Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Type: response

text:
7 Mar 2009

LISTEN/WATCH (thanks to 3As for this information)

Dr Gerald McCann, Clarence Mitchell and the Carter-Ruck Solicitor [2.30pm] on next Tuesday (10th March). live before the Select Committee:

Hopefully, they will get the grilling they deserve for some pretty sickening press manipulation and cashing in. If newspapers keep getting hit with massive damages from those who have deliberately set out to court publicity, we, the British public pay the price, by losing newspapers altogether, the cover price going up to pay the costs, and most of all failing to get vital public interest stories and comment due to press fears of being stitched up by Carter Ruck at over £1000 per hour! We are not asking the press to break the law or behave unreasonably, but Gerry and Kate made themselves public figures and come what may, they are responsible for going abroad with three children and only coming back with two. That is a matter of huge public interest, particularly given they have so far evaded prosecution for that.

Memorandum submitted by the National Union of Journalists

The National Union of Journalists is the TUC-affiliated union representing journalists working in Great Britain, Ireland and internationally. The union has 38,000 members working as journalists or on editorial content in newspapers, broadcasting, websites, news agencies and public relations.

The NUJ has always seen the relationship between democracy and journalism as important and has had a Code of Professional Conduct since 1936. This code helped to inform the current Press Complaints Commission code.

The union's rules allow it to discipline members who breach its code and even expel them from membership for serious breaches. The code was reviewed and rewritten in 2007. The union's Ethics Council is charged by the union's rules with:

the responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of the professional and ethical standards of the union, with particular reference to the enforcement of the union's code of conduct and with researching and debating ethical issues in media freedom and regulation.

The Ethics Council is made up of members of the union directly elected by the members from the various industrial sectors of the union as well as representatives from the union's Black Members Council, Equality Council and Disabled Members Council.

The NUJ believes strongly in the right to freedom of expression and sees it as a vital freedom that underpins all other public freedoms. Without the right to publish a wide range of views, investigate and publish the activities of the powerful and what they are claiming to do in the name of the public, there can be no democracy.

The union is also acutely aware of the distinction between the right to publish in the public interest and the right to publish what will interest the public and thereby sell newspapers. The public may want to know about the private lives of celebrities but that does not mean that they need to know in order to protect their democratic rights.

However, there are individuals who seek to improve their status or earning power by courting publicity and presenting themselves as a certain kind of person, and the NUJ believes that it can be in the public interest to present a true picture of them to the public. When a person has entered public life and attempted to capitalise on their image or popularity, the public has a right to know the truth in order to make appropriate judgments about them.

There is also a public interest in freedom of expression itself; but the union believers that the random destruction of people's reputations simply to boost a newspaper's circulation or a TV show's ratings is not in the public interest and is the point at which freedom of expression has to bow to the right of individual privacy.

The select committee's questions:

Why the self-regulatory regime was not used in the McCann case, why the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has not invoked its own inquiry and what changes news organisations themselves have made in the light of the case

The NUJ is not surprised that the PCC was not used in the McCann case, nor that the PCC did not invoke its own inquiry. It is likely that the PCC would not have upheld complaints from the McCanns since it is arguable whether there is direct evidence that the articles concerned breached the PCC Code of Practice, which does not prevent speculation.

The PCC is a complaints body. It has no other purpose. It does not investigate ethical issues of concern of its own accord. Its predecessor, the Press Council, produced a series of reports following in investigations of key reporting events, which allowed lessons to be learnt. The PCC has steadfastly refused to be so proactive and while it occasionally produces guidance, this is limited to specific advice on individuals' addresses or on photographing the UK royalty. We believe that the PCC should act proactively, investigating the coverage of major stories or stories that have sparked particular concern about the ethics of their coverage.

Whether the successful action against the Daily Express and others for libel in the McCann case indicates a serious weakness with the self-regulatory regime;

There is no protection for reputation in the PCC's regulatory code -- nor in the NUJ's. The redress for the McCanns was in libel law. The NUJ's code does seek to ensure that journalists differentiate between fact and opinion. The PCC code has a similar clause.

We do not believe it would be appropriate to try to regulate for protection of reputation in the PCC code. What the NUJ has consistently campaigned for is a "conscience clause" for journalists in the code. This would allow reporters who feel they are being pressured to produce material that is not supported by evidence, or whose reporting is being stretched beyond credulity in its presentation, to refuse that assignment. This could have been helpful in the McCann case.

The NUJ wants to see such a conscience clause to be built into contracts of employment, but failing that we believe that the PCC should at the very least have a confidential contact point for journalists, allowing them to make contact when they feel they are being asked to act unethically or if they feel their material is being used in an unethical way; we would like the PCC then to investigate without putting reporters' career at risk. Evidence that journalist had contacted the PCC could be used in an employment tribunal, in the event of employers taking action against them. The NUJ operates such an "Ethics Hotline" itself, which many reporters have found helpful.

The interaction between the operation and effect of UK libel laws and press reporting;

UK libel laws and the operation of conditional fee agreements have a chilling effect on reporting in the UK. The NUJ agrees that people's reputations should not be harmed purely for the entertainment of readers and to increase circulations; nor should someone's reputation be damaged by lies, smears or innuendo. However, in order to report on the fitness of people in public life, whether politicians, those in public office or those who deal with the public through their business or personal inclinations, it is necessary to expose wrongdoing or anti-social behaviour. We believe there should be a "public figure" defence to libel, such as exists in the US. This would mean that someone in public office would have to prove there has been either a reckless disregard for the truth, or malice, when damaging information about them has been published. Refusing to print corrections or clarifications would be evidence of reckless disregard. At the moment, there is less risk to a newspaper in publishing true, but private revelations of some private citizen's sex life, than there is about publishing details of corruption in business or political life. This is not acceptable and the libel laws should be amended.

The NUJ very much welcomes the development of the "Reynolds Defence" to defamation cases, effectively establishing qualified privilege where a publication can shown it has met has met certain standards in producing the article in contention. These standards are those the union expects from its members - checking information, affording a right to comment and so on. They also effectively set a "public interest" criterion that is also welcome. However, we are concerned that Reynolds cannot be fully exploited by the courts because of publications' reluctance to defend cases for reasons of cost.

The impact of conditional fee agreements on press freedom, and whether self-regulation needs to be toughened to make it more attractive to those seeking redress;

CFAs have made it very difficult for newspapers to defend lawsuits, since the surcharge on costs that lawyers are able to impose makes them so high that few newspapers will risk a fight and nearly all will pay off the suit at an early stage -- no matter how strong the evidence, or the compliance with Reynolds criteria. Only publishers with very deep pockets dare contemplate fighting a case; regional newspapers have effectively stopped defending libel cases altogether. This is one reason for the continuing decline in serious investigative journalism, since newspapers will not risk attracting lawsuits.

The observance and enforcement of contempt of court laws with respect to press reporting of investigations and trials, particularly given the expansion of the Internet;

Fewer court cases are reported now in the UK than ever before. The days of local newspapers sending one or two reporters to cover the courts every day are long gone. Staff reporters only attend to cover the big sensational cases.

Often the courts will seek to anonymise a defendant, or to limit publication of certain evidence, only to find that with the posting of reports online, accessible in countries outside the jurisdiction, the information will appear on the internet. UK law prevents the naming of minors of the victims in sexual offence cases, but again this can be thwarted by the web.

In major murder or other serious cases there is a high temptation to publish potentially prejudicial information post-arrest and pre-trial, in contravention of the 1981 Act. Again such details can be published on the internet from abroad. With such information in the public domain, easily accessible to any potential jury member, it is difficult to see the present contempt laws as serving much useful purpose. In any case, there are very few cases indeed of contempt for pre-trial publication; virtually all have been over what has been published during a trial.

Research from the US, where full publication has always been allowed, suggests that this would not lead to wholesale miscarriages of justice. However, such a change after years of judicial censorship in the UK would probably lead to problems. The UK is one of the few countries that do not have the need for responsible court coverage in its ethical codes. The right to a fair trial and the right to be presumed innocent, as established by the Human Rights Act, could be used to ensure some fairness, but it would be a number of years before the balance between fairness and publication was achieved.

What affect the European Convention on Human Rights has had on the courts' views on the right to privacy as against press freedom

The NUJ supports the Human Rights Act and therefore the European Convention and believes that its effect on the courts has been beneficial.

Whether financial penalties for libel or invasion of privacy, applied either by the courts or by a self-regulatory body, might be exemplary rather than compensatory;

The NUJ believes that the PCC should be able to fine newspapers for breaches of its Code of Practice. The PCC opposes this but the NUJ finds its arguments unconvincing. The PCC adjudicates very few cases each year, and even fewer are upheld (between ten and 20 each year). Not many of these are privacy intrusions - indeed, most of the worst cases upheld are thoughtlessness rather than malice. To fine in those cases would rarely lead to more than five cases a year on present statistics, but since these would be the worst cases and ones where the PCC would have decided the newspaper had deliberately or recklessly breached the code, the fine would send out a message that the PCC has teeth and would be prepared to bite. We believe its objection is rooted in a fear that the PCC would risk losing the industry's support and probably collapse.

As to the courts, we believe that current balance is about right. Any attempt to strengthen the existing law on privacy would be likely, in the NUJ's view, to put serious journalistic investigation at risk. Much of "celebrity" journalism is really public relations, done with the participation of the subject, so legislation to protect privacy further than the courts are doing already is likely to increase the publication of this kind of information, at the expense of genuine journalistic enquiry in the public interest. The jailing of Clive Goodman in 2007 showed that the law can apply strong penalties to journalists who abuse private information.

Whether, in the light of recent court rulings, the balance between press freedom and personal privacy is the right one.

The NUJ supports the right to privacy, though we would like to stress that this is a general right and not one limited solely to media invasions: invasions of privacy by CCTV, the police, the intelligence services or commercial operations without the authority of the law are just as damaging to a free society as invasions of privacy by the media.

Citizens' privacy should only be invaded if there is good reason to believe it is in the public interest so to do, whether this is because they are believed to be committing a crime or social misdemeanour, misleading the public in some way or endangering the health and safety of themselves or others.

The Union's Annual Delegate Meeting discussed privacy in 2001 agreeing the following motion:

ADM recognises that it is a mark of a free and democratic society that all people have a right to respect for their private and family life, their home and their correspondence. ADM also believes that people have both a right to know what is being done in their name and a right to information on which to base their choices and that this might legitimise the revelation of information that by the earlier definition should remain private.

ADM believes the only way to determine which information should be revealed and which remain private is for a journalist to test whether the information is in the public interest - which is not the same as information that will interest or titillate the public.

ADM declares that information revealed in the public interest is that which is required for members of the public to use to determine their intentions and opinions to seek to ensure probity and honest dealings amongst the civil and military authorities, the judiciary, politicians and all those holding positions of public authority or who have courted prominence in all walks of life.

We believe that despite the outrage expressed by many editors desperate to justify what are often quite outrageous intrusions into the private lives of public figures, the moves made by the courts to firm up the law of confidence and apply it to privacy claims are largely justified. Key cases such as Loreena McKennitt, Max Mosley and others from Europe have helped to draw a reasonable and straightforward line between private and public. While there have been one or two cases where the judgements have been more difficult to interpret and apply - the Naomi Campbell case, for instance, where the courts decided it was in the public interest to publish the story, but not in the public interest to publish the pictures that were the main evidence in support of the story - generally the line identified has clearly distinguished between private and family life and public life.

Additional comments:

We would ask the committee to consider the importance of journalists being responsible for their professional conduct. Newspaper editors insist that they are solely responsible for ethical conduct within their newspapers. While they are certainly responsible for what is published, they are not, nor can they be, entirely responsible for everything done in the name of the newspapers. The PCC is insisting that its Code of Practice is written into the contracts of employment of journalists, which concerns the NUJ. We believe that journalists are responsible for their work and are therefore entitled legally to refuse instructions they consider unethical, through a "conscience clause" as outlined above in this submission.

Professor Chris Frost,

Member of the NUJ's National Executive and Chair, NUJ Ethics Council

January 2009

viv said...

and some rather different comments on the, ahem, trifling damages the Mcs got which were nothing to what the papers made out of them. I just think the Mcs did not want to bother with the PCC because they wanted the money, that is why they waited until the
Daily Express had been printing reports about them for almost 12 months, the limitation period to complain. If they were that bothered about their, ahem, reputation, they would have moved a lot faster than that, but the more reports get printed the better the case against the Express was going to be and of course the better the damages, poor old McCanns! This bunch claim they support freedom of the press, what to get clobbered with exemplary rather than ordinary damages, how much did Gerry pay them to say that?

Memorandum submitted by The Campaign For Press and Broadcasting Freedom (CPBF)

(extract of relevant bit)

5.2. Whatever the case, however, and in answer to the Committee's question, we would strongly argue that financial penalties for libel or invasion of privacy applied either by the courts or a self-regulatory body, should be exemplary rather than compensatory. We would also argue that the courts or a self-regulatory body should be empowered to ensure that the award of any such damages be carried with due prominence in the offending newspaper(s).

5.3. As the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom we firmly believe in the 'publish and be damned' principle - in other words, newspapers should be free to publish what they will, but also free to take the consequences. The consequences, however, have to be meaningful ones. In our view, given the enormity of the offences committed by various newspapers, the awards of £60,000 to Max Mosley, and, in the McCann and McCann-related cases, of £550,000 to the McCanns themselves, of £375,000 to the so-called 'Tapas Seven', and of £800,000 to Robert Murat, Michaela Walzuch and Sergey Malinka, were nothing less than derisory. Given the incomes of the papers in question, and, more particularly, given the increases in sales which these stories generated, these damages (and the associated costs) were little more than pinpricks and were no doubt simply laughed off by the editors concerned. Significantly, the News of the World's response to its defeat at the hands of Mosley was to run a full page advertisement in the Press Gazette featuring a woman in a basque over which was superimposed the word 'Domination'. The advertisement was headed 'Mosley's not the only one getting a spanking' and boasted that 'we've been beating our rivals for 165 years'.

5.4. At the very least, then, damages should be fixed at a level which ensures that no paper can actually profit from running a story which is later shown to have broken the law. This means that damages have to be computed, in part, in terms of sales figures and associated advertising revenue. But this ensures merely that newspapers cannot profit from their crimes. Computing the exemplary aspects of damages is considerably more difficult, but, when doing so, it should be borne in mind that (a) popular newspapers routinely insist that those breaking the law should be publicly 'named and shamed', and that their sentences should be primarily punitive and retributive; and (b) that the vast majority of the British press vociferously supported the 'sequestration' of the assets of those unions which broke industrial relations law in the 1980s. Admittedly the British press routinely acts as though its endless strictures apply to everything except newspapers, but in our view what's sauce for the goose ....

6.1. At 5.2. above there is mention of a 'self-regulatory body', and this is clearly a reference to the PCC. However, we have not the slightest doubt that the PCC as presently constituted would never dream of levying financial penalties on newspapers which infringed its Code and/or the law. As we have argued in earlier submissions to this Committee, were the PCC to become a regulator with real teeth, the newspaper industry would simply cease forthwith to finance it. Indeed, one of the most striking things about both the McCann, McCann-related and Mosley cases has been the almost complete invisibility of the PCC - an invisibility which springs from the fact that none of those who were libelled or whose privacy was infringed thought the PCC remotely worth bothering with, a judgement with which we would heartily concur. Even so, one might have expected the PCC to institute some kind of retrospective enquiry or inquest into the McCann and McCann-related cases which, between them, involved every single popular national daily newspaper published in Britain. But no. Absolute silence.

6.2. Furthermore, the Executive Editor of the News of the World, Neil Wallis, sits on the PCC Code of Practice Committee, and this is chaired by Paul Dacre. This illustrates all too clearly why the PCC is part of the problem and not part of the solution when it comes to the questions raised by this Committee. The PCC cannot act effectively on these matters - even if it wanted or knew how to - because it is financially and organisationally beholden to the very newspapers which repeatedly insist on infringing the law, abusing the judiciary and trashing the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998. Thus since the PCC is congenitally incapable of constructing and enforcing a satisfactory code on privacy, and governments are far too terrified of being monstered by the press even to contemplate formulating a privacy law, the only option is to allow the courts to do so in ways which are fully compatible with the ECHR and HRA and which thus give adequate protection to freedom of expression. We thus conclude in answer to the Committee's questions that news organisations have made no changes whatsoever in the light of the McCann and McCann-related cases, and that the successful libel actions against the Express and other papers arising out of these cases indicate a near-fatal weakness with the self-regulatory regime of the PCC.

viv said...

Mark Thompson of Carter Ruck gets called an ambulance chaser, lol! I wonder why Gezzy picked this firm...(!)Maybe because they are about as reputable as him. I will not post the whole of the minutes of evidence but Carter Ruck get a serious bashing! Good!

Q88 Chairman: Mark Thomson, your firm has been singled out as being the libel equivalent to ambulance chasers. Presumably you would not accept that.

Mr Thomson: I am not on the CFA Committee. They seem to reject a number of my cases and maybe it is because they were involving privacy. I had a case two years ago. We were in debate, it was not accepted on the CFA and they did not accept it, the client accepted the risk and therefore the potential of losing his house and we won. It was a case against a celebrity magazine. We have differences of opinion. They seem to reject a lot of potential cases when they assess the risk. A lot of the area in privacy is still developing to some extent. There is risk in that as the Naomi Campbell case pointed out. She lost in the Court of Appeal and won in the House of Lords by 3:2. CFA committees do not always take every case. There are differing views about risk. We cannot look into the future and predict precisely what a judge may say.

Q89 Mr Evans: Peter Oborne at the moment is currently taunting the Home Secretary to sue him. Maybe you should be staying by the phone, Mark. You may just get that call on a CFA.

Mr Thomson: Suing on what?

Q90 Mr Evans: Allegations on the Additional Cost Allowance. He has written serious allegations and said, "Come on, sue me." Is that a case you would relish to take on?

Mr Thomson: I think it may be a political speech.

viv said...

Poor Mr Thomson, here is a bit more, you know I do not think they like him, or Carter McRuck..I do not know, I do not think that is right, oh dear Mr Thomson, I am sure you really impressed them with your powerful arguments:-)))

Q66 Philip Davies: We have heard that the typical hourly fee might be somewhere in the region of £600 an hour and on a Conditional Fee Agreement, with 100 per cent uplift, that will be £1,300 an hour plus VAT. If firms like yours are so concerned about access to justice then perhaps reducing those fees would be a good start, would it not?

Mr Thomson: Those figures are not correct. Our fee at the moment is £400 an hour, which is about the standard rate in the industry.

Mr Evans: Are you having a sale?

Philip Davies: It is the credit crunch!

Q67 Chairman: On the £400 an hour point, on top of that you still have your success fee.

Mr Thomson: It is a staged success fee.

Q68 Chairman: And you have the ATE premium on top of that.

Mr Thomson: Yes, and that is staged as well.

Q69 Chairman: If you add in all the additional costs what is the total per hour?

Mr Thomson: It depends when it settles. Under The Times Carter-Ruck cost agreement, if they have checked the story and it is then settled within 14 days the success fee is zero, so it stays at £400 an hour. Because of the way the staged payments work, it is only if the newspaper decides there is merit in fighting the case that the uplift increases at the end of the case. Most cases in reality do settle within 14 days. If the other media got involved - and they refuse to at the moment for their reasons - and adopted the Carter-Ruck Times Agreement, if it is settled quickly there would be no success fee.

Q70 Philip Davies: What proportion of cases that you take on under a CFA do you win and what proportion do you lose?

Mr Thomson: I do not know those figures. They are confidential. There are a number of committees looking at costs at the moment. Our firm is providing the data anonymized to those various committees. They will be provided in anonymized form.

Q71 Philip Davies: Why is it confidential how many cases you win and lose?

Mr Thomson: I do not know what the answer is anyway.

Q72 Chairman: It was suggested it was a 98% success rate.

Mr Thomson: I do not think that is right.

viv said...

Are you having a sale! (only £400 p.h. plus up to a 100% uplift, insurance premiums etc)

I hope they are just as sarcastic and nasty when they get to meet the three goons on Tuesday!

Maybe Gezzy should re-train as a libel lawyer!

hope4truth said...

Hi Viv

Been reading you on the 3As and although I must admit I find it hard to belive that Gerry was responsible for the abduction and Madeleine is safe somewhere ready to surface at any time (or will stay there forever and grow up with a decent family as another person)I guess it is not impossible...

The only happy thought was always that some kind childless sole heard her crying and thought if her parents cant be bothered to care for her she would and Madeleine is safe somewhere being treated like the most important child in the world...

It sure as hell beats the sad fact that she may be in the hands of a Peadophile ring or dead..

I dont understand why people want to shut their minds to the many things that could have happend to her...?

No one had the right to take her for whatever reason and that includes her parents.

The only thing I am 100% sure of is The two people responsible for what happend are Gerry and Kate McCann...

Leaving their children alone was a criminal act the fact that one of them is missing because of it (or was killed by one of them, killed by over sedation, had an accident while they were out, was carried off by Gerry and given away) it all comes back to the parents are to blame...

Kate refusing to answer a single question is one of the most discusting things I have read what gives her the right to deny any help to her own daughter (I can think of only one reason not to answer and that is if she had they would know she was lying and had she answered truthfuly she would have admitted she knew where Madeleine was)....

The whole mess has been run on spin from day one false sightings where they would rush off on a private jet to go look and then a really real sighting in Belgium that they just were not intrested in...

I have read so much on this the rogs are all conflicting and I am sure they are being investigated by our own police and the PJ also have very clear evidence against them that wont convict them but one day.....

As time goes on the evidence of the dogs to a no one like me shows there was a body in the apartment and the fact Kate came out with a statement she had been with more dead bodies on her 1.5 days a week as a GP than Harold Shipman ever had shows it worried her. But it could also mean many other things I guess I would have to sit down with Martin Grime and ask him to explaine it to me...

There is a huge power trip going on at the moment and it looks like we all have to belive she is dead (which I do) but none of us know what has happend the fact Madeleine may still be alive and safe (alive and in the hands of a peadophile ring is not a comforting thought) being safe is the best that can come out of this mess...

And although I strongly belive she died in 5A (over sedation was my first thought) anything is possible...

Also there is the question of her eye how bad was it???? Because if you are correct and she was given up they had to tell the world about it and made it the main focus of the poster showing how you could clearly not miss it... If she had been abducted like the McCanns wanted us to believe it would have sealed her fate as no one would be able to do anything with her. If she did not have one or it was very small then if she had been given away once she had a hair cut or had been kept out of sight for a year whilst her hair grew longer a new family in town with a little girl of 5 with near to normal eyes could not posibly be Madeleine.....

There was a time when everyone wanted justice for a 3 year old child who was so badly let down by her parents it was criminal. Looking at all the happy pictures of Gerry and Kate and watching their strange interviews and reading Gerry's self serving blogs showed what a cold hearted bastard he was and Happy Kate so full of Joy on her childs 4th Birthday then refusing to answer a single question for her showed what a cold hearted bitch she was.

No searching for her when she went missing or in the weeks that followed tells me they do know exactly where she is dead or alive I dont know? I have an opinion but that is all any of us have...

Justice for Madeleine McCann no matter what her parents did to her is the second most important thing. Because as much as I believe she is dead the first and only thing that matters above all else is if she is Alive she needs to be found and given the same love and support as Shannon Mathews all children are all of equal importance...

Di said...

Hi All

Back home now after a very relaxing break.

I have had a look over on 3A's and I am glad to see RAT has posted again after a long break.

I also came across this thread from Stevo which I thought was quite interesting.

nancy said...

Hi Viv and Hope,

Regarding the Press Complaints Commission etc, I don't see why a law can't be brought in that would ensure all litigants had to go through them for their advice and action before being allowed to take a newspaper etc. to Court.

I know that would really bug the rich lawyers, but it would ensure that people like the McCanns and numerous'jump on the bandwagon copycats and celebrities didn't 'make something happen' so they could get what they considered libellous comments in the media, in order to make themselves a nice bit of money - like all of those connected to this case of poor Maddie.

I consider it iniquitous that the McCanns started off the media campaign and spurred it on as fast as they could in order to get on the front pages, travel the world, give interviews to all the right magazines and radio/television channels, not only in the UK but abroad as well, and then have the temerity to say they have been libelled and being unfairly treated. If they'd kept quiet in the first place and not courted publicity they wouldn't have been maligned, but then that was what they wanted - any fool can see that!

nancy said...

Hello Di,

Nice to see you, and thanks for the link which I shall go to now!

Di said...

Hi Nancy

I cannot disagree with you.

hope4truth said...

Hi Di

Glad you are relaxed...

I read that earlier it is another posibility (anything would not surprise me now)...

Someone commented about not forgetting the bruises on Kates arms.. My Husband would never lay a hand on me but god forbid I was hurting one of out girls and he would not hesitate to do whatever to stop me..

Same with me if he ever got violent towards either of them I would knock him into the middle of next week and get us all out of the house...

So I guess her bruises could be because he is a thug or she is???

I cant see him covering for her though well not unless he had something to loose???

Di said...

Hi Hope

I have not read all the thread Stevo said the following which is worth thinking about.

As much as I respect Snr Amaral, I think the man is very cunning and astute as well. In a recent interview he said he saw the contents of the text messages. He could have laid that mystery to rest by continuing to say "...but there was nothing of interest in them..." or "...and they contained details of what really happened..."

He is just as much a controller of information as GM is a controller of lies IMO - but for distinctly different reasons

Di said...

Worth thinking about, distinctly different reasons, what does he mean?

Off now enjoy your evening.

hope4truth said...

Have a nice evening Di

Re the text messages he may not have even seen them but the thought that he could have and they are there for the future could make one of them start to tell the truth...

To be honest reading all the interviews it is obvious they are 0 liars and when a child is missing lies are not something that should come into it.

That is why I think the PROs are told what to say because no matter what happend now we can read what has been said any decent person would be asking why the need to change timelienes lie and refuse to answer simple questions...

viv said...

Hiya all, and sorry I have been neglecting you but Stevo on 3 As amazed me with his candour in basically reflecting everything I have been saying on this blog. It was a fascinating thread and made a very pleasant change to see some honest views put forward until the agenda pushers arrived who clearly just want to disrupt. Very similar to the behaviour of the Pros on the DE. It is such a refreshing change to see a really good debate going on but there are so many people on their who are just pushing their own agenda and that is a real shame.

This thread literally went like lightning tonight and I felt much the same as I used to on the DE in its hayday, that I simply could not keep up with it, but note what happened at the end, the most ridiculous posts. So sad. It just goes to show that people do have a strong opinion but that opinion is being held back by many on there who want to just keep people on track, those blasted dogs etc. I used to love them but they have been used to stifle debate and prevent anyone from really questioning the one who I feel was most certainly to blame, Gerry McCann. When a regular and popular poster Stevo starts to voice that view people had the confidence to go for it and say what they really feel.

viv said...

Hope, I do think the Pros are told what to say and they have prior knowledge of things that Team McCann hope can be spun into good publicity.

Rose made an announcement something good was going to happen a few weeks before Gerry went to Portugal and both her and Mum have been making the same prophecy telling us we only had a few weeks to wait. Well now we know, Gerry is giving evidence to the Select Committee. How pathetic to think that either event is going to generate any good publicity for this thug and what has happened to Kate, is she so ill, she just cannot be seen any more? Why does Mitchell keep holding this psycho's hand? I would like to think Mitchell has some good intentions and take heart from that swimming costume remark, that Gerry was inappopriate. In fact it was the same abuse of Kate that he has used with Maddie, pick the prettiest, most made up, most cute pics of Maddie for a good marketing ploy. Mitchell surely meant him harm when he dropped that one?

Roll on Tuesday, as I have posted above Carter Ruck have already had a really good trashing at The Select Committee and I do not anticipate that attitude changing on Tuesday. It certainly begs the question, why would Mr Control Freak pick on the worst bully boy money grabbing solicitors of the bunch? Well we know the answer. People can try and keep us on track Kate is a really bad child killer, I just do not bloody believe it and pushing an agenda is wicked. What we care about is

We know the one who is able to go back to work and Portugal and Select Committees and we do not know what has become of Kate, do we? A former intelligent and able doctor.

viv said...

Di, maybe it is time we were a bit more honest about Goncalo Amaral, I have tried not to run him down but the fact is he went for just one theory and I do think that was wrong. Then he wrote a book backing that theory and that was definitely wrong in the context of an ongoing criminal investigation of this case.

There is something very wrong with people backing a healthy man making a lot of money and forgetting that what this is really about is MADELEINE BETH MCCANN, a missing little girl, presumed dead or maybe still suffering terribly.

viv said...

As regards Goncalo's ambiguous comments about the text messages, I think what he was actually saying although wishing to leave it unclear was that he had not seen the vital 14 texts the day before and 4 the following day but clearly wishes that he had. The thing is if he had known would it all now be in the public domain, and would that prevent Kate and Gerry being put on trial. I do believe this is why British authorities were starting to withhold information from him and wanted him taken off the case. I hope the damage is not too great. I do not think British government will allow his book here, there could well be an injunction in place.

viv said...

and as for Tony Bennett making a submission to the Select Committee, telling them how right the dogs were, oh dear...

viv said...

Hope, if women even get the chance or are brave enough to try and fight back there are scratches to the man's face or arms. Not a mark on Gerry...many marks on Kate.

viv said...

Hiya Nancy

It would certainly be good if it could be made a legal requirement that all would be litigants against the press firstly had to go through the PCC and this was put on a statutory footing to beef it up a bit. AT present it is just like the Law Society, funded by the solicitors, and so there is question about whether they can effectively regulate themselves or whether the government should step in.

Then there is the issue of success fees being allowed on top of what is already a massive hourly rate. I think that could certainly be stopped. A balance clearly has to be struck between the freedom of the press to responsibly report and at the moment it is far too much in favour of people like Kate and Gerry who deliberately made themselves public property, Gerry even saying at one point, we are not film starts or something, but that was clearly what he wanted and the money that goes with it. Just like Jade Goody unfortunately when you want to make all that money, you become public property and there is a price to pay if you behave in a less than appropriate way. The press are going to tell the public about that. It is very sad now though that Jade is dying and still she is on the front page of the papers everyday. I think the press sometimes forget maybe we can get saturated with it!

I think Gerry has been the driving force and remember comments for instance like with the Vanity Fair interview, that Kate did not want to take part, she did not want to comment. I think she did want her privacy but he left her no choice. To me privacy is a precious thing and to become a millionaire I do not think I would be prepared to give that up because I have everything I need, too much money can bring misery.

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-17
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for April 2017
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Day 70 Things that make me smile - Frozen

Yep, I am late to the party, but today I went to see Frozen. (Doesn't it come out this week or next on DVD?) Anyway, I love Disney movies and the music and message in this one is one I really enjoyed.  Sister power makes me smile tonight. (Now if I could just get this song out of my head...)

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
White Wedding Dolphins

Availability: In stock

These adorable White Dolphin Wedding Bride and Groom will bring years of enjoyment as you remember your special day!

Height - 3.25 inches
Diameter - 3.50 inches
Weight - 6 ounces
Made of Hydrostone

Enhance the presentation of your cake top by placing it on a lovely Display Base.

Dozens of different styles available to showcase your treasured keepsake.

Imagine how beautiful your cake top can forever be, by displaying it in an exquisite Glass Dome!

Sorry, no customization is available on this cake top.
What's New at JW Cake Tops

Lasting Kisses Silver

This silver anniversary couple shares an affectionate kiss, symbolic of their many years together.

Wedded Bliss Army Blue Officer Groom

This lovely fine porcelain wedding cake topper shows the bride sharing an intimate moment together on their wedding day. This will make a beautiful addition for your guestbook table, or to crown the top of your wedding cake.

Swept Up In His Arms Police Groom Blue Uniform with Nurse Bride

This Nurse Bride is head over heels for her Police Groom and he is nothing but a gentleman carrying her over the threshold. They couldn't look more in love captured in this classically romantic pose. Add a personal touch by changing the color of the Bride's shoes. Sorry, bride's nurse cap cannot be removed.

My Dream Bald Groom

The special day has finally arrived. The guests are all waiting to see your dream finally come true! A lovely Bald Cake Top for your wedding day.


text:
Friday, April 18, 2014

Paint Party Friday

Art Abandonment Project......over 12,000 (including me) are part of the Art Abandonment Project on Facebook.

The idea is to abandon a piece of art somewhere with a note telling the person they just found free art that they can leave, take or pass along to someone else.  Then you get a photo of where you left it and put it up on Art Abandonment Group page on Facebook. There are a number of files in that group and some of them are tags to put with the art. I used one of their files and ran it off on yellow card stock.

My plan is to leave 2 glass pendants, a pair of domino earrings and 2 ACEO's (all alcohol ink items) some place in Italy the end of this month while I am there. The tags have an email address where the finder and send information or comments or whatever.

I cannot wait to do this in Rome. How much fun will it be?

For more information on Art Abandonment visit: Art Abandonment Group on Facebook:

Want to learn more about alcohol ink art join our Facebook group:

For more really cool art, visit Paint Party Friday Blog at:

Giggles said...

Sounds like a hoot...imagine the person finding them!! I've had a couple of friends do that!! A very generous act!

Hugs Giggles

AnnD said...

You are going to have so much fun doing this in Rome! Hope the rest of the trip is equally great!

denthe said...

That's very generous of you! Lucky the ones who find your beautiful pieces ....

Renee Dowling said...

I wish I was going to Rome. I would look all over to find your art, they are gorgeous. Love the colours and composition. How did you attach the earring hooks to the dominoes? Cool idea!

Joann Wheeler said...

Renee: They are glass blocks. I attached bales with E6000 glue

Popular Posts

My Blog Rings


text:
Ellen Wilson is the fiance of a soldier serving out country in the Military.  She proudly displays a decal on her car that reads "I Love My Soldier."  That decal seems to have offended one random passerby so deeply that they left a hate-filled and threatening letter on her windshield.

Ellen posted the letter she found on her Facebook page:

(Photo source: Facebook)

The letter reads:

So I noticed your “I love my soldier decal. I’m sure he is your “hero” too right? I feel really bad for you and how blind you must be to what is really going on in this country. First off he is not your hero.

Your “man” is a pawn being used in the immoral game of wholesale murder. If you’re aware of the real reasons America goes to war(corporate profits) and the role “soldiers” play in making such immoral acts possible. The last thing you would label a soldier is a hero.

There is nothing heroic about blindly following immoral orders from a undeserved paycheck, especially when such orders involve the unnecessary murder of others!!! It’s people like you and your “soldier” who are destructing our country, shame on you b****!  You’re lucky I didn’t slash your damn tires!!

That is just despicable if you ask me.  The individual who left this letter did not leave their signature.  Apparently, they don't believe in their own opinion enough to sign it!


text:
Monday, May 23, 2011

Border Collies and Bikjoring

I was going to try out Skijoring with Kenzi during the winter. She loves to pull and we get plenty of snow. But I ordered her a harness in the beginning of January and didn’t get it until the third week of February - on the first day we had no snow left on the ground. Sigh. So much for Skijoring. But I still have the harness and I still have the dog and that dog could still use some more exercise. Enter Bikjoring. The same principle as Skijoring except that the human end of the equation use a bike instead of a pair of skis. I have a sneaking suspicion that the reasoning behind this might be that the two modes of transportation can be equally as dangerous for the human when attached to high energy dog.

Tonight I took Kenzi out for her first jog along side the bike. She did well and we practiced slowing down a few time and keeping her focus on running instead of all the other things along the way. The mile long jog/sprint was just a nice stretch of the legs for her so I think we may have a winner. I am very sure that how ever it ends up it will probably be a crazy adventure because, well, Kenzi is involved!

On the knitting front, since I finished up both patterns and samples I was work on and sent them away to Knit Picks, I’ve been a bit bored with no pattern knitting to do. So in the past week I’ve submitted three new pattern proposals to them. So now the waiting game begins anew - will they like any of them? Which ones? Any chance that they’ll like all of them? Stay tuned…

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Friday, January 4, 2013

Valentine's Day Banner

Word to the wise:
Don't ever think out loud in front of your 4 year old.
Especially if it's about something that sounds kinda fun and exciting;
let's say maybe something about a possible party?

I made the mistake the other day of saying,
"Wouldn't it be fun if we had a little Valentine's Day Party?"
And now my son is obsessed.
So now, I guess we are definitely having a Valentine's Day party.
Which means I need to get crackin' on the decorations now, otherwise they'll never get done!

 So today, I made a Valentine's Day Banner for our mantel.
(I'll be adding to the mantel a little bit at a time over the next month, and will share as I go)

 Everything I needed, I already had at home.  Sheet music, cardstock, paint and twine or hemp.
Luckily, my sheet music was already yellowed and aged, seeing as it is probably 30+ years old.
 I cut 7 pieces that were approximately 5" wide and 4" long.
I simply made a heart template out of paper, and centered it on top of my sheet music.

And then carefully painted it in
(very carefully; you don't want to bleed out the sides of your template)

So then, I had all these cute little squares.
I then quickly glued them on cardstock and distressed the edges with black ink.

And, voila!  A quick, simple addition for my mantel.

And a closer look:
(I know the hearts don't show up very well in the photos,
but I promise that they do look better in person!)

There you go!
Super fast (less than an hour), super easy (basic cut & paste) and super cheap (free!!).
Can't beat that!

Julie Rogers said...

That's super cute!!! Thanks for sharing;)

Danni Baird @ Silo Hill Farm said...

just fabulous! I'm inspired!

Steph @ Crafting in the Rain said...

SO pretty!

Jillian said...

Aah! SO cute! I love me some sheet music decorations! And, how smart to just paint the hearts on the paper! :)

Homa Style said...

Very cute and sweet idea. Visiting from In Designer Jeans.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...


text:
Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Christmas Greetings 2010 from Our Home to Yours….

May you experience the True meaning of Christmas found in the Joy of being surrounded by good friends and family and an abundance of unconditional love accompanied by good food, much laughter and a sense of sharing all that is nearest and dearest to your heart.

We send along our best wishes for a New Year filled with happiness, abundant good health and a measure of prosperity beyond your wildest dreams.

Your friends from KaijaSong

Gary, Kaija & Doc

Curacao - Lat 12.04 – W 068.51 Dec 15 –

We are anchored in Spanish Waters a large safe water bay housing 4 designated anchorage areas.  These are close to bus facilities that provide easy access to Willemstad (the capital) for check-in –out procedures, albeit you need to have good walking shoes as they have somehow managed to spread out the distance between customs and immigration about as far as possible without changing towns.

The colours here are brilliant and the hustle and bustle reminds you that you are in a busy trading center.  The local population is made up of Dutch, Venezuelan and native islanders and it is unfortunate that our experience with them showed they are not always as gentle or friendly as one might expect.  On more than one occasion we found ourselves being jostled about, whether just standing and waiting for a bus or dealing with unpleasant /impatient and often rude vendors.  This was not what we expected and would not recommend a return visit.

We are waiting a weather window for our next leg to Aruba.

Bonaire - N12.09 – W 068.17 Nov 24 – Dec 15

We made a dash for Bonaire missing the outer islands of the ABC’s, Los Roches and the Aves due to a family emergency requiring our immediate return to Canada.  This is unfortunate as it was these outer islands that we wanted to visit.  We arrived in Bonaire and put KS in the Harbour Village Marina and Kaija and Gary boarded a plane for Toronto.  Doc was left in the loving care of our good friends John and Jeri on Mv Peking.  The following is an excerpt of the daily updates we received from them regarding Doc’s care.

Dear G&K,

Doc and I were out in the mud flats behind us and we were stalking flamingos, Doc is a pretty good hunting dog, but I hate it when he gets feathers caught in his teeth so we let the birds off tonight.

While we were waiting for the birds to come closer I reviewed your most recent e-mail with Doc.  His first question was "who are Kaija and Gary? Are they the two hard hearted pack members who denied me treats and made me wait 30 hours before I could pee"?
"Yes", I replied.
"I have heard that immigrant routine before, and I do not buy it" said Doc. "I am a Rottweiler, an immigrant from Africa.  My ancestors, when they came to North America, learned that hard work diligently served provides each foreigner with the promise of success based on their own merits and not tied to some fictitious ancestry.  Gary and Kaija play that "poor immigrant” line when they look for a break or sympathy.  They never gave me goggles when I was swimming.  Gary would sit in the dinghy and make me pull all 250 lbs of him and never once give me a snorkel tube to make the job easier. From one immigrant to another tell them to forget it."

 Doc continued, “Let’s be candid.  Since they took the soft gloves of formality off, I want to address the issue of "slop".  Yeah, they are pretty good at giving gruel to the working staff while they regal themselves with foods from France and other exotic places.  Do they come on deck at 3:00 am with even the smallest morsel for the perpetual watch I maintain?  Did they even say "thanks" when I protected the boat in that den of thieves in Trinidad?  Did they ever treat me in any special way when I guarded them in Isla Margarita?  Never!   Ungrateful aliens, they should be cast from gracious Canada, my adopted home, returned to the cold regions of Finland.  There they can feast on rancid reindeer meat and rue the day they demeaned their faithful companion.  I hope Kaija gets antlers to gnaw upon."

"And, while I am on the subject of respect, I do not like being called "meat head"; I did not fall in the water when we got tangled in the nets.  I did not have a mast that shrunk; I did not put on the flea medicine early in the morning then tell me I can not swim.  I believe there are more candidates then me for the title of "meat head" and if the crown fits, I suggest someone else wear it.  After all, I am a dog and in that context am a stellar performer, if I do say so myself.  What does the rest of the crew have to boast about?

 The birds have gotten close now and we are about to depart.  Doc looked at me and said, "You know, on the whole they were pretty good.  I was very sorry they abandoned me; I am a very sentimental Rottweiler.  If you run into whats their names, tell them, I can forgive a lot of their foibles if they would just put chicken pate in my dog food.  However, before I assume the role of indentured servant, I want an employment contract, signing bonus and two NHL draft choices".

I told him the signing bonus would be the hard part.

Needless to say, Doc was well taken care of, spoiled rotten and treated like family during his stay aboard Peking.  We are grateful to John and Jeri for their loving kindness during our absence.  Once again, we have found truth in the oft expressed sentiment that there is no better friend than a fellow sailor…strangers at first, but truly a friend in need becoming a friend indeed.

On our return to Bonaire we enjoyed clear water snorkeling of ‘the wall’ which is within a few feet of the shoreline.  Our last day we enjoyed a fun morning in the water at Eden beach which is also one of the best beach glass finds we have located anywhere in the Caribbean.

One of the surprises of Bonaire is the flocks of Flamingos that we found located just across the road from the marina.  It was fun to see them feeding in the shallows with their brilliant pink hues lit up by the evening sun.

All in all, Bonaire is a small quaint island with easy check-in and check-out procedures, friendly people and good restaurants.

Cayo Herradura N10.59 W 065.22 Nov 20 – Nov 23

This small cay is located on the western end of Isla La Tortuga and is predominantly a sand bar with a small gathering of fish camps, a lighthouse and is a favorite weekend retreat for mainlanders of Venezuela.  There is little here other than a safe anchorage in bad weather.  The waves can roll virtually right over the island in bad weather.  We enjoyed a brief stop here resting up after our adventuresome departure from Cayo Cubagua and our first episode in 6 yrs of cruising being snagged in a local fisherman’s net.  The highlights of this story include Gary being pulled off the boat by the net as he attempted to cut it loose only to have it snag him and allow his safe return to the boat.  Our friends on Peking were as unlucky and also got tangled in the fisherman’s net and after a couple of tedious hours of cutting away finally found freedom.  We would like to think this was an accidental ‘snagging’ however with the number of pirate incidents one is never quite sure.  However, as the saying goes, ‘all’s well that ends well’.

Cayo Cubagua N10.49 W064.09 Nov 17 - Nov 19

Cayo Cubagua was the first European settlement in America in 1492, known as Nueva Cadiz and was known for its pearls.  At the height of the pearling industry they exported 820 pounds of pearls.  On Christmas day 1541 an earthquake and a tidal wave destroyed Nueva Cadiz.  Today it is uninhabited safe for a small research station and a few fishing camps.   In ideal weather there is good diving on a wreck of a car ferry that sunk in the late seventies.  Unfortunately, this anchorage tends to be rolly as the swell comes around the western tip of Margarita and into the bay.  After two days of this it was time to move on.


text:
Monday, April 05, 2010

PAS seeks royal hand to terminate APCO contract

PAS is seeking the intervention of the Rulers Council in terminating the contract between the BN federal government and public relations firm APCO Worldwide.

PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa submitted a memorandum, signed by its president Abdul Hadi Awang and all PAS MPs, to an officer to the Keeper of the Rulers Council in Kuala Lumpur today.

PAS feels that the BN Federal government arrangement with APCO will create a negative perceptions about Malaysia in the eyes of the world especially among Muslim nations since Israel has violated and encroached into Palestinian territory. How can we sign an agreement with a company that is associated with Israel's atrocities on Palestinians? This is unacceptable to all Malaysians.

Salahuddin who is Bachok MP said PAS is bringing this matter to the Rulers Council, as it is the avenue of last resort in a constitutional monarchy since the BN federal government is in defiance.

Watch this video:

No comments:


text:
Thursday, October 27, 2011

Let me out of here pt 2: Alone

I feel really alone.  I asked for someone to look over my resume (on the debil aka. facebook) and I get snarky comments (mostly along the lines of "why don't you take your husband's resume and just put your name on it!"). Yeah, that feels great. Thanks guys.

I just posted a note begging for help with anything at all (work has been insane, truly insane, and I'm packing and sorting alone)--I'm horribly overwhelmed and horribly stressed out. I did get one response (a SAHM is available to come help me but only during the hours when she knows I work). If I could get a few days off this wouldn't be an issue.

I keep wanting to run out the door. I hate that I need this income right now. I hate it.

There's no actual point to this other than a need to vent somewhere.  The one group of friends I was venting to has basically said they don't want to hear any of it until I no longer work here--guess I vented too much.

There are multiple events this week/weekend. I just canceled one for this evening.  I will probably cancel tomorrow's too.  There are 2 parties Saturday (and I think one Sunday).  At least one of those was already on the chopping block but I'm beginning to think it's major anti-social time.

I thought my mom could come help me but neither she nor my dad have had great health lately.

I'm in this alone and it's really hard.

I need a job in Los Angeles and I need one now.

Let me out of here!!!!

I need to get out of here, now.  SO, I've not updated in a long time (sorry).  DH got a job in CA. So I am leaving.  I don't have a job yet but we have an apt. there and I may have found a daycare yesterday (they have an opening in 2 wks).

All signs today say RUN RUN RUN AWAY!

I need to find a job. I need to do this now.  I've been putting it off.

I need out of here. Panic. Total panic. My current day job is in an institution that is a horrible sinking ship.

i just canceled swimming tonight so I can apply for jobs.

Friday, September 9, 2011

I just found the coolest sewing blog!!! OMG!

I just stumbled on this.  I love, love, love the stuff she's made!  I plan to use up some of my stash in an attempt to make one of the ruffly scarves (I'll use silk).

In boring job hunting news: DH is now being courted by 4 companies (most in SF).  The latest may let him work from here for a while (this would be a mixed blessing--good financially but would mean I'm stuck in this gig for a while). Oh well.  I'm just crossing my fingers he gets a job (and one he likes).

In other news, I now have a vagulely professional sewing gig.  A buddy of mine is opening a store in her little town in MT and has asked me to design/sew some inventory for her.  So far, I've made 3 burp cloths (not a lot, but my time is seriously limited).

I guess that's it for now.  TGIF!!!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

DH has had a couple interviews with companies in Northern CA. So, the job search focus has changed for me.  I need to find jobs to apply for and then actually apply for them. :)

I'm stressing about cash but at least DH is trying to get a job with a nice steady paycheck.

Crossing my fingers this all works out.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

NYC?? Texas?? Somewhere else???

Pardon the current obsessing over various places.  I am overly focused on the idea of escaping the Land of Entrapment (if only for a year or so).

DH has an interview in a city where I can't find anything I'm qualified for that will pay a decent wage *cough* NYC *cough*. But I've looked into it and apparently there are places that are affordable to live in the area--so there's that (some detached houses with tiny little yards--SQUEE).  And if he made enough, I could loaf about for a while and/or get some little froof part time gig (which would be amazingly awesome and would completely fix this whole burn out problem I have).  Also, New York is a much cooler city (that goes without saying, but still). The downside--it's colder there. If I whine about it being too cold in the Southwest, and I do, then I'm pretty sure the first couple of winters would kick my ass.

The job posting for the job I applied for has closed.  So they're reviewing applications.  I guess we'll see if I get a bite.

Another possibility is the Austin area of Texas (not quite as cool as NYC but super cheap). IDK.  This uncertainty is annoying at best. Bah.

I want a new job. And, I want to move.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Are people in my job in NYC homeless or what?

That, my friends, is the question of the day.  DH applied for a job in NYC and if he gets it, he'll take it.  Naturally, I looked into jobs in my current field.  The cost of living is 59% higher than here.  The pay for the equivalent of my job is about 10-20% lower in NYC. How does that work exactly?

Clearly you couldn't really rent an apartment on that pay (I'd starve on that pay here).  You couln't buy a place on that pay.

So you'd be expected to show up to work in professional attire (which you'd store under a bridge or something). Would you eat out of trash cans? Seriously, how the fuck would you live on that pay somewhere that expensive.

If DH got a high paying job and my pay could just be for savings etc., it wouldn't be too bad I guess.  I want a job where I could support us if/when needed. This shouldn't be too much to ask.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

On becomming a real grownup at the ripe old age of 30something

Ya know what I'd kill for right now?  A massage, a facial and a margarita! Being a real grown up means not spending money on any or all of the above when I cannot afford it.  Alas, no massage, facial or margarita for me.

I decided to make myself learn to plan meals, and eat at home the majority of the time (not just fast food but actual food prepared in my home--gasp), even for lunch.  This is motivated by money.  I can't afford to be lazy and only cook when I really want to.

The plan:
Step 1: Tell DH things have to change (check). He's not making any cash so he gets to deal with my new system--tragically the new system involves more work for me.  He took it well and seems to be on board.

Step 2: Develop a vague plan of what we might eat this week (the plan included PB&J, grilled cheese, and um chicken and maybe some veggies)--not much of a shopping list but I've never excelled at planning meals more than 3 hours in advance.

Step 3: Shopping (Piglet and I enjoyed this step).  For $57, we left the store with what might actually be enough food for the week (or pretty close).  Considering that I've been spending over $10 on lunch alone during the week, this is pretty awesome and has motivated me to cook.

Step 4: Prep some meals in advance to keep this project from failing miserably.  I managed to chop and freeze 2 onions and prepare a meal to cook later (yes 1--to my credit I have a minor sinus infection and needed a nap).

Step 5:  Profit!

So it's Tuesday.  I've managed to eat at home for lunch both work days (and DH is remarkably on board).  I've made 2 dinners in a row (this never happens during the week).  My only expense in the past 2 days was my daycare check.

If I keep this up, I may be able to at least afford the margarita in a few weeks. :)

Friday, August 12, 2011

Husker Du!

Piglet's current favorite game is Husker Du!  A co-worker of mine gave me her old copy (it was her daughter's favorite board game).  It's a memory game where you place pawns over pictures and then pick out matches.  It's quite simple and quite easy to scale the difficulty level.  You can place the pawns and then turn the wheel to change the location of the images to make the game more challenging.  We frequently will pick out 5 or 6 pairs and just play with those since Piglet is new to board games. She has a lot of fun playing and it's a nice change from Blue's Clues (baby is currently cracked out on Blue's Clues).  My co-worker's daughter is absolutely thrilled that a little girl has and loves it.  Hooray for hand-me-downs!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

I had natto udon for breakfast.  Are you jealous? It was so awesome (leftover from last night's dinner). Also, I scored free ice cream today. And I slept fairly well last night for the first time this week.Hooray!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Ojos in my butt!

Piglet is 2.  Two year olds are talky little creatures, at least mine is.  Piglet has a large vocabulary (in English).  Piglet is learning a bit of Spanish at daycare.  This is great and encourages me to brush up on my Spanish (I haven't but the thought occurs to me).

Unfortunately, this has spawned the "ojos in my butt" joke.  It was probably funny in a startling/immature way the first time. It's really not funny any more.  I thought "butt jokes" were hilarious and awesome right around the age of 5 or 6.  I'm really not ready for butt jokes.  There are downsides to teaching kiddos to speak.

That said, almost certainly when I pick up Piglet, she will say, "there are ojos in my butt!" and laugh hysterically, rinse repeat.

So far, this joke has mostly been told in the car.  I understand, car rides are boring.

I need to teach baby that something else is equally hilarious that's slightly less embarrassing to me should she yell it out in public. But really, how does a mom-approved joke compete with "there are ojos in my butt!"

On music

I'm fairly obsessed with music.  So here's my album of the week.  It's perfect "stressed out at work" music. Not too sleepy,not too bouncy.
I should probably have something intelligent to say about this but I'm too tired and tonight will be night 4 of virtually no sleep. Lovely, just lovely.

Tired, frustrated, late

Poor Piglet, my 2 year old, is sick.  Illness in a 2 year old is generally expressed in waves of epic tantrums.  Piglet woke up crying and making whiny little raspy sounds that might have been words.  I could have racked up major Mommmy Karma last night if not for the 3 previous nights of Piglet-related lack of sleep--instead I was frustrated and grouchy.  I whined back begging Piglet to PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SLEEP!!!

Getting dressed was a major battle, getting into the car seat took 2 adults, there was screaming and the like all the way this morning.  Poor little piggy.

I was late to work, naturally, and the pile on my desk is insane.

There is not enough coffee in the world.  Ugh.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

evening goals

My goals for the evening are simple and few (though likely to be thwarted because I think my toddler is coming down with a cold--poor bear).
1.  Play my guitar
2. Clean my floors
3.  Cook dinner

1 will probably happen after the munchkin is asleep if at all.  At 2, munchkin likes to help--this is cute for about 5 seconds and then quickly becomes annoying beyond words. I need to get munchkin a small cheap guitar of some sort--this might solve the problem at least somewhat and I could pretend I'm being wonderfully educational and forming my own little Mozart (minus the negative aspects of his character, of course).

2 will happen. I recently picked up a Bissell Quicksteamer thing. Best $80 I've ever spent OMG.  I can clean my floors in less than 1/4 the time better than ever before (and it uses so much less water than mopping the hard floors.  My lovely cats (who are fortunate to be cute and cuddly) have a favorite spot in the living room.  Since I've been using my new floor cleaning thingy with the pet formula of cleaning solution, they've mostly stopped using the spot and I'm coming home less frequently to a cat scented house. Oh how I love this thing.  I saw a deluxe model for pet hair and the like and very nearly bought it (except I was 1000 miles from home and the one I have is only about 2 months old).

3. I'm not sure on this goal.  I have the makings for a great (and simple) sausage pasta (pasta, basil and tomato from the garden, artichoke hearts, cheese, olive oil), but I'm also pretty lazy when it comes to food during the week.  We shall see.

addition: So, I managed dinner.  It was awesome. I'm exhausted. It's been a long day.

Hello!  I suppose I should introduce myself, it's only fair after all. I'm a 30 something mother of 1. I work full time in a vaguely satisfying job.  I am stupidly obsessed with my stock portfolio, gardening, food, music and recently cosmetics (and of course, all things child-related).

I've recently begun to hatch an escape plan (from my current job) and will chronicle that adventure here as well as my various obsessions (because my friends are tired of hearing about them). :)
Thanks for stopping by, more content soon.


text:
Saturday, September 7, 2013

I'm allergic to the world and a corn free recipe.

First the allergy fun: I just finished 4 rounds of allergy testing, as in 4 allergy testing appointments with skin prick testing all down my back and some times with shots down my arm too. Round 1 was vindicating, but not helpful. It showed I was allergic to grass and trees. It was vindicating in that anyone who has ever been annoyed with me refusing to touch grass (i.e. sit in the awful stuff) can now, kindly go choke on something.

Allergy testing round 2: LIFE CHANGING. Not fun. I had an anaphylactic reaction to the testing. It was delayed so I left after the testing and had to come back in. The short version: 1 week on a hefty dose of prednisone, a RX strength antihistamine, an OTC antihistamine, crap tons of albuterol (nebulizer and rescue inhaler).  The biggies were household dust and animals. No more denial about being allergic to the geriatric cat.  The other realization: OOOOH SO THAT'S WHY I ALWAS FEEL SUPER CRAPPY WHEN CLEANING AND AM USELESS AFTER!!! I've changed how I clean and now get more done and have some energy left over (DO NOT DRY DUST, PEOPLE! BE SMARTER THAN ME!).  Also my husband has started helping with the housework I shouldn't be doing so much (dusting mostly). Huge run on: And I've been using the HEPA vac and the carpet cleaner a lot more and there's a HEPA filter in the bedroom and I've been using this allergy spray stuff, washing bedding more often attacking the cat with Simple Solution cat allergy stuff and allergy wipes and just plain getting out more. WHEW that was long.

Round 3 (which was delayed over 2 weeks to make sure I was fully recovered from round 2): Amazingly was pretty uneventful (I was allergic to some stuff but not enough to knock me out for 2 weeks).

Round 4: FOOD!!!! GLORIOUS FOOD!!! They did 52 skin pricks on this one. I was so very, very scared. The food allergies were the reason I went to the allergist.  Amazingly, no horrific reactions! They weren't able to test for all the foods I suspect (this is probably good, I'm just assuming allergic to them for now). The biggie here was CORN. I'm not very allergic to it but it's in EVERYTHING. I MEAN EVERYTHING. Not just corn syrup and corn starch, EVERYTHING!!!! My freaking toothpaste had corn in it, shampoo, 3/4 of the food in my house, etc. I'm allergic to some other foods too but they're easier to avoid (shellfish, avocado, rye, melon).  I'm trying to avoid food I'm allergic to to see if it makes me feel better.

I'm anxious for the follow up with the doc. I'm hopeful that she'll say not to worry so much about the corn allergy so that I can occasionally eat at a restaurant, buy produce somewhere other than just the farmer's market, eat occasional cheese. It's 100 degrees out and since I'm avoiding corn, I can't eat ice cream, fml. I'm obsessing over it. This can't be healthy, right?

Anyway, I'm trying for 1 week to not eat anything I'm allergic to (tried last week and failed daily, DAILY). We'll see. I'm going to eat some weird things this week, I think.

Corn free recipe 1: Bastardized spring rolls! <--yummy and completely unlike spring rolls aside from the roll part)

Rice wraps (Greenland brand rice paper--they have rice and tapioca)
tofu--one package(careful--some of this has CORN IN IT!) I found one that I think is corn free. This should be soy you stupid companies.
Flax seed--about 2 tsp
Coconut oil about 2 T
fresh green beans from the farmer's market--around 5-7 (the ones at the store are probably covered in corn or ripened artificially with corn because 'Merica must put corn in everything, for funsies!)
basil  (both fresh and from farmer's market/homegrown)

Slice tofu, and beans as desired. Cook tofu, beans flax seeds in coconut oil. Prep rice paper per package (you soak it for a few seconds).  place small amount of tofu, beans, flax in rice wrapping (I didn't drain the coconut oil). Add sprigs of basil and cilantro. Wrap it all up like a tiny burrito, and repeat until you've used up all your filling.

My family liked them so much they demanded I make them 2 nights in a row. It's a win.


text:
Friday, April 21, 2006

the millennials & the fourth turning

Tonight I heard a breathless paraphrase of the future as prophesized by William Strauss and Neil Howe, authors of The Fourth Turning and Millennials Rising, and it didn't quite add up to me. Especially the stuff about the Millennials, the generation born in 1980s and 1990s. The argument is that this is a generation that was highly nurtured in their childhood, and that they'll grow up and save the world.

Yet it was during the late 80s and early 90s when the crack epidemic decimated black communities, and nurturing was in short supply for the children who suffered through it. It's also spans the era when school desgregation failed and blacks and white children became even more isolated from one another than they had been before Brown v. Board.

It's funny how we whites think the world begins and ends with us.

trAcy said...

tho, often when i encounter a child whose license says they are 16 to 26 or so years old, and that child is white, they don't seem at all like people who would save anything but their playstation/cellphone/etc., suped-up wanna-be-racer hondas and themselves.

i am curious about that book you're citing. . .as when i hear "very nurtured," i think "spoiled (suburban) rotten." (see above.)

every day a friend of mine who fought in world war 2 and is now driving a school bus in the inner city (where he lives) for extra cash for a film project calls to update me on "this generation."

he blames their disrespect on the Dr. (Benjamin) Spock childrearing theory that was popular when you and i were kids. . but it came out in 1946. i guess the "blamed" part is how spock discounted discipline in lieu of children's expressing themselves.

kids "these days" don't respect authority, no. not even when it's warranted, but like you said, it's something you have to grow up with to understand.

Anonymous said...

The Millenials will save mankind. Interesting. That flies in the face of all sorts of anecdotal evidence that suggest our "highly nurtured" saviors are little more than unimaginative, overly sheltered, self-absorbed and horribly spoiled.

Employers are finding Millenials are unwilling and unable to take initiative, and they think they deserve praise for completing the most mundane tasks. A few months ago, the NY Times reported on students e-mailing college professors for classes. Much of the article focused on how the tone of these e-mails ranged from rude and demanding to outright helplessness. One student wanted to know what type of notebook was best for taking notes.

These kids are going to save us? God help us all.

joe said...

Interesting input. I must confess, I haven't been following the story. I just pick up little pieces here and there. I recall first hearing about it on a news show, and now that you mention it, I recall that a few frustrated employers were quoted. It's just funny to hear from my perspective, because most of the young folks in that age range who I know are black and poor and urban and their experiences don't correspond in any way with what the media has been hyping.


text:
Monday, July 8, 2013

Karla vs Texting girl

My little troll face.

I was the the gym the other day, and this girl decides to text, not paying attention to her surroundings and block me in.  It took a while for her to realize I was trying to get around her, and I was trying to say excuse me.  I was finally able to, and she let me pass.
 Oh West Hollywood, you sometimes house the snarky boring looking bitches too.

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
21 March 2011

What To Wear This Summer

This post brought to you by Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love beaches though I actually can't swim, I still love the idea of bumming on wet sand and the tranquility of splashing water and blue sea gives a priceless feeling of peacefulness.

We already have some beach outing plans laid out with friends and relatives somewhere in our pristine islands and one with our company yearly event that is set in Indonesia. I am pretty excited about it since it had been a while since the last time I dip in a slat water. Preparing for it I started searching for some beach wear and found a site that showcase arrays of women's swimwear at Newest Arrivals in the Express Spring 2011 Swim Collection! And here is my best pick
Sexy isn't it? Only I am not sure if it will fit me plus those stretch marks and surgery scars, I can only wear it in my dreams I think. But I think this one below will somehow be in reality if I strive enough to lose more pounds  off my body, maybe it will be possible by third quarter of the year we will see.
Looking at her makes me want to dive into the season’s sexiest swimwear. She had on a spandex monokini, plunging front and flirty self-tie sides with removable padding and a sexy moderate back coverage that shows a little less skin than a two piece swimwear and with designer details that gives a more shapely look. It will surely look better with added accessories like sandals, tote bags, sunglasses and hats. And by the way the site also got swim shorts and sunglasses that would be perfect for hubby too.
That monokini makes me want to grab my sneakers and jog at the park right now. How about you what do you plan to wear this summer? Better head of to Express.com then and sign up for Express e-mail for a chance to win $200 Express GiftCards, why not check sweepstakes rules for more details, the promo  ends 4.21.10 at 11:59pm, EST
Visit Sponsor's Site

moongoddesslei on March 28, 2011 at 5:08 PM said...

summer is fun! I like the second swimwear.
The two pc is like a-bra-and-a-panty thing to me :)

Kasai on March 29, 2011 at 9:49 AM said...

yup dear summer is fun, if you could only see my 2 year old, he is likes swimming a lot :D

Post a Comment

This is DO FOLLOW Blog, feel free to comment with your URL for Backlinks

Visit my other site too!
My Life
In My Opinion

My Simple Life Copyright © 2009 Flower Garden is Designed by Ipietoon for Tadpole's Notez Flower Image by Dapino


text:
Thursday, July 1, 2010

The Amarnath Yatra began yesterday with some 3000 brave hearts being flagged off from Jammu. This was despite the fact the Kashmir has seen one more planned "summer of discontent". One should not be surprised at all with the timing of the "spontaneous outpouring of the anger of urban -jeans,chic t-shirts, Nike shoes and Reebok caps youth". The master mobster Syed Ali Shah Geelani had warned the government of large scale protests if the period of the Yatra was not reduced to 15 days. True to his word Geelani showed that he meant business. With covert and overt support from Pakistan (to where he bows when in prayer) he unleashed the power of what he is known best for-the Islamic mobs.

It is not Geelani that baffles us here but all those parents who send their children to riot, to lynch, to kill,to throw petrol bombs and to pump out all their adrenalin on the streets of Kashmir. I didn't know this was a way of channelisng pent up sexual energies in the new radicalized Islamic Kashmir .What kind a parent would send his son to indulge in riot I often wonder. But then there is a history to it.

Kashmiri Muslims are adept in the art of Stone throwing. The last I heard was that some Malik is writing a book on Zen and the art of stone throwing. Throughout the sixties, seventies and eighties when there was no "occupation force" the Kashmiri Muslims would indulge in this "sport" by throwing stones at each other. The Sher-Bakre (supporters of NC and supporters of Mirwaiz) would almost indulge in this Kane-Jung(stone wars) almost religiously and come what may every Friday post the Nimaz this would be a permanent fixture and would delay my return from the school because the Alikadal bridge would be hostage to this stone war. So to believe that they are throwing stones because they are mourning or protesting would be out-rightly comical if it wasn't terribly tragic.

There is no doubt in anyone's mind why all this is happening now. The answer is simple that the separatists no matter what they say see the Amarnath Shrine as an extension or a connect of India with Kashmir. They do not see the same in case of let us a Kheer Bhavani Shrine because even today it is not frequented so much by non-kashmiri hindus.

They feel that all the gains of cleansing that they clinically achieved so far are seemingly frittered because lacs of pilgrims from the mainland are visiting Kashmir and thus the connect lives on. It frustrates them to no end but at the same time they cannot openly oppose the Yatra because they do not want to be seen as foot-soldiers of the ideology of Islamic Hate that their mentors like Syed Sallaudhin, Hafiz Saeed and others stand for.

At the same time Pakistan and other donors ask for some performance for the money that they are giving the separatists so here we are.

The other reason for stone throwing is that Pakistan and its cronies in Kashmir have realized that is simply impossible to beat India by force of Kalaishnikovs. So this route of Intifada (the Palestinian model) looks more real. In all this Kashmiri Muslims do not understand the damage they are doing to themselves. Imagine a young man in teens or even younger who is made to believe that a solution to a problem lies in throwing petrol bombs and stones. What kind a society are we creating. We have already seen effects of violence in Kashmir when one Kashmiri Muslim boy killed another simply because he thought that his friend was wooing his girlfriend. It is this belief that violence is answer or a solution that is dangerous and fraught with problems.

As a fellow Kashmiri I would request with folded hands to all Kashmiri Muslims not to give their children a stone or a petrol bomb but a book. Don't let them get used by mobsters like Geelani. Ask him where are his children and grand children. Are they throwing stones too?

It is time Kashmiri Muslims realize the enemy within. It is time the people like Shabnam Hashmi do not just lecture the state on being humane but also tells these Islamic mobs not to lynch security personnel, not to burn temples, not to encroach on properties of Kafirs and not to think of a stone as a solution.

PS: I will today re-read Wazoo-i-khoon of Mansur bin hallaj who too was stoned to death at the directions of someone who was a Geelani of those days. The Stone throwers live on......

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Separatist Paid Goons target Security forces in Kashmir

Security personnel run for cover as armed riot mob targets them.

Also Read

The New Stone Age

The Other side of the story in Kashmir: Blame it on Police

A J&K Police Constable is mercilessly beaten by a street goon.

A paid good targets J&K Police vehicle with stones.

A gang of paid goons attacks a lone J&K Police constable.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

36 Shops of Kashmiri Pandits demolished by Delhi Government

It is a tense night for at least 36 Kashmiri Pandit families in Delhi. Yesterday (June 26th, 2010) morning bulldozers of MCD demolished their shops secretly with heavy Police deployment. They were not even warned to remove their belongings, not even the power supply was cut; which also resulted into a minor fire in few shops which was later doused by fellow shopkeepers and the as usual late fire brigade. Apparently for a road to be broadened for the upcomingCommonwealth Games.

The deserted look of Taploo Market just adjacent to the famous INA Market and right opposite Dilli Haat is terrible. It might not matter to us, demolition might be a daily routine in Delhi - most of which consists of illegal colonies and other such constructions. Sadly the government doesn't dare touch such illegal constructions because of obvious money laundering and mafia rule.

This tragedy is a grim reminder of the exodus of 1990 to these 36 families. In this hour of pain, we as a community need to support and stand hand in hand with our brothers in need.

The shop owners have all legal documents to prove their right over their ownership of these 6 by 7 area shops. Intrestingly, the honorable Courts have almost always favoured these shop owners and even called them Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), instead of the usual tag of 'Migrants' by the Government agencies.

No relocation plan or compensation has been promised for the victims who lie helpless on the pavements

Two people stand around demolished shops.

Shop owners sitting near the broken structure of their shops.

Some parts of the rubble.

Shop owners find space to sit around in between broken rubble.

A man looks through the rubble of the demolished shops.

A broken shop display board on the road among the rubble reads 'Kaul Sons'.

A victim shop owner sitting besides the rubble of his shop in a praying gesture.


text:
Saturday, November 22, 2008

Winter Pictures

On our Walk to Bonus today we took a few pictures to try and capture the light these days. You can also see some frozen waterfalls and streams. There are areas where you can see where the water is simply seeping out of the ground since it is freezing now.

On the way to Bonus we were walking against the wind which was SO hard it took us over an hour to get there. It was a bit like a bad dream when you are being chased but cannot run. Thankfully no one was chasing us.

There are also several pictures of Zelia and a few videos as well. She was nine months yesterday!


text:
Enhanced transfer of terrestrially derived carbon to the atmosphere in a flooding event (2012)

Thoman Bianchi, Fenix Garcia-Tigreros, Shari A. Yvon-Lewis, Michael Shields, Heath J. Mills, David Butman, Christopher Osburn, Peter Raymond, G. Christopher Shank, Steven F. Dimarco, Nan Walker, Brandi Kiel Reese, Ruth Mullins-Perry, Antoinetta Quigg, George R. Aiken, and Ethan L. Grossman

Rising CO2 cooncentration in the atmosphere, global climate change, and the sustainability of Earth's biosphere are great societal concerns for the 21st century. Global climate change has, in part, resulted in a higher frequency of flooding events, which allow for greater exchange between soil/plant litter and aquatic carbon pools. Here we demonstrate that the summer 2011 flood in the Mississippi River basin, caused by extreme precipitation events, resulted in a "flushing" of terrestrially derived dissolved organic carbon (TDOC) to the northern Gulf of Mexico. Data from the lower Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers showed that the DOC flux to the northern Gulf of Mexico during this flood was significantly higher than in previous years. We also show that consumption of radiocarbon-modern TDOC by bacteria in floodwaters in the lower Atchafalaya River along the adjacent shelf contributed to northern Gulf shelf waters changing from a net sink to a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere in June and August 2011. This work shows that enhanced flooding, which may or may not be caused by climate change, can result in rapid losses of stored carbon in soils to the atmosphere via processes in aquatic ecosystems.

Ref: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 40, Nov. 21, 2012

Back to Publications


text:
Thursday, January 12, 2012

Best of 2011

While I was dabbling with my camera to keep up with this amazing Project52 once every wednesday, I thought to myself, why not resume my old connection with Thursday Challenge once more. So here I am, with my best of 2011 (2 photos for the past two weeks). Last year for me was a year of travel. So much so that my dad came up with this brilliant idea that if he ties a thread to my feet while I am on the go, I might end up weaving a fabric. So here are two of my favourite shots, one from Northern Ireland and the other from Balloch, Scotland for best of 2011 spuwithtears thursday!

Dusk at Loch Lomond Shores, Scotland, February 2011

Journey's end, Northern Ireland, July 2011

No comments:


text:
Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Education and Terrorism

I thought Bush's speech at the UN this morning was largely uninteresting, since it was clearly a sideshow to distract from the main events. He didn't mention any major issues or even the subject of climate change -- something everyone else talked about all day yesterday. One thing about his speech struck me as a little odd:

Better education unleashes the talent and potential of its citizens, and adds to the prosperity of all of us. Better education promotes better health and greater independence. Better education increases the strength of democracy, and weakens the appeal of violent ideologies. So the United States is joining with nations around the world to help them provide a better education for their people.

This is only odd to me because it's been pretty well documented that the most effective terrorists are the highly educated ones. Education isn't a cure-all, but Bush's speech seems to be suggesting that.

No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...


text:
Friday, September 21, 2012

Election thoughts 2: Momentum and winning with intangibles

In my last post I talked about the long term consequences of the Republican strategy and about why Mitt Romney is losing as a result of it.  The question, though, is just how badly he is losing.

I've linked to often, since it is a site which breaks down polls state by state and collects them into an overall picture of how the important numbers may shake out in the election.  A similar site, with better analysis, is Five Thirty Eight, a New York Times blog run by Nate Silver, which uses some complicated math formulas to forecast the probabilities of each candidate winning.  (538 is the total number of electoral votes available from all 50 states.)

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Election thoughts 1: Divide, conquer, and lose

This election season has been great for making me feel overconfident.  Back in early May, I predicted thaObama is going to beat Romney, and it's not going to be very close.  With less than two months to go, I see no reason to revise that estimate.  When I made my prediction the score was 290-215 electoral votes.  As of today, it is now 319-206; the lead that was overwhelming before has increased by 38 EVs.

And talking about overconfidence, lately I've been leaning towards a theory that the Republican party is even more screwed than they appear to be.  It all has to do with a strategy proposed to Richard Nixon, which has worked very well for Republicans but seems to be backfiring now.


text:
Thursday, March 29, 2012

H.E. meets The Wall

Engagement picture 3My mother turned 88 today.  That and a couple of other things got me to thinking about how much has changed in her lifetime.  Just this week, she’s learned at least two new things.

The first call came a couple of days ago.

“Chris (the washing machine repairman) says I need a new washing machine, and Tommy (my brother) said to call you.”

She went on to tell me that Chris told her that Hardwick’s (probably the only place in Camden, Arkansas, that sells appliances) carried Maytag, her current brand, and a new brand that he said was good but cheaper.  I asked her what this new brand was.  She didn’t know.  I told her I couldn’t help her until she found out, so yesterday she made a trip to Hardwick’s.

Turns out that the new brand was something called Crosley.  I’ve never heard of it.  She said it was $50 less than the comparable Maytag.  I told her for $50 to just buy the Maytag.  That was fine, but she was going to have to use some different kind of detergent.  I asked her what kind.  She didn’t know, but the saleswoman at Hardwick’s said she could get it at WalMart.

I asked her if H.E. sounded familiar.

“I believe she did say something about H.E.”

I explained that H.E. stands for “high efficiency” and that Tide makes an H.E. detergent; I use it all the time.  I tried to tell her what the H.E. symbol looked like, but finally gave up and emailed her a picture.

The second call came yesterday afternoon.

“I was looking at my email to see if you had sent that picture and there were all of these emails from Facebook.”

My Uncle Bill, her youngest brother, was in town visiting her last week and set her up a Facebook account.

“One of them said that Ken Kisamore has posted on my Wall.  What’s my Wall?”

It’s good to know that you’re never too old to learn something new.  Happy Birthday, Mother.

Keetha Broyles said...

KBeau - - - long time no hear from you and this little post was just a jewel to make up for lost time.

I laughed right out loud about the facebook "what's a wall" question.

I do know what facebook is, but don't enjoy it so don't use it.

Here's a high five to your mom for embarking into the wilds of cyberspace in her 88th year!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Happy Birthday to your Mother. I think it's great that she does email. My dad will be 89 in June.
I just visited him in Florida recently and I told him that his generation has seen it all! We have all seen changes but they have seen some of the biggest. Hope she has a nice day.

Malvie said...

Tell her Happy Birthday, many more!

Mr. Crosley was a tinkerer and inventor. He invented an automobile in the early 1900's, sold that, and started various enterprises until his young son (in the 20's) wanted a radio. Crosley built him one, decided he could sell them. They were very popular and you can find collectible ones on ebay right now.

Having had so much success with radios, he branched out into appliances; it was his idea to put a shelf in the door (had the patent), and that model was called the "Shelvador" (I vaguely remember that).

He made so much money off the radios and appliances that he bought a radio station and a little baseball team called the Cincinnati Reds. He was so busy playing with the baseball team and the radio (later television) stations that he sold the radio and appliance business to a big conglomerate and quit the business.

I have seen some Crosley stuff surfacing lately (new) and your post made me look the company up; it's some investors/distributors in North Carolina who bought the original name off the conglomerate and are turning out audio equipment and appliances.

So there! Now YOU'VE learned something today!

(I knew about the cars and the old radios, but not about the Reds--should have, they played at CROSLEY FIELD for years...).

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

How wonderful that your mother is still in there keeping up in her own sweet way. Hope you get to enjoy her special day, each day gets more precious when they get to this point. My dad will be 87 on Sunday.

nanny said...

Oh my....bless her heart.

I hope she doesn't end up with a front loader that tends to have an awful odor....... If she does tell her to leave the door open all the time when not in use!!

I don't do FB........and I hope no one sets me up with an account!! ha

Joyce said...

My mother in law just got on facebook. She's a bundle of energy still and definitely seems younger than her 76 years!

Keetha Broyles said...

Missing you in blogland, KBeau! Are you OK?