text:
Network News

X My Profile
View More Activity
The new Washington
Post Weather website
Jump to CWG's
Latest Full Forecast
Outside now? Radar, temps
and more: Weather Wall
Follow us on Twitter (@capitalweather) and become a fan on Facebook
Posted at 5:00 AM ET, 09/16/2010

Forecast: Summery today, a little p.m. rain

By David Streit

Gorgeous weekend ahead

* Will hurricanes keep avoiding the U.S.? | Hurricane Tracking Center *
* Outside now? Radar, temperatures & more: Weather Wall *

updated at 11:55 p.m.

Today's Daily Digit
A somewhat subjective rating of the
day's weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

A little more heat & a bit more humidity; with a late-day rain chance, we'll save the 10s for the weekend.
Get the 'Digit' on Twitter

Today: Increasing clouds & breezy. Chance of late-afternoon showers 84-88. | Tonight: Chance of showers. 64-68. | Tomorrow: Clearing, dry. 81-85. | A Look Ahead | Get Express Forecast by E-mail

By David Streit, CWG Meteorologist

The shower event coming through later today into tonight does not have the tropical moisture that Sunday's weather system did so rain amounts are unlikely to do better than a quarter inch. Don't put away that watering can! Despite the pleasant temperatures today through at least Monday, we are still running above normal temperature-wise (normal high at National is now 79). Hurricane Igor looks like it follows all of the previous Atlantic storms and stays well offshore on Sunday with only some high waves and rip tides at the beach to show for it.

Radar & lightning: Latest regional radar shows movement of precipitation and lightning strikes over past two hours. Refresh page to update. Click here or on image to enlarge. Or see radar bigger on our Weather Wall.

Today (Thursday): The morning is still bright but the approaching front from the Midwest should spread increasing clouds across the area by afternoon with showers becoming possible once we get to about or past 4 p.m. Highs still manage to peak in the mid-to-upper 80s in this amazingly warm year. Winds pick up from the south at 10 to 15 mph and help to pull in a little humidity (dew points up to near 60). Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Shower chances continue into the evening, so umbrellas are a good idea. Due to the warmth, thundershowers are a possibility. Coverage from these showers is expected to be about 60% of the area and amounts will be light. Readings in the 80s quickly fall to the 70s when the showers move through. Overnight lows only fall to the mid-to-upper 60s as clouds are slow to clear out. Confidence: Medium

Keep reading for the forecast through Monday....

Tomorrow (Friday): A few clouds are likely to linger in the morning but drier air moves in on brisk breezes from the west. Temperatures are on a slower climb today and peak in the low-to-mid 80s. Expect a brilliant sunset. Confidence: High

Tomorrow Night: The drier air really takes hold in the evening and temperatures quickly fall through the 70s; 60s for the late night crowd. Winds calm which keeps the chill minor. Look for overnight lows in the 50s. Confidence: High

Saturday wins the beauty contest with non stop sunshine, low humidity and only a breath of wind. Highs still make it to the upper 70s to lower 80s under the strong late summer sun. Evening remains mild with 70s dominant. Confidence: Medium-High

Sunday temperatures are still delightful starting out near 60 (50s in the cooler suburbs) and ending up near 80. A few clouds are likely to zip by in the afternoon from a weak upper air disturbance. Showers might have been possible with this system but Hurricane Igor offshore should actually dissipate the system and keep us dry. Evening temps hold in the 70s despite the earlier sunset (7:10 pm), partly due to the upturn in breezes from the north in the wake of Igor. Confidence: Medium

Monday is a fine day with readings in the upper 50s to lower 60s to start the work week. Sunny skies should be unabated. Highs only in the upper 70s to lower 80s make a lunch break a really good idea. Confidence: Medium-High

By David Streit  | September 16, 2010; 5:00 AM ET
Categories:  Forecasts
Save & Share:  Send E-mail   Facebook   Twitter   Digg   Yahoo Buzz   StumbleUpon   Technorati   Google Buzz   Previous: PM Update: It's just really nice out there
Next: Ragweed pollen above average this year

I've been reading CWG for some time now, and I don't quite understand an attitude--not atypical--exemplified in yesterday afternoon's posting: "I mean, (the weather) is pretty great, but after a while a weather lover starts to hope for something a little more "extreme" to talk about."

Like paralyzing blizzards, destructive wind or devastating heat, perhaps? Interestingly, I don't hear a lot of traffic reporters saying, "Yeah, traffic's moving pretty smoothly on 95, but, boy, could I use a 10-car pileup or a tractor-trailer jacknife to perk up my day!" Maybe they just have more tact. Or sense.

It's lovely pre-fall weather. As a result of its tranquility and predictability, however, extremes of human drama and endurance are necessarily precluded. Sorry about that. Let's hope dry conditions at least generate some property-endangering brushfires or something to break up the monotony for meteorological rubberneckers. Fingers crossed!

Posted by: dcreader6 | September 16, 2010 9:39 AM | Report abuse

Appreciate the comment. But "paralyzing blizzards, destructive wind or devastating heat" are your words, not ours. No one here at CWG hopes for any of that. And in fact, a big reason we are here is to help warn and prepare people for such events.

The sentiment in yesterday's post is that the weather, while beautiful, is also boring. It's no secret weather lovers and many forecasters get more excited about rain and storms and snow than a quiet sunny day. Just as a traffic reporter would probably get kind of bored if there was never a traffic jam to talk about.

But not every traffic jam has to be a 10-car pile up. And not every weather event has to be a "paralyzing" blizzard or "devastating" heat wave. Sometimes it can just be a chance of rain, which gives us a chance to make a forecast that hopefully helps people make informed decisions.

Likewise, blizzards and severe weather may get our adrenaline going, but not because we hope they'll cause hardship or cripple the city. Rather, because they are an exciting demonstration of Mother Nature's power -- which will happen or not happen no matter what a forecaster hopes or doesn't hope for -- and present an opportunity for us to help you plan your life by predicting when and where they will strike and how impactful they will be.

Posted by: CapitalWeatherGang | September 16, 2010 10:13 AM | Report abuse

Thank you for your considered response. Two points I think want clarification, however.

First, while "paralyzing" and "devastating" were my words, "extreme" was used by the original blogger. So a "chance of rain" wouldn't seem, on the face of it, to be included in that description, whereas severe weather--and its attendant difficulties--would.

Second, you noted that "blizzards and severe weather may get our adrenaline going, but not because we hope they'll cause hardship or cripple the city." And it was not my intention to imply that CWG ghoulishly hopes for "extreme" weather for the spectacle of human suffering it portends. However, the "blizzards and severe weather" that get your "adrenaline going" also bring with them real, tangible problems for real, tangible human beings. So, while a huge rainstorm may be very non-boring for you, it represents power outages, property damage, flash flooding and even fatalities for people in our area. And I no more understand how that can be divorced from the adrenaline rush you enjoy than I understand how people on this board can hope that snow or heat records will be broken even as other residents of this area are, at a minimum, inconvenienced and, often, seriously and negatively impacted.

Posted by: dcreader6 | September 16, 2010 10:54 AM | Report abuse

Lighten up, Francis!

Posted by: DJVA | September 16, 2010 11:11 AM | Report abuse

I am not hoping for "paralyzing weather," but I am definitely suspicious of this delightful weather trend. Normally it's still scorching in September and hot every day of October until Halloween (which is freezing, just to spite your carefully chosen Halloween costume).

What I'm trying to say is, should I still plan a fall trip to the beach or is going to be so darn lovely for the next two months that the seashore will actually be a little chilly?

Posted by: ginniemae | September 16, 2010 12:03 PM | Report abuse

Traffic goes up on the CWG up when a moderate rain shower passes through the region, partly because people want to share their experiences. And that's what I see happening. It's not that any of us relish "extreme" weather, well, maybe except for the very odd blizzard...; ))

Plus, CWG forecasters have a very high degree of accuracy (sometimes bringing us snowaholics back to reality with the Snow Lover's Crystal Ball), and CWG provides a forum for all this.

But I doubt there is anyone who posts here who rubs their hands in glee when a severe thunderstorm or a heat wave, drought, etc. strikes our region. If anything, the posts are more an expression of concern.

Posted by: JerryFloyd1 | September 16, 2010 12:43 PM | Report abuse

Not sure how much rain will affect us later today--maybe up to a quarter inch if we're lucky.

Thus far this is one of our drier falls.

Posted by: Bombo47jea | September 16, 2010 2:15 PM | Report abuse

Definitely dry recently... hopefully the rain does indeed hold together. A quarter inch is at least something :)

Posted by: Camden-CapitalWeatherGang | September 16, 2010 2:30 PM | Report abuse

But I doubt there is anyone who posts here who rubs their hands in glee when a severe thunderstorm or a heat wave, drought, etc. strikes our region. If anything, the posts are more an expression of concern.

You might want to check some of the posts from this past winter's storms before putting too much faith in that statement.

Posted by: Axel2 | September 16, 2010 4:04 PM | Report abuse

Hey, Axel, go back and read my post carefully; snowlovers get a pass. ; ))

I don't need to read last winter's posts, because I was an active poster, esp. during February's round of snows. I remember all the back and forth between the snowlovers and those who dislike snow.

A very lively, interesting discussion and no question that people who lost power, were dealing with ice-clogged roof gutters, etc. were having a rough time. Especially those folks in Kensington who were without power for days and were really hurting.

And this summer (and numerous other times this year), the power went out for a lot of us, sometimes because of thunderstorms and sometimes because a little bird must have perched on a power line.

Posted by: JerryFloyd1 | September 16, 2010 4:29 PM | Report abuse

Ahh, the great debate of "is it okay to enjoy extreme weather." Of course it is. The thing sun worshippers don't seem to get is that those of us who are weather hobbyists - those who enjoy extreme stuff - DO NOT HAVE THE POWER TO CAUSE IT. Sure, things like blizzards have downsides. But they have positives too, like natural beauty.

I merely choose to take it as it comes, and enjoy the good sides of these severe weather events. And for some reason that gets "normal" people agitated. The fact that I can be happy, running and playing in the snow, while they are downright miserable, makes them angry. News flash - it's your choice to be miserable. If you want to be, fine, but don't expect me to follow suit.

I fully recognize that extreme weather causes hardship. But I also recognize that it happens no matter what - humans have no control - so I may as well enjoy it. Oh, and frankly, I could care less about people's "inconvenience." The level of self-importance in our society is astounding. Contrary to popular belief, the world will NOT stop turning if you miss one day of work or can't make your yoga class.

Posted by: jahutch | September 17, 2010 12:09 AM | Report abuse

I am just happy that there are still things (as of this posting, anyway) over which humans have no control. The weather presents itself to us and we have to deal with it. I know sometimes it may cause incovenience for some, myself included, but really, isn't it grand that Mother Nature can say to us: "Oh really, I think not!" It makes one pause and realize just how insignificant in the scheme of things we mortals really are.

Posted by: cgindc | September 17, 2010 4:11 AM | Report abuse

A short note to cap this conversation, one that will hopefully clarify the point of my original posting(s) for those it may have eluded.

What I wrote was not about people somehow preventing extreme weather or really much about people enjoying extreme weather. I simply noted that I found it to be, at a minimum, poor form for the CWG to be wishing for extreme weather, given the hardship, dislocation or even, yes, "inconvenience" occasioned, simply to alleviate their boredom.

And to address, variously, some of the commenters who've shared their thoughts on the topic:

a) Please refer to the comments last February and even last month from those who wanted even more snow or even more 90+-degree days just to, you know, "break the record." Not a lot of "concern" expressed there, just thrill-a-minute desire.

b) The phrase is "I couldn't care less." And aren't you a drop of sunshine?

c) I don't really need to have snow up to my waist or a string of 102-degree days to understand my "insignificance" vis-a-vis creation, so why not enjoy pleasant weather instead?

Posted by: dcreader6 | September 17, 2010 10:27 AM | Report abuse

The comments to this entry are closed.

RSS Feed
Subscribe to The Post

© 2012 The Washington Post Company


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
Network News

X My Profile
View More Activity

School Board: In Ward 5, a Mystery Sample Ballot

Ward 5 Democrats sent out sample ballots for the election that listed only one of the three candidates running for Ward 5 state board of education.

Robert Vinson Brannum was the only candidate listed on the sample ballot, while Mark Jones and Angel Alston were left off.

Jones, who became aware of the oversight while visiting the polls, believes it may be, in effect, an informal endorsement of Brannum.

"Win or lose, it taints the process," Jones said.

Ward 5 Democrats president Timothy Thomas said he doesn't know how or why the two candidates were omitted, and he said the ballot should not be considered an endorsement of Brannum.

But even if it was not deliberate, he suggested, it's not surprising.

"Politics in the city, as they say," said Thomas, an advisory neighborhood commissioner seeking reelection for single member district 5A08.

Timothy Wilson

By Marcia Davis  |  November 4, 2008; 7:00 PM ET
Categories:  2008 District Election , Education
Save & Share:  Send E-mail   Facebook   Twitter   Digg   Yahoo Buzz   StumbleUpon   Technorati   Google Buzz   Previous: At Polls: Voting Winds Down Across City
Next: D.C. Polls Close

No comments have been posted to this entry.

The comments to this entry are closed.

RSS Feed
Subscribe to The Post

© 2010 The Washington Post Company

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-179-56-52.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-05
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for January 2018
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Network News

X My Profile
View More Activity
2.7%  Q1 GDP    4.57%  avg. 30-year mortgage     9.5%  Unemployment

Stocks Up Slightly After Trade Gap Narrows

Wall Street opened down this morning but then rose, following news that the U.S. trade gap narrowed. This means imports fell because U.S. consumers are buying less, a sign of a soft economy.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the Dow is just slightly above even.

The broader S&P 500 is up slightly less and the tech-heavy Nasdaq is up about two-tenths of 1 percent.

Forecasters expected the trade gap to increase, but diminished demand for oil imports drove it downward.

Today is the two-year anniversary of the all-time Dow closing high of 14,164. I'll talk some more about that later.

-- Frank Ahrens
Sign up to get The Ticker on Twitter

By Frank Ahrens  |  October 9, 2009; 10:00 AM ET
Categories:  The Ticker  | Tags: Dow Jones, nasdaq, s&p 500
Save & Share:  Send E-mail   Facebook   Twitter   Digg   Yahoo Buzz   StumbleUpon   Technorati   Google Buzz   Previous: How a Weak Dollar Kills Prosperity
Next: Citigroup Sells Unit That Employs $100 Million Bonus Man

If it won't produce, put it into shut-down mode. Some of these people would start a garden in November and wonder why nothing would grow. It's looking like a long and cold winter. Burn dead wood.

Posted by: Dermitt | October 9, 2009 11:46 AM | Report abuse

The comments to this entry are closed.

RSS Feed
Subscribe to The Post

© 2010 The Washington Post Company


text:
Network News

X My Profile
View More Activity
Share Stories  |  Traffic  |  Columns  |  Q&A     |  Get Gridlock:    Twitter |    Facebook  |     RSS   |  phone Alerts

Traffic Alert: I-270 South Delays After Accident

Updated, 8:46 a.m.: Delays have eased on the Inner Loop, but I-270 Southbound is still delayed from Route 121 to the Beltway.

Original Post: The Inner Loop of the Beltway is delayed by an earlier accident near the American Legion Bridge that is now gone. Inner Loop back-ups extend from near the Robinson Terminal into Tyson's Corner, but then ease to the American Legion Bridge. Southbound I-270 also has significant delays from Route 121 to the lane divide.

By Washington Post Editors  |  September 16, 2009; 8:47 AM ET
Categories:  Advisories
Save & Share:  Send E-mail   Facebook   Twitter   Digg   Yahoo Buzz   StumbleUpon   Technorati   Google Buzz   Previous: Traffic Alert: Columbia Pike Closed at S. Wayne St. in Arlington
Next: MARC Riders Citizens Group Meets Thursday

No comments have been posted to this entry.

The comments to this entry are closed.

RSS Feed
Subscribe to The Post

© 2010 The Washington Post Company


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

text:
Friday, April 10, 2009

Cheating Policy

The news is that the Plano ISD is planning to make it easier and more rewarding for children to cheat in school. That is what it means when a child does not get a zero for being caught cheating on that assignment.

Here is a link to the article in the Dallas Morning News:
"Plano ISD considers alternative grading policy By MATTHEW HAAG"

For years I have taken a stand against cheating.

On April 28, 2007 I wrote: "We Need to Address Cheating"

On May 4, 2007 I wrote: "Cheating and the PISD's Glass House" where I discussed how the PISD Administration and Board lost their moral authority to admonish cheating when they named a school after a convicted felon.

On February 20, 2008 I wrote: "Good Leaders are Ethical Leaders", where I discussed what I now call "The Pledge to Justice":

The Pledge to Justice
We do not steal, we do not cheat, and we do not hurt other people.
We are people of integrity, competence, and compassion.

Cheating and stealing are closely related. It is a small step from cheating to stealing.

On February 28, 2008 I wrote: "Plano ISD Sends Wrong Message About Theft." The PISD administration interfered with discipline at Plano Senior High and forced some cheerleaders who had been caught shoplifting back onto the cheer squad over the objections of the staff at the school.

Clearly, the PISD Administration and Board of Trustees have been soft on cheating and stealing for years. The message they give to the world is that cheating and stealing are good if you can get away with it, if you have political pull.

If there are no consequences for cheating, then the Administration and Board would be encouraging our children to cheat: there would only be an up-side to cheating, there would be no down-side. Honest children would be the laughing-stock of the cheaters, and that is where I would guess this Board of Trustees is headed.

The district curriculum and budget are clearly mismanaged. If the incumbent in Place 7 and the "establishment candidate" in Place 6 win, then clearly no amount of mismanagement will ever dislodge the board members. I predict that if the board candidates win, that the consequences for cheating will fly out the window after the election and the cheating that is already a problem in Plano will be rampant. That will be one more nail in the coffin for the reputation of the Plano schools.

Here is an appropriate quote from Herbert Spencer:
"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools."

The flip side to that quote is that honesty is wise.

I believe honesty is empowering.

On February 22, 2009 I wrote: "The Trust Texas Project" where I suggest a reputation for honesty in finance could be a competitive advantage in strengthening the banking industry in Texas to gain prominence in national and international financial circles.

If you have never voted in a school board election, then this is your time to shine. We stand at the edge of the abyss. If the clique running the school board remains intact, Plano will become a cheaters paradise and our district will fall into an irreversible death spiral.

Please vote for Robert Canright for Place 7 on Saturday May 9.
For Place 6 I recommend Steve Navarre.

Robert Canright

No comments:


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Posts tagged "amethyst"

Buy meaning Gifts for loved ones: Round jade Jaderin

Jaderin a special kind of natural stone, energy absorbing endless UIE - Universe Induced Energy, capable of providing natural energy, enhance human health. Crafted from natural jade stone in Brazil integrated universe infinite energy. It contains no toxic chemicals or radiation xa.Dac it was sunk in the integrated energy UIE should have valuable properties that enhance the health of the user and create a protective coating to help prevent infection infections caused by bacteria, providing a lifestyle of health and happiness for those products hon.San frequent fatigue, physical weakness, in the state who are not alert due to overwork or stress unstable blood pressure, to coin tubes erratic. Those health decline, the weak in the upper abdomen and the chest muscle. To help improve women's wear jewelry such as silver ring, gold ring.

Be the first to comment - What do you think?
Posted by thukhoa - March 10, 2011 at 2:09 am

Categories: Souvenirs & gifts   Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


text:
Browse Categories
Writers Conferences
Other Conferences

Help You/Clients achieve Paperless Life CD

<< Previous in MARCPO 2014 CDs Next in MARCPO 2014 CDs >>
Your Price: $4.99
Item Number: MARC-14-008-C
Have you been thinking about going paperless or working with clients to help them go paperless but just don't even know how or where to get started? This jam-packed session will help you understand and explain the benefits of having less paper, what kinds of paper need to be kept and what can be tossed or shredded, how to prevent extra paper from coming into the home, and most importantly, what to do with that paper that does sneak in, regardless of your best efforts. You will also learn how products like dedicated scanners-such as the Fujitsu ScanSnap-and apps like Dropbox and Evernote can make going paperless easy and actually fun! With the powerful combination of the internet, easy-to-use scanners, and the cloud, you can help your clients get rid of their piles of extraneous paper, and start focusing on the things that really matter.
"Stressed Out? Need To Relax? Download Soothing Sounds of Hawaii Now or Get the CDs. Cheaper than a mai tai and better than a chill pill, cheap booze or TV."
Sounds of Hawaii link

Listen Now

Order Now

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty.
Mailing Lists
Join our mailing list for (very) occasional updates and specials and general good-hearted goofiness. (Note: We completely respect your privacy and do NOT sell, rent, or otherwise give-away your email address nor any other information about you.)

We will confirm your sign-up by email. Please click the link in the email to confirm! Thanks so much!
Sounds of Tuscany Image

Sounds of Tuscany CD


text:
Monday, August 9, 2010

NISD Courses on Gerontology

Qualified care for the aged

Vimal Chander Joshi, Hindustan Times

New Delhi, June 08, 2010

If you have a compelling desire to care for people who are at the dusk
of their life, or at least empathise with ageing people, then you may
want to explore career opportunities in gerontology (the study of the
social, psychological and biological aspects of ageing).

The National Institute of Social Development (NISD) runs a one-year
postgraduate diploma and six-months certificate programme in geriatric
studies. The diploma course prepares you to provide medical care and
counselling to elderly people in distress. You are also taught to deal
with some aspects of the social development of senior citizens, such
as research methodologies for data collection and policy formulation
to improve conditions at the grassroots level.

NISD is a central government initiative run by the Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment under the National Initiative for the Care of
Elderly (NICE) programme and aims to train and build caregiver
capacity for the rising "dependent" population.

"We had initially tied up with around 400 NGOs and we started training
young people to produce trained manpower. Though many of our students
end up working in these organisations, a few have also gone abroad on
scholarships for further studies though the number of such people is
very small," says Sunil Kumar, deputy director, NISD.

Kumar emphasises that the main objectives of the NISD course is to
equip people with the knowledge of elderly health, nutrition,
psychology and to some extent, rehabilitation. "We believe in the
concept of productive ageing, (which seeks to) help the elderly keep
pace with time. We also give 21-day-long IT training to aged people in
several cities," he adds.

Students are prepared for six different papers: gerontology, clinical
geriatric (providing basic healthcare), public policy and planning,
geriatric management (to be able to work in old-age homes),
counselling and research methodology.

"We teach them all aspects of caring for the elderly. They are
equipped to manage an NGO, carry out research, provide basic
healthcare and also to provide counselling to elderly people," says Dr
Anindita S Roy, psychologist and faculty member, NISD.

The course also comprises a project in which students have to make
inferences and reports based on data collection from secondary sources
and other research.

In order to be able to apply for the PG diploma programme, you must be
a fresh graduate from any discipline, though it is better to have some
background in social sciences or psychology. For the certificate
course, you should have passed secondary.

"Once you are eligible, you can appear for an entrance test comprising
general knowledge, maths and English questions," says Poonam Rani,
research officer, NISD.

Interestingly, the course attracts several qualified professionals for
both the programmes. "In my batch, there were three lawyers, two
people from media organisations, and one doctoral student from the
Jawaharlal Nehru University. Though the eligibility criteria is just
tenth pass, I doubt if there was even a single person who was just
tenth-standard pass," says Dr Ashwani Raghav, a physician, who
completed the six-month certificate course from NISD in 2002.

Dr Raghav and a couple of his batchmates started Healing Touch, an NGO
in Delhi which provides psychological support to the aged who have
been harassed by family or society.

"We hold workshops in schools where we invite grandparents and try to
bridge the inter-generational gap. More youngsters should think
seriously about making geriatric care a career option," adds Raghav.

Earn to care
Last date to apply: June 18
Entrance test: July 11
To apply, send demand draft or pay order for Rs 80 drawn in favour of
the director, National Institute of Social Defence, Old Age Care
National Institute of Social Defence, West Block-1,Wing 3, first
floor, RK Puram,
New Delhi - 110066

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Wednesday night was the funeral of my friend Ophelia.

I met Lia early in the first year of AZA. We both played soldiers trying to stop the zombie menace, often switching parts and trading dialog between each other.

This was when I started getting known as “the guy with the red cap.” Lia liked the look so I lent her an extra brown beret I had from another costume.

She added a pin to it and wore it pretty much every night after that.

When she gave the hat back she told me to keep the pin because she had a few of them.

It seemed fitting so I put the pin onto my shirt for the funeral.

I learned a few interesting things about her there I wasn’t expecting, one of the big ones was how smart she really was.

She “had a few of these pins” because she got A’s in everything she did.

I knew she was in school to be a nurse because I tried to help her study between shows. This didn’t work at all though, the subject matter was truly beyond me, so all I could do was “what were the five things in that one section?” and she would read off a bunch of Latin words I had never heard of.

This could end the “she was smart” section right now but it gets better. It turns out that she already had several degrees and was constantly studying high level things and this was just one of them.

So we’re talking about someone that puts down an anthropology book to pick up a medical journal between costume work and acting in a live stage show 30+ times a night. DAMN!

I also found out that she had a lot of struggles in her past that made finding acceptance difficult. I had no idea about it and wish I had because I would have given her a lot of praise for how she was living her life.

The only picture I have of us together was used as my moment of the year for 2010.

It was one of the better moments of my life and she was a big part of that.

Ophelia Bradley was an inspiration to me and I wish I had the chance I would tell her how attractive she was to the mind and body.

We never hung out outside of AZA or the occasional run-in at Dragoncon. I wish I could have gotten to know her better, she was awesome!


text:
Taking A Step Back To Help Understand New Year's Resolutions.

Dec 28, 2017

This weekend we will say good bye to 2017 and welcome in a brand new year. And with that many of us will look to achieve new goals. Lose weight, travel outside the country, maybe even spend more time in the kitchen.

But have you ever thought about how we came to adopt this practice? WAER’s Kevin Kloss takes a look at the practice of New Year’s Resolutions within our culture.


text:
Friday, October 8, 2010

 Well once again my beautiful princess let me take some pictures of her.  This was just a regular day, we went to Sams Club and Target and the weather was just beautiful.  I am loving being a mommy again to a toddler.  Does it have its challeges?  Oh YES!  Do I miss my freedom of doing whatever, whenever I want during the day?  Oh YES!  I wouldn't trade it for the world tho.  Ava has changed our household 10 fold around here.  I love to see the boys with her and their way of showing love is different for each one of them.  Ava absolutely adores all of her brothers and is most happy when they are around and playing with her.

Ava is telling me that she is "1".  I know it looks like she is picking her nose,
but nope she loves to tell us how old she is:

 I got my strap in the way on this, she started walking towards me, and I had to move

Jeanette said...

Ok, I'm starting to get jealous of how she sits still :)

I should post all my blurred pictures of Grace :)

She looks precious!!!

Anne & James said...

I love her little outfit. Where did you find such a cute jumper?

Amy...who wanted 4. said...

Love the hat!!! How precious is she?


text:
Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Occupy Baltimore has been cleared out. The trash has been removed.

Occupy Baltimore is at least for the moment no more. Maybe my clueless, dim witted mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake finally figured out that most of the OB protesters are from outside of Baltimore City thus they can't vote against her in retaliation in the next election anyways. Oh well, just like with good things, all bad and goofy things must eventually come to an end also. A few months ago, I went down to McKeldin Square and talked to the Occupy Baltimore folks. Some of them were actually nice, and some were kind of off their rocker. I forgot to mention that I just happened to have been wearing my Wall Street Warrior polo shirt when I went down there. ;-) I took my flip cam with the intention of uploading it to the blog, but I forgot to make sure my batteries were fully charged. That was my Homer Simpson moment. Anyways, I talked to one guy who looked like a 23 year old hippie. He made a few valid points, but most of his others made no sense to why he and others were there. I challenged him on the theory of capitalist greed as he told me, and he really didn't have a coherent rebuttal to my point other then to say that "why does a person need all that money to live on"? Another guy I talked to was dressed up as the Grim Reaper in an attempt to mock what he believes Republicans are trying to do to senior citizens.. The reason why the whole Occupy movement failed and was destined to fail from the start is simple. These people were chasing after the wrong squirrel. They blame Wall Street for the economic mess that we are in, but the reality is that many Wall Street lobbyists on K Street have direct access to members of congress who draft the legislation that favors Wall Street. If the Occupy folks would have simply focused their attention on Congress and it's relation with Wall Street, they would have actually been taken serious as a movement. Barack Obama has raised more money from Wall Street then even Mitt Romney and all other GOP candidates, yet the clueless ones never marched once on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It never dawned on them that Obama is the friend of Wall Street. Protesting for the sake of protesting doesn't accomplish nothing. The whole occupy movement never had an end game, exit strategy or defined goals. As I said, it was destined to fail.

Anonymous Eddie said...

1:18 AM

Post a Comment

<< Home


text:
Jack & Dick Folk Duo

Jack & Dick Folk Duo
Listing Type: Group
Members: Jack Shannon & Dick Inglis
In the 1980’s, a group called, “Kristy, Dick and Jack” played in Walla Walla at Merchants and for service clubs, churches, weddings and other get-togethers, and sometimes out-of-town (Pendleton, Tri-Cities) as well. They played “classical” and popular folk songs, with Jack and Kristy on vocals and guitar, with Dick backing them up on bass. These were songs that had stood the test of time, such as: Don’t think twice… (Peter, Paul and Mary, and Bob Dylan), Crawl all the way to the river (Oakridge boys), Grow old with me (John Lennon), Dance, little Jean (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin) and many more by John Denver, the Kingston Trio and others. Styles range from slow-melodic-flowing to foot-tapping rhythmic to witty/funny to gospel to thoughtful or emotional. Kristy has moved out of town, but Jack Shannon and Dick Inglis are back with many of the same songs plus a lot of new ones. A demo CD is available, which previews a few of our songs. In addition to the above songs, there is also: 1) a gospel set; 2) a set of folk-Christmas songs; and 3) a multi-media set, with pictures projected on a screen during the music.
Instruments Guitar/vocal, bass
Contact Info 509-529-1894
325 Newell St
Walla Walla, WA
email band
search our site

upcoming events
  Wednesday, Feb 07 2018
     Gesa Power House Theatre
     Gesa Power House Theatre
  Friday, Feb 23 2018
     Gesa Power House Theatre
  Monday, Feb 26 2018
     Gesa Power House Theatre
  Wednesday, Feb 28 2018
     Gesa Power House Theatre
  Monday, Mar 05 2018
     Gesa Power House Theatre

website contact


text:
Dominican republic company Producciones Yuna was given a rating of 4.5 out of 5 (12 voters)
Company Producciones Yuna was has a rating of 4.5 based on 12 votes
Status of the company in general:ACTIVE
Name of the company:PRODUCCIONES YUNA
Dominican republic company code:349597
Physical addresses:
Directors / owners:
Phone numbers:
Fax numbers:
Internet websites:
Date of registration:2013-01-24
Date of dissolution:2023-01-24
Type of the company:NO/NO
Tags and keywords:

Dominican republic company PRODUCCIONES YUNA was found on our site with thses phrases:

If information is not correct and you want to update it or have any questions about it, kindly please contact us by clicking here or via e-mail
Thank you!
[ Try full desktop version ]
2018 © – Free Dominican republic companies database
This is public information provided by official company registers and other public data sources. Materials about companies have been prepared only for information purposes. They are not intended to be nor do they constitute legal advice. Data could have changed since the last update! The ratings are calculated from votes given by website visitors. Because of our privacy policy, we can not provide who and when voted on specific company and what rating was given. People can vote by pressing on the stars on company page.
16.3ms | 1ms |


text:
Dominican republic company Puesto De Bolsa El Dorado, S.a. was given a rating of 3.08 out of 5 (12 voters)
Company Puesto De Bolsa El Dorado, S.a. was has a rating of 3.08 based on 12 votes
Status of the company in general:INACTIVE
Name of the company:PUESTO DE BOLSA EL DORADO, S.A.
Dominican republic company code:45491
Physical addresses:
Directors / owners:
Phone numbers:
Fax numbers:
Internet websites:
Date of registration:1993-02-15
Date of dissolution:2013-02-15
Type of the company:NO/NO
Tags and keywords:

Dominican republic company PUESTO DE BOLSA EL DORADO, S.A. was found on our site with thses phrases:

puestobolsapuesto de bolsael
If information is not correct and you want to update it or have any questions about it, kindly please contact us by clicking here or via e-mail admin@dominicanfirms.com
Thank you!
[ Try full desktop version ]
2018 © DominicanFirms.com – Free database of Dominican republic businesses
This is public information provided by official company registers and other public data sources. Materials about companies have been prepared only for information purposes. They are not intended to be nor do they constitute legal advice. Data could have changed since the last update! The ratings are calculated from votes given by website visitors. Because of our privacy policy, we can not provide who and when voted on specific company and what rating was given. People can vote by pressing on the stars on company page.
19.5ms | 4ms |


text:
Go To MetroGuide.NetworkMetroGuide.Community Home Page
Washington D.C. - Hotel Profile

Hyatt Dulles International Airport

Past Events

HistoryGuide currently has 2 past event listings in its database, shown below.

DateEvent Information
vBSDcon 2013. This exciting weekend will bring together members of the BSD community for a series of roundtable discussions, educational sessi… (Business - Convention / Expo)
04/16/15 TECHEXPO Top Secret Polygraph Only Hiring Event - Virginia. An active TS/SCI with CI or Full Scope Polygraph issued by the US Federal Government or Military is REQUIRED to attend (or clear… (Business - Job Fair)

Please contact us to correct any historical inaccuracies. HistoryGuide.Network is a service mark of Madison Avenue Consulting.

MN logo© 1996-2018, MetroGuide.com All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions

To List Your Hotel with the Washington D.C. HotelGuide Service: Click Here.
To Contact HotelGuide: Click Here.

HotelGuide and HotelGuide Herndon are service marks of MetroGuide.com, Inc. HotelGuide Network is a registered service mark of MetroGuide.com, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. MetroGuide.com, Inc. does not own or operate hotel properties.

Alexandria HotelsRonald Reagan Airport HotelsDistrict of Columbia HotelsN.E. Virginia HotelsS.W. Maryland HotelsHagerstown HotelsBaltimore Hotels


text:
Schoon water voor Mozambique
Project start:
Project end:
Ger Pannekoek
Stan Maessen

Generating sanitation business in Mozambique (FUSP)

WASTE supports the Frysian FUSP sanitation programme by helping to strengthen the local entrepreneurship of service providers in water and sanitation.

What we do

The Frysian Urban Sanitation Programme (FUSP) has been running in Mozambique since 2010 and is run by a Frysian consortium that is formed by water company Vitens, the waterboard for Frysland (Netherlands), the province of Frysland in the Netherlands and the Frysian municipalities. This consortium supports 7 cities in Mozambique, helping to improve their capacities in the area of water and sanitation.

WASTE supports this sanitation programme by helping to strengthen the local entrepreneurship of service providers in water and sanitation, taking into account the whole chain of collection, transport, treatment and (re)use. In addition the financial sector is approached to become involved in the sanitation sector.

How we do it

With the involvement of local business consultants and WASTE, an inventory of present small and large businesses in the cities is made.  The inventory consists of so-called estaleiros (small local entrepreneurs that produce and install cement slab), pit latrine emptiers, contractors, composting companies, and the like. All businesses are assessed and if suitable will be selected for support from the project. The support entails more than only technical training, it also includes other aspects of entrepreneurship, varying from doing the accounts to  writing a businessplan, linking up with local banks and micro financers.

FUSP has already identified and worked with 'estaleiros' and has supported these local businesses with technical training to improve the quality of their product.

To make contacts between sanitation businesses and banks possible WASTE is also talking with the banks. The sanitation sector is new to most financing institutes and  it is not easy to convince them that there are investment opportunities to be found there. WASTE can, however, build upon experiences from other countries and hopes to be able to make them interested.

To actually achieve sustainable sanitation in the cities where FUSP is active it is not enough to restrict yourself to improving the capacity of the municipalities to perform their duties and to awareness raising of the local population on the importance of good sanititation. It is very important that there are local businesses present that are capbable of providing these necessary services and products around sanitation. In addition, financing needs to be made available for these buisnesses.

Demand needs to meet supply, this means that if the citizens of the FUSP cities are convinced they need a toilet, they have to be able to buy them locally. It is the principle of the FUSP project that households have to pay for their sanitation facilities themselves as much as possible, so that there is no need for subsidies.

To achieve all this we use our Diamond approach to connect all stakeholders in the system.

As the programme is progressing well, FUSP is planning on intensifying the support, particularly in the cities, Chimoio, Gondola, Manica and Beira in the near future. These cities have been added in the second and third phase of the programme. The principle behind this intensification is that the better the local entrepreneurs are capable of doing their work, the more sustainable the investments of the FUSP will be. While FUSP is a project that will end, the purpose of the big or small businesses is to continue to exist and if possible to even grow. So by investing in a strong entrepreneurship FUSP is investing in continuity and scale.


text:
Kyle J. Steenblik

Emma Thompson is unflinchingly, Saving Mr. Banks.

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

ban188885SMALLDisney’s Saving Mr. Banks is a fascinating and heart wrenching look behind the beloved classic Mary Poppins.

This film is a bit of an oddity, an oddity that seems to be fairly popular.  A movie about movies, or the people that make them.  In most cases an interesting individual or story is expanded and enhanced to become entertaining.  The story is fascinating, and the performance is breathtaking.  While the origin of Mary Poppins is heartbreaking, especially for a father.  I walked away with a new appreciation for Traver’s original work, and Disney’s adaptation.

The story revolves around Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) and his negotiations with P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) over the film rights for Mary Poppins.  However Travers has no intention of seeing her most precious creation bastardized, and as a last attempt to protect Mary Poppins she requires full approval of the script before she signs.  For two weeks in 1961 Travers tortures writer Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford), and composers/lyricists Richard M. Sherman (Jason Schwartzman), and Robert B. Sherman (B. J. Novak), with very specific script requirements.  While picking through she script details Travers is also reflecting on the traumatic childhood that influenced her writing.  Specifically she reflects on her father Travers Robert Goff (Colin Farrell), an alcoholic and depressed banker who served as inspiration for the character Mr. Banks.

Both stories intertwine to form a complete tapestry which is greater than it’s parts.  Alone, both stories would be interesting and entertaining.  Together, they form a smart and heart wrenchingly compelling narrative.  That narrative would collapse under it’s own weight if it were not carried by Emma Thompson, and her mesmerizing performance.  Thompson, who performed her role as if she were the only adult in whichever room she happens to inhabit, took such care in becoming P.L. Travers she was scarcely recognizable.  I can’t think of a higher compliment for an actor than to say I forgot I was watching an actor I have seen a thousand times in a thousand roles.

tom-hanks-in-saving-mr.-banks-movie-4Tom Hanks was as good a Walt Disney as anyone could ask.  Like the man himself I was constantly torn between loving him, and being perpetually annoyed with him.  Hanks was, for once (maybe twice) not the center of attention.  He wasn’t even the most entertaining person on screen, by far.  That is unusual, Tom Hanks is one of the few actors that can upstage children and animals.  The real hidden treasure in this movie, is Paul Giamatti who played Ralph Traver’s chauffeur.  Giamatti was only on screen a fraction of the total running time, but always with Thompson. saving-mr-banks-emma-thompson-paul-giamati-600-370 The chemistry between these two was almost tangible, there was almost a third story between these two.  Unfortunately the time they spend together is minimal, but it seems to be the most important relationship in the film (aside from Travers and her father).  Really, I could watch those two driving around, making small talk, for hours.  Another marvelously heartbreaking moment of this film comes at the hands of Colin Farrell.  I can’t adequately describe the moment without spoiling the moment for anyone that hasn’t seen it.  I assure you, anyone that has felt the slightest sting of failure as a father may very well crumple.

Saving Mr. Banks is a extraordinary film.  Expect to see awards lined up for this one.  8.5 out of 10.

Leave us a Comment


text:
Chinook Carbon Standard Diameter Mast Extension Zoom

    Chinook Carbon Standard Diameter Mast Extension

    Chinook's lightest extensions come with the proven Power-Haul pulley and cleat system and cm index markings.

    2 cm adjustment increments.

    Availability: In stock

    NZD $236.00

    * Required Fields

    Chinook logo

    Weather, Check out the latest forecasts for Dunedin

    Product Description

    • Light weight carbon extension.
    • Two sizes 28cm, 48cm.
    • Secure collar height adjuster.
    • 2 cm adjustment increments.
    • 6:1 Power-Haul pulley and cleat system.

    Delivery Information

    Delivery Information

    Standard Delivery

    Standard delivery is 2-3 working days to New Zealand towns for small to medium items. Large items may take longer.

    Shipping prices vary based on size and/or number of items. A no obligation, automatic quote can be generated in your shopping cart before proceeding to checkout.

    Occasionally multiple items push the shipping costs higher than they should be. Please feel free to contact us if this seems the case.

    Priority Overnight Delivery

    Overnight delivery can sometimes be arranged on small to medium parcels. Contact us for extra costs.

    International Delivery

    We can ship to Australia and further afield if required. Contact us for costs.


text:
Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Why Are Black People Killing Themselves?

Why Are Black People Killing Themselves?

For all who might have missed it, I'd like to call attention to Larry Aubry's excellent article, "Black on Black Violence: Part Pained Indifference," that appeared in the Dec. 4 edition of the Los Angeles Sentinel. In his insightful article Aubry discusses the Black community's tendency to simply stand by as a small segment of the community embarks upon a course of Black annihilation. He very correctly points out that "Black-on-Black violence is a manifestation of race-based poverty, frustration and self-hate, spawned and nurtured by official neglect and the complicit indifference of Blacks themselves." In other words, our children are dying as a direct result of the apathy attendant to a lack of self-respect.

But wait a minute, how can that be? Aren't we the people who claim to be "Black and proud?"

Yes, we're the very ones--but that's nothing but lip service. Due to centuries of having to survive on vapors and dreams, we've become specialists in embracing style over substance, and delusion over reality. Thus, we've been coming up with slogans, nursery rhymes, and completely meaningless axioms for years, in an attempt to compensate for our lack of action–it's a cognitive device designed to hold on to our self-esteem.

But the national joke is this--we're the only ones who take the farce seriously. Everyone else in the world know our dred locs, swagger, and raised fists for exactly what they are–an attempt to create an image of who we would like to be, rather than who we, in fact, are. Everyone knows that if we were truly the proud people that we represent ourselves to be, we'd die before we'd allow what's going on in our community. So the fact is, we're not only killing ourselves, but we're looking like fools in the process.

You see, all the swagger notwithstanding, it doesn't take much insight for the world to recognize that a truly proud people would never allow themselves to be so totally overwhelmed by circumstance. What kind of pride would allow one's children to be abandoned, under-educated, drugged, and killed in the street with impunity? And what kind of pride would allow us to watch our daughters be seduced by a lifestyle that degrades, disrespect, and abuses them, then have us idolize and enrich the very people who brought that lifestyle into our homes? So, Black pride? I don't think so. What we're dealing with in the Black community isn't even remotely related to pride, it's more like cultural malfeasance–and if we allow it to continue, we're not going to survive.

The Black community has simply got to face the reality of our shortcomings, then take the time to reassess our cultural mores. We've got to recognize that if we truly want our children to take pride in who they are, we must begin to embrace knowledge, and make the pursuit of excellence a cultural priority. If we're waiting for our young people to obtain a thirst for knowledge through osmosis, we can forget it. The love of knowledge must be bred into them–and that will never happen as long as we continue to reward materialism over character. So if we ever truly want to become the proud people that we profess ourselves to be, we're going to have to set aside our worship of materialism as a primary value, and begin to impress the importance of knowledge, character, and dignity upon our youth.

We've got to help our young people to see that the heroes in our community aren't the ones driving around in flashy cars, and wearing fancy clothes--the community's true heroes are standing at bus stops in work clothes trying to feed their families. They also have to understand that having a good jump shot is only means to an end, and not an end in itself. And our young men have got to be raised to recognize that manhood is not about having the courage to rob and steal, but having the courage to face a bill collector, and life is not about being tough enough to beat a man to death, but being loving enough to raise a little girl. As long as we're failing to relate those values, we'll never be able to take pride in our community.

But one of the reasons we can't coalesce around these kind of values is that we have competing interests in the community. Most responsible Black people whose interests lie directly within the community understand the importance of eradicating drugs and violence from our midst, getting young men off our corners, and urging deadbeat dads to support their kids. But these values are in direct conflict with the interests of those Blacks who'd rather remain mad at the White man than see the Black community prosper.

It would be counterproductive from their point of view to simply sit back and allowed the Black community to change its ways and begin to prosper, that might indicate that it could have been done before, and demonstrate that the Black condition might not have been totally the White man's fault after all, and they simply can't allow that. They have too much invested in the White man's guilt.

Many of these people also have a professional stake in seeing the Black community remain stagnant and disaffected. Many make a lucrative living through protesting the Black community's pain. You know the ones I'm talking about–some of our so-called "civil rights leaders", politicians, and even a few professionals who benefit directly from our support, or indirectly by riding the coattails of the disaffected Black populous to gain professional advantage.

What makes this situation particularly unconscionable is the fact that while these people will criticize any attempt to speak out against negative conditions in the community as "blaming the victim," they've moved their own families out of the community, thus, effectively shielding them from the dangers that failing to address the community's issues would bring into their own lives.

We never hear a word from these people about the work that we to improve our community, but mark my word, as soon as Barack Obama takes the oath of office you're going to hear them screaming at the top of their lungs that if Barack was truly a Black man, he'd swing the doors of the treasury open to the Black community. They know damn well he can't do that, but they need something to protest to justify their existence. You see, with these people, it's not about actually improving the Black community, it's about giving themselves a reason for being. I call them, "Protest, Inc."

So while racism has undoubtedly had an horrific impact on the Black community, these voracious leeches within our number have been just as perniciously destructive to our way of life. So we must always keep in mind that while these very same people have been protesting and complaining for the past forty years (every since Martin Luther King was killed), they haven't brought one constructive thing into the community in all that time. Think about it. The Black community is essentially in the same condition that MLK left us in 1968.

But of course, Protest, Inc. is going to claim that it is only due to their selfless efforts that Barack Obama's presidency was made possible. But that's also a lie. Barack Obama is not president because of these people–he's president in spite of them.

Eric L. Wattree

The problem with ideologues of every stripe is they tend to give ideology priority over thought.

Sphere: Related Content


text:
Nicki Minaj, Nas, break up,

Nicki Minaj & Nas Break Up! | “Shether” & “Ether” Go Their Separate Ways

New York, NY — Nicki Minaj and Nas have reportedly split up after seven months of dating, says TMZ. Sources say the relationship terminated “a few weeks ago,” mainly due to the burden of them living apart in different cities. The item first ignited dating rumors in May 2017 after Minaj shared a pic of her snuggling up to the “If I Ruled The World” rapper with the caption, “Only KINGS recognize QUEENS.” Since then, they’ve both popped up on one another’s social media pages on several occasions. Minaj confessed, too, back in May that she had a crush on Esco but […]

Safaree | Fur Coat Vol. 1 | HOTTEST MIXTAPE OF 2017!! | @wazzuptonight

New York, NY — “Man I’m tired of these p*ssies like a old dik*, I had the best girl rapper on my gold mic..” -Safaree, Fur Coat Vol. 1 Yeah ya’ll . . . it’s like dat! As far as hottest mixtapes of this year—several projects have been the topic of debates inside of barbershops around the cities, such as Friday On Elm Street (by Fabolous & Jadakiss) and Gangsta B*tch Music Vol 2 (by Cardi B). However, WAZZUP Tonight‘s here to set the record straight and inform you that Safaree Samuels‘ latest mixtape (Fur Coat Vol. 1) is the most […]


text:
The risk of a correction or new bear market in shares

Published: January 23, 2014

Download PDF copy Watch video Since the height of the Eurozone public debt crisis in September/October 2011, global shares are up 58% and Australian shares are up 37%. After such strong gains an obvious issue is whether shares have got ahead of themselves, leaving them vulnerable to a fall. This note looks at the risks. […]

Read more

2014 – a list of lists

Published: January 15, 2014

Download PDF copy 2013 turned out to be a very good year for investors in well-diversified portfolios as the threats of the last few years receded and global growth prospects improved. The US did not have a fiscal crisis, the Eurozone continued to stabilise, Japan recovered, Chinese growth stabilised and Australia saw signs that low […]

Read more

The Fed tapers – what it means for investors

Published: December 19, 2013

Download PDF copy In what was perhaps the most anticipated event this year the US Federal Reserve has announced it will reduce the pace of its third quantitative easing (QE3) program by $US10bn a month. The Fed has been foreshadowing a “tapering” since May 22nd so it’s a surprise to no one. This note looks […]

Read more

Review of 2013, outlook for 2014

Published: December 11, 2013

  Watch Investment Implication video Download PDF copy 2013 – another good year for investors 2013 was notable for what did not happen: the US did not go off the fiscal cliff or default on its debt and the much feared inflation lift off failed to materialise; the euro did not fall apart despite a […]

Read more

A better 2014 for the Aust economy & profits

Published: December 4, 2013

Download PDF copy Ever since major mining investment projects, such as Olympic Dam, started to be cancelled over a year ago and it became clear the mining investment boom was coming to an end, much uncertainty has surrounded the outlook for the Australian economy. This was not helped by a mediocre initial response to interest […]

Read more

Deflation or rising inflation – what is the risk?

Published: November 28, 2013

Download PDF copy Ever since the global economy started to "recover" from the global financial crisis in 2009 a constant concern has been that all the money printing by central banks in the US, Europe and Japan will result in sharply higher inflation in developed countries. This has not happened. In fact over the last […]

Read more

Eugene Fama, Robert Shiller, DAA and me

Published: November 26, 2013

Download PDF copy For twenty five years or so my core focus at work has been on the allocation of assets – shares, bonds, property, cash, Australian, global, etc – across multi asset portfolios. Some might say that’s a job that naturally flows from being an economist with a macro (ie big picture) focus. But […]

Read more

China on track

Published: November 13, 2013

Download PDF copy It seems that every 6 -12 months the China perma bears roll out their worries again. At the core of such concerns are a bunch of structural issues: that China’s investment driven growth model is unsustainable, that its housing sector is overheated, that it has lost competitiveness and most significantly that it […]

Read more

The search for yield and return – has it gone too far or is there more to go?

Published: November 6, 2013

Download PDF The collapse in short term interest rates and associated fall in long term bond yields has seen investors seek out decent investment yield in assets as diverse as corporate debt, property, infrastructure and shares. And more recently this has broadened into a general search for higher returns as confidence in the economic outlook […]

Read more

Light at the end of the tunnel for Australian retail sales

Published: October 24, 2013

Download PDF Four years of poor retail sales When looking for growth in non-mining investments to fill the gap left by the mining investment boom, retail sales are critically important accounting for nearly 20% of economic activity in Australia. As is well known Australian retailers have had it tough for nearly four years now. Nominal […]

Read more


text:
Wednesday, December 8, 2010

I guess it is safe to say that I live on a farm. I can't think of any other way to describe what we've got going on here. This year I made it "official" when I registered with The American Goat Society as Dimple Dell Farm (doesn't that name sound so adorable?) and destined all new baby goats born here to their own special prefix. This year we had "Dimple Dell Chocolate Chip," (some of you may remember our special little Chip for his unusual sexual orientation) "Dimple Dell Flower," "Dimple Dell Chuckles," and little "Dimple Dell Happy Go Lucky."

A farm is fun and fulfilling. A farm is a lot of work. When the weather gets cold and wet I start to question farm life. The animals must be fed everyday, watered, their poop scooped, and their bedding cleaned. Water hoses must be unscrewed and drained so they won't freeze and break pipes. It seems that as soon as we get one hole in the fence fixed, another is created. Every month somebody has to be wormed, vaccinated, trimmed up or doctored. And did I mention poop? Oh, so much poop!

Today was stall mucking day and I had been dreading it. Kays and I suited up and headed out to fill wheelbarrows full of manure, and as we scraped and scooped, we talked and laughed. And I thought to myself that more moms should have the chance to spend an hour each day with their daughters working at poop containment. After we finished with the scooping, we did the feeding and watering, we fixed a hole in the fence, and gathered the eggs. It was a lovely hour, actually, even though I was a little blue at the tips when we were done. Kaylee said to me, "Mom, look how beautiful the mountains are." And she was right. The view of the mountains was so much more beautiful than the alternative today... POOP.

Monday, November 22, 2010

I have a beautiful life full of beautiful people and things. I have a safe, warm home full of love and simple comforts. I have loyal and loving friends, family close at hand, puppies to warm my feet at night, and neighbors who share. I drive a reliable car, dress my family in nice clothes, fill my pantry with good food. I take warm showers and baths. I fall asleep most nights feeling safe and warm. My children have all the opportunities in life that I could want for them. At my house we love much and forgive often. When there are tears, there is always someone to wipe them away. I am thankful for all these things, today, and every other.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

So, so many things happen in a day, a week, a month, a year. In May the kids had a dance recital, their first ever (and possibly last), and I didn't blog about it. They danced to "Run Around Sue."

Also in May the kids made their first stage appearance in "A Mid Summer Night's Dream" and I didn't blog about it. Brit had the part of King Oberon, Kaylee played Puck. They were amazing!

In June, after our anniversary in San Francisco, we spent a quick weekend in Arizona. Thank you Woodards for hosting us...again! We were on a mission to find just the right winter home for the kids and me. And while the weather in Utah was unseasonably cool that weekend, it was also unseasonably cool in AZ, making it perfect.

The last weekend in June was spent in Moab, Ut. with my brother Brett, Mom and Tim.

July, July, July... July has sort of just happened. July is generally my favorite month of the year. This year I decided to use all the positive energy and optimism of warm weather, summer fun and lazier days to tweak a few little things in my life that I think need improvement. I'm hoping to track my progress over here.

All of these things that happen seem fresh in my memory, for now. But time can make memories fuzzy, less vivid, sometimes even hidden. My blog is supposed to help capture the memories. I need to blog better.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Yesterday marked the 20 year anniversary of our wedding day. On June 1, 1990, I became Mrs. Bringhurst, and let me tell you, that was a a rung or two up on the alphabetical ladder! Imagine going all through your school days with a last name starting with S. It moulds you, shapes you, makes you feel like you must fall back in line... Then one day you are a B! Suddenly you can be first (or second) in line, stand a little taller, wait a little less, be somebody! Ahhh.... marital bliss.

Since that day we have lived in seven places, owned three houses, had two children, owned seventeen cars, three boats, two trailers, and many, many pets. We honeymooned in Disneyland and returned countless times with our kids. We backed into parenthood and never looked back, sharing nearly every day-to-day, and, exciting new experience with the kids. This year, to celebrate our 20 years of marriage, we planned a trip without the kids.

Have you been? Everybody's been to San Francisco! Except me. I had never been until this past weekend. I LOVED it! We had great weather which, as anyone knows, will make or break a vacation for me. Some of the highlights were:

ALCATRAZ! Because I love, love, LOVE history! And this place was full of it.

We took the audio tour

I really liked zig-zaggy Lombard Street. Driving it was fun and all, but I want to live there.

And this place, to remind me of my back-of-the-line roots.

I loved our tour of old boats. I love old things.

I loved this place... where I paid $15 for a small bag of cherries.

I loved the seafood, the atmosphere, the ocean. I loved that everyone rode bikes and owned dogs. AND... I loved having this handsome guy, all to myself, for one whole weekend!

My only regret is leaving my camera home. Thanks Jeff! For a perfect weekend.
*pictures courtesy of Jeff's new camera, that might need a little tweaking*

Monday, May 24, 2010

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Yesterday my dad had surgery to repair his thumb and shoulder. He was able to have both surgeries done on the same day by two different doctors and surgical teams. Since I myself am an avid hater of anesthesia, I can really appreciate the value of this "working together for the greater good" method of surgery.

Tonight we were able to visit him at home and he was doing well and in good spirits. He was excited to show us his helmet and armored clothes to emphasize how much worse his injuries could have been... As if distracting us from letting loose a lecture on the dangers of old men riding motorcycles. It didn't work. We lectured anyway- a little bit. He also showed us pictures taken a couple days after the accident of his bruising and road-rash. The entire right side of his body is a huge bruise. It was ugly and shocking, and I'm not JUST referring to his old man bum peeking out in some of the photos. Giggle, giggle, hee hee...just kidding Dad! Kind of...

Then I took some pictures of my own and warned him I would be blogging about it, again.

This is just a small section of the bruising

His best scabs and rash are hidden under bandages and clothing

Hwellp, now I know where I got my legs from...

Then he told us the whole story of how it all happened, and how plainly and simply grateful he is to be here. And I told him how I knew before it happened that it would happen. And I don't know how I knew. Sometimes I just know. And after enough incidences of sometimes knowing, I've learned that the only thing I can do is wait for the phone call. Some things can't be explained, and I'm okay with that.

He's here, he's healing, he's a good grandpa, and I'm okay with that too.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

On Monday I had a whim. I wanted to go for a run. All my friends are doing it, I want to do it too. I made Brit go with me. We went about a mile. I jogged maybe, MAYBE, a quarter of that mile. Yesterday I HURT!!! I hurt from head to toe. I hurt like I'd been skiing all day. I hobbled around, moaning and aching, feeling so sorry for myself. Today I hurt. Not quite so much, but still, so much. Tomorrow I have to get back out there and give it another go...

PRAY FOR ME! (or pray for rain)


text:
Sunday, February 26, 2012

Weather Geocoder with Google Maps and Google Weather API

Google Weather GeocoderI got tired of searching locations on weather reporting websites to get instant updates, so I thought of building an instant weather reporting application which would give me information for any location I click on the map. Google Maps API provides an inbuilt reverse-geocoding service which can geocode an IP Address to a place on the map. To get weather information, I’ve used the so called secret Weather API from Google which they use on the iGoogle page widget. Google has not officially published this API but we would love if they do so. The good thing about Google’s weather API is that it is easy to use and includes the weather icons, but there is no way as of now to get the data in other formats apart from XML:

Demo on my Labs page:

You can play around with the app on my labs page and view the source on the page to get the JavaScript code to build this tool on your own website. To convert the XML data from Google Weather API to JSONP, I’ve written a small PHP script you can download from the link below.

Click here to get the PHP Script for converting Google Weather API’s XML data to JSON/JSONP format.

You can style the Weather Information window according to your needs or you can use the one I’ve created: You can freely modify the JavaScript code to suit your needs. If you find any bugs or see improvement opportunities, please do drop a comment below and I’ll look into it asap :)

  1. Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again.
    html5 video player

    1. Hi, Great.. Tutorial is just awesome..It is really helpful for a newbie like me.. I am a regular follower of your blog. Really very informative post you shared here. Kindly keep blogging. If anyone wants to become a Front end developer learn from Javascript Training in Chennai . or Javascript Training in Chennai. Nowadays JavaScript has tons of job opportunities on various vertical industry. ES6 Training in Chennai

  2. hi, nicely done there great job! and thanks for sharing
    but i have a question...
    is there a way to overcome the PHP Script for converting Google Weather API’s XML data to JSON/JSONP format and converting the original xml file google creates at "" to plain html using jquery?

  3. Anonymous,
    Instead of converting the XML to JSONP (I designed it for cross-domain access), you can write a simple proxy script in any language to fetch the Google XML from your JavaScript code. Then you can parse the XML file in jQuery ( and get the weather data in formatWeatherData() method.

  4. i've tried that exactly,but i get (in google chrome's inspect element) this error...
    "XMLHttpRequest cannot load file:///C:/Users/andry/Desktop/2.xml. Origin null is not allowed by Access-Control-Allow-Origin."

    and i cant rly think what i did wrong there, thank you again in advance

  5. If you have the XML file locally, then try placing it in the same folder as your script and simply use "2.xml" (without any path) in the ajax call. The best option is to use a proxy script to get the xml data.

  6. Hi,
    The weather google api cannot be used. They treat thee request to get the xml file as an automated query, and just outputs this message:
    We’re sorry… … but your computer or network may be sending automated queries. To protect our users, we can’t process your request right now.

  7. i am getting this error when using your demo page. I am using firefox 13.0.1

    'Error occured during fetching weather data."

  8. Hi. I converted your app to a python/google app engine application. I used weather underground api and it is working fine.

Thanks a lot for your valuable comments :)