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Brad Spurgeon's Blog

A world of music, auto racing, travel, literature, chess, wining, dining and other crazy thoughts….

First Night in Valencia, Singing at Carpe Diem Restaurant

June 24, 2011

Last year I wrote here about how Valencia, Spain was the only Formula One venue at which I was unable to find a place to play my music, and to this day it remains the only one in two and a half years where I have not found a place to play. I am in Valencia now, and I am afraid it will remain the only place I will not play – having said that, I DID actually play on the terrace of a restaurant in downtown Valencia last night.

But that is another story. First I want to say that I also wrote last year about my trials with Vueling, the crappy Spanish airline that hates musicians and guitars. This year while going to Barcelona I booked a flight – as I did last year – with Iberia, the big Spanish airline. But when I got to the airport I learned I was on a Vueling flight. And although I managed to get past the check-in desk with my guitar, I got aggressed by a flight attendant as I boarded the airplane. He asked me if I had booked a seat for my guitar. I said no, and he said it had to go in the hold – and he took it from me. Meanwhile, there was lots of room available in the overhead luggage compartment.

So with that in mind, and last year’s trip in mind, when I booked for Valencia I decided to keep away from Iberia and Vueling, and I found a flight on one of the Skyteam airlines, some small thing called Air Europa. At the airport I realized it was apparently no bigger than Vueling, but at the check-in desk, the woman smiled at me and asked if she could please put a “carry on luggage” label on my guitar. Damn right you can!!!! What a difference an airline makes. Oh, and the flight was entirely full yesterday, not a single seat free from what I could see….

So anyway, as I walked depressed around the streets of Valencia last night, thinking I would not find a place to play, I decided finally after a few hours to return to my hotel. It is no huge big deal to NOT play here or not do a segment on my film here, because I have already had a very fruitful time on that level in Barcelona, so I have marked my territory in Spain. That’s the main thing.

It also turns out there IS a jam session in Valencia, but only on Monday nights, at the Black Note club. I will have left by then.

But as I returned by foot to my hotel I suddenly received a call last night from a Formula One journalist friend and colleague, Patrick Camus, of AutoHebdo. He said he had just seen me walking down the street with my guitar and he was at a restaurant on the terrace and would I join him? So I walked back, only to find that he had somehow managed to recognize me through my walk and guitar from a very far distance – I could not make out any of his features from the crossroads where he saw me.

It also turned out he was on the terrace of the Carpe Diem restaurant, sitting exactly opposite the hotel I stayed in last year. He was with a friend and we spoke and he asked me if I had repaired my guitar yet – after the Malaysia mishap – and I said I had not, that it still held together and I feared fixing it might make it worse. So I opened the case and handed it over, because Patrick plays guitar too, mostly Bossa Nova.

After he played a little bit I took the guitar back and decided to play a song, he and his friend asked for more. So I did two more, and I received applause from the waiters, some people at the other table and people walking down the street. So it was a wonderful moment, and suddenly I didn’t feel so down and low anymore. But I also had to stop because it was after midnight, and a quiet street just beneath the hotel windows….

Patrick had never heard me play before, either, so it was fun to show him what I’m up to doing all this music all the time at the races. I think he will probably not call me Django anymore though, as he will have seen that my guitar playing is pretty basic….

Another thing worth noting was the protest in the main square of the city that reminded me of the same thing that was happening in Barcelona when I was there, about the problems with the economy. I did a bit of video footage, but have not had the time to put it up. May do so tommorrow.

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Archive for October, 2009

Be Creative with Your Audience and Revenue Will Follow

October 22, 2009

Traditional television outlets are under pressure as consumers look for, and now expect, great video content from the Internet. The efforts of these players to keep their consumers engaged in the online world offers general lessons for those looking to “monetize the audience, not the content,” as Fred Wilson has aptly put it.

Lisa Hsia, Senior VP, New Media & Digital at Bravo TV, discussed her efforts to build Bravo’s online presence while speaking at BRITE ’09

My job is to try to interact and engage our users before the program, during the program, after the program and always, and my job is not only to interact and engage but my job is really to monetize. … When I was at NBC news you know it was like, “this is a higher calling.” No. This is about money.

And just how does she do this? Through “constant experimentation and trying to figure out the user.” Although it isn’t all experimentation, Lisa noted that there are constants that drive audience interaction: photos, videos and blog posts. Her experiments come through different treatments of these resources and how they promote actions, like text message polling and paid content downloads.

In addition, based on the success of online polls and chats that occur during broadcast re-runs of Bravo’s shows like Top Chef, Lisa went back to her advertisers and suggested the development of interactive features for their banner ads. She noted that this is a trend the advertising industry is moving towards, but by showing the audience’s engagement with the shows, she helped push advertisers along.

To meet her “always” engaging the audience objective, Lisa developed affinity groups, e.g. “Bravo for foodies” and “Bravo for style,” which maintain a more constant level of interaction and permit additional opportunities for partnerships, sponsorships and advertising development. An online audience needs additional content, so costs can be a concern, but Lisa noted that for a 7-part webisode series spun out of “Make Me a Supermodel” she spent a mere $2,000. (Note the audible gasp from the audience in the video.) This combination of online activities yields tens of millions of dollars of additional revenue to Bravo.

It is true that the reality TV shows which dominate the Bravo line-up are ideally suited to online engagement. Lisa’s efforts demonstrate, however, that by being efficient and creative you can excite your audience, and drive deeper connections that lead to additional brand or advertising revenue.

This post originally posted by Matthew on the BRITE Conference blog at: http://www.briteblog.net

Four Things the FTC Can Do To Fix Its Assault on Free Speech

October 15, 2009

After 25 years, we still don’t understand what the Internet is.

At least that is the more charitable view of the Federal Trade Commission’s new regulations that will fine bloggers who endorse a product without disclosing any free samples or other compensation that they received.

The less charitable view would be that the FTC is using a minor annoyance (blogging shills) as an excuse for a vast power grab and restriction of free speech.

As the Supreme Court recognized in a landmark 1997 ruling, speech on the Internet is closer to speech in books or the public square than it is to broadcast media like radio or television.

And yet, in its new regulations, the FTC fundamentally mistakes blogging for a mass medium, like radio or television, whose publication is limited to a few large institutions broadcasting messages to a large audience. In reality, there are approximately 200 million blogs around the world (throw in 50 million Twitter accounts and the status updates of Facebook’s 300 million users, and you’re starting to get some real numbers here). The vast majority of blogging is not by influential platforms read by millions, but by individual bloggers publishing for a miniscule audience of friends and acquaintances.

To attempt to regulate speech (however sleazy and deceptive) on “blogs” is not at all equivalent to regulating speech on radio or television. What it is equivalent to is trying to regulate all speech printed on “paper” – newspapers, office memos, classroom handouts, post-its, and handwritten notes on your kitchen fridge.

I surely hope the FTC will quickly kill its regulation, and not force the courts to rule on the disastrous precedent it is setting.

If the FTC truly feels that bloggers flogging shampoo that they get for free is an affront that demands government action, I suggest they scrap their rules and start over with an approach based on the following:

  1. Regulate only those who solicit undisclosed endorsements. Companies that pay endorsers would need to take steps to ensure their gifts are clearly disclosed by recipients, and to cut off the goodies to any endorsers who fail to disclose in the future. Bloggers themselves would not be regulated.
  2. Make a distinction between giving free sample products vs. cash or additional gifts. I should be able to give out free cupcakes in front of my bakery without a disclaimer. But if I fly 50 bloggers to an all-expense weekend in Miami so I can ply them with products, I would need to request that they disclose this when talking about the products, and make a good faith effort to follow up and de-list anyone who repeatedly fails to disclose. (A minimum value for gifts requiring disclosure could also be set, say $500 per year.)
  3. Apply the rules to every media… As the law currently stands, magazine editors are still not obligated to disclose all the free products they receive, while your mother with 12 people following her on Twitter can be fined $11,000 for posting about the same thing.
  4. … and yes, even spoken speech. The rules should apply to those who solicit verbal endorsements as well, including “word of mouth” marketing agencies like BzzAgent. If you can’t write a law that’s constitutional in regulating spoken speech, then it isn’t fit to regulate speech on the Internet.

Actually enforcing such a policy might seem daunting, but it would involve policing thousands of companies and marketing agencies, rather than the hundreds of millions of citizens using social media who are covered by the current law. In large part, it could be enforced by the community ratting out the most egregious violators.

How about it, FTC? Can you rewrite this to make constitutional sense under our Bill of Rights?

If not, just admit your mistake and kill the new rule.

Disclosure: David Rogers is the Executive Director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia Business School. He received no cupcakes while writing this post.

This post originally posted by David on the BRITE Conference blog at: http://www.briteblog.net

Crowdsourcing in Action: One Step to Build a Company

October 14, 2009

There is growing evidence that a company can strengthen its brand by listening to customers and even sourcing business ideas from the crowd. But just what does such an effort look like in action?

Entrepreneur Aaron Cohen used his speaking slot at the BRITE ’09 conference to conduct a live crowdsourcing experiment with the attendees. Cohen described the basic concept and unique assets behind a new company he was about to lead, AnyClip.com, and then sought out suggestions that might turn these raw materials into a breakout media brand. Here is a video of this “crowdsourcing in action.”

Cohen assumed the role of CEO shortly after BRITE, and AnyClip is now moving forward along some of the tracks discussed during the conference. AnyClip (now in beta launch) lets users find, watch and share short clips of their favorite movie scenes online, and it has already secured the rights to host films from most of the major Hollywood studios. The company won rave reviews for its recent demo at the TechCrunch50 competition, walking away with the coveted Audience Award.

One of the key ideas in Cohen’s crowdsourcing discussion at BRITE was to open up the company’s film clip database to the software developer community — so that anyone can build new applications, services, and revenue streams based on AnyClip’s platform. Cohen discusses this strategy in a recent piece he wrote for The Business Insider, including the use of an “open API” (application program interface). Opening a new platform up to development by other entrepreneurs has been a critical part of the success of both Twitter and the iPhone App Store.

Open APIs are unique to technology brands. But, whatever industry you are in, there are ways to solicit ideas from your stakeholders and strengthen your brand through collaboration with your customers.

This post originally posted by Matthew on the BRITE Conference blog at: http://www.briteblog.net

It’s Time for the New York Tech Community to Brand Itself

October 2, 2009

This week I attended my first Clickable Interesting Cafe event with Fred Wilson, a VC and principal of Union Square Ventures, providing the talk. What stood for me was how much Fred’s discussion about the growth potential of the New York tech community was about branding, and yet he never couched it in those terms.

Fred spoke of the issue as a matter of perception: the more established web industry players still don’t see New York as one of “the” places to build an influential start-up company. Changing these perceptions will be about building a strong brand for this community.

He had no specific plan about what to do to show off this potential, but he’s sure that “we need to get the word out.”

Well, you may not have tackled the how, Fred, but you laid out some clear brand attributes of the New York web industry.

My favorite of the “factors” he discussed were:

  • New York can excel in building web applications
  • New York is a media obsessed city
  • International trade and business thrives in New York
  • New York is the world’s biggest stage, and
  • (my absolute favorite) New York will call you on your bullshit

The event also reflects the broad way in which our center thinks about brands–they are not just products, services, or companies. To drive even greater successes for the New York tech community, a brand will need to be built that combines both community and place.

Chris Dixon, founder of Hunch, provided some counterpoint to Fred’s talk, but also sees the potential for a boom in the New York web world (as he noted in his blog this summer). He described the need to “build a firewall” so that the great ideas and minds that form on the East don’t get pulled away to grow in the West.

In the end, I think that innovative tactics to “get the word out” will eventually come, in part, from the new web communications tools that are being built by this very community.

But I also think that a good old fashioned idea and tactic is in order here: the formation of a “New York Tech Industry Association.” The networking is already there (in places like NY Tech Meetup), and leading players like Fred and Chris are in place, maybe it’s time to bring all of this together within a more organized structure.

(For more of Fred’s “factors” you can watch his presentation from the Web 2.0 Expo).

[Photo by Benjamin Ellis (Flickr)]

This post originally posted by Matthew on the BRITE Conference blog at: http://www.briteblog.net

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Leamington Spa (Warwick District Council) Contest (Open Section)

Sat 29th Sep 1979

Format: Own Choice Test Piece Contest
Adjudicators: Lyn Morgan
Venue: Royal Spa Centre, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, UK

Leamington Spa (Warwick District Council) Contest (2nd Section) 1979
Previous Event Next Event
Position Band Conductor Music Draw Points
1   Grimsby Band R. Cufflin Labour and Love 3 181
2 Coventry School of Music Leonard Pepper Festival Music 13 180
3 Coventry Festival Philip Cooper Tintagel 14 179
4 Black Country Brass A. W. Power Night on a Bare Mountain [Modest Mussorgsky] 8 178
5 Wigston Temperance Robert Gallacher Introduction and Allegro 6 177
6 City of Birmingham Delta Brass A. N. Kilroy Tintagel 5 176
6 Ratby Betty Anderson Festival Music 12 176
8 City of Oxford Don Keene Lorenzo 2 175
8 Bedworth Phil Lewsey Prince Igor Overture 7 175
10 City of Leicester WMC & I G. E. Boyce Alice in Wonderland [Hanmer] 1 174
10 Shipston Town Richard Nash Overture for an Epic Occasion 9 174
12 Kettering Gold & Silver A. Hounsome Little Suite for Brass [Arnold] 4 173
12 Enderby Garry Sleath The Shipbuilders 10 173
14 Bilton Silver D. Game Scheherazade 11 172
W Dunchurch Silver
Previous Event Next Event

[Hide Gold/Silver/Bronze Highlight]

This contest does not appear to have complete results. Add More Here.

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Comments or Corrections?

Is something on this page incorrect? Tell us what's wrong in the box below and click send. Include your email address if you like. If you're including contest results please remember to include the date, and as much detail about the contest as you can (conductor, adjudicators, set test piece etc.). Don't forget you can always register and add missing results yourself!


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Bug 124684 - cvs pserver fails with IPv6-only hosts
cvs pserver fails with IPv6-only hosts
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: cvs (Show other bugs)
All Linux
medium Severity medium
: ---
: ---
Assigned To: Martin Stransky
Ben Levenson
Depends On:
  Show dependency treegraph
Reported: 2004-05-28 10:32 EDT by David Woodhouse
Modified: 2007-11-30 17:10 EST (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Fixed In Version:
Doc Type: Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Story Points: ---
Clone Of:
Last Closed: 2005-03-04 07:39:52 EST
Type: ---
Regression: ---
Mount Type: ---
Documentation: ---
Verified Versions:
Category: ---
oVirt Team: ---
RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: ---

Attachments (Terms of Use)

  None (edit)
Description David Woodhouse 2004-05-28 10:32:25 EDT
CVS fails to contact a server which has only AAAA and not A addresses,
because it uses gethostbyname() instead of getaddrinfo().

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):

How reproducible:

Steps to Reproduce:
1. cvs -d :pserver:anoncvs@cvs.infradead.org:/home/cvs co mtd

Actual results:
Unknown host cvs.infradead.org.

Expected results:
It should work. Well, no -- it should fail because xinetd is also
IPv6-challenged and isn't actually listening on cvs.infradead.org at
the moment -- but it should at least _try_ :)
Comment 1 Robert Scheck 2004-10-23 06:51:48 EDT
I guess CVS 1.11.x hasn't andy IPv6 support and a IPv6 patch only will
work if the (unneeded?) krb4 support is disabled.

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.


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Don’t touch!

Watch out when touching hairy caterpillars. Not all of them are harmful, but some can cause an allergic reaction on your skin.

The Oat Eggar (Lasiocampa quercus) caterpillar is one of those that needs to be treated with care. Touching the hair of the caterpillar is somewhat similar to touching nettles. To protect itself from predators, the caterpillar also builds its cocoon using the same hair.

I couldn’t resist testing what happens on my skin after gently rubbing the surface of the cocoon against my wrist. The reaction, a nasty, itchy allergy. The interesting part of the test was that the allergy remained for about 6 weeks, leaving a visible rush and occasional itch. The conclusion? Don’t touch!

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March 20, 2014 / 10:45 PM / 4 years ago

FIFA committee members interviewed by ethics chief

ZURICH (Reuters) - Members of FIFA’s executive committee are being interviewed by ethics chief Michael Garcia, who is investigating the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.

Michael J. Garcia, Chairman of the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee attends a news conference at the at the Home of FIFA in Zurich July 27, 2012. REUTERS/Michael Buholzer

“We can confirm that the chairman of the investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee is currently in Zurich and is also interviewing some of the FIFA Executive Members as part of his on-going work,” FIFA said in a statement.

The hosting rights for the two tournaments were both awarded December 2010. Thirteen members of the executive committee who made the decision, including FIFA president Sepp Blatter, remain while nine have left.

Those who have departed include Mohamed Bin Hammam, subsequently banned for life over a cash-for-votes scandal in the run-up to the 2011 FIFA presidential election, and Jack Warner, who resigned after being placed under investigation.

Russia defeated bids from England, Belgium-Netherlands and Spain-Portugal while Qatar won the race ahead of Japan, South Korea, Australia and the United States.

Garcia, a former U.S. Attorney in New York, is examining allegations of corruption in the voting that led to the awarding of the two World Cups.

He said in October that he planned to visit all the countries involved in the bidding process.

FIFA has subsequently launched a consultation process to discuss whether to switch the 2022 World Cup away from the scorching Qatari summer.

Qatar’s preparations have also been hit by controversy over the treatment of migrant workers in the country’s construction industry.

Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Pritha Sarkar

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June 30, 2014 / 9:14 PM / 3 years ago

Briere joins Avalanche, Parenteau shipped to Canadiens

(Reuters) - The Colorado Avalanche have acquired twice All-Star forward Daniel Briere from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for right wing P.A. Parenteau and a fifth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, the teams said on Monday.

Montreal Canadiens center Daniel Briere (48) celebrates after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers during the third period in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Briere, 36, recorded 13 goals and 12 assists in 69 games for Montreal last season, while adding a further three goals as the Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference final.

“Daniel is a veteran who brings experience to our hockey club. We’re looking forward to him joining our team,” Avalanche executive vice president Joe Sakic said in a statement.

Canadian Briere, a first-round draft pick by the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996 and an All-Star in 2007 and 2001, has played in 916 regular-season games for Philadelphia, Buffalo, Phoenix and Montreal.

Parenteau, 31, ended last season with 14 goals and 19 assists in 55 games for the Avalanche. Since his NHL debut in 2006-07, he has recorded 205 points in 291 regular-season games.

Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene Cherry

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The Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner

The Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner

Well, friends… I’ve been teasing and talking about it for a couple weeks – but today, the Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner is finally available! After years of looking for a daily planner that combined life + money and never finding it, I decided to create it myself. I first launched it last year, and considered the 2016 version of the planner to be somewhat of an experiment, in that I had no idea if anyone else was also looking for something similar. As it turns out, you were – and now I know I’m not the only person who can’t imagine life without it.

I don’t think I need to repeat all the ways tracking my spending and learning how to budget has helped me over the past five years. Instead, I’ll share some of the things the planner helped other people do in 2016: they paid off one credit card; all credit cards; car loans; the line of credit they regretted opening; and the consolidation loan they needed but were happy to kiss goodbye. The planner helped people through major life events and job transitions, including going from full-time work down to part-time so they could do more of what they love. And it inspired them to double their payments, do shopping bans, and even sell some of their belongings and assets to tackle other financial goals.

Between both the print version and the planner, more than 1,100 people are now using the Mindful Budgeting Program. And I think everyone who has used it, so far, knows there is no one-size-fits-all solution for budgeting. To achieve our financial goals, we simply need to make more mindful decisions – and that’s exactly what the planner does. Mindful Budgeting is a daily planner designed to help you track your spending, and make sure your monthly budgets align with your goals and values. If you’re looking for a tool to help you (or a friend or loved one) stop making impulse purchases, start making mindful decisions and move you in the direction you want your financial life to be going, this is it.

The Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner

Even though this might look like an ordinary day planner, I consider Mindful Budgeting to be somewhat of a course, in that I’ve laid it out hoping you will use it a certain way. There is something for you to do every day, week, month and quarter, all of which I outline at the beginning of the planner.

The Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner

Every day, there is designated space for you to track your spending as well as your to-dos. At the end of every week, there are also three questions for you to answer that will help you reflect on your spending and plan for the week ahead.

The Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner

At the beginning of every month, you will write a budget – then later update it, based on the spending you track throughout the month. There is also space for you to reflect on your spending, your habits and any changes you’ve noticed in yourself.

The Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner

Finally, every quarter, you will complete a four-step exercise that helps you figure out what your current goals and values are, so you can make sure your monthly budgets align with them; this is one of my favourite parts of the planner.

The Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner

By using the Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner, my hope is you will achieve your goals and finish 2017 with a better understanding of your personal finances. If nothing else, I hope the planner helps you realize what matters most to you, so you can make sure your spending and saving aligns with that.

Full List of Features

  • Daily spending sheets, where you can track both your spending and your to-do list items
  • Monthly calendars (with Canada/USA holidays)
  • Monthly budget templates
  • Space to do weekly check-ins and monthly reflections
  • Quarterly exercises to map out your goals and make sure your budget aligns with them
  • Spreadsheets to track both your debt repayment and savings progress
  • *NEW* Spreadsheet to track the difference between your income vs. expenses
  • Twelve motivational quotes to inspire you
  • Instructions on how to use the planner daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly, and
  • The link to a closed Facebook group for people who are using the program.

Two Covers, One Planner

This year, I decided to have some fun and create not one but two different cover designs for the Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner. Rest assured, what’s inside both options is identical, so you’re not missing anything by ordering one over the other. Just pick the one that suites you best!

The Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner

Cost and Shipping Information

The Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner is no longer available. You can purchase the latest version of the Mindful Budgeting Planner here.

Fundraising for the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation

In sticking with tradition, I am donating 5% of all profits from the planners to charity again – and this year, I’ll be donating it to one of my favourites: the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. Since I was a kid, I have always had my nose stuck in a book. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t learned to read at such a young age, and continued to read and learn from books my whole life. I’ve also been fortunate enough to never have trouble getting access to any of the books I want to read, but that’s certainly not true for all kids. The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation puts books in the libraries of schools in high-needs communities across Canada (including Victoria and Port Moody, where I have lived). I have supported this cause for years and am excited to be able to do so in a bigger way.

Happy budgeting, friends! And here’s to another year of mindful decisions!

  • Sounds like a very useful tool, Cait! I’ve found that budgeting and tracking expenses has been extremely helpful for me in getting a grip on my finances and spending in a more conscious manner.

  • Wow, so cool! I could use something like this, but the irony is that it would be a bit of an impulse purchase for me ;-). I really do need to get better with budgeting and tracking though, especially as I have a very financially-tight year coming up – I will definitely be keeping this in mind!!!

    • Definitely don’t make an impulse purchase! If you’re still thinking about it in another few weeks or even months, then consider it. But if you don’t need it, that’s perfectly ok too! :)

  • I am so excited for this! Just ordered mine. Finances are a big part of my 2017 goals so this felt like an easy purchase to make. Thank you Cait! :)

  • So I can’t wait to get mine for 2017. I love opening the mindful budget and taking all my receipts from the day before drinking my coffee and going over the budget (yes I’m a nerd). The weekly check-ins really make me think. Sometimes the “best money I spent” was on lunch because I didn’t buy anything. Other times it was courses I bought, or gifts for my wife. Whatever the case it forced me to be more mindful on what I was buying, if picking lunch was the best option of what I spent my money on in a week it wasn’t a very good week.

    And before you ask Cait, no it wasn’t fast food I bought for

    • HA! I wouldn’t ask, but I love that you’re SO conscious of that. It shows that lunch really isn’t a priority for you, Tyler! And you’d rather see your money go elsewhere. I’d say my job here is done ;) hehe

  • Hey Cait, I just wanted to let you know that I found your blog about a week ago and have been loving going back and reading through the archives! You are so inspiring, anyway I just love it when I find an awesome new to me blog that I can go digging through and exploring! :)

    • Ooo I love finding blogs like that too, Jen! So glad mine is one of them for you – thanks for sharing that with me :)

  • I love that you’re donating some proceeds to charity; go you!

    Is there a digital version available? I’m a paper person myself but this looks like a guide that would be neat to use in an online format.

    • I had the same thoughts about a digital version, as I do all my financial management at my computer and my physical hand writing is atrocious. There was a downloadable one last year, but my understanding is that you still had to print out the sheets (rather than ones you could fill with typing)

      Despite that, the printed format looks super slick and I absolutely plan to purchase it. :)

      In future years, I would love to see a downloadable version but I understand why Cait might not go in that direction. Probably more effort to produce and so much easier for meanies to pirate.

      • Oooooh! I must have missed it because it’s a separate sales page. The frugalite in me likes saving the money and saving the environment. Thanks for the heads up.

        • No problem! I mean it’s a little different in that it doesn’t have all 342 pages that the planner does, haha. But the idea is just to track your spending daily, answer the questions each week, do a check-in each month, write and update your budget, etc. So you could definitely use it as a guide!

  • I’m so excited for this planner and I’ll definitely get one. I’m a little disappointed in your charity choice but that’s your prerogative. My issue with the Love of Reading is that (while the intentions are wonderful) all the proceeds go back to Indigo so it helps their bottom line and they get to claim the donation on their taxes when customers make donations in the store. I support literacy and support the intention of the organization and love that the school libraries do get the books.
    I will definitely support you and this wonderful venture of yours. I’m hoping to be more diligent in using this year’s. I fell off the wagon a few times but am determined to get back on it.

    • I *totally* understand the part re: it helping their bottom line, but at the end of the day, don’t most charities (attached to people or companies) work that way? Technically, you could say the portion I’m donating would even help my bottom line. It actually won’t make a dent on the income tax I’ll owe for 2016, but it’s still a donation I’ll make and could claim. Just thought I’d add to that discussion and be transparent in the process! Like you, I do love that the books actually do make their way into the libraries. I’ve seen LOR make some big changes in two schools, specifically, when they donated lump sums I could never have imagined. Anyway, appreciate your support and I hope the planner helps in 2017, Susan!

    • I *have* thought of it! But I’d need a developer… and cash to invest in it, haha. It’s something to think about, for sure!

  • Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for. My financial goals went a bit off track this past year because I kept meaning to create a way to track my budget but never got around to it. This will make it so much easier and fun, I hope. My goal for 2017 is to save much more than I did in 2016 and I know paying closer attention and seeing the numbers “in black and white” will help me better curb mindless spending. I know it’s only November but I’m sending my best wishes for a Happy New Year!

    • The spreadsheet for tracking the balances of your savings accounts was sooo helpful for me this year, Annie! I’d never really tracked this before, but it was SO motivating to see the numbers change month-to-month. Hope it’s just as helpful for you too! :)

      • My planner arrived last night. It’s gorgeous! I’m excited to have this tool to help me in 2017. I took a quick look through but will be going through it more thoroughly in the next week or so to prepare myself for Jan 1. Here’s to happy financial planning!

  • Congrats on your Mindful Budgeting 2017 Planner! Hope you get lots and lots of sales! I just ordered mine; the one with the lovely quote! I think every time I look at it, it will remind me whether or not I need to make that purchase. I will make more mindful decisions!! I love that you are donating some of your profits to the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. I have always loved to read and think its very important for children!

    • I love love love the one with the quote, and am certain it will serve as a good reminder, Shelly. Thanks for your support! Excited to see what you do in 2017 :)

  • Would you consider making a spiral bound planner? I like a book that will lay flat when open on my desk. If you do, I will be the first one in line to buy it.

    • To break that down further, just over 500 copies of the planner sold last year + another 600 people have purchased the print template version :) but the 2017 planner is my all-time fave (because of those covers!).

  • I have been reading your blog for so long and I always have enjoyed how you seem to weave the personal stories with your advice in such a way as to not seem completely commercialized like so many of my old favorite blogs have since become. Anyways, I don’t always like a lot of bloggers attempts to sell eBooks/classes as they sometimes come off as pyramid scheme-esque, but when I see products like your journal that appears to be a true self-helping product, it seems worthy of support. I just bought one, and I’m looking forward to better changes with my budgeting in the new year. Keep up the good work and the wonderful writing. I truly enjoy it.

  • Thanks for posting Cait, I ordered mine yesterday. I’ve previously been thoughtful about budgeting for a month, then I fall off the budgeting bandwagon. This tool will help give me more incentive to stick with it! Is there a community (Facebook or otherwise?) for Mindful Budgeters to connect?

  • You could technically have a pdf where people fill it in right off the computer. Tons of people have that, so you just save a new pdf each week or day.

    Developing an app isn’t expensive. I’m tempted to do,something like that with childrens books but I trying to keep my focus ;)

Comments are closed.


text:
Title: Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Yuyi Morales

APA Citation: Alexie, S., & Morales, Y. (2016). Thunder Boy Jr. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group.

Short annotation: Thunder Boy Jr. does not like his name. His dad’s name is Thunder Boy Sr. and that makes him feel like his name is a burp or a fart. He expresses his hatred toward his names, and then start creating his own name. His dad soon tells him that they are going to change his name to Lightning and he loves it. Together, he and his dad were powerful and happy.

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: K-2

Intended Audience: This book is good for children grades K-2. It is an easy read.

Personal Rating: 5/10, the ending to this book was a warm and nice one, but I did not like how he kept nagging about hating his name. When his dad finally changes it for him and he becomes happy, I feel like that sends a message to children that the more you hate and nag, the more things will change.

Text-Dependent Questions: “What were some name ideas that Thunder Boy Jr. came up with for himself?”


text:
Friday, February 13, 2015

19 years collecting the NBA

Valentine's day 2015 marks 19 years that I've been an NBA collector. it is also the one year mark since I hit 75,000 different cards. That was, truly, a coincidence. I normally know when things like anniversaries are coming up because I write everything down (I'd forget otherwise) but I saw a box online marked down more than half price, so I had to get it, and it arrived that day.

Valentine's day doesn't mean a whole lot to me, because, well...

But who needs romance when you have collections?
I'm very much like Comic Book Guy in real life. So what if I have not had a girlfriend in more than 20 years? I've got no time for that stuff when I have cards that need sorting.

Also, you don't meet many women when you are spending your entire life sorting cards.

or even:

On a serious topic, next year at this time I'll be planning for my 20th Anniversary of collecting the NBA. That's something worth celebrating. But HOW I should celebrate...Hmm...I'm open to suggestions. I've already completed 1995-96 Fleer, the first set I started with. (As I've shown before, this was my first NBA card) So that's out. I can thank my mom for giving me my first pack that Valentine's Day...I bet she had no idea what kind of monster she was creating...but I'm eternally thankful that she did!
I have no ideas as of yet, but I have 366 days to decide.

As always, thanks for reading. And, maybe, laughing a little!

  1. You could do a countdown of your twenty favorite sets.

    1. I like those wouldn't cost me any money, LOL.

  2. Wow. That Betty Page card is spectacular!

    1. It was one of the ones inserted into Non-Sports Update magazine. There were something like 14 different versions you could get, I ended up getting two somehow. I also have one without the set logo in the top left.

    2. Found this website with Page trading cards:

      Each $35 set comes with a sketch card. Kinda cool... but after seeing some sketches on eBay... it's obviously a hit or miss product (although the base set looks really cool).


text:
ISYS Technologies, Inc.

Top Level Architecture (TLA) Senior Network Engineer

US-AZ-Ft Huachuca
Job ID

Minimum Clearance Required

Functional Responsibilities:

ISYS Technologies is looking for an Enterprise Top Level Architecture (TLA) Senior Network Engineer. You will provide services in support of the customers network. You will provide operational and technical engineering support for the implementation, testing, integration, interoperability, and sustainment of information technologies comprising the customer’s enterprise capabilities.

Job Duties:

  • Providing engineering solutions and support to the customer’s architecture and Unified Capabilities (UC) efforts with the goal of improving computer network performance, defense, and security
  • Providing engineering support during system configuration, integrations, and stabilization of security mitigations and intrusion control mechanisms at the customer’s site
  • Performing engineering trend and traffic analysis; document and report potential flaws within the network
  • Providing engineering support to Capability Managers for current and planned implementations
  • Analyzing engineering data to support network performance, security, and capacity planning in accordance with Army regulations, directives, and policies
  • Providing engineering support to equipment such as encryption, Remote client access, NAC, VPNs, Dynamic Host Configurations Protocol (DHCP) controllers, performance analyzers, EoIP, VoIP, and VTC
  • Providing engineering solutions to complex IT problems with regards to UC and IPv6
  • Providing engineering trend analysis; documenting and reporting potential flaws with UC and/or IPv6 technologies running on or intended for Army information systems and networks
  • Providing configuration management support for UC and IPv6

Experience Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in an IT related field with seven years practical experience, or twelve years of direct relevant technical experience may be substituted for education
  • Current Information Assurance (IA) certification (required at performance start date): DoD 8570 IAT III (CISA, GCIH, GCED, CISSP (or Associate), CASP)
  • Current Computing Environment (CE) certification (attainable within 6 months of performance start date): Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA)
  • Operational and implementation expertise in the following tools and technologies below is required: Unified Capabilities, Everything Over IP (EOIP), VoIP, IPv4/IPv6, Routing Protocols (such as BGP, OSPF), QoS, and VTC

Desired Experience:

  • Experience in all aspects of the Information Technology (IT) DMZ security, perimeter network security and security-in-depth applications for firewalls (Juniper, Cisco and NGF), MPLS, intrusion detection/prevention (IPS), Internet Security Systems (ISS) and/or McAfee and/or NGF detection/prevention systems, voice and video from a circuit switched Time Division Multiplex (TDM) infrastructure to an EoIP infrastructure, and network segmentation and containment applications using routing, Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), and other related methods. VLAN, VRF/VPN, NAC/NAP 802.1x, WAN optimizers, SSL accelerators, DHCP controllers, wireless, remote access, performance and protocol analyzer, Load balancer and Active Directory, and PKI

  • Experience with the following: Operating systems (Windows, Linux, Microsoft, Cisco Internet Operating system (IOS), Juniper Operating System (JUNOS)), Netscreen OS, data packet routing, switching, proxy services, and engineering for IP data networks

  • Secret

Essential Requirements - Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee will regularly sit, walk, stand and climb stairs and steps. May require walking long distance from parking to work station. Occasionally, movement that requires twisting at the neck and/or trunk more than the average person, squatting/ stooping/kneeling, reaching above the head, and forward motion will be required. The employee will continuously be required to repeat the same hand, arm, or finger motion many times. Manual and finger dexterity are essential to this position. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close, distance, depth perception and telling differences among colors. The employee must be able to communicate through speech with clients and public. Hearing requirements include conversation in both quiet and noisy environments. Lifting may require floor to waist, waist to shoulder, or shoulder to overhead movement of up to 20 pounds. This position demands tolerance for various levels of mental stress.

ISYS Technologies is an Engineering and Information Technology Company focused on providing Services to the Federal and State Government. ISYS offers a competitive compensation program and comprehensive benefits package to our employees including Health/Dental/Vision/PTO and more. ISYS Technologies is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

US Citizenship is required.

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text:
Monday, September 8, 2014

Learning Character Internalization

Congratulations to Lindsay Fouts, my new blog follower, who won James Scott Bell's book, Plot and Structure.

As I begin the fourth major draft of Half-Truths, I need to attack some of my writing weaknesses. According to my writing coach Rebecca Petruck, I have to work on my "internal-life writing muscles." To do this, she assigned me this task:
Type several dialogue-free passages from books you would like to emulate. Type at least three pages to get the rhythm. Then, type at least five dialogue-free pages from Kate’s POV and then again from Lillie’s POV.... Think about the difference between rote description, and description that reveals something about the character. When you describe the external world around them, it has to be in order to reflect how they interpret it, what it means to them and how it feels.
I'm beginning this assignment by sharing a dialogue-free passage from the latest book I listened to, Dodger, by Terry Pratchett. An historical fantasy spin-off of Charles Dickens' character, the Artful Dodger, it is an entertaining and funny book--albeit at times irreverent. Here is a brief blurb from Pratchett's website for context:
A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's….Dodger….Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disreali, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.

The following excerpt occurs after Dodger rescues the girl and "Charlie" Dickens and Henry Mayhew take them both to the Mayhew household.
Twenty minutes later Dodger was sitting close to the fire in the kitchen of a house, not a grand house as such, but nevertheless much grander than most buildings he went into legally; there were much grander buildings that he had been into illegally, but he never spent very much time in them, often leaving with a  considerable amount of haste. Honestly, the number of dogs people had these days was a damn scandal, so it was, and they would set them on a body without warning, so he had always been speedy. But here, oh yes, there was meat and potatoes, carrots too, but not, alas, any beer. In the kitchen he had been given a glass of warm milk that was nearly fresh. Mrs. Quickly the cook was watching him like a hawk and half already locked away the cutlery, but apart from that it seemed to be a pretty decent crib, although there had been a certain amount of what you might call words from the missus of Mister Henry to her husband on the subject of bringing home waifs and strays at this time of night. It seemed to Dodger, who paid a great deal of forensic attention to all he could see and hear, that this was by no means the first time that she had cause for complaint; she sounded like someone trying to hard to conceal that they were really fed up and trying to put a brave face on it. But nevertheless, Dodger had certainly had his meal (and that was the important thing), the wife and a maid had bustled off with the girl, and now…someone was coming down the stairs to the kitchen.
It was Charlie, and Charlie bothered Dodger. Henry seemed like one of them do-gooders who felt guilty about having money and food when other people did not; Dodger knew the type. He, personally was not bothered about having money when other people didn't, but when you lived a life like his, Dodger found that being generous when in funds, and being a cheerful giver, was a definite insurance. You needed friends--friends were the kind of people who would say: "Dodger? Never heard of 'I'm, ever clapped eyes on 'im, guv'nor! You must be thinking of some other cove"--because you had to live as best you could in the city and you had to be sharp and wary and on your toes every moment of the day if you wanted to stay alive.
He stayed alive because he was the Dodger, smart and fast. He knew everybody and everybody knew him. He had never, ever, been before the beak, he could outrun the fastest Bow Street runner, and now that they had all been found out and replaced, he could outrun every peeler as well. They couldn't arrest you unless they put a hand on you, and nobody ever managed to touch Dodger.
No, Henry was no problem, but Charlie--now, oh yes Charlie--he looked the type who would look at a body and see right inside of you, Charlie, Dodger considered, might well be a dangerous cove, a gentleman who knew the ins and outs of the world and could see through flannel and soft words to what you were thinking, which was dangerous indeed. Here he was now, the man himself, coming downstairs escorted by the jingling of coins. (pp. 6-7)
Rebecca encouraged me to figure out where my characters are coming from. In this excerpt, narrated by the omniscient narrator, but in Dodgers' close POV, I learn that Dodger is coming from a place where:

  1. He doesn't always get a whole meal.
  2. He's prone to illegal activity that is Dodger's normal; a fact of his life.
  3. He is street smart and has friends on the street who cover for him (and the reader assumes, he does the same for them).
  4. He looks suspicious to the cook who has to "hide the cutlery".
  5. He is very observant. Notices the cook's mistrust, perfectly assesses Mr. Mayhew's character, communicates his own distrust of Charlie Dickens and why.
  6. He's "bothered" by people who can read him, as well he can read others.
  7. He's proud of his abilities to outsmart the police.
In other words, Dodger sees the world of London through a lens of "I have less money than the rich, but that doesn't bother me, because by my wits and speed, I get what I need." The reader meets a character who feels confidant about himself and moves with ease--unless he is up against another person who is equally good at reading people and their motivations as he is.

Pratchett has portrayed a character who I want to find out more about and who I want to root for-- as he goes from being a tosher (one who scavenges London's sewers) to a…wait, I don't want to spoil this book for you!

This week I'll be attending the Table Rock Writer's retreat where I'll be studying with John Bemis and Dawn Shamp. I'm hoping to strengthen my "internal-life muscles."

So, watch out Kate and Lillie! You're about to grow deeper, inner lives.

Rebecca Petruck said...

You chose a great passage, and your analysis is spot on. I'm so impressed you've done this already when we spoke only two nights ago! You are such a hard and smart worker--I can't wait to meet the next iterations of Kate and Lillie. Keep going!

Carol Baldwin said...

Ah, Rebecca. I have a great instructor!

Linda Vigen Phillips said...

I agree with Rebecca. You are a model student and I'm delighted to be headed for the mountain with you today so we can both learn something new!

Rosi said...

This is a terrific exercise, and you did choose a great excerpt. I'll be interested to hear if you find that this is really helpful to you.

Linda A. said...

You selected a descriptive passage that reflects character beautifully. I know you'll demonstrate the same in your novel. Complete confidence in you!

Kathy B said...

Carol, Thank you for sharing Rebecca's exercise-it is extremely helpful! I cannot wait to see what you do with Kate and Lillie!

Carol Baldwin said...

Thanks LInda and Kathy. Working on my characters this week!

wordwranglernc said...

GOOD stuff, Carol! I am taking notes for my own work! YEAH baby!


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text:
Waiting For A Leaf

Standing alone in the graveyard

On a beautiful autumn day,

Looking at trees and waiting

For a leaf to be blown my way.

A minute ago they were falling,

Red and gold leaves all around.

Now they are stubbornly either

‘In situ’ or down on the ground.

Waiting and waiting and waiting.

Give me a little breeze!

I’m not leaving here till I’ve caught one,

A gift from these beautiful trees.

But it’s still now, completely, and silent,

Except for the calls of the crows.

How long can I stand and be patient

In the face of this impasse – who knows?

Well, the wind will not yield to my summons,

And the trees seem against me, somehow.

So I stride to the nearest offender,

And pick a nice leaf from its bough.

Maybe herein lies a lesson;

Don’t wait for what fate might bestow.

Grasp what you want without qualm,

For the winds of fair chance may not blow.

Croydon Cemetery

18 November 2014

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text:
Book Tags

Monthly Wrap-Up: March 2017

March is almost over. This is the last post of the month, so it’s time for the monthly wrap-up.

Book Reviews

Currently Reading

I’m currently reading The Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin and The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois.

I like to participate in memes, but I haven’t kept up with doing them weekly.

Discussion Posts

I’ve written six discussion posts in the past year. More than halfway to my goal for the Book Blog Discussion Challenge! I suppose it could be seven if counted the Classic Remarks meme, but I’m not going to count it at this point.

If you are looking for ideas for your discussion posts, Cait @ Paper Fury provided a resource of links and ideas and how to come up with those ideas.

Reading Challenges

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 25/60

Pages Read Challenge: 6,114/17,000

Back to the Classics Challenge: 3/6

Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser, meets the category of 20th century classic. The review of this book will post next month.

Banned/Challenged Books Reading Challenge: 5/13

Sister Carrie was banned for its lewd content a century ago. By today’s standards, the controversial parts are no longer controversial.

I read Ash by Malinda Lo, a lesbian retelling of Cinderella, this month. It was challenged at the Oconee County Library in Georgia for its “sexual situations,” though I did not see any sexual situations when I read it. The library decided to keep the book.

I finally finished reading Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. It has been banned and challenged since it was published over thirty years ago.

Graphic Novel Reading Challenge: 3/12

The latest graphic novel for this challenge is America #1. My review of Wandering Son, Vol. 1 will also be posted in April.

Library Love Challenge: 7/12

Both Ash and Wandering Son, Vol. 1 were library books.

Picture Book Reading Challenge: 4/20

I’m a little behind for this time of year, but I could catch up by Saturday.

Interesting Finds of the Month

Jennifer Shaper @ Books That Hook listed the pros and cons of participating in blog tours. She also includes her experience. There are good points on each side if you are considering participating in a blog tour.

There was a blow-up on Twitter a week or so ago about deciding to read a book that a lot people have said is racist or otherwise bigoted. In all honesty, I did not keep up on how far and wide the arguments stretched. I read one anger-filled post that only served to make me angry. But I think Francina Simone on BookTube best explained what I think about the whole situation in her video titled “Modern Censorship.”

Speaking of BookTube, I discovered a couple of BookTubers who deface books. Defacing and annotating (handwritten and with highlighters) books has always felt sacrilegious to me, but because it’s forbidden, I’m intrigued at what I’ve found. It’s not like you’re trying to make it impossible to read – at least, not when you are only touching the cover or adding drawings that do not cover the text. I can get on board with this if it’s fan art and isn’t obstructing the words on the page. It looks fun. Check out a couple amazing defaced books on Bookstagram below!

Other Stuff

First: A couple of books have been adapted into TV shows. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (trailer) and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why (trailer) have been adapted. Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why will be released tomorrow, and Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale will be released next month. I don’t have subscriptions to either Hulu or Netflix at this point, but I’m excited that both of these amazing books have been turned into shows. Are you planning on watching either or both of these series? Have you read the books?

Second: Camp NaNoWriMo is starting on Saturday. Though I won’t be participating, I wish everyone who is the best of luck.

Third: I have been doing better about tweeting more and updating Bookstagram more often. I’ve lost count of the tweets. I posted ## photos on Bookstagram. I’m proud of myself.

Finally: Thank you to everyone who follows, reads, likes and comments on my posts.

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23 Wall Street, Concord, NH 03301
Phone 603-228-1196
Click here to email us.
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Music School Students Take the Capitol Center Stage in All State Festival

Seventeen students from the Music School took the stage at the Capitol Center for the Arts, representing their hometowns in the All State Music Festival on Saturday, April 18.

The All State Festival, sponsored by the New Hampshire Music Educators Association, brings together high-achieving music students from across New Hampshire for a culminating performance in Concord. Students participated in a competitive audition process last autumn in order to earn places in the Festival's orchestra, band, and two choirs.

"This year's performance really stood out to me," said Tyler Shore, a Music School student who sang tenor in the Festival's Mixed Choir. The choir sang songs that traced the history of African slavery in the United States. "Performing these songs brought me to tears, along with other singers and audience members. It was one of the most powerful and moving musical experiences I've ever had."

Tyler was selected, along with Music School students Della Dolcino, Nathan Smith, and Michael Webb, to open the Festival with their performance of the national anthem. All four students had earned the top scores in their categories during the audition process.

Read more about this year's Festival and see a full list of Music School students who participated.

Voice Students Sing Their Way to Art Song Festival

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Music School student Nathan Smith with Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Smith, who sang the national anthem at the ground breaking ceremony for the Concord Main Street Project, performed in the Granite State NATS Art Song Festival.

Congratulations to the Music School voice students who performed at the Granite State NATS Art Song Festival! Laura Braley of Concord, Christine Charman of Colebrook, Olivia Dodd of Dunbarton, Juli Hincks of Concord, Brianna Sink of Contoocook, and Nathan Smith of Concord all sang in this year's Festival.

The Festival, sponsored by the New Hampshire chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, took place on April 4 at the Manchester Community Music School.

"We aim to teach the whole student here at CCMS, and to craft 'total package' performances," said Hannah Murray, chair of the Voice Department at the Music School. "Our students not only sang beautifully, they announced their pieces beautifully, dressed appropriately, and presented themselves and their pieces at a very high level.  Bravo and brava to this year's participants!"

"The NATS audition is great because it propels students to work to get several tough pieces ready at once," said Music School faculty member and Granite State NATS president Andrea Veal. " It's always a very proud day for us teachers because we get to see the finished product after so much work, and share our excitement with the students and their families."


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a short history of america

For today:

Jim Kunstler links to R. Crumb’s “A Short History of America.” Here’s more on Crumb, including a few hypothetical additional panels to bring the story down to 2009.

The Wall Street Journal on Roman ruins in Lebanon.

A friend of mine blogging on the problem of authority in Stone-Campbell/Restorationist thought.  The comment thread is huge.

Hope everyone is well.  I’m beginning a study of Daniel soon in preparation for a Sunday morning class on the same.  You’ll hear more about it soon.

2 responses to “a short history of america

  1. Left a comment on your friend’s blog though I imagine it will be dismissed by many as being overly simplistic. It’s sad that the idea of simply being a Christian has almost disappeared as an attainable goal by so many good people. Thanks for the always interesting links!

  2. No problem. Glad to see that you made your way over there to weigh in! These kinds of discussions are not fun, but I do think they are necessary from time to time. I’m most relieved, though, that everybody has comported themselves well and that no tempers have flared. That’s rare on a comment thread that long.

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Newtown Painting

by Cee Bee's Painting

Painting in Newtown, CT 06470

Looking for a Painter in Newtown, Connecticut?

Painting in Newtown, CT by Cee Bee's Painting

Cee Bee's Painting has been proudly painting Newtown homes and businesses since 2009. Whether you're looking for interior painting or exterior painting in Newtown, count on Cee Bee's Painting for the highest caliber of service!

When it comes to high quality painting in Newtown Connecticut at an affordable price, no one beats Cee Bee's Painting's experienced painters. If you have ever tried painting yourself, you know that it's not an easy task. Painting is both a skill and an art. That's why Cee Bee's Painting's professional Newtown painters each have over 8 years of experience painting Newtown homes and businesses to ensure the job is done right and to your exact specifications.

When you're looking for superior results, call Cee Bee's Painting first! We've been painting Newtown since 2009.

Call for FREE Painting Quote

(203) 290-1218

Painting available in the following Newtown, CT zip codes:

  • 06470

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Britney Spears & Kevin Federline’s Sons: “Happy Birthday Week”

Look who’s 12 and 11!

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline‘s sons Preston and Jayden are celebrating their birthday week with family.

“Happy Birthday Week to these two big bros!!!” K-Fed’s wife Victoria Prince Instagrammed the image of the boys and their sisters Jordan, 6, and Peyton, 3.

“#PDubz lookin spiffy in his football gear when he got home from practice today. I’m so thankful that my baby girls have 3 big brothers (and 1 big sis) who will always have their back #TheFedz#JBoogy #PeytieWaity #JordyBear#TheFeddyBunch And also a big Happy 16th Birthday to my nephew @caiden_taylor_0… can’t believe ur bout to be out on the streets cruising around ??!! Luv u so much!!!” she wrote.

Earlier this week, Spears posted a photo of their sons celebrating their birthdays at Disneyland with friends.

The Toxic hitmaker, 35, and the former backup dancer welcomed Preston on Sept. 14, 2005, while Jayden arrived on Sept. 12, 2006.

Earlier this year, Federline shared a snapshot of his six children — including daughter Kori, 15, and sons Kaleb — whom he welcomed with ex-fiancée, actress Shar Jackson.

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Rachel Zoe’s Blue-Eyed Boys

Serena Williams’ Daughter Has Social Media Accounts


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Yesterday was the first day that it really hit me that Vader is gone. When I first found out, for some reason I wasn’t all that sad. I didn’t cry much, I just sort of accepted it. But yesterday, I finally realized that Vader really did run away and he really might not be coming back. And I felt a terrible pain inside me and I just started crying uncontrollably. I felt so terrible because I had been such a bad owner and I had treated him so unfairly. I felt horrible and cruel and I was just so sorry to him, and I cried for a long time. I’m so sorry Vader. Come back please, I’ll treat you better this time ..

Oh, and I didn’t make it to Algebra 2 Honors, but I’m okay with that. I wasn’t surprised at all. Congratulations to the people that made it though!

Friday, you better come fast.


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In our series of articles, we are focused on basic principles that are needed to ensure the success of fellow Christians. Hopefully, we have made it clear that we need to emphasize the basics of the Christian life so that they have a better chance at success. We have emphasized that for the new Christian a drastic change has taken place. This change is so different from the life they are accustomed to living that it takes a while to adapt to this new life. In our previous article, we talked about the race set before us and how to win the prize.

Today, we need to be reminded just how difficult this new life can be. The Christian life is a battlefield that results in many who begin but not many that finish. Most mature and faithful Christians have reached a place in their faith where the battles do not rage as long or with such ferocity. But for the new or immature Christian, it is still a struggle for survival.

The Christian life is a war (Rom. 7:21-25; Eph. 6:10-13) complete with an enemy and battle armor to wear. In this war, there are many kinds of hardships and there are many kinds of sufferings to endure. Amid the battle, it is natural for us to experience great fear and discouragement. The problem is not feeling afraid and discouraged. Jesus never reprimanded anyone for being afraid. No, the problem is when we are swallowed up in a flood of emotions and eventually give up. Many will become discouraged and “grow weary” of doing what is right (Gal. 6:9); eventually giving up and turning back to their old life.

Why do so many turn away? Some will turn away intentionally; while others will drift away slowly because of their own neglect or our neglect to love and support them (John 12:42-43; Gal. 6:9; Heb. 2:1-3). Still, others just seem to forget that they were purged from their old life and sins (Luke 8:5-8; 2 Peter 1:5-11; 2:22).

Many are called but few are chosen (Matt. 22:14). Many begin but not all endure to the end (Rev. 2:10). This is a tragedy that is greater than words can describe. I am telling you this because we need to be warned that if we don’t help teach them, root them in Jesus, and His word; they stand a far greater chance of falling away. You can make a difference in their life and eternity.

Could you really stand before Jesus on judgment day and say they didn’t matter enough? Do you really believe that Jesus will be ok with you refusing to help them?

If you are a Christian disciple, then don’t let anything come between you and your Lord. Don’t let anything make you weary, drift away, or quit running the race (Heb. 12:1-2). And just as important! Don’t forget about your brother or sister in Christ. They need you desperately. Without your support and encouragement; without your help, they might be one of the many who falls away. Lastly, don’t forget that your victory could be tainted by their failure (Matt. 25:41-46), which could result in your subsequent failure.

Jeff Arnette


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rage and love, wings and claws

you’ve always been able to hear words to see them, picture them behind closed eyelids but i can taste the syllables and feel the letters, their thorns and petals                           trace my hands over them like they were the notches in your spine

you could look at me and say “coffee” and it would taste like burnt Folgers and mountain air                                                                                and salt running down my cheeks

it would feel like running my fingers over the rocks on the edge of the river i was raised in                                                                                it would feel like getting splinters on the bottom of my feet from sitting on nostalgic wooden porches

you say “coffee” like a cacophony of broken memories and i can feel the vibrations in my bones

i can run my thumb over the people i’ve learned, the people i’ve been. their stories bend open like they were a book and i was prying apart the spine.

you can say “grief” and mine will be unparalleled to yours. they’ll have the same meaning, same consonants, same iambic pentameter                                                                   but yours tastes like honey and mine is whiskey that burns the back of our throats

it tastes like i cut myself on the crown of thorns over my head, on my fingers, on my wrists
(blood drips over a sacrilegious cupid’s bow, my knuckles are stained red)
it tastes like forgive me, forgive me, forgive me
it tastes like the smell of gunpowder wrapped around a cerebral lobe. the cracks in my ribs were born from recoil and haphazardly decided soulmates. (there are crystals forming where my heart used to be)
it feels like bruised kneecaps from falling

floor when you watch a heartbeat for the last time

now, it feels like tires screeching on 2 am pavement and the sting of a tattoo needle,       (if you look close enough, you can see blood and ink collide in the water, a war that’s been raging for years)
it feels like a muscle reflex, a flick of a finger, anger blooming where love used to be

it feels like a point between awake and asleep; smoke curled up around tired eyelids and electricity humming inside veins                                                                                now i’m an electric lover; the lightening and then the thunder

when you say “home” i can taste the saltwater and the rain                                                        i can feel pavement under my body, a beacon to the lonely and the restless; home is a fluid place with the consistency of syrup


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Seven Things Any Nonprofit Needs To Know About the 2010 Census

(This is the first of an ongoing series to provide tips and tools to nonprofits for getting the most out of their 2010 census involvement.)

The North Texas area receives over $8 billion in federal funding a year. These dollars are an important source of revenue for many local nonprofits and charities.

Communities served by nonprofits are at the greatest risk for being undercounted in the 2010 census.  Groups such as Hispanics, African-Americans, the elderly, the homeless, and the mentally ill and/or disabled represent the people most likely to be undercounted.

Click the link below to learn more about the census, and how your organization can get involved.

Download the full article from

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Maeklong Railway Market, Bangkok

If you are in Bangkok and have an entire day without plans, head to the Maeklong Railway Market – here is everything you need to know before you visit.

>>5 stunning shrines tourists should visit in Bangkok

The Maeklong Railway Market has been around since 1905. It is found in the province of Samut Songkhram, located on the Gulf of Thailand. Fishing was (and still is) one of the main livelihoods of the people who lived here, and the market was another way in which to sell their goods. Officials decided to build a railway in order to better deliver these goods to provinces around Thailand, including the capital. The market remained, however, despite the new tracks that cut through it.

Maeklong Railway Market (via theOMGdiaries)

What to expect

You will hear the train long before you actually see it. Vendors and merchants collectively begin to coolly move their belongings and umbrellas away from the tracks as the train barrels forward, laying on its horn every now and then to warn people of its inevitable passing; this is why the market is also known as the ‘umbrella pulldown’ market.

Baskets of goods are dragged away from the tracks, the overhead tents are drawn back and the tracks are cleared, making way for the train. Those hoping to capture a photo are waved back by those who suspect they are a little too close for comfort to the tracks. You will be able to spot those who work at the market and those who do not almost instantly; visitors of the market, whether they are Thai or foreigners, will have cell phones in hand, smiles on their faces, and will be shifting back and forth to position themselves for the perfect photo. Those who work there, however, watch this train go by up to eight times a day and get little to no thrill of its passing.

Maeklong Railway Market in Bangkok (via Worldwide Destinations Asia)

Watch as the food you are about to devour is literally run over by the train as it passes. The train is so close you can reach out and touch it as it zooms by, though we do not recommend doing this.

What to buy

The quality of this market lies in its novelty and the train that passes through … not necessarily its goods. It is here where you will find mainly food for sale. While there will certainly be some clothing and accessories available, the bulk of this market is made up of Thai sweets, meat, seafood, vegetables, fruits and drinks. If you were expecting a plethora of souvenirs, think again.

Maeklong Railway Market (via Ira Block Photography)

How to get there

You will find the Maeklong Railway Market about 80 kilometers outside of the city, located in the Samut Songkhram region. Depending on Bangkok’s traffic, it takes just over an hour to get there. There are a few ways you can get to this market – the first and certainly one of the most convenient ways is to take the BTS Skytrain to station Victory Monument and grab a minibus. These buses leave as soon as one is filled, so you never know when your departure time will be. Be sure to look up the train timetable before heading out so that you do not miss it. Be aware, however, that these times are subject to change, and the trains are oftentimes late.

Read more places to see and travel guides in Thailand, let’s visit our website. Have a nice trip!