This is a recap of my trip on August 10, 2007. Konrad Salwey and his father Wolfe live in Oberrotweil in one of the more southernly sections of Baden. It is a beautiful town and area and their vineyards are definetly in an area where there is not much around. I was really taken by the area and the wines. So relaxing and in August extremely green and lush are the vineyards I can see myself later in life retiring to a small village in Baden. I just love it. This was a long visit as we started off with a small tour of the distillery, as Weingut Salwey also distills tons of spirits along with with their numerous bottlings of wine. Konrad was also building a new winery which we saw and he just recently bought a rock quarry, which we also saw. Well onto the wines. This was my first time tasting
A few years ago I wrote quite a number of “Street Copy” posts, where all of the photos were taken with my trusty old Palm Zire 71. The Zire fell in disuse over the last year or so, and Street Copy posts ceased… ...
In many ways the events surrounding the period just before and early on in the Great Depression seem to bear a striking similarity to what we have seen recently.Maybe the events of this last year are simply an example of the typical ebb and flow of interactions between private institutions, the government and market participants during times of economic stress and uncertainty and that it’s only the reaction to turmoil that is similar.Or, more pessimistically, Maybe through a somewhat different path and to a different degree the economy has found itself in essentially the same precarious position as it had been in during the initial stages of the Great Depression and a similar unwinding is now underway.Or, more optimistically, maybe things just seem similar but they are in fact very diffe
Editor’s Note: Every so often we here at Viator start thinking about the meaning of travel — what’s it all about, why do we do it. See below for Philippa’s contribution to this growing topic. Also see Scott’s rant about Why we Travel, Rod’s Throw Away the Guidebook and Jane’s How to Travel (When You’re [...]
Since the beginning of thought, there’s been a disconnect between science and religion. Science has always been about the observable, namely energy. Religion has been about the unobservable, namely spirit (awareness). It’s as if they were two different things. It could be useful to look at them as different sides of the same thing. Einstein gave us the concept of E = m, the two sides of energy. E, electromagnetic energy, is the non-material (spiritual) aspect of energy. Mass is matter, the material aspect of energy. Both consist of exactly the same particles of energy. So what’s the difference? As Harry, an un-notable physicist once told me, “It’s the spin, baby; it’s all in the SPIN!” As it turned out, particles of E (the spiritual, non-material aspect of energy
This post sums up our mock draft. There's already been one trade affecting the draft order, with KC getting the #17 pick from Minnesota, and there are bound to be more in the first round before all is said and...
[Marc by Marc Jacobs on Style.com--yes, this is a guy, but the trend applies to girls too.]News flash: Doc Martens are back, kids! I'm not making this up--here it is straight from the horse's mouth (a.k.a. a top fashion editor at T Magazine):"We saw it in Europe at Jil Sander and Ferragamo, but seeing it at Marc by Marc Jacobs makes it official. The shoe of next season is the chunky-soled Doc Martens-inspired lace-up. It looked great worn here with slightly short pants in a very post-punk, new-wave way. There was a lot of conspicuous ankle flashing. Now, with my spindle shanks, I don’t think I’m going try these at home, but they sure will look cool on those L-train kids.”I don't live in Manhattan so I don't know if I might qualify as an L-train kid if, hypothetically, I were to live
(via memeorandum)This has to have Glenn Greenwald in conniptions (and rightly so). We now have the President admitting that he was fully aware of the methods of torture his top-level Cabinet members were approving. Not only that, but as Cernig points out, those meetings occured before the Yoo memos, and in fact were responsible for ordering the Yoo memos as a CYA. This is something that ought to drive any American with a conscience to cry for impeachment.Despite this, there are at this moment exactly four other bloggers of any note discussing this story.Meanwhile, the rest of the blogosphere is in a tizzy like I've never seen before over another story. And what story might that be? Obama said some things that were politically incorrect! GASP! A politician isn't completely in touch with the
(This essay was written last year around my birthday. I think the theory in reposting this essay once again, is that I'll be able to convince myself that perhaps I'm still stuck somewhere in 2007 or even 2005. I am...
A couple of things that are on my mind as we start the week.
Jim Duncan had lunch with Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist of The National Association of REALTORS, one day last week. Dr. Yun had some interesting comments on a lot of things, including the days on market statistic. Take a quick [...]
Democrats have very short memories:
After George McGovern won the Massachusetts primary Bob Novak phoned Democratic politicians around the country, who agreed with his assessment that blue-collar workers voting for McGovern did not understand what he really stood for. Later Novak reported in a column that an unnamed democratic senator had talked to him about McGovern. "The people don’t know...
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Every tradition has to start somewhere. For my wife and I, this one started a year ago (in retrospect), with our first meal at Osteria, which just happened to be on Easter Sunday. So when Easter rolled around this year and we had none of the usual family plans, my wife suggested a repeat. And there you have it, a tradition in the making.In the course of the last year, we made it back to Osteria on several occasions (including lunch just a couple of days prior to Easter), enough for me substantiate and build upon my original impressions. I felt strongly enough about the overall experience at Osteria to call it the best new restaurant in Philadelphia in my 2007 year-end roundup. I still feel that way. Apparently I’m not alone, as Philadelphia Magazine rated Osteria as number one in th
Arguably the most sensational boy band of all time, The New Kids on the Block, will be appearing on the Today Show this Friday. Are you excited? Maybe we are, at least a little. The popular faces on little girls' lunch boxes and sleeping bags will show again for a performance in the Plaza. Sources close to the band say all five original New Kids - Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, and Jordan and Jonathan Knight are participating. Sure hope this isn't an April Fools joke!Either way, on thumbplay we've got The Right Stuff with these- New Kids on the Block RingtonesGet New Kids on the Block ringtones straight to your phone's web browser at
After yesterday's Easter post, my mother decided to submit this as an entry from a Guest Editor.Above is the "I Married Little Richard" photo mentioned yesterday.Of course, seeing the photo again I realize my stepdad's perm is the least of the offending elements.I don't have it in me today to dismantle the fashion here...overall, I'm mostly overwhelmed at the color story.We. All. (Sort-of) Match.Our impromptu family portrait looks like it was art directed by the Chairwoman of an All-American 1976 Bicentennial committee...who happened to be abusing Quaaludes, hash brownies, and white wine spritzers at time she selected these outfits.*In addition to the Little Richard comment, my mother also said this about the picture:"No wonder the Welcome Wagon people never came when we moved in - we onl
The Colombian government confirmed that an Ecuadorean citizen was killed in the airstrike they conducted earlier this month. That strike resulted in the death of more than 20 individuals believed to be associated with the rebel group FARC, and sparked the region's most hostile diplomatic exchange in decades.
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has yet to comment, but when the family of the victim, Franklin Aisalia, reported him amongst the dead, Correa vowed that "Ecuador would not forgive the killing" if it were confirmed.
It's reported that Aisalia worked with the FARC, facilitating movement across the Colombian-Ecuador border. In a perfect world, that information would temper Ecuador's reaction. In our actual world, it seems to matter very little.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who has
Because that Peep Show image the other day amused you guys so much, here’s a link to the Peeps Diorama Contest sponsored by the Washington Post. Vote for your favorite!
[”Mommie Peepest” by Kathye Hamilton]
I was at the bus stop this morning and the You Are Beautiful sticker I put there the other day made me [...]
The Aging Disco Diva is heartbroken. I can't even bring myself to talk about Friday night's Kansas State men's basketball game...so I won't (It's my blog and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to....") In fact I ain't even going to supply a link....if you are that darn interested in my pain, then f'n Google it yourself. Sigh...I am drinking the Irish Creme right out of the bottle, why waste time pouring it into a glass?Gossip NewsEvidently K-Fed is in negotiations to appear in a Broadway play...he wants to share his...um... talent with the masses on the Great White Way.Umm....OK..... Umm.....gotta be better than his rap album....right??Usmagazine.com is saying Britney Spears's ex-husband, Kevin Federline, may make his Broadway debut in the musical Legally Blonde. A source tells Us that F
The Common Table was mentioned in an article in the Metro section of today's Washington Post. The bit about us is well-reported and includes a nice quote from my friend Deanna. (Note that this makes three of my friends who have been quoted in the Post in the last few weeks. Famous friends, baby. Famous friends. Now I just have to figure out how to ride their coattails, whatever that means.) Our friends at Casa Chirilagua, a Christian neo-monastic community near DC, were also featured in the article.On top of that, several of us Commoners had the privilege of helping out with one of the worship services for the Interfaith Peace Witness this weekend, and also the Washington, DC stop on Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change / Deep Shift tour. Some of us did a ton of work for these thi
Wire Hang Redux is a remake of the excellent Wire Hang game, in which you must climb up an never ending series of platforms using a grappling hook. The game ends if you fall. Use the mouse to control your aim and to fire the hook. Wire Hang Redux was written using BlitzPlus and BlitzMax.
[ Download ]
White House Redux, concorso internazionale di idee per la nuova sede della Casa Bianca
"In occasione dell'elezione del 44esimo Presidente degli Stati Uniti, Storefront for Art and Architecture, in associazione con Control Group e il patrocinio di Abitare, ha indetto un concorso per il palazzo presidenziale del futuro, nuovo simbolo del potere politico."
But first... A note... Several of you asked to be interviewed by me. Please check the post to see if your questions are up or if you'd like to be interviewed.Below are questions I've received with my answersFrom faerievixen2 1) What does the word "love" mean to you?In a way I guess for me it means freedom. Freedom to trust, freedom to be, freedom of emotions. It's like opening a flood gate of ability to give while at the same time taking ownership for the responsibility in affording another the same freedom.2) Of all the places you've lived, what was your favorite and why?I can't really say that I have a favourite. There have been many places and they have all had their ups and downs. San Diego was nifty but hot. I suppose if I were to pick one it'd be the town I lived in as a kid. It was
From "Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?" (NYT, February 14, 2008):But now, [Susan Jacoby, author of The Age of American Unreason] said, something different is happening: anti-intellectualism (the attitude that “too much learning can be a dangerous thing”) and anti-rationalism (“the idea that there is no such things as evidence or fact, just opinion”) have fused in a particularly insidious way.Not only are citizens ignorant about essential scientific, civic and cultural knowledge, she said, but they also don’t think it matters.[...]Ms. Jacoby doesn’t expect to revolutionize the nation’s educational system or cause millions of Americans to switch off “American Idol” and pick up Schopenhauer. But she would like to start a conversation about why the United
After everyone else has already been talking about it, New York Times belatedly enters the fray with a story about building green without new construction. As when I covered the question before, the reality of needing to cut emissions and energy usage is going to require a larger effort than simply going forward with green building standards on all new construction, even if that were the current reality, which it's not. Amusingly, the Times even suggests that green design is de rigeur, which it is not, and efforts to mandate are being fiercely resisted as we saw so recently in California with Schwarzenegger's veto of a measure that would upgrade building codes across the board in his state.
The reality is that we're not going far enough currently, and all there is even for new constr
Sometimes, you write something, and believe it to be, like, one-hundred and ten percent true - like, say, I cry so much because I am hormonal, and happy - and then, just hours later, you find yourself standing in the kitchenwares aisle at Zellers sobbing and whimpering, to no-one in particular, I am crying because I CANNOT HANDLE THIS SHIT, I CANNOT HANDLE THIS SHIT, I CANNOT DO THIS, as your
Twice in the past (Feb 2007 and May 2007) I have written about a fundamental screen which identifies stocks that have experienced a constant decrease in P/E ratio over the previous year. Being a bargain hunting bottom feeder at heart, I originally created this screen in an attempt to identify high quality, yet beaten up stocks. The more I think about it, however, the less confident I am that "high quality" has anything to do with it.Given that I have limited data at this point I can't really draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of the screen. That said I intend to revisit the previous results of this screen in an attempt to learn a thing or two. To that end the purpose of this post is to check in on the stocks that were identified by the screen in February. At some point I hope to add a little science and track every stock that is spit out of this filter for a substantial period of time.This particular screen places a big premium on growth and steadily falling P/E ratios. In t
This one's for all you skeptics out there, who do not believe that something can be home-made (or home-assembled) and compete with store-bought "stuff".Here is one of my small gifts, comprising of:A cute mug (from Michaels- cost: around $3 with coupon and tax)A cellophane bag with a silver twisty and filled with my Chai concoction (cost: around $0.50)A printed recipe (no real cost)Assorted gift-wrap trimmings (cost: around $0.10)Grand total: $3.60. It did take me a while to get it done - the tea prep, the wrapping, etc..., but I think it looks nicer than a lot of similar things I've seen around the stores. So? Not too bad, eh?
Driving around this weekend, I was listening to a local real estate radio show that I’m sure many of you have heard. One of the calls again demonstrates that we are nowhere near the bottom of this housing bonanza. The call went as follows and I do paraphrase:
Host: “How can we help you?”
Caller: “My boyfriend had an offer recently. He has good credit. He has a 778 score. Someone told him he can make $30,000 in one month. All he needs to do is let them use his score.”
Host: “This doesn’t sound right. I’m starting to think there is something else here.”
Caller: “They also said if he used it on 3 homes he would get $90,000. What do you think?”
Host: “Let me ask you. Do you think this deal is okay?”
Caller: “I don’t know [hesitant voice]”
Host: “Don’t do it. This smells of fraud.”
You may know this scheme since it’s played out countless times. We’ve touched upon it a few times here on various articles. What occurs here is the per
We’re sitting in Harvey’s, waiting for the boys to finish their fries so we can head over to Toys R Us (an exciting family night on the town!) Tristan, sitting beside me on the bench, is playing with an onion ring, which prompts a discussion about rings on fingers and my rings in particular.
“There’s one from Granny,” I say, showing him a white gold band with a ruby set into its face, a ring given to my mother before my parents were married by a rich aunt of my father. “And these two are from Daddy. See, it looks like one ring, but really there are two together on the same finger. So two rings, plus one ring is how many rings?” I ask, since Tristan is beginning to work on his math skills this year.
“Is that your wedding ring?” Tristan asks, ignoring the math question and already knowing the answer because they’ve long been fascinated by my rings.
When I say yes, it is, I can see the wheels turning in Tristan’s head.
And so it's over. We had a great Thanksgiving weekend. All 22 of us had a wonderful meal, good company, lots of football watching and Wii-playing.Clif is not too happy as his Yellow Jackets didn't sting the Dawgs this weekend for the 7th year in a row. He's threatening to not renew season tickets. It sounds like the coach won't be there next year, so I'm betting that he gives a new coach a chance (depending on who they hire). If anyone in the AD's office at GT would like suggestions, I'm sure he has a long wish list of possible candidates.Click the photo on the left to read about this rivalry that my husband says I just can't understand because I didn't grow up here.The kids here at Babies Make Six were fascinated by all of their older cousins. The first photo below has all of their first cousins except 1 (who is the youngest). They wore each other out and miss each other already. Lauren was even singing a song about her cousin Rachel on the way to preschool this morning.Getti
Florence Beauty Redux - A Video And A Simple Novel In 5 Steps For A Once In A Lifetime Experience
Most people just live where they were born, as if their native cities were timeless...that was my case, until 2 years ago (I am just 27, better late than never...), when I began discovering even Florence once was a child, and rose under precise social and cultural conditions.
As a rich son of a
My political archrival and commentor Mark Karr submitted this noteworthy link, in response to my previous Cheney-impeachment post. I’m glad he did. It was, in fact, a fine footnote to the article, justifying my expressed disenchantment with my own Democratic party. Of course, I could counter with similar switchback rhetoric from the rival side, too. [...]
Aural Film Noir Excursions Re-upBack by popular demand! Well, not really, but I had to say it. Recently, a person that goes the by the initials "LD" requested that this film noir mix be re-upped. I told you guys before, I will try to grant most requests that are within reason. So thanks to "LD", those of you who didn't get a chance to hear/download this before will get a second chance. It was originally posted on January 8, 2007, back when Eclectic Grooves was still in it's early stages of development. If you want to see the original post for this, please go here.Comments were few and far between the last time I posted this, so hopefully you guys will get more engaged and give your opinions/input this time around. I love compiling mix-tapes/Cd's, but this one was a real labor of love. I believe that this mix is my greatest achievement. Please let me know what you think! Let's get the comments rolling... Here's the setlist:
Yes, it's true. This will be my last post. Saturday night, I wore a red dress. This is a pic of me, the red dress, and the gorgeous flowers I was given for the event. If you do not know about me and red dresses, take a few minutes to read this post: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 , and you will then understand. You will understand what it means to me to have worn a red dress this weekend. You will know that wearing a red dress again means it's time to end the blog. You will know that wearing a red dress means I'm happy, again. That it is possible to be happy, again. It's possible to dance, sing, laugh, play and wear red dresses again. It's possible to look forward. It's possible to get through a day without thinking of what we went through. It will never leave me. The journey, it will always be a part of me. Lou, our love, our life together...wrapped in my heart, forever. But I know there are new journeys to take. And I know the heart can hold mo
The latest editions of Marc Jacobs' celebrity nudes have arrived including new shots of Heidi Klum, Eva Mendes and Helena Christensen! The shirts are available at Marc Jacobs stores, of course, for $35.Last year, the designer's series of T-shirts featuring celebs such as Julianne Moore, Rufus Wainwright and Winona Ryder in the buff sold out, raising approximately $400,000 for melanoma research and they are now considered collectors items. You can totally rock these shirts for Halloween and be a naked Heidi Klum, Eva Mendes, Helena Christensen, etc. Totally not fun but somewhat funny!
Just take those old Ray Bans off the Shelf…I’ll sit and wear them by myself…
OK, enough of that old time rock 'n roll, and reminiscing about Tom Cruise shakin’ his moneymaker in his undies. Those old standard Ray Bans of the Eighties are back and it’s not just American celebs that are sporting them.
Many serious fashionistas (i.e. international magazine editors and buyers) in Europe were seen sporting the Ray Ban Red Wayfarer style.
On the streets, chic Europeans were donning every other style of Ray Bans, including eyeglass frames. I saw lots of Ray Bans aviator styles worn on both girls and guys. I even spotted an older gentleman in a suit and white Ray Ban eyeglass frames pulling off the look as only an Italian can.
Italians in particular are fans of the iconic brand. When compared to other luxe sunglasses brands such as Gucci or Dior, Ray Bans come at a better price point.
The reasonable price and classic, yet modern, styling contributes to their po
On Thursday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Iran of “lying” about its nuclear program. While Iran’s intentions are uncertain, the United States has no evidence that it is lying about its nuclear capabilities. In fact, Rice’s rhetoric is reminiscent of the false charges levied by the Bush administration against Iraq in 2002.read more | digg story
Madonna leaving New York’s Reebok Sports Club yesterday + So Close to Seeing Hayden Panettiere’s Ass [Egotastic!] + Beyonce’s totally wearing a see-through dress [Just Jared] + Kate Moss really scraping the bottom of the barrel on this one [Drunken Stepfather] + Monica Bellucci is a platinum goddess [F-Listed] + Hellooooo...
Rebecca Buckman and Kevin J. Delaney, writing for The Wall Street Journal, chronicle the initial symptoms of another dotcom bubble in the works. "The goofy-names index, for example, is back near its previous high....Then there's this familiar froth indicator: Some office landlords in Silicon Valley are again accepting stock in still-private start-ups in lieu of rent....Free food is a bubble
In 1918, Presdent Woodrow Wilson committed U.S. forces to the territory north of St. Petersburg, to help fight the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War. By 1919, 5,000 American troops were in the northern Russian theater, intervening on the side of the anti-Bolsheviks. The plan, of course, backfired, resulting in a hardened Bolshevik opposition.In June of 1919 the U.S. Senate passed a resolution asking Wilson to explain his reasons for sending troops to fight and die in Siberia. Republican (that's right, Republican) Senator William Borah exposed Wilson's strategy of sliding into war through the back door, saying that "while Congress has not declared war, we are carrying on war with the Russian people. We have an army in Russia; we are furnishing munitions and supplies." The good Senator harshly condemned what had been revealed as nothing more or less than a policy "to intervene by military force in the internal affairs of Russia and to establish a government that will be satisfac
WonderBaby came into this world with her eyes wide open, silent but for a few obligatory shouts. There had been complications, so they whisked her away for a moment, but within a very few minutes she was pressed against my chest, a tiny, fierce life-force, clutching, grasping, straining for the breast.
She found it. Within minutes of having burst out of me in a gush of pain, she was latched to
A smiley Kate Walsh arrives at a wedding reception in Santa Monica with her new movie exec hubby Alex Young on Saturday. She is just too nice to paparazzi! The Private Practice star looked elegant in her full-length embroidered dress. Practice pulled in a healthy 14.4 million viewers during its season premiere last Thursday. ...
Thanks to Michael, who contacted me to let me know there was in fact a better solution to the one I first provided regarding bandwidth monitoring in OS X. And that solution is SurplusMeter. This brief tutorial will get you started using SurplusMeter.
To get started, download and install SurplusMeter.
Launch it from your Applications folder. The main interface will appear, and you’ll need to make a few adjustments before you’re done. First, select the Connection type: - as the default is PPP modem, and hopefully you have broadband via your Ethernet port or Airport wireless.
Because SurplusMeter was actually created with the idea of tracking exactly how much you use the Internet, you can even set a Month starts on date (ie. the first day of your billing cycle) - since that’s how most ISP’s who limit your bandwidth will monitor it. If you don’t actually have a “set in stone” download limit, you can ignore the Download limit: setting, but you
It’s got to be a well choreographed set-up by Bettman and his thugs at NHL head office. The whole jersey re-design campaign launched this season is nothing but a ploy to enrage fans beyond all comprehension, stoke the anger of players and sell a whole boatload of the bland, poorly designed (with exceptions of course) sweaters to the die-hards who would gladly shell out for burlap sacks with collars and arm-holes if that was the official offering.
And then.. there will be a huge mid-season mea-culpa (made by one of Bettman’s flunkies.) There will be admissions of guilt (in the passive voice of course — “mistakes were made,” “certain issues were not considered,” — no need to make themselves look too much like buffoons while executing the final stage of their plan) and a commitment to return to a more “classic” look the following season.
The RBK jerseys from this coming season will become collectors items, hundreds of thousands
The old anecdote goes that when the upstart Continental Army defeated the British at Yorktown, Cornwallis refused to meet Washington after the battle and sent an aide to present his saber to his American counterpart. It is said that the British band started playing “The World Turned Upside Down”, a song that I have never heard, and perhaps never will, but I can still somehow sing in my head right now. I have never sympathized with Cornwallis, not until now… I feel like nothing makes sense anymore, a issue that is only further emphasized by the fact that the Lions actually didn’t completely choke this game away, that a last minute fumble actually went their way. Michigan is winless and the Detroit Lions are undefeated… I’m not sure I can explain any further. In 2003, I was in High School and my dad was cooking duck on a September day that was supposed to be a good joke, a little arrogant celebration after Michigan defeated Oregon. The duck was still good, but it was
I posted this on my weight loss blog but thought I'd bring it over here too. It's two! Two! Two posts in one!Why do some people just have to try to bring other people down? Are they SO miserable?That's it. I'm way too sensitive for this internet crap.I was on YouTube browsing through videos looking for choreography videos for Zumba class. There was this one chick who make a whole series of videos on how much Zumba sucks/is stupid/should tell people they look bad in tank tops before letting them up on stage. She was so mean! I couldn't help wondering what she was doing there if all she was going to do was make fun of people.Oh. You mean, like, maybe that is why she was there? Do people really suck that hard?Part of me really, really, wanted to comment and point out that she's no prize-winner herself. The better part of me argued that that would just make me like her. So I totally started a flame-war on her butt.OK, kidding. I kept my mouth shut.And then I commented on this other v
Back in March of 2005 I wrote a post titled, "How are you at Creative Listening?" I mention it here, again, because, just today, the idea that employees might not communicate as clearly as we might hope came up - not just once, but twice. Here, then, is an expert from that post:"People are always telling us things. And more times than they probably realize, WHAT they tell us doesn't always make sense - at least not at first. One way to deal with that is to ignore whatever doesn't make sense. But that's a lesser strategy."The stronger approach is to become a Creative Listener, listening not just to what IS said, but to what might be MEANT by what is said, as well. This is particularly important when the subject matter is emotionally-charged." So the next time that someone says something to you that doesn't quite make sense, give them the benefit of the doubt. Be patient. Ask questions. Say back what you're hearing to see if it's correct. Assume that there is an excellent nugget th
Some Tom Coughlin news today that made us happy. Seems like not everyone thought giving Coughlin detention on his own ranch was the right thing to do. From "The Morning News"
An appeals court ruled today that former Wal-Mart executive Tom Coughlin's sentence of probation and house arrest following a fraud conviction was too light and ordered a lower court to resentence him.
The Arkansas Times says there's a good chance Coughlin will do jail time. The video? In honor of the story, our old friend Henry Rollins visits Wal-Mart in his animated form. Enjoy.
Ugh! I had no idea there would be so many major and minor complications in the set-up and transfer to my own domain!
It ended up being rather easy to set up the domain and web host, and relatively inexpensive. It took maybe an hour or so, plus a few hours of shopping around.
Designing the new blog banner took up the better part of a Saturday, but I’m pretty happy with it. It’s a good start, anyway.
Choosing a “theme” for WordPress continues to be an ongoing drama. Unfortunately, I have some vague and some specific ideas of what I want, and I must have looked at 300 or more themes trying to find one that was just right. Relatively minimalistic, single sidebar; how difficult could the choice be? Don’t get me started.
Finally, I downloaded one, and to my great shock, it’s coded in PHP instead of the CSS/HTML combination that my Blogger template is written in. So in order to customize it at all, I’ve been teaching myself PHP. Did I mention ugh???
I
New Beginnings - ArtExpo Bets on Las Vegas
In the art world, when a show in a new venue springs forth with energy, sales and optimism, the excitement is palpable and contagious. It's my hope this post will herald a new beginning with ArtExpo Las Vegas. The past decade has wrought so much change within the industry and for the most part, everything is more difficult and confounding. But, opportunity still abounds if you know where find the cheese in its new spaces. I truly hope this show is one of those spaces. The industry sorely needs the shot of adrenalin that good news and great results a happening new venue always brings.
If you have been a reader of my Art Print Issues blog, you know I have expressed the importance to the industry of having a vibrant ArtExpo and dismay at changes there that don't portend well for the portion of the art market it importantly represents. I won't discuss the changes wrought by a host of factors, some of which are roiling industries of all sorts
This week’s interview is a partial edited transcript from last week’s audio interview with Chris Heuer. The whole 30 minute podcast is still available here on the Buzz Bin:
“Now Is Gone: A New Media Primer for Executives and Entrepreneurs” will be released in early Fall, 2007. The primary thesis of the book is Chris Heuer’s Participation is Marketing concept. Contributing author Brian Solis guided me towards Chris’s participation post, and the rest is history.
BB: What does “participation is marketing” mean?
CH: I was at the first BarCamp back in August of 2005, almost two years ago now, and I started seeing things a little bit differently there because power has shifted from institutions to individuals. A lot of people look at marketing now as a four-letter word.
The game has completely changed. In fact, lately I’ve been talking to people about how, the web wasn’t as revolutionary as it was evolutionary with the development of a new channel. But the rise of so
This news has nothing to do with economic fundamentals, but rather the status of the political environment.Via Larry Kudlow:“1,028 economists who are against imposing retaliatory trade measures against China signed the Club for Growth petition that includes almost 50 percent Republicans and 50 percent Democrats. Bravo!Seventy-seven years ago, 1,028 economists in both political parties petitioned Herbert Hoover to veto the Smoot-Hawley tariff bill. Hat tip to Greg Mankiw's blog site for reprinting the New York Times article.While the Hoover-Smoot-Hawley tariff was a huge hike in tariff rates, and Dodd-Shelby and other Congressional bills would impose retaliatory duties unless China significantly raises its Yuan currency exchange rate, the potential trade war similarities are very worrisome. As was the case in the 1930s, legislation proposed today could spark a China trade war that conceivably could spread worldwide. Of course, this would put an end to the record-setting global econom
[PLEASE REFER TO ADDENDUM AT THE END OF THIS POST]
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and not just motherf###### prostitutes. motherf###### weirdos as well. motherf###### boys with long hair. motherf###### with one blurry picture of themselves, then 17 professionally taken photos of their motherf###### cat. fat motherf###### sunbathing on motherf###### boats. and i’ve had enough. i can’t browse around anymore without it being all “disturbing motherf###### mental issues” this and “hint of motherf###### boob” that.
YOU PEOPLE ARE MOTHERF###### SLAGS.
also: “lol”. if you really are “lol-ing” every motherf###### time you type it, then you oughta be asking yourself some motherf###### questions. i am genuinely concerned for your wellbeing. especially when, upon reading what you’ve written myself, i struggle fruitlessly to feel
Every blue moon or so I accidentally make an astute comment. On those rare occasions I feel compelled to take credit for it. A good example of such an occasion was way back on June 26th when I observed that SYNL's chart had the familiar look of an IBD 100 stock that, after a long bullish run, appeared to be toast.SYNL was trading at $37.04 when I first said it looked like it was toast. I made the comment that if it didn't find support at $36 "you could be looking at another 20% drop before you know what hit you". Well, $36 did not hold and it closed the day on Tuesday at $31.80, or 14% lower than it was just nine trading days ago.At the risk of ruining my one prognostication winning streak I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the stock is headed to its 200 day moving average at around $26 in the next couple weeks. That would constitute a 30% drop from where it was on June 26th and a 45% drop from its mid-June peak. Keep in mind that I have nothing whatsoever against SYNL; I do
Peter Hitchens made me smirk the other day, when I read his online column in the Mail on Sunday. I’m not a big fan of the Mail, but Hitchens’ writings certainly strike a chord with me.
“A modern British liberal will defend to the death your right to agree with him. Disagree, and he will call the police.”
Holding outspoken views can make you feel like people are looking at you as if you have two heads. The bland rubbish that I publish on here is a testament to my wanting to appear one-headed. This spinelessness really has to stop.
In case you missed Micah's interview with Meredith Arthur over at Chow, I've summed it up for you in a NUT shell. My quotes might not be strictly accurate, but you'll get the gist.Hi Micah. So tell us about your Top Chef 3 Experience. How did you like it?"Momma is American. Poppa is South African. Momma divorced Poppa and it was acrimonious. They imploded then exploded. I lived with Momma in America, but I got custody of Poppa's South African accent. I have issues and ... "Going back to Top Che..."I wandered all over the world, here and there and everywhere, collecting accents and recipes, and a daughter. Along the way I lost her father. If anyone finds him please tie him up and send him back with a money order to ..."I really don't give a rat's ass about the people you've slept with. What about the food, Micah? Tell us about your cooking philosophy."Oh, yea, I am a renaissance chef, preferring recipes that use Wild Boar, Hart's hearts, and Peacock Balls. And did you see that
Britney Spears is all over the map and many believe another meltdown can only be right around the corner. She is again battling with her still husband Kevin Federline over the terms of her divorce. She turned up in short shorts picking and scratching and delivered some sort of a letter to her mom. She is claiming that her rehab was all fake and was reportedly so convinced that second hand dope smoke would cause her to fail a drug test that she went bald. According to sources cited by AOL Celebrity website TMZ.Com, Britney was on Prozac and once she quit taking it her post-partum depression became worse and that's when she melted down before the paparazzi cameras. According to that report, Federline threatened to go public by going to court to wrestle custody from her if she didn't go to rehab. Sources say Spears could not withstand the pressure from her mom, Federline and Rudolph, and checked into Promises last February 20. But she now says she didn't need rehab. Well, she's ag
You can still find them out there, on occasion. You remember, from back in the 80s, the people who would collect beer bottles or soda cans or something and build geodesic dome houses out of them out away from the sorts of neighborhoods that frowned on that sort of thing. The builder/owners swore that the dome provided better natural heating and cooling, reducing energy costs. They're still out there, here and there, doggedly following in the footsteps of their conceptual forebears, trying to save materials, if not effort, and playing the energy efficiency game besides.
Well, Todd Carpenter guestblogging on InmanBlog has the 21st version of that concept: welcome to the strange world of shipping container housing. The concepts are little different from those other recycled homes, and could be applied just as well. With possible exception that the bottle- or can-based homes only really form ultra-modern dome homes, the profiles of these different types of materials are pretty close
Remember this post? Here's more of the online variety. They're probably more annoying than stupid, but whatever.Websites with embedded audio. Whoever the hell thought embedding audio on a website is a great idea has obviously never been scared shitless by sudden loud music blaring from his speakers at 3 a.m. in the morning. Not funny.Website layouts with blinding colour combinations. Here's the thing. I surf to have fun, relax and generally enjoy myself. I DO NOT surf to give myself bleeding eyes. Fire engine red, bright orange and lime green do not make soothing colour combinations. See, if your friend told you your site looks awesome? He's totally lying. Buy a clue. Consult a colour wheel.Page transitions. It's probably cool if you're 13 years old with a Xanga site but it's also Very Annoying. Just don't do it.Google is your best friend. I go to all these forums and see people asking all these stupid questions (omg ive neva seen a green apple wat iz it? lololol) that can prob
Remember this post? Here's more of the online variety. They're probably more annoying than stupid, but whatever.Websites with embedded audio. Whoever the hell thought embedding audio on a website is a great idea has obviously never been scared shitless by sudden loud music blaring from his speakers at 3 a.m. in the morning. Not funny.Website layouts with blinding colour combinations. Here's the thing. I surf to have fun, relax and generally enjoy myself. I DO NOT surf to give myself bleeding eyes. Fire engine red, bright orange and lime green do not make soothing colour combinations. See, if your friend told you your site looks awesome? He's totally lying. Buy a clue. Consult a colour wheel.Page transitions. It's probably cool if you're 13 years old with a Xanga site but it's also Very Annoying. Just don't do it.Google is your best friend. I go to all these forums and see people asking all these stupid questions (omg ive neva seen a green apple wat iz it? lololol) that can prob
Berlin Hotel Recreates East Germany | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited
The above Guardian article mentions perhaps the greatest treat for the cost-conscious traveler in Berlin: nostalgia, history and cheap prices. The Ostel in Berlin is a budget hotel that recreates the East German way of life. At nightly rates that are quite low compared to standard hotel rates in Berlin, guests stay in rooms decorated like the standard issue apartments of the communist era. (The beds and sheets, we are assured, are new.) For as little as $20 a night, you can bunk with other travelers in multi-occupancy rooms that harken to the Free German Youth summer camps of the former DDR.
Naturally, you will want to take the walki-talki.com mp3 walking tour of Berlin with you to get a better idea of why the Ostel hostel is so special.
The Ostel’s official web is www.ostel.eu.
You can find complete photo galleries here.
Berlin Hotel Recreates East Germany | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited
The above Guardian article mentions perhaps the greatest treat for the cost-conscious traveler in Berlin: nostalgia, history and cheap prices. The Ostel in Berlin is a budget hotel that recreates the East German way of life. At nightly rates that are quite low compared to standard hotel rates in Berlin, guests stay in rooms decorated like the standard issue apartments of the communist era. (The beds and sheets, we are assured, are new.) For as little as $20 a night, you can bunk with other travelers in multi-occupancy rooms that harken to the Free German Youth summer camps of the former DDR.
Naturally, you will want to take the walki-talki.com mp3 walking tour of Berlin with you to get a better idea of why the Ostel hostel is so special.
The Ostel’s official web is www.ostel.eu.
You can find complete photo galleries here.
Last night's Mets-Phils game was extremely painful to watch, and even more painful for Endy Chavez. For those of you who don't know, the Mets squandered 6 innings of shutout ball when Heilman gave up a 3 run job on a 1-2 count in the top of the 7th. The Mets rallied in the next inning, getting runners on second and third, with none out, down by one.From 30 years of data, compiled and presented by wallkoffbalk: http://winexp.walkoffbalk.com/expectancy/searchhome teams have won at a 71.1% rate (59/83) when faced with that situation. The Mets pinch hit Julio Franco in the pitcher's slot. The Marlins did not play the infield in, even at the corners.Allowing the run to score while getting the out at first is a fairly win neutral play, with home teams winning at a 69% rate (306/442) with a runner at third, one out, in a tie game.If the runner at third is does not attempt to score, and the batter is out at first base, then with runners on second and third, one out, the win expectancy drops
Officials Against Evolution. The OAE. It looks like Greek. They should make it the Omega Alpha Epsilon fraternity and have a secret handshake and everything.It is alarming, isn't it? How much do we really know about any of these people? And how much does it affect their jobs? I hate to bring up intelligence...okay, let’s just say judgment. If our decision makers make bad judgments on such a grand scale in one realm, might it be reasonable to assume the same carelessness or lack of reason could affect other big decisions? Isn't that part of the concern over infidelity, lying, cheating, stealing in general?I'm digging myself into a hole making this argument and then coming out in support of Giuliani (regarding infidelity), but infidelity is not a lapse of basic reason in the same way overlaying a faith-based myth upon science (for the sake of convenience) is. It's just not quite as grand a scale.The very order of the universe vs. inability to keep pecker in pants...I'm not defendi
Remember a while back when we reported on the awesome tennis court that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played on that was half clay-half grass? You don't? Umm, okay. For those of you that do, check it out, we have video! Damn, we love YouTube.If that isn't the best use of $1.6 million dollars we don't know what is.
Dew over at The Hidden Side of a Leaf has tagged me in the "Page 161" meme and that's kind of cool because I just picked up a new book this afternoon and it was sitting in my lap when I saw her new tag. I was in my local Kroger this morning on an emergency run for a dozen eggs and some buttermilk (my wife was baking and came up short of both items) and I happened to go down the magazine/book aisle of the store. Well, of course, "happened to" is not accurate; I always take that path when I'm in the store no matter toward which aisle I'm ultimately headed.This time a new hardcover book caught my eye primarily because its cover looked so familiar. Turns out that it is by the author of The Kite Runner and this new one, A Thousand Splendid Suns, has a very similar cover. My errand didn't leave me with much spare time but the book was marked 25% off so I took a chance on it. I've taken a closer look at it now, and it appears to be something that I'll really like.So...here's the f
Sun City GirlsSun City Girls - Cameo Demons And Their Manifestations Sun City Girls - Valentines For MatahariThe Sun City Girls were a United States experimental rock band formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1982. The members were Alan Bishop (bass guitar, vocals), his brother Richard Bishop (guitar, piano), and the late Charles Gocher (drums). Their name was inspired by Sun City, Arizona, an Arizona retirement community. They found little mainstream success (and never really sought any), but they continue to inspire a devoted cult following and have recorded numerous critically acclaimed albums, released in small editions by labels like Placebo, Majora, Eclipse Records, Amarillo Records, and their own Abduction imprint. Critic Steve Leggett writes, "Throughout its history SCG has remained a challenging, unpredictable, and eclectic musical unit, operating outside the commercially driven aspirations of the mainstream recording industry, and the group has become somewhat of a beacon to indepen
+ Prince owns Paris Hilton in front of hundreds of people [Celebitchy]+ New Britney Spears up skirt shot [Drunken Stepfather]+ Lindsay Lohan Hates Sleeping Alone. Obviously. [Egotastic!]+ Lindsay looks like Al from Home Improvement [Jordin Is Your Homeboy]Wrong Stats: Probably the funniest thing to come out of the Duke Rape scandal.
I rewatched, super carefully this time, Giada's Everyday Lunches. This is the recipe they left out on the website. I reconstructed it for you. Giada's Pear and Gorgonzola Tart3 pears, cored and thinly sliced2 tbls. unsalted butter4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature2 oz. Gorgonzola, at room temperature1 tbl. fresh thyme, finely shoppedFreshly ground black pepper and saltprebaked pastry shell3 slices prosciutto, juliennedSauté the pears for 5 minutes in butter until slightly softened and warm.In a small bowl, mix together the 2 cheeses and thyme. Season with freshly ground black pepper and a tiny amount of salt. Spread mixture in bottom of pastry shell. Cover with pears. Sprinkle over julienned prosciutto. Cut into wedges to serve.Note:I would prefer this in little individual phyllo cups, which are available frozen. Just cut the pears in a small dice, before you sauté them.
It was just over two and a half years ago that we learned that my nephew, Tanner, has Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy, and that he will die from it. He was not quite five years old at the time. We were devastated. Wrecked. Heartbroken.
What very nearly got lost in the distress of those days and weeks and months was this: the decision that my husband and I had made, just weeks before learning of
Starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio...no, not Titanicnot even Titanic Part IIJack and Rose are reuniting for a film version of the classic Robert Yates novel "Revolutionary Road" directed by Sam Mendes. Winslet and DiCaprio will play April and Frank Wheeler for those of you who know the novel
The following description and images are from the Gemma Redux web site at http://www.gemmaredux.com/about.html. I think this designer is very original and indie hip. The pieces are cutting edge as I haven't seen anything like it before."GEMMA REDUXThe handmade pieces of gemma redux are created using uniquely chosen and alluring materials. Many of these materials are vintage and are therefore in limited supply, making each piece unique and not to be duplicated. These pieces not only reflect a modern approach in their design, but they also reflect a classic elegance reflected in their vintage and recycled elements.RACHEL DOOLEYRachel Dooley is a self taught jewelry designer whose love of hard, industrial materials inspires the intricate and unique jewelry she creates using stainless steel, copper, gold, silver, and brass chains. These pieces are enhanced with semi-precious gems, balancing raw, cold elements with delicate and colorful accents. Rachel is currently a lawyer in Manhattan,
About two weeks ago I wrote about PocketMod: The Free Disposable Personal Organizer - you can see my PocketMod post here. While I didn’t pick up on PocketMod for myself I was intrigued by it’s potential customizations and ease of use.
No, it’s not as alluring as my Moleskine but it certainly is a good throw away tool.
The PocketMod site offers two tools for customizing your own version. The first is an online utility which lets you set everything up and create a printable PDF. The second tool is a program called PDF to PocketMod which I admit I haven’t tested - supposedly it converts PDF files into PocketMod format though.
Today I noticed a similar program over at the Big Nerd Ranch Weblog called PagePacker. PagePacker is Mac software which allows users to create their own PocketMod templates in a neat way. Beyond incorporating many of the Hipster PDA templates from D*I*Y* Planner you can also drag and drop images and PDF files which will be automatically f
POLITICAL ADVERSARIAL
EVEN MORE IMPORTANT NOTICE: NO INJUNS WOZ KILLED IN THE RECORDING OF THIS SKETCH. SOME DIED, BUT FRANK LEE, IT AIN'T OUR FAULT IF THEY CAN'T TAKE THEIR TOE JAM
BIRD: Thanksgiving? What's all that about, then? BUFFALO: It's something we do on the third Thursday of every November, a national holiday, like. We give thanks for everything that we have. BIRD: For everything? BUFFALO: Ja, Mein Hair, for all the good things that we took away from the Indians. BIRD: You're still pestering the Indians over there then? BUFFALO: Well, not me personally, dude, seeing as how I'm one sixteenth Choctaw, and right proud of it, too. BIRD: So, who's doing all the pestering, then? BUFFALO: The Pilgrims, dude. That bunch that sailed here from Plymouth, England, back in 1620 and landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. BIRD: Plymouth Rock? Good Lord, what are the chances of that? BUFFALO: Aye, the Pilgrims immediately saw the divine hand of Providence in that, you betcha
The first time I saw a grizzly bear, I thought it was a live teddy bear, and I broke free from my Mother's grasp and ran to pat it in Yellowstone Park. People in the campground backed away in fear as the bear slowly ambled through the grounds. I felt no fear. It was a teddy bear to me. My Mother said she gained all her white hair that day. Of course, the grizzly paid me no heed, for I was fearless, loving and foolish. It just kept walking. I loved Yellowstone because of the bears, the geysers and the energy!
That scene was a long time ago, and when I finally returned later with three others passing through on a roadtrip in the 2,000's, forest fires had ravaged much of Yellowstone, and we saw black stumps and charred forests everywhere. The park and energies were eerie, and it was the time of the Full Moon (see photo).
We stayed at the prestigious Old Faithful Inn, an amazing place with 65 foot ceilings, railings made of lodgepole pine, and a massive, roaring rhyolite fireplac
Get Jacked!, Episode 186
Date: October 3, 2006
Full episode: Giant Assed Stewardesses
Summary: My Fat Ass Itches meets air travel as Jack Elias finds his personal space invaded by an oversized flight attendant. Jack also played my song in Episode 168, just because he liked it.
Listen: (0:36).
Get Jacked!, Episode 186
Date: October 3, 2006
Full episode: Giant Assed Stewardesses
Summary: My Fat Ass Itches meets air travel as Jack Elias finds his personal space invaded by an oversized flight attendant. Jack also played my song in Episode 168, just because he liked it.
Listen: (0:36).
Get Jacked!, Episode 186
Date: October 3, 2006
Full episode: Giant Assed Stewardesses
Summary: My Fat Ass Itches meets air travel as Jack Elias finds his personal space invaded by an oversized flight attendant. Jack also played my song in Episode 168, just because he liked it.
Listen: (0:36).
There is news today of a new study about mental health problems in prison and jails. The information shows a much bigger problem than previously reported.
MSNBC.com
More than half of America's prison and jail inmates have symptoms of a mental health problem, the Justice Department estimated Wednesday. But fewer than one-third of those with problems are getting treatment behind bars. The study by the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics also found the incidence of symptoms much higher among women than men.
Compared to inmates without symptoms, these mentally troubled prisoners were more likely to have been jailed before, to get into a fight behind bars, to have been physically or sexually abused in the past and to have drug problems, the bureau said. But troubled inmates were no more likely to have used a weapon during their offense (37 percent for troubled and nontroubled state prisoners) and only slightly more likely to have committed a violent offense (49 percent of state
I'm back in full effect at Rudolfa. The bartender I tussled with last month was in last night and either did not remember what an asshole I was or did not care. I should have known it's more Czech to ignore or forget strong feelings than to harbor a grudge. So Lee and I partied almost til dawn again, toasting with different groups of people as they wandered in and out. Rudolfa is weird in that
One of my readers commented about the Alan Abelson's piece in this week's Barron's which pointed out a surge in the use of the term "Goldilocks" in the financial media. Then I noticed that this same story was mentioned over at The Big Picture. I found this to be very intriguing from a market sentiment standpoint and worthy of some further research.
Given how such a "Goldilocks" optimism would
