tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67935412606537228062024-03-13T08:33:35.518-07:00The Passionate Mind~ Functioning despite a dispassionate world. ~Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comBlogger391125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-57480684705062833702017-10-18T11:01:00.002-07:002017-10-18T11:26:19.984-07:00Basketweave BeanieSo, after almost ten years, I decided it was time to start writing down the things I knit from my head, and see if maybe I could help put my kids through college, or something. (And I'm not joking. I have six, yes S-I-X, progeny to launch into the world as reasonably educated and helpful human beings. I need all the help I can get . . . )<br />
<br />
Enter, the Basketweave Beanie.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdcoBD3UVeGz4lhyphenhyphenKiFBtG3DLqDofkciMuC3xm7hpQ3lQP5QFMgTGqJMrvQMXBqjGz9UYYWxMFQxQ_Wb8iRoLIgxaNiUh5vUEcaofThUzORHWoatdRCkpzIEokKg-txBwUJaQNlcWVSmF/s1600/IMG_5294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdcoBD3UVeGz4lhyphenhyphenKiFBtG3DLqDofkciMuC3xm7hpQ3lQP5QFMgTGqJMrvQMXBqjGz9UYYWxMFQxQ_Wb8iRoLIgxaNiUh5vUEcaofThUzORHWoatdRCkpzIEokKg-txBwUJaQNlcWVSmF/s320/IMG_5294.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This hat began as a knit to show off a friend's amazing hand dyed yarn. Something interesting to knit, but not so busy that it would fight with the colorways of her incredible work. My first few attempts turned out VERY warm, but a bit on the large side. After a few more attempts, I produced this version as a "Welcome to the Great White North" gift as she experienced her first winter up here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEF8OuLDrdH76ieL3IO-IRTXb0oDpIIcJjGFkV_wdgRG8rUNp1YtIpn9d-jLhdJvtRJqUohWx8m__ekmFUJVX9nQsX5H6V9boWlN8Z12l7I2WoG90wk3ViatD_-zedFCw3nHhzM90ZlQhz/s1600/IMG_5295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEF8OuLDrdH76ieL3IO-IRTXb0oDpIIcJjGFkV_wdgRG8rUNp1YtIpn9d-jLhdJvtRJqUohWx8m__ekmFUJVX9nQsX5H6V9boWlN8Z12l7I2WoG90wk3ViatD_-zedFCw3nHhzM90ZlQhz/s320/IMG_5295.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I must say that I love the way this little project keeps me entertained. Just enough ribbing to fold up if you don't need your ears covered, and more than enough to reach down below a jacket collar turned up if the weather decides to pick a fight.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkl1ZrUkQ7rJEpg-FdmOJ0jUpyZ8mWKVOEbTtjQ78VeRcGB_LXIdPLmhut_dzfloRL6yvtutt2Et0pLaFdyr0CLWzD_I8EVqvh6lhoBFABQlJs1St9Ebw_CzgMPqXTLudoeFhn7_52Gh8M/s1600/IMG_5296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkl1ZrUkQ7rJEpg-FdmOJ0jUpyZ8mWKVOEbTtjQ78VeRcGB_LXIdPLmhut_dzfloRL6yvtutt2Et0pLaFdyr0CLWzD_I8EVqvh6lhoBFABQlJs1St9Ebw_CzgMPqXTLudoeFhn7_52Gh8M/s320/IMG_5296.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And, here are my favorite crown decreases. You're welcome. :o)<br />
<br />
Now, go <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/purchase/annalea-eastley-designs/423159">buy your copy</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(don't freak out--that link takes you to a PayPal checkout page)</i></span> and help send this horde of mine to <strike>Ivy League</strike> modest community colleges. ;o)Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-89379985376211867682017-10-18T10:45:00.000-07:002017-10-18T10:45:40.268-07:00Well, hello again . . . Public Service Announcement: Bringing this blog out of hibernation, in order to keep better track of my published knitting patterns, etc. And, on that note, on to blog about my latest pattern offering. :o)Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-11921050865702748882011-08-27T15:34:00.000-07:002011-08-27T15:34:27.654-07:00Kindhearted MiscommunicationOh, Amazon . . . what did I ever do without you? This gem comes from the description for a folding, papasan-style chair:<br />
<br />
"Operating guide: 1. When unfold it, one hand catch the chair's back top tube, the other hand catch the back leg tube and stretch it. 2. When fold it, let the fabric face to our body, and press down the each tube's push-button. Then push it to our body with our hands. Matters needing attention being used: 1. Please note that the max weight capacity of this folding chair is 220Lb. Exceeding this limit will damage the chair and may cause person hurt. 2. Please take care of your fingers when unfold and fold the chair. 3. Please put the chair on safe and flate place. Sit on the chair only when the chair is wholly opened. When sit on the chair, please don't incline the chair. 4. Do not sit more than two persons at the same time in case of any accidents. 5. Childre should use the chair within the guardian's visible sope. Please don't let infant use this chair. 6. When being carried, please fold the chair. Placement and Maintenance 1. The chair can't be kept in a damp environment. 2. Don't keep the chair a long time in the sun and don't use it when it is rainning and keep it away from the fire.. 3. Don't put the chair togther with the sharp article Please use rare & neutral detergent when clean the chair."<div><br />
</div><div>At least the author shows a genuine concern for the safety and comfort of the end-user, eh?</div>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-35987211560390526622011-07-22T00:44:00.001-07:002011-07-22T00:44:23.577-07:00FANTASTIC NEWS!<a href="http://www.beautyredefined.net/breaking-beauty-news-billboards-press-release/">Beauty, Redefined</a>. You go, girls!Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-50727463525172591012011-06-08T09:57:00.000-07:002011-06-08T09:57:51.692-07:00From the Inbox: All European Life Died In Auschwitz<div>The tidal wave of rabidly anti-Islamic sentiment in the US following 9-11 turned me off to the entire issue of Islamic influences in our country. I don't know how technically accurate the following information is with respect to Muslims, but I do know the Jewish info is largely correct. The Holocaust was a far greater tragedy than I think hardly any of my generation understand.</div><div><br />
</div><div>********************* </div><br />
<div>Date: Tue. 15 January 2008 14:30<br />
<br />
ALL EUROPEAN LIFE DIED IN AUSCHWITZ By Sebastian Vilar Rodrigez </div><div><br />
</div><div>I walked down the street in Barcelona , and suddenly discovered a terrible truth - Europe died in Auschwitz .... We killed six million Jews and replaced them with 20 million Muslims. In Auschwitz we burned a culture, thought, creativity, talent. We destroyed the chosen people, truly chosen, because they produced great and wonderful people who changed the world. <br />
<br />
The contribution of this people is felt in all areas of life: science, art, international trade, and above all, as the conscience of the world. These are the people we burned. <br />
<br />
And under the pretense of tolerance, and because we wanted to prove to ourselves that we were cured of the disease of racism, we opened our gates to 20 million Muslims, who brought us stupidity and ignorance, religious extremism and lack of tolerance, crime and poverty, due to an unwillingness to work and support their families with pride. <br />
<br />
They have blown up our trains and turned our beautiful Spanish cities into the third world, drowning in filth and crime.<br />
<br />
Shut up in the apartments they receive free from the government, they plan the murder and destruction of their naive hosts.<br />
<br />
And thus, in our misery, we have exchanged culture for fanatical hatred, creative skill for destructive skill, intelligence for backwardness and superstition.<br />
<br />
We have exchanged the pursuit of peace of the Jews of Europe and their talent for a better future for their children, their determined clinging to life because life is holy, for those who pursue death, for people consumed by the desire for death for themselves and others, for our children and theirs.<br />
<br />
What a terrible mistake was made by miserable Europe ...</div><div><br />
***********************************<br />
</div><div>And now, for some interesting numbers and commentary (not part of the above piece, but came in the same email):</div><div><br />
</div><div>The Global Islamic population is approximately 1,200,000,000; that is ONE BILLION TWO HUNDRED MILLION or 20% of the world's population. They have received the following Nobel Prizes: <br />
<br />
Literature:<br />
1988 - Najib Mahfooz<br />
<br />
Peace:<br />
1978 - Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat<br />
1990 - Elias James Corey<br />
1994 - Yaser Arafat:<br />
1999 - Ahmed Zewai<br />
<br />
Economics:<br />
(zero)<br />
<br />
Physics: <br />
(zero)<br />
<br />
Medicine:<br />
1960 - Peter Brian Medawar<br />
1998 - Ferid Mourad<br />
<br />
TOTAL: 7 SEVEN<br />
<br />
The Global Jewish population is approximately 14,000,000; that is FOURTEEN MILLION or about 0.02% of the world's population. They have received the following Nobel Prizes:<br />
<br />
Literature:<br />
1910 - Paul Heyse<br />
1927 - Henri Bergson<br />
1958 - Boris Pasternak<br />
1966 - Shmuel Yosef Agnon<br />
1966 - Nelly Sachs<br />
1976 - Saul Bellow<br />
1978 - Isaac Bashevis Singer<br />
1981 - Elias Canetti<br />
1987 - Joseph Brodsky<br />
1991 - Nadine Gordimer World<br />
<br />
Peace:<br />
1911 - Alfred Fried<br />
1911 - Tobias Michael Carel Asser<br />
1968 - Rene Cassin<br />
1973 - Henry Kissinger<br />
1978 - Menachem Begin<br />
1986 - Elie Wiesel<br />
1994 - Shimon Peres<br />
1994 - Yitzhak Rabin<br />
<br />
Physics:<br />
1905 - Adolph Von Baeyer<br />
1906 - Henri Moissan<br />
1907 - Albert Abraham Michelson<br />
1908 - Gabriel Lippmann<br />
1910 - Otto Wallach<br />
1915 - Richard Willstaetter<br />
1918 - Fritz Haber<br />
1921 - Albert Einstein<br />
1922 - Niels Bohr<br />
1925 - James Franck<br />
1925 - Gustav Hertz<br />
1943 - Gustav Stern<br />
1943 - George Charles de Hevesy<br />
1944 - Isidor Issac Rabi<br />
1952 - Felix Bloch<br />
1954 - Max Born<br />
1958 - Igor Tamm<br />
1959 - Emilio Segre<br />
1960 - Donald A. Glaser<br />
1961 - Robert Hofstadter<br />
1961 - Melvin Calvin<br />
1962 - Lev Davidovich Landau<br />
1962 - Max Ferdinand Perutz<br />
1965 - Richard Phillips Feynman<br />
1965 - Julian Schwinger<br />
1969 - Murray Gell-Mann<br />
1971 - Dennis Gabor<br />
1972 - William Howard Stein<br />
1973 - Brian David Josephson<br />
1975 - Benjamin Mottleson<br />
1976 - Burton Richter<br />
1977 - Ilya Prigogine<br />
1978 - Arno Allan Penzias<br />
1978 - Peter L Kapitza<br />
1979 - Stephen Weinberg<br />
1979 - Sheldon Glashow<br />
1979 - Herbert Charles Brown<br />
1980 - Paul Berg<br />
1980 - Walter Gilbert<br />
1981 - Roald Hoffmann<br />
1982 - Aaron Klug<br />
1985 - Albert A. Hauptman<br />
1985 - Jerome Karle<br />
1986 - Dudley R. Herschbach<br />
1988 - Robert Huber<br />
1988 - Leon Lederman<br />
1988 - Melvin Schwartz<br />
1988 - Jack Steinberger<br />
1989 - Sidney Altman<br />
1990 - Jerome Friedman<br />
1992 - Rudolph Marcus<br />
1995 - Martin Perl<br />
2000 - Alan J. Heeger<br />
<br />
Economics:<br />
1970 - Paul Anthony Samuelson<br />
1971 - Simon Kuznets<br />
1972 - Kenneth Joseph Arrow<br />
1975 - Leonid Kantorovich<br />
1976 - Milton Friedman<br />
1978 - Herbert A. Simon<br />
1980 - Lawrence Robert Klein<br />
1985 - Franco Modigliani<br />
1987 - Robert M. Solow<br />
1990 - Harry Markowitz<br />
1990 - Merton Miller<br />
1992 - Gary Becker<br />
1993 - Robert Fogel<br />
<br />
Medicine:<br />
1908 - Elie Metchnikoff<br />
1908 - Paul Erlich<br />
1914 - Robert Barany<br />
1922 - Otto Meyerhof<br />
1930 - Karl Landsteiner<br />
1931 - Otto Warburg<br />
1936 - Otto Loewi<br />
1944 - Joseph Erlanger<br />
1944 - Herbert Spencer Gasser<br />
1945 - Ernst Boris Chain<br />
1946 - Hermann Joseph Muller<br />
1950 - Tadeus Reichstein<br />
1952 - Selman Abraham Waksman<br />
1953 - Hans Krebs<br />
1953 - Fritz Albert Lipmann<br />
1958 - Joshua Lederberg<br />
1959 - Arthur Kornberg<br />
1964 - Konrad Bloch<br />
1965 - Francois Jacob<br />
1965 - Andre Lwoff<br />
1967 - George Wald<br />
1968 - Marshall W. Nirenberg<br />
1969 - Salvador Luria<br />
1970 - Julius Axelrod<br />
1970 - Sir Bernard Katz<br />
1972 - Gerald Maurice Edelman<br />
1975 - Howard Martin Temin<br />
1976 - Baruch S. Blumberg<br />
1977 - Roselyn Sussman Yalow<br />
1978 - Daniel Nathans<br />
1980 - Baruj Benacerraf<br />
1984 - Cesar Milstein<br />
1985 - Michael Stuart Brown<br />
1985 - Joseph L. Goldstein<br />
1986 - Stanley Cohen [& Rita Levi-Montalcini]<br />
1988 - Gertrude Elion<br />
1989 - Harold Varmus<br />
1991 - Erwin Neher<br />
1991 - Bert Sakmann<br />
1993 - Richard J. Roberts<br />
1993 - Phillip Sharp<br />
1994 - Alfred Gilman<br />
1995 - Edward B. Lewis<br />
1996- Lu RoseIacovino</div><div><br />
TOTAL: 129!<br />
<br />
<br />
The Jews are NOT promoting brain washing children in military training camps, teaching them how to blow themselves up and cause maximum deaths of Jews and other non Muslims. The Jews don't hijack planes, nor kill athletes at the Olympics, or blow themselves up in German restaurants. There is NOT one single Jew who has destroyed a church.. There is NOT a single Jew who protests by killing people.<br />
<br />
The Jews don't traffic slaves, nor have leaders calling for Jihad and death to all the Infidels.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the world's Muslims should consider investing more in standard education and less in blaming the Jews for all their problems.<br />
<br />
Muslims must ask 'what can they do for humankind' before they demand that humankind respects them.<br />
<br />
Regardless of your feelings about the crisis between Israel and the Palestinians and Arab neighbors, even if you believe there is more culpability on Israel 's part, the following two sentences really say it all:<br />
<br />
'If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel ." Benjamin Netanyahu<br />
<br />
General Eisenhower Warned Us </div><div><br />
</div><div>It is a matter of history that when the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead.<br />
<br />
He did this because he said in words to this effect:<br />
<br />
'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened' <br />
<br />
Recently, the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offends' the Muslim population which claims it never occurred. It is not removed as yet. However, this is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it. <br />
<br />
It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the, 6 million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians, and 1,900 Catholic priests who were 'murdered, raped, burned, starved, beaten, experimented on and humiliated' while many people looked the other way.<br />
<br />
Now, more than ever, with Iran , among others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets. <br />
<br />
How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center 'NEVER HAPPENED' because it offends some Muslim in the United States?</div><div><br />
</div><div>************************</div><div><br />
</div><div>And now, for the best thoughts on this article, reprinted from <a href="http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2006/02/who_is_sebastian_vilar_rodrige.html">PlancksConstant.org</a>, first posted on 27 Feb 2006:<br />
<br />
<div class="entry-body" style="clear: both; color: #403610; font-family: verdana, 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/images/ucartoon.jpg" style="color: #a97700; text-decoration: underline;"><img align="right" alt="freedom go to hell" border="0" src="http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/images/ucartoonsm.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: darkgreen; float: left; font-family: times; font-size: 80px; line-height: 64px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 1px;">I</span>can tell a fake when I see one. Before I go into the details let me say that about 100 blogs in the past 6 months repeated the story below and a few like <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/vodkapundit/2005/11/30/ouch-11/" style="color: #a97700; text-decoration: underline;">vodkapundit</a> rightfully had qualms about its authenticity: '<em>With some reservations, I'm posting the translation in full. If it turns out this is a fake, let's steal a page from the MSM and call it "fake but accurate."'</em></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">Here is the post, usually prefaced by Written by Sebastian Vilar Rodrigez, Spanish Writer or "This is a translation of an article from a Spanish newspaper":</div><blockquote style="background-color: #e2e2e2; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"></div><h2 style="color: #2b8732; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">All European Life Died In Auschwitz</h2><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">I walked down the street in Barcelona, and suddenly discovered a terrible truth – Europe died in Auschwitz. We killed six million Jews and replaced them with 20 million Muslims.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">In Auschwitz we burned a culture, thought, creativity, talent. We destroyed the chosen people, truly chosen, because they produced great and wonderful people who changed the world. The contribution of this people is felt in all areas of life: science, art, international trade, and above all, as the conscience of the world. These are the people we burned.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">And under the pretence of tolerance, and because we wanted to prove to ourselves that we were cured of the disease of racism, we opened our gates to 20 million Muslims, who brought us stupidity and ignorance, religious extremism and lack of tolerance, crime and poverty due to an unwillingness to work and support their families with pride.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">They have turned our beautiful Spanish cities into the third world, drowning in filth and crime. Shut up in the apartments they receive free from the government, they plan the murder and destruction of their naïve hosts. And thus, in our misery, we have exchanged culture for fanatical hatred, creative skill for destructive skill, intelligence for backwardness and superstition.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">We have exchanged the pursuit of peace of the Jews of Europe and their talent for hoping for a better future for their children, their determined clinging to life because life is holy, for those who pursue death, for people consumed by the desire for death for themselves and others, for our children and theirs.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">What a terrible mistake was made by miserable Europe.</div></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"></div></div><div class="entry-more" id="more" style="clear: both; color: #403610; font-family: verdana, 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><hr /><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">Here are a few problems.</div><ol style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><li>The phrasing and syntax look like they were originally written in English but as if translated.</li>
<li>I disregard any post as true unless it gives me the name of the paper and date of publication.</li>
<li>Sebastian Vilar Rodrigez only exists in these posts.</li>
<li>And most importantly - there is no European Paper with the cojones [one can take a cojones test <a href="http://www.queendom.com/jff_access/the_cojones_test.htm" style="color: #a97700; text-decoration: underline;">here</a>] to actually publish anything this provocative against Muslims. Indeed Spain has been on a push to encourage Muslim immigration since 2004, see <a ;="" href="http://www.jihadwatch.org/2004/10/spain-is-seeking-to-integrate-growing-muslim-population.html" style="color: #a97700; text-decoration: underline;">Jihadwatch.</a></li>
</ol><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">As to "fake but accurate"; it is undoubtedly true that almost all the sentiments expressed in this "article" reflect the Muslim reality in Europe. It is too bad that no paper actually published it.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">Update: The email stating that this appeared in a Spanish Newspaper is false. It did however appear on the rightwing, pro-Israel, anti-Communist, Spanish language website <a ;="" href="http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2006/03/sebastian_vilar_rodriguez_turn.html" style="color: #a97700; text-decoration: underline;">Gentiuno</a>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">No doubt there will be those who protest the seemingly flagrant racism and I am equally certain that it will come mostly from liberal Jews who need to scratch the political correctness rash of theirs. I would call them fellow Jews but they are no different than Jews that deny the holocaust [yes they exist, Virginia]. They will rant that this is no different than the antisemitism of the Nazis.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/images/_38249857_islam150.jpg" style="color: #a97700; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/images/_38249857_islam150.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px;" /></a>One difference. The Nazis lied when they said Jews wanted to control the world. It is not racist to describe the truth. Perhaps a few months ago one could have posited the notion that it is a blatant, racist lie to say of Muslims that "<strong>they plan the murder and destruction of their naïve hosts</strong>" and that we have "<strong>exchanged culture for fanatical hatred, creative skill for destructive skill, intelligence for backwardness and superstition</strong>". But today, after the <a href="http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/danish_cartoons/" style="color: #a97700; text-decoration: underline;">Danish Cartoon Affair</a>, can anyone deny that this entire article indeed has the ring of truth?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">As final proof of the truth of this article, go to any European and tell him a thousand Jews are coming into his city and he will say, "Great, and in what area are they going to invest?" Now change 'Jew' to 'Muslim' and the response would be "Crap, and what area are they going to destroy?"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;">***********************</div></div></div>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-45515632906607708352011-05-21T14:37:00.000-07:002013-12-26T18:44:59.355-08:00Local Girl Makes GoodReading all of that <a href="http://www.houzz.com/questions/37191/Wondering-why-we-can-t-pin-our-fave-pict---">Seth Godin pays off</a>. ;o)<br />
<br />
Hooray for Houzz.com, that listens to its users!<br />
<br />
*Update*<br />
<br />
That discussion has disappeared from Houzz.com, so I used the fabulous Wayback Machine, and pulled it up. The text went as follows:<br />
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/ldirk" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img id="myPicture" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/ldirk_1.jpg?1305930992" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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Wondering why we can't pin our fave pictures on Pintrest? Not being rude here just seriously want to know, is there a legal reason?</div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/questions/37191/Wondering-why-we-can-t-pin-our-fave-pict---#comments" style="color: #3d8901; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none;">13 replies</a></div>
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posted 2 days ago in <a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/questions/using-houzz" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">Using Houzz</a> by <a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/ldirk" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">ldirk</a> | last reply 31 hours ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/annalea123" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/d1_0.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/annalea123" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">annalea123</a> says:</div>
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I'd love to know, too. Not "allowing" Pinterest links is seriously hurting Houzz. Sure, it brought me here and I now know what Houzz is . . . but there's no way I'm going to start using the service after they've fouled up my method for keeping track of my idea files. The lack of perceived goodwill is pretty glaring -- and I don't have time for two services anyway.</div>
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2 days ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/sheilaschmitz" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/sheilaschmitz_0.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/sheilaschmitz" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">sheilaschmitz</a> says:</div>
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Thank you for your comments, ldirk and annalea123! We love our community and truly appreciate your feedback. We are currently looking for a solution that will also address the requests from design professionals on the site to keep their photos protected.<br /><br />When we started Houzz in 2009, a priority was to create a place where design professionals and others would feel comfortable and protected when sharing their work. When members share their portfolios on our site, they know we have done our best to make sure their photos are presented in the way that they have chosen.<br /><br />We recently discovered that 20,000 images from Houzz had been posted to Pinterest. From there they can be copied again to other places. We certainly do not wish to spoil anyone's experience with Pinterest; we were simply fulfilling a promise we made to the designers when they gave us license to use their images on our site.<br /><br />Again, we are trying to work with Pinterest to find a solution that will solve everyone's needs.</div>
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2 days ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/ldirk" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/ldirk_0.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/ldirk" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">ldirk</a> says:</div>
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Awesome! Thank You so much for answering my question. I wondered if it wasn't something as such. I have to sort of agree with annalea123! that it seems negative even though you are just fulfilling a promise. I hope it can be resolved because I love these two sites equally and I direct all my friends to both. I don't plan on quitting Houzz. It's an awesome site. But I will say that many others will be directed to your site via Pinterest. I have found numerous sites since joining there and it makes it simple to be redirected to the origin of the photo.<br />Thanks Again! And thanks for your great site. Lots of hard work and time goes in to Houzz and I really do appreciate it.</div>
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2 days ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/annalea123" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/d1_0.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/annalea123" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">annalea123</a> says:</div>
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Hi Sheila,<br /><br />I appreciate your time to answer. One thing that's important to bear in mind is that once photos are posted on the internet, control is gone. If photos are here at houzz.com, they can be downloaded, copied, pasted, ad infinitum. (There are plenty of image-capture programs out there if right-clicking is disabled in the page html.) As it is, code is offered upon right-clicking to embed the photo wherever I want, so I'm at a loss to see how disdaining Pinterest pins protects anyone.<br /><br />A designer's work pinned (and repinned, going viral) on Pinterest is some of the very best free marketing ever. The social networking aspects of Pinterest make it one of the most powerful tools so far for making sure images are seen. And if you're a designer, whose work must be seen, I'm having trouble understanding how that's a bad thing.<br /><br />All of the hyperventilating about limiting what amounts to fair use really is self-defeating. I'm sad that these designers don't yet grasp the importance of always gaining a wider audience. Pinterest is, quite literally, a "quotation" site, but it quotes images instead of text. Images are always linked back to their original sources, which will drive traffic both to Houzz and to the designers in general.<br /><br />As the business-minded wife of a software company owner, and an active customer/consumer, I love to see companies that humble themselves and realize that without goodwill and a great reputation for generosity and friendliness, they simply won't make it. Designers fall under that same category.<br /><br />There are tons of great designers out there, in innumerable fields. I'm sorry that those who post to Houzz are actively opting out of such a fast-growing and highly active marketing tool as Pinterest.<br /><br />You may now return to your regularly-scheduled evening. This rant chapter of the Great American Novel is now over. ;o) Thanks for reading!</div>
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2 days ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/islandhome" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/d1_0.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/islandhome" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">islandhome</a> says:</div>
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With you annalea123 on this. Houzz's stance on this has been very disappointing particularly as these designers portfolios are online and available to pin without going through Houzz.<br />Enough to turn me off Houzz and stick with Pinterest.<br />I'm curious to know how this will affect bloggers who use images from here? After all Pinterest provides links to follow back to source whereas a blogger can easily eliminate all that information when posting an image from Houzz.</div>
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48 hours ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/angela_kuzior" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/angela_kuzior_0.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/angela_kuzior" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">angela_kuzior</a> says:</div>
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I completely agree with annalea123-you are a very eloquent writer! Everything she mentions about images being "protectable" is correct, as I'm sure you well know.<br /><br />I am a photographer myself and would be absolutely delighted if a photo of mine went viral on Pinterest since it would lead so many back to my site and/or blog. There is quite a difference between saving a photo (or what have you) on a pin board online vs. STEALING a photo for print or to claim as your own work.<br /><br />I'd also like to point out that I had never even heard of your site until someone was bashing it ON Pinterest for taking away a ton of folks pins, many of whom I'm sure were the same as me and had not heard of your site before they found something they thought was beautiful pinned from it on Pinterest.<br /><br />I have literally replaced a lot of the paper in my office by using Pinterest and will not frequent any site that does not allow me to pin something so I don't have to try to remember the path I took to get back to it.<br /><br />I hope you will reconsider this horrible business idea and that the designers you work with understand that nothing they make available on the internet is sacred.</div>
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48 hours ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/cookles2" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/d1_0.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/cookles2" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">cookles2</a> says:</div>
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Why would anyone post anything on the internet if they wanted to keep it private. I love you site and have spent many hours searching reading and enjoying. I am in the process of building a new house. Being able to catalog my likes on PINTEREST has been a godsend, I can easily share my likes and dislikes with my entire design team. Over 100 pins from Houzz were just deleted, all that invested time ... GONE! Business wise I can't imagine your designers and advertisers wouldn't want the exposure, I have used a few of your leads. Hope this can be resolved .... till then I can't spend the time searching your site for info that later I can't retrieve easily.</div>
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43 hours ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/houzzsupport" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/d1_0.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/houzzsupport" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">houzzsupport</a> says:</div>
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Thank you again for your feedback and ideas. We read them all and take them seriously. We have written to Pinterest to let them know they can continue to allow their users to pin photos they find on Houzz.<br /><br />We value all members of the Houzz community and want your experience to be the best it can be — on Houzz as well as Pinterest. We are sure there's a solution that works for everyone and will do whatever we can to make that happen.</div>
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39 hours ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/ldirk" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/ldirk_0.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/ldirk" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">ldirk</a> says:</div>
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Great News!!! And Thank You Houzz.</div>
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38 hours ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/angela_kuzior" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/angela_kuzior_0.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/angela_kuzior" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">angela_kuzior</a> says:</div>
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Awesome! Thank you.</div>
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34 hours ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/annalea123" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/d1_0.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/annalea123" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">annalea123</a> says:</div>
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I believe one word begs appropriate use here:<br /><br />Waaah-hoo! :o)<br /><br />Houzz, you just earned major points in my book. Thank you!<br /><br />Now, to find that email so I can repin the Houzz photos I had before . . .</div>
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34 hours ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/annalea123" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/d1_0.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/annalea123" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">annalea123</a> says:</div>
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P.S.) Now I just need to wait for Pinterest to whitelist Houzz so their "Pin It" bookmarklet will work again. . . .</div>
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34 hours ago</div>
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/islandhome" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806im_/http://www.houzz.com/user_images/d1_0.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<a class="colorLink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110523071806/http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/islandhome" style="color: #3d8901; text-decoration: none;">islandhome</a> says:</div>
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Well done Houzz for sorting this out and coming to the party.</div>
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31 hours ago</div>
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Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-4616686855212593262011-05-17T10:24:00.000-07:002011-05-17T10:24:22.232-07:00Why I don't live in CaliforniaThis just in from the inbox:<div><br />
</div><div>A southern California man was 51-50'd and placed under 72-hour psychiatric observation when it was found that he owned 100 guns and allegedly had a million rounds of ammunition stored in his home. The house also featured a secret escape tunnel. <br />
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By southern California standards, someone owning 100,000 rounds is considered "mentally unstable.<br />
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If he lived elsewhere: <br />
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In Arizona, . . . He'd be called "an avid gun collector." <br />
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In Texas , . .. . He'd be called "a novice gun collector." <br />
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In Utah, . .. .he'd be called "moderately well prepared," but they'd probably reserve judgment until they made sure that he had a corresponding quantity of stored food. <br />
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In Montana , . .. .he'd be called "The neighborhood 'Go-To' guy." <br />
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In Idaho , . . . He'd be called "a likely gubernatorial candidate." <br />
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In Washington, ……he'd be a "retired Policeman" <br />
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And, in Wyoming, . . . He'd be called "an eligible bachelor." </div><div><br />
</div><div> ~ Author unknown</div>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-56489161178456591742011-04-29T19:43:00.000-07:002011-04-29T19:43:18.755-07:00The Great Homophone Chase, vol 1"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">par down" instead of "pare down"</span>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-57264687390532367582011-03-24T09:57:00.000-07:002011-03-24T10:01:56.443-07:00Time4Learning ReviewWell, our free trial period is complete. For some families, this might be a great solution, but at the end of the day, I think we'll pass. Here are my thoughts, entirely my own, not written or endorsed by Time4Learning:<br />
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Pros:<br />
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<b>It's a lot of fun</b>. The kids have really enjoyed the learning activities. They're reasonably well done, the information is presented in a way that's accessible, and there are only a few lessons that have markedly annoying voices. ;o)<br />
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<b>Structured</b>. It's laid out like a traditional school curriculum, so one lesson builds upon another.<br />
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<b>Engaging</b>. All of my four older children really looked forward to their "turn" to work on their homeschool lessons. Even the two-year-old loved to watch, too.<br />
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<b>Adaptable</b>. The student can repeat a lesson as many times as necessary, and complete them in any order.<br />
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Cons:<br />
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<b>No assignment functionality</b>. One of the most attractive feathers of the program (to me) was the ability to set assignments for each student. I saw this in the control panel when I first logged in, and was very disappointed to learn (only after a LOT of searching through the control panel and then searching the support forums) that feature is reserved by Odyssey (the company that owns the lessons & software) for public school teachers. Boo. Yes, you can see which lessons the student has completed, but if you want to pick and choose according to ability and make a custom lesson plan, it's got to be separately elsewhere (which is a big headache for me).<br />
<br />
<b>The lessons can be too chatty</b>. There are, especially in the upper grade lessons, times when my eleven-year-old needed to sit and think through the problem he was working on, and the software would repeat instructions he had already heard at narrow intervals. It made it very difficult for me to help him, as the voice was distracting, and turning the volume up and down is somewhat involved and inaccurate on that computer. The time allotted for figuring out the problems were fine for an adult already familiar with writing numbers in expanded form or deciphering Greek numerals, but not for my very bright and quick-thinking son who had never seen them before.<br />
<br />
<b>Some of the voices are not what I would choose</b>. In the lessons my five year old often worked on, there were voices made to sound like a child her age, with imprecise enunciation. While that might sound like a good idea (attract the children with a child's voice), repeated exposure to less-than-perfect examples isn't something I consider a good idea. Add to that the fact that that particular voice was talking down to the student in a Dora-esque way (using the same inflection over and over, regarding normal and friendly usage patterns), it made me a lot less excited for my five-year-old's lessons. (We don't use baby talk around here, fwiw.) Thankfully, she only ran into that kind of voice a few times . . . but she didn't work very far through the lessons, so I don't know how many more of those might be lurking in there.<br />
<br />
<b>Too much emphasis on screen time</b>. The children showed a marked tendency to want to spend all day in front of the computer (and with four of them spending 20-30 minutes each, usually with siblings looking in on others' lessons, it often felt like they did anyway). And after online schooling was done for the day, they pestered me more and more to play games or watch movies, etc. We're not a big-time "watching" family, and this was a definite tradeoff.<br />
<br />
<b>The fee structure just doesn't work for us</b>. While the cost of this might be workable for small families, it's pretty spendy for us. (At the time of this writing, the monthly price is $19.95 for the first child, and $14.95 for each child thereafter. You'll want to double-check<a href="http://www.time4learning.com/index.htm"> the website</a> before making a decision, as pricing can and will change, and<i style="font-weight: bold;"> this price is not binding on Time4Learning</i>. They can and will set whatever pricing seems best to them.) For the $65/month (or $777 annually), we can go and do a whole lotta fun stuff, pay for an entire prepackaged curriculum that's largely reusable, or any number of other big-bang homeschool-related things. For a family that's very activity-oriented (and loves to do things outdoors), allocating that much of our limited income for a one use-type service is too high an opportunity cost. I don't know if Odyssey sets per-student prices (as they were designed for public schoolrooms, and would charge differently), or if it's a T4L thing, but I would love to see more attractive family pricing . . . especially considering that my tax dollars pay for public school students' expenses, and my own schooling costs are on top of that.<br />
<br />
I know of a couple of families online that really enjoy using Time4Learning, and it is, overall, a pretty neat service. It just doesn't work as well as it needs to for our family in order to justify the cost. I hope this reviews will help other families know if this service would be a good fit for them.<br />
<br />
Thank you so much, Time4Learning, for providing this trial period for our family, so we could really see if it worked for us!Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-69064105534810958232011-03-10T19:10:00.000-08:002011-03-10T19:14:40.177-08:00A quick shout outLisa over at <a href="http://suburban-retreat.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-giveaway.html">Suburban Retreat</a> is having a great Spring giveaway, which includes a copy of this beautiful book:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3xE-_VYmghx3640MfQqN5RnSK3hshqUzmnYky35dSLo9uYrgBfc2tUyyFe6wTL1IAX5LGGujl1SwLep0YC_ohwa3QGbtbd6GzZS3jExhmLbH97oQa4mQyBj8AYQCPh7LqDs_DbxgtPx1/s320/Romantic+Prairie+Style.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3xE-_VYmghx3640MfQqN5RnSK3hshqUzmnYky35dSLo9uYrgBfc2tUyyFe6wTL1IAX5LGGujl1SwLep0YC_ohwa3QGbtbd6GzZS3jExhmLbH97oQa4mQyBj8AYQCPh7LqDs_DbxgtPx1/s320/Romantic+Prairie+Style.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=renaissance0e-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1907563199" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=renaissance0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1907563199&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="display: none; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; visibility: hidden; width: 131px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">So, you should go check it out, since I never win anything, anyway. ;o)</div>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-15309818703896607112011-02-18T16:45:00.000-08:002011-02-18T16:45:55.986-08:00Quote of the Day: Seth Godin"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Art is not in the eye of the beholder. It's in the soul of the artist."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Amen.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">(<a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/02/art-is-what-we-call.html">Found here</a>.)</span>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-27753511950307538562011-02-15T22:02:00.000-08:002011-02-15T22:02:06.939-08:004Shared: Not.If you're currently using 4Shared's service, I would caution you to not try to use it as a file sharing/download service for your readers. Here's what happened to me today, and (from the comments I've read at another blog) has happened to plenty of others, as well.<br />
<br />
4Shared has crafted their website very carefully. If you're looking to upload files to share, it's as easy as pie. Registration is quick and simple, offers a snazzy app to help you upload things automatically, and makes getting set up and sharing files a breeze. I went through that part of the process a couple of months ago when I needed a quick backup option.<br />
<br />
But.<br />
<br />
If you're on the download side of the coin, watch out. Sure, they say you can download for free. After a wait.<br />
<br />
Okay, I thought. No problem.<br />
<br />
So, I bring up a few download pages with files shared by a fellow blogger. I click on the links, wait the prescribed 90-ish seconds, and then click "Download". The first file starts great. The second file even begins to download concurrently. Then, when I click on the third, I'm given a message that I'm already downloading a file from my IP address, and will need to wait until it's done to start another one. Ugh. But, it's free, so I figure I'll wait. Again. I carefully look past the fact that there are three computers sharing an internet connection in my home, and we all use the same portal IP address, so only one of us could download anything from 4Shared at any given time.<br />
<br />
At this point it's annoying, but still doable. <i>(Hint to businesses . . . the LAST thing you want to do is annoy potential customers who have come to your website . . . people who may have come wanting to give you money.)</i><br />
<br />
So, I wait until the file finishes, and go to click on the next download link. Apparently each page has some kind of session, and it had expired. Clicking the download link reloads the page. At this point, I notice the "Log In" link, and think to myself: "I'll just log in; that should make things better," Right? Right.<br />
<br />
I log in, am greeted by cheerful text at the top of the page, and then click on the first "Download Now" link again. I wait (this time for 240 seconds). I'm surprised by the four minute wait, and am now graduating past the "annoyed" benchmark.<br />
<br />
I manage to get back to the page before the session times out and requires another page reload and another wait, (because I'm not going to sit there and watch 240 seconds count down), and click on the second "Download Now" link. At this point I have very little faith in the "Now" part. My browser grinds for about 30 seconds, and then the page loads to an "Unable to connect to . . . yadda yadda yadda." {Insert expletive here.}<br />
<br />
I click back and reload the page.<br />
<br />
Click the initial "Download Now" button (which I now understand really means "Download Eventually, after we make you wait even LONGER, and reload the page a few more times"), and see that the wait THIS time is going to be 381 seconds.<br />
<br />
Yep. That's 6 minutes, 21 seconds. And a serious slap in the face.<br />
<br />
I even managed to get back to the page after the elapsed wait time, but before the session expired, and try the download yet again. With no results. (Another "cannot connect to" page.)<br />
<br />
4Shared, do you think that you will EVER, at any point in the remaining 50-or-so years of my life, EVER get any of my money? EVER???? Or that I will tell anyone to use your service?<br />
<br />
Quite the contrary.<br />
<br />
Your extortionate tactics have just made sure that you have not only lost a customer, but have a very unhappy ex-customer on your hands, who feels tricked and abused. My time has been wasted, the files I was hoping to download (which would have proven very useful in my tasks today) are now firmly out of reach, and I'm going to do all I can to see if I can influence my fellow blogger to switch to some other service. Advertising free downloads when, in reality, no download is possible (but the user only learns that after wasting their time), is absolutely beyond the pale.<br />
<br />
And life is too short for that.<br />
<br />
{/rant}Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-54272557227467600632011-02-09T15:07:00.001-08:002011-02-09T15:07:20.395-08:00Quote of the Day<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20px;">Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance.</span>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-21400896869299630602011-02-07T14:55:00.000-08:002011-02-07T14:55:45.491-08:00Trying out Time4Learning.com<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">I’ve been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum.htm" style="color: #364452;" target="_blank">homeschool curriculum</a>, for <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/afterschool.html" style="color: #364452;" target="_blank">afterschool enrichment</a> and for <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/summer-school.shtml" style="color: #364452;" target="_blank">summer skill sharpening</a>. Find out how to write your own <a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum-review.shtml" style="color: #364452;" target="_blank">curriculum review</a> for Time4Learning. </span>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-72676598914182939342011-01-01T22:52:00.000-08:002011-01-10T21:55:36.765-08:00Some books I'm going to read . . .Here are some thoughts on books I have read, or am going to read:<br />
<br />
<b>The Silmarillion</b> -- I've read the beginning part of this, and it's an amazing, epic tale. Written in an arching, (ahem) epic style, there's very little showing and a lot of telling . . . and yet it's gripping and poignant. It has a lot of sorrow and sadness, for it's how middle earth began. It also is where we found the name of one of our daughters. I highly recommend it, and I need to put it on my "to read" list so I don't forget to finish it again in the whirlwind that is my life.<br />
<br />
<b>The Tale of Two Cities</b> -- I read this in high school, and remember being really touched at the end. I would definitely read it again, and probably understand it a whole lot better, to boot. I have a far, far better mind now than I did then.<br />
<br />
<b>A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man</b> -- Curiosity, mostly, drives my desire to read this one. I've heard it mentioned in enough books that I've read that I want it to be part of my cultural knowledge.<br />
<br />
<b>Foucault’s Pendulum</b> -- Ditto.<br />
<br />
<b>The Poisonwood Bible: a novel</b> -- I've read <i>Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</i>, and Loved It. I really like Barbara Kingsolver's writing, and this one is currently on my list. It was recommended by one of the women in my book review club, and several of us have read it.<br />
<br />
<b>To the Lighthouse</b> -- I <b>did not</b> like this one. At all. I read it for a college literature course, and the strangeness of the family culture just didn't do it for me. Well, that, and the incest. (I have a hard time with that kind of thing in lit. Just don't like it.)<br />
<br />
<b>Les Misérables</b> -- I've gone back and forth on this one, but after reading a recent review, it's back on my to read list.<br />
<br />
<b>Dune </b>-- Vern has read these, and I've watched the first movie. I just can't quite get into it now, as the move ruined them for me forever. They should have waited until now to make them, as they may have been more believable. (Star Wars was more believable than Dune.)<br />
<br />
<b>Slaughterhouse-five</b> -- I thought I had read this in high school. But, after reading up on it at Amazon, I realized I hadn't. But I'm going to. And it puts Catch-22 back on my list.<br />
<br />
<b>Catch-22</b> -- Because I didn't read it in high school, and I'm highly intrigued by the reviews.<br />
<br />
<b>Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything</b> (Nothing by an economist, please.) -- I think you should give this one a chance. I've read several economists, and they're a fascinating bunch (if you get the right type). Economics isn't a finance-bound discipline. It's the study of behavior, and what motivates it. So, banish thoughts of Keynes from your mind, and see what this guy has to say. ;o)<br />
<br />
<b>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values</b> -- This is one of the most interesting and mind-bending books I've ever read. It's beyond explanation . . . you've just got to read it. (And make sure you've got some quiet time to digest it, too. This isn't a speed-read.)<br />
<br />
<b>The Three Musketeers</b> -- Love the story and movie. I wonder if I'll love the book, too? It's on my list.<br />
<br />
<b>Wicked: the life and times of the wicked witch of the West </b>-- I've heard smashing things about the play, and want to read this one. <i>Update: Here's a bit of a note from a friend: "</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><i>I saw Wicked on your to read list, and I thought I'd tell you that it's pretty nasty. Apparently the musical took the general idea, (I don't know, I haven't seen it, but I've heard it's fabulous), but the book made me cringe. And it is hard to make me cringe." So, this one is off the list.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;">-- The title alone had me at "hello". Didn't it for you? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>(Edited to add: I read some of this at Amazon, and while the book is fascinating, the recurrence of pretty foul language has me looking elsewhere. I was really hooked at first, because I have two autistic nephews, and found the point of view intriguing . . . but my mild OCD kicks in when the f-bomb drops, (don't ask me why) and it's all I hear in my head for at least a day. So, this one's out.) </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;">In other news, I found it funny that the reviewer talked about how this "first-time novelist" did such a great job. Well, he's a professor of creative writing at a British college, for Pete's sake. It's not like he's a freshly-stamped BA. ;o)</span></i></span>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-85557889778213209752010-12-19T10:00:00.000-08:002010-12-19T10:00:02.610-08:00Heheheheh . . .I had no idea Hunt's was dipping its toe into electronics . . .<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwArOLkisIflsp-14aBhNY_lg_TtEm9bkrdKc1vEYbSMN6eLjCsm8dAh4NPWsnRTjsKjONxsabtcyoelZQBtfFHB9-pedYj698kmn4-HGX_i3CqJPYgcqZrM5cHIqadZIdQ-lvaIBtCvun/s1600/hunts+external+dvd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwArOLkisIflsp-14aBhNY_lg_TtEm9bkrdKc1vEYbSMN6eLjCsm8dAh4NPWsnRTjsKjONxsabtcyoelZQBtfFHB9-pedYj698kmn4-HGX_i3CqJPYgcqZrM5cHIqadZIdQ-lvaIBtCvun/s640/hunts+external+dvd.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>This was a nice spot in a somewhat stressful day the other day. I don't know how the Hunt's ketchup ended up as #1 in my search results for an external DVD burner (quick tip: Apple's SuperDrives are <b><i>VERY</i></b> poorly named), but it sure is great.Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-89947501559394446672010-12-14T08:20:00.000-08:002010-12-14T08:20:00.045-08:00Small Pig is back!Finally, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26redirect%3Dtrue%26ref_%3Dsr_tc_2_0%26keywords%3DArnold%2520Lobel%26field-contributor_id%3DB000APNG74%26qid%3D1292311525%26sr%3D1-2-ent%26rh%3Di%253Astripbooks%252Ck%253AArnold%2520Lobel&tag=renaissance0e-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Arnold Lobel's Classics</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=renaissance0e-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (he's one of my favorite children's book illustrators/authors) are back in print! (And you can often get used library binding editions for about the same price as a new paperback.)<br />
<br />
I'm so glad my old copy of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0064441202?ie=UTF8&tag=renaissance0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0064441202">Small Pig</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=renaissance0e-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0064441202" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </i>is now replaceable. My children love that story. Now, if they would just reprint <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JL809Q?ie=UTF8&tag=renaissance0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002JL809Q"><i>Prince Bertram the Bad</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=renaissance0e-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002JL809Q" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> . . .Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-49579637898229313882010-12-13T16:37:00.000-08:002010-12-13T16:37:31.240-08:00Every Teacher An ArtistIn the heart of an artist lies passion. Passion achieve, passion to excel. Whether artistry lies in visual medium, written word, audible expressions, in the act of teaching, or in some other arena, every teacher <b>must be an artist</b>, else education dies in utero as students are taught boredom instead of curiosity, plodding instead of enthusiasm, apathy instead of passion. through the indomitable lesson of example.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b> "Passion occurs when we engage with energy in accomplishing great things, though they may seem small or simple at the time. While most people seek peace, comfort and security, those with a Leadership Education understand that the place of leaders is in the middle of change and even crisis. Living and working with passion means that you thrive in times of challenge as well as peace. An education that creates life-long passion is worth every bit of effort and study; anything less falls short."</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"> -- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0967124646?ie=UTF8&tag=renaissance0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0967124646"><i>Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning</i></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=renaissance0e-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0967124646" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, by <a href="http://www.tjed.org/">Oliver & Rachel DeMille</a>, p 229.</div>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-85392353337481373922010-12-12T11:51:00.000-08:002010-12-12T11:51:52.704-08:00No Predeterministic ParentingOne if the most important missions I have as a parent is to learn what it is my children love and dream and want, and to help them achieve it. Whether it's discovering what they would really like for Christmas, or helping them to explore something which has piqued their curiosity. I need to be in tune with them, with their questions and desires, and let them know that those questions and needs are valid and important . . . not superimpose my own wishes from childhood on them.Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-65497269757982268412010-12-10T22:53:00.000-08:002010-12-10T22:54:37.647-08:00FlabbyMy brain needs exercise. (So does my body, but I've still got two weeks of post-partum recovery before I can do much of that.)<br />
<br />
I was reading Seth Godin's blog tonight, and then it hit me, as I read <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/11/a-modern-thanksgiving.html">this post</a>: I want to blog like Seth does. He's mindful, and thoughtful, and shares (in succinct and clear ways) his thoughts. Most of his posts are short (really short). Some are longer, and deserve to be. Many of them pose questions of some kind. But they're all really, really good. (Granted, he has written a dozen books (maybe more--I'm not counting), and has blogged for years, so he's got something on me there . . . )<br />
<br />
But I can think, too.<br />
<br />
I can read more of his blog. (Good writing rubs off.)<br />
<br />
And I can be more mindful--and blog it.<br />
<br />
So, here an experiment: Blog like Seth. I wonder if I can turn it into a movement? ;o)Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-22559888092404792612010-11-26T17:59:00.000-08:002010-11-26T18:01:28.194-08:00Mmmmm . . . Ice CreamChocolate Silk<br />
<br />
2 cans Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk<br />
1 1/4 c. Blue Diamond almond milk -- unsweetened<br />
1/2 t xanthan gum<br />
4 T raw cacao powder<br />
4 T raw agave nectar<br />
40 drops Stevita Stevia<br />
2 t 2x Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract<br />
3/4 t peppermint extract<br />
1/2 t RealSalt<br />
<br />
Mix it all together well, and put it to chill in your ice cream maker. I'm going to sprinkle sliced almonds on top this time . . . and maybe some shredded coconut.<br />
<br />
Dairy-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free, egg-free . . . I can eat it! :o)<br />
<br />
This would make an <b>awesome</b> base (omitting the peppermint extract) for all kinds of chocolate decadence. Sub orange extract, or add in chopped pecans (or praline pecans!), try coconut extract/flavoring . . . or go the fruit route by adding in fresh or thawed blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries. I'm going to have a lot of fun with this one . . .Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-19683654034704421582010-11-22T22:53:00.000-08:002010-11-22T22:53:43.561-08:00FrustrationWould the folks who brought the stomach flu to church please stop it? The rule of thumb is a full 24 hours symptom-free. (Not "Well, s/he was sick last night, but today looks just fine.")<br />
<br />
I have family in town (like many of you). My brother and his family flew at great expense from Texas to spend the holiday with us, my parents, and my other brother & his family. We only get to see them once every couple of years, and their visits are precious. He and his wife have three small children, the oldest of which (at 4 years old) dearly loves to play with her cousins--which cousins are currently either running fevers or vomiting all over the place . . . and they played with my niece today (before they showed any symptoms). It's looking like not only will any of my family be unable to attend the Thanksgiving celebration, but if my niece and her brothers were given the bug today, then they won't be able to, either. Talk about a waste of a trip. Instead of a wonderful holiday together, we've got stomach-churning messes to clean up.<br />
<br />
I have a brand-new baby in the house, who hasn't been vomiting (praise heaven), but has been really fussy and hasn't slept much all day. I'm beginning to wonder if he's got it, too.<br />
<br />
I'm so short on sleep as it is . . . and instead of being able to go to bed tonight, I've been cleaning up various regurgitations. It's now nearly eleven o'clock, and I'm feeling pretty frustrated. Please, think next time before you bring recently-ill children to church. (Even if it <b><i><u>is</u></i></b> the Primary Program that week, and you don't want your child to miss out on presenting his or her part . . . the consequences are just too unfair for those of us who stay home when we're sick, and trust that others will, too.)<br />
<br />
Thank you. I now return to my regularly-scheduled clean-up efforts . . .Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-44266102810939688502010-11-18T20:03:00.000-08:002010-11-18T20:04:10.828-08:00He's here . . .<div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAjmdRc73cTooklztdnVBxxJbGyKdOFWyX9IkFyG1HbS-DyOyV6X27yv0gDh1Fn3tHJYc1mUBVH91D22nczwyLvBf29AuQNKtIAt0ObEFN_fTG5FGD9aZFs_qB55NRFM8VLmkU73aSjlX/s1600/2010-11-18.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAjmdRc73cTooklztdnVBxxJbGyKdOFWyX9IkFyG1HbS-DyOyV6X27yv0gDh1Fn3tHJYc1mUBVH91D22nczwyLvBf29AuQNKtIAt0ObEFN_fTG5FGD9aZFs_qB55NRFM8VLmkU73aSjlX/s400/2010-11-18.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div>Mother and baby are doing fine. :o)<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-23667825627561015652010-11-17T10:09:00.000-08:002010-11-17T10:09:24.586-08:00Recently OverheardLil'MissL: Mom, when I grow up, I'm not going to buy any grenades.<br />
<br />
Me (with relief): Oh, that's good.<br />
<br />
MissE: I don't think they sell them to kids.<br />
<br />
Vern: Nope, not at Wal-Mart . . .Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6793541260653722806.post-83891855569390360112010-11-12T22:03:00.000-08:002010-11-12T22:04:31.029-08:00In honor of Remembrance Day<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-DZvs2me1ug?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-DZvs2me1ug?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Here's to more role models.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_day">(What's Remembrance Day?)</a></span>Annaleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12964274663555911996noreply@blogger.com