text:
Thursday, April 12, 2007

Les Comptoir Richard

Caramel Macarons, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

When you arrive in Paris on a Monday morning, be prepared for many shops to be closed. Fortunately Les Comptoirs Richard keeps 1 of their 6 shops open for just such an emergency! Boutique La Fayette - Paris 9 ème 10, rue Lafayette
It was my 1st visit, so I didn't know what to expect from a Paris coffee boutique...But their window told me I would not be disappointed :)
The LES COMPTOIRS shops come under the umbrella of Cafes Richard, who supply Paris' many cafes and restaurants with coffee.
Even so, inside they have tea, chocolate bars, hot chocolate, and coffee of course. Plus everything you could dream of to make them. Cookies too...
And those adorable Petal cups I wrote about before I left...well you can buy them here, plus the exact same cups you'll see in any Paris cafe.
They have a gazillion kinds of tea - you choose from the blackboard.
And coffee beans from everywhere! Naturally ground fresh for you.

Could you PLEASE open up in New York City!!!

  1. Anonymous10:47 AM

    Another cool painting. How do you keep coming up with such fresh ideas? That special twist on a regular subject.

    Cris in OR

  2. loveitaly11:34 AM

    Looks like a neat shop, for sure! Lots of neat french presses there, too. I've been wanting to paint mine . Great colors!

  3. Oh I have been in one of these shops. The smell is divine. I have to be forcibly removed every time. Love that painting today

  4. It does have that seducive scent of coffee beans from the moment you walk in the door...sigh..

  5. How do you decide it's time to leave? I think I would be stuck inside these shops forever.

  6. Aoife5:04 PM

    Is it bad that during yoga and meditation today I visualized a miniature version of myself diving into the coffee bean display and burrowing in the fragrant, oily beans like a mole?

    I really - REALLY - want a cup of rich coffee right now (french pressed with heated milk in my big ol' cafe au lait bowl)! *sigh*

  7. Yes! Everything one needs conveniently located. Pull up a chair and breath deeply...

    Meilleurs voeux!!

  8. Congratulations for your blog! it's a gem. I'm french, from Paris, and I have to say that when I was in NY for an internship, I missed those places so bad. I like Starbucks, but it's just different lol. Your blog is such a pleasure to watch, and it's refined and creative. It's good to introduce those little paradises to people all around the world. My favorite place is Ladurée, and I'm an Ispahan lover too. My favorites chocolates are by far Patrick Roger (still a newcomer though). If I had to recommand a less famous place, it would be "le jardin d'hiver" at the Hotel Le Meurice. ;o)

    (my fashion blog)

  9. Oh those coffee beans must have smelled amazing!

  10. LOVE the painting. The colors, the composition. Beautiful.

  11. What a coincidence! When we were in France last week, we noticed "Café Richard" for the first time in most spots where we had coffee! They had so nice espresso-cups (and we took photos of them because it's the name of our dance-class-teacher, who orignially is french)
    Best regards from Germany, Monika

  12. Oh those cups! Ils sont tres adorables, oui!
    Must go to France, must go to France...

  13. Thank you, Merci, Danke!
    I was surprised to see cafes exactly next to each other serving the same coffee - Cafes RICHARD.
    It's like air..everywhere in Paris :)

  14. tha watercolour...I love it! specially the cup!

  15. I love your photos and watercolor!

  16. loveitaly8:15 AM

    The highlights on the watercolor cup and saucer are great!
    And I like the Florio cup and vanilla packet--nice!

  17. adoro esse blog, espero ansiosa todos os dias por novos posts...carmen nistal do brasil

  18. I'm in Paris for vacation. I love this tea! I stumbled across your blog. Thanks for the information.

Love hearing from you


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Type: response

text:
Friday, January 22, 2010

Paris Reflections

Anne says there should be no reflections in window shots.
But I can't live without them.

You get a double vision of Paris = fab hair + French balcons.

Lachaume Fleuriste + rue Royale.

Librairie Japonaise Junkudo + rue des Pyramid...
Cafe Constant + reflections of rue Saint-Dominique down the street from the Eiffel Tower.

Paris reflections can be in a cafe table top...
Or a car windshield.The French word for reflection can mean your image in the mirror.
To reflect is used for an image reflected in water.
And when you are thinking deeply - je reflechis a ceci.
So many visual reflections. I love this book on all of them-
Jonathan Miller's book, ON REFLECTION:
Reflective surfaces, from puddles to pewter to mirrored glass,
have always been catnip to artists.What makes these images so especially puzzling and delicious...
Sometimes looking through the window.
You get the best reflections of all.
BON Reflections!

  1. Rebecca in Canada8:33 AM

    I read your post daily, but wanted to let you know that I particularly enjoyed today's post on reflections. It was wonderful!
    Many thanks!

  2. on days...weeks...where I get too caught up in my own little world of work, responsibilities, family, your posts help remind me that there is a bigger world out there. It helps keep things in perspective....along with a little reflection! :)

  3. Anonymous9:08 AM

    Your images with reflections are wonderful. Please keep reflecting!

  4. Your pictures are wonderful. I must begin looking for these reflections and see what I can come up with.

    Please stop by and have a look at my Give-A-Way. It is French and you may like, Yes?

  5. What a wonderful, reflective ;-) post this is!

    I really enjoyed the photos here. Thank you for your perspective on Paris in reflections.

  6. Lovely reflections, and I believe I saw a few subtle self-portraits there, too--fun!

  7. Especially glorious column today!
    How much more than doubled is our pleasure in your imaginative comminglings --- you even surpass yourself. Mille remerciements!
    Berkshire Tsarina

  8. Fantastic shots! I love the windshield curved one! And, of course, the blue Eiffel!

  9. William Ternay, Jr.10:50 AM

    This is one of your most elegant, and subtly creative posts yet.
    Some of the most unique photos I've ever taken have involved reflections, especially in store-fronts.
    I love spending time, lining up all
    the "parts," and usually ending up with quite surreal images.

  10. I must say you have changed the way I look at reflections in photographs. Your reflections are art in itself. Great post.

  11. Just amazing!

    Thanks for sharing...

    Please don't forget to enter the newer giveaway♥

  12. What an interesting perspective! I "covet" your "eye", your lens, and your locations!

  13. You are absolutely right, Carol~
    reflections are a necessity and yours are super !!
    Thank you.
    B in the Mojave~

  14. Hello Carol,
    I stumbled upon your blog during my daily ramblings. It is wonderful! Your art is so cheerful! I love it. It brightened my gloomy day down here in Georgia.

    This post on reflections is so unique. I have a new way to look at photos through windows. I love the double perspective.

    Thanks for opening my eyes to a beautiful new way of capturing a place. I look forward to stopping back soon.

    Happy weekend,

  15. Lovely photos! I love the reflections theme!

  16. West coast Ann1:33 PM

    LW and I love pictures reflected and pictures taken through tiny windows like the ones in old monestaries in Italy and Spain. Ann doesn't know what she's talking about. I forget who Ann is . I know you visit her in France.

    West coast Ann

  17. Misha in Paris2:10 PM

    tres bien, continue !
    you play with all refletion,
    Make your own face reflection !

  18. I'm glad you include the reflections. It makes me feel like I'm there, looking in the windows, Paris behind me. :-)

  19. Anonymous4:06 PM

    Just brilliant. Thank you.

  20. Great photos, Carol. My favorite is the car windshield.
    Have a great weekend.....

  21. love the reflections, cherie.
    i'd never noticed them.
    keep it up!

  22. Great shots, Carol !

  23. You got some pretty cool double shots looking thru windows. Love the one with the buildings and the roses fanning across the picture.

  24. what a wonderful post. thank you for that!

  25. Not all photos with reflections in them turn out as well as we hoped, bien sûr, but some do. And occasionally there are ones where we didn't even realize there was a reflection in them till we view them later (or, in the olden days, got the prints back from the developer!). But definitely the best ones turn our to be among my favorites, so I understand how you can feel the same way about yours. I look forward to seeing more of them here -- great work!

  26. Judith expressed already what I think too:
    Glorious reflections!
    That first image would be plain boring, for example, without the reflections. I would bet that the window decorator counted on them, to bring his work to life.
    I truly enjoyed them all,
    one more ingenious than the other.

  27. thank you for taking me window shopping in paris.

    i will be there in april...ahhh, april in paris!

  28. Tatiana6:14 PM

    Hi Carol, your Paris reflections are wonderful, thank you for your sensibility...
    Perhaps I'll travel to "La Ville Lumière" next February for the "Paris Cookbook Fair" and "Gourmand Awards"

  29. These are wonderful. I have spent about a half hour looking at them. Reflections --- what a wonderful theme.

  30. Wow, what fabulous images. My eyes lit up when i saw Cafe Constant!! Straight away i knew it was rue St Dominique - that's the street i last stayed at in Paris! Cnr rue St Dominque and Ave Rapp - what a view!!!

  31. I love reflections! And I love Cafe Constant!!

  32. Anonymous2:53 AM

    Keep posting stuff like this i really like it

Love hearing from you

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-13
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for March 2017
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Café Craft

Serious coffee served in a library-like environment. Pleasantly, the back section of the cafe is a designated co-working space with a strong wireless signal and plenty of plugs for freelancers to camp out. Irritatingly, the staff change the pricing system for said space just about every week. […]

Bob’s Bake Shop

Bob (aka Marc Grossman)’s mini empire continues to expand with American style diner and bakery complete with pecan or lattice-topped cherry pie, Belleville Brulerie coffee, hand-rolled bagels and even their elusive brethren bialys. There’s a pretty lovely outdoor terrasse, too. […]


text:
! Fun quizzes everyday! Who are the Party Animals in your life?

Welcome to your fun quiz! The quiz connects with Facebook to show custom results.

Party Animals: A rare breed of highly entertaining personalities that no party would be complete without - they're your closest friends and always the life of the party! Take this quiz to find out who the Party Animals are in your life! Start Now. Then please share this fun quiz with your friends!

Welcome to! We are glad you're here. is loaded with fun quizzes everyday, from questions about astrology to the latest sports trivia and more! Our quizzes are enjoyed by users across the web just like you. So please share our quizzes with your friends and have fun!

Quiz Requirements.
1) Click the start button to get started.
2) Answer all questions to the best of your ability!
3) Share the quiz with all of your friends
4) View your results!
Start Now

Check Out Our Other Fun Quizzes!

Funky Fish Trivia Questions!
The oceans and lakes of the world contain such a vast expanse of wonders! The sheer number of species of fish in the oceans is mind boggling, and some of them are pretty crazy!! Here are some fun fact...Take The Quiz!

Match these "Car Stars" with their Movie or TV Series!
Whether it's a regular thing, or a special occasion, most of us watch movies and TV series. Most of the time, the stars of these movies and TV series are, well... human, of course! However, sometimes ...Take The Quiz!

DC or Marvel Comic Book Heroes?
Comic Book Fans – we know you're loyal to your favs! Tell us where these heroes come from – DC or Marvel? Let's get started and see how well you know your Comic Book Heroes - Good Luck!...Take The Quiz!

Who Made These Rare and Beautiful Classic Cars?
Chevy, Ford, Mercury, Buick or Oldsmobile? Over the last 100+ years, there have been thousands of different models of vehicles manufactured. We've chosen 10 of the rarer models for you to test your ca...Take The Quiz!

Think you’re the trivia King or Queen? Test that here!
Here is the next installment of wild and crazy, and sometimes seemingly "useless", pieces of trivia out there... and those are the most fun and interesting, right?! Let's get started and see if you ha...Take The Quiz!

Movie Poster Mania!
Let's see how good the advertising was for these movies! Can you name the movie from its advertising poster? See how many you can answer. Enjoy!...Take The Quiz!

Flower Fancy Trivia!
Whether they're given as a gift, grown in a garden, placed in a vase or enjoyed in a beautiful meadow in the wild...Flowers brighten our world in so many ways! See how many of these incredible beautie...Take The Quiz!

The Ones You Love To Hate!
Movie villains – they're horrible, ill-mannered, mean and nasty, terribly dangerous, often insane, usually ruthless and sometimes...just down-right evil! But when it comes to the really, really bad ...Take The Quiz!

1980's Hair Metal Bands
"Before grunge scrubbed the smeared makeup off of the face of hair metal and trimmed its flowing locks, an endless parade of longhaired dudes did their level best to destroy the ozone layer, fueled by...Take The Quiz!

Take a swat at these insane insect trivia questions!
Want to have some more fun and maybe even learn more about insects, too? Take a swat at these insane insect trivia questions! You might just find that insects can be as fascinating as they can be irri...Take The Quiz!

More Featured Quizzes & Surveys!

Do You Love Taco Bell?
Just Collect 100 Points to Get a $100* Taco Bell Gift Card! *Upon completion of purchase and/or subscription requirements. ...Take It!
Which Starburst Flavor is Your Favorite?
Tell us what you favorite original Starburst flavor is, and get started towards earning a VISA gift card! Get details HERE:...Take It!
How About Some New Shoes?
Get started here to earn $100 Gift Card to Payless! *participation required....Take It!
Want an iPhone 8?
Want An iPhone 8? We've Got Your Back! What Do You Need To Do? Participate In Our Offers and We'll Give YOU An iPhone 8 When It Comes Out! Get Started Now!...Take It!
REAL Opinions Wanted - Ready To Earn?
Sample Cube Offers REAL Opinion-Based Surveys That Require Feedback ASAP - And We're Paying! Get Involved, and Get Some Extra Cash! Don't Miss Out - These Surveys Come and Go, So Start Earning Today!!...Take It!
Have a Travel Destination In Mind?
Collect 100 points & get* a $500 JetBlue Gift Card!...Take It!

This is an advertisement powered by Ions Media, an independent rewards program, and not associated with any of the listed merchants or brands. The listed merchants or brands in no way endorse or sponsor this website and are not liable for any alleged or actual claims related to this offer. The listed trademarks and service marks are the marks of their respective owners. This promotion has not been endorsed by any advertiser. Ions Media is solely responsible for all Prize fulfillment.

Home | Privacy | Contact Us | Terms | Unsubscribe

© 2016 by All rights reserved.


text:
you may notice

some small changes. particularly my image, which was a little too confident, snazzy, and well lit for my liking. i chose to upload a more appropriate and relevant image to my current state of mind, featuring disheveled hair, a shiny forehead, and a gloomy wink to combat my general despair.

i'm also going to start talking about music on here- the songs i listened to while writing this/customizing the blog were
"don't talk"- the beach boys
"rock the 40 oz"- leftover crack

1 comment:

Elbows said...

I think you're as charming as ever with your new picture.


text:
Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Stampin Tilda

Hello this week at Creative Inspirations our challenge is "Sketch" You can flip / rotate it but all the element MUST still be included. The prize is from STAMP FAIRY which is a $10 GIFT CERTIFICATE! I inked up this cute Stampin Tilda up...Colored her with Distress Reinkers.
I followed the sketch but added some extra elements like the ribbon and the gems.
A close up on the flower arrangement and the charm, Thanks for your visit!!

krafty-kutz said...

Wow!! It's beautiful x

marion said...

What a fab card, so sweet, hugs, Marion

Sonia said...

Such a gorgeous card my friend:) Beautiful Tilda and you coloured perfectly:))
Lovely papers and flowers:)

Rea said...

Aww, just adorable, love the layout and those pretty flowers.

Christina C. said...

Gasp!!!!!!!!!! OMG....Patricia, this is absolutely breathtaking!!!!!
Adore your expert coloring of this cute Tilda and the design and details are spectacular!

Jenny said...

Just love these pink tones. So beautiful and soft. x

Sandy said...

Beautifully done as always Patricia. How in the world do you come up with all these beautiful ideas! the design is perfect as well as the flower arrangement!

yvon said...

Hello Patricia,
This is gorgeous. Beautiful colors you used and the flowers are also beautiful. Esp. love the ribbon.
Have a great day.
Hugs, Yvon

Jenny said...

So pretty, Love this colour, lush colouring hun. Jen x

Related Posts with Thumbnails


text:
Geek and Nerd In-Jokes: Star Wars Holiday Special

Star Wars Holiday SpecialEverybody loves inside jokes, and you have inevitably found yourself on the outside a time or two. The more obscure the reference, the more fulfilling it is when someone else “gets it”.

I thought it would be fun to review some of my favorites, so you can feel cool when you catch them in some of my other blog posts. I’ll try to keep them mostly geek/nerd/tech related, but no promises…

Star Wars Holiday Special

The Star Wars Holiday Special is a horribly awesome holiday variety show that takes place (mostly) in the Star Wars universe.

I won’t give you a synopsis of the show, you can read that elsewhere. I highly recommend that you do, and see if you can get your hands on a copy to watch. It is most entertaining.

What You Need to Know

  • Only aired for one day, and George Lucas reportedly doesn’t like it and would prefer to destroy all copies. He has never agreed to release it or air it ever since.
  • Was originally aired in November of 1978, over 1 year after Episode IV was released, and 2 years before Episode V.
  • Had a typical variety show format. Short clips and songs that are held together with an underlying story.
  • Focused around Chewbacca’s family, but nearly all of the principal characters from the Star Wars film made appearances.
  • Contained the first appearance of Boba Fett, and he was animated!
  • “Awesome” performance of Light the Sky on Fire by Jefferson Starship
  • Carrie Fischer Sings
  • Bea Arthur Sings
  • Was Riffed

How to Recognize Allusions

  • Discussions about truly horrible films that everybody knows about and nobody has seen. Before you ask, yes, I have seen it. I even got my wife to watch it with me!
  • References to Life Day
  • Images of Star Wars characters with any form of Christmas decoration (like in the video for White and Nerdy)
  • Depending on who is in the room, just the phrase “Holiday Special” or “That Holiday Special”.

2 Responses to “Geek and Nerd In-Jokes: Star Wars Holiday Special”

    • Patrick

      I would be happy to cross-post this to your blog!

      As long as you provide the proper link-backs and attribution, that is okay with me.

Leave a Reply


text:
Friday, 10 May 2013

Old terrors linger in our rural backwaters

Okay, first off – the big development of the week is that I’m slowly but surely joining the modern world. I’ve at last made my presence felt on Twitter. I can be reached there, should anyone desire to follow my inane ramblings, at @paulfinchauthor.

The next bit of news this week is that I’m able to announce, with some excitement, that a major British film company has expressed interest in a novella of mine, The Stain, which was first published back in 2007 in my collection, STAINS.

I can’t say too much yet for fear of putting the mockers on it. And let’s not kid ourselves, ‘expressing interest’ means nothing more than it says – they are considering it as a possible project, and that’s all. No one has asked if there’s a script. No one has taken out an option. There are no guarantees of any sort. In fact, the only guarantee in the world of movie adaptations is that, from the moment of first interest to the day of principal photography can be such an agonisingly long wait that Ice Ages will have been and gone in the meantime (and that’s assuming you ever actually reach that hallowed final stage).
But let’s not be boring either. It’s always a bit exciting, and without bits of excitement what would life be? For those who don’t remember, or haven’t yet read it, The Stain tells the story of a struggling film company’s attempt to plan the sequel to a legendary 1960s horror movie, and their ill-fated efforts to write the script at the same location used for the original: a gothic mansion in remote woodland, which has apparently has had a disturbed atmosphere ever since the cameras stopped rolling. I mean come on, what on Earth could go wrong?

Still on the subject of spooky stories, I’ve also heard, and am chuffed to bits, that two superb contributions to last year’s Terror Tales books – The Cotswold Olimpicks by Simon Kurt Unsworth (TERROR TALES OF THE COTSWOLDS) and The Fall of the King of Babylon by Mark Valentine (TERROR TALES OF EAST ANGLIA), have both been selected by editor Stephen Jones for inclusion in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW HORROR 24, which will be out later this year.

Well done and congratulations to those guys, both of whom truly bought into the Terror Tales ethos by creating stories combining mystery, folklore and nightmarish horror.

It’s always gratifying to see this kind of recognition, but I had no doubt in my mind, on first accepting these submissions, that they would catch the eye.

The Cotswold Olimpicks concerns the arrival of an outsider at the famous ‘Cotswold Games’, a celebration of rural eccentricity, which has occurred in that lush part of the world every spring bank holiday since 1612. There is lots of singing, dancing and drinking, but as you know, it’s never a good idea to take these ancient countryside customs lightly – something deeper and darker nearly always lies beneath.

The Fall of the King of Babylon takes us to old Ely, and Babylon, the decayed warehouse district of the city, now cut off by the River Ouse and degenerated into a den of thieves whom the authorities seem unable to touch. Of course that isn’t the end of the matter. There are ancient forces in this remote, mist-begirt landscape, and they’ll have their say as well.

By the way, TERROR TALES OF LONDON, the fourth in the series, is now in its final stages of production. Keep watching this space for cover art, table of contents and preorder details.

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Sunday, 31 July 2016

Not so Brave New World

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
ISBN-13: 978-0099518471

I read this because it’s a classic dystopian novel. I hated it. I’m sure when it was first written it was revolutionary and visionary, but I found it hard to follow in places and frankly quite boring. I didn’t like or relate to any of the characters and a lot of the time it felt like Huxley was trying to shock by being overly controversial.

At 288 pages, Brave New World took me over 6 months to read, because I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like it from the beginning, but once I’ve started a book, I like to finish it.

With the likes of the Hunger Games and Divergent, we’ve been overwhelmed with dystopian futures just recently, so maybe I’ve got a general apathy towards Brave New World or just maybe it’s not very good.

I’m looking forward to returning to Alastair Reynolds and Slow Bullets.

Tuesday, 26 July 2016

NorDev Event: Top 7 Agile Tips I learnt as a Product Manager & a mini summer social

What: Top 7 Agile Tips I learnt as a Product Manager & a mini summer social

When: Wednesday, August 3, 2016, 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Where: The King's Centre, King Street, Norwich, NR1 1PH

Top 7 Agile Tips I learnt as a Product Manager
Benjamin Mitchell (@benjaminm)

Many people have experienced using Agile approaches within teams to deliver more working software, but what can be learnt from combing these approaches with Product Development? This talk will cover the top seven hard-earned tips I learnt from several years spent as a Senior Product Manger for BBC Worldwide. Ever wondered how you could influence the product you were building? How can you use Agile approaches to learn about what the right product to build is? How do you overcome defensiveness? How can you design experiments that challenge assumptions and encourage change? This talk will provide some answers, combining ideas from organisational learning, psychology and negotiation.

Benjamin Mitchell

Benjamin has over 20 years’ experience delivering online applications, in diverse sectors – including media (, investment banking, insurance and software products. A highly-rated international speaker, he is passionate about helping software product development teams and leaders build the right products in the right ways. Benjamin is proud to be a Partner with Equal Experts. You can see a recent talk of his at

And then when we're all done, we'd quite like to have a nice cold beer at the local pub, most likely to be Brew Dog near Tombland.

Wednesday, 20 July 2016

Britain’s Biggest Technology Company Sells Out To Japanese Tech Firm

If there was any concern that Brexit would have a negative impact on foreign investment in the UK, the doubts were somewhat quashed this week when ARM Holdings announced a takeover by Japanese tech giant, Softbank, in a deal worth a staggering £24bn.

ARM Holdings is Britain’s biggest and most successful tech firm. Founded by entrepreneur, Hermann Hauser in 1990, the company made its mark with the vintage Acorn Archimedes and BBC micro:bit.

Today, the ARM microchip powers practically every digital device imaginable, including computers, iPhones and Samsung’s range of mobile products. Last year, the company sold 15 million microchips – more than its US rival Intel has sold in its 48-year history.

The ARM microchip is seen as the next-generation for microprocessor architecture, and whilst Britons have a right to be proud, we can’t help but feel it’s a shame the company is being sold to overseas investors.

We’re also curious how the likes of Apple and Google feel knowing their industry “allies” have handed over the new-generation microchip to a Japanese firm.

The sell-out also raises questions about the impact such a massive acquisition will have on the British economy. New PM, Theresa May has already voiced her determination to put an end to foreign takeovers that do not favour national interest.

However, on this occasion the UK government has been quick to respond with a positive message. “This is good news for British workers, it’s good news for the British economy,” a spokesman said. Given Softbank has already stated its intention to double the 3000-strong workforce of ARM Holding, we can’t argue with this.

Furthermore, in Softbank, the British tech giant is being adopted by a faithful parent. In recent years, the Japanese firm has already acquired Vodafone and Sprint together with a French robotics company, Aldebaran. Founder of Softbank, Masayoshi Son has said that ARM Holdings is one of the pillars of the company’s growth strategy.

The ARM microchip is used in numerous household items such as smartphones and tablets, computers, TV’s, Smart home technology, Smart cars and wearable tech. The microchip also powers smart cities and drones. It seems the Japanese tech giant has acquired ARM with a view to progressing the next-generation of “The Internet of Things” (IoT).

IoT is the proposed idea that by interconnecting digital devices our lives become much easier and more convenient. Possible scenarios include fridges that add food to the shopping list on your mobile phone when you are almost out, and kettles that tell you it’s time for cuppa.

We are experiencing a rapid development in mobile technology and in the very near future we will practically be able to manage our lives from our smartphones. To many people this may be a scary proposition, but it is almost guaranteed that most will embrace the convenience IoT technology offers. And a certain Japanese-owned British company will be central to making our future lives possible.

Words: Lauren Yaxley


text:
Sunday, 17 April 2011

Intentional Acts of Kindness

Intentional Acts of Kindness Kit - a revolutionary idea! That's what Boom Boom! Cards are.

So excited to be able to introduce this wonderful kit here in Singapore. Each deck of 26 artful cards invites you to spread kindness, encourage others to do the same and you get to track the adventure of each card online too.

Find the decks among ART's cool kits.

Boom boom cards

Thursday, 14 April 2011

A*Live April 2011

ATC @ Bishan

The April ATC session at Bishan Library was loads of fun. We had an explosion of ATCs responding to the theme of Alphabets. The table for displaying them was overflowing!

Using Rich Davis' Pick and Draw, we created some cool cartoon faces too.

ATC @ Bishan

The next session will be on 12 May and the theme is "Mother and Father".

Monday, 11 April 2011

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

3 pm Break

One Little Journey takes beautiful photos, and many of them also shows delicious food.

It's great that she featured the Alphabet book from A Rhyming Tern in her latest entry on her blog 3 pm Breaks.

Take a break and enjoy the feast.

Saturday, 2 April 2011

Creativity is Subtraction

Austin Kleon, who writes Newspaper Blackout poems, shares 10 wonderful pieces of advise.

On the note of subtraction, there is 3eanuts - Peanuts comics with the last panel omitted.

And this series by Dorothy.


text:
11:36 pm

This picture gallery contains many – but not all – of the PAW cats who are available for adoption. To see all of our adoptable cats, please check out the Adults, Kittens, Special Needs, and Guest Cat listing pages.

To see a little more information about the cats, hold your cursor over the pictures.
Please note: this page is graphics intensive, so it may take some time to load.
Resize pictures
to fit page

Frisco, 10-1/2 month spayed female
Pine, 1-1/2 year spayed female
Rafter, 7-1/2 month neutered male
Yoyo, 1-year spayed female
* Special needs cats.

PAW needs foster homes for cats. For information on how you can make a difference,
please contact us at paw_cats@yahoo.com.

Based in the Metropolitan Washington DC area

Last Updated: April 15, 2014 (LET) PawSupport


text:
Wednesday, July 22, 2009

More on Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

There has been much talk in the blogosphere the past few days since the story of Henry Louis Gates' arrest broke. Here are a few more articles (and within the one from sojo are even more links to more articles) to keep us reading, and hopefully, talking.

The above-mentioned sojo article is here.

And another one from The Nation is here.

Not trying to exclude any articles out there; these are just ones I've stumbled upon.

If you have any that you think we should also be reading, let us know about them!

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Trailblazers: Poems of Exploration by Bobbi Katz

I'm not a big poetry reader. It's simply not my first choice when I look for a new book to read. But THIS book by Bobbi Katz had me absolutely enthralled! Katz has researched and put to verse the experiences of explorers dating back to Adam and Eve ("The First Explorers"), all the way up to the roving robots, Spirit and Opportunity. The majority of poems are in 1st person, but many are from the point of view of someone who was with the explorer. For example, some of Genghis Khan's experiences are shared through "Jebe" and "Subed", two of Khan's commanders. Katz gives equal time to women as she does to men. We hear from well know female explorers, such as Sally Ride, and also from women who don't necessarily get credit for the exploration itself, but were present, nonetheless. For example, Florence Baker, wife of Sir Samuel Baker, who is known for his explorations to find the source of the Nile back in the mid 1800's, was right there by his side as he explored, but doesn't get much credit, except for Katz's poem! The poetry varies in lengths and styles and there are small illustrations throughout done by Carin Berger. Katz also includes short bio's at the end of the book, so if you want a little more information on Sylvia Earle, Egeria, Zheng He, or Robert Peary, (do you know any of those people or what they explored?) it's there. Pick up this book in the 800's in the nonfiction section of the Children's department. It's great and you'll love it!

No comments:


text:
Thursday, April 10, 2014

Remove Virus Completely from IE/Firefox/Chrome

This unwanted website replaces my homepage without my consent. I don’t know how to get my previous homepage back. This malicious domain is very stubborn. Every time I change the homepage setting by opening Internet options, still recurs when I open my browser. It is out of my control. Can anyone help me get rid of it completely?

What is Virus? Virus is categorized as a vexing adware virus which hijacks your web browser to trigger unstoppable pop-up ads, sponsored links, coupons and other annoying messages. This virus is mainly distributed through the Internet. Cyber criminals often bundle this virus with all kinds of online resources such as free applications and spam email attachments. Once this virus makes its way to your computer, like Virus and Virus, it will disguise itself as a legitimate website and take the place of your start page no matter you are using Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. This virus will make chaos on your machine, and your web browsing experience will be seriously spoiled by this virus. When you connect to the Internet, your computer screen will be flooded by a large number of commercial ads which will continue to pop up one by one. On the surface, these pop-up ads seem to sell you multiple goods. However, when you click on them by accident, you will be unexpectedly redirected to unknown websites that you have no interest to visit at all. What’s worse, this virus will be used by remote hackers to monitor your browsing habits and collect your private data such as your search queries and even your financial details. Therefore, you should have no hesitation about removing this virus right away to protect your data. Virus Screenshot: Virus will do much harm to the infected computer:

1) Virus makes changes to the default settings of your web browser unknowingly.
2) Virus modifies your favourite homepage as well as the default search engine.
3) Virus invades your computer along with many other risky viruses and malware.
4) Virus gathers your search quaries and records your private data online.
5) Virus generates a large number of pop-ups when you are surfing the Internet.
6) Virus continues to redirect you to a variety of unfamiliar websites.
7) Virus makes the system crash frequently and causes the slow network speed.

How to Remove Virus from your PC?

1. Restart your computer and keep pressing F8 Key before Windows launches. Use the arrow keys to select the "Safe Mode with Networking" option, and then hit ENTER Key to continue.

2. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del at the same time to open Windows Task Manager and end process.

3. Go to Computer Control Panel from Start menu and open Folder Options. Click View and then tick “Show hidden files and folders” and uncheck “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)”. Press OK.

4. Press Winkey+R together then enter “regedit” to start your registry editor. Delete the following registry keys.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System "DisableRegistryTools" = 0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\vir-help.exe
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe

5. Delete the following and related system files.

C:\Users\user account\Appdata\Roaming

Note: virus is rather stubborn and malicious. It requests certain computer skills when you dealing with it in manual way. Any incident action could lead your machine to a more terrible situation.

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Winnie the Pooh

My latest request was for a Winnie the Pooh 1st birthday cake for my neighbor.  Fortunately it only had to be 25 servings and they weren't too interested in any specifics, just that it was Winnie the Pooh. I have never done a Winnie cake, and was amazed at how little info there was online as a guide for making the figurines.  I have taken it upon myself to blog how I  made mine.

I started with Pooh because I was able to find a couple Youtube video's to help with him.
Adjust the sizes to fit your needs.
For Pooh I mixed yellow fondant with a touch of brown and some gumpaste.
His shirt and tongue are red fondant and his nose , eyes and eyebrows are black fondant.
I find Wilton fondant works the best for figurines.

I started with a ball of fondant that I shaped into a pear and inserted a food skewer.

Next I rolled a strip of red out and with an Exacto knife make a straight bottom edge and angles the ends.

 I then cut a wedge for Winnie's V-neck shirt

And wrap

Legs were next.

Roll a thick rope and cut into 2 pieces. I  trimmed these to the length I wanted his legs to be.  Pinch one end up to look like his foot and with the Exacto knife trimmed the other end at an angle to attach to his body.

I used gum glue to attach his limbs.

 Now for the arms, just repeat what you did for the legs.

I rolled 2 more shorter strips of red and trimmed the bottom flat and angled the ends for sleeves.

I then wrapped the red sleeves around the arm and attached them to the body with gum glue.

Starting to look like Winnie now.

Take another round ball of the yellow for his head .

With your fingers pinch some facial contour around his snout and press a flat spot for his eyes.

With the pointy fondant tool I made an impression for his mouth.

I used a small ball of red fondant to stick a tongue on.

Next, roll 2 small balls of yellow for ears.

 Indent them with the ball tool .

With gum glue, attach to his head.

The final step,  attach head to the body by placing on the top of the skewer and add eyes, nose and mouth with black fondant.
I have no idea what happened to my pictures of these steps, my digital camera ate them, but you can see my finished Winnie in the photo.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.


text:
Saturday, January 12, 2013

Can't Get Enough: Maternity Style

maternity style

Maternity style: Falling for knits! <3

Maternity Style

Maternity Style

Maternity style:

chic maternity wear

                     Maternity Style
                             casual glamorous maternity style

Maternity Style

Favorite Celebrity Maternity Style
Vanessa Lachey's Maternity it!

Vanessa Minnillo, Lachey Maternity Style

Vanessa Minnillo

Vanessa Minnillo, Lachey Maternity Style

Love her maternity style

Jessica Alba maternity look

Kourtney Kardashian's Pop of Color

kourt k maternity fashion inspiration

Kourtney Kardashian

cute maternity outfit idea. love the necklace

Kristin Cavallari in b #maternity street style

I've been pretty slack on blogging about style and fashion.  I really want to change that!  No I don't know it all (or maybe even a portion) but I don't claim to!  All I know is my own style and I want to write about it and the things that inspire me as it changes over time.  Style is something I love to experiment with and learn about-it's almost like art...I kinda like to think of it as that.  I love to look at EVEN study style (I know DORK...)  I just think it's fun to see how we all can piece things together differently or visualize outfits in different ways.  I mean we have to wear why not be creative with it, have fun, and love getting dressed everyday?

 I figured I would start blogging about style by throwing together a couple of pictures that have inspired me as I try to dress "the bump."  No it's not been fact-I find it challenging.   BUT I have embraced that challenge and have had a blast figuring out how to still be put together without having to splurge on maternity clothes.  I am thinking (and don't hold me to it because I can't make big promises right now with my crazy schedule!) that I will try to "journal" a couple of outfits to share every Saturday.  Maybe...just maybe.
Thanks for listening to me ramble;)

Simply Yours Designs: Cute Blog Designs


text:
Thursday, February 20, 2014

A Very First Valentines Day

Have I mentioned how much better holidays are with a little one yet??
Well it brings the magic right back where childhood left it:)
Cam's first Valentines Day was very special,
as have all of his first holidays in their own way.

On a sad note:
We are almost running out of "firsts"...
ALL the more reason to milk all the fun we can out of these
last few holidays!
We had a low key week with loved ones, books, festive clothes and breakfasts,
the peanut gang, and some heart shaped sweets:)
Cam threw all of the contents of our refrigerator on the floor and carefully took the silverware out of the dishwasher to sweep the floor and comb Mr. Fitz's hair...
while I baked mis-shaped heart cookies while watching "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown."
He ran around the house quietly reading to himself, "shhh-mmm-ppp-kkk-kkk-shhh"
as he thumbed through "The Night Before Valentines Day..."
Don't act like he is not a genius.
and we kept our Valentinesy PJ's on for most of Saturday.
Who could ask for more?;)
Isn't this beautiful?  A sweet Valentines surprise;)

Isn't that how we celebrate every holiday?
I don't know about you but it has been a busy week for us!
Which leaves me sooo very excited for the weekend:)

Happy Weekend Eve...

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Holiday Home Decor: Valentine's Day

If you follow me at all you know I love any opportunity
to decorate for a holiday!
Valentine's Day is no execption!
Yet another fun chance for me to find some fresh flowers, string up some festive garland,
 and get a little crafty and creative with other little accents around our home.
 Dining Table Center Piece

On the island
I am trying to take every opportunity to
magnify how good God is to let me just say:
I am very thankful for holidays:)
They add that extra special touch to ordinary days
that make life special.
With that being said...
Happy Valentine's week everyone!
Hope you are staying warm, safe, and enjoying the snow:)

Cam's corner in the Living Room

Guest Bath

Front Door

Valentine Favorites & Our Snowmageddon

Here a just a few of my favorite Valentine goodies.
The light airy colors associated with Valentines Day actually
make this winter lover (somewhat) ready for spring!

Because in other news, if you live anywhere close to my
neck of the woods... you are also having a snow day!

Snowdays really don't exist with my current job...
but with this snowmagedon-type storm I had to go in as early
as I could and leave asap with the impending weather expected!

Sooo, after a scary drive home I think we have the right to
 spent the entire day checking off our snow day
bucket list:)

Snow cream, story time, snow play, visiting our favorite Charlie Brown Tree, and snuggling with a Gossip Girl Netflix marathon.

I am so thankful for this snowday and that
it has finally been out of the single digits, and "warm" enough for me
to let Cam go out in his first snow!
Happy Hump Day!:)

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Weekend Tales

My heart is so happy and encouraged after
sweet weekends with my family.
We had a great lazy weekend in which we began some Valentine festivities!
A Valentine bubble bath and Frank Sinatra tunes to set the mood:)

Cozy Valentine PJ's.
Blowing out candles and carrying them around the house to show off
our magic skills (because...we DID make the flame disappear!)

And then staying up a few minutes after bedtime;)
 And may or may not have had a Gossip Girl netflix marathon...

We also had the best festive Saturday morning breakfast
complete with heart shaped eggs, fruits, and pink sparkling fruit juice:)
And on an even cooler note...Cam, bedhead and all, used a spoon all by himself for the first time!

We also LOVED celebrating Lolli's birthday and visiting with
family/friends from Flordia
who Cam got to meet for the first time!
(Who is a bad at taking pictures?  This girl right here...:( )

And then Cam played Cupid for Sunday's coming and goings!
Hope you all are having a great week...
3 Days til' Valentines, and a few short hours til Snow Storm Pax;)
Bring on the snow!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Weekend Tales

We spent this weekend celebrating the Mr.'s birthday:)
It required a lot of football, food, panthers, and smoozing (aka being extra sweet)!

Daddy's Birthday Dinner Friday night
 Pacified the Saturday Morning Baby for a few extra minutes of zzzz's
Made Daddy a Panther Birthday Cake

And made Blue Panther Football Pancakes...with fruit toppings!

And the Superbowl?
Well I think the best part of it was hands down
 Cam twerking when he seen the Muppet commercial...
Looks like we will be investing in some muppet entertainment;)

Simply Yours Designs: Cute Blog Designs


text:
Friday, November 14, 2008

How Do You Say???

I've blogged about this before, but for those of you have never seen it, here are a few good sites that offer chef cards and translation cards that you can present to servers and chefs in restaurants.

Some are free, some aren't. I think the translation cards are definitely worth paying for, especially if you are heading somewhere like China or Japan and don't speak the language (or know the characters of the language).

No comments:


text:
Peanuts Wiki

1,329pages on
this wiki
Add New Page
Full resolution (download) (1,920 × 1,080 pixels, file size: 984 KB, MIME type: image/png)

There is no description yet. Add a description.

Appears on these pages

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

current03:43, April 19, 2016Thumbnail for version as of 03:43, April 19, 20161,920 × 1,080 (984 KB)Starlabs (Talk | contribs)

Ad blocker interference detected!

Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers

Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected.


text:
Help every child master maths

"Abacus is a Ruth-Merttens-Abacus-bordertoolkit developed by local experts and practitioners for UK teachers.  It contains high quality resources and tools for teachers and children which develop understanding and enjoyment -  it’s proven to deliver mastery for all children."

Professor Ruth Merttens, Abacus Series Editor

What do you get?

  • A flexible toolkit that puts you in control, with over 10,000 resources, activities, plans and assessment tools.
  • An online world filled with lively and exciting maths games and rewards that your digital-savvy kids will love.
  • Textbooks and workbooks for independent practice, designed to capture children’s interest and inspire a genuine love of maths.
  • Progress and Assess tests (incl. end-of-year tests), and clever assessment tools to track children’s attainment and their progress towards Age Related Expectations.
  • Professional Development courses to nurture your confidence in teaching for mastery

Over 80% of teachers say that Abacus contributes significantly to children’s engagement, enjoyment and fluency in the fundamentals of maths Next steps...

Live outside the UK?

  • International schools can buy the international edition of Abacus from Pearson Global Schools here.

*Survey run by Pearson measuring impact of Abacus on 95 teachers who have used Abacus for over a year.

Buy NowTry before I buy

Service includes:

Online toolkit
Consisting of online planning tool, plan ideas and activities, teaching tools and interactive activities, assessment tools and tests - and more.

Online pupil world
Consisting of maths practice games, speaking and listening activities, problem-solving activities, rewards and avatars.

Workbooks and Textbooks

Progress and Assess tests (incl. new end-of-year tests)

Professional Development

See how much it costs

View all products in this series

Customer Review:

"Teachers are looking forward to teaching maths - perhaps more than any other subject."

- Deputy Headteacher,
The Cathedral School of
St. Saviour and St. Mary Overy

Read more reviews

What are these? Bookmark with:
What do you think?


text:
Don Quijote de la Mancha.

16 de octubre de 2016

Drowning In Debt: 35 Percent Of All Americans Have Debt That Is At Least 180 Days Past Due

drowning-in-debtBy Michael Snyder
More than a third of all Americans can’t pay their debts.  I don’t know about you, but to me that is a shocking figure.  As you will see below, 35 percent of the people living in this country have debt in collections.  When a debt is in  collections, it is at least 180 days past due.  And this is happening during the “economic recovery” that the mainstream media keeps touting, although the truth is that Barack Obama is going to be the only president in United States history to never have a single year when the economy grew by at least 3 percent.  But at least things are fairly stable for the moment, and if this many Americans are having trouble paying their bills right now, what are things going to look like when the economy becomes extremely unstable once again.
The 35 percent figure is a nugget that I discovered in a CNN article about Detroit that I was reading earlier today
And the city’s troubles have left a mark on the financial stability of its residents in a big way, according to a new report from the Urban Institute.
About 66% of residents have debt in collections — meaning more than 180 days past due — at a median amount of $1,847. Across the U.S., 35% of Americans have debt in collections.
It is hard to believe that 66 percent of the residents of one of our largest cities could have debt in collections, but without a doubt the city of Detroit is a complete and utter economic wasteland at this point.
But to me, the 35 percent figure for the nation as a whole is a much greater concern.
And much of the debt that is in collections is credit card debt.
In the immediate aftermath of the last financial crisis, many Americans started getting out of debt, and that was a very good thing.
Unfortunately, that trend has completely reversed itself over the past few years, and now credit card balances are rising at a pace that is quite alarming
Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Federal Reserve, ValuePenguin found that the average credit card debt for households that carry a balance is a shocking $16,048 — a figure that has risen by 10% over the past three years. At the average variable credit card interest rate of 16.1%, this translates to nearly $2,600 in credit card interest alone. And many credit cards have interest rates much higher than the average.
Even scarier, consider that based on the average interest rate and a minimum payment of 1.5% of the balance, it would take nearly 14 years for the typical indebted household to pay off its existing credit card debt, at a staggering cost of more than $40,200. Keep in mind that this assumes no additional credit card debt is added to the tab along the way.
Those who have been there know exactly how it feels to be drowning in credit card debt.
You know, they don’t teach you about credit cards in high school or in college.  At least they didn’t in my day.  So once I got out into the “real world” and discovered the joy of instantly getting whatever I wanted with a credit card, I didn’t understand how painful it would be to pay that money back someday.

If you have credit card balances that are out of control, they can keep you up late into the night.  The worry and the fear can eat away at you like a cancer, and many people play a game of moving balances from one card to another in a desperate attempt to stay afloat.
Fortunately I learned my hard lessons at an early enough age to get things turned around.  Now I warn others about the danger of credit card debt through my writing, and my hope is that the things that I share on my websites are doing some good for others that may be struggling financially.
When you are deep in debt, it is exceedingly difficult to build up any wealth of your own.  This is one of the primary reasons why 69 percent of all Americans have less than $1,000 in savings today.
In essence, more than two-thirds of the country is living paycheck to paycheck, and that is a recipe for disaster when the next major economic downturn in the U.S. strikes.
Overall, household debt in America has now reached a grand total of 12.3 trillion dollars.  When you break that down, it comes to $38,557 for every man, woman and child in the entire nation.
So for a family of five, your share of that total would be $192,785.
And remember, that is just household debt.  That total does not include any form of business debt or any form of government debt.
We truly are a “buy now, pay later” society.  We were the wealthiest and most prosperous nation on the entire planet, and previous generations handed us the keys to the greatest economic machine in world history, but that wasn’t good enough for us.
We always had to have more, more, more – and now we have accumulated more debt than any society in the history of the globe.
It is inevitable that this giant debt bubble is going to burst.  Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that.
What we experienced in 2008 was just a preview of the hard times that are coming.  The next recession is going to be even worse, and most economists are convinced that it will happen within the next four years no matter who is elected president in November.  The following comes from the Wall Street Journal via the Calculated Risk blog
Economists in The Wall Street Journal’s latest monthly survey of economists put the odds of the next downturn happening within the next four years at nearly 60%.
Just like the last time around, millions of those that are “living on the edge” financially will fall out of the middle class and into poverty when they lose their jobs.
Hopefully most of you that have been reading my work for an extended period of time have already been getting out of debt and have been building up a financial cushion.
Sadly, most of the country continues to act as if they are living in a pre-2008 world, and the economic wake-up call that is coming is going to be incredibly painful for those that thought they could get away with being exceedingly reckless financially.
Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him on Twitter here.

Alerta Venezuela

No dejen de ver este conmovedor video

LatinoAmérica Calle 13

Así preparan la cocaína: un cocktel de venenos.

The American Dream

Facebook, Israel y la CIA

La Revolucion de la Clase Media

Descontento en el corazon del capitalismo: el Reino Unido

Descontento en el corazon del capitalismo: el Reino Unido

La Ola se extiende por todo el mundo arabe : Bahrein

La Caida de un Mercenario

La Revolucion no sera transmitida (I)

(II) La revolucion so sera transmitida

(III) La Revolucion no sera transmitida

(IV) La Revolucion no sera transmitida

(V) La Revolucion no sera transmitida

(VI) La Revolucion no sera transmitida

(VII) La revolucion no sera transmitida

(VIII) La Revolucion no sera transmitida

Narcotrafico SA

La otra cara del capitalismo...

Manuel Rosales mantenia a la oposicion con el presupuesto de la Gobernacion del Zulia...

El petroleo como arma segun Soros

Lastima que se agacho...

El terrorismo del imperio

Promocional DMG

Uribe y DMG


text:
Saturday, May 4, 2013

FCBD: Free Comic Book Day.

Explains itself.  This is the 12th year we've done this.

It's a nationwide promotion, always on the first Saturday of May, where the publishers create comics just for this event and we retailers buy them at a minimal cost (ah, hem...which nevertheless adds up, so if you buy something while you're in the store that would be good -- but not required.)

After having massive leftovers the first nine years or so, we've been running out the last two years.  I'm still trying to gauge demand, so you might want to be early rather than late.

We're letting people take 3 comics this year.

Have fun everyone!

No comments:


text:
Thursday, May 1, 2008

Something Different

Something I am not quite accustomed to has been happening lately. I've been taking a creative writing class, something I thought I would enjoy, and yet so far I have been confused the past few classes. Throughout my career as a student with writing assignments, since fifth grade in fact, teachers and peers alike have praised my work as "very accomplished". Lately I have been almost annoyed and hurt, yet, to my benefit, humbled somewhat.

Today we did what is called a poem imitation. We had to imitate this poem in every way we could besides using all of the actual words:

This Is Just To Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
for breakfast.

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.

-- William Carlos Williams

This was my version...

I have questioned
the thoughts
that were in
your black eyes

and which
you had probably
meant to share

Forgive me
you are intriguing
so sweet
yet so cold

My teacher said to me, "It's ok... it's kind of too abstract... and not enough sensory images. You need to add more..."

Well, I'm sorry I like to write about emotion rather than "the tree is green."

Here is another example that I'm slightly confused about because I've never had this reaction after I read something in class:

*shrug of the shoulders* "Yeah.... ok... pretty good.... Any other volunteers?"

Now it's not that the teacher is unresponsive. Shortly after my apparently pathetic offering, someone else will raise their hand. In my opinion, their work is not much greater than mine, and yet the teacher laughs and praises them with much enjoyment.

I honestly don't get it -- partly because, in my last class, my college level teacher thought I was 100% material. She found my writing extremely creative and poetic, and told me so many times. In contrast, I feel as though I am completely uninteresting to this teacher. I feel as though he thinks I am bottom-rung fish-food as far as the world of writing goes. I also don't understand because, in his syllabus, my teacher wrote, "There is no right or wrong way to be a writer. If it is structured well, and it is creative, you will receive credit." I have never, before these past two weeks, had anyone who found me completely uncreative and boring.

I suppose everyone has a nemesis that can help you be stronger someday.

Something positive -- I have been tutoring for the American Heritage class. So far this week, I have tutored around 14 people.. and it is the most rewarding job I have ever had! I love being able to help students understand the material -- and it isn't boring to me at all. Some may think that hearing 14 - 20 hours a week of the same history may seem monotonous and repetitious, but I have found it interesting and stimulating. I also love being able to see the light come on in students' eyes as they begin to understand more and more what they need to and want to know. It has convinced me that I definitely want to teach.

However, if I can't pass my creative writing class with a more than satisfactory grade....

One Who Loves Good Writing said...

“Literary criticism can be no more than a reasoned account of the feeling produced upon the critic by the book he is criticizing.

"Criticism can never be a science: it is, in the first place, much too personal, and in the second, it is concerned with values that science ignores.

"The touchstone is emotion, not reason. We judge a work of art by its effect on our sincere and vital emotion, and nothing else.

"All the critical twiddle-twaddle about style and form, all this pseudoscientific classifying and analyzing of books in an imitation-botanical fashion, is mere impertinence and mostly dull jargon.”

D.H. Lawrence (British Poet, Novelist and Essayist, 1885-1930)

(It's a class, not a publishing company. Take your criticism well in the former, and you may someday find yourself at the door of the latter!)

Elizabeth said...

Except that I really don't care if I ever write poetry again:)

(P.S. Please, no more anonymous comments!)

Jess(ica) said...

Whether poetry, diary, or letter to a loved one, it seems the quotes left by "one who loves good writing" apply to many types of writing besides poetry =)

Elizabeth said...

true. I think I was just annoyed and distracted because I don't like anonymous comments:)

Jess(ica) said...

LOL, I am not a fan of anonymous comments either!! =)


text:
Thursday, April 16, 2015

Mystery In Space #6 - mis-attributed Alex Toth art

Mystery In Space v1 #6, 1951 - Despite what some comic book price guides say, there is no Alex Toth artwork inside. The artists in this issue include Win Mortimer, Carmine Infantino, Bernard Sachs, Joe Giella and John Giunta. See today's posts or more Toth or Mystery in Space issues. See also this blog's Toth checklist.
- - - - - - - - - -
Find on ebay: >Toth >Mystery in Space

More Toth posts:
Plop v1 #11 dc bronze age comic book cover art by Basil Wolverton
Plop #11
Roy Rogers #125
Red Circle Sorcery #9

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
You have no items in your shopping cart.

Change Store

The Kasson Mountain Parka

The Kasson Mountain Parka is an original Penfield style that has been in the collection since the beginning. Little has changed during that time, as the durable shell, warm lining and multiple pockets continue to be key features of this this versatile parka.

There are no products matching the selection.


text:
Subsistence Board convenes in Kenai

Rural designation at heart of issue

Posted: Friday, March 03, 2000

A broad spectrum of thought and feelings were expressed at Wednesday night's subsistence meeting in Kenai. Several shades of gray were illuminated during testimony regarding an issue that often is seen as black and white.

The Federal Subsistence Board's public hearing on whether the entire Kenai Peninsula should be classified as "rural" for purposes of subsistence hunting and fishing drew about 100 people to the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association building. More than a third of those attending spoke, presenting arguments from many different angles of the issue.

Today's controversy began in 1990, when the Federal Subsistence Board declared the peninsula's population centers to be urban. In 1998, the Kenaitze Indian Tribe requested an early review of that determination (a review was scheduled for after the 2000 census).

Later in 1998, the Southcentral Regional Subsistence Advisory Council voted to support the tribe's request. In May 1999, the federal board agreed, and determined a re-evaluation should be made in May 2000. Wednesday night's meeting was for the purpose of gathering testimony, on which the May decision will be at least partially based.

Dale Bondurant, speaking for the Alaska Constitutional Legal Defense Conservation Fund, presents an argument against a rural designation.

In her testimony, Rosalie Tepp, tribal chair for the Kenaitzes, related a resolution listing reasons why the now-urban areas of the peninsula should be reclassified as rural, including a lack of jobs, distance from Anchorage and that other federal agencies recognize the entire peninsula as rural.

Then, she spoke for herself.

"If we lose our culture... that is genocide."

Mary Ann Mills, Kenaitze indian

"I feel like a Jewish person being led into the death chambers in Auschwitz," Tepp said. "Am I to beg for a few fish? Is it so wrong to teach my own way of life? Why must we all act like Nazis? We can survive this, (but) we are losing. The people of Alaska are losing."

Several Native Alaskans compared losing subsistence rights to the extermination of their culture and lifestyle.

"Subsistence is a promise from the government to the Dena'ina, a symbol of our people and culture," said Mary Ann Mills. "If we lose our culture ... that is genocide."

One Native took the argument to the far end of the spectrum, questioning the legality of the sale of Alaska to the United States by the Russians.

"Does the U.S. own Alaska free and clear?" asked Sharon Smith. "I've done a lot of research and I haven't seen (an answer) yet."

She went on to say that subsistence and sovereignty go hand-in-hand.

"Some of us choose to retain our sovereignty through our subsistence ways," Smith said.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Smith was Dale Bondurant, of the Alaska Constitutional Legal Defense Fund.

"This is a no-brainer," Bondurant said. "The dispute is if the federal government has jurisdiction. Title VIII violates the state constitution, and the state does not need to submit to any federal court except the U.S. Supreme Court."

Title VIII is the section of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act that guarantees a subsistence priority on federal lands and waters to rural residents.

Non-Natives were universally opposed to a rural designation for the entire peninsula, even those who said they respected the Natives' beliefs and dilemma.

"I feel for the Kenaitze," said Karl Kircher, a commercial fisher. "Urbanization and tourism is winning. Sport fishermen are losing habitat, commercial fishing is losing. We will be urban eventually, even if we are not now."

Another commercial fisher, Brent Johnson, was one of the few speakers who addressed the main point of the hearing: whether the entire peninsula is rural or urban.

"It has to do with growth. Things change over time," Johnson said in arguing that the peninsula is indeed urban. "Just as people grow up, so does our area."

This issue has been one of the few that has brought both commercial fishing and professional sport guides together.

Joe Connors, of the professional guides association, said a huge industry has grown up around sport fishing, such as bed-and-breakfast operations, lodges, tackle shops, tourism, eateries and car rentals. A rural designation would destroy it all, he said.

"To put a new major player in the mix would be devastating," Connors said. "Many jobs will be lost and the tax base would shrink."

Brett Huber, with the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, agreed.

"Our fear is a rural determination would disrupt the balance," Huber said. "The detrimental impacts far outweigh the gains for the few who support such a sweeping change. Current users would lose the resource they depend on."

He went on to say that if the peninsula were opened up to all 50,000 residents for subsistence, the demand would threaten the resource.

However, Kenaitze elder Emil Dolchok disagreed.

"This rumor that there will be setnets all up and down the Kenai River is a bunch of hogwash," he said.

He went on to argue that only 13 percent of the visitors to the peninsula actually come here exclusively to sport fish.

"Is (losing) that 13 percent going to devastate our economy? I don't think so," he said. "We are being misled."

Rita Smagge, executive director of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, argued that the reason so many people have been, and are, moving to the Kenai Peninsula is because it is rural.

"Many people moved here because they didn't want to live in the big city," Smagge said. "Most live here to live the rural life, not the urban life."

While there were many other arguments on both sides of the issue, the last speaker of the night was critical of them all.

"What I've seen here tonight has sickened me. Everyone here tonight just wants to protect their own little piece of the pie. It scares the living tar out of me," said Tom Bowman. "A lot of people here are misguided, and, I believe, acting out of other motives. Tribes should have subsistence rights, but they should come from the state, not the federal government."

Wednesday night was the last opportunity for oral testimony before the Federal Subsistence Board meets in early May to make a decision; however, written testimony will be accepted until the end of March.

Subscribe to Peninsula Clarion

Trending this week:

© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Steam in the 1960's - Page 15

The last public run of an A4 pacific, Glasgow Buchanan Street to Aberdeen

3rd September 1966.

This special train was organised by the Scottish Region and stops were made at Stirling, Perth, Forfar - where there was a run past - and Aberdeen.  The train was hauled in both directions by 60019 "Bittern".

At Glasgow Buchanan Street before departure

Three photos of the run-past at Forfar.  This station was on the line from Stanley Junction to Kinnaber Junction, avoiding Dundee.  It was closed as a through route shortly after.

Ferryhill shed in Aberdeen was open to the public for the day.  On shed were 60019, 60024 "Kingfisher" and 60009 "Union of South Africa"

60019 ready to leave Aberdeen for the last time in B.R. service.

Next page: Dundee, Perth and 60532 "Blue Peter"

Return to the index page


text:
Blog Archive

Monday, November 17, 2014

Do You want to Build a Snowman

We have a light dusting of snow here in eastern New Mexico this morning.....but,  the sun is out and it will be gone soon!   The snow put me in the mood to make a enough snow you say!
Guess I'll have to make a different kind of snow man.    Kyleigh and I are going to do  a Frozen theme in the sunroom and we needed some snowmen in the Frozen colors.    We made  simple snowmen....just three different sized round ornaments hot glued together.
I glued a snow flake to the bottom ornament where our snowmen would stand up.....then blinged them up a little!
I had some red and green trees that I wasn't using this year,  so we just put a dab of glue at the bottom....wrapped the garland to the top....another dab of glue.....easy peasy.    I will just take the garland off if I need them to be red and green again.
My snowmen are made....and my hands aren't even Frozen!

  1. Hi, Penny! You're snow ornaments are adorable and creative! I know my daughter would absolutely love them and I would LOVE for you to share them along with your trees in the Wake Up Wednesday link party tomorrow night!

  2. Penny..I just lost my will try again.
    Your little granddaughter is so fortunate to have you as a grandmother. Frozen is the thing with little girls this year.
    I collect little won't attempt something like you have done. Just so sweet. They would never turn out as good as yours anyway! :) I come and visit you when I want a treat!! If I have two won't mind, will you?:)

  3. Penny!!

    I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE this idea!!

    Love the tree too but I am enchanted with the snowman!!

  4. What an awesome idea!! Love the snowmen!

  5. Dear are a genius!The snowmen are very pretty

  6. Very cute and clever! Thank you for sharing your wonderful posts on the Art of Home-Making Mondays this week! :)

  7. Penny, what a darling snowman and woman! I have a little granddaughter that is frozen crazy. Such a clever idea! Thanks for sharing with SYC.

  8. These snowmen are adorable, and more permanent than real ones! Thank you for sharing the and your cute poodle vignette and nativity scene at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Happy Thanksgiving!
    Blessings, Deborah

  9. Penny, you're brilliant! What a great way to capture a girl's heart!! Your snowmen are just beautiful.

    Thank you for joining Grace at Home. I'm featuring you this week!

It makes my day to hear from my friends!


text:
Blog Archive

Monday, April 11, 2016

Metal Garden Art in the Yard

I am not normally a big fan of metal yard art,     I think it's because I prefer pastel colors rather than the really bright colors that they are usually painted.    But,  when I saw all the metal sheep and goats at Round Top,   I fell in love with them!

This mama and baby goat are just so sweet......
I gave each one of them a simple crown of flowers.....

Look at that sweet face!

Here is a good look at their bodies.....

I put them out "to pasture" in the back yard.....

I played with them for a while.....
First I had them in the flower bed.....

Then on the grass.......

You saw my baby sheep in an earlier the kitchen.    It was such a pretty day,  I brought her out side.    I still am looking for a mama sheep.......

H got most of the new plants put in the flower bed today.   I had lots of plants come back from last year,  so I didn't have to buy very many to fill in the bald spots.....

We still have a lot of work to do in the flower out all of those leaves and pulling weeds.....just the normal spring stuff!

  1. Penny - I LOVE THOSE SHEEP!! They are so sweet and the garlands on them just topped them off!

  2. They are very sweet, perfect for your shabby chic garden
    Hugs Alessandra

  3. Oh, are the goats ever cute, Penny! I love the garlands you put on them! I hope you find your mama sheep too. It sure looks like spring at your house. Thanks for sharing with us.

  4. Bonsoir chère amie,

    Vos deux chèvres sont très originales et animent avec beaucoup de charme votre jardin...

    Gros bisous ♡

  5. I have the baby one that I bought at a flea market! I think they are too SWEET. My little billy is inside, just waiting for warmer weather before he can go outside.

  6. Those are cute Penny and it looks like you found the perfect spot for them! And yes, you should name your house and be sure and share that!

  7. The sheep is sweet but those goats with their crowns of flowers stole my heart!! Too Cute!!

  8. When I saw the little thumbnail pic on the Linky Party I thought the goats were real and maybe playing with your metal garden art...but they are the art! What a fun addition to your spring lawnscape.

  9. I've been wanting one of these goats for a long time! Thanks for the push!

  10. These are so unique and cute!! Thanks for linking up to Talk of the Town!

  11. Awww they are so cute in our yard!! It will be fun with a momma too!
    Thank you for stopping by to share your blog, hope that you will stop by for #OMHGFF that starts on Thursdays at 11:00AM.
    Have a great week!

  12. These are a hoot Penny! I saw something like this on a garden tour one time. Has your yard ever been on tour? We are hosting a Garden Party on April 25th. Please come. :)

  13. I've never been much of a fan of metal garden art either but I think you may have changed my mind. These are so cute! I love how they are incorporated in your yard tastefully. Thanks so much for sharing at Inspiration Thursday.

  14. Your garden is a delight - thanks for sharing at SYC.

  15. If I ever have a garden again, I'd love to get this kind of art! #InspireMeWednesday @greyworldnomads

  16. These are simply adorable Penny. They look like they could be out in the English countryside. The whole outdoor space is just lovely. Like it belongs in another era almost. I hope you will join us again for another week of our new Sweet Inspiration link party. It starts Friday and runs till Tuesday.

  17. Adorable...great post! loved all the pictures! I'm inspired!

  18. they are waaay too cute. I love the natural colors of them.

  19. Such a neat idea!

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

  20. The garden goats are so cute! Thank you for sharing them @Vintage Charm!

  21. Our new home has a lovely back yard and I've been searching for just the right pieces to help make it mine. I just love the sheep in the flower bed - too cute.

    Found you on That Friday Blog Hop! Consider me a new follower.

It makes my day to hear from my friends!


text:
Wednesday, 18 April 2012

March Spotlight winners

It's time to showcase our March Spotlight winners. There were so many wonderful entries last month and you seemed to love our Springtime theme, so it's no surprise that the DT had a tough job coming down to just two and we want to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you for joining in and who knows, you could be in the Spotlight next month.

So here are the two lucky Spotlight winners and below each winning entry a little bit each have written about their crafting journey........................

Thoughts of the DT: "such a lot of thought and work has gone into this"
.........."unique design and beautiful colour palette"

"Hi, I’ve been interested in crafting ever since my greatgrandmother taught me how to crochet when I was a little girl. Since then, I’ve learned embroidery, knitting, sewing, cross-stitch, and more recently have been completely addicted to papercrafting.  I like most styles but particularly vintage, steampunk and novel card designs. I love making dimensional cards, and I’m always looking to create a “Wow” factor in my designs. My favourite techniques involve using plenty of inks and stamping, with Perfect Pearls and unusual embellishments. I enjoy taking part in the online forums and have made some really good friends in the crafting community. There are some terrific people out there!"

Thoughts of the DT "stunning colours and blending"
........"beautiful fusion of colours"
spring flowers

"Hello!  What a lovely surprise to be chosen for the Spotlight - thank you so much to the team for choosing me. My name is Cath Wilson. I've been stamping for about 13 years, now and am a self-confessed stampaholic.  I love colour and all things inky, but I like to experiment with any medium and love techniques of most kinds.

Although my taste In stamps is very mixed, I LOVE Penny Black flowers and words and use them over and over again.  They’re so easy to use and make great CAS cards.  My favourite way to use them is with Tombow pens on glossy card – super quick, simple and elegant - but I also like to use them in journals and other projects, without any complicated colouring."

Well done to you both, don't forget to pick up our In the Spotlight sidebar button and display on your own blogs.

You seem to be enjoying our Oh so Cute theme this month, if you have not already joined in or want to join in again there is still ten days to go until the challenge ends.

Sunday, 1 April 2012

April Challenge

A very Good Morning to you all and welcome to our April challenge here at Penny Black and More.

Before I tell you about our new challenge I have some news to share......................our little team has grown and I am so pleased to introduce you to our three new DT members Katherine, Linda and SusanThey are all Penny Black groupies like the rest of the team and like the existing DT's all have their own unique style of crafting so lots more inspiration on offer. Please join me in giving them a very warm welcome.

So on to this months theme which is one I think lots of you are going to enjoy...........

********** Oh so Cute **********

Note added 5th April: A few entrants see to be having difficulty with the definition of 'Cute' or that the word is perhaps getting lost in translation, so I thought I had better explain that we are thinking along the lines of all those cute stamps you love working with, hedgies, mice, cats and and dogs, sweet little girls and boys, teddy bears and so on.

As usual your entry can be anything you like so long as it follows the months theme and fits the few basic rules listed on our sidebar. Please remember you can use any make of stamp but strictly no digi images.

Lots of prizes on offer again and first is our very own Penny Black. Have you signed up to their on line newsletter yet so you are one of the first to hear all the news and latest stamp releases as well as loads of inspirational ideas for using their products.

Three super prizes from Penny Black.....................

We are very pleased to welcome a new sponsor this month, Joanna Sheen  who is offering..................

£10 on line spending voucher

I am sure Joanna needs no introduction to most of us, as well as gracing our screens regularly with her inspirational CD's and stamps, she has a fabulous on line store is full of lots of the latest crafting products as and of course everything is sent with free worldwide postage, how good is that ?

Sir Stampalot are our regular sponsors for the winner of the entries using a Penny Black stamp. They stock all the latest releases of stamps from all the major companies as well as literally hundreds of craft items including latest goodies from Spellbinder, Tim Holz, Magnolia, Kasier and Teresa Collins to name but a few. You can check out all the latest releases here. Here's the prize...................

Letraset are back back with us this month and offering a set of Aquamarkers to another lucky winner. They are constantly coming up with new an innovative colouring mediums like the new Promarker Rubber Stamping Kits which you can find on their web site.

Letraset AquaMarker 6 Pen Set 1
So now for some inspiration from the Design Team who have worked their usual magic with some fabulous pieces of work, please don't forget to pop along to their individual blogs and share some love...........

Our Guest Designer this month is my great teamie Debs from our sister challenge Allsorts and she has created this really cute framed picture for us all................

Have a lovely April and Easter everyone and myself and the Design Team at Penny Black and More looks forward to seeing all your lovely entries this month.

Note about linking your work: If Mr Linky won't accept your picture, select the 'gravatar' option. It won't show your work, but we will know you have entered and the DT can visit you.
Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Thumb-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
For best results, use HTML mode to edit this section of the post.

09 10


text:
Carwyn Connect

The First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones AM will be holding a public meeting in Gorseinon on 16 February. He wants to hear about the issues in your community that matter to you, listen to your ideas, and answer your questions. This is your opportunity to have your say and ask the First Minister directly the questions you want answered.

The meeting will be held in Penyrheol Comprehensive School 6.00pm-7.30pm. Places must be booked via Eventbrite. Please see the attached flyer below for full details.

Carwyn Connect event poster


text:
Stay Connected

Advertise With Us

Learn More

Skip to content

Emily Deschanel Weds

Posted on

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

Actress Emily Deschaneland writer-actor David Hornsby tied the knot in a quiet evening ceremony in front of family and friends in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Saturday, her rep confirms to PEOPLE.

The bride wore a pair of matching diamond and platinum scroll hair pins and drop earrings by Neil Lane.

Deschanel, 33, is currently starring in the sixth season of Bones, while Hornsby is best known for his work on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.


text:
Stay Connected

Advertise With Us

Learn More

Skip to content

George Zimmerman to Enter Not Guilty Plea: Lawyer

Orange County Sheriff's Office

George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida who fatally shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in February, has been charged with murder in the second degree, special prosecutor Angela Corey announced Wednesday.

Zimmerman surrendered to authorities and is currently in custody. On Thursday’s Today show, his new attorney, Mark O’Mara, said his client will enter a plea of not guilty.

In Florida, a charge of second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to CNN.

Lawyers for Zimmerman, 28, stepped down from the case Tuesday, saying Zimmerman had been uncommunicative and expressing concern for his emotional and physical well-being.

RELATED: Trayvon Martin Shooter Appears Injury-Free in Newly Released Video

“As of the last couple days, he has not returned phone calls, text messages or emails,” Craig Sonner, one of Zimmerman’s former attorneys, said at a press conference Tuesday. “He’s gone on his own. I’m not sure what he’s doing or who he’s talking to. I cannot go forward speaking to the public about George Zimmerman and this case as representing him because I’ve lost contact with him.”

Describing Zimmerman as “emotionally crippled” by the scrutiny he’s faced in the wake of the shooting, attorney Hal Uhrig said Tuesday that he and Sonner are concerned for their former client’s mental and physical well-being. They also implied that he may have left Florida in the wake of media coverage about the case.

Trayvon Martin
Sonner and Uhrig told reporters that Zimmerman, against their advice, had contacted special prosecutor Angela Corey.

He also set up a website to collect donations without his lawyers’ knowledge, they have said.

Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, maintains he was acting in self-defense when he shot Martin, 17, on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla. The teen was on his way home from a 7-Eleven, carrying a bottle of iced tea and a packet of Skittles.

The shooting has sparked a national debate about race and gun laws, with even President Obama speaking out about the incident.

RELATED: Oprah Winfrey Wants to Sit Down with Trayvon Martin Shooter


text:
Sunday, March 06, 2016

Neighbourhood Plan

On Thursday March 10th the neighbourhood plan project for our area is being launched. 7pm at the Alexander Stadium.

The map shows the area that will be covered.

The project will last for about three years and will see local people drawing up planning rules for our area. At the end there will be a referendum for the whole community to approve it.

The steering group behind it, led by Cllr Jon Hunt, has come up with several themes.

These include:
tackling groundwater and flooding
our local centres - eg Tower Hilll, Thornbridge Avenue
local design
green spaces and open spaces

But first of all we need to give it a name and Thursday's meeting will vote on this!

Here is a Facebook poll we are running on the best name

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Lodging a formal complaint when the council lets you down?

One of the results of the wheelie bin fiasco is that some residents have tried to use the council's complaints process to get their concerns deal with. One incident in particular led to Jon Hunt tabling the following written question...

"Effective Complaints Process"

Dropped kerb delays

Quite a few residents have been affected by long delays in the drop kerb installation service. Some have paid large sums of money and waited for months for nothing to happen. Jon Hunt tabled a written question on this last week and got the following answer:

“What action is taken when no service is provided”

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Ward committee

This week's ward committee will be devoted to a discussion on what the £300,000 from the Booths Lane housing development should be spent on. The idea is to enhance local facilities (but we've got to share it with Oscott ward).

As a result the meeting is moving from its normal venue.

 Please note it will be on Thursday March 12th at 7pm at Beeches Evangelical Church, corner of Beeches Road/Thornbridge Avenue.

Bring your ideas!

We are mainly thinking of how Turnberry Park and the amenities at Trehurst Avenue can be improved.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Worried about wheelies?

Cllr Jon Hunt - wondering if they'll be making
 these residents have wheelie bins
Worried about wheelies? The officer in charge of the project Kevin Mitchell is coming to the ward committee next Thursday 22nd to answer questions. It's at Perry Hall Methodist Church, Rocky Lane at 7pm

We're putting more regular updates and bits of chat on our Facebook page so see if you can bookmark it or 'like' it:

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Tower Hill question

Jon Hunt tabled a question to Cabinet member Cllr Tahir Ali on Tuesday about the problems at the Tower Hill junction and the reason why a 30mph zone has been rejected here. The answer speaks for itself. There is no recognition that the measures taken have not stopped the illegal u-turns:

Road safety

Could the Cabinet Member indicate if he has definitely ruled out consideration of a 30mph zone on the Walsall Road in the vicinity of Tower Hill, as requested in a residents’ petition of autumn 2012, noting the evidence of strong pedestrian use of the road at this point and that alternative attempts to tweak road safety at this junction seem to have proved counterproductive?

Speed limits on all principal roads are reviewed periodically to determine the appropriate speed limit for traffic. This assessment includes analysis of various factors including measured speeds and accident history.

The A34 route along Walsall Road was assessed in 2011 as part of a city-wide review of speed limits. This particular length of Walsall Road around was assessed again this year following safety concerns being raised. On both occasions when weighed against the criteria governing the setting of speed limits, the professional assessment has been that 40mph is the appropriate speed limit. As part of the latter assessment, the view of West Midlands Police as the enforcement authority was sought and they agreed with the assessment.

The other changes recently made at the junction were primarily to prevent a specific safety issue where drivers were illegally u-turning and near misses were being reported on a pedestrian crossing as a result. Those changes remove that conflict and whilst I understand it may have resulted slight increases in traffic queuing in peak times for one particular manoeuvre (turning right in to Beeches Road), I believe in terms of pedestrian safety this has been a positive change.

Last posting on this topic - July

Wednesday, September 03, 2014

Swimming pool at scrutiny

Finally the swimming pool petition has had its day at committee - at the city council's districts and public engagement  scrutiny committee yesterday.

City head of sport Steve Hollinsworth tabled a report on the proposals for the pool and Cllr Jon Hunt, chair of Friends of Beeches Pool, explained the background and how the petition came to be, and asked a series of questions. Jon pointed out the pool had been built originally in Great Barr because of a public campaign - and that in fact it serves a large cachment area from Great Barr to Aston and including 18 schools.
There was also an impassioned speech from the floor from one of our campaigners Allan Ball, who stressed the lifesaving benefits of swimming.
Committee members stressed that a petition of 10,000 signatures should not be ignored and promised to keep an eye on future progress.
Steve explained that Beeches Pool would go into the "future framework contract" with a number of other pools, probably across the north of the city. A report confirming the contract is set to go to city cabinet later this month.
Under the deal, which is similar to the one in place in Harborne, contractors will have to provide minimum opening hours, maximum fees, full repairs and protection of clubs and their times.
 Jon Hunt asked four questions:
1/ There had been problems at Harborne with the swimming club and these partly centred on the right of the club to run its own learn to swim programmes.
2/ Was there a risk the pool could be moth-balled if the contractor decided the repair bill was too high or something happened requiring major repairs?
3/ Was there a risk the pool could be moth-balled if the contractor decided it could not make enough money?
4/ What would be done about involving the community, especially given the huge amount of good will revealed by the campaign to save the pool?
 Steve replied.
1/ Yes Harborne and the swimming club had not worked out. There are a series of meetings planned with the ASA and the clubs about future arrangements over the next few weeks. It appears they are looking for a deal on learn to swim meaning the pools themselves undertake the basic learn to swim - but at some point children can transfer to the swimming clubs for advanced coaching.
2/ The contractors are liable under the contract to keep the pools in good repair for the 15 years of the contract It was recognised there could be significant costs at Beeches and these were being offset by the new builds and other capital investment in the other pools in the area.
3/ Under the contract, the contractors would have to keep the pool open.
In response to 2 and 3, Steve said the contractors would face financial penalties if they decided they could no longer run a pool.
"They cannot withdraw from the site without our permission. It would be a significant contract change."
The council believes that private contractors are much better able to market facilities and encourage use than the council.
4/ Steve promised future public involvement, saying that pools would have user groups and management boards.
There was also a contribution from Oscott councillor Keith Linnecor and some discussion about getting investment from "planning gain", for instance from the site of the former Booths Lane golf course.
You can watch the full discussion here:

More Flashbacks to the campaign last winter:
Karen Hamilton, Jon Hunt and Allan Ball on the first day of campaigning

Friday, August 22, 2014

Swimming pool campaign - official response

Breaking news: this is the report that will go to a scrutiny committee on the 2nd in response to our petition. It's mainly positive - seems like good news. Cllr Jon Hunt will be attending to speak for the campaign.

The report includes the following: "The specification includes: -
 Minimum opening hours
 The protection of clubs and their times
 Maximum fees and charges
 Full repairing lease."

" The Leisure Framework is on target to deliver new packages of facilities by April 2015,
including the management of Beeches Pool, to provide the council with a sustainable
leisure service for the future.
In addition to the new builds it is anticipated that contractors will also invest in the existing
facility stock to make them more welcoming and cost effective to operate over the life of
the contract; resulting in an improved customer experience for residents."

What questions should be asked?

Beeches Pool Scrutiny report (This will give you the download for a pdf file from the city council website)


text:
Pets Max City

Customer Support Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm EST

A Brief History of Probiotics

Ancient Fermentation The history of probiotics began thousands of years ago when people learned how to ferment foods and discovered the beneficial effects of consuming fermented foods. Fermentation is a process that breaks down the sugars and starches in food and turns them into an alcohol or acid. This process became popular not only because…

Full Article →

What are Probiotics?

What are Probiotics? The World Health Organization defines probiotics as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit to the host. Probiotics are live microorganisms, also known as friendly or good bacteria, that can be consumed with food or supplements to produce health benefits. Probiotic products usually contain helpful bacteria and/or…

Full Article →

My Life with Dogs – MitoMax® Review

Christy Caplan at My Life with Dogs has tried out and reviewed our premium probiotic for dogs and cats, MitoMax®. Christy is a Certified Veterinary Technician and pet parent to two Doxies and a Beagle/Basset Hound mix. One of her dogs, Bruiser, was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Disease several years ago and takes a daily…

Full Article →

Welcome to the New Blog!

Welcome to the Blog! Welcome to the new blog! We’ll be using this space to update our customers on new products, special deals and education. And keep up to date with the blog and new deals by entering your email address into the subscription field on the right sidebar!

Keep in touch


text:
Monday, March 27, 2017 06:41 AM
Travel          Hotels Hotels         Tours Tours         Car Rental Cars         Events Events         Flights Flights         Cruises Cruises         Events Refer
Business Name, Category, Keywords
City Name or Zip Code ex: Los Angeles, CA

People in Caloocan Metro Manila Philippines

Do you know interesting people in Caloocan, Metro Manila?
Submit your articles or short stories about local folks, groups, city officials, and business owners that help make a difference in Caloocan, Metro Manila by helping others in ways that positively impact the community. Help others know about inspiring life stories about the local heroes in Caloocan that contribute and inspire the youth.
(View all articles in Caloocan)

Priesthood and Kingship
By Jordan Secligen | Published 2015-02-08 07:01:54 | People

Read Full Article
Global issues in Business
By Jordan Secligen | Published 2015-02-15 05:01:36 | People

Read Full Article


text:
Feb 4th, 2016

coding developer

Have you ever wanted to learn to use Python? AndroidArea.com is making it simple by offering you the chance to get schooled up on one of the most popular coding languages. You won’t even have to put down that bag of potato ships to be well on your way to becoming an elite programmer.

The good news is we’re not asking you to go to college so you can swim in student loan debt for the rest of your mortal life. For a one-time fee of $39, you will gain lifetime access to six courses covering the easy to learn language of Python. This is the same language that was used to create Google and YouTube. The courses include 50 hours of training that normally costs over $1,000.

The six Python courses you’ll get are listed below. Head to AndroidArea right now to snag the deal.

local_offer    AndroidArea.com