tubes. It takes time and care to create pan colours, but finally, earlier this month, it was announced that they would introduce 6 half pans sets, which will be available in September (early October more likely). You can see the information on Doodlewashed here.

At this stage, Daniel Smith won't be creating open stock pans.

Rather than individually wrapping each half pan and packaging them up, they have also created a rather nice compact palette that was designed to hold 15 half pans. This will be included at no extra charge - a bonus - with each set, along with spare empty half pans. For the 15 colour set a second empty palette with 15 empty half pans will be provided!

Here's the new palette!

Daniel Smith hand-poured watercolour half pan set of 15 - Ultimate Mixing Set.

The largest set, pictured above, is my 15 colour Ultimate Mixing Set, including the new DS colour Jane's Grey that anyone who's been reading my blog is familiar with. It also contains Buff Titanium, Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Gold, Pyrrol Scarlet, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Rose, Ultramarine, Cerulean Chromium, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Phthalo Green Blue Shade, Goethite, Burnt Sienna, Indian Red and Raw Umber. The recommended retail price of this set will be US$114.60.

The Ultimate Mixing Set painted out - though due to technical difficulties producing the pans,
Permanent Alizarin Crimson will replace Pyrrol Crimson in the pan set.

Book cover using all the Ultimate Mixing Set colours.

I have created a book showing thousands of possible mixes - see a preview of the eBook here. It is also available as a hardcover or softcover with premium matt paper, or a softcover with standard paper.

The Daniel Smith Ultimate Mixing half pan set paint out, showing the new quinacridone hue, permanent alizarin crimson and the new Daniel Smith Jane's Grey.

You can mix any other colour with this set, but it is not intended as a limited set so a bonus empty palette box with an additional 15 empty half pans will also be included so you can add others you use a lot. I work with these colours as my basic palette, but add other convenience colours to speed up the painting process. These colours can be made with those in the set for harmony, or may be colours that can be mixed but add extra characteristics. Examples are Undersea Green (made from Ultramarine and Quinacridone Gold - both colours already in the set) and Sap Green (made from phthalo green and quinacridone gold - both in the set). Or I might add Raw Sienna (which can be created as a hue using Quinacridone Gold and burnt sienna) or Perylene Green (which can also be created as a hue with Phthalo Green and Permanent Alizarin Crimson). Other favourite extras are burnt umber (a mix burnt sienna and ultramarine) and the extraordinary Primatek pigments that add wonderful granulation.

The next set is the 'Sketcher' set, which is Liz Steel's watercolour starter set. It includes Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Rose and Ultramarine - a fabulous basic triad also included in me Ultimate Mixing Set. You can get an idea of how versatile this mixing triad is from this chart of three-colour mixes.

A basic mixing triad of Hansa Yellow Medium, Ultramarine and Quinacridone Rose can create an extraordinary range of colours. Daniel Smith Watercolour.

Also included are Mont Amiata Natural Sienna, Cerulean Chromium and the absolutely gorgeous Transparent Red Oxide, providing an earth yellow, a non-staining cool blue and a bright and granulating version of a burnt sienna. This set will be packaged in a 15 half pan palette with 9 empty half pans.

The Daniel Smith Sketcher half pan set

All the 6-colour sets will have a Recommended Retail Price of US$55.31.

The four remaining sets will be Colours of Inspiration sets. They will also come in a 15 half pan palette with 9 spare empty pans.

Pink Rose, Jane Blundell. Daniel Smith Watercolours.

'Colors of Inspiration' has a mix of purples including Wisteria, Lavender, Rose of Ultramarine, Moonglow and Shadow Violet along with the lovely Australian Primatek colour Serpentine Genuine - a really unique granulating set.

I really love DS Moonglow - it is a three pigment mix of ultramarine, anthraquinoid red and viridian. It makes a really interesting background colour to florals as the crimson particles float and the viridian granulation is lovely. Shadow Violet is similar but has an orange in the mix rather than the crimson so is even more grey.

Rose of Ultramarine, Moonglow and Shadow Violet were all used to create the background for this rose study.

The Daniel Smith Colours of Inspiration half pan set.

Congregational Church Hunters Hill with
green apatite genuine in the gardens.
Jane Blundell

'Floral - Cottage Gardens to Botanicals' has some great colours for painting florals. Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Rose and Phthalo Blue Green Shade make a wonderful primary triad; Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue gives a mid yellow, Cascade Green (created for painting the Cascade mountains) and one of my other favourites, Green Apatite Genuine, make up the rest of this set. I've used that in the foreground of this sketch of a lovely sandstone church. It is an extraordinary pigment as it can be used very diluted for soft grassy effects or strongly for deep olive greens.

The Daniel Smith Floral - Cottage Gardens to Botanicals half pan set.

Untitled abstract watercolour. Jane Blundell.

'Blues  - Serene to Dramatic' set has a mix of dramatic blues and blue-greys including Sodalite Genuine, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Genuine, Lunar Blue, Payne's Blue Gray, Cerulean Chromium and Indigo. This was developed with thanks to Julie Karlsson from Sweden.

Working with a range of colours that are very close can be very rewarding. Sodalite Genuine, Cerulean Chromium and other granulating beauties were used to create this study.

The Daniel Smith 'Blues - Serene to Dramatic' half pan set.

Untitled abstract watercolour. Jane Blundell

'Earth - Desert to Mountains' set - contains the amazing Buff Titanium, Raw Sienna Light, Bronzite Genuine, Venetian Red, Burnt Sienna Light and the extraordinary Lunar Black. This set was recommended by the lovely artist Brenda Swenson, who's blog provides wonderful insights into art materials she enjoys and who's work in pen and watercolour is well worth looking at.

I love using these very granulating pigments for abstract studies. Here you can see the interplay of buff titanium and lunar black with earth reds.

The Daniel Smith Earth - Desert to Mountains half pan set.

Daniel Smith half pan watercolours: Earth - Desert to Mountains set in the specially designed palette.

So what will you do with the empty pans? They can be removed and mixed around as desired. Or they can be filled with tube colours, or watercolour sticks that you already own or choose to add. (Each DS watercolour stick can be cut up to create 5 half pans of colour.)

I have written before about filling pans and half pans from tubes here (and also partially filling them at a slope here) but will add the basic information again as there are few key points to keep in mind.

1- Shake the tube well. You don't know how long it may have been sitting around or perhaps exposed to different temperatures during transportation and the heavier pigments may drop to the bottom leaving gum Arabic on the top. Shake really well and open with care away from your clothing just in case the paint comes out a little too enthusiastically! I hold the tube at the bottom widest part and am ready so give a gentle squeeze if the paint comes out too fast - a gentle squeeze will suck a little back in again.

2 - Label the half pan with the colour name, pigment information and brand (if you use more than one brand) with a permanent marker.

3 - Fill in parts - ideally 1/3 at a time. If gum Arabic comes out, put the lid on a shake again. Stir with a toothpick, blunt needle or other fine point to get the paint into the corners of the pan and allow to dry. Top up with the next third and stir and dry again. The DS pans are hand-filled in 3 or 4 pours - this allows the paints to dry really evenly without cracking. When making your own it is best to do it gradually as well.

It is best to air dry the pans. I put them on a windowsill with the palette open, not closed.

4 - Once dry, arrange in your palette in a logical order. Make a chart and write out the colours you have included.

When painting, there is not need to spray Daniel Smith paints with water to reactivate them - they will rewet at the touch of a brush.

The paint used in the DS half pans is exactly the same as in the tubes, so when empty, the pans can be re-filled with tube colours.

Do have a look at the Doodlewashed page to see all the original announcement, but note that due to technical difficulties the Blues set will be slightly different to what is shown there and won't include Blue Apatite Genuine due to technical difficulties with creating pans with that pigment.

Happy painting!

  1. This is great news! I love Daniel Smith colors, but I really prefer pans to tubes. I have been buying mine from a shop on Etsy that fills half pans from the tube paints and resells them, but it will be nice to be able to buy pan colors directly from Daniel Smith.

    1. I prefer pans too as that is how I started. But I buy half and whole empty pans in bulk and fill them myself from Daniel Smith tubes as I love Buff Titanium and their Primateks. I prefer not to mix manufacturers so use Daniel Smith tubes so I've always been filling my own pans. It's not that difficult. I've even mixed my own to match a color not available, like the Holbein Tyrian Purple from last month's 30x30 challenge.

      I do have a set of Winsor and Newton half pans and Schminke but find I just don't use them any more.

  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

  3. Congratulations, Jane! This honor is well-deserved! I wish Daniel Smith was also rewarding you monetarily -- you've done so much for their brand! :)

  4. I am so excited about the Daniel Smith paint palettes. I’m unable to drive and the nearest watercolor store is over an hour away. I love the ease of pan sets.

  5. Jane,
    Love your post on the new pan sets by Daniel Smith! Its nice to have a friend who is as excited about paints as I am.
    Looking forward to the day to can paint and chat about pigments in person!
    Happy Painting,

  6. Why the switch from Pyrrol Crimson to Permanent Alizarin Crimson? It doesn't seen to be based on cost as they are both series 2 colours but the 'PAC' does go against the original single pigment ethos of the book.

    1. It was purely for technical reasons - they were not able to produce the pans successfully using pyrrol crimson. I suggested Permanent Alizarin Crimson as a suitable substitute since it is almost exactly the same hue so will mix in the same way. Since Quinacridone Gold is also no longer a single pigment, the set is no longer purely single pigment colours so I was fine with that change. The book remains single pigments plus Jane's Grey but the alternative colours will mix in the same way.

  7. This is great news--more watercolor supplies to acquire!

  8. Congratulations Jane!!! How wonderful is that???!!! Jane's Grey and the beautiful Ultimate Mixing Daniel Smith colours set. WOW!


text:
Poetry for the People

Because I enjoy poetic prose and well-executed poems, I subscribe to “Poetry” magazine. Each issue contains about thirty poems and the back section includes three literary commentaries. I usually read all the poems.

I don’t know what to make of the commentaries so I typically skim over them, looking for nuggets. One of them caught my eye with “tempered by the dailiness of the life,” and, because I love new words, I had to read it all.

That was fine so I went on to the next commentator, who had written a review of a new poetry collection by Michael Robbins, called Alien vs. Predator. I didn’t know any better.

Mr. Robbins writes the most unpoetic stuff about unpleasant things I try not to think about, using coarse language I’d rather not read. That’s fine, too, for people who think it’s funny or creative enough to fill their heads with and want to buy his book. Land of the Free and all that.

The reviewer, though, made me mad enough to spit. She’s a pro, no doubt, and a master wordsmith worthy of the magazine editor’s acclaim. But that she had such glowing admiration of Robbins’ technique, saying he “brings talent to the toilet” and “we melt with admiration” of his “whizzing wordplay,” coerced me into writing about poetry again.

She gives this acclaim for the poet after having just professed, “For many people, admitting to a fondness for poetry is like admitting to a fondness for a mechanized floral armchair: it’s too pretty, and anyway, they don’t get how it works.” She seems to imply Robbins’ coarseness and commercialism is the answer, at least to the pretty problem.

I understand (I think) where she’s coming from but I must vehemently disagree.

I think ordinary people have lost their fondness of poetry because the art lost them; it has surrounded itself with obscure intellectual dust and the smell of something fetid in Denmark. Academics have touted writing because it fits a form or is clever. The People have coughed it up and spit it out and declined to repeat.

Just let me assume that you are an ordinary person who has lost her fondness for poetry. Would you be more apt to pick up and read a poem titled “One Hundred Leaves,” or one called “Pissing in One Hand”?

I’m not suggesting crass subjects cannot be addressed poetically, although it is not my preferred reading. Poems are effective tools for everything from war protest to advocacy for school reform to seducing a woman. Isn’t the whole point of a poem to suggest something without actually saying it?

The grass is green. That’s prose. The spring morn swept over the verdant lawn. That’s poetic. The dog pissed on the grass. That’s pathetic.

I believe God inspires real poetry for the benefit of ordinary man and I refuse to cower before intellectual snobbery to call something poetic when it’s only clever word jiggling. O clever man, bereft and distraught, take your poetry back: buy a book!

May I suggest House of Light by Mary Oliver, Refusing Heaven by Jack Gilbert or Time and the Tilting Earth by Miller Williams?

About janets123

Children's writer, newspaper columnist, essayist, poet, storyteller
This entry was posted in Short Takes on Life and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

10 Responses to Poetry for the People

  1. And that is telling it like it is. My sentiments, exactly!!!

  2. Samuel Mandel says:

    You’re an idiot. Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/books/alien-vs-predator-a-book-of-poetry-by-michael-robbins.html?_r=0

    Also, Robbins’s “commercialism”? The guy’s entire work is a critique of capitalism, for Christ’s sake.

    • janets123 says:

      You are right about one thing, Samuel–“commercialism” is not the best word. I was referring to Robbin’s liberal use of brand names, similar to Dali’s. I would not deign to consider poems about drinking diarrhea or ED in pets to be critique of capitalism, though. Thanks for stirring things up!

  3. Samuel Mandel says:

    Also, the quote from Poetry magazine that appears on the back of Jack Gilbert’s Collected Poems? Michael Robbins wrote that review. Your narrowminded, proscriptive conception of what poetry can be prevents you from seeing that “coarseness” is far from the only attribute of his poetry. God, people like you are—half-educated, full of naive prejudice, unfamiliar with the breadth of the tradition—are worse than people who don’t read poetry at all.

  4. maragen says:

    After reading all that its kinda scarey to step in, but … my husband writes poetry. I love the poems he writes for me on holidays and birthdays. I feel so blessed to be loved by a guy who can say it like he does.

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text:
Dipping and Diving

João helped Ze set the jib, then came aft with a sour expression. I was holding the windward espeque post, minding my own business. Not knowing his intention I took a step back as he got near. There isn’t a lot of room on a jangada’s deck — one step aft was all I could go.

He stopped just in front of me and grabbed the post I was holding, his hand touching mine. Brazilians are much less demanding of their personal space. When they talk to you they like to get up close so they can “feel” you better, touch you, and generally be more intimate. It’s a nice thing when you get used to it, and depending on whom you are talking to, it can be a very nice thing. This wasn’t one of those times.

He kept eyeing me, not saying a word, and we got locked into one of those stupid little staring contests, him looking fiercer by the second and me getting more spooked. Knowing who would win (I have four brothers and we frequently played this game), I broke the spell by smiling back and blinking.  João immediately broke into a grin — victorious. Now that social hierarchy had been established he seemed much more relaxed.

“Where did you get the hat?” I asked, tapping my head and pointing at his hardhat. “Did you work on a project?”
“I FOUND IT ON THE BEACH,” he shouted, though less than a foot away.
“AND DID IT—” I shouted back before catching myself. “—and did it have the line?” I now pointed at the crude chinstrap made from a length of Dacron.

João stuck out his chin and pulled the cord from under his jaw, tipping the hat off to show me. Looking down, I was surprised to see the hat’s harness was still intact, and close to the crown, several fishing hooks were stuck in the strap. Right in the middle was a small plastic bag filled with chewing tobacco.

“It looks like you have everything you need in there, João. Is that tobacco going to last the whole trip?”
His eyes quickly narrowed and he flipped the cap back onto his head. Replacing the chinstrap, he said defensively, “I have more below.”
And so ended our second conversation.

Abruptly he reached across me and grabbed a pair of lines attached to the forquilha. It was actually one line bent in two, tied to the top of the post with a cow-hitch and joined at the free end with a simple overhand knot. João took the free end in his right palm and wrapped the lines back around his wrist several times, bringing them out through the palm again. Clamping down on this with his fist, he now had a connection that would rip his arm off before it came undone. Needlessly he tested his grip by yanking on the lines with his other hand.

Holding the lines with both hands to his chest, he now stepped back until his heels were hanging over the edge of the toe rail, nothing behind him but the big blue ocean. He stood perfectly still, like a platform diver ready to launch himself. I had no idea what to expect — was holding my breath — when suddenly he gave me a sideways glance and then started to fall backward over the rail.

It happened so quickly I reflexively reached out to grab him—too late. He was already down, suspended over the water at the end of his lines with his feet still gripping the rail. He didn’t stay there long. Immediately he heaved in with both arms while thrusting up with his hips, so that in one quick kip he was standing back on deck as if nothing had happened. He glanced at me again, this time with a smug smile.

João did his acrobatic stunt a couple more times, just to make sure I got it, then switched to a new position. Facing forward, still holding the espeque lines with both hands, he eased himself sideways over the rail and started bouncing up and down without lifting his feet from the deck. Each bounce sent a tremor through the hull as if he was purposely trying to push it down with his feet. In fact, this is exactly what he was doing. Having no ballast on board,  jangadeiros use their bodies to counter the tipping force from the sail, leveraging their weight over the rail by hanging from their espeque lines. In a flash of insight, I realized I was witnessing what was probably the origin of the sailing trapeze.

After a few minutes of alternating one energetic move with the other,  João settled down to a more sustainable pace: leaning out against the lines and pulling himself back in — out and in, out and in — rocking like a metronome in time with the waves. Even this motion was unnecessary as the wind was blowing less than ten knots and the jangada barely heeled.

While João rocked back and forth, Ze crouched at the port side of the tabernacle, retying the line that held the anchor in place. (It must have come loose in the surf.) He worked methodically, without any rush, in stark contrast to his mate at the rail. It wasn’t the only difference between them.

Ze was the proeiro, or first mate. At five eleven, he was easily the tallest of the three jangadeiros, and the leanest, without an ounce of fat on him. Not that there was much fat in that group: grind it all together and you might end up with enough for a hamburger patty, extra lean. Tan and handsome, with short silver hair and a patrician nose, Ze looked more like an actor on a movie set, playing the part of a mature yet still vital leading man.

Put him on a horse and you could easily see him riding off into the sunset, after rousting the outlaws to win back the ranch. Change his tattered T-shirt for checked tweeds and he instantly became the dashing lord of a vast English estate. Cover the tweeds with a white smock and he was now the only surgeon able to save young Misty May from the fatal hole in her sweet little heart. (And when he wasn’t curing the incurable, was out playing scratch golf without any sunblock on.)

But this air of quiet ruggedness lasted only as long as Ze was standing still. As soon as he moved about the deck with his gangling legs, or smiled impishly with his twinkling eyes, or said anything at all in his high-pitched, nasally voice (as if channeling Lincoln telling one of his jokes), then the true character of the man came out. All he needed then was a peaked felt hat, baggy pants and shirt with some straw poking out, and you could easily see him bounding down the yellow brick road — off to see the wizard!

The anchor secured, Ze squinted up at the mainsail. The cotton cloth was stained but still in pretty good shape. Ze grabbed the aguador from the tabernacle lines and stepped to the rail. The aguador is used to scoop up seawater to throw on the sail.

A jangada’s mainsail is kept wet while sailing to improve the sail’s lift. It is a technique as old as cloth sails themselves. The water swells the fibers, closing the microscopic gaps that allow air molecules to trespass across the fabric. A “leaky” sail loses pressure. Over a large area of canvas this can add up to a significant loss in lift. But with a jangada’s relatively small sail, I wondered if the effort really made any difference.

Standing at the rail Ze bent down and dipped the can into the top of a passing wave. Instantly he whipped the shaft upward with both arms, shooting a liter of seawater to the top of the sail, 30 feet up. The water hit its mark with a drumming splash and darkened the sun-bleached cotton as it ran down, quickly absorbed by the parched cloth. Arms pumping rapidly, Ze repeated his swing until the entire sail was soaking wet, water streaming from its foot as if we had just passed through a squall. Wetting the sail is normally the responsibility of the bico da proa. But the bico da proa was busy showing off his prowess with the cabos do espeque.

Next chapter: Tacking a Jangada


text:
My iPhone 5

The current iPhone 4. The new iPhone will probably look the same.

This was originally supposed to be a post about what new iPhone models I thought Apple would announce on Tuesday.  I thought that they’d announce two models – a low-end model that looks like the iPhone 4 and a high-end model that had a new case design.  Then I read John Gruber’s thoughts in his Teardrop Skepticism post and decided that his predictions made a lot more sense.  He thinks that Apple will continue to sell the iPhone as their low-end (replacing the 3GS) and will sell an upgraded 4s model with an A5 processor and improved camera.  He doesn’t expect a new case design citing the fact that there have been no manufacturing leaks related to one.

Since I’ve adopted Gruber’s thoughts about new models, I’ll use this post to discuss my expectations and wishes instead. Lets say that Apple is going to release an iPhone 4s that has the same case design as the current iPhone 4. Here’s what I’m hoping for:

  • 64 GB Model – Please, Please, PLEEEEEAAAAASE Apple, release a 64 GB iPhone.  I’ve got 28 gigs of music and I can’t fit it all on my 32 GB iPhone without excluding the videos and downgrading the song quality to 128 kbps.  There’s been a 64 GB iPod Touch for two years now, so c’mon, put it in the iPhone! PLEASE! There was a prototype 64 GB iPhone 4 floating around this year, so they’ve at least tried it out.  Hopefully this year is the year.
  • Improved Camera – The camera on the iPhone 4 is fantastic, so I don’t really need an improved camera, but it’s always nice to get even better stuff 🙂
  • A5 Processor – It’s the same processor that runs the iPad 2 and it is pretty much guaranteed to make it into the new iPhone. The A5 should bring with it the graphics processor from the iPad 2, which should make already great games even better.
  • 4G Network – All the networks have it.  Android phones have it. Maybe the iPhone will have it. There aren’t many cities (including mine) that have 4G at the moment but that will continue to increase as time goes on.  From a future proofing perspective it would be nice to have the hardware to access a faster network.  I’m not sure how realistic that is however, because current 4G chipsets suck up a lot of power and Apple is very strict about how much power the iPhone’s components use. That’s why the original iPhone didn’t include 3G – it used too much power.
  • More memory – Apple does a great job of hiding the details of their hardware from its users.  Outside of techies you rarely hear anybody talk about how much memory their iPhone has. But being a techie, I always like more memory. More memory = more fast awesomeness, and that’s always good.
  • An improved screen –  Can the Retina Display get any better? Of course it can.  All displays are made out of layers of different things – the screen, the touch layer, the glass, etc.  With the iPhone 4 Apple integrated the touch circuitry into the screen.  There are still other things they could probably integrate to make the screen even more fantastic. They could also make it more scratch and smudge resistant.
  • An improved antenna – Meh.  Antennagate was overrated.  I’ve used iPhone 4’s at work and never really noticed any issues and I’d probably have a bumper on mine anyway.  But if they want to redesign the antenna to give me better reception, I won’t argue.
  • NFC – There were big rumors about Near Field Communications being included in the next iPhone earlier this year but they died down a few months ago.  NFC is a technology that would allow the iPhone to act as a credit card.  The Google Nexus S includes it and other phones are starting to include it.  The problem is that there aren’t any credit card readers that work with it yet so you can’t really do much. I’m sure that if Apple introduced it they would also have a partnership with a chain of stores or a credit card carrier so that you could actually use it.

So there we are, my wish list.  I’m excited that they are finally making an announcement.  It’s been a long wait since June.  I’m not expecting anything that looks wildly different from their current model, I’m expecting a solid upgrade to an already great phone.  It will also be interesting to see how Tim Cook handles his first product reveal without Steve’s reality distortion field. Tuesday is only four days away. Oh, and regardless of what they release, I’m getting a white one.

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A Closer Look at the Mill Levy Override - Ballot Question 5A: A Message from Superintendent Dr. Jason Glass

A Closer Look at the Mill Levy Override - Ballot Question 5A: A Message from Superintendent Dr. Jason Glass
Posted on 10/19/2018

Dr. Jason Glass, Superintendent & Chief LearnerBallots have now dropped in Jeffco, including questions 5A (a $33 million mill levy override) and 5B (a $569 million bond). In the last edition of Chalk Talk, we looked at the bond, question 5B. In this edition, we’ll take a look at the mill levy override, question 5A.

A quick disclaimer – as a public employee, I’m not allowed to ask people to vote for or against things on the ballot. However, I do feel it is important that I make sure our community is informed about their choices on the ballot in a fair and balanced way.

Question 5A would allow Jeffco Public Schools to levy a property tax that generates $33 million for our schools, adjusting annually for inflation. 5A dollars would go into the district’s general fund and would be available on an ongoing basis for things that have to be paid for every year, such as salaries for teachers and staff.

That property tax increase comes to about $2.10 per month, per hundred thousand dollars of residential value. For non-residential property, it’s about $8.47 per month, per hundred thousand dollars of value.

5A has specific uses written into the ballot question. These include:

  • Expanding programs in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and in career/technical education;
  • Attracting and retaining high-quality teachers and staff;
  • Improving student safety;
  • Updating outdated instructional resources such as books, supplies, and technology; and
  • Increasing early education programs.

5A also has some restrictions written into the ballot language. These include:

  • Funds cannot be used for senior district administration;
  • Spending is overseen by a citizen advisory committee; and
  • The funds are subject to an annual independent audit.

There are both arguments for and against ballot question 5A. I encourage you to visit the Jeffco Public Schools Future Funding website to learn more about those. There are comprehensive 500-word arguments both for and against in your voter guides (known as the Blue Book), which was mailed earlier this month.

What will we do with these funds? The Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education passed a resolution in August, directing that 50% of the funds would go toward increasing competitiveness with surrounding districts in terms of compensation, 20% for increasing school safety and security, 10% for expanding career/technical education and STEM options, 10% for improving classroom materials and technology, and 10% for expanding early education.

Ultimately, we look to the voters to have the final say on how we fund schools in Jeffco, and in Colorado so please take the time to learn about these important ballot issues.

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2021 Intrado Corporation. All rights reserved.


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There is no coloring or fragrance added to this soap. This soap is made with Olive Oil and Goat's Milk only!

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Goat's Milk

Qualities: This is a super gentle bar as well as nourishing to the skin. Goats milk has many vitamins and other essential elements to help nourish skin. These include vitamins A, E, C, some of the B vitamins, amino and citric acids, unsaturated fatty acids and zinc. Goat's milk soap contains caprylic acid which makes the product a low pH level because it is an alkaline product. This brings the pH closer to human skin and prevents dryness while allowing nutrients to enter the skin. This bar is a low suds, but very creamy bar.

Approx. weight: 4.5 oz.
Dimensions: 2.75” x 3.5” x 1”

Qty available: 7 SKU: E010
Castile Goat’s Milk $7.00

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Sneak Peek: Hill People Gear Snubby Recon Kit Bag

Hill People Gear gave a sneak peek of their upcoming Snubby Recon Kit Bag.

Just in case you don’t speak Kit Bag… “Snubby” refers to Hill People Gear’s smaller pattern Kit Bags for more compact handguns (up to a Glock 19 or similar in size). The “Recon” moniker means that it has PALS webbing on the front for attaching additional pouches.

This particular iteration of the Kit Bag fits the Bino Pouch so well that it will likely serve as a popular base for building a bino harness.

The Snubby Recon Kit Bag will be available soon. Check out the rest of the Kit Bag line at in the mean time.

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Jet2holidays iPhone & iPad App Help

Jet2holidays iPhone & iPad App Help

Thank you for using our app for iPhone and iPad.

Using the app you can easily download our brochures, bookmark pages and view the latest information on our website.

The app is automatically kept up to date with our latest brochures. Your library is updated with all our brochures every time you open the app, and if you'd like to be kept informed of new editions please enable notifications.

For further support and queries, please contact inbro.

If you arrived at this page because you're looking for the app, please click here to go to iTunes.


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Honda Timing Chain Cover - K-series (K20)

Honda K-series Timing Chain Cover (K20Ax)
Genuine Honda K-series aluminum timing cover for the K20A, K20A2, K20A3, K20Z1, and K20Z3 engines.

Comes with timing chain tensioner cover, crank seal, and inner seal.

Note: will NOT fit K24 series engines (taller engine).

Honda Timing Chain Cover - K-series (K20)

Regular price Sale $146.71
Ships: 1-5 business days
This is an estimated ship date once your order is placed from JHPUSA. Ship dates do not include weekends and holidays.
Brand:Honda HOP
California Residents Warning:
Cancer & Reproductive Harm
Welcome Newcomer


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Running on Empty by Marshall Ulrich (Book Review)

Running on EmptyRunning on Empty: An Ultramarathoner’s Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run Across America
by Marshall Ulrich
Foreword by Chris McDougall, author of Born to Run

When I was asked to be part of the virtual book tour for ultramarathoner Marshall Ulrich’s book I was really excited.  I had heard about Mr. Ulrich’s missing toenails (yes, he had them removed on purpose) and how he’s done extremely well in all the big ultras, but overall I didn’t know a lot about his life.  I have a lot of friends in the ultrarunning community, and while I’ve tweeted with Mr. Ulrich a couple times, I don’t know him directly but I have plenty of friends that could connect me to him in less than 6 degrees!

Since there is a whole virtual book tour going on, I thought I would tell you a few key points that stood out for me in particular.

1. This may be something that would be noticed by a chick more than a dude, but I was struck by the intensity and extreme love he used when talking about his wife Heather.  The way he NEEDS her on his journey across the country and obviously adores, respects, loves and cherishes her was amazing.  I have never heard men talk about women the way he talks about his wife.  He doesn’t seem emasculated in any way to express these feelings (like many men seem to think they will be), if anything he just feels like a more complete human being to me.

2. He went through a lot of heartache when he lost his first wife.  He retreated into himself and spent the time getting deeper into running and extreme sports.  It made me wonder a little if you need to have some kind of trauma and sadness in you life to be really good at ultrarunning.  I’ve seen many people I know struggle to find ways to make the sport fit into their personal lives.  It seems like a tough tightrope to balance upon.  There is even a part of the book where he says:

Family relationships often suffer in the ultrarunning community; clearly, mine are no exception.  The time away from home, the solitariness, the stubborn self-reliance all take their toll.

Marshall Ulrich3. I’ve realized this for a while, but there are so many aspects of endurance sports that translates into real life.  Sure, not everybody trains to run or cycle or do anything for miles upon miles upon miles.  And while you may not need to know how to consume a gel to make it through life, learning to gain your mental edge is key.  Things like getting beyond the numbers (whether it is the miles before you or a significant birthday), the power to keep going (one foot in front of the other, over and over) or the need to help others so that when you need help yourself there are people in your life to provide that.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to any of my running friends without hesitation.  Even if someone has just a casual interest in running I would encourage them to read it.  I’m not sure if those who have absolutely zero interest in running would be fascinated by this, but I think the story could be made into a movie that all audiences could enjoy.  True, there was a film crew following them on the run, but I haven’t seen it and I have no idea how it was pieced together.  I’m envisioning a movie that plays like a story from Marshall’s point of view… that would be interesting!

Marshall Ulrich on Facebook
Marshall Ulrich on Twitter
Marshall Ulrich’s Blog

  1. I’ve been hearing a lot about this book, but this post makes me want to read it! Your point about the role of some kind of trauma is really interesting, and makes me think about other ultrarunners I have heard about…there’s definitely a possibility that knowing how to push through the psychological pain of trauma translates into pushing through the physical pain of ultras…

    • It was really good! I need to figure out how to apply the mental strength I know I have toward good (like accomplishing running goals or just being healthy) as opposed to bad things!

  2. Thanks for telling me about your review. Interesting points. I also was struck with his feelings towards his wife, but wonder how they re-balanced their relationship when it wasn’t all about him anymore!

    • That’s an interesting question. I know he’s running the Badwater Ultramarathon right now and his wife has been posting updates on him to Facebook/Twitter. Seems like she’s very supportive of him. Maybe if they make it a team effort the endurance feats feel more balanced? Who knows!

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Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and YWCA of San Diego County latest additions

CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 20, 2010) – Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (Charlotte, N.C.) and the YWCA of San Diego County (San Diego, Calif.) are two of 13 charities which will be featured on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Samsung Helmet of Hope at Auto Club Speedway in October.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina’s Kids Café program and the YWCA of San Diego County’s Becky’s House will each receive a $10,000 grant.

The Charlotte Observer’s Jim Utter nominated Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and their Kids Café program.  The Kids Café program partners with agencies that serve children at risk of hunger and provides nutritious meals and snacks at those sites.

“In Mecklenburg County (N.C.) alone, as many as one in every six children is at risk for going to bed hungry every night,” explained Utter. “One can hardly do well in school or at play on an empty stomach.”

Greg Flores of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. nominated the YWCA of San Diego County’s Becky’s House.  Becky’s House is the first long-term transitional housing community in the City of San Diego for victims of domestic violence and their children.

“Achieving goals takes teamwork, dedication and sacrifice; characteristics that Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson and the YWCA of San Diego County share,” said Flores. “Because children who witness domestic violence are more likely to become abusers or victims of abuse as adults, it is important to me that the YWCA’s Children’s Health, Hope and Healing Program continues to provide services that break the cycle of violence and prevent abusive behaviors from being passed down from generation to generation.”

“Every year over 200 children who, with their mothers, are fleeing domestic violence find safety at the YWCA’s Becky’s House,” added Flores. “There, children receive the supportive services needed to succeed in school and begin the journey to achieve their dreams.”

Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina is one of eight Charlotte, N.C.-based charities that have received a spot on the Samsung Helmet of Hope since its inception in 2008. The others are Classroom Central, Loaves & Fishes, National MS Society Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Hendrick Marrow Program, Lowe’s Toolbox for Education, Care Ring and Birthday Blessings.

In its third year, the Samsung Helmet of Hope program is a partnership of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, Samsung and Lowe’s.  Fans and media members across the country have the opportunity to nominate their children’s charity of choice to be featured on Johnson’s helmet for a select race.  New this year, selected charities will also receive a grant of $10,000.  This partnership is part of the Samsung Hope for Children program, a corporate giving program that aligns athletes and retail partners to help children learn, live and thrive.

Johnson will draw one winner from a list of media submissions and one from a list of fan submissions each race weekend through the Atlanta event in September.  Current selected charities include: Beads of Courage (Tucson, Ariz.), Hunter’s Hope Foundation (Orchard Park, N.Y.), Foundation for Faces of Children (Brookline, Mass.), The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (Santa Barbara, Calif.), The Foundation (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Care Ring (Charlotte, N.C.), Birthday Blessings (Charlotte, N.C.) and Cookies for Cancer (Califon, N.J.). They join the Feeding America® Kids Café program, which was nominated by Samsung to kick-off this year’s campaign program.  The Kids Café program works to address the growing epidemic facing children’s hunger.

Fans and media members may nominate their charity by visiting  The nomination process will close on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 5pm EST.

For more information about the most recently selected charities, and
If you are interested in doing a story on Samsung Helmet of Hope or need more information, please contact Tara Gudger at or 704-714-4155.


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Release Notes - Nuxeo Platform - Version 8.10-HF16 - HTML format

  • [NXP-22227] - when an notification email is sent for permission assignment to a group, all users' email address should not be put in TO for all to see
  • [NXP-22260] - Fix multi valued JAVA system property on Windows in nuxeo.conf
  • [NXP-22819] - Define a page provider named LATEST_CREATED_USERS_OR_GROUPS_PROVIDER outside Elasticsearch modules
  • [NXP-23021] - Add debug logging in redis.retry.Retry
  • [NXP-23033] - ES not updated when document is versioned
  • [NXP-23067] - Cannot convert to ODT using template rendering
  • [NXP-23138] - Replace synchronized block by a ConcurrentMap to reduce the contention on connection acquisition
  • [NXP-23235] - MongoDB: Last created users and group page provider does not return all results when an entry has been deleted
  • [NXP-23245] - Id for external user cannot be handled by rest api when containing forward slashes
  • [NXP-23260] - Make the REST API work with directory entry id containing forward slashes

  • [NXP-23093] - Remove useless sort on dc:created in the workflow cleaner

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Archive para diciembre, 2018

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Why Almost Everything You’ve Learned About Custom Thesis Paper Is Wrong and What You Should Know

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