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Daily Thunder Rumblings – 15 August 2017

img_4133-5Finally, the schedule is out. Finally, I can map my life out for the next 10 months. Here are the Rumblings.

NTTB Podcast about the Thunder’s schedule.

Russell Westbrook and Paul George finally got to work out together: “Russell Westbrook and Paul George are beginning the process of building chemistry on the court as the new duo had their first workout as Oklahoma City Thunder teammates on Monday in Los Angeles, sources told ESPN.com. At a gym on campus at UCLA, George and Westbrook went through drills and conditioning together, along with a few Thunder players, including Jerami Grant, Kyle Singler, Semaj Christon and Doug McDermott.”

NewsOK breaks down the Thunder’s schedule for this upcoming season.

The Thunder improved, but much of the Western Conference improved also: “With two NBA titles in three seasons and a core poised to continue its dominance, Golden State looks like a long-term terror, a juggernaut capable of smashing the opponents in its path for years to come. But this summer, the West focused on fight, not flight.”

Chad “OchoCinco” Johnson challenged Russell Westbrook, who proceeded to dracarys him in 3 words.

Westbrook and Kevin Durant open up as the favorites to win the 2017-18 MVP: “Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant opened as the favorites to win the 2017-18 NBA MVP award, according to SportsInsights. The former teammates came in at +350, creating a decent gap between themselves and the rest of the pack. Kawhi Leonard is third on the list at +550, followed up by last season’s MVP-runner up James Harden at +700.”

Morgan Dunn of Sir Charles In Charge argues whether the Thunder’s offseason moves may have affected the franchise’s long-term health: “This is all good news, right? Well, in the short-term it most certainly is, but there are no guarantees after this season. Both George and Westbrook will be able to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2018, and it is widely believed around the league that PG13 wants to go home and join the Lakers. If George bolts for the west coast, Westbrook will be left with a roster that looks very similar to that of the 2016-17 season. While that roster helped him average a triple-double and win the MVP, I think even Russ knows that it’s not a winning brand of basketball. Could anyone really blame him if he left OKC for a better situation? He’ll be 29 by that time.”

Tony Heim of Thunderous Intentions looks at the ridiculousnes of fans when cryptic tweets are at play: “Poor Patrick Patterson. On August 10th the newest Oklahoma City Thunder power forward had surgery to repair a minor knee injury. The scheduled procedure went under-the-radar (like everything else surrounding the Thunder) until Patterson sent out a tweet the day before. This could have meant anything. Maybe Patterson was celebrating an anniversary of some sort. He very well could have had a movie marathon planned. Either way nothing from Patterson, the Thunder organization or the media suggested that he was hypothesizing a Russell Westbrook extension. But that’s exactly how virtually everyone took the tweet.”

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new store listings

For everyone who has been emailing and searching to where to buy NPNT overseas I have updated the stores page with all shops who recently purchased from me in May at Quilt market. If they dont have stock they know where to get it so phone or visit and beg now 🙂 so that you may join us as soon as possible. If you still cannot find it you can purchase just the patterns here.

hugs, Helen

Published in: on July 3, 2008 at 1:00 pm  Leave a Comment

buttons and bows

ahhh, success, I’ll put another one up tomorrow for you all.

Buttons and bows block of the week

I am stiiiillllll trying to get these pics in…. promise I’ll sort it out. In the meantime have a peek at Vanessa’s photos here.

arrrgghh, I am really trying to send you a post with a new block picture but it WONT WORK! So I will try again tomorrow and hope that wordpress has sorted out its glitch before wasting too many more hours.

Have just returned from Quilt market in Sydney where I managed to catch up with lots and lots of lovely friends and your friendly store owners who are bringing you NPNT in one way or another. We will soon have a lot more joining us also so keep an eye out on the ‘stores’ page

in the meantime I’ll direct you to some other people’s pictures to get your fix. Look at this wonderful new blog from my friend Christel, look whats in the picture all the way across the world.

and here the lovely Lisa has made a tutorial blog on what ‘not to do’ when making and assembling your NPNT quilt blocks… 🙂 she is a barrell of laughs and makes us feel ‘okay’ not to be perfect either….. do check it out and if you scroll through the main blog you’ll see some more pics of peoples npnt blocks.

Highland Quilter also has lots of pics of her progress here. and here and here.

and Lyn shows us some more here

promise I’ll try for some pics tommorrow, it was going to be Buttons and Bows after seeing so many delicious ribbons and buttons at market…

hugs Helen

Published in: on June 10, 2008 at 7:35 pm  Leave a Comment
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 WordPress Specific Web Design Tutorials and Links | North by North Interactive Web Design

A Simple TimThumb Fix

If you have any sites running the TimThumb script (and if you care about security) you probably had a few to update this week. I had a couple of older sites using TimThumb, and there was this one site that … Continue reading

06. August 2011 by joshfeck
Categories: Tutorials | Comments Off on A Simple TimThumb Fix

Custom Post Types with Genesis

This is a tutorial showing how to add a custom post type with custom metaboxes in WordPress. We’ll take it one step further and create a page template to display the new post type using the Genesis Framework. I’ve learned … Continue reading

29. December 2010 by joshfeck
Categories: Tutorials | 3 comments

How to Choose a WordPress Theme

At WordCamps and on the WordPress.org support forums, I meet quite a few new WordPress users who want a few tips on finding good WordPress themes.

14. December 2010 by joshfeck
Categories: Tutorials, WordPress | Comments Off on How to Choose a WordPress Theme

Build a Landing Page Template for WordPress

A few of my clients have requested landing pages for their websites. They wanted a way to use WordPress on the backend to make it easy to edit and add forms via the Gravity Forms plugin. In this example, we’ll … Continue reading

26. October 2010 by joshfeck
Categories: Tutorials, WordPress | 9 comments

Add a Real Estate Virtual Tour Link Button with WordPress Custom Fields

The Custom Field is the Swiss Army knife of WordPress. When you need that extra bit of functionality in a WordPress powered site, custom fields can be a real life saver. An example: A real estate client needed an easy … Continue reading

12. June 2010 by joshfeck
Categories: Real Estate, Tutorials, WordPress | 1 comment


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American customs officials are trying to block an influx of phony flu pills, a report says.

Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 250 parcels of possibly bogus Tamiflu at Kennedy Airport’s air-mail facility, as well as another package in Chicago, Time magazine reports.

Fifty-one packages of fake Tamiflu were snared in San Francisco last month after being ordered from Asia over the Internet, the magazine says.


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Hanauma Bay and thereabouts

Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, and Portlock as seen from Koko Crater summit.

Now there’s a workout!

Dig the random wild cactus and the clouds reflecting on the ocean.

Diamond Head hike, an old favorite

Yeah, it’s on the tourist selfie map.

It used to be free, and not nearly as crowded.

Kapiolani Park and Waikiki on a pretty clear day.

But the hike to the top of Diamond Head is still a lot of fun if you know what to expect and can deal with it.  The views are awesome, but I really have to be in the mood.

It’s a lot like the Tokyo subway sometimes.
Yeah, it’s that crowded.
Inside the crater.
View from a recent flight.  The peak is on the right side of the crater.
You can just make out the old bunkers at the peak.  Sure miss surfing those waves below!
Koko Head in the distance, from Diamond Head peak.

Diamond Head lighthouse.

Rain creeping down from the Koʻolaus.
Decent map shows you what you’re in for.

Beware the deadly Dragon’s Breath

It’s always nice to the see the blow holes below the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail when they’re really pumping out spray.  Some people call it Dragon’s Breath, and refer to the side by side blow holes as the Dragon’s Nostrils.

It’s been a few years since I’ve hiked down the hill to dip in the beautiful tide pools and see the Dragon’s Breath up close.  It’s not a hard hike, but the area can be deadly dangerous when the waves are acting wild.  This was not the day.

Not-so-secret Hamama Falls

Lots of people make the ostensibly forbidden hike up a steady incline into Waiheʻe Valley in Kahaluʻu to see beautiful Hamama Falls.

Lots of nice wild orchids along the way.

At least it says “Aloha.”  That’s what makes Hawaiʻi different.

Nice, clear, cool water in the swimming hole below the old water supply spillway.

Wild Butterfly Pea flowers.

Up, up, up until you’re there.

No place to swim, but it’s great to look at.

Waiheʻe Stream is usually pretty mellow.

Stoner’s paradise?

Not so pretty.  Why do people always toss their junk near trailheads?  At least somebody saved the cylinder head for something.

Raggedy Tree Marigold with a bumblebee visitor.

One more for the road!  Beautiful.

Mount Olympus trek into the clouds

Taking a break at Inspiration Rock, along the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail on the way up to Awaawaloa, better known as Mount Olympus.

Manoa Valley with Waikiki in the background.

A small rainbow over the valley.

Diamond Head, rear left, and Waikiki at right.

Still a long way to go.

Trail is still very clear and strong.

It keeps going.

Reaching the cloud level.

A nice view of Ka’au Crater, a tuff cone above Palolo Valley.  The center is basically a high elevation swamp.

Into the clouds.  Almost there.

The other side of the Koolaus.  Triple peaks of Mount Olomana below, flanked by Kailua and Kaneohe.

More Ka Iwi Coast wanderings

Trails 1.jpg

The small traditional Hawaiian fishpond near Pele’s Chair functions much like a tidepool, allowing water to come in at high tide and bring fish that are then trapped when the tide recedes.  It’s also a nice safe place for small keiki (kids) to splash around.

There are lots of easy trails through the scrub between the beach and the highway.

Trails 18.jpg

Look closely and you can see where the lava wrinkled as it cooled and hardened while flowing toward the sea after Koko Crater’s last eruption, more than 30,000 years ago.

Trails 12.jpg

Trails 11.jpg

The water’s edge is a bit of a mangrove swamp around the small inlets that have carved themselves into parts of the shore.

Trails 2.jpg

A little further inland the soil dries out and you see a few plants that sure look like agave, and make me think of tequila anyway.

Trails 3.jpg

The old Wawamalu Bridge tucked away here once provided a vital link when this narrow road was the only way around the island, back before it was bypassed by the modern Kalanianaole Highway.

Bridge 3.JPG

Trails 5.jpg

It was built in 1931 and is still standing strong, more or less.

Bridge 2.jpg

The new bridge has been tagged pretty hard underneath.  The work is not my favorite, but it does show a certain talent.

Trails 14.jpg

There’s random found art along the shoreline too.

Trails 17.jpg

I wonder what the story is behind this curious rock installation.

Trails 16.jpg

A lone Kolea was out for a stroll.  Probably real tired after the long flight home from the mating grounds in Alaska.  That’s a long way to go for a date!

Trails 6.jpg

The Koko Crater Arch can be seen in the far distance if you look closely.

Trails 7.jpg

You can even glimpse a few hikers climbing the arch.

Trails 7.1.jpg

Back along the beach a sign warns that an endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal and her pup have decided to sunbathe.  That means everyone else has to stay away so they won’t be disturbed.

Trails 10.jpg

Trails 10.1.jpg

She was sacked out among the rocks and hard to spot at first.

Trails 9.jpg

She never did raise her head, so all we saw was her back and flippers.

Trails 8.jpg

Trails 9.1.jpg

On a clear day, you can look out to sea and spot the silhouettes of Molokai, Lanai, and Maui.

Trails 15.jpg

Overhead, a float plane pilot is living the dream.

Trails 13.jpg

Must be a great view!

Trails 13.1.jpg

The Ka Iwi Coast is along the shore to the right of Koko Crater and far right of the island.

Hawaii’s beauty and danger

Waterfall 6.1.jpg

So many beautiful places in Hawaii can also be very dangerous, and sometimes deadly.

It was only a few weeks ago when I wrote about the recent tragedy at Manoa Falls.  A 19-year-old college freshman fell to her death from the top of the main falls.

So I was a little surprised when I visited the falls again yesterday and saw another young woman about her age perched at the same spot from which the freshman fell.

Waterfall 14.1.jpg

Waterfall 2.1.jpg

But I really shouldn’t have been.  Young folks have been climbing to the top of the falls for many, many years.  I’ve done it myself, but not for a long time.

It’s not easy.  You literally have to scramble straight up the face of large rocks by clinging to banyan tree roots.  Don’t attempt it if you’re not in very good shape, are unfamiliar with the area, or have no experienced companions.  It’s just not worth it.

The attraction at the top of the falls is a small and secluded pool, filled with fresh mountain water that cascades from yet another pool even higher up.

Pool 5.jpg

Pool 6.JPG

The “infinity pool,” as it’s called by some, offers a great view of Manoa Valley and some privacy, a welcome respite from parents and the hordes of tourists who visit the main falls below.

Pool 4.jpg

Waterfall 30.jpg

Waterfall 32.jpg

It’s a long way down.  And the water below is very shallow.

Waterfall 33.jpg

Waterfall 29

Waterfall 26.jpg

Sometimes, the water flowing into the pool is barely a trickle.  Sometimes it’s quite a shower, and that’s when it’s both most beautiful and most dangerous.  Hawaii’s weather can be very unpredictable, especially in the mountains.  Rains can come quickly and turn dry stream beds into raging rapids within minutes, sweeping along rocks, branches and debris that can make waterfalls and pools very, very dangerous.

Waterfall 8.jpg

But the current generation of young visitors to the infinity pool is definitely the Facebook and selfie generation.  It seems that taking the perfect selfie at the edge of the pool is now the thing to do.

Waterfall 19.jpg

I guess I can’t really blame them.  It’s a beautiful spot, and I’m sure this visitor took some great pictures.  But it can be very, very dangerous.

I just hope she also made it home safely, and that any who follow her will too.

Manoa Falls lei


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The Sickboy Chronicles – Seven Four

Fourth of July festivities are in full swing. The alcohol ban has effectively shepherded the drinking herds inland, away from the beaches and on to patios and lawns – an attempt by City Council to reclaim the coast for all of San Diego’s upstanding citizens. Perhaps the ban was not such a bad idea after all. No one likes a buzzkill, but one wonders what the founding fathers would have thought about the Sodom-and-Gomorrah celebrations that had come to mark Independence Day at the beach in recent years. Celebrate freedom! Freedom to drink and piss and puke and fight and fuck in public! U-S-A! U-S-A!

This year Sickboy lugs a twelve pack of Newcastle bottles along Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, on his way to Sevrin’s pad for a barbecue with the crew. As he enters Sevrin’s complex and begins to ascend the stairs, his eardrums are pounded by the explosive sound of whispers. Apparently, the fireworks have started early.

“Yeah, he’s like chronically shy or something. But you have to check it out.,” Sevrin tells his guests.

Albino Bill follows with a verbal M-80 of his own. “Yeah, I saw one of his cards stuck to a palm tree outside Winston’s last week. What’s up with that?”

No one has actually said anything negative, but Sickboy is nothing if not hypersensitive. His scribbles are what they are, posted on the world wide web for anyone to see. Sure, he wants people to read them. But he sure as hell doesn’t want people to read INTO them. If you like a good story, check it out. If you relate to certain aspects of the character, well that’s the idea. But don’t go thinking you have Sickboy himself all figured out. The story is about you as much, if not more so, than it is about Sickboy. Stoners, loadies, drunks, and depressives – we each have our addictions and character flaws. Can’t we all just get along? Goddamn whisperers!

Mush Rider hurls the next cherry bomb.

“, huh? Alright. I’m gonna’ check it out and see what that crazy motherfucker is up to. You know what they say… Still waters run deep.”

Just then Sickboy taps on the screen door to throw a damper on the fireworks show.

“What the fuck, fellas!”

Sickboy is feigning embarrassment…sort of. He can take a little shit talk from the boys, but Mush Rider’s new girl is hanging out as well. Isn’t there some code of man ethics that applies here? No clowning one of the boys in front of the new girl. But Sickboy gets no respect. It’s not easy being an anonymous online scribbler, especially when the protective cloud of anonymity evaporates like the coastal marine layer at two o’clock on a sunny summer afternoon.

“Oh, hey, what’s up, Sickboy!” Sevrin stutters.

“Fuck off, Sevrin! But Happy 4th to the rest of you.”

Sickboy is having some fun now.

“Hey man, don’t hate” Sevrin whines.

Sickboy needs to set some things straight so he can enjoy his holiday.

“Chronically shy? Look, you pussy, I have a lot on my mind. So I spend a lot of time lost inside my head. But I wouldn’t call it shyness. I’m just picky about with whom I’m willing to share. I have standards. That’s all. There’s no one who I think needs to hear something who hasn’t already heard it from me. When a friend needs advice, he gets it. When someone offends me, he hears about it. And the girl I love… she knows it. That’s more than I can say for the cocoon of bullshit that you’ve spun around yourself… fuckin’ mothman! ”

Sevrin tries to end the discussion with his usual retort. “Whatever, dude!”

Sickboy isn’t quite finished.

“Yeah, whatever! I think you have some pent up shit that you need to get out, Sev. You need a laxative for your soul or something. You know, push one out.”

“Fuck you, Sickboy. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Sickboy cracks open a Newcastle and takes a big chug. He’s done explaining himself for the day, and he gives the host a friendly pat on the back. Sevrin is a good guy, even if he is emotionally constipated.

The party moves out to the patio where Mush Rider and Albino Bill get into a discussion about the La Jolla traffic circles. Like most motorists, Albino Bill is not a fan. Relating his antics as only he can, the man with no pigmentation has everyone on the patio cracking up.

“There’s like fifteen of those fuckin’ things on LaJolla Boulevard. Forget that slow down, loopdy-loop shit! I just drive right over them – over the curb, on the grass.”

Bill is not kidding either.

For some reason, Mush Rider steadfastly defends the loops, like the Minutemen defending Boston Harbor from the Brits.

“Actually, my uncle’s firm was contracted to build the loops, and there are three, not fifteen. The only problem is that the landscaping needs to be trimmed. The bushes are so high that you can’t see the oncoming traffic making its way around the circle.”

Albino Bill stands up and bellows “To hell with those stupid circles! I hope they tear up all twenty of them! Who wants to smoke a bowl?”

Mush rises from his seat to respond.

“It’s three! Not twenty! Not thirty! Three! And there’s a nugget of Silver Haze upstairs on the counter.”

Nothing like some crystal laden chronic to repair a potential rift between dueling stoners. He rides the mush but he smokes the kush, and the big white man is more than happy to partake in his stash.

Mush Rider is always holding some crazy strain or another. Sometimes the names sound like their taken right off the menu at Jamba Juice. Other times they seem ripped from the cereal aisle of the grocery store.

Hawaiian Punch. Cat Piss. Grapes of Wrath. Vanilla Fusion. Numb Dick Stick. Cocoa Puffs. Humboldt Lightning. Captain Crunch. Mango Madness.

A few rips later and no one’s talking about the traffic circles any more.

Over the course of the day, several species of beast are roasted and consumed by this gathering of beer swilling savages. Right around 8:30 the party breaks up as the stuffed and wasted tribe heads toward the beach to watch the fireworks launch from the OB pier. Sickboy breaks off from the group and finds a spot on the lawn next to lifeguard tower two. He turns his attention inward as sound and fury erupt in the sky above the sea.

Out there in the cosmos, far beyond the exploding sky, there is a parallel universe where Sickboy has his shit together. He is healthy and confident and he sweeps Jenny off her feet, as all that is good inside the boy comes pouring forth for everyone to see. Here on earth, in this lifetime, however, an overthinking, overdrinking sick and troubled soul can only scribble his way to health and happiness, one episode at a time.

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Strike Debt: Politics of Debt: New Currency Theory and Michael Hudson’s ‘The Bubble and Beyond’

February 6, 2014 @ 3:30 am – 5:00 am
Public School Space (entrance on 22nd St, use buzzer)
2141 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612
Bill Rose

This class will delve into the differences between Modern Monetary Theory and New Currency Theory (only recently devised).  Does MMT hold the only solutions for monetary or banking reform?  Or is NCT have better options?  We’ll read this position paper from the latest Real-World Economics Review to understand the nuances of our debt based financial system:

Michael Hudson’s ‘The Bubble and Beyond’ will also be mixed in the discussion. Chapter 3, ‘How Economic Theory Came to Ignore the Role of Debt’ and chapter 6 ‘The Financial Character of Today’s Crisis’ will attempt to clear up misconceptions about debt in economics.  I will scan these chapters and make them available as soon as possible.

see you there!

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Get Updates

Want to BASE jump at Bridge Day Saturday, October 20, 2018 but don’t have the experience (or nerve) to do it alone?

Tandem BASE jump spots are SOLD OUT for 2017. Please check back July 1, 2018.

For more information, contact Tandem Base. Grab your spot before they’re gone!


text:
Breaking Down The Chase // With HIMYM – Pt. 1

In case you haven’t figure out by now, the Oh’s Knows Bros are into NASCAR. We even trying convincing America why everyone should at least go to one NASCAR race before they leave this big blue marble – that was this week’s podcast. For those who don’t know, the Race for the Chase is on, and 12 lucky drivers will make it into NASCAR’s Playoffs.HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

Since we thought just throwing out some drivers, their team names, paint schemes, horsepower they’re pulling or wife’s names would be a little boring. We went to some of our favorite TV and Movie Shows and asked them for help. Well The Fonz from “Happy Days” didn’t pick where the drivers lined up going into the chase in two weeks (that was us) – we thought a few quotes that related to the driver would be a little more entertaining.

As told by “How I Met Your Mother,” Nick O. brings you his top 12 drivers going into the chase and why. Enjoy.

“This is gonna be a long jinx. Like Yom Kippur services long. The only difference is Yom Kippur’s fast and this one’s gonna be slow.” – Ted Mosby

This is without a doubt a pull for my favorite driver, JEFF GORDON, but the quote was too fitting and I think it’s time to end the curse.   He hasn’t won since the early 2000s back when he was the most dominate driver, winning 4 times in 7 years, so I’m saying he gets a win in the last races before the chase and sneaks in.  Maybe he can even win the whole thing for the first time in 12 years.

“You’re drinking for two tonight baby.” – Lily Eriksen
“I will do this, for the child” – Marshall Eriksen

With team owner, Tony Stewart, out for the year, it’s up to RYAN NEWMAN to take the take the Stewart-Haas name to a second cup title in the past three years.

“A Yuletide riddle. What is my second favorite word that begins with B-O-N?” – Barney Stinson
“Bon Jovi?” – Ted Mosby
“What is my third favorite that begins with B-O-N? Buzzer… BONUS!” – Barney Stinson

JOEY LOGANO’s recent win was just the bonus he needed to almost guarantee a spot in the ‘chase’ as long as he doesn’t trip up. Can the guy who has quickly become despised by both drivers and fans alike make a run to the title?

“Challenge accepted!” – Barney Stinson

GREG BIFFLE had a slump in the middle of the season, but things have started to turn around for him.  Maybe he was told he couldn’t do it this year, to which he proudly proclaimed, “Challenge Accepted!”

“Ted, your problem is all you do is think, think, think. I’m teaching you how to do, do, do.” – Barney Stinson
“Doo-doo!” – Marshall Eriksen
[chuckles] “Totally.” – Barney Stinson

As stated on the pod, DALE EARNHARDT JR. has started to let everything get to his head.  The most popular driver in the sport (yes I did call NASCAR a sport) and the guy with one of the biggest legacies to live up to needs to just get back to taking names and focusing on the race.

“This is Barney? This man is blonde. Grown men are not blonde.” – Mr. Scherbatsky

Maybe this is the real reason behind why CLINT BOWYER hasn’t won a race yet this year.  If he’s going to win the championship, he’s got to get himself into victory lane, and more than once.

Check back tomorrow for Nick O.’s Top 6 Drivers heading into the Chase. HIMYM is coming too.

2 thoughts on “Breaking Down The Chase // With HIMYM – Pt. 1

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Fine Heirloom Sewing, Smocking and Hand Embroidery

"Baby will be well and smiling in little garments made by Mother, Auntie, Grannie and loving friends!"

Please join me as I teach the old fashioned techniques and skills needed to sew baby clothes. You will find lessons that start at the very beginning and take you step by step as we sew little baby clothes together. May you find much joy and pleasure in making them.
It's easy and it's fun!!

Visit My Heirloom Sewing Webshop

Friday, April 15

My Tea Table

This is my Antique Tea Table.

Isn't it pretty?

The "tray" lifts off.

Side view.  Beautiful legs!!

I love my Tea Table!!

My Brown Dog is sooo nosy.

What I am reading: Isaiah 55:8,9
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the Lord,
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

All Designs Are Copyright Protected copyright 2011 Jeannie Baumeister

1 comment:

Kellie said...

Old things just have such character and charm!

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The Gods and Goddesses of American culture enthrall us through their mystery. Once they come upon us and speak of the mundane, then they lose that mystery, and are no longer Gods and Goddesses.

The roofer who repairs my roof is valued for this skill. However, if he stands upon my roof and shouts his personal beliefs, then I would lose respect for his skill, and not appreciate him using my roof as a personal platform for expression.

Mystery is a shimmering magical spell. It inspires and grasp lovers in its embrace. It places the beautiful, talented, and the inspiring, high in the sky, beyond our human embrace. When actors, players, presidents or queens approach us with dialog as a neighbor the mystery fades. The spell is broken. Familiarity DOES breed contempt.

Gods, Goddesses and Queens learn on the knee of their creators; “When to keep their mouth shut.” So is the lesson of our times.

James Kirk-Wiggins (c) Sept. 2017

I published a previous article on my website “”; titled “American Militarism: Birth of a Nation. Just to put in context here is part of the article;

Mirror Neurons. When you watch another persons activity or action your brain fires neurons as if you were doing the action. Most are hailing this great new discovery. But how about when a video games has a sword slicing and dicing, or MMA fight beating the blood our of some lady on the floor. Our mirror neurons are firing with each punch, our limbs are stopped short by the brain from actually moving our fist, but it’s playing it out. Thus in Cops reality shows, Violent Sports, Video Games, Violent Movies, and headline news if they reported world news instead of mostly anti-Trump news, our children’s mirror neurons are firing away, our brain imitating all this.

 This is alarming why, besides psychological effects, they have discovered Brain plasticity. This is where the brain is capable of “rewiring” itself for frequent activities, emotions etc.  Then new discoveries in epigenetics have discovered a limited plasticity to DNA. Research now indicates your DNA and neuropathways are altered by experience, PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION FOR WAR

As many as 97% of US kids age 12-17 play video games…. More than half of the top 50 video games contain violence. Violent video games have been blamed for school shootings, bullying, and violence towards women.  (PROCON.ORG, 06/03/16)

By age 18, a U.S. youth will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. American Psychiatric Association –(PARENTAL TELEVISION COUNSIL)

American sports become more violent every year. Wrestling looks brutal, MMA fighting is brutal. Watch a MMA match fight and the below video and enough said.

Main Stream American Sports Video

Much research data, and opinions have come out about the effect of Video games and Violent TV supporting one position or another of the effect on youth. Common sense alone would tell me it’s going to de-synthesize people toward violence, and make it more acceptable mentally.

However some of the latest scientific findings stress, and environment.  This is what needs research and study.

There is increasing evidence that epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, are present across species, are modifiable by the environment, and are involved in developmental plasticity. (National Library of Medicine ,National Institutes of Health HHS public access).

(There is much data, more palatable on TED, YouTube, Wikipedia and Google search engine)

Antifa1In conclusion are we building bionic soldiers, capable of more violence each generation. Not only soldiers, but criminals, democrat leftist demonstrators, and Berkley University. Furthermore, have we been doing this increasingly this millennium. Our frog is now dead. We are headed as a nation toward a polar opposite of peace, and increasingly toward greater militarization, violence, and hatred. Will this eventually create the destruction of our nation?

Above Posted: James Kirk-Wiggins © May 2017

The above taken from the original article; explains the possible effects our violence may have on current and future generations. May seems like a long time ago. So much hate, protest, and violence since this article was written. It seems very possible our building up a New Sparta and Bionic Soldiers of the future, intentional or not, may be like so many Sci Fi movies of Bioengineering gone bad.

I mentioned cultural violence, and leftist demonstrations previously. Yet with this explosive surge of violence with the Antifa, Neo-Nazi’s, and  the liberal Fascist Media becoming outrageously aggressive, biased, and igniting hate.

The Liberal Fascist Media has become a propaganda arm of the Antifa, and Liberal Democrat Fascist. Movies, TV shows, sitcoms, and late night TV all are following a radical agenda.

Thus, as the above stated, have we pumped this violence into our culture through violence in TV, Movies, Video Games, Gangsta Music, and increasingly violent sports. Also the prison boot camps of violence, have ever growing population increases due to mandatory three strike sentencing for very minor offenses. Placing young people in prison for small portions of Marijuana, crack, cocaine, ecstasy etc. is a failure in our judicial system. Fueling the violence of gangs, and personal violence.

The influx of illegal aliens during the Obama administration, with gang connections, such as MS 13, and an open door for the flow of drugs, has exacerbated the violence meter to boiling.

In conclusion, we must address not just the criminal elements, the extremist radicals, the hate propaganda media, but also our culture. We must become a kinder, gentler people and spend our leisure time minimizing aggression and stress. We must come to a conclusion as a nation that we are not well. We are not as a culture mentally healthy. We are angry, hateful, and aggressive. We have as a nation a personality disorder. Our culture must curtail violence in TV, Movies, Video Games, Gangsta Music, and violent sports.

We no longer have social controls such as a nuclear family, religion, schools teaching civics, sports teaching good sportsmanship. We must get back to our roots based on Christianity, whether you are Christian or not. They taught us how to treat our neighbors, do unto others and we would have done to us. To love your enemy. To be tolerant and loving. Even Christians have seemed to lost Jesus, and becoming more political, judgemental, and less tolerant.

Who do we want to be?

We must examine our nation, our people, and our culture. Before we consume each other, or become irrelevant through disunity and weakness.

James Kirk-Wiggins (c) September 9, 2017

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The current media monopoly, total liberal bias, one liberal voice, with an anti-Trump agenda, must be STOPPED. Our Media monopolies are a textbook example of the necessity of Anti-Trust law.

We no longer have freedom of the press. Through consolidation since 1996 Five corporations own 90% of the Media. All speak with a liberal and anti-Trump opinion.

There is no possibility a startup conservative media could compete or have a modicum of success in the media marketplace. Differing opinions with new and differing political philosophies is null. This very idea considering the wealth and existing consolidation and monopolization of the Multi-Billion-dollar media corporations is certainly a silly proposition. No one on Shark Tank would invest a penny.

With the possible exception of some Fox News host, there is one liberal biased opinion shared by all the major cable and major internet news sources. Fox News owner, Rupert Murdoch, is a prime media monopolist himself with two Liberal One Voice stars; The Wall Street Journal and NY Post.

Freedom of the press has been denied by legislation, “The Telecommunications Act of 1996.” It was signed by Bill Clinton, and passed congress after much heavy lobbying. This law exempted the media from most Antitrust laws, not clearly expressing this intention, nevertheless, the results were the destruction of dissenting newsprint and media opinion  and destruction of a viable freedom of the press in the USA, as over 50 major media corporations muted into FIVE. The prevention of such a thorough monopolization was the core of Antitrust legislation.

The Liberal Media Monopoly deny bias, and deflect or ignore any voice to the contrary. Of course, they do, it’s their opinions, and any mention of it, floods the airwaves. Even Fox News doesn’t call for the return of media antitrust regulation and repeal of the 1996 telecommunications act. Mr. Murdoch would have their cojones. Media bias has been discussed somewhat on FOX, however the 1996 antitrust exemption for media, has never been adequately, if discussed at all. To recognize an injustice and constitutional violation, yet unbelievably not call for action against the obvious cause, is damn cowardliness by FOX television host, or they don’t want to be fired. Integrity can be a burden from hell if you believe it may destroy all you’ve built. It’s a David and Goliath story, but there is no David.

Not to be outdone is the cowardliness of conservative legislators who certainly are aware, who also may complain quietly of bias, but they most significantly, are fully aware who pays their campaign and committee chairmanship fees. The bias is so obvious, but it definitely is the elephant in the room no one wants to mention the cause and it’s remedy.

The Supreme Court, all members are very intelligent and have eyes and ears. They are the only capable voice that is not monetarily indentured or bound from action. The Supreme Court should take action now to restore Freedom of the Press. It CAN be done legally without any lower court actions. (If not isn’t there a David in America that has the resources to do so.)

It would take a very brave Supreme Court to act with what would result in damnation from all US media, and most politicians whom are not absent. Possibly calls for impeachment would be heard, but America knows what’s going on, and politicians know the way the wind and money blows. But if the Supreme Court will not uphold the Bill of Rights, and Freedom of the Press, then our democracy is at a precipice, and will degrade and infect other pillars of liberty, until the Constitution is neutered, and historical only.

cropped-shouting.pngHEAR ME AMERICA. HEAR ME SUPREME COURT. RESTORE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, with real dissent, opposing opinions, lively debates and our democracies foundation.

Opinion; by James Kirk-Wiggins

(c) One Free Press August 2017

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Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Read this and choke (on your bog standard coffee)

The front page of the IHT this morning informs us that a row over dangerous levels of nickel and lead found in coffee has revealed that the European Commission has doled out a whopping €100,000 on luxury coffee machines for the upper floors of the Berlaymont building - so that top Commission officials don't have to queue with the plebs to get their morning fix.

Johan L said...

What's so surprising with EU burning our money on crap for themselves. EU is nothing but a mafia.

dave said...

How about changing the coffee bean supplier? How about getting some machines in for making the gravy for the EU gravy train? The whole EU is an utter waste of money; another way of screwing money out of everybody and giving it to the beaurocrats


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Nancy Hill Hidinger

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Alastair Campbell: New Labour and the rise of the media class 2 editions

Cover of: Alastair Campbell by Peter Oborne
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Library of Congress DA591.C35 O26 1999
Dewey 352.23/2748/092, B

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Anne Hutchinson 2 editions

Cover of: Anne Hutchinson by Dennis B. Fradin

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2 editions First published in 1989

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Cover of: Anne Hutchinson
July 1989, Enslow Pub Inc
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1990, Enslow Publishers
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Tiger Commissary Online Services

Web Deposits & Commissary Ordering

You have chosen the Washington Co Illinois in Nashville, IL

Wrong Facility?

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Order today and your commissary order will be packaged on Wednesday & delivered on Thursday

Web Commissary is available

web commissaryOrder Commissary

Allows you to order commissary and have it shipped to an inmate.


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Author Archives: deirdrehilliard

The low down on sugars

Here at Just Food we think it’s time to add some clarity to all of the discussion about sugars in foods. We know that we consume too much free sugar as a nation, and we need to change this. The … Continue reading

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Our trip to Germany

Well we are just about recovered from Biofach 2014 in Nuremberg and what a week we had! First of all we had to travel through the snow to get to Dublin airport and then the planes were almost grounded when … Continue reading

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HiLo is low in Weight Watchers ProPoints!

Happy New Year to all you Just Foodies! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that you are feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead! I know many people find it hard at this time of year to get … Continue reading

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The New Just Food HiLo Soup range

We have some very exciting news here at Just Food! We are launching our brand new range of HiLo soups this week in Dunnes Stores! These delicious soups are high in protein and low in fat but like all our … Continue reading

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New HiLo Thai Spiced Vegetable Soup

The Thai Spiced Vegetable flavour was inspired by a desire for a new spicy exotic soup alternative which is healthy and assists in weight loss while providing a great source of nutrition. It contains Squash which is rich in antioxidants … Continue reading

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New HiLo Bean and Quinoa Soup

The Bean and Quinoa variety is made with Black Beans and Quinoa which is an ancient powerfood used by Inca warriors to aid stamina! Both quinoa and black beans are very high in protein and black beans are also known … Continue reading

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New HiLo Super Greens Soup

Super Greens is packed with some of the most nutrient dense foods available, namely peas, spinach and broccoli. These are rich in protein, folate and iron as well as a multitude of other healthy goodness. An excellent option to pack … Continue reading

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Posts Tagged ‘joseph hoffman’

I stumbled across this glassware by Joseph Hoffman in a Wall Street Journal insert entitled…The Future of Everything. His background is fascinating, but the scope of his life’s work is amazing…furniture, glassware, architecture, jewelry etc.

With an eye that favored strict geometric shapes, Josef Hoffmann was in many ways anticipatory of the cubist movement. His fondness for the square was so well-known that the architect and designer earned the nickname Quadrati-Hoffmann (Square Hoffman) among his peers.

Hoffmann was among the rare breed of designers who could make anything. Coming to prominence at the turn of the 20th century, the Austrian creative put his mark on everything from lounge chairs and silverware to a modernist sanatorium. Hoffmann undoubtedly owed much of his success to good company—working alongside artists like Koloman Moser and Gustav Klimt, the young Hoffmann founded the Vienna Secession, an organization of artists that held exhibitions of progressive work as a reaction to the prevailing conservatism of the art world.”

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The idiot’s approach to choosing a new camera

This is intended to be part public service announcement, part cautionary tale. It can be viewed as a plea not to try this at home or, if you must, at least adopt a different approach.

I finally bought a new camera; it’s only taken 15 months. And there’s the first obvious flaw in the process: many of the cameras which were around 15 months back have already been consigned to the dustbin of history. The clue is in the title of the post.

By the way, this isn’t a camera review; I’ve barely got the thing out of the box and there are plenty of tested to destruction accounts by expert scrutinisers to be found elsewhere. There are people out there who actually know what all of the knobs (and symbols) on a modern camera do (and mean). They’re the ones to consult. I’m just here trying to save you from yourselves.

I had, still have, two functioning cameras – a Sony DSLR and an ageing Panasonic Lumix compact. The DSLR is heavy, bulky and invariably has the wrong lens attached when the time comes for a wildlife shot; it’s fine for a day on a preserved railway, or a couple of hours parked in a hide with sandwiches and flask, but on the move it quickly becomes cumbersome and irritating.

The old Panasonic compact has been a faithful and indestructible companion. It has a bombproof quality reminiscent of (for those old enough to remember) Volkswagen’s Mark 2 Golf, fits easily into the thigh pocket of walking trousers, or those on the hipbelt of the Golite Peak rucksack. Always available, hardly noticed, no lens switching needed. The only real downsides have been the camera’s relatively short zoom range and the absence of a viewfinder; the latter being something I’ve never quite got used to.

All of this information was available to me 15 months back; in other words I had everything I needed to make a reasonably informed choice – not too heavy, not too bulky, a decent zoom and a viewfinder. Should have been a piece of cake; all I needed was to find a few cameras meeting all of those requirements, make a shortlist, then a choice. This is where the process begins to disintegrate.

Firstly, there was no single camera meeting all of my preferences; apparently I’m not a sufficiently important customer for electronics giants to produce a bespoke product tailored to my whims. There are compacts with long zooms but no viewfinder; compacts with viewfinders but only short zooms; none with both, unless I’ve missed one. I needed to compromise on something, so I reluctantly started to look at the rather larger ‘bridge’ cameras, thereby rendering all of the foregoing research pretty much redundant.

I quickly compiled a shortlist of 14, mortified myself with the size of the task at hand and drifted into a period of inaction and apathy. Eventually, energised again, I picked up the threads of the search and found that some of the manufacturers had helped me out by discontinuing several of the cameras on the list, thereby reducing it to 9. This was a bonus and I rewarded myself with some more of that inaction and apathy stuff.

From there it gets a little easier: some of the bridge cameras with viewfinders are pretty bulky and heavy themselves, so they were eliminated. Others were simply beyond the outer limits of my price range and were also discarded. I know; if they were too expensive, why were they on the list in the first place? The clue is in the title of the post.

I did eventually make a choice – it’s a Nikon P510. The manual is formidable; I’ll report back – hopefully with pictures!


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Invent, Please

Language means a lot – especially when seeking real results.  I’ve been thinking about ‘innovation’ vs ‘invention’ since reading the Back Page story in ‘Entrepreneur’, June 2015.  We frequently hear that education, as a whole, needs to be innovative. What does that mean?  Any definition or thought provoked around ‘innovation’ seems soft to me.  What we can’t seem to do is define ‘results’ or ‘obligations’ of innovation.  Does innovation inspire actions that lead to ‘results’, something tangible as outcome?  It’s pretty amorphous but sounds so 21st century. We can keep saying, ”let’s innovate” and do nothing, see nothing emerge as outcome. As the Back Page article notes, “Innovate. Please. The future depends on it.  But Also: invent.  Because the future depends on results, too.  Things we can touch and walk through.  Things we can smell and experience.  Services that will change our lives.”

If we shift the emphasis to ‘invention’, a different perspective is created. Innovation seems amorphous, hard to define, see or touch.  Innovation that leads to invention is different.  The end result is ‘something’, a product of some sort, probably different or unusual from what has or has not previously existed.  When we invent we are committed to producing something….at least, we keep trying.  Innovating – one may be working on something but when inventing one is committed to creating.  Something will be actualized; there will be a result. Inventing can fill a need, a void, or be an effective strategy for desired results.  Innovating?  Not so much.

Roshan Choxi didn’t learn all he wanted to know about software development in his 4 years at a top rated engineering school.  He was amazed at how much he learned that was actually relevant to the industry at a young web start-up company. He wanted others to benefit from his same experience.  He and colleague, Dave Paola ‘invented’ Bloc in 2011.  They engaged veteran/expert designers and developers to provide experiential apprenticeship, online boot camps in web, mobile and software development.  Students have one-on-one mentorships with experts to build products.

Students emerge from the program having produced actual, viable products.  These creations become the foundation of a viable portfolio as they launch into the job market.  And, by the way, the program includes a job-prep feature to help students create an online profile and prepare for the interviewing process.

This all comes at a cost of $5K per boot camp.  It is self-paced, online, mentor-nurtured (100 soon to be 500) and includes collaborations with fellow learners who leave ‘work ready’ and postured for higher salaries than non-Bloc fellow job seekers.  This program has more than 1000 students enrolled.  It is growing.

There’s not a direct parallel between Bloc and K-12 education.  The latter has no venture capitalists or the like.  So the ‘invention’ concept also needs to be addressed in the financial, retooling aspects of how education is grounded.  There are numerous K-12 education inventions (aka disruptions?) afoot that seek to provide learners with knowledge, skills relevant to a global economy and being successful as adults in a hyper-connected world.  These inventions are elusive in too many systems across our country.

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Falling asleep

It’s now 11:37, and I’m falling asleep. I’m trying to make it through, but the cold has got the best of me. I don’t know why we have such extreme conditions here… just 1 more day. I’m not excited about leaving, but I’ll be glad not to freeze. It has just been the most boring day ever. I haven’t had anything to do, and I’m sick of surfing the net and playing sudoku. How can cats do it? Just sitting around at home all day? I suppose it’s not so bad for them, they can at least find stuff to entertain themselves. I know that Neko has parties, as the radio’s always turned up when I get home. I turn it on low when I leave, so how does it get so loud? Cats have strange ways. *yawns* When will this day end? I’d much rather have work, than to sit around like this!!! My head is aching with boredom! It’s driving me up the wall! I’m also freezing my ass off! Ok, now I’m getting too exclamation-point happy. I’ll try and slip out early again, as there’s nothing to keep me here. I’ll leave at 1530. I’m planning on getting a hair cut this aft, as it’s now too long to spike >_

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I have a nice long contract!!!

Yesterday, I landed a contract with Natural Resources Canada, for 3 months! It’s about time! I mean, I have been working on and off all summer, and my ¨buffer¨ has one down quite a bit. Now, it’s time to make that cash back! I start there on the 15th, and I’m currently doing a week and a half at aonther place. Then there’s the elections on Wednesday, I’ll make about 200$ for working there all day. Things are turning out great for me! It’s about damn well time!

In other areas, Neko is being herself. The other night, she got real jealous, because I got kissed by another cat. I didn’t expect it… I was just helping my hottie renovate this house, and the cat came along. I held him, and he gave me cat kisses. Which cat kisses strangers? Anyways, when I got home, Neko could smell his scent, and gave me these dirty looks all night. She wouldn’t come near me. The next morning, she forgave me, or atleast had forgotten about it.

I’ll try to keep this updated more often now, after all this election business winds down. It’s been keeping me on my toes, trying to follow everything and everyone. I’m a bit of a political junkie, so this is right up my alley. Which reminds me, I have some pictures that I took at a rally last Thursday, that I should post on here. I was not really in a blogging mood, being so worried about my situation, but now everything should be okay. I’ll create an Ottawa (South) Meow Meow Election report, once I get home today.

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Scientists Developed Technique For Clean Hydrogen Production

A team of scientists at the University of Cambridge has developed a new technique for carbon-free hydrogen production which could be the key to renewable hydrogen fuel. Their method is relatively cheap and increases the chances to clean hydrogen become the sustainable fuel of the future.

                         A piece of paper placed in front of a solar light source

Sunlight-Powered Technology

Sunlight-powered technology developed at the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Sustainable SynGas Chemistry uses untreated biomass, previously converted into hydrogen gas through a gasification process, sunlight, and quantum dots to produce hydrogen. These quantum dots are nanoparticles used as a catalyst to remove the need for high energy. In conventional techniques of getting fuel from biomass, it’s necessary a large amount of heat to power the process. Quantum dots neutralize it. Then nanoparticles are added in alkaline water in which the biomass is suspended and finally put in front of a light which mimics solar light. The absorption process leads to conversion the biomass into gaseous hydrogen. The team used various types of biomass, including pieces of wood, paper, and leaves.

                   A piece of wood heated by solar energy used for conversation process

Less energy means using fewer resources and excluding polluting chemicals from the conversion process. By conversion of lignocelluloses ( the main component in plant biomass which protects trees and plants from damage ), is achieved relatively easy and cheap way for clean hydrogen production. Although a handy technique, it can’t be used in complicated machinery, because the raw biomass is full of unrefined chemical energy. According to David Wakerley, from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry, their technique of conversion such a messy structures that make up biomass is the most useful for hydrogen production. He also added that they have specifically designed a combination of catalyst and solution that allows this transformation to occur using sunlight as a source of energy. With this in place, we can simply add organic matter to the system and then, provided it’s a sunny day, produce hydrogen fuel. This process in environmentally friendly and the team currently research a range of potential commercial options.

Moving from fossil fuel resources to renewable feedstocks is among the most important goals of the 21st century. The potential of hydrogen as a renewable fuel is tremendous. Scientists work for decades to find the cheapest way for its production by testing numerous methods. Some great steps are already taken such as Honda’s hydrogen powered car and Alstom’s passenger train. In a world where outdoor air pollution is killing more than 3 million people every year, alternatives like this are crucial.

Floating City On Pacific Begins To Built In Two Years
Lithium-Ion Batteries Made From Recycled Glass Bottles Can Now Be Used To Store Energy

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Asian Hornet found in UK [Update]

The National Bee Unit have confirmed today 20th September 2016 that the Asian hornet has been spotted in Tetbury area of Gloucestershire. A control zone is being set up within a radius of three miles of the sighting and a search for nests made. Bee inspectors have been put on alert.

Update 5th October 2016: the Tetbury area nest has now been identified and destroyed. However, a further sighting has been confirmed in Somerset and this nest is currently being hunted. Beekeepers should remain vigilant, setting and monitoring wasp/hornet traps around their hives- report any sightings as specified below.

The Asian hornet reached France in 2004, and was spotted in the Channel Islands in August 2016. Slightly smaller than the European Hornet (Vespa crabro), and not to be confused with the Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia), the Asian Hornet (Vespa Velutina) poses a threat to honey bee populations as an extremely effective predator.

Vespa Velutina - photo Didier Descouens from WikiMedia used under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International license

Vespa Velutina – photo Didier Descouens, see footnote

  • Vespa velutina queens are up to 3cm (1.2in) in length; workers up to 2.5cm (1in)
  • Entirely dark brown or black velvety body, bordered with a fine yellow band
  • Only one band on the abdomen: fourth abdominal segment almost entirely yellow/orange
  • Legs brown with yellow ends
  • Head black with an orange-yellow face

To check the ID characteristics of the Asian Hornet see this Non-native Species leaflet. Any suspected Asian hornet sightings should be reported to . When emailing, please include your name, the location of the sighting and if possible, a photograph of the hornet.

For further info see the National Bee Unit information page, this Defra press release and this Guardian news article.

Photo: courtesy Didier Descouens from herereproduced under WikiMedia Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International license
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How do I leave Feedback?

To leave Feedback for another member:
  1. Click on the My eBay button at the top of any eBay page.

  2. Click on the "Feedback" link under "My Account" on the left side of the page.

  3. Click on the Leave Feedback button.

Leave Feedback for all your transactions.

Leaving Feedback is voluntary; however, eBay encourages all members to leave Feedback after each transaction that is complete. There are different philosophies on whether the buyer or seller should leave Feedback first. Each member may choose the best approach to leaving Feedback.

You have the following options for leaving Feedback on eBay transactions:

  • Leaving multiple Feedback

  • Leaving Feedback for a member who is no longer registered

  • Leaving Detailed Feedback

Leaving multiple Feedback

You can leave Feedback for a member more than once. However, to make sure that repeat Feedback is calculated in the Feedback Score, each transaction must end in a separate week. For Feedback, eBay defines a week as Monday through Sunday, Pacific Time.

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Developer: Paradise Valley can expect the Ritz-Carlton

Representatives of the Ritz-Carlton development project met with Paradise Valley community members at a Feb. 12 “Community Conversation” to discuss project goals and keys to success.

Jerry Ayoub, owner and president of Five Star Development Inc., answered questions about when residents could expect to see a pre-application filed and what company will manage the completed resort.

First approved in 2008 by an overwhelming majority of town council members and Paradise Valley residents, the Ritz-Carlton project’s original special-use permit application came into question when the project developer, Five Star Development, requested changes to the original SUP, Independent archives state.

The original application included a 225-room resort complete with spa, restaurants and meeting space, archives explain. The 105-acre lot also included 100 resort patio homes, 46 luxury detached residential homes, and 15 one-acre estates.

In the town’s first-ever brainstorming session before a development or redevelopment project, Paradise Valley community members came together to express their concerns and voice their opinions about the potential for a new Ritz-Carlton project.

Most residents at the meeting were cautious in their support for the project. A number of concerns were expressed, including traffic congestion, home density, project quality and preserving the character of Paradise Valley.

The 105-acre lot is the largest undeveloped property in Paradise Valley, Council member David Sherf reminded those in attendance.

“We’re used to 5-, 10-acre projects. The name on this should not drive the project,” Councilman Sherf said at the meeting, explaining that not only should the resort be world-class, the entire 105 acres must be a high quality development.

“It will be world-class,” Mr. Ayoub assured community members. “I want you to be proud of it,” he continued, stating that Five Star Development holds a 30-year contract with Ritz-Carlton to manage the hotel.

Residents can expect to see a pre-application filed with the town in the next 10 to 14 days, Mr. Ayoub said.

Resident opinions were varied as to the ideal density of the residential homes, with some worried that building multiple homes on one acre could mar the character of Paradise Valley — a community proud of its longstanding one-home-per-one-acre tradition.

Financial need was another concern addressed by the council, but is not something that necessitates the construction of a Ritz-Carlton resort hotel, said Paradise Valley Mayor Michael Collins.

“Forecasted budget statements suggest the need for additional revenue in the town, but while the development project is certainly a solution, it is not the only one. We want to ensure the product is not based on financial or developmental need, but on what’s best for the town.”

Community members can track project developments by registering with the CodeRED notification system or by signing up for “Notify Me” e-mail notifications. Both can be found on the Paradise Valley website home page.

Editor’s Note: Ms. Walker is an editorial intern at Independent Newsmedia.

    You are encouraged to leave relevant comments but engaging in personal attacks, threats, online bullying or commercial spam will not be allowed. All comments should remain within the bounds of fair play and civility. (You can disagree with others courteously, without being disagreeable.) Feel free to express yourself but keep an open mind toward finding value in what others say. To report abuse or spam, click the X in the upper right corner of the comment box.


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All Alone With My Memories…

If you could only keep ONE memory out of all the things you remember, which one would you choose?

I have a swiss cheese memory, so there is a part of me that just wants to answer,”any memory” simply because it would be nice to hang on to one for a change. That would be a little cheap, so I’d have to say, the night my husband and I first kissed. He looked at me and said, “if you kiss me…I’m gone”

…so, I kissed him. Little did he know, I was already long gone.

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Transit Delays Expected April 5-7

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Spring 2018 Parking Permits Available

The following Fall 2017 semester parking permits are expiring on the date provided:

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Commuter Parking and Bus Pick Up Returns to Normal Today

Commuter parking at Cajun Field returns to normal effective Friday, October 27.

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Commuter Parking Changes at Cajun Field Oct. 23-27

The commuter student parking will be temporarily relocated to the east side (Bertrand Street side) of Cajun Field st

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Commuter students using the UL Lafayette transit system Wednesday, April 5 through Friday, April 7 may experience delays during peak times each day. Students are strongly encouraged to plan ahead and arrive to bus stops very early in anticipation of these delays.

Use the Ride Systems app, a transit tracking app, to see the bus locations and estimated times of arrival to each of the UL at Lafayette bus stops – Cajun Field, Bourgeois Hall and Rex Street.

To use this system, iOS and Android mobile phone users should download the Ride Systems app then choose ‘University of Louisiana Lafayette’ as the agency. The same features are available online through this URL –

For questions, contact the Transportation Services office at 337-482-6858.


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Jackson Pollock Taco Night!

In the mid Twentieth Century, a group of artists practicing what would come to be called Abstract Expressionism established New York as a creative capital and American painting as the world’s trailblazing modern art movement. Imagine what they could have achieved if they had been working in media such as cilantro and crema fresca?

Clean, new mylar plastic on the floor, tortillas on the mylar, and the rest, as Snoop would say, is fo’ drizzle. Gone are the outdated modes of taco production where we stand at some bourgeois counter, delicately assembling tacos that fail to convey spontaneous truth about tacos. The “taco essence” we seek can only be found through “action taco-ing.” We make our tacos on the floor!

Its a movement…

Abstract Mexpressionism

…and everyone needs one, every day.*

Step up and make a taco, while the gestural masterpiece you are creating to is video-recorded from above and projected on a wall in real time.  Taco elements, brushes, dowels, buckets and squirting implements are provided, please BYOB and dress appropriately.

Stay tuned for info about how much rice paper to bring for Cristo Taco Night as well as info about harnesses for Maude Lebowski Fish Taco Night. John Cage taco night is tentatively scheduled for May, though make sure to eat first, as we will be sitting in a silent, taco-less room for four and-a-half minutes.

*apologies to Harry Shearer

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5 months

And last night she slept from 9pm to 7am, in the sidecar, startling awake only once at the clank of a pot while her daddy was putting away the dishes at 10:30.

And today she weighed in at a hearty 12 pounds, 4 ounces, which means she’s packed on a healthy twelve ounces per week since we started feeding her formula on demand. (We’ll just not talk about how my milk supply has visibly declined since I quit with the supplements, pumping, and all the other undesirable elements of the Campaign.) In perhaps the last piece of advice she’ll ever give us in that capacity (got a DC pediatrician to recommend?), Natalie’s pediatrician has suggested that we start her on solids.

It may well be time. Between that and graduating from the family bed, maybe five months is the new six.

Natalie looks so BIG to me. It’s not just that she’s put on so much weight so quickly; it’s the increasing definition of the Actual Person emerging from the putty of infancy, practically in real time. Just look at her face. It’s someone’s face now, not just a soft smushy thing with eyes gazing off into the middle distance. Her arms and legs are now fully operational and within her control. Her navel has caved in (alas, no more outie) and while she still has no visible neck, her proportions at this age don’t require one. I thought Noodles was cute as a newborn, but now she has redefined cute for me.

Her father has actually seen Natalie roll over from back to front, but I haven’t. Every time I watch her try, she almost succeeds and then her underneath arm gets in the way. I imagine that this will come to pass in short order. She has quit flipping over onto her back when you set her down on her stomach; now, instead, she starts to kick and tread air. “That’s crawling behavior,” more than one person has observed. Our days of a stationary cuddlemuffin may be numbered.

She reaches and grabs things (including, most frequently, my hair) with purpose and intent. She can manipulate the pacifier into her mouth, and often, the part that goes in is the part that’s supposed to. I’m impressed that she still likes the pacifier, after early indications that she’d tired of it; it’s a godsend when I’m driving and she’s fussing in the back seat. In the future we may come to regret cultivating Natalie’s affection for the bink, but right now, while she still has no teeth and there is no shame in falling asleep with the thing in her mouth, I’m glad of it.

(She still sucks her hands aplenty. And Sophie the Giraffe. And, most recently, her lower lip. We couldn’t figure out where the slurping noise was coming from, until we did.)

And she laughs. Natalie laughs uproariously, at length, both along with our own laughter and in response to actual funny things like Daddy making silly noises. She’s still the same happy, good-natured baby she’s always been — more so, even, since we’ve started feeding her so much — but the addition of squealing, snorting hilarity takes her personality to a new level altogether. One of the maxims of our marriage is “Every day we laugh together,” and now we are delighted to include our daughter in the mirth.

Five months is the best age. I know that a parent can never say this about a particular age without someone adding “until you get to X months/years,” but I’m going with it. Right now I can’t imagine anything more delicious than my little jellybean, so full of bright-eyed delight, and so incapable of escaping my constant hugs and kisses. But hey, if it gets better from here, I’ll take that too.


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About Us

Company Founding:

Pentaxia was founded in 2008 by three people – Stephen Ollier, Adam Norris & Jon Norris with a focus to supply the UK composite industry and motorsport teams with 5-axis machined patterns. The business was based in a small industrial unit, centrally located in the UK (in Derby). To this day, Stephen (Managing Director) and Adam (Production Director) continue to play an active role within the business, Jon Norris retired in 2015, whilst Tim Ollier also joined as Business Development Director in 2014.

Location & Footprint:

The business quickly outgrew the original industrial unit and in 2008 Pentaxia relocated to newly built premises nearby, where we are still based. As the business has grown, so has the footprint – acquiring additional adjoining industrial units within the industrial estate vicinity.  Purchasing of undeveloped land was also undertaken to future-proof our expansion plans on the existing site. To date our footprint currently stands at over 27,500sq ft, with planning permission for another 10,000sq ft.

Machining DNA:

5-axis machining runs in Pentaxia’s DNA and still acts as a major business capability, supporting our advanced composites division – we have a significant capability with five 5-axis machines on-site to ensure we’ve extensive capacity at all times. In addition to the 5-axis capability, we also have 3-axis machining resources with two HAAS VM3 machines.

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  • 5-axis-machines
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Advanced Composite Engineering:

In 2011, the business moved into advanced composites manufacturing, driven by a fast developing customer demand towards a “turnkey” composite supply approach, minimising traditional patternmaking interfaces (to in turn produce patterns, mould tools and composite components in one place). It was at this stage we purchased our first autoclave and took the leap into advanced composite production.

Continual Investment, Business Growth and “family” Ownership:

As the Pentaxia business has grown, so have the capabilities – we follow a continuous investment strategy approach to ensure we’re continually investing in new plant and equipment to keep us at the forefront of the market. The business is privately owned, and we’re proud to be family run, this enables a dynamic approach to our investment strategy, expansion and growth, reducing multi-tiered expenditure approvals. If we need it, can demonstrate a business case, we typically invest (often ahead of forthcoming requirements).

Business growth has led us into many new, diverse engineering sectors since company founding and as we’ve grown we’ve carved a strong reputation specifically in aerospace (AS9100 accredited), luxury automotive, defence and high technology/bespoke advanced composite tooling and composite manufacturing.

Our Deliverables:

We offer a world-class turnkey tooling design and composite manufacturing capability to some of the most demanding advanced engineering clients in the world. From fast jets to luxury cars, front of grid motorsport teams to specialist bespoke engineering organisations, we are dynamic, reliable and adopt an “end to end” approach to project delivery.

We never over promise and we deliver capability and predictability, which is vital to our customer base. Since company founding we’ve demonstrated time and again to our customers we’re a dependable, reliable and pro-active business, underpinned extensively by a highly experienced management team.

It is these key aspects which have driven the business to what it has become today – one of the fastest growing advanced engineering companies in Europe.

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Project Suitability Considerations:

Most of all we are proud of our people, we have an incredibly strong team with extensive expertise in engineering, composites, tooling design, quality, inspection and surface finishing. A vast proportion of our management and composite team have well over 10+ years’ experience in composites, with many having degree level qualifications right up to MSc qualification.
What makes our strategy different?

Our Managing Director has over forty years experience as a Professional Engineer and previously spent over twenty years as a Director of multinational companies, building high growth engineering focussed businesses and joint-ventures in a range of market sectors. This corporate thinking has helped lay the foundation for Pentaxia to succeed and aggressively grow within the UK, European and wider global composite market by implementing scalable systems not typically utilised by SME’s. Combined with front end investment – often investing in plant and equipment ahead of requirements, we are carving a strong reputation in the market as we grow year on year.

Joining the business in 2014, our Business Development Director has brought a fresh perspective to the organisation, having previously worked within a highly corporate focussed UK specialist engineering plc. With extensive experience and knowledge of international sales and business development this has directly impacted Pentaxia’s expansion into new sales territories both in the UK and internationally.

New Business Opportunities:

If you’ve a project where you’re considering utilising advanced composites, we’re lucky to have a team who can deliver based on experience and practical knowledge, honed by years in the industry.
We are continually working on new ideas and technology, because we know what we do today will not be good enough to be competitive tomorrow!


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July 28 self help books and arcs

Most books now are self-help books. Other books just don’t cut it anymore. They don’t have the sufficient amount of gobbets or bullet points or lists. They don’t mould to your bite. I can’t read self-help books because I don’t need any help. Also I am averse to being taught anything. BY ANYONE.
Self-help seekers want 1. short cuts. 2. mentors. They are part of the wave of belief in accountability. We can account for story telling; we can account for positive thinking; we can account for happiness. Formulaic procedures can lead us in the right direction. Hollywood uses these.Jennifer Anniston is cooky; Ryan Gosling is hunky; Harrison Ford is statesmanlike; Cameron Diaz is ditzy (she can also do ballsy).This is all useful to know when you start watching a film. That way you can have a kip in the middle. Or, better still, not watch it in the first place. Familiarity is key (see familiarity Jan 18). When writing stories self-help books tell us to follow an arc. I know the arc of bio-pics. They start with a key scene in, say, Enid Blyton’s life, an emblematic scene. Then it goes back to childhood and follows her life from there. It crosses the emblematic scene about two thirds of the way through and then completes the life. The last scene is a flashback, normally guaranteed to produce a wistful tear in the eye of the spectator. Arcs, like Valentine’s Day and jokes are for amateurs. Arcs are rubbish.

July 12 selling out and losers

For the first time in many years I heard the expression used without irony that someone had ‘sold out’. In this case, by becoming a lawyer. The contemporary equivalent would be ‘he’s a loser’. Each expression is working at different ends of the spectrum. ‘Selling out’ imples a position on the margins with a counter culture point of view. ‘He’s a loser’ works from the centre looking out. The shift imples much about our cultural drift in recent years. Or else it imples much about the drift in my cultural entourage in recent years.
I don’t understand either point of view. Any slightly complex version of the world involves us all in compromise. And that line we will not cross will shift from day to day, from mood swing to mood swing. See Montaigne again (January 2013).

July 7 the baths

A day in Baden Baden at the Baths there. No embarrassments this time. Last time I went there a few years back we went to the totally nude section (men, women, children, Germans don’t care).We bumped into some of Sophie’s work colleagues and I was introduced to them. Though starkers, we shook hands formally as though we were wearing suits and ties and engaged in the usual conversation about weather and holidays. I refrained from looking at anybody’s penis. To Sophie, who is half German, this is all ‘ganz normal’. To me, if there is an errant penis or ambulant bazookahs, it is ‘absolut nicht ganz normal’.

July 5 a mobster

Waiting for my train outside North End station Paris. A man is parked there in a black BMW, wearing dark glasses and what seems to be a kind of shaggy woollen jacket which must be very warm in the heat. He seems to be staring at me through the open window of the car though it is not clear that he is because of the dark glasses. I assume he is a chauffeur. He speaks into a mobile and continues to wait. For some reason, perhaps because his hair is slicked back, I assume he is the driver of some gangster. I shall be interested to see the look of the mobster who comes out of the station to get into the car.
There is suddenly an odd ruffling of his shaggy woollen jacket and I see that it is not a jacket at all but the hair of a little boy who is sitting in the passenger seat and now turns his head so that I can see his profile. And then the wife arrives from the station, a dowdy, plump woman. The driver, or rather husband, gets out of the car and helps her put shopping in the boot. He too is a plump man and the hair is not slicked back. It is thinning. He takes his glasses off to reveal homely, domestic pidgeon eyes. Just a little family unit. Not the mafia at all.

July 4 one hour to sum up your life

My habit of pitching up in Paris for little meetings with old friends is disquieting for some of them, I suppose. They may have not seen me for two or three years and I come out of the blue, arriving at what may be an awkward moment for them. And then there is the intellectual challenge of finding a way to summarise in a few minutes the chaos that has been going on in the last couple of years, a chaos that might resemble a Jackson Pollock, all action and dripping. In their accounts some people are precise, controlled and abstract (Mondrian); others anecdotal (Spencer); some unable to produce order (Dubuffet) or only interested in partial accounts (Sickert); or else impenetrable (Rothko); others too afraid to show up (Munch The Scream).

June 4 Zola and ‘choice’

Reading Zola these days (La Bete Humaine, Nana, L’Assommoir, Au Bonheur des Dames). His notions of heredity and class, though unfashionable in our era of ‘choice’, find a sympathetic ear with me. These are almost unbearable narratives to a modern reader. L’Assommoir is like watching your mother being relentlessly beaten and humiliated time after time. It is a series of terrible Stations of the Cross on the road to a disaster that is signposted in every chapter. Now and again, Gervaise (the main character) by sheer force of will manages to stagger to her feet only to be bludgeoned down to the ground again. It makes you realise how much modern narrative has come to skirt away from these dreadful truths.

Exceptional stories blind us to the great swathe of truth which is that even today we do not easily escape our class and our background. The choice of the individual is the contemporary mantra, and of course this flatters our sense of agency. But if I look at myself: I don’t drive a car or take long haul holidays. My carbon footprint is probably quite low. But these aren’t my choices. They are due to my upbringing (my dad didn’t have a car till I was fourteen and we didn’t fly). But some people who have a great interest in save the planet activities will have a bigger carbon footprint than me, despite their save the planet choices. My behaviour is dictated less by my choices and more by the thick psychological and economic identity that my history has worked upon me. So I’m with Zola and Marx I suppose.

3 June eggs and toast

My mum used to tell a story of her mam and dad (my grandparents) and breakfast.When my grandmother used to serve up an egg for breakfast, just one, her husband used to say, much to the fury of his wife, I knew a man. He had two eggs. He’s living yet.

I remember once my dad revealing to us an important discovery he had just made. You know what I had this morning, he said, as we assembled together to hear what he had to say. No, we said, me; my mum, my sisters. Hot toast. We looked back at him. Hot toast, he said again. Much to the fury of my mum. Toast was supposed to be hot. If he hadn’t been so slow buttering it, he would have been eating hot toast all his life. We all laughed at him. He only shook his head sadly, as though he knew we were all of us in it together, pretending to know about hot toast just to gang up on him.

My friend Andrew cannot abilde hot toast. It is anathema to him. Toast, yes. But not hot toast . And this obvious truth (cette evidence in the French) has spread through his family like a virus. Jacob, his nine year old, looked at me in shock and horror, as though at the revelation of an ‘orrible murder, when I mentioned hot toast. This crime against humanity is som thing I believe he still holds against me.


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On Re-Reading Milton

[Poem I wrote about nine years ago inspired by re-reading the start of Milton’s Paradise Lost. Took the shot at a holiday house on the south coast.]

On Re-Reading Milton

Of Nature’s dying, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree, whose forgotten image
Now we vainly seek among our baubles and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man-
kind restore us, and regain our blissful place
Now infused with an intelligence steeped in loss,
Sing Earthly Muse, that walks with us
Since the beginning when we arose from Chaos
And fell into our childhood like a dark comet
Into a darker sea, I thence invoke
Your aid to my adventurous song
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above the mount of dumb prophets
And the bushes that refuse to burn
Despite this warming and eternal drought
While it pursues a poetics unattempted
Yet in prose or rhyme to justify
The ways of word and world to man.

For how can we now deny that Nature
Is dying to Her former self, and where
Once reefs and rainforests were, a lesser splendour
Of virus, rat and roach now holds sway,
Or that the Tyger Tyger burning bright is losing
The forests of its night to palm oil or industrial
Soy, the deep pond’s mysterious pike
May be transgenic, as may that alpha crow or bull
That bellows out its excess to the breeder’s tube?
Both clouds and daffodils now smell of oil,
The soul and the world it is, both, sliding
Down into an earlier fear, that cannot leave un-
touched the word that seeks to speak their state.

What role then, now, for the poetic word
But of remembrance within and beyond
Our much dismembered states? The way Keats wrote
It may strike us like strange wording of our own
Highest thoughts, or as music that opens the ear
To birdsong and traffic, as an image to catch sunlight
On fibro or serried ranks of shopping trolleys,
The angled shadow a leaning broom makes on a wooden floor,
A writer, a character grow closer than father or friend.
Remembrance shimmers on wideness, and those multitudes
Of our inner selves that Whitman sang, human and non-human,
Animal, star and rock. Our brains computers, yet wired down
Into ape and crocodile, dog and snake: so all may speak
To each other as they dance together
In the poetic word and leave us contained
And whole, re-membered into the world
That speaks through our despair, as eternally
Dying and renewed as we.

~ by Peter Lach-Newinsky on September 17, 2016.

2 Responses to “On Re-Reading Milton”

  1. Forbidden fruit and an earlier fear. One pet theory of mine: That founding myth of Fallen Man, unworthy sinner, perpetual chooser of the Bad, etc.. is something we know is absurd – and yet Christian civilization still acts AS IF it is true. The mis-recognition not at the cognitive level, but at the level of action based on subconscious self loathing. We burn our house down and pull the wool over our own eyes because we are not worthy. Or as David Byrn sings: Blind, blind…blind,blind,blind,blind, blind.

    • Thanks Dave. Interesting theory about the self-loathing…Blind, definitely, but to me more as self-blinding, wilful ignoring, turning away from…which brings us back ineluctably to some ‘original’ or ongoing ‘Fall’. Buddha would prefer something like ‘grasping’ (‘trishna’) and ignorance (‘avidya’) as the ongoing human ‘Fall’ into suffering (‘dukha’). So would I.

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