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Breaking Bad: “Felina” Recap and Response

Recap: “I did it for me”.

Sunday evening marked the end of Breaking Bad and the gripping storyline that captivated the world over five years ago. I’ll cut to the chase, “Felina” as the final episode is titled, was a masterpiece. Critics from all over the interwebs have taken to their keyboards to boisterously sound-off regarding their own qualms with the finale, but let it be known that it was a true work of art.

Walt is seen hiding out in a snow-covered car right after he escapes the bar seconds before police swarm the area.  Police sirens suddenly creep into frame and Walt becomes still as the old king Ozymandias. He is almost permanently frozen in time as the sirens eventually pass. He struggles to start the engine with a screwdriver, but low and behold as he drops the driver side visor, the keys fall into his lap. He slowly prays out loud, “Just Get me Home…Just Get me Home”. His tone is that of a dying man hoping for one last hoorah, and he is rewarded with such.

We then pan to Gretchen and Elliot Schwartz (possibly a few cabernet bottles deep), arriving at their decadent residence. They don’t notice their old business partner sitting in the shadows of their courtyard and proceed inside. Gretchen turns around as she lights  nice romantic fire, and is shocked to see Walt standing in the foyer, staring at the couples pictures. She lets out a scream and Elliot comes to her side wielding a small knife (if that’s what that thing is called). Walt jokingly says “If we’re going to go that route, you’re going to need a bigger knife”. He calmly has them retrieve his $9 million and has them lay it onto the table and directs them to give the money to Jr. on his 18th birthday, utilizing an irrevocable trust. Just to make sure they do as told, Walt raises his hand and instantly two laser sights appear on the couples chest. Frightened and intimidated, Walt informs them that the “two best hit men west of the Mississippi” are outside and will make sure they deliver the money to his children.  Walt leaves and picks up none other than Skinny Pete and Badger on the side of the road (laser pointers in hand). It was definitely a treat to see these two again, props to Vince for giving them crucial screen time.

We hear the phone ring, the camera pans across a new landscape, and suddenly Skyler comes into view. Marie is on the other end of the phone warning her that Walt is in town and most likely will try to contact her. She seems void of emotion, probably because what we don’t see is Walt standing in the corner of the kitchen, beady eyes fixated on his once wife. He says goodbye, and gives her the lottery ticket which is where “You will find Hank and Steve Gomez”. Walt also admits that he cooked meth for himself, because he was good at it and made him feel alive.

Walt then interrupts Lydia and Todd’s business meeting and claims that he has discovered a new method of cooking the same grade meth, without the methlymine. This gives him access to Uncle Jack’s compound. Both parties have extremely divergent and dissimilar motives, which is what makes the scene so well-written. I was blown away by Cranston’s ability to make minced-meat of such a difficult scene. He glides on camera and just as effortlessly leaves it’s view. Marvelous job, Bryan.

Walt is then seen in the desert, building some kind of machine. It reminds me of a long weekend I once had sitting on the ground, countless pieces in front of me after an Ikea binge. One last glimpse of the New Mexico skyline before dark was a nice touch in this episode, seeing as it was a largely aesthetic bonus to the show. As we enter the compound, Walt is searched and stripped of his keys. It’s clear that no business is going to be discussed. Just as Walt is about to be executed, he calls Jack a liar and claims that Jesse is not dead but rather his business partner. Todd retrieves Jesse and brings him to Walt just so he can see that Jesse is definitely not a partner and instead a slave.  Walt approaches Jesse and tackles him to the ground as he pushes a button on his car keys. The trunk pops open and the M60 machine gun begins auto-firing into the compound with a robotic lever that Walt assembled in the desert (for good measure). As everyone lay dead or dying, Walt shoots Jack in the head (unapologetically) and Jesse strangles Todd.

Walt and Jesse have one more intense stare-off. Walt asks Jesse to “Do it” as he slides him his handgun. Jesse refuses and takes off in a car. Walt receives a call from Lydia on Todd’s cell-phone and asks if she’s feeling under the weather. He then informs her that her stevia was actually ricin. Fittingly, he ends the conversation with a foreshadowing “Goodbye, Lydia”.

Walt, who had been shot in the barrage of flying automatic rifle shells, scans over the lab at the compound and eventually collapses and dies, just as police raid the area. Screen cuts to black.

Response: I Still Love Walter White

From the beginning, I seen Breaking Bad as a zero-sum game experiment.  My understanding of the zero-sum game theory is wedged between the lens of political power and international relations, but it also works with this show. Walt’s actions from the very start of this series set up a scenario where nobody actually wins.  Walt taunts, “I won” to Skyler in the series four finale (post Gus annihilation) but in actuality he just survived. There were no true winners in the series at all, and especially none during tonight’s episode.

It’s easy to see how Walt, the Nazis, Lydia, Skyler (Jr/Holly as well), and the Schwartz’s lost, but the true conundrum lies with Jesse’s fate. Although Aaron Paul was largely devoid of actual lines throughout these final episodes, what he doesn’t say is equally telling. For the past few weeks we have seen guilt-riddled skeleton of who Jesse used to be, but as he escaped from the compound he exuded a level of happiness melded with anxiety that not many actors can bring to light. As Jesse ventures to god knows where, viewers are left to ponder. At this point, however, it was too late for redemption. Bryan Cranston called the series finale “unapologetic”, and that is exactly what it felt like. One thing is for certain, Jesse will have to fight like hell everyday for the rest of his life to even attempt to flush these demons from within himself. Jesse didn’t win, he survived too.

“Felina” simply delivered. Everyone was either physically or emotionally dead at the end of the episode. From the opening shot we know exactly where Walt is going and what he plans to do. Breaking Bad took the notion of impending doom and gave it a makeover. The scene involving Gretchen and Elliot was breathtaking and should receive credit as one of Cranston’s best throughout the show. These people, once his friends and partners, are now terrified at the sight of him. He gives them plenty to think about and threatens their lives with distinct precision as he thrusts his arms in the air much like an orchestra conductor.

I’ll  also be perfectly honest, I love Walter White. While many claim he turned into this mastermind, villain, evil person, and sociopath, I see him as a unique character amongst simpler characters. Tony Soprano and Don Draper are relatively simple compared to Walter White. Sure, all three characters struggle with this innate sense of identity (who doesn’t ask “who am i?” from time to time), but Walter’s actions are strictly based off a previously long-dormant, animalistic nature. We all have a little bit of Heisenberg in us, just not composed of illicit drug manufacturing and murder. People do what it takes to survive, it’s that little voice in our heads that says “fight or flight”, it’s a racing heart during an exciting moment, and it’s what keeps people out of dark alleyways during the night. Walter White had a death warrant given to him and he gave the world the finger and went out in his way. To be clear, yes he did completely go off the grid and make a series of very bad choices, but at least he went out on his terms. I guess I make this argument in attempting to see Walter as more than some anti-hero or villain, I see him as someone who did what he had to do. He lied to himself and everyone around him for 5 incredible seasons, but he couldn’t fool us. Walt did it for himself and hearing him utter those words was like eating chocolate cake after years of not having it.

Whether Breaking Bad receives a higher critic score than its competitors is a moot point. It is one of the greatest shows ever created. Viewers and critics alike should take a step back and appreciate the show. It was a rare combination of intelligence and tenacity. It took science (bitch) and made it cool again. The show took a wirly, underachieving high school chemistry teacher and transformed him into a demigod. A way to classify how good a show is, is to pay attention to how you feel afterwards. After “Felina” I somehow made my way onto the sidewalk and took a walk to a local park. I didn’t think, I just walked. There was no amazing recap in my head about the episode, only the fleeting anxiety that my favorite show is now over. When a show can bring about such emotions, it should be deemed great, and that is exactly what Breaking Bad was. Thanks to Vince and the entire cast for a phenomenal 5 years of television, you have redefined what it means to make a great television series. Cheers!


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July 31st, Day 212: Running out of light!

I worked late this evening, and as is my typical MO, I came home and sat down. KNOWING I still had not taken an acceptable photo yet today.

Eventually my will to successfully complete a year’s worth of photos overrode my desire to remain sitting in a comfy chair and I headed outside.

I should have grabbed my tripod on the way, but didn’t.

I found this new blossom on my bean plant, and tried my laziest best (haha) to get a photo in the dim porch light.

This is me, not breathing:

july 31 wm

And I totally cheated. I was lazy, as aforementioned, and didn’t get my tripod out. Instead, I turned on the porch light, cranked up the ISO, and held my breath.

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A Love Story

65 years ago today, there was a wedding.

She was 18, he was 23.

They married in Germany on February 2nd, 1947 after having met almost a year before at a U.S. based hospital outside of Munich. They brought with them rich histories filled with traditions, love, and unspeakable horrors. She had survived the war living in bunkers underground, and in the barns and homes of righteous gentiles. He made his way through a handful of concentration camps, finally being liberated from Dachau, black numbers forever etched into his skin.

They both had suffered great loss, but once they met, they fell in love, and began building a new life…together.

Moving to a small apartment in Munich, Germany, they immediately fell into their new life. He drove an ambulance, and she learned to make hats. She soon became pregnant with their first child, a daughter. They lived in Munich for a bit longer before making the move to the states. Their remaining family had been dispersed, some traveled along with them to America, while others moved to Israel. They were young, but they had each other and their small family. They arrived in the U.S. in 1949. He was a factory worker while, on paper, she became a housewife.

…I don’t think she ever had to submit to an actual professional test. But if she had to, she would have passed with flying colors.

The years passed and each one brought about some change. A son was born. They had a large farm of their own, raising chickens and cows. They owned a grocery store. They made dresses in a factory (where a young Diane Von Furstenberg was one of their clients). They owned their own clothing store. They watched as their children grew up, went off to school, and got married. Their daughter had her own children. They became snow birds down in Florida, and eventually moved there permanently. They watched their granddaughter get married. They arrived only days after their first great-grandkid was born, and proceeded to pour their love into him.

Through their years together they loved not only each other with a quiet fierceness, but those around them as well. Their family, friends, and loved ones all saw bits and pieces of their love story as they aged.

Late summer of 2010 brought a pause in their story. After dealing with some illness, he passed away. Yet, their love remains, and she lives each day comforted by her many memories. Despite him being gone, today is still their 65th wedding anniversary, and is a day to truly celebrate. For their story is an everlasting story…

True love lasts a life time.

My grandparents: Philip & Esther Sal

10 thoughts on “A Love Story

  1. Pingback: Never Forget | The Mamafesto

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Hospital pharmacy services.

A recent blog in the Pharmaceutical Journal has tempted me to write this. I am no longer a hospital pharmacist and so look at hospitals from a different point of view. As a patient, I want my trip to the hospital to be as short, smooth and uneventful as possible. I don’t want drama and delay and the pharmacist has a crucial role in this.

On admission it is essential that I am treated accurately and quickly. So I want the right medicine at the right dose, administered in the right way and as soon as possible. The pharmacist needs to ensure three things:

  • The clinicians have the right education and information / guidelines available to them.
  • The medicines must be available.
  • There are checks and measures to ensure safety.

As close to admission as possible, I need a pharmaceutical assessment and medicines reconciliation. This is not just a paper exercise. It does not just depend on what medicines are written, but what medicines are actually being taken. All with a history to understand what medicines may have been taken and discontinued in the past. This information should be infused into the current treatment plan in a structured and organised way.

During my stay, I want all the right medicines administered at the right time and in the right manner. Of course the prescriber (whether doctor, nurse or pharmacist) must prescribe safely, accurately and clearly, but the team needs to ensure that the medicines are given/taken properly. I am a great supporter of self administration within hospital, but the benefits must be achieved and safety ensured. Pharmacists must again ensure three things:

  • Those administering medicines or setting up self administration programs have the appropriate education / training / supervision and evidence of competence.
  • The medicines must be available.
  • There are checks and balances to ensure safety.

When I come to the time of discharge, well, I want to get out of there quickly. Arrangements for my discharge should be set up as early as possible. The medicines need to be there and I need a rudimentary understanding of what I need to do when I get home. It is only when I get home will I open my bag and ask ‘now what do I have to do with these?’ There are two important features here:

  • I will start to re manage my treatment the moment that I get home, so during my stay it would be good to have received small packets of information about the treatments that shapes my understanding and decisions.
  • Others will seek to reconcile my medicines and treatments and information on what has been stopped, what has been tried and what I am now on would be very helpful.

Both my practice and my community pharmacy have a role in making sure that I am both knowledgeable and committed to treatment. It is worth saying that I will only take the medicines which I believe will achieve the goals that I desire and in the manner that I think is right – so you have an important role in my goal setting.

There is an important link with the community pharmacy through NMS. This may come at a critical time in my medication experience and the role of the community pharmacist must not be underestimated.

I hear lots of discussion about interventions. An intervention is a failure not a success. The whole purpose of a hospital pharmacist is to prevent interventions not to make them. One intervention can be acceptable, but two the same represent systematic failure. Wow that feels a bit strong, but it is the way that we should think. In my early days I provided clinical services to a SCBU. I was worried about the level of interventions. In the main the doses were out, but my main worry was that several had already been administered by the time I arrived. The solution was a formulary, with doses and a calculation and administration guide with education to empower the doctors and nurses. I run sessions for new doctors and additional sessions for nurses on calculations and administration.  We also started collecting information on vein survival related to drug administration. My intervention rate plummeted. Well to be truthful it simply brought other issues to the surface to deal with and I had a little more time to talk to parents.

Medicines are an integral part of the effectiveness of a hospital. Pharmacists are the only healthcare professional that can have oversight from prescribing, through procurement and supply to administration and discharge. It is their duty to ensure that every part of the medicine related process is effective and the hospital effectively links pre-admission to post-discharge.

About markmandc (263 Articles)
A pharmacist with experience working in secondary care, primary care, community pharmacy and general practice.

1 Comment on Hospital pharmacy services.

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About the Neuzels

We’re Casey and Bre – We used to be the Neuzels (Benzel & Neuman) now we’re the Neumans after a little wedding action!

Me and my husband!!

Me and my husband!!

We bought this little ‘charmer’ in 2008 and immediately started applying elbow grease.

Back Camera

3 years later and were are almost done.  We’re on our last room now.  She’s looking pretty good!

We also share our house with this motley crew…Our dog Belle, cat Leroy, and 3 chickens

HolidayCard2We’re glad you stopped by to check in on what we’re up to!

2 Responses to About the Neuzels

  1. I didn’t know you guys had a blog! Consider yourself stalked!! 😄

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Author Archives: nataliebeth

tree of life

epic trailer!

tree of life

writer//director: terrence malick
cinematography: emmanuel lubezki
starring: brad pitt, jessica chastain, sean penn

watch the much more beautiful, high res version here.

lovingly, always–

well, fox news really pinned the nail on the donkey this time. or something. here’s some kid talking about his near death experience, where he found out that everyone in heaven is young (PHEW, no wrinkles guys!). he also got to meet john the baptist, god, and jesus. why wouldn’t they all be together? and caring about this kid at all. this definitely makes sense.

here are some choice quotes:
‘god is a very very big person. he can actually fit the entire world into his hands.’

reporter: ‘wow. so many people want to know what you now know. what about jesus?’
kid: ‘well, jesus, he had a rough but kind face, sea blue eyes, and a smile that lit up the heavens.’

reporter: ‘and what about old people? they are not in heaven, right?’
kid: ‘nope, just young adults.’
then the dad says: ‘the good news, gretchen, is that when you’re up in heaven, it’ll be the young version.’

AMAZING. THIS TRULY IS AMAZING. video after the jump.

Continue reading

FILMS 11142010

got some great looking flicks coming up.

when did jane eyre become a horror movie? i’m not sure, but this ‘gothic thriller’ looks amazing. directed by cary fukunaga (sin nombre), and shot by adriano goldman (sin nombre and city of men). opens march 11, 2011.

no, it’s not that movie with edward norton and jessica biel. it’s this movie, directed by sylvain chomet (triplets of belleville). it follows a performer who is having to compete with the up and coming rockstars of the new generation. it looks magical. drops dec 25, 2010.

a documentary that follows the story of the linotype and its operators, as well as its ephemeral existence. directed by douglas wilson.

loving you.

how awesome is this guy?

how has everyone been? my birthday is on friday. did you know it’s acceptable to make the entire month of october into halloween?

can’t wait to see this new movie by alejandro gonzález iñárritu . looks amazing!

FILMS PT 2 09042010

today we are making pancakes OR getting mate lattes. iiiiit’s saturday! the day of indecision. also i’m trying to convince everyone to go get their haircut..together. la james, here we come!

a new film by darren aronofsky, about ballerinas! so cute.

casey affleck plays a cool guy; a murderer. directed by michael winterbottom, who did a mighty heart and 24 hour party people. is that a good enough description? probably not. the trailer is chilling, though, so give it a watch.

i think this film looks like garbage. BUT. i love street art, and i suppose if a street artist were to make a film, it would be banksy. check it out.

love and happy labor day! it’s a holiday

FILMS 09012010

hey suave dudes! happy september.

so suave ^^

here are some FILMS i’m looking forward to.

this inventive, beautifully shot trailer makes me so excited to see the film. i love how dark and theatrical it looks. from jean-pierre jeunet, the guy responsible for amelie and delicatessen (not to mention alien, resurrection), comes this very interesting story about a man with a bullet in his brain.

a young woman is forced to find her missing father, a meth cook, who has posted the family’s property for his bail. this trailer doesn’t look that intriguing, but the film has received fabulous reviews, including two prizes at sundance (grand jury as well as screenwriting), and four stars from ebert.

ok dudes, i’m going to be honest here. i love james franco. a lot. i also have a very tough time taking him seriously (meaning: i can’t). i could NOT STOP LAUGHING while watching this trailer, although i find aron ralston’s story very compelling. that being said, i do like danny boyle, and i do want to see this film. but i hope james franco doesn’t smile through the whole thing, because if he is, i will be too.

this film follows a russian woman (tilda swinton) who marries into an aristocratic italian family. it seems to be a story of love, sex, and deception, and the trailer has some heavy symbolism (the bird unable to escape near the end of the trailer). apparently, swinton learned to speak italian with a russian accent, although i am a BIT concerned that they only included one line of monologue from her. however, like winter’s bone, this movie has gotten great reviews, so i’m definitely looking forward to seeing it.

stay tuned for FILMS PT 2 tomorrow!

as always, LOVE LOVE LOVE


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A Thousand Shall Fall By Andrea Boeshaar

Instead of “good to the last drop” like some coffees, this book was good to the last word! This is incredible historical romance! The author did such an astonishing job of incorporating Civil War history into her novel that you didn’t even realize you were being entertained and getting a history lesson too! I have learned many things I did not know in Civil War novels I have read and this one added a whole boatload more!
Merely 19 years old, Carrie Ann Bell found herself in the middle of the war, with her father gone, working at a horrid job to help support her mother (who for some reason despises her), and a two sisters, yet never forgetting her dream of becoming a journalist. When her younger sister runs off with a peddler, it is up to her to try to find her and bring her home. Her confederate friends have told her about the wicked Yankees. This does not deter her in the least. She comes up with a plan to disguise herself as a Union soldier, walk through the enemy territory where there is active battle ensuing and into the area she thinks her sister has gone. Carrie Ann has no doubt it will go off without a hitch, but it doesn’t. She is captured by the Union army and taken to their camp.
There she meets the handsome, military hero, Colonel Peyton Collier. He becomes her friend and protector. She finds that the Yankees are not the demons she has heard about, but good, brave men. She begins to help at their make shift hospital caring for the many wounded. To protect her and enable her to continue to search for her sister, he moves her to live with his widowed aunt as a companion. She learns those she thought were enemies were her friends and that friends from her past may very well be her enemies.
I love Carrie’s courage and tenacity in dealing with whatever was thrown at her. I attributed to the strength of youth but also her outstanding character. The story is filled with faith, humor, romance, suspense, and surprises. The practice of Civil War medicine was an exhausting gruesome job. Not only with the sheer numbers of severely injured men but also the lack of supplies and proper conditions in which to care for them. The author brings this to life vividly. It was a war not where the soldiers went off and fought, but it was staged right where people lived. Who could you trust? What would happen next in your city or home? Would you or someone you loved become a fatality of the war? These questions and more haunted every American during this time. Through this novel I experienced the tension, hardship, insecurity, and uncertainty of this horrendous time. I applaud you Ms. Boeshaar a job well done and anxiously await your next book!
I received a copy of this book free from Kregel Publications in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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this is a “reprint” of my post on the north point community news from this morning.   it’s a thought from yesterday’s sermon that i think deserves some press…

This was a tough passage.

The words are absolutely brutal.   It is the strongest language yet coming from the heart of the Apostle Paul in this letter.

In my past,  the words of this passage were used to create the dividing wall that existed between me and my unsaved friends.   It was the “heart” of the us and them war.   The same one that exists today.

“You are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ”   Ephesains 4:17-19

But here’s the point…from my perspective.   Paul is writing these words to believers,  not to unbelievers.   These are not to be the inflammatory words of a soap-box preacher standing on a street corner or the quad at the university.   This is not terminology that is supposed to be delivered to the heart of our neighbors or our co-worker in the cubicle next to us.

These words are for us.   To look back.   To remember where we have come from…and to vow never to go back.   Paul wants to make sure we remember that Christ did not die on the cross so we could live any way we want.   The message of redemption is not our license to redefine God’s laws to suit our feelings.

Brutal words?   Yes.   But we need the truth.

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In my mind, the whole profanity trend started off a few years back with an odd swear word strategically placed here or there — but has grown into a thundering cacophony of letterpressed, foiled and cursive cursing.

But don’t take my word for it — consider the evidence from these makers who have integrated cussing into their very business model, with very professional (and might I add effective) results. Before I get started here though, I should note: If salty language offends you, skip this post!

First up we have Ümlaut Brooklyn, who just has a special way of juxtaposing vintage photos, beguiling patterns and clever messaging to create a wonderful (if slightly blasphemous) range of cards and journals.

I saw Tiramisu Paperie this year first at National Stationery Show, and then at Las Vegas Market, and Lisa’s range of pencils, cards, notepads, coasters, and yes, even balloons just gets better and better.

Lovebird Paper integrates its signature beautiful hand-lettering onto cards & totes.

And Karen Adams Designs glitters her profanity, and presents it in a pretty box!

ilootpaperie created this splendid wall print that says exactly what’s on your mind, so you don’t have to yell it out in anger!
And Frog & Toad Press ‘pressed this beautiful floral wreath to surround its plain-spoken apology. Perhaps being letterpressed will help the recipient accept it & move on!
This periodic table-inspired postcard from theBird+theBeard is a bit less in one’s face, but gets extra points for going over some people’s heads. This is another reason kids need to pay attention in school! And nothing accessorizes a thoughtfully used curse word like elegantly rendered women, as Alison Gordon Studio can attest.

Finally, Ashkahn … what can I say here that has not already been said? He deserves a slow clap in my book!

I don’t think anything will get your point across quite like a sheet from this notepad. So next time you’re about to say something you may regret, take a slightly different approach and support these fine (if somewhat foul-mouthed) American makers instead!

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Saturday, October 9, 2010

Winners for Challenge 18--Monochromatic

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed ALL the creations you talented stampers made this week! My heart was going aflutter at all the beauty! Some of you said you struggled with monochromatic colors, others said you'd never tried it or rarely used them, so I was glad I challenged you to stamp outside your comfort zone, and I hope you use that theme more often!

Here are our designers' picks this week for the Cut Aboves:

Nance's choice: Linda Callahan

For all it's dark, gothic elegance I had to choose this stunning card from Linda Callahan. I love the starkness of the candelabra and spider web against all the rich designer papers and the Black Raven lace is just the perfect touch on a beautiful card...congratulations, Linda!

Jaydee's Pick: Rose's Vintage Santa

There were so many great cards this week, but this Christmas creation from Rose just stole my heart. I love the fact that Rose mixed the vintage feel paper with the crisp white of the more modern santa and the top note die. The ribbon and button are gorgeous! This card made me smile!

Lesley's Pick: Vicki Burdick
I chose Vicki's cute paper pads and matching cards in the "In Colours". The sweet little paper clips with the flowers and pearls really caught my eye! The "In Colour" designer paper looks amazing with this project!

Ann's Pick: Anne Marie HileWith all of the fabulous cards submitted this week, I found it difficult to select just one! However, I adored this stunning creation by Anne Marie Hile. I loved how the swirls on the embossed background complimented the swirls of the tree. From the shimmer paint to the rhinestones, the "bling" was glorious, resulting in a card that anyone would love to receive!

And my choice for the Headliner is:

The minute I saw this stunning gift bag that Ann made, I was head over heels!!! The unique color she used for a winter scene caught my eye right away, but the coloring, the attention to details and the fussy-cutting of her skaters put it over the top! I love the layout as well, and she even made a card to go with it! Congratulations, Ann, for being our Headliner of the Week!

  1. How exciting!!! You've made my day - thanks so much for the Headliner of the week award and I'm so glad you liked my gift bag. I loved the challenge and am looking forward to participating in more.

  2. Such beautiful cards - I am honored to be among them! Thanks Nance for the pick and all of your kind words - I'm still smiling :) And thanks LeAnne for the challenge - looking forward to more!

  3. Sucha gorgeous cards - congratulations to Ann - so well deserved my friend - I can't wait to see more! {{{hugs}}}

  4. Great challenge this week! Such great inspiration from everyone. Monochromatic is where it's at!

    Congrats to Ann, your bag is just stunning. I also want to say a special thank you to Ann S. for the recognition on my card. It is a huge honor coming from an artist who's work I admire so much. You made my day! :)

  5. Congrats, Ladies! I think all of these creations are lovely :)

  6. oh those cards are just totally gorgeous.
    Ann xxx

We love reading your comments! Thank you!


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Flow of the Day in A Waldorf Home

Keep in mind this would be an ideal day in our house with a Kindergartner and an Early Grades kiddo, but maybe it will help give someone an idea of how to put it all together. Modify, change, take what resonates with you and your family and where you live.  There is no one right way to do this!!  We are at home and not at a Waldorf school!

Here is a day in the life:

  • Up, air out beds while taking shower, cleaning up bathroom and getting dressed
  • Make all beds with children’s help
  • Breakfast with blessing, religious devotional;  clean-up after breakfast including wiping table and sweeping under table
  • Help children with dressing, hair brushing and teeth brushing
  • Throw in laundry
  • Go for walk with children and dog or gardening tasks
  • Snack
  • Call to school with Song of Month on pennywhistle and any festival songs we are learning, light candle, say morning verses  (we may school outside or inside)
  • Circle time or seasonal finger plays for Kindergartner
  • Story for Kindergartner/Activity after story – every week we include modeling of some type and kind.  We also use drama, puppets, drawing, and other things to bring the story alive over a period of two weeks to a month for each Kindy story.
  • Active Math practice for older child if not in a Math Block or pennywhistle and more singing practice
  • Main Lesson for Grades Child – three day rhythm here……  An hour is a long time here for a First Grader!
  • Foreign language two days a week (German on Mondays with arts and crafts for the younger child, cooking on Tuesdays, Wednesdays Spanish with free play inside for the youngest child) (And yes, amazingly, this time period may involve more eating and snacking :))
  • Outside play while I do some more cleaning, lunch preparation
  • Blessing, lunch; clean-up
  • Quiet time
  • Handwork alternated with arts and crafts or wet on wet painting is ideal

The afternoons we spend outside playing or just creating.  I like to garden or read while the children play.  Time to “just  be”  is important to us.  We do grocery shop on Thursday afternoons in general.  Some weeks we have allergist or chiropractic appointments to work in as well.  I try very hard to keep us home a lot, which means saying NO to a lot of   things.  🙂

Fridays look a bit different in that our typical school day is usually either a fast finish up of the only the academic piece of the Main Lesson (without the Kindy stuff or math practice).  We usually then do  a short  Peace Circle (this idea was inspired by  the Winter Seasons of Joy booklet by Annette  – you can see her website here about ordering: http://natural-childhood.blogspot.com/ for Annette’s example)   I have made my own Peace Circles (and taught hymns or other spiritual songs and verses) and a religious study.   This year we have been discussing one Fruit of the Spirit a month through a bible story, coloring, games or whatever else I can think of (there are nine Fruit of the Spirit  so this happened to work out well for us).  And then generally we clean and play and get the house ready for the weekend!

Every Waldorf homeschool will look different; it will also look different at different stages as your children grow and mature.

I hear so many mothers who have three children or more under the age of 5 and they are so hard on themselves that they don’t have this wonderful rhythm with all these activities going on; please do be easy with yourselves out there!  Sometimes it is just getting through the day and small things at that point with building up to the bigger things as the children grow and mature!  Take it easy if you have multiple children under the age of 5; remember Steiner thought is was beneficial for a child to be able to see even 15 minutes of real work done by your warm hands.  Go through the back posts on this blog about rhythm and start small – awake times, bedtimes, mealtimes.

Be easy with yourself and others as we travel this homeschooling road together,

5 thoughts on “Flow of the Day in A Waldorf Home

  1. Hee! Hee! I was just about to write how I will try to implement this with my girls when I read your last paragraph…

    I LOVE your rhythm and I will print it out and save it for later. Maybe the fall… I it actually very hard to have a good rhythm without a real weekend (we both work from home and with the farm chores and everything) and the girls get really disconcerted about the fact that we do not do our circle and story on the weekend (which is exactly the same for them as any other day…). So, I need to work something out here…

    This is very inspiring. I admire you for being able to implement such a great rhythm in your house. It sounds great (sounds like you have really long mornings…. do you get up at 4?).

    Thank you for this great post, once again!

    • Sounds long, but really many of these things don’t take much time at all! I am up around 7 every day, but I keep everything on the shorter side of life for the younger ages of my children. I can see homeschool stretching till 2 or so when they are older and really in the trenches of “doing school”. Right now we are playing a lot, getting things done, but still playing a lot. 🙂 Life is short, gotta have fun and enjoy being together because that is what it is all about. 🙂

  2. Pingback: “Flow of the Day” « The Parenting Passageway

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Warm Weather, By Johnny Cabrera

The sun has finally shined here in beautiful Vermont! All the snow in Poultney is gone and the temperatures have been rising. Never in my life have I been so excited for warm weather.

I grew up in California, where the average temperature is 70 degrees; warm weather never really captured my attention. Instead, I thought it was the usual and within time, became boring. Now, after being in Vermont for my freshman year, I notice the beauty of warm seasons. The shining sun (and occasional warm thunderstorm) brings out the life from the environment. Trees and flowers flourish, grass becomes green and tall, birds and animals all seem so festive about the warm weather.

Because of the warmer weather, I’ve taken notice in the happiness and joy from all the students here at GMC. It reminds me of the beginning of my first semester, where everyone was so joyful to be coming back to school in the summer. People were lying out on the grass, playing sports with each other, taking walks to the river and making the best of the splendid weather.

There’s something about Vermont in the spring that makes me feel a greater appreciation for earth. I just take into account the harsh, cold winter. All animal and plant life seemed to stop. But in reality, it didn’t stop, it is just waiting for the warmth of spring to flourish and bloom. This act of simple nature is reflected within me. I feel the same way. I wake up and feel prosperous and joyful in the comforting months of spring and summer, ready to take on the challenges each day brings.

[Attached are photos of people on campus enjoying the warm weather]

One Comment Add yours

  1. Taunya says:

    Our nature is very beautiful but we can’t enjoy this beauty if we keep on sitting in front of computer

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Fans of The Scrapper Poet know how much I love Seven Kitchens Press.  Besides the recent publication of chapbooks from two of my favorite poets, Gabriel Welsch and Todd Davis, Ron Mohring (editor) has just announced the upcoming publications of several chapbooks in the ReBound Series, including Collin Kelley’s work, Slow to Burn.  Congrats to all.

And Mary Biddinger is doing a different kind of rebounding — stop by her blog and wish her congratulations.

(Note to audience: WordPress has been a bit wacky today — I can’t provide links.  When I have more time, I will go back and make corrections!)

  1. Thanks for the shout out, Karen. Seven Kitchens does beautiful books! 🙂

  2. I saw the Gabriel Welsch on your Goodreads update — definitely added to my want-must-have list! Thanks, Karen!

  3. Gabe Said:

    Karen! Thanks for the mention. Happy thanksgiving.

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Meghan Online Sample Sale @ HauteLook

31 August 2011

WHAT: Meghan Online Sample Sale @ HauteLook

WHY: Meghan clothing at a discount!

WHEN: 8/31 11am – 9/2 11am

WHERE: HauteLook

*To sign up & access the sales, please click here.

Check out today's New York sample sales

Daily Sales Email, or Subscribed to our RSS Feed? Don't miss a Sale!

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Oakley Sunglasses Online Sample Sale @ Ruelala.com

27 April 2015

WHAT: Oakley Sunglasses Online Sample Sale @ Ruelala.com

Oakley Sunglasses

WHY: Oakley Sunglasses up to 60% off!

WHEN: 4/27 11am – 4/29 11am

WHERE: RueLaLa.com

*To sign up & access the sales, please click here.

Check out today's New York sample sales

Daily Sales Email, or Subscribed to our RSS Feed? Don't miss a Sale!

Posted by Bindra at 06:15 AM
Eyewear , Online Sample Sales , Today's Sales | Trackback |

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What Do You Fear? (A Poem)

            Are you kept up at night by thoughts of what’s to come

            in the uncertainty that follows death

            do you dread what may be

            when the veils that obscured our sight

            are taken off

            and everything is seen for what it is

            ourselves not least

            do you fear this?

            does it trouble you that maybe we’ll find

            we’re not the saints we thought ourselves to be

            that we frittered away our time

            do you think of annihilation?

            do you ponder what it means to be born

            to exist

            when for ages upon ages you were sightless, insensate

            while the warp of time spun on without you

            and the stars wheeled in their courses

            without your consent or involvement

            do you think of what’s to be

            when the grave takes us

            as it must

            what’s to come of us then

            where we’ll be

            what we’ll know

            in the lobby of heaven or the antechamber of hell

            what we’ll find to do

            or whether we’ll wink out of existence

            only to reappear some billions of years hence

            alive and refreshed

            after a long night’s sleep

            is it judgment that you fear, or annihilation:

            that death is the end, and there is nothing after death

            or that you were given life

            just for a second

            and made nothing of it?

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Monday, August 11, 2014

 Photographed By: Julie Raper

On Amber:
Abercrombie & Fitch vintage jacket (Similar Here)
Anthropologie Dress (Similar here) & (Similar here)
BCBG Sandals (Similar Here)

This week we are separated once again, Gabrielle took a quick trip down to Ohio to visit her boyfriend (hurry back!) but we will be reunited again on Thursday. We have been so happy to be able to shoot together over the past week, it's so much easier to have someone helping you and being there for support. The dress we used in these photos is the perfect daytime piece. The crochet details and layered fabrics create playfulness. Using neutral accessories we made the deep eggplant color really pop and become the focal point of the ensemble. This denim jacket is one that Amber has had since high school. The fit is still impeccable and the years have treated it well while adding character. You should always keep denim pieces because they will never go out of style because it's such a classic fabric and trends are always repeating themselves. What are some of your favorite denim pieces that you have re-styled.


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• WSGA Facebook
  • WSGA Twitter
  • WSGA YouTube
  • WSGA Instagram

Parent-Child 2009 Results

Cardwell Father-Son Duo Capture Inaugural WSGA Parent-Child Championship

Port Orchard, Wash. (July 24, 2009) – The father-son combination of Richard and Brandon Cardwell of Tacoma, Wash. shot a 3-under par 69 to win the Inaugural Parent-Child Championship by one stroke over Jim and Joey McNelis of Gig Harbor, Wash.

The Cardwell’s birdied the last two holes on the front nine to shoot one-under to set up there assault on the back. The duo stayed steady making par on the first 7 holes of the back nine waiting for their moment to capitalize. The Cardwell’s would again birdie the final two holes to win in dramatic fashion.

A field consisting of 42 teams of Washington’s Parent-Child golfers competed at the beautiful and challenging McCormick Woods Golf Course in Port Orchard, Wash on Friday, July 24, 2009. The field was split into two divisions comprising of both male and female competitors. The male competitors in the Championship flight played the par 72 course at 6,350 yards, while the female competitors played at 5,300 yards.

The first flight was won by the father-son team of Steve and Tom Morris of Edmonds, Wash.who shot a 1-over par 73 to win their respective division by one stroke. Male competitors in the first flight played the par 72 course from 5,800 yards while the female competitors played at 5,300 yards.

The WSGA was proud to announce earlier this season that 2 new championships would be added to the schedule in 2009 which already included the 9 traditional championships. The new WSGAParent – Child Championship is a Chapman competition open to parent – child teams whose relationship is either natural, adopted or step. Partners may have more than one generation between them (i.e. a grandfather may play with his grandson/granddaughter).

The inaugural field was a mixture of men, women, boys, and girls with ages ranging from 10 – 76 years old. When asked about this new championship, WSGA Assistant Executive Director, Troy Andrew commented, “It is the ongoing goal of the WSGA to create new championships that reach out to a broader range of our membership. We think this championship will become very popular as it is unique in the fact that it allows all handicap and age ranges to compete while also combining men, women, boys, and girls and has the family connection to it as well.”

In a Chapman stroke play competition two players play as partners, each playing from the teeing ground and each player then plays his/her partner’s ball for the second shot. After the second shot, including par three holes, partners select the ball with which they wish to score with and then play that ball alternately to complete the hole.

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Okeechobee Festival: Style Recap

Okeechobee Festival: Style Recap

Once upon a time (March 4-6) in a land far far away (Okeechobee, Florida) there was a music and arts festival that blew our artsy minds. Was it the exciting lineup of much-loved DJs and indy up-and-comers? Was it the juicy chicken kebabs and the grass-filled camping grounds or possibly the vibrant art installations and hippy fashion? Yes, it was all of that and much more which made this festival the experience of a lifetime.

When asked to cover this festival, the first thing that came to mind was ‘camping?’ I am certainly no expert camper, in fact the idea has always partially terrified me, but I figured... I like art and music and fashion, so why not? My main focus while there – other than sipping on twelve dollar wine and bouncing up and down to Skrillex – was of course to spot fashion and style trends. If you’re a festival gal you probably know the type of clothes people wear to events such as this one: flower crowns, cut-off booty shorts, strappy sandals and neon sunglasses… possibly accessorized with a giant can of Corona?

I was looking for signs of something different. My biggest discoveries? glow-in-the-dark fur coats and the return of the light-up sneakers.

I was pretty content with both.

I spotted a few stylish gals in the area. All were very different, which in my mind was a sign that the festival – on its first year – reached a great and varied audience. Well done Okeechobee!

Here you have you girl next door beauty. She loves music, nature beach hair and probably FAGE yogurt, but her casual camping style in on point. Jean jacket, earth stone accessories, vintage floral blouse – we approve, certainly refreshing. Excuse the porta potties.

Then there are of course your hula girls, yet these particular ones were much edgier than the classics. From left to right: Esmeralda-inspired world traveler, Hamptons princess in the wild, aerobic mind-reader with hula. All looking festival fab. I thanked them for keeping things interesting.

Look at this playful wild flower! She may have been sticking to the basics in terms of clothing but this Okeechobee gal was surely stepping up her beauty game with tight french braids and bedazzled neon makeup. On her hand and arm we see signs of metallic tats and an intricate design in light-brown henna.

Hippie super chic queens of the festival waved us goodbye. It was real, Okeechobee, let's do it again soon!

Photos by Rodrigo Tasca & Rosa Sanchez
Hipster Hot Spot Alert: Oleanders at McCarren Hotel & Pool

Hipster Hot Spot Alert: Oleanders at McCarren Hotel & Pool


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The Stuff Of Hope

I feel like I am watching a forest fire rage. And I am saying, “It’s okay. It’s going to rain. It’s going to be okay.”

And everyone around me is saying I’m wrong. That the forecast doesn’t call for rain. That forest fires happen and that’s just life and that everyone knows that.

And I don’t know that they’re wrong. But I can’t accept that they’re right either.

And I’m scared. Because my life depends on the rain.

I text Laura tonight. I said that I have to believe depression is from the enemy. That no matter what season of life we’re in, depression is a lie. Hard times? Inevitable. But depression? I think that God wants more for us than that.

And I don’t know what that looks like. I don’t know how to get there, to this place where depression kneels before the Lord.

But I know two things: That there’s freedom and life to be found in surrender, and that God would never ask me to shut my heart down.

How do those things coexist- surrender and having a fully-alive heart? I don’t know. Honestly. Maybe just by trusting that the things of our hearts matter to God? We can trust Him with whatever they contain? We can let go of our grip on our life and still honor our hearts because both things are His and both things (our lives and our hearts) are used by Him to speak to us?

I don’t know.

But I refuse to abandon my heart. Even if it kills me.

I will keep speaking of the rain, praying that my tiny bit of hope will count for something. Praying that my speaking it will make it true.

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed…” -Rom. 4:18


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Outposts: Stories and mysteries

 Sean Akerman writes about his novel Outposts, soon to be released by Threekookaburras.

For many years, I was haunted by the image of a man who returns home after a long exile to find himself standing in the midst of an apple orchard while winter bears down — he is destitute, his clothes and hopes falling to shreds, searching for what he cannot remember, much less name. Outposts grew out of this image, both backwards and forwards. How did he get there? What happens next?

I was completing my doctorate in psychology when I began Outposts, without any sense of how to write a novel. The novel writing was a night-time activity, which was fitting, because the whole process was like poaching in the dark. The nameless man in the apple orchard had to be compelled by a sense of quest. What was it? It had to be one of those thankless quests, too, like understanding yourself, or where you came from, or art.

So I began with a newly minted academic, a guy who is open and curious, believing he’s hit the jackpot when he gets the job of writing a short biography about his favourite writer, Nestor Dunn. The project is so attractive because Nestor came from the same place as the narrator, so perhaps he can find his way home via proxy.

Nestor is a recluse, however, so the work is hard. His daughter, Emma, is the only access point and she, too, is a mystery. A literary scholar of Nestor’s work claims to have the answers, but he’s a charlatan. A dancer makes the same claims. Eventually, the narrator has to go to where Nestor lived and make his research hands-on, which means he has to come home and reckon with the past. And before you know it, there he is in the midst of that apple orchard. The movement of the story is the effort of tracking, and the logic behind most characters’ arcs is that people are always more interesting when they’re falling apart.

I had been writing since I could hold a pencil, but this was the first time I was compelled enough to construct a story in full. Simple actions proved to be the most difficult. How does this character enter the room? What happens on this subway ride? Those in-between moments, which we can hardly describe in our own lives, become impediments when making a story. Editing until you’re blue in the face is the only medicine. Gradually, you fall out of love with your own preconceived abilities and demonstrate the humility necessary to make something someone else might read.

I have to say: there is an unfortunate misunderstanding when it comes to speculating on a writer’s tendency to draw from life. What this means is foggy. In my experience, you write autobiographically about place – because geography has to be evoked from where you’ve been – but all else exists somewhere in the horizon where perception ends and imagination begins.

I wrote about academia because I knew that place; yet those people and events are composites and fictions. I wrote about New York City and Maine because I knew those places well; but what happens in those streets and woods came from what I saw and what I never quite saw.

It was important to include details of our age without being too heavy handed, as well. Realities like Occupy Wall Street and the perilous state of the knowledge economy lurk in the background. Plenty of people are leaning on their addictions. Self-involvement abounds. But I like to believe this is a more timeless story about making art — for the author (me), the nameless narrator, and the mysterious character of Nestor Dunn.

How and why do you make anything? There are no easy answers in this story, just like there are no easy answers to this question in life itself. The only thing that’s clear to me now is that writing translates a jangle of emotions and memories and gravitational forces into a series of pages. If there is any change through telling a story, the change occurs in the writer, and it has to do with making meaning where there was once meaninglessness.

Then there’s the spectre of the death, a big engine in the whole process. For the narrator, much of the past is dead. Nestor, too, becomes a corpse. So then what? Once time passes or in human terms, once the bodily systems shut down and the heart rate flat lines and the last bits of mucus are choked up the esophagus, what we know of that person — their body and the identity we have ascribed to it — end, and what form their essence assumes afterwards is up to the interpreter.

We trace and we track, through the faces and words of others, through snowbanks that might be the image of so and so, behind thickets where an unknown noise calls out, where they have gone. What was once lost is still lost, so if writing achieves anything it is that an invisible artefact now has a name.

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Air Namibia Schedule, Summer 2011

The complete schedule of Air Namibia published in its in-flight magazine, Flamingo, in the summer of 2011, starts with domestic routes on board is Embraer 135, extending to its regional routes to various Southern African capitals with A319 and B737 aircraft, which also serve more distant Accra, and finishing with its flagship Airbus A340 flights from Windhoek to Frankfurt

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A Few Thoughts on Bigotry

You are never going to convince a bigot to change his (or her) mind by pointing out that their belief is bigotry.

You may, at the cost of becoming unruly or rude yourself (which will likely lose you some potential allies), make it so unpleasant for the bigot to voice their bigotry in public that they shut up about it.
Public silence will not stop them from being bigotted, though & they may well take their views underground, only to re-emerge stronger later. Something of that sort has happened with intolerant religious beliefs in general in America, which were driven underground in the Sixties & have come back roaring in the past decade or so.

We can also see this in the religious pushback over the Chick-Fil-A situation & over other matters. To these folks, voicing their bigotry is a religious freedom. As we have freedom of speech here (for however much longer that lasts), everyone has the right to speak their opinions, even those who opinions you or I may find disgraceful (literally, not full of grace). Objecting to free speech is not a liberal virtue, so when liberals do it, they can rightly be called hypocrites & other names.

The only real cure for bigotry is for members of the group being belittled by it joining the bigots’ circle of friends, business associates, fellow students, church members and families. If you want to truly end bigotry, you have to be there, both to show the bigot that they are wrong about you and to keep them from poisoning the next generation with their ignorant beliefs.

This is why desegration in education is so important & why keeping your freak flag in the closet when you are around mundanes is essential.

About Tim Gatewood

55+, male, widowed (May 2016). Mobile notary public and signing agent, freelance writer, and ordained minister. Science fiction and fantasy fan, willing servant to cats, avid reader and collector of books and other stuff. Please see my websites (including this blog and others) for more info on me and what I think about the issues of the day.
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What The Right Gets Wrong on Poverty

The so-called War on Poverty has been going on for decades and we have more poor people than ever. So, asking what can be done about the poor is a valid question.

I have noticed that reactionaries (who call themselves conservatives these days, despite the vast differences between those two outlooks) seem to always trot out one of three “solutions” whenever the problems of the poor are mentioned.

1) They say “More or better education is needed.” For instance, the poor need better financial literacy so they don’t make bad choices on how to spend their income; or they need to get a degree so they’re qualified for a higher-paying job.

If financial literacy is so important, why is it not taught in the public or private schools? Poverty has been a major issue for decades, so there has been plenty of time to fix this IF it is just a matter of teaching.

Don’t even get me started on how much the financial bad decisions made by lower-income people directly benefit the top 10% through their ownership, stocks & upper management standing within banks and other financial & legal firms that market to those who make these “bad decisions.” The very rich have a vested interest in keeping a large portion
of the people stupid & making bad decisions.

As for college, the top schools produce the top earners, by and large, but they have very limited enrollments and the rest of us can not get in. Meanwhile, for-profit schools have taken a large chunk of the education funding, from charter and voucher schools at the elementary & high school levels to colleges & universities at the upper levels.

Most of these schools only exist due to government funding, either through direct subsidies or school loans & grants. Again, the bankers and other upper-rich directly benefit from the for-profit schools, so, naturally, they want everyone to attend.

Meanwhile, inflation in the cost of college is several times the general rate of inflation and almost no one outside the upper-most rich can get a degree without taking out a crippling burden of student loans.

How is getting an education going to help when you are in debt to the tune of hundreds of dollars a month and there are no entry-level jobs that pay the wages needed to pay living expenses, let alone the student loan bill?

Even if everyone gets a degree, we will still need manual labor & those who do it need a living wage.

2) They say “The poor are that way due to decisions they made & they deserve their fate.”

For instance, one recent article I read stated that all the poor need is to save the same way the rich do. How the frak are they supposed to save anything when they don’t make a living wage & everything goes to the struggle to try to survive?

Telling a poor person to get out of poverty by saving their money is a form of arrogance and/or willful ignorance that does not deserve a polite response. And claiming that poor people are poor because of decisions they have made is assuming facts not in evidence.

Many people never had a decent homelife, a proper education, good role models, good nutrition, adults who cared, and circumstances that turned their way. SOME poor people are that way due to their decisions; many are not. To believe that all or even most are “getting what they deserve” is ignorant and petty and mean-spirited.

If you call yourself a Christian, you should take seriously what Jesus said about the poor — and, no, it was not that they deserve their fate. He did say that how you treat them is how you treat Him. I believe you will find similar statements in all major religions. So, how anyone calls themself a conservative while not helping the poor is a mystery.

3) They say “Just ease regulation of business and the economy will grow and the rising tide will lift all boats.”

Productivity has been rising for decades while the after-inflation incomes for all but the upper-rich have gone down. The rising tide does NOT lift all boats when it is dammed and redirected to private lakes which is what has been going on. The increased wealth & income that resulted from the increased productivity has gone increasingly to fewer & fewer people at the top.

On the issue of regulation, it has been a talking point of those in business since at least the 80s that there is too much regulation. In fact, deregulation has been going on at least since then and industry after industry has had disasters as a result. Oil spills, pipeline leaks, chemical plant explosions, and the list goes on. If regulation is the issue, why are there still regulations at all? Where do they come from?

Regulations come from lobbyists.

There are two types of lobbyists who promote regulations — those whose clients will benefit financially from the regulation; or those whose clients see the problems of unrestrained industry and want to restrain it.

In other words, some regulations exist because business people will do short-sighted or evil things that hurt the rest of us unless they are regulated. Business people hate these regulations.

Some regulations exist to limit the market in ways that benefit specific firms or that harm those firms’ competitors. Business people pay lobbyists to get these kind on the books and they make up the majority of all regulations at the federal & state levels.

If regulations are the problem, business people could have their lobbyists pull support for self-serving regs. Don’t hold your breath for that to happen.

In fact, the single biggest hindrance to new business or expansion of small business (which is where most growth in jobs and the middle class occurs) is the stranglehold on capital of the upper-rich.

As long as almost all of the wealth & income is held by a tiny fraction of the population, the consumer-based economy can not function, as We the People can not vote by spending our dollars in the market place on new & better products & ideas. We have to devote almost all of our income to survival needs.

This limits demand for the sorts of goods & services provided by small business.

And the big box stores such as Walmart have driven a large cross-section of smaller businesses out of the market, which limits consumer choices.

Further, the lack of capital in the hands of the general population means less in community banks & credit unions, which means less available for loans to new or small businesses that tend to borrow at such firms first.

The next time you hear a reactionary spouting one of these talking points, I hope these thoughts will help you.

About Tim Gatewood

55+, male, widowed (May 2016). Mobile notary public and signing agent, freelance writer, and ordained minister. Science fiction and fantasy fan, willing servant to cats, avid reader and collector of books and other stuff. Please see my websites (including this blog and others) for more info on me and what I think about the issues of the day.
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14 July 2017

Raspberries and dark chocolate is one of the classics, and one of the most favourite flavour pairings in desserts. With an addition of rum, this combination becomes even better. Using fresh raspberries is maybe the crucial element in this dessert, because they give such an amazing burst of fresh flavours. And, since they are in season now, what better time to make this lovely sweet treat!
I do not recommend increasing the amount of rum, because it can be overpowering. You can increase the amount of Chambord, if you wish, though. And, you can very easily make these vegan, too, by using dairy-free butter, vegan yogurt, and an appropriate icing sugar.

For the brownies
100 grams dark chocolate
120 grams unsalted butter
200 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon dark rum
5 tablespoons plain yogurt
150 grams plain flour
30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
For the raspberry rum chocolate sauce
120 ml fresh raspberry purée
2 tablespoons cold water
100 grams granulated sugar
30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon dark rum
To make the truffles
50 grams miniature chocolate chips, chopped finely
1 tablespoon freeze-dried raspberry powder
1 tablespoon Chambord liqueur

Start by cooking the syrup, because it needs a bit of time to cool down sufficiently. Place the sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Sift the cocoa powder to get rid of all the little lumps, then add it to the sugar and mix really well. Pour in the water, and the fruit puree, and mix it to combine. Place the saucepan over medium high heat and let it come to a boil without stirring.
Once it starts to boil, start the timer, and start whisking the sauce. You need to whisk because it can easily burn. Continue cooking and whisking for about 3 minutes, on medium heat, or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat, add the rum, and stir well. It will still be runny when it's piping hot, so do not overcook it. Set the syrup aside and let it cool down to room temperature.
To make the brownies, start by melting together the butter and dark chocolate, over medium high heat, until smooth and combined. Remove it from the heat, and add in the sugar, vanilla, and rum. Mix well, and set it aside briefly. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and the baking soda, into a large bowl.

Pour over the chocolate batter, and mix it gently, then add the yogurt, and mix to combine. The batter will be thick. Line a small square pan (20x20 cm), add in the batter, level it as much as possible, then bake, in a preheated oven, at 180°C (350°F), for about 20 minutes. Check them with a toothpick to make sure they do not overbake. Once done, remove them from the heat, and then from the pan, and let them cool down to room temperature.
When the brownies are at room temperature, place them into a large bowl, and crumble them up using a fork. Add in the freeze-dried raspberry powder, liqueur, and the syrup you made earlier. Start mixing the batter by hand, by using a wooden spoon or a very sturdy spatula, then add the miniature chocolate chips, and mix everything well. If you wish, you can use a stand mixer for this, as well. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, so it can firm up. Once it is ready, make the truffles by using a small scoop, and roll them into your desired topping. If the batter becomes too sticky, return it briefly to the refrigerator. Yields 25 truffles. © TINA VESIĆ
Baker's note: I chose a mixture of unsweetened cocoa powder, icing sugar, and desiccated coconut, but you can choose anything you like, that pairs well with raspberries.

1 comment:

  1. Would these go well with a rum drink such as piña colata? Or is that too sweet or too much Rum?

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When the Bad Reviews are Right

This weekend I read Marisha Pessl’s Night Film, which I loved. It was, I think, what I hoped True Detectives would be. The interesting thing for me was when I saw that it had a bunch of bad reviews on Good Reads and I read some. They were all right. The complaints people have about the book are accurate complaints. Most of them were even things I noticed when I was reading.

I just didn’t care. Those things didn’t seem very important to me.

The role of the reader and what the writer and the reader are doing in the text and to the text are not easy to figure out.

I mean, if I made you a chocolate cake with butter cream frosting and put cherries on top, some people will like it. Some people will think it would have been better with chocolate frosting and lose the cherries (and they might be right!). Taste matters. But, at some point, you make the cake you’re going to make and the people who wish you’d made a different cake either have to wait and see if I’m going to make another cake or try to make the one you’d like to eat.

So, are the negative reviews useful to this particular author? Do they really say something about whether the book is worth reading? I think only to the extent that your tastes line up with those reviewers’ tastes.


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Thursday, December 1, 2016

Bodice Block Alteration: Dart Manipulation

Now that you have a Basic Bodice Block, what can you do with it?

In this post, I will show you how to manipulate darts.

This should be where you are currently...

I like to use a notebook to sketch out how I intend to alter my pattern instead of jumping right in and having to do a lot of erasing.

There we go. Let's start by removing some darts. Remember, the length of the sides (not including the dart) should remain the same regardless of whether you remove or add a dart.

There are two methods of removing a dart. You can either combine your two darts into one or get rid of them all together. Most people use the rotation method. I think it is the easiest, but my method doesn't use a drill hole to pivot.

Combine Two Darts into One:

Step 1
1. Cut out the "wedge" of the dart you wish to remove.

2. Select one side of the dart you just removed (red line) -- it doesn't matter which side, but you will select that same side of the dart you wish to combine it into (blue line).

3. With tracing paper, trace everything on your pattern between the two dart sides you chose (black arrows), AND trace the red lines.

3. You will now pivot your pattern to close the dart you are trying to remove. To do this, just pair up the dart arm you didn't trace with the arm that you just did.
Step 2 and 3

4. I have marked the part you already traced in black. Once you close your dart, you can trace the rest of your pattern (red).

5. The new dart will be larger than the original waist dart was (green). You can keep it or remove it all together by connected the ends of your dart legs. This will result in a looser waist.

Step 4 and 5
Remember that the bottom of your Blouse Block is only the waist line. Unless you want a mid-rift top, you will need to extend it. I will cover this in a later post.

For now, let's learn how to move a dart. It is very similar to removing a dart.

Moving Darts:

Step 1, 2, and 3
1. Decide where you want your new dart, and draw a line from the apex of your old dart to the new location.

2. Cut out the "wedge" of the dart you want to move.

3. Cut in the line of your new dart.

4. Rotate to close your old dart -- which will also open up your new one!

Step 4, 5, and 6
5. Smooth out your pattern where you closed the dart, and trace your pattern minus the new dart opening.

6. Cut out the new pattern and leave a little extra paper around the dart opening.

7. Find the center of your dart opening and draw a line between it and your Bust Point (BP).

8. Move 1.5 cm away from the BP on your line (never start directly on your BP or else you will have pointy boobs); this is your new dart apex. Connect this point to the two sides of your dart opening.
Step 7 and 8

9. Close your new dart and cut off the extra paper you left at the opening. Unfold, and you have your new dart point!

Coming next...

Examples of ways to use your Basic Bodice Block

Step 9

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European Union Trademark No. 002139079 (Word) Trademark register: EUIPO Status: registered

Word mark

The European Union Trademark for PAGOSDEISARPE (Word) was filed on 16.03.2001 for goods and services in class(es) 29, 33 and 39 at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The current status of the trademark No. 002139079 PAGOSDEISARPE is 'registered'.

Trademark information
RegisterEuropean Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
Filing date16.03.2001
Registration date09.07.2002
Expiry date16.03.2021
Nice classes29, 33 and 39
 31119 Torres de Elorz (Navarra), ES
RepresentativeAB ASESORES
 28020 Madrid, ES
Goods and Services (the trademark is registered for the following goods and services)
Class 29 : Meat, fish, poultry and game; meat extracts; preserved, dried and cooked fruits and vegetables; jellies, jams, fruit sauces; eggs, milk and milk products; edible oils and fats.
Class 33 : Wines; alcoholic beverages (except beers).
Class 39 : Storing and delivery services of food products and wines.
tmdb is a free trademark search website of publicly available records. tmdb does not guarantee nor warrant the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the data.


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Tag Archives: performing

Stars are Born!

I believe that we can engage children and have them truly own and demonstrate their learning success by incorporating multimedia learning in the classroom. This belief was reinforced by a few projects that I worked on with a class of Grade One students who I had the pleasure of working with for the past six weeks.

Anytime a child believes he has an audience for his ‘performance’ he will be more engaged and concerned about his production and success. Tell a child that she will be in a movie or on a poster and her eyes will light up. Kids are natural performers. Even the reluctant, shy ones will smile and be excited when they see themselves on the screen or in print.

One of the first activities we did was to create a ‘number hunt’ where the kids had my camera and were in charge of walking around the school to find things that were found in groups of one, two, etc.. After the pictures were taken, I used Sliderocket to put together a presentation that we shared with our class, another class and with the parents and guardians by sending the URL home for them. I was also able to download it and print it so that after it was laminated it became a popular book for the children to read to themselves, reinforcing both counting and number words. Relating to their own environment and relevant objects was important.  You can see our presentation HERE.

On Groundhog Day, we used Wallwisher to record the information that we had learned about groundhogs and the traditions around the day. The kids were thrilled to see their names being recorded on the screen and they again shared the URL with their families at home to re-read and share. We used Wallwisher again when doing a KWL session on nutrition, food,  and reasons that we eat.

We made Photovisi presentations that we printed out to record our 100th day of school activities and our Valentine’s Day fun. The picture stories with their photos were great for retelling events, ordering events and sharing with our school community and children’s homes.

The most fun we had was producing our very short YouTube video showcasing the digraph /sh/. Going through the process of learning about the sound, watching similar project videos by Kathy Cassidy’s students, brainstorming words, preparing our ‘props’, and then the steps of actually producing our video was intriguing, interesting, and motivational. The video was put together using Movie Maker and uploaded to YouTube. The kids felt like superstars! The joy and pride on their faces while watching the finished product was proof that they were invested in it. They truly had tried their very best, knowing that they would have an audience beyond the immediate classmates and teacher. Sharing the product with their parents and guardians was an exciting event!

These kids were amazing writers, actors, directors and producers. They had not had experience with creating these kinds of multimedia presentations and they were eager to be a part of it. Their enthusiasm and pride was evident and they were completely engaged in learning to share what they knew. These projects were fun and engaging and these children were truly ‘stars.’ The knowledge that they could have an audience beyond their classroom was motivating for them. Their desire to show what they knew and teach others was a huge source of pride. They were superstars and I am very proud of them!

This particular school does not have many technological resources. In a Kindergarten to Grade Eight school with approximately 550 students they have 30 laptops for the whole school and one computer per classroom. There are 4 additional computers in the resource center and one interactive whiteboard housed in a Grade 8 classroom. These could be considered limitations but the amazing projects that we were able to create are proof that there are some wonderful tools that allow us to incorporate learning and technology for kids to create with.

The problem that I have seen isn’t a lack of tools but seems to be a lack of teacher engagement with these tools. Is it fear of the new tools or an unawareness of the tools? How do we get more teachers to see the benefits of their use and to take the risk to try them?


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Marketing for solicitors, barristers and legal professionals

We work closely with a wide range of law sector professionals. For some of our clients, we are their marketing department, taking on the whole range of activities needed to promote their firm and develop profitable business. For others, we undertake projects that they lack the time and focus to complete from their own resources.

Clients appreciate our knowledge and experience

Within our team, we have people who have worked for solicitors and barristers’ sets, so we know first-hand the marketplace and the challenges and opportunities it presents.

We have practical experience of dealing with day-to-day marketing needs, especially in the following areas:

  • Conducting brand audits, rebranding exercises and profile building campaigns
  • Producing press releases and managing PR campaigns
  • Developing websites, and keeping them up-to-date and relevant to client needs
  • Writing and distributing newsletters and email campaigns
  • Authoring blogs, profiles and opinion pieces
  • Developing social media campaigns
  • Devising new business presentations and coaching your in-house presenters

Whether we work with you on an ad-hoc or ongoing outsourced basis, you’ll find us responsive and quick to assimilate your needs, turning them into campaigns that deliver real business results.

Want to know more?

Call Mariana Wilkins 07412 572939, Mike Johnstone 07958 975203the office team 01279 657555 or email:


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• 350ml/12oz vegetable oil
  • 250g/9oz flour
  • 250g/9oz coconut flour

Agda/sweet water:

  • 400ml/13.5oz water
  • 300ml/10 fluid oz honey
  • Honey to pour over the halva and walnuts for sprinkling

Boil the honey and water.

Heat the oil and add both flours until some color is reached.

Pour the sweet water over the flour and stir well so that the mixture doesn’t form clots.

Pour out into a serving plate, take the halva with a spoon and arrange.

Pour the honey and strew walnuts.

A really quick treat, well known for its good taste!

Bon appétit!


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Lowe's offers to buy Orchard Supply for $205M

AP News
Posted: Jun 17, 2013 7:21 AM
Lowe's offers to buy Orchard Supply for $205M

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Lowe's plans to expand its California presence with an acquisition of Sears spinoff Orchard Supply Hardware Stores for about $205 million in cash.

Orchard Supply filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on Monday, so the offer from Lowe's will become the "stalking horse" bid for an auction of Orchard's assets. Such a bid sets the floor for an auction process that lets competitors make better offers.

The Lowe's bid must survive the auction and receive bankruptcy court approval. The companies expect the deal to close in about three months.

Orchard Supply filed its bankruptcy petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Mooresville, N.C.-based Lowe's Cos. Inc. said Monday it will acquire at least 60 of Orchard's 91 stores, and alternative bids must top Lowe's offer by at least $12 million. Lowe's also will assume responsibility for money owed to nearly all of Orchard's suppliers.

Orchard stores are smaller than Lowe's locations, with about 36,000 square feet of selling space compared with 113,000 square feet for Lowe's. The San Jose, Calif., company was spun off from Sears Holdings Corp. in January 2012, and most of its locations are in densely populated California markets.

Lowe's already runs 110 stores in California. It plans to have Orchard operate as a separate, standalone business, retaining the Orchard brand. Lowe's Chairman and CEO Robert A. Niblock said in a statement that Orchard's business has potential but also has been burdened with high debt.

"Strategically, the acquisition will provide us with immediate access to Orchard's high density, prime locations in attractive markets in California, where Lowe's is currently underpenetrated, and will enable us to participate more fully in California's economic recovery," Niblock said.

Shares of Lowe's closed at $41.16 on Friday. The stock has traded between $24.76 and $43.84 over the past year and has climbed 16 percent so far in 2013.


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Southern Co. taking $450M charge for Miss. plant

AP News
Posted: Jul 30, 2013 6:44 PM

ATLANTA (AP) — Southern Co. shareholders will absorb $450 million in losses incurred while building a new coal-fired power plant in Mississippi, raising the total losses on the construction project to nearly $1 billion, the utility announced Tuesday.

The utility announced the pre-tax write-off on its massive construction project in Mississippi's Kemper County before releasing its second-quarter earnings on Wednesday morning. Company officials had earlier estimated the most recent charges would be around $160 million or more, significantly less than the losses announced late Tuesday.

The power company earlier absorbed a $540 million pre-tax loss on the plant, which Southern Co. CEO Tom Fanning described in May as a "bitter pill for us to swallow."

Those losses on Plant Ratcliffe may not be the last. Company officials said the latest write-off was the result of an ongoing review of the spending necessary to finish the coal-fired power plant. Southern Co. subsidiary Mississippi Power said it may experience additional construction costs or schedule delays, according to a federal disclosure report. Mississippi Power also cautioned there were additional risks building a plant with first-of-its-kind technology.

Southern Co. officials have struggled to contain building costs. In a settlement with Mississippi utility regulators, the company agreed to only charge its customers for $2.4 billion in construction costs. Customers will also have to pay off as much as $1 billion in bonds needed to finance the project, though Southern Co. will not make a profit off that borrowed money.

When finished, Plant Ratcliffe is designed to capture much of the carbon dioxide that is produced while burning coal to make electricity. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas blamed for causing global warming. The captured gas will then be sold to companies that use it to extract oil from the ground. If successful, company executives have hoped the project will show that the United States can still rely on coal even if the country limits greenhouse gas emissions.


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Zurich to look at 'undue pressure' on CFO

AP News
Posted: Aug 30, 2013 2:34 PM
Zurich to look at 'undue pressure' on CFO

GENEVA (AP) — Zurich Insurance Group is to investigate whether its chief financial officer was put under "undue pressure" before his apparent suicide after the company confirmed a note left by him described his working relationship with former chairman Josef Ackermann.

The Swiss-based global insurance company suffered a chaotic and distressing week after Pierre Wauthier was found dead on Monday and Ackermann abruptly resigned on Thursday saying he believed accusations leveled against him by the CFO's family could hurt the company's reputation.

New acting chairman Tom de Swaan said Friday the company's board will probe the relationship between Ackermann and Wauthier, who Swiss police say appeared to have taken his own life.

"There's no doubt that these tragic events have cast a shadow over Zurich," de Swaan said in a conference call with investors and analysts.

De Swaan said the company was informed by authorities that Wauthier left behind a note describing his relationship with Ackermann, a former CEO of Deutsche Bank.

"We were informed that such a letter exists, and we are aware of its content. And it's correct that it relates to the relationship between Pierre Wauthier and Joe Ackermann," said de Swaan.

According to a Zurich official, who has been briefed on the note by the company but spoke to The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, Wauthier wrote that he disagreed with Ackermann over how the company did its financial reporting and was being pressured by Ackermann on how the numbers should be presented. Ackermann thought that Wauthier was playing down some negative aspects of the company's financial performance, the official said.

Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger of Zurich also reported there was disagreement between Ackermann and Wauthier over how the company's financial results should be presented in its reporting to investors.

While he would not detail the note's contents to the conference call, de Swaan clearly indicated that the probe into undue pressure was a direct result of what Wauthier wrote before his death.

"The board sees it as its prime responsibility to look into the question as to whether there was undue pressure placed on our CFO," said de Swaan, who had been vice-chairman of the board until this week. "Let me be absolutely clear: We, meaning the board and the management of Zurich, take corporate culture and behavior very seriously."

Ackermann had left Deutsche Bank only last year to become chairman of Zurich. The company reported that it was struggling to meet its targets and posted an 18 percent drop in quarterly profits just two weeks before the chief financial officer's death.

Zurich's CEO Martin Senn said the company remains profitable and the half-year figures it released this month were accurate.

"With respect to what happened in the last few days, I want to make it crystal clear that there is no link between this news and Zurich's business and financial performance," Senn said during the conference call, when he was asked whether Zurich's financial reporting was too "rosy."

"Everything we have said at the half-year stands," Senn said.

"The results, as we have reported them at the half-year and in any other reporting period, they are what they are. They are not, in any way, different than what proper, effective, prudent accounting requirements are. These results are independently reviewed by our auditors. Any comments made now in terms of bringing this incident back into the results — I consider this totally unfounded."

Ackermann is one of Europe's highest-profile businessmen. He had spent more than a decade at Deutsche Bank, where he made significant profits and led the bank through the global financial crisis.

However, his tenure also included legal troubles, some of which still plague his successors.

Ackermann was put on trial on charges of breach of trust in connection with large bonus payments made to executives at telecommunication firm Mannesmann, where he served on the board. Mannesman's CEO, board chair and other officials got 57 million euros ($76 million) in bonuses after they accepted a hostile takeover by Britain's Vodafone in 2000.

He was acquitted in 2004 and but retried after prosecutors appealed. The second trial was halted in 2006 after he agreed to make 3.2 million euros in public and charitable payments