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Why You Need to Graduate from MSU

Peace of Mind for Challenging Times

In challenging situations our mind has the phenomenal ability to create fantastic realities – which in most cases never come to pass. Every one of us knows what it is like when our head takes us on a wild ride and Makes Stuff Up. Particularly in these days of financial turmoil, take a look around you and you find incredible stories happening right between people’s (or your) ears.

Mark Twain’s said: “I have been through some terrible things in life, some of which have actually happened!”

To obtain peace of mind and centeredness so we can enjoy the presence of our families during the coming days of Thanksgiving, we need to graduate from MSU – from Making Stuff Up! An outside perspective can be the necessary impulse to shift our thoughts. With this in mind, I hope you will enjoy the following thoughts from the Elders of the Oriaibi, an Arizona Hopi Nation – individuals that are likely able to provide us with a true outside view on the current economic climate:

You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.

And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living? What are you doing?
What are your relationships? Are you in right relation? Where is your

Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be a good time!

There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there
are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They
will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly. Know the
river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push
off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above
the water. See who is in there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. Least of all,
ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes
to a halt. The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the
word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now
must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. We are the ones we’ve
been waiting for.

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Saturday, 1 April 2017

Silhouette Georgio's Busy City Dress

Unbelievably for me I purchased this fabric from Silhouette Patterns and sewed it up within three months using Georgio's Top also from Silhouette Patterns, lengthened into a dress.  I love this top and have made it a number of times so it seemed natural to lengthen it into a dress.

The finished garment
A great dress although not quite as I envisaged when I lengthened the pattern. I really wanted more of that peplum swish from the hip down.  Apart from having princess seams it doesn't look that different from the dresses made from a mash-up of Silhouette Patterns Sweater Set #195 and Yoga skirt #2010. Once it was finished I did wonder if the Swing dress #4000 wouldn't have given me the image in my head - off to find some fabric to try this idea.
Creates Sew Slow: Georgio's Busy City DressCreates Sew Slow: Georgio's Busy City Dress

The fabric
A French digital print 3oz viscose knit called The Busy City - great graffiti print which I managed to place without inappropriate bits hitting key parts of the anatomy.

The pattern
Georgio's top, pattern number 312 is described as From the Spring 2012 Armani runway, this kimono/princess seam knit top with the peplum hemline is flattering on every figure type. The cup sizing is built into the princess seaming in the front. This pattern is for 1 or 2 way stretch knits and works with all kinds of knit weights. Silk knits, rayon knits, and cotton knits work well.
Creates Sew Slow: Geogrio's top

The pattern alterations
The top pattern was adapted to fit me long ago, from a size 3 D-cup with 1/4" removed from the shoulder at each of the princess seams tapering to nothing where the shaping for the bust starts. This removed the extra fabric from the upper chest hollow.

All I did this time was add 12.5" to the length of all pattern pieces. The pattern pieces were blended out to be 1.5" wider at the new hemline. I was hoping to keep the flared nature of the peplum in this dress but it is lost, maybe because I didn't angle the seams out far enough keeping the gradient of the peplum extended down to the hem. There is possibly another make in my future to achieve that fuller skirt by using the gradient of the peplum to determine the hem width of each pattern piece.

I also altered the neckline to a scoop neck so that I could add a twisted band at the neck.  This is the twisted cowl neck treatment described by Katherine Tilton in the Craftsy Artful T-shirt class.  I only wanted a neck band not a cowl so I only cut my neckband 2.5" wide.  I folded the band in half and marked the quarter points on one side then marked the other side 1.5" away at each of the quarter points and twisted the band so the quarter points matched up. It looks great finished but was a bit tricky to sew this narrow twisting band - maybe I should only have had the marks 1" apart.
Creates Sew Slow: Georgio's Busy City Dress Twisted Cowl

The sewing
The dress was quickly sewn on the overlocker. The only slightly tricky bit was the neckband as mentioned above.

The styling
Nothing really notable about the styling just a simple summer dress for work or play.  More work when paired with my turquoise sandals or maybe city play. Hopefully Summer will stick around for a few more weeks so I can wear it, either with my Untouched World wrap or World bomber jacket.
Creates Sew Slow: Georgio's Busy City DressCreates Sew Slow: Georgio's Busy City Dress

  1. Great colourful dress. Looks very easy to wear. Love that bomber jacket :-)

  2. Lovely summer dress. I had never heard of Silhouette Patterns before.


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Lover of movies and anything else that entertains. I was a C student in high school, so here I am.

"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" is the sequel to the 2015 movie "Kingsman: The Secret Service" and Matthew Vaughn returns to direct along with the reprising cast of Taron Egerton, Coin Firth, and Mark Strong, as well as new faces in Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, and Pedro Pascal. This time around, the Kingsman organization has been compromised by a new villain named Poppy Adams, and now the Kingsman have to unite with the Statesman, the American version of the Kingsman, in order to stop Adams.

I loved the first film. It was one of my favorite movies of 2015 and it certainly stood out as a prime example of the talent that Matthew Vaughn possesses as a director. It was a fun, stylized homage to the over-the-top spy films of the past, but it was also just an entertaining film to boot. And you could be certain that I was anticipating this movie once it was announced, though with some slight reservations seeing as how it's a sequel and we generally know how those play out. It can either be a successful expansion of what made the first movie great while adding something new, or it could be a disappointing rehash of the first film and unfortunately, "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" ends up being the latter.

With that I liked in this movie, it's ultimately the stuff that I was expecting to like ahead of time. I knew that the performances from everyone would be great, which they are. The likes of Egerton, Firth, and Strong all have that charm to them that defines them as characters in the Kingsman organization and it's hard not to like the British charisma that they have to offer. As for the new actors in the movie, they're also good with their material, but I'll eventually go into more detail about the problems that I had with them as characters. That said, all of the performances are strong and I kind of figured that much going into the movie.

I also knew that this movie would have fun action sequences and for the most part, it does. Matthew Vaughn once again directs the fight scenes in his own hyper-kinetic, stylistic way and that makes every action scene stand out, but again, it's not all positive and there's plenty that deserves to be criticized.

My big problem with this movie is that it falls into the trappings of classic sequel-itis. There was a lot of stuff that worked in the first movie, so now Vaughn feels the need to bring that stuff back into this movie, only it feels not only rehashed, but it also feels like it has the "bigger is better" mentality. The best example of this is whenever there's an action scene and it starts utilizing the hyperactive camera cuts and zooms. It worked for the minimal times that it was used in the first movie, but now that style of direction and editing is used for virtually every action scene and the currency starts to feel depleted. In other words, the more this style is used, the less unique it feels.

This movie also suffers from doubling down on all of the over-the-top ideas that existed in the first film. The first movie had plenty of over-the-top things for sure, but they felt like they were done in service to paying homage to the over-the-top, ludicrous stuff that we saw in old school James Bond films. There was also a good balance of outlandish ideas and things that still felt slightly grounded to reality. But now, everything is amplified to 100 and there's nothing in this movie that isn't absurd or unrealistic. I'm honestly not even expecting movies like this to be realistic, I just want there to be a point to the bizarre ideas. The point in the first movie was to throwback to cheesy spy films, whereas the point in this movie is just the mindset of "Well, bigger is better, right?"

As for the character, I was really disappointed in how the Statesman were handled. Let me just say that I actually really like seeing how different they were from the Kingsman. They have their own culture and way of handling things, and Pedro Pascal's character is a shining example of that. Pascal steals the show, but that's only because characters like Jeff Bridges and Channing Tatum both only have about five minutes of screen time. Julianne Moore also has slightly more time onscreen than they do, but it's still disappointing when these talented actors and potentially entertaining characters just seem to disappear from the movie at one point.

Finally, I have to say that I didn't buy the reason why Colin Firth's character, Harry, ends up being alive in this film. Spoiler alert for the first movie, but Harry dies near the end of that movie with a direct gunshot to the face. Now he's alive in this movie and the reasoning is actually pretty lazy. Is it cool to see Harry back in action? Of course, he's a great character. Is he utilized as well as he could have been? Not entirely. There's a direction taken with his character that felt unnecessary and it definitely hurt my enjoyment in this movie.

Overall, "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" disappointed me. It has entertaining action scenes and good performances from the entire cast, but it's classic sequel-itis. Things are rehashed, returning characters aren't given their due, the new characters are wasted, and it suffers from trying to be so big and grand, that it ends up feeling a lot less special than its predecessor. If you liked the first movie, then I still recommend checking this movie out simply because you've already invested yourself in this series, just go in with reserved expectations and you may end up enjoying it more than I did.

Rating: Rental

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CT Senators Fasano, Kelly Call for “Re-start” to CID’s Anthem-Cigna Review

On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) and Sen. Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford), the ranking Republican member of the Insurance & Real Estate Committee, called on the Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) to “re-start” the Anthem-Cigna merger review process.

Their letter, in response to last week’s decision by CID Commissioner Katharine Wade to recuse herself from the Anthem-Cigna merger review, called on CID Deputy Commissioner Timothy Curry to re-start the process “with fresh eyes and leadership” and to “assign new staff with no past or present ties to either Cigna or Anthem to oversee the process.”

Highlights of the letter include:

  • “We, along with many others including the Connecticut State Medical Society and consumer advocates, had been asking Commissioner Wade to step aside for months.”
  • “It is impossible for the public, stakeholders and policy makers to have full confidence in the review process under these circumstances.”
  • “Therefore, to restore public trust in the merger review process and ensure a final decision that is free from bias and the potential taint of a conflict of interest, we believe it is imperative that the Department re-start the merger review process from the beginning.”

Read the full letter here.

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Little Victor Update | Repetitive cacophony

Copyright ImageVictor's first sucker

A few years ago there was an episode of Family Guy called “Stewie Loves Lois”, where Stewie — the family baby who has spent most of his life trying to kill his mother — suddenly starts to appreciate everything his mother (Lois) has done for him.

While Lois is trying to relax, and escape Stewie’s manic attempts to gain her attention, Stewie walks into her bedroom and tries to get her attention by repeating her name…

“Lois! Lois! Lois! Lois! Lois! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mama! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mummy! Mummy! Mumma! Mumma! Mumma!”

Finally Lois gets angry and shouts “What!?”, Stewie responds “Hi” and runs off giggling.

To a certain point this is my life now.

When my son, who just celebrated his twentieth month outside the womb, stays in my apartment, he sleeps and generally hangs out in my bedroom. Unless he’s sleeping I leave the door open, so he can see me while I’m on the computer, or hear me as I ramble round.

Within the past few weeks he has taught himself the “Stewie trick” to get my attention… “da… dada, da dah, DA DAH” then, when I walk over to the door, he giggles, smiles and waves before going back to play with his toys.

Even if he works himself up into a crying jag — he can start crying like his bottle was missing if I wait too long before showing him I still exist — as soon as I show myself he stops crying, smiles and waves.

It’s just the beginning. He’s even started doing it outside while I’m pushing his little buggy. He’ll be his normal watching everything self, then he’ll yell “dah dah” and whip around to make sure I’m still driving.

Mostly Victor and I communicate by yelling at each other. Victor has always been pretty good at playing by himself. But when he takes a break he’ll start babbling loudly in one of his nearly-speaking voices, and I’ll repeat it with the same intensity and volume. It makes him happy, I think, to know someone’s agreeing with him.

Also, a few weeks ago, maybe even a couple of months ago, I started to notice how Victor would turn his back to me and run to the furthest corner of his PlayPen whenever I held my arms out with the intention of lifting him.

Once he got to his corner he would turn his head to watch me. Wherever I moved, he’d take off for the opposite corner. Or he’d dive to the ground. It was a game, and more often than not he’d be giggling the whole time.

He does cry when I finally catch him, and lift him out of the PlayPen, but only for a few seconds.

He has started doing the same thing with his stuff. He has finally discovered the concept of “mine”… or at least he’s being more vocal about it. He’s still more likely than not to hand something over if you ask for it, but now he’s either asking for something in trade, or I’ve got to pry it out of his tear stained hands.

Once Victor has decided an object is his it takes a struggle to get it back… he’s a strong little dude, with big strong hands.

This is not going to be an easy eighteen years.

I don’t know if one has anything to do with the other, but when Victor is with me in my apartment the music is constantly on. There’s always background noise, usually in the form of Blues, Country or modern rock, but also from the proximity of a busy intersection.

But when he’s with his mother, in her home, it’s mostly just the general noise of a home.

So, I think, Victor is using some of his musical toys to maintain a comfortable noise level. The problem is, one of them is broken, so when it sings it sounds like it has been ‘auto-tuned’.

The other problem is, Victor knows how to turn it on, and the final problem is he can keep it singing forever.

It’s the lumberjack from the stop-motion animated Christmas classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, and it sings a song called “Silver and Gold”… but it comes out like he was just shot, and probably won’t finish. But it does, and Victor squeezes its left hand, and out comes the song for the twenty-seventh time that morning.

The real problem is, the lumberjack doll is one of the things Victor hates to be without. And if we take the batteries out, he’ll shake it a few times, then offer it back to you because he knows we either sabotaged it, or we can make it work again.

I left a YouTube of him making sure the lumberjack is singing, so if you scroll down a bit you’ll see / hear what I mean.

I think we have to start playing music at Diane’s place more often… or, I guess, we could just buy him a new lumberjack, except I hate that frigging song now.

Photos Of Victor’s Week(s):

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About Gabriel

I’ve lived in fifty-two places. I've been paid to pick stones out of fields, take backstage photos of Britney Spears, and report on Internet privacy issues. My photos have been published in several newspapers, and a couple of magazines.
This entry was posted in Family, Parenthood, Parenting, poverty, Vankleek Hill, Victor's Week In Review, Writing and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

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A review by respected auditor Ron Parks reveals that the cost of the Abbotsford P3 hospital has almost doubled to $1.4 billion, while questions remain about who assumes the risks of the project and how it can possibly deliver value for money.

The report, commissioned by the Hospital Employees Union, shows project costs have increased by 94 per cent, lease payments have almost doubled and $393 million in debt-servicing money cant be accounted for.

HEU is calling for cancellation of the project, especially after one of the two developers still in the race to build the new hospital, Healthcare Infrastructure Company of Canada, withdrew its bid. That leaves Access Health Abbotsford alone in bidding for the project, making a sham of the process.

One bidder means no competition, says HEU spokesperson Chris Allnutt. The government should stop wasting time and money, should scrap this hospital P3 proposal and build a public hospital now.

With only one bidder and no consideration being given to a public option, the Fraser Valley Regional Health Authority is cutting short the tendering process, with a view to beginning construction in September.

To learn more, visit www.heu.org


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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Author Interview: Kim Norman on Jack of All Tails

Kim Norman is the author of Jack of All Tails, (Dutton, 2007), illustrated by David Clark. Her second book, The Crocodaddy, illustrated by David Walker, is scheduled for publication by Sterling, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, in 2009.

2010 will see the release of her 2nd book with Dutton, I Know a Wee Piggy Who Wallowed in Brown, illustrated by Henry Cole, whose many credits include illustrating two books written by Julie Andrews.

Over the years, she has won awards at the Christopher Newport University Writers' Conference and now serves on their advisory council. For three years, she was the editor of the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI regional newsletter. Currently, she's graphics editor for the Newport News & Williamsburg Kidsville News.

Kim lives in southeastern Virginia where she is active in community theater. Among her favorite roles were the Mother Superior in "Nunsense" and the singing narrator in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." She spent a few years as a vocalist in a big band, but her "day job" has always been graphic arts.

Could you tell us about your path to publication? Any sprints or stumbles along the way?

I can only say, I wish it hadn't taken me so long. Because I'm kind of a maverick, ("Mother! I'll do it myself!" my favorite phrase as a toddler, I'm told), I learned about the children's writing biz very gradually, reading books about writing, attending conferences.

I'd say it was when I joined my online critique group in 2001 that I started to grow more rapidly as a writer. I felt like a bit of an impostor, in awe of these professional, accomplished writers and illustrators! I'm still in awe of their talents, and definitely indebted, considering the brilliant suggestions they've offered over the years to improve my work.

Congratulations on the release of Jack of All Tails, illustrated by David Clark (Dutton, 2007). Could you fill us in on the story?

It's a picture book about a human family who makes a living renting themselves out as pets, pretending to be dogs, cats, lizards, pigs...you name it! The main character is Kristi, a little girl who tends to get carried away, getting herself fired from some jobs. She has to assess her talents to figure out which pet she'd be best at impersonating.

What was your initial inspiration for writing the book?

During school visits, I pique the kids' interest by whispering conspiratorially into the microphone: "I stole it." Then I explain that, no, I actually just borrowed the kernel of an idea and made it my own.

I have a book of letters written by early 20th century author P.G. Wodehouse. In one letter, he tells of a visit with playwright Lord Dunsany, who describes one of his plays, which had yet to be produced. It's about a man who loses his job and becomes a watchdog. A real dog--chasing cats, even. I have no idea what the play was called or if it was ever produced. But it was a funny idea that really stuck with me until I wrote a story of my own borrowing the same premise.

What was the timeline between spark and publication, and what were the major events along the way?

Funny you should ask. I just found my journals from 2001, when I was being very good about walking and journaling every morning. So it's intriguing to find my first entry about reading the Wodehouse passage in August of 2001. I was so inspired by it that I'd finished the first draft within a week. I joined my critique group a few months later.

"Jack" wasn't the first story I submitted, as I recall, but once I did submit it, my group helped in strengthening the story. They were positively heroic about reading countless revisions.

In October of 2002, I met my (future) editor at the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI conference. We had a great meeting. She liked "Jack" and already had in hand a revision letter for me. I think I revised it for her two more times, and she made an offer in April of 2003.

It took four years for the book to come out, but I think that's partly because she liked the story but didn't really have any place for it in their line for some time, especially with a lot of other books already in the pipeline. In fact, I'd say the sale happened at the height of the picture book slump, so I feel fortunate it was bought at all!

We did a couple of tweaking revisions after the sale, and David Clark was hired as the illustrator about a year later. It was a lot of fun to see his hilarious sketches as they came in. One thing that delighted me about the project was that everyone involved was on the same page. Everyone (my editor, her assistant, and the illustrator) really got the humor of the book; the dry, matter-of-fact way Kristi talks about her nutty family as though people impersonating pigs is an everyday thing.

What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

One major reason there were so many revisions (more than 20, I estimate) was because--initially-- it was more a slice-of-life story--a first-person narrative by Kristi, (named after my niece): "Here I am; here's my family; here's this nutty thing we do." I was worried editors would say, "It's funny...but where's the plot?"

So, for several sets of revisions, I tried to wedge in various plots. I remember there was a lost dad-the-dog at one point; there was even a monkey in there for a while.

Finally, Joe Kulka, the lone male in our group, pitched a fit, saying, "No no no! You're ruining it!"

And his instincts were correct. The plot(s) felt artificial and forced.

(I love that my group does not pull their punches. If something isn't working for them, they bluntly say so; no sugar-coating. A critique group is useless if people aren't honest.)

I thought long and hard about what Joe had said and decided he was right. So, I took the story back much closer to its slice-of-life roots. But it still needed some form of conflict, to hold the readers' interest. Finally I found it: Kristi's uncertainty about her pet-impersonating talents. (She keeps getting fired.)

My group made great suggestions with the latter revisions, too, like when illustrator Terri Murphy suggested I add some repetition to the text by having people say, "No! No! Bad dog/cat/pig/lizard!" every time Kristi got fired. I think that strengthened the manuscript immensely.

What did David Clark's illustrations bring to your text?

Because of the antics of this zany family, it's a story with a lot illustration potential. David Clark did a marvelous job illustrating all those funny scenes.

When I do school visits, kids laugh uproariously at his illustrations. I like pointing out details that aren't in my text. I also love the exaggerated physical characteristics, like Kristi's brother with the long lizard tongue or Kristi's wide mouth, looking just like a hippo's when she's roaring.

What is it like being a first-time writer in 2007?

Gosh, it has all gone so fast, especially after that long wait! I had worked at our town's weekly newspaper for a dozen years, and my boss and his wife generously offered to throw me a launch party. Until moments before the party, I was worried no one would show up to eat the food my boss had paid for! But not to worry. It was a gorgeous, cool June evening and dozens arrived to congratulate me. A lovely, memorable evening.

I've worked hard to market the book. Sometimes it feels like a full-time job! Because I'm a graphic artist, I've created all my own print materials, from brochures and postcards to a full press kit. I've gotten "Jack" a bit of national exposure with a write-up in the national Kidsville magazines (it's a franchise with issues produced in cities all around the country), plus a nice spread as recommended reading in the New Jersey Star Ledger. (Just luck and timing with that one. Struck up an online friendship with the niece of a friend, who happens to work as an editor at the newspaper.)

I've also tried to make myself memorable in my own unique way with my song parodies, which people can listen to on my website [scroll to play]. The song parodies brought me to the attention of Alice Pope, editor of the CWIM, who featured me as her Debut Author of the Month in the August 07 CWIM newsletter. She's a doll, isn't she?!

There's been a lot of talk about the ups-and-downs of the picture book market, but you've certainly found success. What insights do you have to share on this front?

As I mentioned above, I got my big break right in the middle of the slump in picture book sales. Happily, it seems to be waning, as Boomer grandkids are coming along.

While it's wise to study the current market, (very different books from the ones we cherished as children), I still believe you must write what's right for you.

I simply adore picture books and feel very at home writing them. But it's not the first thing I tried when I started. I wrote light verse and nonfiction articles and even took a stab at romance writing before I found the perfect fit. I encourage new writers to try many different genres, (both reading and writing them) to discover what works for them.

More globally, if you could go back and talk to yourself when you were a beginning writer, what advice would you offer?

Keep track of your revisions! I wish I could find the genesis of all my stories as I found that first reference in my journal the Wodehouse passage. I'm fascinated by the story process--how a story evolves--so I wish I'd done a better job of cataloging my revisions.

Also, don't waste time trying to illustrate the stories! Because I'm a graphic artist, at first I thought I could illustrate them, too. So I made up some tight dummies. They weren't terrible, but the more I learned from the true illustrators in my critique group, the more I discovered I did not know about illustrating. (Including having no strongly-defined style.) So, for now, I'm leaving that to the professionals!

What do you do when you're not writing?

I've done a lot of theater over the years, but not so much in the past couple of years. It's so all-consuming that these days, I'm contented to watch my sons (14 and almost 20) on stage.

If the right role comes along, I could be lured back. I'm just waiting for "Mama Mia!" to be released to amateur theater companies. I'll will be so there! How perfect is that? A singing lead for a middle aged woman? Those roles are darned few and far between!

I also enjoy gardening, when I get the chance. It's a quiet, pensive activity that allows my mind to wander, thinking up new plots or ruminating on stories-in-progress.

How do you balance your life as a writer with the responsibilities (speaking, promotion, etc.) of being an author?

Sometimes not very well. I was relieved in October, at our Mid-Atlantic SCBWI conference, to hear Bruce Coville say he doesn't write every day.

We've all been beat over the head with that bossy admonition: "A writer writes every day!" Well, I don't. Some days, it's all I can do to take care of my freelance graphic art clients. I try not to beat myself up over the fact that I can't do it all. I'd probably be more widely published by now if I could but... Oh well, I'll just have to enjoy being a late bloomer.

Because I mostly write picture books, I can take my work with me in notebooks. So, this past summer, when I took my younger son to mow my mother's lawn, I'd bring my notebooks with me and scribble in them while he did the yard work.

I'm fortunate that I enjoy public speaking and school presentations. I know some writers have to push themselves to do it, so I feel lucky that I came "pre-installed" as a ham.

You're quite the musical author! Fill us in on how you've put the writer's journey to song! Note: scroll here to listen.

Right now, I'm in the process of turning one of my songs, "A Writer's Wish List," (a parody of Santa Baby)(scroll to listen), into a video. That song has been my biggest "hit" so far, probably because it's a holiday song. Last year, many people shared the link when folks were in the mood to hear funny holiday songs. Now, I'd like to give the song a second life by creating a video.

I do wish I had time to write more songs for my presentations. People keep telling me I should pitch myself as a performer at one of the national SCBWI conferences--that my song parodies for writers would be a big hit; maybe they would, but I'd like to have a few more songs written and recorded before I do that.

What can your fans look forward to next?

I'm excited that any minute now I'll be seeing the first sketches for The Crocodaddy, which will be published by Sterling, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, in 2009. I can't wait to see what David Walker has done with the story since it takes place both in the real world, (a boy playing with his dad in the lake) and in the boy's imagination, where dad is the sly old crocodaddy. I think David Walker's style is perfect for this book because it's for a slightly younger crowd than Jack of All Tails was.

Then, in 2010, will come the release of I Know a Wee Piggy Who Wallowed in Brown, a color concept book based on "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly."

Dutton has hired Henry Cole to illustrate it, which just thrills me! I am so proud that I now can boast sharing an illustrator with my childhood singing idol, Julie Andrews. He's a prolific illustrator who seems just the right person for the job, having grown up on a farm in Virginia.

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Strong-Arming the Seesaw

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: Accompanied by his new Estonian wife, our favorite resource expert, Kevin Kerr, spent the holidays sharing Christmas cheer with his in-laws. But being a commodities fanatic, he, of course, also jumped at the chance to check out new trading opportunities in one of Eastern Europe’s busiest seaports. Read on…

Diminutive and beautiful, the Republic of Estonia has always been an easy target for the region’s bullies. Suffering a long history of heavily armored invaders such as Germany and Russia, the tiny republic has endured as a colonial territory for nearly a thousand years.

Estonia’s main attraction to invading armies is its seaport, Tallinn. Extremely deep and ice free, Tallinn has been a major hub for shipments between the Baltics, Russia and the West.

Even as Estonia tries to grow a high-tech industry, the port continues to serve as the primary source of economic growth. Through it flows 30 millions tons annually – some 75% of it cargo. And the thing you really need to know is that the biggest moneymaker is oil.

And Estonia’s biggest oil carriers are Pakterminal and Estonian Oil Service (EOS). Bringing up the rear as No. 3 is Eurodek. All of these heavy fuel oil operators are headquartered in Muuga Harbor, which is part of the Port of Tallinn.

By posting record profits, Pakterminal, EOS and Eurodek have attracted a slew of regional competitors. As the shares of the pie grow smaller, we can expect this market to sustain growth of approximately 7%.

Originally, the railroads carried crude from the Russian oil fields. Since then, the facilities have evolved with the times. Today, Estonian oil terminals handle more profitable shipments of refined products.

The lone holdout is Lonessa AS. It is owned by Nordic Terminals BV, which in turn is a holding of Taurus Petroleum Ltd. Unlike other regional terminals that are connected to the Russian pipeline system, crude shipments are carried by rail through Estonia to Tallinn. That has not deterred Lonessa from building a new $30 million oil terminal in Tallinn, however, in February 2005.

Quoted in, of The Washington Post, Lonessa’s director John Madsen said: “We decided two years ago that it would be an extremely good idea to go through Estonia… Tallinn has the best port in the Baltic States; it’s deep, ice free and accessible. Access for big ships is, of course, extremely important. This is a very competitive business, and big ships means lower transportation costs per ton. Every cent that we can gain is important. Our terminal will be dedicated to crude oil, because that’s the Taurus business. However, having said that, we will build the terminal according to the most modern standards and make it flexible, which means we will install the tanking capacity so that it could take fuel. Maybe Russia cuts off the supply one day. We are preparing for that as well.”

While a $30 million expansion for a U.S. oil giant would barely draw a second glance, Lonessa’s current project makes it one of the five biggest investments in Estonia – ever! What Lonessa will get for its money is a terminal with a 3 million ton annual capacity, most of which will be fuel oil. That amounts to 12.5% of Estonia’s 24 million tons shipped through the port last year.

Seesawing oil prices have impacted global profits, but it’s surprising that among the Baltic countries, Estonia fared better than most. Estonia’s oil transport industry, and economy in general, have stood up well against market forces.

Unfortunately, other former Soviet states are getting hit hard by geopolitical shockwaves. The bare-knuckled fight between Russia and the Ukraine over natural gas prices has dominated oil-industry headlines. And the consensus is that Russia is trying to pound the Ukraine into submission after it elected pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko last year. The Ukraine finally threw in the towel to Russia’s price gouging – leaving it vulnerable to a major economic meltdown. By ending subsidized natural gas prices to the Ukraine, Russia stands to extract an extra $1 billion in lieu of political influence.

Now we can expect similar Kremlin strong-arm tactics in other former Soviet states that have turned pro-West, pro-NATO and pro-European Union. Among them are Estonia, Georgia and Moldova.

Taking it straight from the horse’s mouth, Russia’s Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin recently told the RIA Novosti news agency, “The time when we built relations by quasi-subsidizing neighboring economies is gradually passing. We must think about our own interests.”

As with many things Russian, subtlety takes the form of a baseball bat on the negotiating table.

In its negotiations with the Ukraine, Russia’s nationalized Gazprom proposed that natural gas should jump from $50 to $160 per 1,000 cubic meters, which would pile on nearly $1 billion to Ukraine’s annual bill for heating homes and powering factories.

Finally, in December, Gazprom said that it was sick and tired of what it characterized as foot-dragging. It said that if no deal were reached, Jan. 1, 2006, would see an extreme form of capitalism at $200-230 – the same price Russia obtains in Western Europe.

As I tuned into the news the other night here in Estonia, my wife Katrin translated for me. “Ukraine has wasted time in these talks, and now there can be no talk of $160,” Alexander Medvedev, deputy chairman of Gazprom, said on Russian television. “The market situation has changed, and it’s continuing to change.”

In short, the message is that any pro-Western Baltic country still lives in the shadow of the Kremlin – just the way Russia wants it.

Unlike the Ukraine’s spanking, Gazprom plans to continue subsidizing natural gas prices for Belarus, for which it charges $47 per 1,000 cubic meters. Russia’s party line is that prices are kept low because Belarus has allowed Gazprom to own a gas pipeline there and to lease the land it uses long-term. Many political analysts, however, attribute the friendly pricing to the country’s firm political alignment with Moscow. The leader of Belarus is a puppet dictator himself, whose strings (or chains) are pulled (or yanked) by the Kremlin.

But puppetry aside, the real market force here is bartering. The Ukraine pays most of its natural gas bill by allowing Gazprom to use Ukrainian-controlled gas pipelines for about 80% of Gazprom’s exports to Western Europe. This gives Ukraine potential leverage in the negotiations; Ukraine’s Yushchenko has ruled out any interruption of gas to Europe. Still, the battle is just warming up.

For example, radical Ukrainian politicians and analysts have suggested pressuring Russia into renegotiating a lease for Ukrainian bases used by Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet. A lunatic fringe has gone so far as to remove Russia’s early-warning radar systems from Ukrainian territory. Given that such a move is possibly illegal, a more businesslike approach to the negotiations would likely prevail.

In fact, Yushchenko has said he would accept a gradual transition to market prices, but not the kind of sudden, drastic increase proposed by Gazprom. We wait to see how this saga further unfolds.

In the meantime, a $1 billion increase in natural gas could nearly cripple the Ukraine’s slow-growing economy. The country’s chemical and metal industries, which are heavily dependent on natural gas, would be particularly devastated.

The Kremlin has no reason to be charitable or cooperative. It knows quite well that a backlash to higher home heating bills could undermine the Ukraine’s parliamentary elections in March. In the end, “comrade” could be the new operative word in the Ukraine later this year.

Kevin Kerr
for The Daily Reckoning
January 24, 2006

P.S. The one thing that resource traders can be certain of is that this region is the new hotbed for commodities and this is where the battleground is being set for resource profits. Not just in energy, but in all raw commodities.

As Russia and the Baltics seek out more Western investments, opportunities will abound for saavy and informed investors. I, for one, plan to bring you all the information you can use from here to help grow your own resource wealth.

Editor’s Note: With 15 years of experience, Kevin Kerr is a true veteran of the commodities markets. A licensed commodities trader since 1989, he’s worked the trading pits in Chicago and New York with legends like Paul Tudor Jones, and he’s even traded commodity derivatives in London. Over Kevin Kerr’s career he’s dealt with everything from cotton to currencies to oil and natural gas.

Kevin Kerr’s unparalleled expertise in futures and commodities has made him a regular contributor to news outlets like CNN fn, CNBC and Marketwatch, where he’s been quoted in over 500 articles.

OK…today, we give it to you straight. No metaphors. No jokes. No irony. No sarcasm. Today, you’re going to get the story unvarnished, unadulterated, unsweetened, unsullied…like a shot of Old Overholt Pennsylvania rye whiskey without the branch water…oh, never mind.

There are four macro-trends, all related, and all affecting the world at the same time:

1.) The world is running out of cheap oil. Yes, there will always be energy, but it will be harder and more expensive to get. American oil production peaked out decades ago. Britain’s North Sea production is declining. No one knows how much oil the Saudis have, but probably less than they say they have. The entire world’s oil production is expected to peak out in a year or two. Cutbacks in supply couldn’t come at a worse time; more people want more oil than ever before. The Chinese bought two million new cars in 2004. They’re buying nearly twice as many each year. Currently, the average Chinese consumes less than 1/10th as much energy as the average American. Wait until they consume just half as much! Gasoline prices in the United States jumped last week – the biggest increase in 11 weeks. Three dollars for gasoline now seems certain. In a few years, it will seem cheap.

2.) The world’s wealth is shifting to the East. General Motors, recently America’s largest company, is worth $12 billion. Put it together with Ford and they are still worth less than half of Honda, and less than a fifth of Toyota, with a market cap of $172 billion.

“In 1970,” says Marc Faber, “IBM alone had a bigger market cap than the entire Japanese stock market. Over the next 10-20 years, Asian markets, including Japan, could have 25% to possibly 50% of the world market cap, from 14% currently.”

A friend of ours just returned from Shanghai:

“It is unbelievable. They’ve built a whole new city. The hotels are the nicest I’ve seen anywhere in the world. The bars are fabulous. It is so exciting. If I could live anywhere I wanted, I’d live in Shanghai, at least for the next 10 years or so. It must be the place where more growth and innovation is taking place than anywhere else on the planet. There’s so much money…so much energy…so much life. It must be like New York was in 1910 or 1920.”

Globalization has wrought competition. Now, faster, lighter competitors in the East are eating America’s lunch and kicking its derriere – just as New Yorkers did to Londoners a century ago.

3.) The U.S. Empire is peaking out. From the get-go, the U.S. Empire has always been a slippery grog of Wilsonian moonshine and Custerian military hooch. Those two intoxications have come together in an explosive and disgusting concoction: The Iraq campaign – a war that is both strategically incompetent and operationally ruinous. The most splendid attack force ever created has been put to service patrolling gas stations! But what is really sapping the empire’s strength is money, or more precisely, a lack of it. Americans would rather have granite countertops and free pills than have a costly empire. They can’t afford both…not with globalization marking down the American workingman’s daily rate.

So, their debts rise. The Washington Post reports:

“U.S. household debt hit a record $11.4 trillion in last year’s third quarter, which ended Sept. 30, after shooting up at the fastest rate since 1985, according to Fed data.

“U.S. households spent a record 13.75 percent of their after-tax, or disposable, income on servicing their debts in the third quarter, the Fed reported.”

Drenched in easy money, a decadent mildew spreads. “Get it while you can,” say the corporate hustlers, lifestyle gurus, and money shufflers. Wall Street, for example, is enjoying another year of record bonuses. Henry Paulson, Jr., CEO of Goldman, will get $38 million.

4.) With the decline of the empire comes the decline of the empire’s money – the dollar. When the dollar was cut loose from gold on August 15, 1971, thinking men posed themselves a question: How long would the dollar last? The answer is still unknown, but the day of its demise gets closer all the time. Yesterday, the euro jumped above $1.23. Gold headed for $560. This experimental drama with paper money as the lead role has a few acts to go, but we all know how it will end. The dollar will go down; it will fall like Macbeth at Dunsinane.

There is also an important cyclical trend to consider. Markets go up and down…even while the great macro-trends work their wills and their ways. A major expansion of credit, and an increase in asset prices, began in the early ’80s. In terms of real money (gold),prices for stocks, bonds, and real estate all over the world rose. That inflation of asset prices came to an end in July of 1999. Since then, gold has gone up against almost all asset classes. The trend has just begun. And since most people only look at prices in nominal, local currency terms, few people have noticed. But asset prices are deflating. In terms of real money (gold), stocks, bonds and property are going down.

This, too, couldn’t come at a worse time. U.S. credit market debt is more than twice what it was when the expansion began in 1980; it has gone from 130% of GDP to more than 300%. That debt – especially mortgage debt – rests on inflated asset values. When asset prices go down, so will the debt itself. And then, the struggling householder…the poor yeoman consumer…the purchasing prole…what will he do?

Pinched between the Scylla of debt and the Charybdis of declining real, spendable income – with all the costs, illusions of a decaying empire to sustain, with his dollars losing value (and his Fed chief dropping them from helicopters) pumping three-dollar gasoline into his gas-guzzling land barge, and making monthly payments on a mortgage that towers over his house like the Washington Monument over a bum’s cardboard box – what will the poor man do?

We almost think we know the answer. He will turn to the left. But that is another story for another day.

More news from Aussie Joel and The Rude Awakening…

Bill Bonner with more views from London…

*** Over the past few days, we’ve been examining Greenspan’s 18-year stint as Fed Chief – as he’s passing the economic torch to Ben Bernanke next Tuesday.

Many are speculating over what kinds of measures Helicopter Ben will assume when he takes the helm at the Federal Reserve. We told our friends at American Conservative Magazine:

“Greenspan’s real legacy [is that] he has finally made central banking work. And his successor, Ben Bernanke, pledges not to mess it up. By targeting inflation, he says, he will be able to make the financial world even more stable and predictable. And if the party ever starts to wind down, he has told fellow economists that he will drop money out of helicopters, if necessary, to keep it going.

“…But of all the twisted concepts that came out in 2005, the explanation of the world’s international financial system offered by Alan Greenspan’s replacement, Ben Bernanke, is perhaps the most elegantly preposterous. Americans are not spending too much, said Bernanke. The problem is that Asians are spending too little. As a result, they have a ‘savings glut’ that Americans helpfully recycle into granite countertops and home entertainment systems.

“Bernanke managed to condense a whole universe of lies, misapprehensions, and conceits into two short words. Yet as compact as they were, they covered up a grotesque system of global finance so out of whack that even congressmen are appalled: One nation buys things it doesn’t need with money it doesn’t have. Another sells on credit to people who already cannot pay-and builds more factories to increase output.”

You can read our whole article, “Eat, Drink, and Buy Merrily” on American Conservative Magazine’s site:

Greenspan’s Punchbowl

*** “Don’t give me any of your theories; I need practical advice,” said Elizabeth yesterday…perhaps speaking for many dear Daily Reckoning readers. “I’ve got some money and I need to do something with it. What do I do? I don’t want to lose money. But I don’t have time to follow stocks. And I’m afraid the dollar is going to fall.”

“Simple,” we replied. (We had had dinner recently with Frank Trotter of EverBank.)

“Open an account with EverBank and put the money in euros. Besides, you’re going to need euros when we go back to Paris.”

We don’t know whether that was good advice or not. Will the euro go up against the dollar? We can’t say. But Elizabeth sold a house in Baltimore and now wants to use the money to buy an apartment in Paris this year. The worse thing that could happen to her would be a big drop in the dollar while she is waiting.

Most readers are not in that situation. They pay their expenses in dollars. The fall of the dollar wouldn’t hurt them – at least, not directly. Still, they would probably like to protect themselves from a falling dollar, as well as the other macro-trends discussed above.

“The current shift in wealth from the U.S. is unprecedented,” writes Ray Dalio, “and will go down in history as one of the great financial events.”

But what can you do about it?

“In this environment, you have to emphasize international investments,” says Marc Faber, “largely in Asia.”

Faber revealed his portfolio to readers of Barron’s. He is short the dollar, short 30-year Treasuries and short the Philadelphia Housing Sector index:

“Short the U.S. dollar. It is pegged to asset inflation, namely the U.S. housing market. The Fed will stop tightening when the housing market no longer goes up. Until then, it will be willing to increase interest rates by baby steps. When the housing market and the Dow Jones Industrials decline by 10% the Fed will flood the system with liquidity. The dollar will become very weak. Some sectors of the global economy, such as PCs and cellular phones, are in oversupply. But the biggest oversupply in the world is the U.S. dollar.”

[Ed. Note: Our friends at EverBank offer many different investment prospects to help diversify your portfolio…and one of their best, in our opinion, is their 5-Year MarketSafe Gold Bullion CD. It’s the easiest (and safest) way to cash in the gold rush. But you have to hurry.

The Daily Reckoning


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Daily Prompt: Denial

He grips you tight, leaving you awake through the night.
He holds you close, embracing you under the folds.
He whispers in your ears,
gently, yet constantly.
And you coax yourself it all ain’t true.
Cover those ears, for days, months and years.
For you can deny Denial,
But he’ll always be beside you.

– Daphne Melodia

The news came, it swept past you so suddenly! You have not an idea, on how a reaction, should be. You put on a brave front, and smile. You strut away, but there’s one thing you’re certain of. You are unsure of what’s next. Maybe, just maybe. You’ve heard it wrong, or your eyes were just mischievous today. You question the new friend that you’ve made, and like a tape recorder. He repeats the news to you once again.

You deny, what was denied to you.

And while you harp on what was taken from you, Denial blinds the gifts that life has installed.

via Daily Prompt: Denial

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Last of England?

As I try to plan one last trip in England, I wonder, have I seen all that I wanted to see on this little Island of tea, Queen and double-decker buses?

Yea, my natural tendency after my last exam is to fly home, and this time I followed from habit. Little did I realize that this would be my last time flying home from my place of study. Looking back, I remember I made such a long list of places I wanted to see and I guess I kinda did see them. I saw:

  • London. The capital and all the major sites there. Used the London Tube (inner Geographer rejoice)
  • Birmingham. The industrial city and its German Christmas market.
  • Nottingham. Robin Hood’s Hood yo.
  • Derby. The Sikh history museum was so cool.
  • Stonehenge. Pillars of rocks never looked better.
  • Bath. Don’t know what was there, but it was nice.
  • Edinburgh. Still on the Island, so that counts right?
  • Manchester? Only saw it passing by on the train but got enough of a feel for it
  • Coventry. A typical-average city of England.
  • York? Waited there for my connecting train. It’s suppose to be a really nice medieval town.
  • Southall. The central of all South Asian culture. Visiting the main Gurdwara there was nice.

I wonder if I should tell myself that no matter how much travelling I attempt, I can never see all of England and what it has to offer, unless I live here forever. I just need to touch it and feel it, then put it back on the shelf ’cause I’m not ready to bring it home? Following this principle, you can see the rest of the world, can’t u? Like a true geographer, just look but don’t touch.

At the moment, deciding between doing day trips to Oxford and maybe the Sikh Royal History Museum  or go on a 2 day trip to Cardiff to see Wales. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

How you do you guys usually decide or make your travel decisions?

8 thoughts on “Last of England?

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Teen decision making.

October 22, 2010 § 2 Comments

Back then in 1995, I had to make one hard decision.

My family and friends were having a barbecue in a park close to the city. I think someone was celebrating his birthday. We heard loud music playing, people were passing our barbecue place and walking to the other end of the park. We followed them and saw a camera team, a set built up and a beautiful woman lip synching something like “Badadadideido, left right, right left…” A man in a uniform was standing next to her. Captain Jack. We were kids and sooo proud to be watching behind the scenes. We became immediately fans. We watched the video on VIVA (German music TV station) and felt great. Because we were theeeere.

At the same time there was another band and another video on VIVA. 5 guys on ski vacation following a group of girls. One of the guys wants to get together with the girl who was just broken up with her boyfriend, promising her to never break her heart. I totally liked those guys. And…the song, of course 😉

Then my friend asked: “Who do you like better: Captain Jack or the Backstreet Boys???”

WELL. I know it seems as if the answer is easy. But back then it wasn’t. Really. It was a really hard decision.
I followed my teen heart. I am a bit embarrassed BUT I still love to hear their songs. And by the way: Their lyrics are the only ones I know by heart.

So, who do you like better?

I know it’s trashy. But I love the 90ies.

// Dani

§ 2 Responses to Teen decision making.

  • hahaha. and all those posters hanging on our walls….

  • jasmina says:

    oh what a cruel and hard childhood. haha.
    we had so many hard decisions to make, our parents have nooo clue how difficult it was to grow up with all those good looking singers. we just couldn’t decided who is sweeter. i remember the pain of making a decision! 🙂

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Frankfurt Coincidences {Press photos}

February 27, 2012 § 1 Comment

Recently, I shot the press photos for the independent movie Frankfurt Coincidences (Check out the trailer HERE).

Let me introduce you to the female main actress Bolor Sharkhuukhen and the director, writer & producer Enkelejd LLuca – two very talented and beautiful people 😀 Can’t wait for the movie premiere in April!

// Dani

LOVED the light here! What a glamorous and stunning woman!

I have a lot of respect for Enkelejd. He is a writer, producer and director (!) creating characters, settings & stories. I had no clue how much work & creative mind this requires. I’m impressed! Very much looking forward to his next movie(s)!

Want to see more pictures? Have a look at the slideshow:

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If you are interested in portraits or you’d just like to connect, feel free to do so via mail ( or Facebook.

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Moment #2

Back from an unintentional hiatus of hibernation, here is a brief bit of writing I on a bus.

I was traveling between London and Lincoln: a twee little town in the East Midlands region of England, part of this year’s odyssey of [trying to] changing my university for next year. More on that, soon.

Rutland Terrace. Stamford.

Sun descending over rolling hills of yellow.  Flowers cascading for acres.  Spring in England, come at last.  Between continents of cumulus, real, blue sky. The beauty of it, tangible.

Glory in the gold.  Shadows east across the field, changing the hues as a painter would with the swipe of a hand.  Messy, blurred.  A stroke of simple dissonance like a guitar with its A in minor.

Suddenly: sheep.

Drunk on the juxtaposition of earth and sky in the face of the setting sun.

On the bus heading to The North, and it’s like I can feel this land calling to the marrow in my bones.

This American obsession with belonging somewhere, being raised in a nationalistic culture of Ye Olde Melting Pot.  A need to be nomadic; desperation for discovery.

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Archive for the ‘How To’ Category

Following some discussion over on my How-to: Share a single iTunes Library between you and your wife post, I’ve decided to pull together a screencast (my first!) to walk through how iTunes organizes your music library and how you can consolidate and move your library to share it with additional users. Hopefully the video serves as a nice complement to the other post.

Let me know what you think!

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Today’s question comes from a friend of mine who asks one of the most common questions iPod users face… “How can I copy music off an iPod without syncing it to iTunes?”

A well known limitation of the iPod is that it is designed to sync with only one iTunes Library at a time. The general belief is that Apple made it more difficult to copy music between computers to prevent rampant stealing of digital music and appease the music industry.

Nonetheless, there are a number of good reasons you may want to transfer music and playlists off your iPod without breaking the law.

  1. High capactiy iPods offer a basic backup to your entire music library should something go kaputt on your computer.
  2. It’s a convenient way to copy your music from one of your computers to another (legally). You could for example copy your music to your computer at work, or copy your imported CDs from your desktop to your laptop.

Fortunately, there are applications for both Mac and PC that make this process simple.

Senuti – Mac

For the Mac, I recommened Senuti which is billed as “Works like iTunes, but in Reverse”. More detailed instructions are available on their site but it’s as easy as running the program, plugging in your iPod, and deciding which music or playlists you want to copy off.

Depending on how you set the preferences, the files will either be copied to a folder on your computer, or imported directly into iTunes.

Best of all, Senuti is free.

An app that comes highly recommended by Lifehacker for serving the same purpose on PC’s is YamiPod (Yet Another Manager for iPod). Unfortunately their site is down at the moment so I’ve not been able to try it out.

Another trick is to simply enable Disk Mode (see below) and view the hidden files on the iPod.

At first glance, your music is hidden and you can’t get at it.

Your iPod has a secret... it's hiding the Music folder from view

To view your tunes:

  1. Enable Disk Mode in iTunes
  2. Open the drive letter for your iPod
  3. Click Tools -> Folder Options -> View tab -> Enable ‘Show hidden files and folders’
    You’ll now be able to copy the iPodControlMusic folder off your iPod.

The Music folder will be incredibly cryptic with strange folders and file names, but if you are using iTunes to organize your music library anyway, it should still recognize the correct metadata (artist, album, etc) when you import them.

Your Tunes now revealed!

Disk Mode for File Transfer
In addition to above, there’s an even simpler way to move files around using your iPod. With your iPod plugged in and selected in the iTunes Source List, check the box for ‘Enable disk use’.

Click enable disk use to mount your iPod as a USB memory stick

Your iPod will show up on your computer as any other USB drive or memory stick and can be used exactly the same way. The music and playlists synced via iTunes won’t be visible, but you can use the remaining free-space to copy other files.

Copy files to and from your iPod

Just remember to manually eject your iPod before unplugging it.

There’s also one small detail of format to keep in mind. iPod’s can be formatted using a Windows or Mac file system. A Mac can read PC or Mac formatted iPod’s but the converse isn’t true so if you absolutely need to move files between the two, keep this in mind. iTunes will automatically ask you to restore (and reformat in the process) the software on your iPod if it can’t be read.

Wrap Up
Ok. That will do it for today. There’s plenty of other ways to do this as well so if you have a particular technique, feel free to post it in the comments below.

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Flickr Logo

Flickr is my favorite photo sharing site and community to be sure, but it always amazes me how much confusion there is over what should be really simple tasks like ordering prints.

The Printing FAQ on Flickr isn’t much help either so I’ve decided to roll my own. If you’re looking for a step by step to ordering prints, look no further.

Step 1 – Sign In
Before you can even add a photo to your shopping cart, you need to log into Flickr. If you don’t already have an account, you can create one for free. Having to login first always trips people up so make sure you get this out of the way before continuing.

Step 2 – Request Permission
You won’t be able to print every picture you come across on Flickr because the owner of the photo gets to control who can and can’t order prints in their account settings. Most of my photos tend to be available to anyone but if you don’t see the buttons described in the following steps, you may need to ask the specific owner for permission.

Step 3 – Part 1: Ordering Individual Photos
You can add individual photos to your shopping cart by clicking the ‘Prints & More’ button just above the image.
Click Prints & More

The first time you do this, you may be asked to confirm that you are located in the United States as Flickr unfortunately only ships to the USA at this time.

After setting this up, the next time you click ‘Prints & More’ you’ll be presented with a list of sizes and prices to choose from. Just select the quantity you want and click ‘Add to Cart’.

Rinse and repeat for other photos you want to order.

Step 3 – Part 2: Ordering A Set of Photos
Photos are often grouped together into ‘Sets’ on Flickr. You can quickly add a bunch of photos from a particular set by following the steps here.

First, browse to the particular Set you’re interested in. There are a few ways to get there but one is to click the Set Title in the box to the right of a photo.

You’ll be taken to a page with a bunch of thumbnails like shown below. Just above the pictures will be an option to ‘Make Stuff’. Click this link and then ‘Prints & more’.

You’ll then have the option to check whichever photos you want, select a size, and add them all to your cart at once.

Step 4 – Check Out
This is where things start to get easier. Just click the shopping cart icon near the top right corner of the page. You’ll be able to review the photos in your cart, change quantities, and remove particular items. When you’re happy with everything, select to pick up the prints at Target or to have them mailed to you at home. Then just enter your info and billing details and you’re all set.

Well, I hope this helps. If you’re still stuck let me know in the comments below and I’ll try to update this to make it more clear.

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People… time to secure your wireless network.

What’s that? “I’ve already done that!”, you say? Think again sucka.

I’m usually on top of the digital aspects of my life and I take particular care to ensure my data is both secure and backed up but somehow I’ve slipped and have been using WEP way too long.

ArsTechnica will guide you through the process but here are the key points:

  1. If you haven’t secured your network yet, this is foolish
  2. MAC address filtering and hiding your SSID offer little benefit
  3. WEP hasn’t been secure in years, just ask TJ Maxx
  4. You have other options (WAP) and it’s easy to setup

Strongly suggest you read the step-by-step for more.

Read Full Post »

I’ve now been a happy paying customer for 37signals’ Backpack for well over 2 years. Over that time the app has become far more convenient and polished to use and I’ve personally found better and better ways to get value out of it.

Case in point, planning a trip. Now I’m certainly not the only one to use Backpack for this purpose but I’d like to share the ways I find it most valuable.

Glimpse of What’s Coming
The first thing you’ll find is that when travel is in the works, I create a page with a consistent naming convention and add it to my sidebar such that the upcoming trips sort chronologically. This isn’t a direct replacement for my calendar, just a quick look at where we’re pretty busy and when we have some down time. Plus it’s a great unobtrusive reminder that something is getting closer and needs to be looked at more closely.

Capture the Basics Early On
With Backpack, I can create a page far in advance to capture the basics of the trip. I was recently at a conference in Copenhagen for example where I had registered about 6 months in advance. I created the page, forwarded my registration confirmation to it, and the info was there waiting for me to polish off the details later on when the event was closer.

Flush Out the Details with Rich Content
With the ability to forward emails directly to Backpack, create links, add images, and more, Backpack is incredibly robust in capturing a range of information. You can even embed live Google Maps which is absolutely brilliant for travel. For my parents’ trip coming up we started with some basic ideas and gradually filled in the blanks.

Speaking of my parents’ trip, thanks to the newish sharing features (also brilliant), I can securely share the page with my folks so they can access and contribute to all the information without even having to sign up for an account.

All in One Place Ready to Go
Finally, and one of my favorite parts. When it’s time to head out, I open the page, embedded email attachments, and maps, and print them out to take with me. They’re all in one place so it only takes a few minutes and it saves having to hunt through old emails for reservations and flight confirmations. Easy peasy!

Even better still, as with all 37signals apps, you can sign up for a limited account for free for as long as you like and then upgrade later if you need the extra space or features.

Backpack: Get Organized and Collaborate

Full disclosure: 37signals does have an affiliate program so if you click some of the links and end up signing up, I will receive a small credit. Not to worry however, I’ve been singing the praises of Backpack long before this more recent development! 🙂

Read Full Post »

The perfect match...

I’m a big fan of Time Machine. It’s not perfect, some like myself want to ensure they have an offsite backup as well, it doesn’t play perfectly with FileVault, and you can’t boot off the backup if you’re in a mission critical situation. Despite those few issues, with Time Machine, there’s no longer an excuse for not backing up all those digital family photos, extensive music collection, and rest of your digital life. If you haven’t been bitten yet… you will. It’s only a matter of time.

One of the frustrating things with Time Machine however can be the amount of space it starts to eat up on your external drive. Storage continues to get cheaper but I hate to toss my 500GB drive for something bigger just so I can let Time Machine do it’s thing.

Fortunately, there is a GREAT tool to help you squeeze the most out of your drive, GrandPerspective (VersionTracker, Main Site). GP is an excellent utility to graphically represent the space you’re using on disk. Better yet, it is smart enough to ignore the clever file referencing Time Machine uses to keep things in order, and in turn, can give you an accurate picture of your drive.

GrandPerspective screenshot

Just download the utility, and run it on your Backups.backupdb folder on your Time Machine drive, and you’ll quickly see if there are particularly large chunks being eaten up on your drive.

For me, GrandPerspective quickly identified a folder in Library/Application Support/Mozy which was eating up about 50% of my backup drive. It turned out, this was a temporary folder Mozy used to store files before they were uploaded to the Mozy backup server. Since this folder was always changing as Mozy gradually uploaded my system, Time Machine was dutifully preserving multiple versions of the contents of the folder every time it ran a backup. Blocking this folder from the Time Machine preferences has made my Time Machine backups far faster and far more space efficient which leaves more room for the important bits.

If you’re running out of space on your drive, give Grand Perspective a try.

Lots of backups

Read Full Post »

We have a Mac mini, Hi-Fi, and iMac. The Apple remotes for the first two are a critical part of our home entertainment setup and they’re intentionally paired so each remote only controls 1 thing or the other. How’s a guy to keep these things in order in a clean and classy way?

Moo Stickers to the rescue!

Ambiguous Apple Remotes
Ambiguous Apple Remotes originally uploaded by -DjD-.

Now Unambiguous Apple Remotes
Now Unambiguous Apple Remotes originally uploaded by -DjD-.

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »


text:
CareerOrientation programmes (known informally as ‘employee on-boarding’ in the world of talent management) are one of the most important components of the HR cycle as far as new employees are concerned. This is because these programmes assist new employees in understanding the environment and culture of the organisation they have joined, as well as their job responsibilities. Employee orientation programmes are usually conducted by HR or line managers and consist of two to three sessions during the employee’s first week; each session usually lasts between two to four hours.

Each session should ideally cover the following:

Making introductions. Line managers should introduce new employees to people they will be working with. Ideally, they should assign a senior employee to be a mentor to the new employee.

Outlining the organisation’s expectations. Orientation sessions should outline the new employee’s job responsibilities and the expectations that the organisation has of them, such as revenue generation, adding value to existing procedures and thinking of creative ideas to improve existing organisational initiatives.

Understanding organisational policies. These can include a wide raft of policies (and should ideally be listed in an Employee Manual), including those with respect to dress code, compliance methods, attendance, vacation and code of conduct. One aspect that organisations are now including in this part of the orientation programme are social media guidelines, as many companies strictly do not allow their employees to share information or photographs of their offices on social media.

Understanding employee benefits. At least one orientation session should focus on assisting new employees in understanding the perks they are eligible for. These can include bonuses, medical insurance, discount policies on certain brands/products of the company and any complimentary giveaways.

– Monica Peter
The writer is an HR Consultant at a multinational company and can be contacted via LinkedIn. monica.peter87@gmail.com

First published in the Careers Section of The DAWN National Weekend Advertiser on February 23, 2014.


text:
Fashion and Fun after Fifty

OOTD – Spring Snow Storm

Posted on: March 25, 2013

Hello Friends and Happy Monday

I hope you all had a good weekend, mine was nice and it started with a Transformation Bonfire at church Friday night, where we all witnessed a Meteorite.  I had just put away my iPad after taking pictures of the bonfire so didn’t get a chance to capture it, did you see it?  We were outside in the cold so the songs, prayers and Sermonette was short, and it ended with an unburdening. We were encouraged to write down anything that we wanted to be released from and then cast it into the fire.  Only hours before I was informed that my Aunt has passed, she had been suffering with emphysema for years and God finally released her from her pain and suffering – RIP Aunt Myrtle.

We woke up this morning to a Wonderful Winter Wonderland…Spring will just have to wait a little longer.  Although it is very pretty to look at it wasn’t so pretty to drive in, it took 2 hours to get to work and it’s still snowing so it will be a long commute home.

Today’s outfit had to be changed from a skirt and blouse to pants and top for a casual and comfortable Monday.

Spring Snow Storm

Winter Wonderland

OOTD 3 25 13 006

OOTD 3 25 13 007

Closet staples – pants, top and boots

Winter Wonderland

Middletown, DE

‘Ole  Man Winter is not giving up without a fight!

OOTD 3 25 13 013

OOTD 3 25 13 015

Snow flakes on the face – lol

Leaving for work

Linking up today with YOLO Monday – join in and meet a few new bloggers.

Have a wonderful afternoon – Smooches!

dedivahdeals signature

11 Responses to "OOTD – Spring Snow Storm"

I’m sorry to hear about your Aunt. As for your pictures in the snow, they are beautiful. I’m so ready for this nonsense to be gone though.

Thank you, cancer is the worst! The snow was totally unexpected and will be glad when it ends for the season!

CANNOT believe that it is snowing….again!!!!!!!!!
Rocking that fuschia even in the flurries!!!

WOAH look at all that snow! Isn’t it Spring? 😛 Love that sweater on you, so chic in the snow! xo

I know right! Spring is out there somewhere…. Thanks for the compliment.

I know right, Spring is out there somewhere! Thank you for the compliment.

This shade of pink looks wonderful on you!I cant believe the snow where you are… Sara

Thank you my dear…thankfully it’s all gone today!

You are brave for being outside with no coat on in the snow! I would be afraid of getting sick. It did make for cute pictures though!

Thanks sweetie, I can’t get sick no matter how hard I try. I have my grandmother’s genes and she died of old age (98), nothing more. I am just glad the snow is gone and Spring has sprung. Have a wonderful weekend.

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text:
Local Communities (Sanghas)

A sangha is a local community of mindfulness practitioners who gather to meditate, to share their joys and difficulties, and to encourage each other on the path of practice. Meeting regularly with others to sit and share together is a precious way to cultivate our understanding and compassion and to re-establish our deep connection with others.

Find a Sangha
There are sanghas all over the world practicing in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. We encourage you to search for a local practice community.

Start a Sangha
If there is no sangha in your area, you may consider starting one! This can begin as simply as meeting with a few people in someone’s home. There, you might sit in meditation, read an excerpt from one of Thay’s (Thich Nhat Hanh’s) books, then share together about your experiences in the practice. For more information, see the New Sangha Handbook and our Start a Sangha page.

Wake Up
If you are about 18 to 35 years of age, you may have particular interest in Wake Up, an active global community of young adult practitioners.

The Mindfulness Bell
If you would like to learn more about Thich Nhat Hanh’s tradition of mindfulness practice, you will surely enjoy his many books as well as The Mindfulness Bell, a journal of the art of mindful living.


text:
I have had pups my whole life, and ive come across tips that work and that dont work. BUT i am always on the lookout to  best help out my furry friend. So here are some recent discoveries and older discoveries that i use!
1. If your pup eats fast, try putting a ball in their bowl to help slow them down. This definitely worked on one of my dogs but the other one just sat anad looked at it.

2. A carabiner makes it a quick and easy way to secure your pups leash when you are out in public. I showed this trick to my aunt and uncle and they use it all the time.

3. Doggy CPR. This is very helpful in a scary situation, luckily i have never had to use it on my pups and hopefully you will never have to use it on yours but it is very helpful thing to know just incase.

4. Play fetch down hill. My pup Bambi(RIP) loved playing fetch, he was also very hyper and this worked out very well for us and he loved it.

5. Easily remove pet hair from your carpet by usuing a squeegee. I have never tried this one personally but my aunt has and she says it works.

6. Know your pups language. If you can read your furry friends body language than its easier for you to help them and know what they might do next and you can stop the situation before it even becomes a situation. This goes for other dogs as well. Read other pups body language.

7. Baking soda and vinager helps get pet urine out of your carpet.

8. Know what harms your pup, this is helpful in so many ways because it can keep your furry friend safe.

9. If your pup hates when you brush their teeth squeeze some dog toothpaste onto a nylabone or a rope toy.

10. If your pup isnt feeling too well, just add some low sodium chicken broth to their drinking water.

     *this helps with puppy dehydration and if they cant keep the food down.

Another fun little suggestion i have done with my pups is make sure i have the vet number in my phone and a 24 hour vet number and address in my phone just to be on the safe side incase anything were to happen.


text:
Life, Rome, Travel
Comments 4

full : € 12,00
reduced : € 7,50

How to get here:
Roma, Piazza del Colosseo
Metro: Line B – “Colosseo”
Bus: Line 75 – 81 – 673 – 175 – 204
Tram: Line 3

Rome was so small that we could have walked here from our hotel! But we instead took the metro since we were sure that we would do lots of walking around throughout the day. Thanks to our Roma Pass, we were able to enter this exhibit for free. I would also like to mention that the purchase of this ticket also allows you to enter the colosseum roman forum and palatine.

I actually dropped my camera right outside the Coloseeum :/ but thankfully it still worked! The view was quite nice and there were plenty of statues and things to see. Of course, we spent the whole time taking hundreds of photos… but only a few came out nice as it was too sunny to grab a nice picture.

IMG_2006 IMG_2017 IMG_2023 IMG_2055 IMG_2056 IMG_2067

I’ll end this post with a photo of my sister and I. Don’t we look like twins?

Also, school has started for me and I’m in the process of applying for various jobs/internships.
Wish me luck and hopefully by next week I’ll have great news!

  1. Gorgeous! I’m jealous of you, I would love to visit Rome. Your pictures turned out very nicely and it looks like you and your sister really enjoyed the trip. Safe travels!

    P.S. Yes, you and your sister could be twins! 🙂

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text:
Tag Archives: digital

What/ who is Bluebird and how do I stop it/ him/ her?

As I was rushing to work (running late) on Friday morning, I nearly got knocked over by a bunch of protesters blowing whistles and wearing white chemical protection suits as I entered Central Station. Putting aside my wave of commuter-rage (how dare people get in my way, I am trying to get to work, ferchrissakes!), I checked out one of their placards, and saw “Stop Bluebird”, then realised they had it on their T-shirts, and were shouting it too.

Always one to be a part of a “Stop …” anything kind of campaign, I did a Google web search at my earliest opportunity, and was directed to a site called “Dreams of Anthropocene” at http://www.lulurich.com.au/ (everything I saw pointed towards stopbluebird.com, a URL that doesn’t seem to exist, instead re-directing to this one).

Continue reading

Google ads for Chrome extensions and Translate

I am a massive fan of Chrome, and have had it as my default browser for months at the expense of Firefox. Extensions have been available for a while and once downloaded the icons sit neatly alongside the address bar in the top right of the browser.

There are not as many available as in Firefox, as you might expect, but I already have Facebook, Delicious, Dropbox, Gmail, Digg, Evernote and Chromed Bird (an impressive Twitter extension).

Google has released a promo video for Extensions this week and it is equally impressive.

At the same time as this, a promo was released for Google Translate.  I have only started using this a lot recently since an old French friend got in touch via Twitter. In my limited experience it seems to be a great product, and again, the video is fantastic.

Carlton Draught’s new TVC campaign

Your Weenis, your Weenis, it's wrinkly and it's pink

Your Weenis, your Weenis, it's wrinkly and it's pink

Here is the latest campaign for Carlton Draught, the sixth in the ‘Made from Beer’ series.

It was due to launch on television in February but was pulled by Carlton & United Breweries at the last-minute due to concerns that it may offend viewers.

The full series of 7 short spots can be seen at http://anyexcuse.com.au/ and is worth checking out, especially for Tingle, Weenis, and Wart.

The ads are pretty funny, and continue the humourous themes seen earlier in the series. I do hope, however, that the late jitters isn’t indicative of an increasing trend of advertisers becoming frightened enough about offending people that they substantially alter their marketing campaigns.

Updated: This campaign has now been pulled from the internet as well due to fears over a ‘public backlash’.

Online Metrics: Trends for 2010 from Mediapost

Great post here from the Mediapost Online Metrics Insider blog. Written by Josh Chasin, who is the chief research officer at comScore, Inc. in the U.S. it looks forward to what might happen in 2010 around online measurement and how that might expand to include wider media channels.

Online Metrics: Trends for 2010

The articles touches on 3 subjects of great interest to me, as follows.

The symbiotic relationship between panel-based audience measurement and web analytics and how these two aspects will continue to overlap and benefit the overall objective of obtaining  accurate data.

Secondly, the benefits of using online as a brand-building tool. Whilst I am surprised that there is still skepticism around using online for the purposes of effective brand-building, I see this as an engaging challenge and one that will surely develop rapidly in 2010.

Thirdly, the importance of cross-platform measurements. How do we equate digital measurements to other metrics such as TARPs? Should digital be looking to move closer to these models in order to offer advertisers more value, or should other media be moving closer to digital? This side of things will only become more important as mobile take up continues to grow at such a huge rate.

A fascinating find in this article is the exercise conducted by the Washington Post in 2007 (Violinist Joshua Bell played incognito in a Washington Subway), which was “an experiment in context, perception and priorities”, according to writer Gene Weingarten. How important is contextual relevance? Do we only see something of worth if it is in the right setting?

Do you have time for beauty?

Youtube ad campaign for Danish Tourism board depicts single mum looking for her child’s father

I have only just discovered this extraordinary ad campaign on Boing Boing – there was some controversy surrounding this back in September resulting in the ad being removed from Youtube.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “Youtube ad campaign for Danish Touris…“, posted with vodpod

What makes this campaign extraordinary is the fact that rather than promoting safe sex, or prevention of STDs or unwanted pregnancy, it is in fact for the Danish Tourist Board, and the objective is to encourage more overseas visitors to consider Denmark as a holiday destination.

The controversial aspects of the campaign are clear, and have been discussed elsewhere, particularly on Adland.tv.

What struck me was the comments made by the CEO of Danish Tourism, Dorte Kiilerich.

“Karen’s story shows that Denmark is a free place with space for you to be who you want. The film is good exposure for Danish self-sufficient and dignified women.”

I don’t really see this at all, and judging by the controversy and subsequent apology, it would seem that other people don’t either. I am just wondering if this is because we aren’t Danish. Denmark is a society that really is socially ahead of the curve, having been the first country to legalise pornography (in 1969) and same-sex marriages (in 1989).

Maybe we just don’t get it because we are mired in antiquated behaviour and conservatism. Or maybe the idea was to play on national stereotypes and generate attention through controversy.

Thinking of cultural insensitivity in tourism advertising reminds me of the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre in UK banning the TV spots for Tourism Australia for featuring the word ‘bloody’ (a word so inoffensive in today’s society, that my grandmother would not be averse to using it).

It goes to show how even the smallest of issues can be misconstrued and misinterpreted, with the original objective and intention completely lost in the ensuing public debate.


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Well I wouldn’t call it an interview, I would call it more like ten random questions based around the theme of “When was the last time you….?”

(didn’t Jarvis Cockerspaniel sing something about ‘the last time’?…well…I stuck his picture up anyway, if you were wondering why)

Tracy Moseley is out training in Australia at the moment, here’s her answers.

1: When was the last time:
You upset your neighbours?

Don’t have any close enough to upset, although i’m sure the noise of my little TTR might travel a little way !!

2: When was the last time:
You won a race?

The infamous Penarth Street race in Cardiff in October

3: When was the last time:
You hurt yourself?

Riding at Hamsterley in November with Gaskell, went
over the bars on a 2 foot drop and landed on a rock in my chest….not

4: When was the last time you:
You brought something you didn’t need?
The ice cream I had the other day !

5: When was the last time:
You heard a good joke? (What was it?)
I Can’t remember, so it can’t have
been that funny…

6: When was the last time:
Fixed a puncture?
…Ages ago…not since i had a wonderful boyfriend !!!

7: When was the last time:
You scared yourself?
Riding everyday out here in Australia waiting to ride
over a snake and it then bit my leg off !

8: When was the last time:
You saw something that made you go “Holy Shit!
” The size of the spiders
out here

9: When was the last time:
You did some actual digging with a spade?
New Years Day, tried making a
dh trail at home…not sure how successful it will be though if it ever drys out….

10: When was the last time:
You heard a really good song?
Can’t remember, not great at paying
attention to music unless I can sing along to it

Photo:John Gibbson

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