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Roma, Italia

I’m back from summer vacay! To say the trip was fun is an understatement! So many great memories and laughs! I’m coming home with ~2,500 pictures!

I didn’t expect much from this trip because Europe has always been one of those vacations that consists of a lot of walking, sight-seeing, and not too much food because it’s so expensive. I’m a beach girl. Yes to the walking and sight-seeing, but now that I make money, we ate ourselves silly! Next go around, I want to bring a pedometer to measure walking distance. I’m estimating 3-5 miles a day, which I hope walked off all the bread, butter, and pasta we ate.

For the next two weeks, I will be posting about my Eurotrip. Today I’ll feature Rome. Following that will be Florence, Venice, Barcelona, Dublin, Paris, and London. I’ll show the sights we visited, and some tips that helped get us through the trip. The activities we did is not a definitive list. These are the things we had time for, but each city has so much more to offer. Keep in mind we had 2-3 days in each city, which isn’t enough time to explore everything!

One big tip: Check out Airbnb and VRBO to book apartments for Europe. I suggest apartments because it’s more cost efficient and convenient. We cooked breakfast to start the days and cooked dinners in every city so that we could get a feel for the local groceries/markets and taste the food. That’s a big saver in money, especially in our case for 6 people. We all brought small suitcases that could be used for carry-ons so a laundry machine was to our advantage.

So Roma! We arrived in Rome on 5/19 in the evening. We basically checked into our apartment and then found a place to dinner. We were so amazed at all the street views. It’s your typical movie set with colored buildings, open window panels/panes, and cobblestone streets. Everything looked like a poster!

The next day was a big one. We walked to the Colosseum first thing in the morning. This thing is massive! It’s the largest amphitheatre in the world and was built in 80 AD. The Colosseum ticket also gets you into the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill as well.

Colosseum^^^ family selfie! you’ll see this throughout our trip!

Palatine Hil

Then we headed over to the Pantheon. This building had me awestruck. It was built in 126 AD. and is one of the best preserved buildings in from Ancient Rome. Just beautiful. The center is an open dome with streams of sunlight lighting up the interior. To think that this was built without technology and all by hand… just utterly amazing.

My mom’s favorite sight was the Trevi Fountain. It’s the largest fountain in Rome and one of the most famous fountains in the world. Tradition has it that if you throw a coin into the fountain, right hand over left shoulder with your back against the fountain, it will ensure a return trip back to Rome; second coin for romance, third coin for marriage. Believe what you want!

Trevi Fountain

More importantly, we were able to rest our feet and eat gelato at the fountain!

Our last stop was the Spanish steps. This is the widest set of steps in Europe and a great place to sit and just people watch.

Spanish Steps

Parents^^^ My mama and babi. This pic melts my heart

After the first day, I showered, laid my head down onto the pillow, and immediately fell asleep. No dreams. Just zzz’s.

Our last day in Rome, we were blessed by Papa Francesco! We had previously reserved papal audience tickets to see the Pope. Pretty funny watching people throw their kids at the pope for a kiss! We also toured the Vatican museum and saw the Sistine Chapel, which houses the famous Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, among other Renaissance painters. Wow!

Vatican CityMasses of people! No pun intended… Tehehe

Pope Gif
“Hai! I bless you and you and you!”

Sistine ChapelNo pics allowed but I snuck one in. I do what I want!

For dinner we bought groceries at Mercato Trionfale – entrees included cioppino, steak, and pan-fried mackerel. Dinner for under 50 euros for a party of 6. Perfecto!

Rome meal

At night we went out for dessert and came across Piazza Navona. There are many street vendors that sell a hodge podge of stuff. We ended up purchasing these plastic helicopter toys that can fly up to over 10 stories high. We played with them until late into the night. Sometimes I think we’re five, and that’s okay in my book!

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona

Rome was the highlight of the trip if you’re measuring the city according to sight-seeing. There’s so much history!

Another useful tip: Circle all the sight-seeing spots you want to visit on a map (or for you techie people, pin each spot on Google Maps). This helps to plan out the day and figure out which sites to visit sequentially according to proximity. It’s how we were able to go to 6 sites on one day!

Have you been to Rome? If so, what did you do? Which are your favorite tourist activities? If you haven’t been, what’s the most intriguing?

Stay tuned for my Florence post,
Typically I post by midnight on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. As you can see, I’m a bit late with this post. Due to my work schedule, I’ll be posting when I get a chance. I will continue to do my best to stay on schedule! Thanks for following along.


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Friday, August 19, 2011

Some things to share.

I have had these  for a little while and thought you might like to see them.
My lovely Teddy Bear named Lynnie  was made by a dear friend.
Lynnie sits on my bed and looks out the front window to the view of the bush across to the creek.
I think she is just beautiful.My friend is so clever making the bears.

I haven't made many pillows and this one is my vase of flowers.
I needle turned appliqued the vase and embroidered the flowers.

I'm happy to say another 2 UFO's  from the list.
A cardigan for one of my grandaughters.

Also finished a scarf for my dear daughter -in -law.
I used Rico Design Can Can yarn in the grey colour. There is tutorials for this  scarf on You tube .It is quick and easy to do.

Both of these projects I kept to do while travelling in the car.
Have a great weekend.
Happy quilting.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Happy to be back.

Hello,  Let me say I'm happy to be back to catch up with what has been happening on here.
Back from our 6 day Coach tour to Melbourne , Victoria. Visiting the Tutankhamum and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs amazing Exhibition temporarily housed in the Melbourne Museum.Viewing the dazzling array of posessions unearthed from his tomb along with his family.
Also touring the Dandenongs Mountain with it's lovely forest and lush ferns,quaint hilltop villages, lovely tea rooms, cafes and gardens.

Our Touring Coach.

I must say it was very relaxing being driven everywhere.
The Dandenongs and Olinda village.

Heading along the winding roads surrounded by beautiful tall old Mountain Ash. We lunched at the charming village of Olinda the highest in the Dandenongs at the Bavarian Cuckoo Restuarant.

Playing music with the Cow Bells and band.

Our accommodation while in Melbourne was at the Sebel Citigate Albert Park hotel.

While there I finished my 2 ufo's sewing cases .I mentioned before ,they just needed the binding sewn and nearly finished my knitted baby cardigan only the seams need to be finished on that .Yeah! a couple more from my list of UFO'S .

It is good to be back and seeing what everyone has achieved while I have been away this week.I really missed popping in to all I follow.
Till next time.

Friday, August 5, 2011

My crashed computer.

Hello Again,
My husband and I will be going on a bus trip in the next few days . Included in the trip is a visit to view the treasures of Tutankhaun and the golden age of the Pharaohs which has come to Australia and is never going to be displayed out of its own country again.The exhibition is in Melbourne, Victoria.
I will miss all the action on here and will be looking foreward to catching up when I return.

Have a lovely weekend.

Some of my UFO'S getting crossed from the List!!

The mug rug for my nephew.
I was motivated for this project by some of the lady friends that I follow as they had some lovely showings of what they had made. I enjoyed making it as it was soon a finished project and I am going to make some more of them.

Next I finished my swap project which had a deadline for posting.

I had in mind when making this a table cloth to use for Christmas nibbles or whatever.

All ready for the mail bag.
I really enjoyed making a swap as it was the first time ever I participated in one. It was nice speaking to the swap partner via email and getting to know her.

My Sewing case.        I only have to do the binding and thats off the list.
I intend to do this next week as we are going on a 6 day bus trip and I am keeping it for in the evenings at the Hotel with some other little projects I am packing to take.

Well ,That is my current progress with the UFO'S   and there is more !! I will put them up at a later date, I am on a roll. haha .

Monday, August 1, 2011

Cooking for Pop.

I hope your weekend was enjoyable.
Over the weekend and the last few days I have had my No 1 grandson (20yrs) and his mate stay with us on a short holiday. I was prepared with lots of food. ha ha They kept me busy. It was lovely having them, The young ones are such fun.
Then my No 5 grandson Korbyn (6yrs) was here for the day and he loves to cook!
I will share these photos of our day. He wanted to make a birthday cake for Pop and it is a serious job to do.

Korbyn has to do the taste test first.
He went looking through the toy box and found some decorations for his cake.
Now it is time to make Poppy a Birthday Card.
Korbyn and I are on the Birthday card. I must say I look very glamorous here!
The finished cake.

Korbyn loves his quilts,and has more than other members of the family.He is always in my stash cupboard and looking through my quilt books marking the pages for  more quilts .The last quilt he asked me to do was a moo cow quilt. So I made this one for him. It was hard to find fabric with a cow print and came across it when we went travelling in our caravan to outback Australia in Longreach .

What treasures are our Grandchildren, so precious.

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2 Rockin The Bump - Seattle Belly & Birth Photographer

Once a week for a couple years now I joing a group of talented women for a night of sharing, gossip and creating, aka "stitch and bitch". We are knitters. Many are more talented than me, but I can knit a mean scarf. I've been fortunate to meet some really wonderful gals there; baby mama's, doggie mama's and a few earth mama's too. There's been a little something in the water, or so it seems, as four babies have been added in the last 6 months.  I've been fortunate to document a couple bellies and a beautiful home birth. If you're pregnant, having photographs taken before the baby comes is a wonderful way to document your family as it grows. Brothers and sisters love getting in on the action and makes them feel just as special as the belly that's likely been getting all of the attention.

 Here are a few of my favorites from their maternity sessions and a wee newborn. This is Shawna's family a week before her litttle baby was born.

And then the day her birth, Shawna who is also a talented child photographer, asked me to capture the first moments of her babies new life. Comforted by loved ones and after a long days labor, baby Lillia was finally born.

Both mama's were due around the same date, infact they delivered just one week apart. Angi's baby I was unable to photograph coming into this world, but she's just as beautiful as her mama is.

Just Add Water - First Year Portraits Bellevue

I love photographing this little guy. His little mug & bum have graced my business cards more than once and I'm thinking this cute bathtub pic might be one of the next. D wasn't too thrilled with pics at first, but a swish in the tub and it was all better. His mommy & daddy are some of the most down to earth people I've met. I'm so lucky to have great clients. Thanks M&L!

First Year Paper - Charming Hansville Washington Wedding

Wil & Sarah celebrated their first wedding anniversary this week. Congratulations you two! Time sure flies when you're having fun.

"Some people ask the secret to a long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candle light, dinner, soft music, and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays." ~Henry Youngman

And The Winner Is - Miss Washington Pageant

I had such a fun time photographing Susan for her upcoming promo cards. She was crowned Miss Moses Lake 2010 and is competing for the upcoming Miss Washington 2010 title. I have to admit, I had a tiny preconceived idea in my head of what it would be like working with a pageant girl. I know, I know, shame on me. But Susan blew me away with her down to earth personality and completely proved me wrong. She is a tough cookie who wore her ball gown in the cattails and a cow pasture, posed for photos in front of the gawking Lightrail security guard with grace (seriously he was there for at least 10 minutes!), and is the only person I've met who has used the word "Cheeseburger" to help muster a smile. I'm sure you'll agree she's darling and hope you get a chance to see her compete and play piano. Good luck girl!!!

Grace & Sam

Turquoise & Water - Edmonds Beach Wedding

With the sun shining and a deep blue sky, everyone in Seattle was out at the beach. It was a sign that spring was here and summer soon on its way. Obviously blessed with a gorgeous day for their wedding, the groom, Kareem, was grinning ear to ear when he finally got to see his beautiful bride draped head to toe in jewels and a rich embroidery.

Their friends worked feverously to finish bouquets and add final touches to a waterfront room at the Edmonds Senior Center where the reception would be held, while the bride's family cooked an incredible banquet of homemade food.  I couldn't begin to tell you what was on the menu, but it was absolutely delicious. Since the weather was perfect, the couple married outdoors surrounded by their loved ones then moved the party indoors for the delicious feast, dancing and to the delight of out of towners, a top notch sunset view.


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Friday, February 24, 2017

A Tasty Cupcake Truck

I was so excited when I saw the Tasty Truck stamp set in the Sale-A-Bration brochure.  But unfortunately I got excited about a lot of things in that brochure and the 2017 Occasions Catalog.  I am featuring the Tasty Trucks stamp set at my Open House this weekend and I have a quick and easy card I made with this set to share:

I started with the Thick Whisper White for my card base and added a layer of Tempting Turquoise card stock.  I used the streamer print from the Festive Birthday Designer Series Paper.  I stamped the truck on some more Whisper White and layered it on some Melon Mambo.  I colored my cupcake truck with the amazing Watercolor Pencils and used a blender pen to blend the color in.  I finished the card off with some Crushed Curry Baker's Twine.  I think this would be a sweet card for any cupcake loving person to get!

This is one of my favorite Sale-A-Bration stamp sets.  To see some of the other favorites from the designers over at SSI, head there!

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Saturday, April 02, 2011

Sarah Silverman On The Uses Of Blatant Antisemitism

Foul-mouthed comedienne Sarah Silverman was on Piers Morgan the other night, and made an interesting claim - that Jews like the occasional anti-Semitic rant because it proves their paranoia is justified:

“I mean, if there’s one thing we should realize is that it’s in general the world hates Jews, you know....” [click the link above for the video, watch Piers Morgan profess shock at this comment]

Silverman insisted it was true and alluded to Mel Gibson’s 2006 anti-Semitic rant during at a DUI arrest in Malibu, Calif. She explained instances like that give Jews an opportunity to show anti-Semitism is real and not just an abstract invention.

"I mean, I think when stuff like Mel Gibson, when he said you know, like Jewish stuff or anything like that — there is outrage,” Silverman said. “But I think secretly there’s nobody that likes blatant anti-Semitism more than Jews because it’s something you can point to. It’s not just a gas in the air anymore, you know.

I think what Sarah is trying to say is that it is occasionally satisfying when the mask falls off and the world gets to see the truth about the width and depth of antisemitism. It acts as a justification for their concerns, and gives them a weapon to use against those who claim that folks aren't really anti-semitic anymore, they're simply anti-Zionist. Right.

I suppose it is similar to the way conservatives feel when folks like Van Jones and Anita Dunn openly display their blatant anti-American and pro-totalitarian views - it acts as vindication for the claims of the Right, and puts lie to the counter-claims that the cries of impending socialism are just Tea Party fantasies.

Which begs the question, of course: Do politically correct speech codes actually harm the eradication of hatreds, since it forces such speech underground, among like-minded people, who discuss their prejudices freely with each other but mask it "on the outside"? And does this then make it harder to expose the haters (of all stripes), allowing them either quietly to spread their twisted ethos, or to act it out in a potentially tragic way?

The question is rhetorical, I suppose. But let's give cheers to Sarah Silverman for talking about the scourge of antisemitism on national television, and let's appreciate the fact that she is every Jewish boy's secret fantasy: The sweet, innocent-looking Jewish girl next door, who just happens to have the mind - and foul mouth - of an adult film starlet.

Now if she would only disown that Obama fellow....well, regardless, I still think Rule 5 applies here:

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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Parade Dresses

Bought this pattern from Aesthetic Nest to make the sleeves for the lemon birthday dress.  Finally got around to making the flutter dresses with it.  Love how they turned out.  Big one is maxi length and probably needs some kind of inner closure as it opens a bit too much in the back, but super cute regardless.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Super Tote

I've been eying noodlehead patterns for awhile, but fell in love with the new super tote pattern.  I made my first one as a gift for my daughter's speech therapy.  Fun tote with IKEA fabrics on the exterior. Ran out of time to get nice photos, but here it is!  I think the gusset is my fav feature!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Popover Sundresses

Found this IKEA fabric for a steal last time I was there.  Not sure if these are sundresses or more appropriate as nightgowns as the fabric is a bit sheer.  I kind of fussy cut so the bigger/brighter colors were in front...but super cute for yard play regardless.  I used the Oliver + S free popover dress pattern and it came out really cute.  I had to size up for my eldest and ended up just pleating the first dress and giving it to younger sis (which is why her's is longer).

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Peasant dress

Needed some longer dresses for this season; just another peasant dress , but love how this one came out...and pretty excited to use up some stash materials. Had this awesome soft chambray I'd gotten from the remnant bin at JoAnns, and the florals were from a quilt store grab bag my daughter grabbed a few years ago.  My favorite is the mini pink rick-rack at the bottom and pocket's vintage from some sewing supplies that came in a sewing box my mom gave me--all from my great-grandma.  Super sweet.


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28 April 2016

SP 500 and NDX Futures Daily Charts - Wobbling On Edge

Stocks were wobbly most of the day, as they have been most of this week, and finally slid off lower into the afternoon after the European close.

The economic news is poor, and the quality of the earnings reports coming in is weak, with earnings at times but not revenue, which is quite often an indicator of creative accounting moreso than growth and strength.

As you probably have heard the GDP estimate has come in weakly. No surprise there.

We will be looking rather hard at the support levels just under the major stock indices here. If they keep this weakness, with low volumes and price propping into the close, then I think it may not take much to get stocks rolling over with some conviction to the downside.

The Fed is blowing monetary policy in a big way. And the government is not doing much better. Both seem focused on taking care of the wealthiest few and the financial system. And this is not a prescription for a sustainable recovery.

Have a pleasant evening.


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Saturday, April 11, 2009

Grand Bunny's!!!

Sadly...the Desert rose will not be with her grand babies for Easter! However the Grand Bunny's were a hit!!! Toby's is brown, Jed's is gray, The Rosa Jewel and Rosette's bunny's are white!

Happy Easter to you all!!!

The Desert Rose!

  1. What cute little critters. They look very soft and cuddly. The Man Cub will be getting a soft yellow duck and the Pirate Princess a cute little brown lamb, she loves lambys.Happy Easter and enjoy your peace and quiet, I wish I could, but the Mama bear of the two little ones is working and Auntie has Cub duty!!!

  2. What cute little bunnies! Happy Easter to both of you!

  3. Those bunnies look really soft and cuddly! I think I would want the white or gray! ;) Happy Easter.

  4. Awwww, so cute.

    Happy Easter Mizz Desert Rose!

We wish you Happy Trails
Jesse and his Desert Rose!


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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Concert review - Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda, with The Way Down Wanderers and Mama Magnolia

13 June 2015 (Fox Theatre, Boulder CO)

Sometimes, I think the hardest thing about playing music professionally isn't the hours of rehearsal time, nor is it loading equipment in and out. It's certainly not standing up in front of an audience and baring your soul. No, the hardest thing is to get those people there in the first place. Each of the three acts playing this bill at the Fox managed to entice a small cadre of fans to turn out, but most only stayed for their one band, leaving a lot of space in the hall. The performers all took it in stride, making the best of it, but there's no denying that a bigger crowd would have fed the energy for the evening.

034 Mama Magnolia
Preparing for the show, I was already familiar with Arcoda's sound and I knew that the Way Down Wanderers were a bluegrass band, so that set some expectations for the line up. Since, I hadn't come across Mama Magnolia before, I assumed that they'd fit in with that: sort of folky, maybe a bit country or bluegrass. Seeing the horns on stage pretty much put that idea to rest, and when they jumped into a jazzy soul groove, I felt the pull.

001 Mama Magnolia
Despite the lazy sway on that first tune, it quickly became clear that the band was a crack squad of musicians. The horn punches fell perfectly into place and the solid rhythm section left plenty of room for ornamentation. Lead singer Megan Letts was great. Between songs, her stage presence was very unassuming but quietly confident. Before that first song began, she seemed a little mousy and shy, but it took no time to dispel that impression. Her vocal range was very dynamic as she dropped from full powered diva mode down into a softer emotional space, only to build the songs back up again. All the while, her gestures subtly supported the mood. During the instrumental breaks, she gave over to the music and danced along.

033 Mama Magnolia
Letts was a strong front woman, but she didn't eclipse the rest of the band. The horns got plenty of chances to step forward as the set developed. Carrie McCune's trumpet riffs were particularly sharp, but Sean Culliton did a fine job on sax, as well. Later in the set, the songs brought in more funk rhythms and Zachary Jackson pumped up the party with his sharp bass lines. The last song they played wrapped up with a cool vocal ending that segued into a dreamy floating interlude, building and subsiding as they looped through the changes. This is definitely a band to catch live; their versatility introduced a good range of sounds from danceable funk to pop R&B.

084 Way Down Wanderers
I never thought of Chicago as a haven for bluegrass pickers, but banjo player Ben Montalbano assured me that the city has a healthy, supportive scene, and it's diverse enough there that I'm willing to believe him. On their website, The Way Down Wanderers bill themselves as folk-Americana, but their set at the Fox was steeped in bluegrass, with a fair mix of modern folk and the occasional country twang. Instrumentation goes a long way towards setting that mood, with banjo, upright bass, and a tag-team fiddle and mandolin combo.

059 Way Down Wanderers
But more than that, the vocal stylings and tight harmonies were right on target. Guitarist Austin Thompson had a Dylanesque sound, reedy and nasal, but blending with the others, he could push the songs into that high-lonesome zone. It turns out that most of the band's front line could sing, and the vocal trade-offs meant that each of them got to share lead singing duties.

072 Way Down Wanderers
The Way Down Wanderers had a relaxed, friendly stage presence and a genuineness that resonated with the audience. Even though the venue was far from packed, the band had been out earlier at the farmers' market and had generated some local interest, including a group of Chicago transplants that were happy to reconnect with their home town. The music stayed fairly upbeat and the crowd caught the rhythm and moved along.

085 Way Down Wanderers
The playing was topnotch, but Collin Krause was the most impressive as he alternated between mandolin and fiddle. At one point, the band dropped out to give him some room and he tore it up on the mando, tossing off lightning fast runs as he developed his motif. When he hit his final note, there was just the briefest pause and then the song began with a vengeance as the whole band launched into the changes that Krause had just laid out. Krause may have stood out the most, but the rest of the band were no slackers.

061 Way Down Wanderers
The Way Down Wanderers hit most of the songs on their new EP, Wellspring, Of these, my favorite was "Burn This City". Although the banjo and mando tied it to their core sound, they pushed the folky sound of the recorded version into a darker rock direction, driving to a speedy thrash ending that had the audience jumping along. "Circles" was a close second, drawing on a host of comfortable, familiar sounds like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Ryan Adams' folkier material.

082 Way Down Wanderers
Within the relaxed bounds of folk-grass playing, the band still managed a number of nice unexpected treats, including a couple of surprising covers. The first was a treatment of "Someday" by the Strokes. A couple of tunes later, they introduced "a very sentimental tune," which turned out to be their ripping version of "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5. The audience played their part and sang along. The band wrapped up their set with a strong take on the old standard, "I'm Sitting On Top of the World". The Way Down Wanderers' version was fairly peppy, taking it home with a big bluesy ending that tipped it's hat to Cream's reworking of the tune.

131 Arcoda
After seeing Pete Pidgeon and his band open last week's show for Atomga, I was excited to catch them as headliners. Where they were an outlier on the bill at that show, this time Arcoda straddled the two opening acts. Their retro 70's vibe and Pidgeon's soulful vocals fit with Mama Magnolia's work, and the main folky/Americana thrust was in line with the Way Down Wanderers' approach. As a bonus, the mix was a lot clearer, making it easier to hear everybody's parts. Both Pidgeon and keyboard player Adam Bodine had great lead chops and this time I could pick out both instruments.

108 Arcoda
It was probably coincidental, but as Arcoda were completing their setup, the house music came around to a jazzy arrangement of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing". This provided a perfect segue for a very relaxed start. Pidgeon improvised along with the house music as they were getting their levels set, and then the band sidled into their first real song, playing some spacy, amorphous changes that fit well with Pidgeon's earlier noodling. The meandering keyboards and gentle swells contributed to a trippy groove before it coalesced into a soulful singer-songwriter arrangement, but still with a loose jam band vibe. That made the impact of the tight punches and breaks more powerful when they came.

100 Arcoda
My first impression last week was that Pidgeon seemed fit to channel one of those early '70s folk-rock bands, but this show expanded on that with a wider range of material. Arcoda brought in some jazzier rhythms and retro tones that, along with Bodine's keyboard work and the band's polished arrangements, were very reminiscent of Boz Scaggs and also of Rickie Lee Jones. Pidgeon's voice was flexible enough to support all that and more. His ballads were especially nice. On "Growing Pains", his singing anchored the sweet, wistful music with a grownup wisdom and depth.

154 Arcoda
While the band did a fine job on their own, the evening included a couple of guest appearances that really deserved a bigger audience. Soul singer Dechen Hawk joined the band for a tune, and his voice was a perfect match for Bodine's Leon Russell style playing. Hawk and Pidgeon turned out to be birds of a feather, reinforcing one another and finding the emotional heart of the song. Later, local guitarist Peter Stelling sat in and added some great leads on his classic Gibson SG. In both these cases, Arcoda created a good match between their song selection and the guest artist, showing everyone off to their best effect.

204 Arcoda
I'm not all that familiar with the band's originals yet, but there were two songs that really jumped out the most for me, maybe because they pushed the band to test their technical ability and generate some excitement at the same time. The first of these was "The Wind and the Lover", a funky number that could have been an outtake from Frank Zappa's Over-Nite Sensation. Bass player Nate Marsh locked in with Pidgeon on the tag riff and then settled into a foot-stomping, gut-bucket bassline. Jared Forqueran contributed to the fun with some wicked drum fills that made the chorus snap. The other high point was near the end of the set; it must have been the next to last song. I didn't get a title for it, but it was a jam band instrumental that started out jazzy, but developed into a monster tune that reminded me of Jeff Beck. While everyone stretched out here, Pidgeon's guitar work was the star attraction. Despite the late night and the poor attendance, this was an ecstatic celebration of shred.

134 Arcoda
I'm sure the band would have appreciated a better turnout, but no one in the hall could complain about Arcoda's performance. Like professionals, they played like it was a sold-out show and they challenged us to be an audience worthy of that experience.

109 Arcoda

More photos on my Flickr.

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Monday, October 13, 2014

When Granny had dinner with the Mufti

 The Grand Mufti at his meeting with Adolph Hitler in November 1941

Rachel Wahba's Singapore-born grandma thought all educated people were progressive - until  friends invited her to have dinner with the pro-Nazi Grand Mufti. Interesting vignette in the Times of Israel:

Granny didn’t understand. Coming from a modernized country how could she comprehend her new reality?

The family knew their place. She didn’t.
“Of course I talked back, I wasn’t scared,” and that was her problem, at home and outside the home.

She made friends, non-Jewish friends, “outside the family.” It was unheard of in the deeply insulated and fearful Jewish community of Baghdad in the 1930’s.
She wanted to socialize with “modern” people, intellectuals who spoke English and had interesting parties.

She met a young non-Jewish Syrian couple, a doctor and his wife, who were enchanted by her. “They loved me so much, they were Muslim and they loved me so much, ‘you are not like the other Jews, we like you,’” they told her.
She felt embraced by this couple and their eclectic group of Muslim and Christian friends.

Granny loved it all and defied the family. She refused to give up her freedom.
“They, (the Jews) were like mice, I didn’t understand,” Granny said; until the dinner party where the guest of honor was none other than Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

She sat in stunned silence as he spun his diatribe against the Jews of Palestine, Jews of Iraq, and the Jews of the world. She sat there quietly “like a mouse,” as a fear she had never felt before drowned out his words.

She never imagined “educated people” sitting around a dinner table listening to his plan to ethnically cleanse Jews out of the Middle East. She felt the hate and heard the silence of her friends.

I asked her what on earth was she thinking, how did she manage to sit at a table with the infamous Jew hater, the Grand Mufti? The man who went to Germany to meet and discuss the Final Solution in Arab lands as well as Europe, with his idol, Adolph Hitler.

“I didn’t know,” she said. “I thought it was only the hooligans on the streets who wanted to hurt us. Not these people, they were educated.”
“I was naïve,” she said.

Sylvia said...

Hag Sameah and Mo'adim lesimha to all! (Maseratis included)

Interesting postin more ways than one.

bataween said...

Sylvia! We missed you... Welcome back.
Moadim le'simha!

Sylvia said...

Glad to be back!

Eliyahu m'Tsiyon said...

more info on Husseini here at link:


text:
Though Time, Inc. had offered millions for the American edition of OK!, the tabloid that rarely lives up to its name, negotiations recently broke down, clearing the way for American Media, Inc. to buy the struggling rag. AMI owns several publications including the National Enquirer, Star, Playboy, Shape, Men's Fitness, and the website Radar Online. AMI's chairman explains they were interested in a magazine that loses about $500,000 per week because it allows them to "offer our advertisers a wider range of celebrity coverage than any single publication or group of titles from any publisher." In other words, AMI is combining the magazine's sales and production operations with the other weeklies. We're a bit concerned about this unholy alliance between Star, OK! and Radar. We demand multiple perspectives on which celebrities have the best and worst beach bodies!

Earlier: Time Inc. Offers Millions For OK!, Though It's Only Worth About $2.99


text:
What's up, brain-havers!? Feeling a little less-than-fresh? Maybe a slight headache? Something not quite right up in the dome? Well, you could be dehydrated. That's probably it. Did you drink any water today? You know I told you you should drink more water! Are you getting enough sleep? Sometimes when I can't sleep it's because I didn't get enough exercise that day. It could be that. You know what my mom's friend Sheila does? She just goes for a 15-minute power walk around the block on her morning break. Everyone can find 15 minutes, you know. That's what Dr. Oz says. No? You don't think that's it? Well, I guess you could have a GIANT SACK OF MONSTER TEETH GROWING INSIDE YOUR BRAIN AND CHEWING ON YOUR MEMORIES.

(Oh, or it could be brain maggots. Always good to cover all your bases.)

Doctors at a Maryland hospital became concerned about the health of a 4-month-old baby when they found that his head was growing abnormally fast (right up front, let's clarify that THE BABY IS DOING FINE). After a scan revealed what looked like several fully-formed human teeth inside the infant's brain, doctors diagnosed him with craniopharyngioma, an extremely rare type of brain tumor similar (superficially, at least, in this case) to a teratoma. In other words, THEY WERE TEETH. TEETH IN THE BRAIN. BRAIN-TOOTH. LI'L BABY TOOTH-BRAIN.

Via Live Science:

"It's not every day you see teeth in any type of tumor in the brain. In a craniopharyngioma, it's unheard of," Beaty said.

Craniopharyngiomas commonly contain calcium deposits, "but when we pulled out a full tooth...I think that's something slightly different," Beaty told Live Science.

Teeth have been found in people's brains before, but only in tumors known as teratomas, which are unique among tumors because they contain all three of the tissue types found in an early-stage human embryo, Beaty said. In contrast, craniopharyngiomas have only one layer of tissue.

The boy's case provides more evidence that craniopharyngiomas do indeed develop from the cells that make teeth, Beaty said.

The 4-month-old patient is doing just fine, according to doctors, although the tumor destroyed some of his brain's hormone-regulation function and he'll need lifelong hormone treatments. That's shitty, for sure, but it seems like a relatively mild consequence considering the circumstances. So speedy recovery, little one! And if those doctors don't give you your brain-teeth to wear on THE WORLD'S MOST BADASS HEMP NECKLACE when you become a surly teen, you send them to me. My friend's doctor threw away her teratoma before she could look at it, and I might never forgive medical science.

Craniopharyngiomas are most often found in children between the ages of 5 and 14, but you probably still have one anyway.

Image via the New England Journal of Medicine.


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Vince Lee

Emeritus Board Member
Vince Lee came to the valley in 1967, following graduate school at Princeton and a tour in the far east with the U.S. Marines. He joined long-time Wilson resident, John Morgan, as a partner in the firm of Design Associates architects in 1969 and led the firm for 30 years following Morgan’s retirement in 1972. During the same period, Vince was a seasonal mountain guide and owner of High Country West, Alpine Adventures, the first local representative of The Nature Conservancy, and a three-term member of the Wyoming Quality Council in Cheyenne. He was a founding board member of the Jackson Hole Land Trust and served as President from 1981-1986. His son, Christopher, took over Design Associates in 2002, and Vince and his wife Nancy now live in McElmo Canyon, near Cortez, Colorado.


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Event-Driven Models in B2B
Drilling Down Newsletter # 54: 2/2005

Drilling Down - Turning Customer
Data into Profits with a Spreadsheet
Customer Valuation, Retention,
Loyalty, Defection

Get the Drilling Down Book!

Prior Newsletters:

In This Issue:
# Topics Overview
# Best Customer Retention Articles
# Event-Driven Models in B2B
# Dealing with Extended Latencies

Topics Overview

Hi again folks, Jim Novo here.

Man, February went by very quickly.  So I'm late with the newsletter, my apologies.  Some of the blame goes to the newly launched Web Analytics Association.  I'm Co-Chair of the Education Committee and, well, there's a ton of work to do!  From the site:

"With your help, we can develop and offer training and certification to advance the professionalism of our trade.  We can encourage institutions of higher learning to add web analytics to their curricula".  I'm supposed to do that.  Want to help?  Become a member and then please volunteer!

Speaking of web analytics, I did a seminar with Brent Hieggelke of WebTrends for the AMA (American Marketing Association) on web segmentation and visitor / customer retention.  It's free to check out, though they want some personal info from you.  See:

This month, we're looking at how to "roll your own" model of customer behavior in a B2B lead generation context.  Also, we cover one of the challenges of defining a customer defection using the Latency metric.

We also have a couple of great customer marketing article links.  In the first, some hot shots comment on the big customer marketing ideas for 2005.  In the second, more help on defining customer defection.

OK, let's do some Drillin'...

Best Customer Marketing Articles

Big Ideas 2005
February 7, 2005  Target Marketing
Wisdom from the "gurus" on what will be hot this year in marketing, as direct and database marketing continue to bleed into and influence all marketing strategies and programs.  ROI based on customer value, the fall of mass marketing, the rise of analytics, and more.

Bring 'Em Back
February 21, 2004  Target Marketing
A nice primer on one of my favorite topics - defining a customer defection.  You can't increase profits by retaining customers if you don't define what a defection is first!  The article also supports a frequent suggestion of mine - quit paralyzing yourself by trying to nail it down 100%.  Put a stake in the ground, start somewhere.  Then it's a matter of using the right metrics, testing, and timing.

Questions from Fellow Drillers

Event-Driven Models in B2B

Q:  My company is really interested in pre-qualifying leads driven through the internet channel based on perceived interest  e.g. downloading a particular white paper, or returning, responding to an offer, what have you.  We haven't implemented this, but this scoring mechanism is sort of happening behind the scenes and is collected in a database for future use.  I know about your RFM and I think it's very appropriate here based on behavioral
activity, but my sense is that I could also use significant events to help me pre-qualify you.

How feasible is this sort of additional event scoring and what do you think you'd discover at the end of the day when you spoke to your marketer who ultimately tried to contact these leads based on this scoring?  i.e, guy comes into the car dealership, but the dealer already knows he can pre-qualify you for a $40,000 car.  Smart harvest marketing or just a waste of IT resources?

A:  This kind of thing is done all the time in B2B lead gen, and many of the "lead management" software packages have this capability built in, more or less.  They're usually not very smart.

RFM is really not going to be the ticket here, because you have too many discrete events, and the definition of "Frequency" and "Monetary" in this environment is elusive.  In other words, the RFM definition of Frequency is repeated occurrences of the same event, not a series of different events.  So in B2B lead gen, RFM is usually not optimal.  However, Recency and first cousin Latency are still very valid, and in the beginning, the early discovery,  Latency can help you organize the data.

The easiest way to start with something like this is similar to the way Pay-Per-Click is managed - you look at the end result and track back to the beginning, for example, I am buying all these search terms.  At the end of the month I sort by sales volume and can see which phrases generated the highest sales, and
further, which ended making / losing money.

So what you do is focus on the "end game", whatever that is, and compare success to failure.  When comparing, what was the source of the lead / what actions were taken / in what order were they taken / what was the timing of these actions for successful outcomes?  And for failures, the same?  Compare and contrast success and failure, and you are on your way to building your own model.  This real world info provides you a "base" from which you can set up "tests" that can prove / disprove what effects source of the lead / what actions were taken / in what order were they taken / what was the timing of these actions have on outcome.  The trick to all this is tracking all the events to the lead so you have historical info.

Further, if you can collect the data, and there are a lot of significant behavioral events (a page view probably is not, a newsletter sign-up probably is), and you think the data is "clean", you can use machine intelligence to help run some of this data.  Search for the models CART and CHAID for more info.  You get into some tricky business here, and you can NEVER let the machine over-rule common sense, but these models can be helpful in the "sifting" process as you look for predictive variables.

Free / cheap software is available to run these so-called "Decision Tree" models, see here.

At the higher end, check to see if there is a copy of SAS or SPSS around the company, they are usually equipped with these models or "suite" add-ons are $3000 - $5000.

If you are a consultant, agency, or software developer with clients needing action-oriented customer intelligence or High ROI Customer
Marketing program designs, click here.

Dealing with Extended Latencies

Q:  Is latency, as a metric, out of the question when the spread of the number of days in a latency period is so wide that to average them out and call the resultant figure "Acceptable days to date of predicted purchase" would seem meaningless?  I am thinking about the disparity in latency between customers who are Heavy, Moderate and Low users.

A:  I'm not sure I have enough context to understand the question (what are you trying to accomplish by using the metric?) but Latency is what it is.  In other words, you take your clue from the existing behavior itself.  If the average Latency for a certain segment is 2 years, well, it is, and that's not too long or too short, it just is.  Whether you can act on that information is another story; it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

For example, average Latency on major home appliances, depending on brand, is anywhere from 5 to 10 years.  Is that too long of a "spread" to make the metric useful?  No.  It just is what it is, and you deal with it.

Now, it could be what you are really getting at has more to do with failing to identify the defection.  In other words, you are trying to average customer Latencies that are "open-ended" or infinite and you're coming up with a useless number.  If that's what you mean by "latency period is so wide that to average them out would be meaningless" it sounds to me like you need to call the defection so there is some endpoint you can use to measure with.

For example, let's say you have 10 years of data and it includes people who bought only one time 10 years ago.  Clearly, those people are no longer customers.  To include them in a Latency analysis would create a meaningless number, both arithmetically and behaviorally.  You have to put a stake in the ground and declare "no activity for over 2 years, they are a defected customer and will not be included in the analysis".  This takes the "infinite Latency" problem out of your hands.

Another approach (and I'm just guessing you are talking about retail) is to look at 2nd purchase Latency - average number of days between 1st and 2nd purchase.  Let's say it's 90 days.  So from now on, any new buyer who doesn't make a 2nd purchase within 90 days of the first is considered a defected customer and excluded from any analysis, because literally, they are likely to have infinite Latency and the "spread" is meaningless.

A third approach taken by people who have been in this kind of business a long time and trust these metrics is to set a threshold for being a customer at all.  At HSN (after many years of testing), we came to the point where we didn't even consider you a "customer" until you made a 2nd purchase.  We kept track of the number of 1x buyers, but that's about it.  We discovered there was no profitable way to create a "relationship" with these buyers, so they were not considered customers from a marketing investment perspective.

Q:  In this case (Latency period is so wide), is Recency the way to go?

A:  Well, again, I lack enough context to answer that question specifically because I don't know what you are trying to accomplish and with what kind of business.  But in general, Recency is a better bet when the behavior is not predictable, and Latency is a better bet when the behavior tends to be cyclical or repeat at regular intervals.  So for general retailing, Recency is a better predictor of likelihood to purchase.  If you are looking at the oil change business, Latency would be a better predictor of likelihood to get another oil change at a certain point in time.

Latency and Recency can be used at the same time on different segments, it's not an "either or" situation.  For example, you could use Latency for Heavy and Moderate, Recency for Low, if that makes sense in your situation.

Let's say that in your case "Low" means there really isn't enough transactional activity to determine Latency.  So you use Recency for that segment.   This approach is often used in remote retail, I call it a "one and done".

After first purchase, you allow Recency to expand, so that multi-buyers "tip their hand" and you don't end up making offers you did not have to make to get the 2nd and 3rd purchase.   At some point (typically 45 - 90 days out), the majority of multi-buyers have shown themselves, and you make one offer to the remaining 1-time buyers.  Those that respond become multi's, the majority of the rest will never buy a second time and it's a waste of money to promote to them - this is what I mean by "one and done".

In other words, you give them some time to prove whether they are customers or not, then you provide them one last shot by giving them a nudge.  Anybody who does not respond is now a defected customer and that's it.  If they come back and prove themselves to be a customer, fine, we'll include them in all the customer marketing.  But if they don't, it's  relationship game over.

Q:  My purchase of your book has generated a second purchase!  By a colleague of mine.

A:  Thanks for that!  If you'd like to elaborate on the specifics of what you are trying to accomplish, perhaps I can be more helpful!

That's it for this month's edition of the Drilling Down newsletter.  If you like the newsletter, please forward it to a friend!  Subscription instructions are top and bottom of this page.

Any comments on the newsletter (it's too long, too short, topic suggestions, etc.) please send them right along to me, along with any other questions on customer Valuation, Retention, Loyalty, and Defection here.

'Til next time, keep Drilling Down!

- Jim Novo

Copyright 2005, The Drilling Down Project by Jim Novo.  All rights reserved.  You are free to use material from this newsletter in whole or in part as long as you include complete credits, including live web site link and e-mail link.  Please tell me where the material will appear.

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text:
Sandy (ex_grain_de) wrote in joaquin_daily,

Sorry girls it has been a while since I posted the last time:)
Here are Joaquin and Kate! They are wonderful together!

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QUILLS!!!! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
I have to see this film!

Deleted comment

Oh I love Kate too and Joaquin... no comment:)

PS: I love your "Le Chiffre" icon!
I really hope I can see this film soon, I love the pictures. : ) ♥
Me too, but since it is a controversial movie, I think tv channels don't like to broadcast it!

Deleted comment

I thought for a second you'd gonna have posted Kate Parflett or whatever her name is pictures, then I thought: 'no, you don't have a deathwish'.
I don't know who is Kate Parflett, but apparently you don't seem to like her:)
LOL, She was just some girl that Joaquin was photographed with once, you know, just taking a walk. Then loads of his fans laid into her pretty bad because she was blonde/a model/with Joaquin.. I just thought for a moment when I read 'Joaquin and Kate', that it was those photos again. I don't have a problem with her but some of his fans sure do. I think it's all a bit silly, really...
Oh all right! I understand now:)
amazing movie! :)
I absolutely have to watch it...:)
I LOVE QUILLS!!!!!!!!!!!
^^ I know I would love it too!
hot stuff. i love kate also!!!thanks.
You're welcome:)
this is the movie where i discovered Joaquin, so it will always have a special place in my heart (as will he!)


text:
2014-12-18 15.24.40That was the rallying cry of outraged librarians during World War II when it became known the Nazis had banned or burned millions upon millions of books. They organized book fairs to collect donated books to send to the GIs fighting on the continent, “arming” their minds with better ideas. Maybe you heard the story on NPR last week. Not too many of the books were what you’d call scintillating, though – Emily Post’s Etiquette, “Popular Mechanics”, or One Man’s Meat – however good the idea was. The War Department and publishers got together and started producing smaller, cheaper copies of popular titles and classics. “Armed Forces Books.” They were designed to fit in the pocket of fatigues or the fold of a rucksack, using a paper grade about the same as newsprint. The corporate bean counters estimated a single copy would last maybe six readings, that is six possession changes, before falling apart, given the conditions. There are stories of soldiers reading in the landing craft on the way to Normandy, books being smuggled into POW camps, books on the prep lists for airborne and naval maneuvers and books provided to liberated citizens of Europe. A fascinating new book came out earlier in the month, When Books Went to War, by Molly Guptill Manning. She reports that the program revived Gatsby. And one other especially interesting tidbit she uncovers is that she gathered evidence that there were books that lasted far more than six exchanges. One book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943), by Betty Smith, had a waiting list at one point of over thirty names! Manning postulated that the book was so popular because it reminded the GIs of home, even non-New Yorkers. At least that’s what they said in numerous letters they wrote to the author. I like knowing that one fact right there. I was so pleased I went to amazon.com to see if Tree was still in print, still available. It is!
I’ve always had a hunch that books could be so much more than entertainment. They could be downright therapeutic. One of the last books I read in Japan was Irving’s Garp after it came out in the middle 70s. On nothing more than that hunch I mailed the book back stateside to older brother Jeffrey who was recovering from a pretty nasty leg fracture. Jeffrey’s always been a rabid reader. I remember whenever any books or magazines were out of place, or missing – of any subject matter – the first place to check was under Jeffrey’s bed. The next time I saw him – had to be a couple of years – he told me Garp was the best recuperative book he’d ever read. Granted, Jeffrey’s a certain brand of crazy: the broken femur was the result of his blocking the plate during a pick-up softball game. No one had to wonder whether Jeffrey held onto the ball after the nauseating snap of his leg. But I think he’s a beautiful kind of crazy. He doesn’t talk a whole lot, or very loud. When he does though, I’ve learned, it’s either very, very funny, or it’s a declaration loaded with conviction and consideration. I’ve probably given away a couple dozen copies of Garp since, and plan to again next week, and even reread it myself it from time to time.
Among the things I’ve picked up from reading interviews with Irving over the years – especially in that great old series, “Writers at Work,” Paris Review used to run annually, but are likewise still available – is that, he says, every book starts out with a proposition, “What if?” I’ve always thought exquisitely simple and succinct – particularly after experiencing how damned difficult it is to answer, “What’s the book about?” or write a decent description in the two or three sentences you get on the back cover. Waffle House, again, because it was all mine (comparatively) started that way. What if there was a kid whose life was almost entirely determined by tragedy?
The other thing Irving said was that he almost always writes the ending first. I haven’t had much success emulating that one (though I do think about the ending sooner in the process). It mostly mystifies me (or annoys, if I’m really pissed at John). How can you write the ending first? Doesn’t that change in the process from beginning to end? (Happens a lot to me, at least: something else we can talk about.) I certainly didn’t know the ending of Waffle House before starting. I did know the end of the story, though, the end of Jimmy Ryan’s story. In a story about a character’s life marked by comprehensive and continuous tragedy, in a book necessarily with a pretty high body count, there was no way I could sneak up on the subject of death. So I though Jimmy’s burial a right and proper place to start.
Or, if you don’t like that answer, it was at least a fun thing to do. Sometimes writing can be so frustrating, you have to figure out some way, any way to have some fun. I could concoct imaginary Q&A sessions, where, when the question inevitably comes – though there is another question I just knew would come up, but hasn’t – I can answer, “I thought I’d break some rules with this one, from the beginning; thought it’d be fun to bury my lead character.”

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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Theology Thursday: The Church and Changing Leadership Structures

There was a time, not too long ago, when "Southern Baptist" didn't just indicate a particular brand of evangelical theology, but also a rather uniform approach to leadership structure.

Those days are gone.

Our network includes 62 churches spread throughout the Baltimore-Washington, D.C.corridor, and each of them have their own approaches to everything from church governance to how leaders are chosen.  Though they generally share the same congregational base (procedures for choosing leaders, and leader authority is approved by the body at large), the "day to day" operations take on a different form, depending on which church you are looking at.

In recent years, many new churches have established an elder-led model of church governance, and even many of our established churches have transitioned to an elder-led approach to leading their congregations forward.  At the national level of our denomination, there is sometimes the mistaken notion that having elders means the church has "gone Presbyterian."  While those suspicions are thankfully not present in our network, I have, over the years, received several questions regarding how Baptists can reinstate a plurality of pastoral leadership in a way that honors our own history and theology.

Each time I have this conversation, I recommend four books.  The first two are written by an old seminary classmate.  Dr. Ben Merkle, after teaching for many years in southeast Asia, joined the faculty of Southeastern Seminary a few years back, and soon after published two books:  Why Elders?  and 40 Questions about Elders and Deacons.  Both of these are not only Biblically sound, but practical, and written on a level easily understood by leaders in your church who haven't been to seminary

The third is an acquisition work edited by Paul Engle and Steven Cowan entitled  Who Runs the Church?  Controbutions from Peter Toon, L. Roy Taylor, Paige Patterson and Samuel Waldron allow readers to see the context in which these questions sometimes arise in churches.  Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist perspectives are laid side by side in a way that allows church leaders to move forward in the most informed way.

The fourth is a book that, in all likelihood, saved the first church I ever planted from my own stupidity.  Many years ago, Larry Osborne wrote the first edition of The Unity Factor, which speaks about the necessity of healthy leadership teams.  Even if your structure is Biblically sound and contextually appropriate for your church, that doesn't guarantee a smooth working relationship among the leadership that will serve the people well.

Church leadership is a subject of paramount importance, and its not only crucial to get the structure right, but to create an environment with that structure that prevents needless division, disunity, and disloyalty. If you are a church leader who is rethinking your approach, or if you simply want to be better informed of how to lead, and do it together with others, you should pick up these resources.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the resources. I'll be sure to check them out!


text:
Professional Profile

Joel P. Schroeder

Course Description:

IS  375 - Server-based Networking & Security

This course is titled Networks and Security.  It is the study of enterprise networking from a server operating system perspective. Theory and practice of topics such as domain creation, Active Directory management and delegation, scripting, security policies, roaming profiles, access permissions, and security auditing.

This course uses a network simulation software called OPNET in which labs will be conducted to demonstrate and construct different network scenarios.

                                           Information Systems 375
                                                                Lab 7a
                                               Wireless Local Area Network

                            Medium Access Control for Wirelessly Connected Stations

This lab addresses the MAC (Medium Access Control) sublayer of the IEEE 802.11 standard for WLAN (wireless local area network). Different options of this standard are studied in this lab. The performance of these options is analyzed under different scenarios.

The IEEE 802.11 standard provides wireless connectivity to computerized stations that require rapid deployment such as portable computers. The Medium Access Control (MAC) sublayer in the standard includes two fundamental access methods: distributed coordination function (DCF) and the point coordination function (PCF). DCF utilizes the carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) approach. DCF is implemented in all stations in the wireless local area network (WLAN). PCF is based on polling to determine the station that can transmit next. Stations in an infrastructure network optionally implement the PCF access method.

In addition to the physical CSMA/CA, DCF and PCF utilize virtual carrier-sense mechanism to determine the state of the medium. This virtual mechanism is implemented by means of the network allocation vector (NAV). The NAV provides each station with a prediction of future traffic on the medium. Each station uses NAV as an indicator of time periods during which transmission will not be initiated even if the station senses that the wireless medium is not busy. NAV gets the information about future traffic from management frames and the header of regular frames being exchanged in the network.  With DCF, every station senses the medium before transmitting. The transmitting station defers as long as the medium is busy. After deferral and while the medium is idle, the transmitting station has to wait for a random backoff interval. After the backoff interval and
if the medium is still idle, the station initiates data transmission or optionally exchanges RTS (request to send) and CTS (clear to send) frames with the receiving station. The effect of RTS and CTS frames will be studied in the following lab.

With PCF, the access point (AP) in the network acts as a point coordinator (PC). The PC uses polling to determine which station can initiate data transmission. It is optional for the stations in the network to participate in PCF and hence respond to poll received from the PC. Such stations are called CF-Pollable stations. The PCF requires control to be gained of the medium by the PC. To gain such control, the PC utilizes the Beacon management frames to set the network allocation vector (NAV) in the network stations. As the mechanism used to set NAV is based on the DCF, all stations comply with the PC request to set their NAV whether or not they are CF-Pollable. This way the PC can control frame transmissions in the network by generating contention free periods (CFP). The PC and the CF-Pollable stations do not use RTS/CTS in the CFP.

The standard allows for fragmentation of the MAC data units into smaller frames.  Fragmentation is favorable in case the wireless channel is not reliable enough to transmit longer frames. Only frames with a length greater than a fragmentation threshold will be fragmented. Each fragment will be sent independently and will be separately acknowledged. During a contention period, all fragments of a single frame will be sent as burst with a single invocation of the DCF medium access procedure. In case of PCF and during a contention free period, fragments are sent individually following the rules of the point coordinator (PC).

1) Based on the definition of the statistic Load, explain why with PCF enabled the load is lower than if DCF is used without PCF.  Load represents the total load (in bits/sec) submitted to wireless LAN layers by all other higher layers in all WLAN nodes of the network.  This statistic does not include the bits of the higher layer packets that are dropped by WLAN MACs upon arrival and not considered for transmission due to, for example, insufficient space left in the higher layer packet buffer of the MAC.  Simply put, fewer bits are sent to the network because with PCF enabled, the network is polling the system for open stations to initiate data transmission.

2) Analyze the graphs that compare the Delay and Throughput of the four scenarios. What are the effect of utilizing PCF and fragmentation on these two statistics?

The effects of utilizing PCF and fragmentation on the end to end delay are that without PCF or fragmentation of data, the delay is increased significantly.  While if only fragmentation is enabled, the delay is even greater.

As PCF and fragmentation are enabled, throughput increases, but if fragmentation of data is enabled alone, functionality of the network drops substantially.

3) From the last four graphs, explain how the performance of a node without PCF is affected by having PCF enabled in other nodes in the network.

In the graphs below, node 3 has PCF enabled and node 2 does not.  You can then see the effect PCF has on both LAN Delay and Retransmission Attempts in the PCF_DCF scenario.  Node 3 experiences fewer delays and retransmissions because it is PCF knows which station can transmit next allowing for fewer delays and fewer collisions.

4) Create two new scenarios as duplicates of the DCF_PCF scenario. Name the first new scenario DCF_allPCF and the second new scenario DCF_twoPCF. In DCF_allPCF, enable the PCF attribute in all 8 nodes: node_1 through node_8 (Note: do not include node_0 in any of your attribute editing). In DCF_twoPCF, disable the PCF attribute in node_3 and node_5 (this will leave only node_1 and node_7 with PCF enabled). Generate the graphs for the Delay, Load, and
Throughput statistics and explain how the number of PCF nodes might affect the performance of the wireless network.

            Looking at just the DCF_PCF scenario when comparing to these new scenarios we’ve just created, there is a lot more fluctuation in delay times.  As we add more PCF enabled wireless LAN stations these delays begin to stabilize.  It’s a bit hard to read the second graph showing the load of these stations as the amount of bits/sec transmitted are all over the place.  It does appear that the more stations added that have PCF enabled, the lower the performance on average.  In the last graph showing throughput, it is quite clear that as the number of PCF stations increases so does throughput.  This is due again to the concept that these stations already have information as to which station to transmit to next saving time spend configuring routes.

5) For all scenarios, select the Media Access Delay statistic from the Global Statistics -> Wireless LAN hierarchy.  Re-run the simulation for all scenarios.  Generate the graph that compares the Media Access Delay statistic of all scenarios.  Analyze the graph explaining the effect of PCF, fragmentation, and number of PCF nodes on media access delay.

DCF with packet fragmentation has the highest delay rate.  I feel this is the slowest because the data has to be separated and then reassembled which will consume the most time and effort.  When adding stations with PCF enabled on them, we see that the delay decreases, but as we convert all stations to having PCF, we see that the delay rate drops substantially

6)  “What are the business implications of the behavior seen in this lab?

As wireless connectivity becomes increasingly more useful in business today, it is important to understand how we can manipulate properties of these wireless devices to help maximize performance depending on what characteristics we feel are most important.  Of course we want to minimize delay rates or increase throughput and knowing how to create an environment that supports these concepts is very important.


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Sunday, 31 March 2013

Figures shimmering with vitality

My favourite television viewer discovered in the course of writing Armchair Nation was George Mackay Brown, the reclusive Orcadian poet and writer who rarely left the islands (or, in fact, his Stromness council flat, except to go to the pub). When Orkney finally got television from the Meldrum transmitter through a sea of static in the mid-1950s, he railed against it as a dark avatar of all that was corrupt about the modern world, but he gradually relented, acquiring a rented black and white ‘stone age’ set, then a colour one, and finally – in the 1970s and 1980s – becoming a virtual addict. He often used his weekly column in the Orcadian newpaper to talk about the programmes he had seen.

Watching Scotland disintegrate in the 1978 world cup in front of a colour TV, he wondered: ‘Is there something strange and perverse in the Scottish character that allows the brimming cup to fall and shatter on a stone?’ He became a fan of the snooker, and marvelled at how a new pair of glasses had transformed watching the sport: ‘Figures shimmering with vitality, with intent vibrant faces, were striking balls of amazing solidity and vivid colours’. He also grew to like the daily quiz show Countdown: ‘Letters is my trade, and so I ought to be good at the word-making, but my mind goes numb and after a few seconds I give up … strangely enough, I can do the numbers better.’

He never missed the science programmes on BBC2. After one Horizon programme, Hello, Universe!, broadcast in March 1981, he wrote this:

‘An astonishing thing transpired. Even supposing our message got through to a very distant planet, its journey there would take 40,000 years. The planet’s reply would take a further 40,000 years. At the end of that time we of 1981 would long have been kirkyard dust, and the earth itself perhaps a cinder … Sitting lonely, late at night, in a council house in Orkney – as one shuts off the TV and, beyond the window, the innumerable star-systems wheel – one realises that one is not lonely at all. However isolated, in a croft above the seashore or on a hillside, we are involved with homo sapiens, we live on a teeming ant-hill of a planet, between skulls and seeds.’

Brown’s newspaper column had such a distinctive voice – a mixture of lyricism, naivety, misanthropy and good-heartedness – that when I finally reached the end of them (the last appeared just a few weeks before his death in April 1996) it felt like saying goodbye to a friend.

  1. A wonderful poet. I have almost a complete library of his work, and his diaries make great reading: collected versions of the Orcadian columns.

  2. Norman Lewis had a book of pieces out called 'The Happy Ant Hill.' Perhaps he read Mackay-Brown or V.Woolf at some point. While our Bees suffer from the unspeakable inertia of Parliament in failing to ban Neonicatinoids and worse, the Ant receives little help with it's work. Just look on the shelves of your nearest garden centre. Kill this and kill that......of course 'Bee Killer' would cause outrage and be banned, too economically important, bad for the firm's image etc. However, do you trust the Chief Scientific Officer to the Government to give good advice? Er no actually. We need to stop confusing 'Science' with the 'Search for Truth.' They parted company years ago and now they are not even on speaking terms. Angry? Me?


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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

New Atlantis on WWNO tonight!

Tune in to WWNO at 6:30 Central time tonight to hear my interview with host Susan Larson regarding New Atlantis: Musicians Battle for the Survival of New Orleans. The interview is part of Larson's show "The Reading Life." To listen online:

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Monday, March 4, 2013

Grave Secrets Book Review

Grave Secrets is an Adult Paranormal masterpiece by Sherry D. Ficklin.  It’s the second book in the Palmetto Moon series. If you haven’t read Born of Blood, Palmetto Moon #1 then stop what you’re doing and download it right now.

Sophie is contracted by her childhood friend to investigate a missing pregnant woman who has gone missing.  She’s also busy with conclave business, dealing with Devon and finding Melanie’s remaining family.   While trying to keep a balance with work and family she finds her life becoming complicated when she realizes she still has feelings for her ex-fiancé turned business partner Caleb.

While investigating the disappearance of Katy, the pregnant woman, she gets a little too close to a ghost and her life changes in ways that are unimaginable.  Katy’s love life, family life and overall safety are in jeopardy.

This was a fantastic follow up to Born of Blood.  It’s one of those books where you find yourself trying to put the book down and can’t.  The descriptions are fantastic, the characters are strong and likeable and the plot gets even deeper. Download this book, carve out a few hours in your day and enjoy Grave Secrets.  I give this book 5 out of 5 donuts.

It's only $3.99, here are the links:

Barnes & Nobel:

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“When God closes a door, God opens a window.”

The inspirational phrase is common among Christians and can be found on various China-made trinkets in your local religious bookstore. But when spoken to someone just handed a terminal diagnosis or languishing in poverty, the saccharine saying turns toxic. Sometimes the door closes and the windows are nailed shut.

In a era of spiritual sentimentality, Christian clichés like this can circulate among the faithful without scrutiny. We accept them because we want them to be true. But when we forage the Scriptures for them, they are nowhere to be found. And when we speak them at the wrong moment or to the wrong person, they can cause a tidal wave of emotional damage. Here are some other common–but untrue–Christian cliches.

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Written by Jonathan


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Norwescon 2005

Norwescon is the Seattle area's biggest SF con.

Lots of great costumes.

That's a guy in a costume, not a plant.

The hospitality suite has all the junk food you can eat, even for monsters.

Make your own bead necklace. There are some kid-friendly activities, which is nice because KidKon cost an unsatisfactory $5 an hour.

Of course, a science fiction con is not without its perils for an unsuspecting child.

Kids with swords again. I guess that's better than kids with guns.

Two gaming rooms, well-attended and (I'm sad to say) odorous.

Some serious D&D was going on in open areas, away from the claustrophobic gaming room.

Geeks Without Borders were attending. They provide computers to kids in Third World countries.

Here's a guy demonstrating the exoskeleton he's working on. His plan is to perfect it as a 21st century wheelchair for the disabled. And good luck to him.

After hours, the costumes get a little more "after hours." I wonder whether this bunny suit is lucky, too.

Bye, Norwescon. Hope to see you again next year.


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Friday, October 26, 2012

Josh Minions. Today I give you, Beak.

Hello everyone.  I'd like you to meet Beak.  He is outspoken.  Strict.  He would describe himself as, "Firm but fair." and he has positively zero front vision.

Video to come soon.  If you like my work please visit my facebook page.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Yes...yes... I will sign autographs. Has anyone seen my pen? (patting pockets)

I was contacted recently to do a short video about my life here in Singapore.  The guys that put it together did a great job.  Thanks for making it a fun experience everyone.  (waving).

Oh and an extra thanks to the girl that was spraying water on me for the promotional pics.  You know who you are.

The Digital Artist from little red ants on Vimeo.

A very angry very fat frog. Named...Nub.

Josh Minions! (holding hands above head in dramatic fashion).  I give you Nub!


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Sunday, 27 June 2010

Pattern Review - Burda Style 03-2010-106

Here is the second of the three garments I finished on the Friday Night Sew-In, a pencil skirt with welt pockets.  The pattern is number 106 from the March Burdastyle (sorry I cannot be bothered looking online for the technical diagram - please sort out the archives Burdastyle!), the same issue I used for the black a-line skirt.  That makes this issue a bit of a winner in my book, while I might love a number of patterns in any given issue I rarely get around to actually making two!
I must apologise for the dim photos, it is hard to catch the sun at the moment!

Behind me you can see the future site of my backyard veggie garden - I just have to figure out how to get the soil into it when the only access to the courtyard is through the house, hmmm probably should have though of that before!

Anyway, back to the skirt.  It's your run-of-the-mill pencil skirt but with welt pockets front and back.  These were tricky on the stretch woven fabric, but they came out passable.
I'll have to sew the back pockets closed - not that I would ever use them anyway!  My primary sewing machine has been in for a service and I couldn't be bothered getting another one out, I promise I'll do it before I wear the skirt to work.

Please just look at the skirt and not my ratty courtyard!

As for my previous skirt I cut a 42 at the waist and a 44 at the hip and the fit came out great.  For once I didn't lengthen the pattern as this design is longer than the standard Burda skirt.  It's a smidge shorter than I would normally make but I think it's fine.

Instead of making the front fly (which always looks a bit wrong when I sit down), I put an invisible zip in the centre back.  I also added a kick pleat so I can actually walk in it.  I took photos of my lovely kick pleat and mitred hem but dark grey doesn't photograph well on a winter's day so you'll just have to trust me that they look really neat!

There is not much sewing going on here atm.  My sewing room is not heated and it is COLD in there!  Instead I have finished knitting the dressage jacket (blocking it today) and am working on a crocheted baby blanket as a gift for a woman at work.

Tuesday, 22 June 2010

Pattern Review - Burda Style 03-2010-105

Here is the first of the three garments I finished up in last week's Friday Night Sew-In.  It is not very exciting, a black a-line skirt, but I have to say I am very happy with it.  The shape is really nice,  not too triangle-y and it is seriously easy to put together.

(I wouldn't normally wear all black like this but I just slipped the skirt on with the blouse I wore to work today!).

I cut size 42 at the waist blending to 44 at the hip.  The only changes I made were to lengthen the skirt to 65cm so it finishes just below my knee, added a lining and moved the zip from the side seam to the centre back.  My hip curve is quite extreme so zips never sit right in the side seam.

I think I've found my new TNT a-line pattern!

Saturday, 19 June 2010

Friday Night Sew In Results

My Friday night sew-in started slower than planned.  I got kept late at work and having had a trying day I had to unwind a bit before I could start sewing.  Fortunately the April BWOF (or whatever) arrived in my letterbox so I was able to wind down with a nice (sewing related) read.  Ever since I saw Eugenia's version of this skirt I have been saving a piece of black fabric so now I have the pattern in my hot little hands then guess what will be coming soon?

I had every intention to start and finish a project but instead I finished off three jobs I've had on the go for the past few weeks.  Full reviews and a proper photo shoot will be upcoming but it's been a grey old day today, I've been to see Prince of Persia with my friend Kate and I am quickly posting this before dinner and then the Australia v Ghana game.

So photos on Dion will have to suffice, bearing in mind that s/he is a little less well padded than me so in reality the curves will be better filled out.  BTW, Dion is my dummy.  The brand name is Diane and I was given him/her as a gift by my former co-workers.  When they handed him/her over one of my workmates said 'now I know this is something you've wanted for a long time...' and another one piped up 'It's a husband!'.  We all laughed and since then my dummy has had a male name.  That was seven years ago and I am still not married but Dion and I have had some good times!

So enough of the ramblings you say, what are these projects you finished?  Well, it was two skirts and a frankendress.  I have been making them on a production line as I thought I'd get done quicker but I am not sure that's true.  Last night I set in all the linings and did the hand finishing.

Skirt #1 is a basic black a-line.  Not much to say here, it's just a basic black skirt, but it is something my wardrobe has been lacking for some time.

Skirt #2 is a grey pencil skirt with welt pockets front and back.  This one needs a tummy and a butt to fill it out.  Luckily I have those, unlike Dion!

I think I'll sew these back pockets shut!

Finally the frankendress is the bodice from one pattern and the skirt from another.  I worry it looks a little prim but if I can find the right belt I reckon it'll be fine (hmm shall I prune the roses or shop for a belt tomorrow?)

So there is my night's efforts.  I am quite proud of myself for finishing all these things off, I'll try to get full posts on each of the garments done this week.

Tonight I am hoping to finish the first sleeve of my dressage jacket.  I love knitting while the football is on - I don't really need to look at what I am doing and when I get excited I go really fast!

Friday, 11 June 2010

Thanks everyone for your lovely compliments on my houndstooth coat. I am really pleased with how it turned out.

Also, thanks very much for your helpful feedback on the rose tunic. I agree it is completely the wrong length, and I would make this pattern again in the shorter length, but I wanted a longer top for those 'can't be bothered' days. Fortunately, as suggested by Gail, wearing it with sleek black pants and high heels helps a lot and it looks quite presentable. I can live with it anyway!

I have been doing a bit of production line sewing so I have a number of garments in the making but nothing finished to show. This kind of sewing really is more efficient but it does take a lot of the fun out of it. But I NEED new clothes! I hope to finish two skirts and a dress on the weekend.

For the past few months I've been wanting to join in with the Friday Night Sew-In but every time it comes up there is somewhere else I have to be. Not this month, so I've signed up. It is on Friday the 18th of June and I have already told my fella I have a date with the sewing machine that night. Now I just have to think up a project to work on.

Finally, the World Cup starts this weekend and I can't wait. Unfortunately the time difference means that all the live games will be on at 9.30pm (not too bad) or 2am (terrible), but the good news is we have Foxtel IQ so we can tape the games and watch them at our leisure. The only problem being having to avoid EVERYONE at work the next day so they don't spoil the result! I dare say there will be a few bleary eyes at my work over the next month. I love football, but not enough to miss precious sleep! GO SOCCEROOS!Especially Lucas Neill.

Saturday, 5 June 2010

McCall's 6120 - Rose print tunic

This is one of the other projects I finished while on holidays.  It's okay but I am not wild about it.  The pattern is McCall's 6120.

Wow, I look really broad at the beam!  Here's the review.

Pattern Description:
(from the website) Tops A, B, tunics C, D have front pleats, self-faced front midriff and sleeve variations; top A has armhole stitched hems; top B has short sleeves; tunic C has three-quarter length sleeves; tunic D has self-drape and purchased jeweled applique.

I made the tunic length but with cap sleeves.

Pattern Sizing:
I cut a 12 to the bottom of the armholes, grading out to a 14 at the waist and 16 at the hip/

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes I guess so.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were fine but I don't understand why they have you turn under and hand stitch the lower edge of the midriff facing - in a knit???? I just pulled the facing down so the cut edge matched with the outside midriff piece then caught the two pieces in the seam together.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I admit I don't love this top. There is something not quite right about it. The length was dowdy and even with a good inch taken off the bottom I am still not sure it's flattering. By contrast I made Simplicity 3678 in February 2008, which I have subsequently cut off to tunic length and it works so much better.  I can't find the pattern on the Simplicity website, so maybe it has been discontinued - anyway, it was one of the Threads patterns. I don't know what it is, the two styles are pretty similar, except the lower front of the Simplicity has gathers. If I was to do this again the Threads pattern would win hands-down.

Initially I cut the longer sleeve but it just looked ridiculous on me - like my hands were floating in a ginormous sea of roses. The cap sleeves work much better, I'll just have to layer for winter!

I must say the neckline does sit nice and flat without any fiddling, so that is a plus (I fused bias tape on the inside and stitched with a twin needle.

Fabric Used:
Polyester knit, nothing fancy, I got it cheap from Spotlight.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
As usual I narrowed the upper back, shortened the back above the waist and widened at the hips. I don't usually need an fba in knits.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I won't sew it again, I'll use the Simplicity pattern as above. It might work better on a different body type though.

It's okay, I'll wear it to work and still look presentable, at least it is comfortable!


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oa South African Medical Journal - Medical Association of South Africa

Volume 50, Issue 47
  • ISSN : 0256-9574
  • Author
  • Source : South African Medical Journal, Volume 50, Issue 47, Nov 1976, p. 1917
  • Accreditation : Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)
    ScieLO SA (2016)
    The Sciences Citation Index of the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI)

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Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia - Volume 10, Issue 5, 2004

Volume 10, Issue 5, 2004

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MNASSA : Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of South Africa - Volume 34, Issue 1-2, 1975

Volume 34, Issue 1-2, 1975

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