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I'm joining some of my fellow GigaOM Pro contributors for a free webinar on 4 November, in which we'll be talking about scalability and the Cloud.
As the blurb notes,
"Today's businesses are increasingly looking to cloud-based infrastructure to run key operations and deliver products and services to customers worldwide. However, many still question the scalability of cloud for delivering critical services to their customers across geographies and markets.
On November 4, 2010 at 10 a.m. PST, GigaOM and Limelight present The Scalable Cloud, a free, roundtable-style webinar where our panel of experts will analyze key issues in delivering scalable products and services that utilize cloud-based infrastructure. The webinar, featuring GigaOM Pro analysts and industry perspective from Limelight Networks, will also answer questions from our audience of attendees."
The webinar is sponsored by Limelight Networks, and the company's Jason Thibeault will also be taking part. You can be sure, though, that we'll all be saying what we think rather than just talking up Limelight and its solutions.
The webinar is free, and I hope to see many of you there…


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Readers, you have raised my eyebrows. Sid the Kid, knocked out of the first round by Flyer Mike Richards. Steckel, running away with the votes in his tiebreaker against RYAN KESLER (and NO, Raven, that baby photo was not a ploy ;))
The Divisional Semis are complete. Round 2 heats up with eight fellas worthy of Blanche Devereaux's attention (rest in peace, Rue). Make your choice after the jump now through Sunday at 8PM Eastern.
Prince of Wales Conference: Adams Division
Prince of Wales Conference: Patrick Division
Campbell Conference: Smythe Division
Campbell Conference: Norris Division
Vote now! And tell your friends!

subset: commoncrawl


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10 Things You Need To Know This Morning (SPX, SPY, DIA, DJI, QQQ, TLT, GLD)
Fed custody holdings. Following a record $104.5 billion decline in the previous week that stumped observers, U.S. Treasuries held in custody at the Fed for foreign official accounts increased by $32.3 billion — a big swing in its own right. "Although not enough to offset last week's selling, it does show significant adding of exposure and presumably reflects large foreign purchases at the 3s/10s/30s auctions (settled Monday)," says Ian Lyngen, a senior government bond strategist at CRT Capital. "In contrast to the prior week's record decline, we have no reason to believe the $32.2 billion was a custodian transfer and so assume it's simply net purchases — a read that's consistent with the bullish price action in and around the 10s/30s auctions."
Fed speakers. A number of Fed officials are hitting the circuit today following Wednesday's FOMC decision that sent interest rates shooting higher. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard speaks on a Brookings panel about nominal GDP targeting at 11:45 AM ET. At 1:45 PM, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher discusses forward guidance in a speech in London. At 4:30 PM, Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota — the lone dissenter in Wednesday's decision — will speak. Fed governor Jeremy Stein will wrap things up with a speech at 6:30 PM.
Markets moving higher. S&P 500 futures point to a positive open and equity indices across Europe are in the green to start Friday's session. U.S. Treasury futures are little changed, and the dollar is down slightly against the euro and the yen. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday on Friday, but the Hong Kong Hang Seng rose 1.2% and the Shanghai Composite advanced 2.7%. A big exception to the market gains is Russia, where stocks are down 2% after Obama's toughened sanctions.
Fed stress tests. 29 of America's 30 largest banks passed the Fed's annual stress tests, with the only exception being Zions Bancorporation, a super-regional based in Salt Lake City. Bank of America's and Morgan Stanley's tier-1 leverage ratios came close to the 4% minimum in the "severely adverse" scenario in the test.
Record euro zone surplus. The euro zone current account surplus rose to an all-time high of €25.3 billion in January on an adjusted basis from €20 billion in December. The goods trade surplus rose to €15.9 billion from €14.5 billion, and the services trade surplus advanced to €11.8 billion from €9.6 billion.
Euro zone consumer confidence. The latest reading on euro zone consumer confidence is due out at 11 AM ET. Economists predict the index rose slightly to -12.3 in March from -12.7 in February.
Canadian inflation. The Bank of Canada releases February consumer prices data today at 8:30 AM ET. Economists predict consumer price growth accelerated to 0.6% month over month in February from 0.3% in January, and the year-over-year inflation rate falling to 1.0% from 1.5%. Core consumer price growth is expected to have accelerated to 0.5% from 0.2%, bringing the year-over-year change in core consumer prices to 1.1% from 1.4%.
Data dearth. There are no economic data releases scheduled today in the United States. The cycle picks up again on Monday with the release of the Chicago Fed's monthly National Activity Index and the preliminary results of Markit's U.S. manufacturing PMI survey. Over the weekend we also get HSBC/Markit flash China manufacturing PMI data as well.
French elections. Another item of interest over the weekend is municipal elections in France. "Although the Socialists may hold on to Paris, the risk is that the prime minister's party is soundly trounced this weekend," says Marc Chandler, head of global currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman. "Many will watch how Le Pen's National Front does, which is running around twice the candidates they did in the last municipal elections, as it gears up for the EU Parliamentary elections in May."
Turkey blocks Twitter. Turkey blocked access to Twitter for Internet users there on Thursday ahead of upcoming national elections. The government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been battling allegations of corruption in recent weeks and months, and Twitter has been a key medium for spreading the news. "Twitter and the rest, we will root out all of them. I don't care what the international community says, they will see the power of the Republic of Turkey," said Erdogan.
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WARNING: This is not about gay marriage. It's not about gender politics or more aptly put: gender war. This about history.
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18
For much of recorded history most people looked around and noticed that men and women looked and acted in different ways (with some overlap). They looked at animals. Rams and sheep, bucks and does, ducks and drakes. We don't have to believe in the Biblical account of creation to understand that most people realized a duck and drake were of the same kind, but their purposes were complimentary and different.
Let's march onward to the US Civil War. In THE VACANT CHAIR The Northern Soldier Leaves Home Reid Mitchell devotes a chapter to the need for femininity in the masculine world of war.
But women are soldiers now you cry. Yes and for a disturbing look at women who kill from thousands of miles away click HERE. Women are strong. They write songs about roaring and not needing men. Go women!!?
I've never seen our ducks declare war on our drakes (though occasionally they squabble). Same goes for our sheep and goats. Same goes for the Civil War soldier and the women folk back home. Reid even goes on to say that one of the reasons the southern soldier had it so hard is that he believed in his manly role as much as his northern brethren. Northern women remained safely out of the actual war's reach. Northern men could at least rest easy on that. They could go fight a war and miss their wives and sweethearts and dream about being nurtured by them at war's end in the same homes they left.
Not so for the southern men who had the added worry of their women and children directly in the war's path. Towards the end of the war the Confederacy held back the troops mail for fear of large scale desertion–though not really desertion but an adherence to the manly virtue of protecting one's family.
And what about womanly virtue? Modern culture decries anything that smacks of the Bible–maybe it's why there is such a hatred for history (especially American) but as a college student being indoctrinated by men haters who blamed Jewish rabbis and Jesus freaks for everything I wish I would have opened up the good book myself and read PROVERBS 31 which describes what a virtuous woman looks like. It would have given me some balance:
10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
The soldier of the Civil War even if not a Christian (though most were) lived in a culture saturated by Judeo-Christian values. Sorry, that's just the way it is. The basic notion of men and women serving complementary yet distinct roles seemed to serve humanity fairly well for thousands of years. Despite Louisa May Alcott's fictional tomboys and the few hundred women who impersonated men to join the ranks of the Union Army most women played mother or lover to the soldiers. Whether as nurses or homemakers, activists or laundresses most women accepted their feminine side–many actually valued it!
And so did the men. They missed the nurturing, the companionship and the spirit of women. They did not wish for more men. Letters home were filled with talk of home and the women who made it a home. Of course there were some men happy to get away from women and some women relieved when such men left, but the overriding feeling as the war dragged on was one of deep missing, deep lonesomeness for the opposite sex. Other men just couldn't cut it.
How does one make sense of this desire in a culture bent on gender fluidity?
When researching for my novels many of you know I "went to war" as a reenactor. My college indoctrination was wearing off as I studied history not through the eyes of embittered leftist college professors, but through the eyes of the men and women of the time writing about their lives in diaries and memoirs.
I still clung to the notion that I had to be the same as men so I convinced my father to buy me an Enfield rifle. We drove to Gettysburg to pick it up. The thing is beautiful, but I immediately realized with sinking heart that there was no way I was going to enjoy carrying it in a wool uniform.
I wrestled with womanhood. First of all I was hardly virtuous. Then came Antietam. A friend let me borrow a corset and hoop skirt. I figured as a researcher it would be interesting to see how the other half lived before getting fitted out to play one of the few hundred women who fought.
And then it happened like magic.
As I walked around owning my feminine side I suddenly understood the power of it. At first I assumed the feeling would go away, but it got stronger each time I slipped into the role. And here's the equally weird thing: men treated me differently. Now to be fair we were all slipping into what we thought we knew about the 1860's.
Weren't people more polite back then? Yes and no. But the part that intrigued me and intrigues me still is that once we played at respecting gender roles we found that we respected the opposite gender more. We behaved better towards each other. (Okay better is relative–I get it, but I don't care).
Maybe someone smarter than me can explain how playing a virtuous northern woman actually made me respect myself and men more.
Why did men stand a little taller as I walked by? The same men who chatted with me in jeans the day before as we set up our tents. The uniforms we wore as men and women of the 1860's fit better than the unisex jeans and t-shirts we wore in our real lives. Some will say it's just a game we played–but it was a game worth playing.
BTW, THE VACANT CHAIR by Reid Mitchell offers such valuable insight into the minds of the northern men who went off to war I think every angry man hater (and woman hater) should be forced to read it as penance. Can't we just love one another?


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C'est L'Afrique: Cameroon Wrapper Leaf
The silence of the warm and wet African afternoon is broken by the sounds of monkeys anxiously screeching as a we climb a bush-covered knoll hundreds of miles from what most people consider civilization. Green wood pigeons cautiously coo as they fly from tree to tree in the dense rain forest just a few hundred yards away. As far as the eye can see, the rich green of trees and bushes contrasts with the cobalt-blue sky filled with silver and gun-metal gray clouds.
"C'est l'Afrique," says Etienne Yandji, 37, a tall and handsome African wearing blue jeans and a blue-and-green striped golf shirt, as we gaze in awe at the sheer beauty of the panoramic view of the countryside. "This is Africa." We are on the outskirts of a place called Tapourou, about 12 miles south of the town of Berberati on the border of Cameroon and the Central African Republic. This year, Yandji and hundreds of co-workers have transformed what was once virgin brush into prime cigar tobacco. Most of the crop has been cured and selected in large drying barns made of bamboo poles and leaves. Nearly 600 people had moved to Tapourou to work the tobacco. They had built a small village of dozens of mud huts and other makeshift buildings within a few days of arriving.
Central Africans use the phrase "C'est l'Afrique" to explain anything from poor weather to a coup d'etat, but it still seems the best way to describe the magnificent view of the rain forest and tobacco plants. The rich aroma and flavor of the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos cigar in my hand enhances those feelings--I am actually tasting Africa as well as seeing, hearing, touching and smelling it, since the cigar's wrapper had originated here.
Rick Meerapfel, 46, a slim, salt-and-pepper bearded American with chrome-rimmed eyeglasses, takes a drag off his Don Carlos and says, "This is ugly compared to what was here a few months ago, before the plants were harvested. Everything was planted in perfect rows going right down to the borders of the forest. It was absolutely beautiful. This is the future. This is the beginnings of great tobacco from Central Africa."
Yandji and Meerapfel are two of the key figures behind CETAC S.A., Compagnie d'Exploitation des Tabacs Centrafricains. A privately held company, it grows, contracts and processes tobacco in Central Africa, both in the Central African Republic and Cameroon. When cigar lovers around the world light up a Don Carlos from Arturo Fuente or a Partagas from General Cigar, they are savoring the labors of CETAC. Known in the cigar trade as Cameroon wrapper, but more accurately called Central African, the tobacco is some of the finest and richest this side of Cuba's legendary Vuelta Abajo. The trend in the premium cigar market, especially in the United States, has been moving towards darker cigars, not black or maduro colored but opulent or rich brown--what Cubans call colorado. Although Connecticut, Ecuador, Indonesia and even the Dominican Republic have their advocates for wrapper tobacco, most tobacco men agree that Central Africa produces the best dark brown wrapper outside of Cuba. In fact, Central African wrapper was the backbone for many popular machine-made cigar brands in the United States during the 1970s, including Garcia y Vega, Anthony y Cleopatra, Medalist and Cuesta-Rey.
The biggest problem over the past 10 years has been obtaining good quality wrapper tobacco from Central Africa, a region stretching from Baturi, the eastern section of Cameroon, east across the continent's mid-section to the western section of the Central African Republic. Some cigar manufacturers, such as Consolidated Cigars, which produces the non-Cuban H. Upmann, began using Indonesian wrapper tobacco when it couldn't get what it needed from Africa. Even now, Arturo Fuente, General Cigar and León Jimenez are the only companies that are using African wrapper in premium hand-rolled cigars and, until recently, they couldn't get sufficient quantities. "The supply is still not enough," says Carlos Fuente Jr., president of Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia., in the Dominican Republic. "But the quality since the Meerapfels took over the operation is as good if not better than what we used to get. We have all the confidence in the world in the Meerapfels. If anybody is going to succeed, it will be them. They have big hearts and it's all in tobacco."
Until CETAC established itself, just about everything possible had gone wrong for Central African tobacco, from poor harvests in Cameroon to civil unrest in the Central African Republic, not to mention poison politics and shady business dealings on both sides of the border. This is one of the most unstable parts of Africa, countries that Western governments advise people to visit only if necessary. A week doesn't go by without mention in the international press of numerous deaths by bullet, machete or disease in these and neighboring countries such as Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). The Central African Republic, particularly in Bangui, its capital, continues to have intermittent fighting between the local army and French military forces based there. Early last summer, hundreds were killed in battles in Bangui.
"That's not our problem," says Meerapfel, who acknowledges the dangers but believes they are overstated. "We are here for the tobacco and to run a serious business. Politics and other things do not concern us." The straight-talking tobacco man is somewhat of a legend in Central Africa. Not only has he brought back a great tobacco from the brink of extinction, but he has helped Central Africa establish one of its first Western-style privately held companies in the region. Says one Central African businessman in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, "Until CETAC was created, business and politics were all the same. Central African politicians controlled the busi-nesses and the French controlled the politicians."
Meerapfel created CETAC with local businessmen and almost completely without government involvement. The president of the Central African Republic was behind the idea of a private company establishing itself on its own, and by the time other government officials realized that they missed an opportunity to get their hands into the fledgling tobacco company (something Meerapfel probably would not have allowed anyway), it was too late. Even moves by some sectors of the Central African Republic government to hinder CETAC's development through legal and illegal methods were unsuccessful. One story has it that when an official asked during a meeting with CETAC when his new Mercedes would be delivered to him for business concessions, he was told, "Never." Meerapfel allegedly told another politician to send in his résumé to CETAC if he thought he was qualified for a position with the company, but he wouldn't automatically be given a job based on some sort of spoils system.
"We have the backing of the local people of the region," explains Emile Nokombo, 37, managing director of CETAC, a well-educated and elegant Central African who gave up a prestigious job with a leading international bank to head the company. Nokombo, along with most of the people working for CETAC, are shareholders in the company, a concept previously unheard of in Central Africa. "For the first time, a local private company has been set up with a foreign company and the head people running the company are black and from here," Nokombo says. "Lots of people now want to know what we are doing and how we did it. But it has really been a question of people, an American and a group of Africans trying to achieve something good for themselves and the country. We have great admiration for one another, and we wanted to do something that helped the people here."
The Central Africans own 40 percent of CETAC and Meerapfel's Swiss-based tobacco company, M. Meerapfel Sohne, controls the rest. "We employ nearly 5,000 people in the region and feed close to 100,000 people due to the employment here," adds Nokombo. "We are very popular. We have the support from everyone living in this part of Central African Republic. We have the people behind us and nothing will stop us now."
The goodwill of CETAC is more than evident while visiting the region around the company's processing plant in Gamboula, Central African Republic. Everyone from soldier to local farmer seems to recognize the various turbo-charged Mitsubishi four-wheel-drive pickups the management uses for transportation. A large smile and enthusiastic wave is the usual greeting. Meerapfel seems to know just about every local policeman, military officer, government official and any other kind of local dignitary. When he is in town, they all come to visit. "We have to know these people," Meerapfel says. "We need them as much as they need us."
Perhaps the most striking illustration of CETAC's goodwill is the relationship between Meerapfel and the key management, who are all Africans. The team spirit is extremely strong. When Meerapfel is in town, everyone spends time together from dawn to midnight, whether reviewing the progress of a pile of fermenting tobacco or sharing a bottle of South African wine during dinner. "It's a wonderful feeling here," Meerapfel says during one such dinner at the Gamboula plant with several of the CETAC managers. The friendly conversation, hearty food, South African wine and local beer were flowing freely, not to mention the constant rhythm of rock and roll from Zaire. "We are like brothers," says Meerapfel. "We have lots of laughs together. But when it comes to work, we are all very serious."
Says Raymond Fembieta, manager of the Gamboula plant: "There is nothing like this in the rest of the Central African Republic. Other companies are either owned by the French or the local government. We are all working together here. It is so different. It is much better now than under the French. Before, the French gave us orders. We did what they said and they took everything. It was a master-servant relationship."
Nonetheless, there never would have been premium wrapper tobacco in Central Africa without the French. It all began in the late 1950s when the French tobacco monopoly SEITA sent a top tobacco expert named Jean Masseron to Cameroon to establish plantations. He quickly developed a thriving tobacco business, developing new varieties of plants as well as teaching the locals the intricacies of growing and processing tobacco. By the 1960s, Central African tobacco, particularly wrapper from Cameroon, started to become popular, especially in the United States with American Brands Inc. (ABI), which had Anthony y Cleopatra, and Bayuk, which owned Garcia y Vega and Phillies. SEITA was also a big user, as were key European manufacturers of small machine-made cigars such as Henri Winterman's, Agio and Noble.
The main problem with the tobacco from Central Africa was the method in which the French sold it. Everything was done by silent bidding in Paris, mostly in SEITA's warehouse in Nanterre, a Paris suburb. Buyers were given a catalog of lots of tobacco for sale, which included samples, but the actual bales were never seen before bidding, because they lay in warehouses in Le Havre, France. Bids were in written form and submitted to SEITA in a closed envelope. Buyers had three chances to bid on each lot and all bidding was conducted through brokers in Paris. Buyers often complained that they didn't get the best quality tobacco--which the French kept for themselves--and that the prices they paid were too high.
In the end, the bidding system led to too many difficulties in purchasing the tobacco, and big cigar producers who needed hundreds of bales of tobacco per year began to drop out by the early 1980s. They simply couldn't guarantee quality or prices under such conditions. When the auction started losing large companies, it became less and less important in the industry, and soon the demand for tobacco from Central Africa became very limited. By 1990, only a few major bidders existed. In addition, the crops in Cameroon and the Central Africa Republic had become smaller and the quality had deteriorated. In a last-ditch effort, SEITA stopped holding auctions and sold the crop "by invitation" from its offices. Invitations were limited to manufacturers. "It was the beginning of the end," says Meerapfel, who started financing crops in the region at that time.
M. Meerapfel Sohne, which also has offices in Germany and Belgium, has been trading in tobacco for more than 120 years. The Meerapfel family has a long tradition of working with Central African wrapper. Until a few years ago, they bought the tobacco from the French government, which for decades monopolized the crop from Cameroon and the Central African Republic through operations controlled by SEITA. The French ceased operation in Central Africa in 1993, claiming there was no longer demand for the tobacco and that the enterprise no longer fit within SEITA's goals. "I will never forget it," recalls Fembieta. "One day we came to work and the doors were locked. The French never even told us that they were going and they never said why--even after working directly with them for six years."
The French tell another story. According to Patrice Hirschfeld of SEITA, who worked many years in Central Africa, the Africans were the ones who spoiled the business. He said that SEITA's tobacco operations were totally controlled by the French until the 1960s, when the Carmeroonians began taking a financial interest in the company, Société Franco-Camourounese des Tabacs (SFCT). By the 1970s, the Africans had an 85 percent interest in SFCT and ran the company as they wanted. "From then on, things turned sour and the company finally went bankrupt," he says. "We finally decided to completely stop since the quality of the tobacco was going downhill and their techniques were no longer good. It was an impossible situation."
Meerapfel had known that the French were pulling out of Central Africa, since he had been financing crops there for some time. He was in Cameroon when the French put the final locks on the doors of the operation. He had come in hopes of assuring the final delivery of his tobacco. It was at this time that the Central Africans came to him for help, and he decided, with some reservations, to try to do something. "If you told me even five years ago that I would have my own growing operation in Central Africa, I would have thought you were crazy. But here I am," says Meerapfel, who adds that he would have never done it without the urging of his father, Heller, one of the world's most knowledgeable tobacco men. The project has been completely underwritten by the family business and, although Meerapfel would not give an exact figure, he says millions of dollars have been invested.
"We are building something brick by brick...slowly but surely," he adds. "The bank isn't going to give us money for this. We are building it ourselves with the help of the Africans. We don't want to be the biggest, just the best. We are beating people at their own game. This area has never made better wrapper tobacco. Before, you had to buy the tobacco from Central Africa at auction. It's all different now."
Just about every other week, Meerapfel or his colleague, Spaniard Javier Carrasco, 35, boards a Sabena Airbus from Brussels for the nine-hour flight to Yaounde. He used to fly to Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, but it is now too dangerous. Even Meerapfel's African colleagues refuse to go to Bangui for fear of losing their lives. Arriving in the evening in Yaounde, Meerapfel stays overnight at the Hilton and rises at dawn for a hellish 11- to 13-hour journey by four-wheel drive over some of the worst dirt roads in Africa--more than 300 miles' worth. Not only are the driving conditions incredibly poor due to massive ruts in the road surface, dust as thick as cotton and the occasional overturned lumber truck or bush bus, but the police manning the various roadblocks are just as menacing, toting loaded automatic weapons and regularly demanding $20 to $30 bribes. "This is Africa," Nokombo says when asked about the perils of transportation. "What more can I say?"
However, everyone at CETAC says it's worth it. The results already have been extraordinary, especially in view of the quality of this year's crop. A large portion of the 1997 harvest was in fermentation bulks in Gamboula and Berberati by September, and the partially fermented tobacco leaves were beautiful. Not only were they large; their texture and color were near perfection. "Look at the quality of this tobacco," exclaims Meerapfel during one of many visits to the processing plant in Gamboula. He holds up an oval tobacco leaf 21 inches long, with its oily brown color reflecting the bright morning light. He wears a huge grin. "That's good-tasting tobacco! Look at the teeth! Look at the open grain! Look at the oil! They never had such quality tobacco here!
"For years people complained that they couldn't get big-sized wrapper from Central Africa," he continues. "Well, here it is. Look at this. It's unbelievable. It's beautiful and it feels as soft and fine as a woman's thigh. Also, they used to say that Central African wrapper was flaky and brittle; but now it's elastic and gorgeous."
Adds Oscar Salouk, a Cameroonise who worked in tobacco under the French for decades before CETAC was established, "I have 37 years here in the tobacco business and I have never seen such quality. We have been really selective. We have done everything necessary. Meerapfel told us that if we didn't go for the best quality then it really wasn't worth doing. We understood right away what he said, and now look at the quality."
Meerapfel has revamped the way Central Africans grow and process their tobacco, literally from the ground up. The growers are now using specially selected tobacco seeds and are given advice and resources throughout the growing season. They are closely monitored by CETAC representatives, who regularly visit them by four-wheel drive, moped or foot. Some growers are in such isolated areas in the rain forest that it may take three or four hours to reach them by hiking on narrow trails. One CETAC monitor was attacked by a leopard last year, escaping only when he managed to kill the cat with his hunting knife. In all, CETAC works with about 3,000 farmers, most of whom own just one or two acres of land for tobacco. The cultivation and harvesting is done by hand and almost entirely by women. The tobacco drying is also done by the farmer.
Once the cured tobacco arrives at central weighing stations in various places throughout the region, it is picked up by massive four-wheel-drive trucks and transported to processing plants in Gamboula, Berberati and Abba, all in the Central African Republic. Another plant may be built in the village of Nokombo, and discussions are underway with Cameroon officials for others near the eastern town of Batouri. "There's a passion here," says Meerapfel, on a visit to a small grower near Gamboula. He hiked about 30 minutes (similar treks of three or four hours are more common) in the hot midday sun through the rain forest on a tiny path to reach the grower, whose farming operation consisted of a family of about one dozen people, three mud huts, a tobacco drying hut and a few acres of tobacco. "Everyone is involved here, from the smallest grower to the managing director," he says. "Growers come to me and say that they have never seen their tobacco look so good. That means a lot to me."
All the tobacco is sun-grown, which is unusual for wrapper tobacco. Most other top-quality wrapper, such as Cuban and Connecticut, is grown underneath cloth tarps, or tapados, which diffuse the sunlight, giving a more uniform texture and color to the leafs. The climate in Central Africa is less variable than in other areas, and the light is more even because of the consistent cloud cover during the tobacco-growing season, which makes tarps unnecessary. "I believe that we have some of the most natural tobacco in the world," says Meerapfel. "We don't even have to use fertilizer. The land is very rich. Our main problem with sun-grown is to grow something that tastes very good as well as being as presentable as possible."
When the tobacco arrives at a processing plant, a preliminary sorting is done according to the size, texture and richness of the leaf, which is usually a question of where the leaf was picked from the plant, or the "priming." The leaves are then placed in piles or "bulks," usually measuring about 6 feet high by 12 feet to 9 feet square. One of several fermentations then takes place--depending on the texture and strength of the tobacco. The process reduces impurities and other organic compounds in the tobacco. After the fermentation, the tobacco is again sorted, primarily by size, and placed in bales of about 78 kilos (about 170 pounds) before being wrapped in burlap. The leaves are shipped to the Netherlands later in the year and then sent on to various customers.
The operations at the Gamboula and Berberati processing plants bear a close resemblance to that of tobacco processors in Cuba. Meerapfel admits to closely following "Cuban methods" for processing the tobacco. He spent close to a year in the late 1970s in Cuba's Vuelta Abajo learning the methodology; his family was one of the biggest buyers of tobacco from the country during that period. His father is credited with buying almost the entire Cuban tobacco crop in 1959, just after the Revolution.
"People working here used to throw the tobacco everywhere and take poor care of what they were doing," says Meerapfel, after checking a handful of fermenting bulks and confirming with the Africans when to rotate them. "Now, they take great care with every leaf. They know how and when to do things. It's amazing. I am so very proud. They are doing it. I am teaching them, but they are doing it all on their own."
It's difficult to grasp the amazing success of Meerapfel and the rest of the people of CETAC. A visit to the town of Nokombo illustrates the daily hardships in the name of fine Central African tobacco. Standing on a small mound in the middle of a grassy field on the outskirts of the village, Meerapfel and Yandji are peering over the area, holding an architect's plans and discussing the massive processing plant to be built here in the coming year. The only evidence of the forthcoming construction is a huge pile of boulders left at the site for the building's foundation.
The construction has been delayed for weeks since CETAC hasn't been able to get its bulldozer to Nokombo from Gamboula, a brutal 40-mile trip that takes about three hours by four-wheel drive. The bulldozer continues to break down as it is driven to the destination at about one mile per hour. New parts to fix the intermittent problems have been promised from Europe, but their arrival date is unknown. "People just have no idea what it takes to put up a building or anything else around here," says Meerapfel, shaking his head while discussing the bulldozer debacle. "It really is against all the odds. You have to be determined to do it. Otherwise, you will never succeed. However, should we fail, there will be no more wrapper coming from Central Africa. So I am not going to fail. I don't want to let the Africans down, either."
He stops for a moment, pausing before taking another puff on his cigar. "I wonder if some banker in New York, smoking his cigar with Central African wrapper and with a glass of fine Scotch, has any idea what it takes to get tobacco out of here? He probably doesn't care. But I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. I love it here doing this; and in the end, we both love cigars and we love what we do." *


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The school cafeteria served many things that one would never encounter in the states (natto spaghetti for example), but one thing they did serve that I couldn't get enough of was seared ahi tuna, prepared fresh to order.
It was usually served with white rice, a little shoyu, some radish sprouts, a few slivers of nori, and some toasted sesame seeds. One ample serving may have cost as much as 200 yen (~$2) but I think it was probably less.
Seeing a recipe for seared ahi in the South Beach Diet Cookbook got me thinking again of this delicious fish, and I found some gorgeous steaks at Whole Foods. The South Beach recipe calls for the steaks to be seared with peppercorns.
I was looking for a more Asian twist, so I made up my own marinade with tamari, sesame oil and ginger.
Ahi tuna is also known as yellowfin tuna. To make seared ahi, you need to start with very fresh, sushi-grade ahi, as you will only be lightly searing the outside, leaving the inside raw. Not even rare, but raw. The freshness and the quality of the fish make a huge difference with this dish, so don't even attempt it with a lower grade of fish.
- 2 (6-8 ounce) ahi tuna steaks (3/4 of an inch thick)
- 2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce (or 2 teaspoons of wheat-free tamari for gluten-free option)
- 1 Tbsp of grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 green onion (scallion) thinly sliced (a few slices reserved for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
1 Mix the marinade ingredients together and coat the tuna steaks with the marinade, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2 Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high to high heat. When the pan is hot, remove the tuna steaks from the marinade and sear them for a minute to a minute and a half on each side ( even a little longer if you want the tuna less rare than pictured.)
3 Remove from pan and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Sprinkle with a few green onion slices.
Can serve plain, with white rice, or over lettuce or thinly sliced cabbage or fennel. Shown served over sliced fennel salad.


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Israel officials condemn violence in Syria
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday led a chorus of Israeli officials expressing outrage over the bloodshed in Syria, accusing Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah militants of complicity in the carnage there.
Israel is anxiously watching developments in the neighboring country, fearing widening instability in the region. With dozens killed in ferocious weekend battles, a string of top Israeli officials sounded alarms over the deteriorating situation in Syria and called for international intervention.
Netanyahu accused Syria's powerful, anti-Israel allies of helping the regime of President Basher Assad to brutally suppress the 15-month-old rebellion.
"This massacre is not executed by the Syrian government alone; it is assisted by Iran and Hezbollah, and the world should realize this is a concentrated axis of evil: Iran, Syria and Hezbollah," Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting.
After keeping quiet in the early months of the Syrian uprising, Israeli leaders have grown increasingly outspoken in their calls for Assad to step aside. Israeli officials, however, adamantly reject suggestions that they are assisting Syrian rebels.
Vice Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz warned that Iran and Hezbollah could take the conflict beyond Syria's borders, and portrayed the slaughters in the harshest of terms.
"A crime against humanity, genocide, is transpiring in Syria today," Mofaz said in an interview with Army Radio, faulting world powers for what he called a "limp" response and singling out Russia because it is arming Syria.
President Shimon Peres also urged world powers to intervene, telling Israel Radio the international community was not doing enough to end the bloodletting.
"I have much respect for the rebels, who demonstrate daily in face of live gunfire, and I hope they triumph," Peres prior to leaving for the US to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a formal ceremony at the White House.
The U.N.'s latest estimate is that 9,000 people have died in Syria's conflict but that is from April and the world body has been unable to update the figure since. Syrian activists put the toll at more than 13,000.


text: The Toro Company continually seeks to improve its energy efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint of its global manufacturing facilities. We are in the process of assessing and implementing environmental, health and safety management systems at our facilities. To date, one facility has been registered under the ISO 14001:2004 standard while certain others are in varying stages of assessment or implementation of the system. We also engage in periodic external audits to assure compliance with all national, regional and local environmental requirements – in addition to reducing water usage, hazardous waste, and energy usage where possible.


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A collection of 50 Jay Z original master recordings, valued at more than $30 million, is at the center of a theft-and-extortion plot after a former studio intern allegedly demanded the music mogul pay $110,000 to get them back.
Sources tell Page Six that the ex-intern allegedly contacted Jay's Roc Nation by e-mail last week, saying he had a series of master recordings that were made between 2002 and 2003 at the now-closed New York hip-hop haven Baseline Studios, home of Roc-A-Fella records.
The former employee claimed the recordings — which include masters of Jay tracks such as "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" and "Holla" — were now in storage in Northridge, Calif., and he needed $110,000 to get them out or the facility's owners would put the contents up for auction.
Quick-thinking execs at Roc Nation dispatched a staffer to meet the ex-intern at the lockup on Thursday and agreed to pay $2,500 to open the unit. Inside, they found many of the masters the intern had listed on the e-mail and called police. But since the master tapes were never reported missing or stolen, police said they couldn't do anything until a report was filed in New York.
A source close to the investigation told us: "The guy wanted cash and told Jay's people, 'If you don't pay up now, you will lose these recordings forever.' Roc Nation stalled him a day to get the police report filed in New York. They said they would come back the next day to seal the deal and filed the report in New York. Then, on Friday, the LAPD took the guy into custody, but he was released pending further investigation."
The master recordings were taken into evidence, and Miles Cooley, a lawyer for Roc Nation, is going into court Tuesday in LA to ask for them back. Roc Nation didn't comment and Cooley didn't respond.
The source added, "Jay owns the rights to his master recordings. Some of those in question are songs that are out, but there are others the public has never heard. An album of Jay songs is worth around $25 to $30 million, but there are also tracks that he wouldn't want out there."


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Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Oraanu Pi by E.S. Posthumus.
Here's a post to anyone who ever wondered if or thought the Grimms brothers and Hans Christian Anders were all the fairy tales that ever were.
Happily I can tell you, there are more. So much more than you ever dreamed. If you have a penchant for fairy tales or want to write a retelling to something just a little off kilter and different, this post is for you. Ever heard of Andrew Lang? Maybe (and bravo!). But have you heard of Karl Haupt or Henry Carnoy? No? Excellent. :) Let's begin. Here is a list to introduce you to a much wider world of fairy tales and fairy tale collectors. And once done here, you can also look through this Wikipedia article. Seriously, Wikipedia has to be the eighth wonder of the world.
Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm - You know these guys. Most famous Western set of compilers to date. The Frog Prince, **, you name it. But let's delve deeper now.
Charles Perrault - Now here is a name you really should know. This guy not only preceded the Grimms, but also could be considered as the mistaken Grimms. Cinderella? Little Red Riding Hood? Puss in Boots? Sleeping Beauty? Yeah, all Perrault. Poor guy is like the stunt double that doesn't get any credit for tons of heavy lifting.
Hans Christian Anderson - Good ole' Anderson, writer of modern classics such as The Little Mermaid, The Matchstick Girl, and the Nightingale. And they all have such happy endings, too.
Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (with a good deal credit given to the latter Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont) - Now who is this, you might ask? Oh, just the woman credited for writing Beauty and the Beast. Yep, back in the 1700s. The closest thing Grimms has to this is The Singing, Soaring Lark (which is actually in my opinion a much cooler version of this story).
Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy, or "Madame d'Aulnoy" -
an early french writer of less-known fairy tales, including The White Cat.
Andrew Lang - Compiler of the famous (or not-so-famous depending on the person) "color" fairy tale books. Beginning with the Blue Fairy Book, it features many well-known tales, but get progressively obscure with such titles as the Pink, Grey, Olive, Orange, and Violet fairy books come out. And there's more than just those.
Pu Songling - A Chinese fairy tale collector way back in the 1600s.
Lafcadio Hearn, or Koizumi Yakumo - collector of Japanese folk tales and ghost stories.
Franz Xaver von Schönwerth - You know him from the "rediscovered" fairy tales post. :)
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen - a collector of Norwegian folk tales, including East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Jack Zipes - A modern translator and collector of fairy tales.
And here are some more for you to delve into, but by no means complete. This is just the tip of the iceberg, people. Dive in. It's an ocean out there. :)
Fletcher S. Bassett
Sophia Morrison
James Halliwell-Phllipps
Alexander Afanasyev
Theodor Vernaleken
Karl Haupt
Ignaz and Joseph Zingerele
François-Marie Luzel
and so many more. Don't disclude our contemporary folklorists, either.
Fairy Tale Collectors - It's More Than Just The Brothers Grimm.
Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Oraanu Pi by E.S. Posthumus.


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My tour for Torque continues today with four more chances to win!
March 22 Stops:
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
Torque by Charley Descoteaux
Sometimes letting things get complicated is the best way to figure it all out.
Mick Randall is on the run, from the biker culture he grew up in and his impossible vision of love. Alaska should be far enough to escape his old life—until he rolls into a wrecking yard and gets lost in a pair of pale, bottle-green eyes.
Scotty Bell has spent years learning to channel his fiery temper into the heat of a welding torch. His sexual heat has always been slower to ignite, but one look at Mick rouses confusion alongside desire. In all his life, he's only been attracted to one other person—his best friend, Mercy Taylor.
Mick lands a temporary job at the yard, and finds an uneasy crash pad at Scotty's place…where the ragged ends of his emotions get tangled up in Scotty and Mercy's relationship.
But when Mick hears a Harley engine from his past bearing down on him, his first instinct is to go back to the half-life he'd been living. Lest his secrets destroy the only two people who've ever made him feel whole.
Contains references to abuse, subversive ideas about sexual identity and gender expression, and a free-range bisexual on a mission.
Buy the book: Samhain All Romance eBooks Amazon US Kobo


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Asian Art and Antiques
DoneJul 29, 2017 3:54 PM EDT
Norwood, MA, United States
Auction Details
Asian Art and Antiques
Asian Art and Antiques
Lot Number: Lowest
0001: Chinese Tibetan Bronze BuddhaEst. $3,000-$4,000
See Sold Price
0002: Chinese Tibetan Gilt BuddhaEst. $800-$1,000See Sold Price
0003: Chinese Tibetan Gilt BuddhaEst. $800-$1,000See Sold Price
0004: Chinese Bronze VesselEst. $8,000-$12,000See Sold Price
0005: Chinese Bronze JueEst. $10,000-$20,000See Sold Price
0006: Chinese Bronze Ding VesselEst. $1,000-$2,000See Sold Price
0007: Chinese Enameled Snuff BottleEst. $900-$1,200
See Sold Price
0008: Chinese Lung Quan Yao VaseEst. $4,000-$6,000
See Sold Price
0009: Chinese Cloisonne VesselEst. $4,000-$6,000See Sold Price
0010: Large Blue/White Hu Vase, Ch'ien-lung markEst. $4,000-$8,000See Sold Price
0011: Pair of Chinese Cloisonne VasesEst. $600-$900
See Sold Price
0012: Chinese Cloisonne Lamp VasesEst. $600-$900
See Sold Price
0013: Asian Wood Musical Instrument with BoxEst. $300-$900
See Sold Price
0014: Chinese Square Jade PendantEst. $800-$1,200See Sold Price
0015: Rolex WatchEst. $500-$800
See Sold Price
0016: Chinese Silver Monetary BlockEst. $1,500-$2,500See Sold Price
0017: Chinese Wucai Scholar Calligraphy Ink SetEst. $10,000-$20,000See Sold Price
0018: Chinese Jade Brush Washer With BoxEst. $2,000-$4,000See Sold Price
0019: Chinese Gilt BuddhaEst. $1,000-$2,000
See Sold Price
0020: Chinese Ink Stone PadEst. $800-$1,000
See Sold Price
0021: Chinese Bronze Seal ChopEst. $600-$900See Sold Price
0022: Pair of Chinese Famille Rose VaseEst. $6,000-$9,000See Sold Price
0023: Chinese Antique Lungquan Yao Multi Tube VaseEst. $800-$1,200See Sold Price
0024: Chinese Wucai VaseEst. $5,000-$8,000See Sold Price
Auction Details
Bid Increments
PriceBid Increment
9-5, Thursday and Friday, July 27 and 28. 9-11, Saturday, July 29.
151 Carnegie Row
Norwood, MA 02062
Buyer's Premium
- 25%
Terms & Conditions
Altair Auctions: Terms & Conditions All property offered and sold through Altair Auctions shall be offered and sold on the terms and conditions set forth below. By bidding at the auction, whether present in person or by agent, by absentee bid, telephone, internet or other means, the buyer agrees to be bound by these terms and conditions. 1. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. ALL PROPERTIES SOLD AS IS. NO RETURNS. NO EXCEPTIONS. 2. An 20% buyer's premium will be added to the hammer price of each lot for floor and phone bidders, a 25% buyer?s premium for online platforms. 3. All purchases (including buyer?s premium) will be subject to a Massachusetts State Sales Tax of 6.25%, unless the buyer is an out-of-state resident and lots are being shipped out of Massachusetts, or if the purchaser has a valid Tax Exempt Certificate (an actual resale certificate must be presented and on file with Altair Auctions). 4. All properties are sold as is, and all sales are final. Though all description and commentary are believed to be correct, neither the auctioneer nor the consignor makes any warranties or representations of any kind with respect to merchandise. Buyer shall not rely on the auctioneer, employees, the catalog description, or advertisements in any part, and must rely only on his own inspection and opinions of all items: we offer a preview and high resolution photos for potential buyers to review and make their own conclusions about the piece. No employee is authorized to make any warranties, expressed or implied, on behalf of Altair Auctions. NO GUARANTEE OF PROVENANCE: Altair Auctions is not responsible for the research and provenance of each item. Altair Auction is not responsible for authenticity, genuineness of, estimated selling price of, or defects in any lot, and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance will be made or sale set aside on account of any incorrectness, error in cataloging or any imperfection not noted. No deduction will be allowed on damaged articles as all goods being exposed for public exhibition are sold ?as is? and without recourse. NO GUARANTEE OF AUTHENTICITY FOR JADE: Altair Auctions does not guarantee the authenticity of the color or age of any jade. All jade will be sold as is, without any warranties. All sales are final in jade purchases, no returns will be accepted. Judgment of such qualities is at the sole discretion of the buyer. NO GUARANTEE OF AUTHENTICITY FOR CHINESE PAINTINGS: Altair Auctions does not guarantee any of the lot number descriptions concerning Chinese paintings including authentication, originator, and the date of execution. NO GUARANTEE OF AUTHENTICITY FOR CHINESE STAMPS, COIN, AND/OR PAPER CURRENCY: Altair Auctions cannot guarantee any of the lot number descriptions, illustrations, and conditions are provided as reference. All items sold as, no returns. 5. All bidders shall obtain a bidding number tag/pad at least 30 minutes before the start of the auction by presenting his/her ID or valid passport. All bidders shall keep the number tag/pad under his/her safe custody. The tag/pad shall not be lent to any other person(s). Otherwise, he/she shall bear all the responsibilities associated with the use of his/her number tag/pad for bidding or any other use. 6. All buyers must provide a credit card in order to approve requests in case of default by the buyer. If you are the high bidder on an item, you will receive an invoice by email within 24-48 hours with instructions regarding payment and shipment of your item. You will be given the opportunity at that time to contact us and let us know your preferred method of making payment (credit card, check, or wire transfer). By providing Altair Auctions with this information, you allow us to charge and immediately refund $100 USD to ensure validity of the credit card. Altair reserves the right to charge up to 30% deposit fee to customers who make purchases in excess of $10,000, or 10 lots. 7. We accept credit cards (Master Card, Visa, and Discover), checks, cash, and wire transfers. Payments over $1000.00 will be charged an additional 3%, if payment is made by credit card. If payment is made by cash, wire transfer or check there is 1.5% DISCOUNT. All payments or settlements shall be made in US Dollars. Buyers can only collect the lots after full payments are made. Should payments be made by check or draft, lots will only be released after bank clearance. Should payments be made by check or draft, lots will only be released after bank clearance which should be five business days after we receive the check. Should payments be made by Wire Transfer please be advised that there may be an additional charge from the bank that receives the transfer. Wire transfers can take up to five to ten business days to clear in order for your invoice to be paid. PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED WITHIN 20 DAYS OF THE AUCTION. If you fail to pay within 30 days, we will charge your credit card the total amount on your invoice. All property purchased from Altair Auctions must be removed within 60 days after the auction date. Altair Auctions is not responsible for paid items left for over 60 days after the auction date (unless a prior agreement has been made). Items left after 60 days will incur a $10/day storage fee per item. Once storage fees have exceeded the actual purchase price of the item(s) Altair Auctions can exercise the right to re-auction. 8. All items are sold to the highest bidder as acknowledged by the auctioneer. The auctioneer has the right to reject any bid! The auctioneer is the arbiter of any disputed bid. He may reopen bidding at his discretion and reject bids deemed inappropriate. The auctioneer reserves the right to withdraw any item and to reoffer the item at another time. Every effort is made by the auctioneer to execute all bids, including floor, absentee, and telephone and internet bids. We are not responsible for any missed bids. Altair Auctions reserves the right to cancel any sale or bid before, during, and after the auction. 9. Some property that is sold at auction can be subject to laws governing export from the United States, such as items that include material from some endangered species. Import restrictions from foreign countries are subject to these same governing laws. Granting of licensing for import or export of goods from local authorities is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Denial or delay of licensing will not constitute cancellation or delay in payment for the total purchase price of these lots.
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text:
Ky. school shooter loses bid to withdraw plea
A man who killed three of his classmates at Paducah's Heath High School in 1997 has lost his bid to withdraw a guilty plea after a federal appeals court concluded he could have acted sooner to seek a new trial.
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Thursday ruled that 29-year-old Michael Carneal was competent as early as 2002 and could have challenged the plea then.
Carneal shot eight people at a school prayer meeting, killing 17-year-old Jessica James, 15-year-old Kayce Steger and 14-year-old Nicole Hadley. Five others were wounded.
Attorneys argued Carneal, who was 14 at the time, was mentally unfit to accept responsibility for the crime. Carneal pled guilty in 1998, but did not file for state post-conviction relief until 2004 and did not file for federal habeas relief until 2009.
The Attorney General's Office successfully argued that Carneal's appeal was not timely and therefore his conviction and life sentence should stand. Prosecutors were able to prove that Carneal was competent in 2002, and could have filed an appeal of his conviction then.
"I agree with today's opinion and appreciate the careful consideration of this matter by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals," Attorney General Jack Conway said. "I am grateful to all of those in my Office of Criminal Appeals who have spent countless hours working to ensure that justice is upheld, so that we may bring closure to the victims of this crime that tragically impacted the Paducah community and our Commonwealth."


text:
Reader callout: Favorite car
Reader-submitted favorite car photos promo ad in Quark and Adobe InDesign
Use this callout ad to ask readers for photos of their first cars, their favorite cars or their family cars. We want those old photos of dad with his Mustang or the whole gang in the back of the family station wagon.
To your left you will see several promotions that you can use to seek readers' submissions.
The promotions are set up to run as a 5x2 or a 1x2 on your front page either at the bottom of the page or in your rail, or a 4x3 that works into some of GateHouse's page 2 templates. We also are including the text for the ad in case you want to format it with your own fonts.
We encourage newspapers to run the promotion in print and on the homepage of your Web site. We include images sized perfectly for a carousel and a promo scroll online refer, too.
There's a spot on the promos to add your Local Loop page address for submissions.
If you have any questions about this feature, please contact Lisa Glowinski, editor of GateHouse News Service, at email@example.com.
(click on the download key for a zip file that includes this text)
Show us your favorite car
Send us your photos of the first or best car you ever owned, or a classic you've restored, and we will run some in the newspaper and some at xxxxxxxx.com.
Submit to our Local Loop page, xxxxxxxxxxx/com/localloop, by June XX.
The Quark ad is available in versions 4, 6 and 7. The InDesign ad is available in versions CS, CS2 and CS3. The end of each filename indicates the version (for example, PromPhotos_ghns_q6.qxd is for Quark 6, etc.).
This link will allow you to download fonts used with this page. Each newspaper should install the fonts on no more than three workstations. We recommend: Two workstations that the pages are produced on and a station where negatives and/or plates are produced.
Once you click on the link, the fonts will land on your desktop. Once there, doubleclick the icon to access the folder. The fonts will be inside the folder. You will need to install these fonts where your current fonts are located.
For most Mac OS 9 platforms, your fonts will be located inside the the Font folder inside the System folder on your hard drive. You will need to quit, then restart all open applications. If you have questions about how to do this, feel free to get in touch with us.
Once you have downloaded the fonts and installed them on your computer, you do not have to install them again.
(These are open type fonts, which should work on PC and Mac platforms. For computers running Mac OS 8.6 to 9.x must install ATM 4.6 (adobe type manager) first, which can be downloaded free here.)


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Poker Chip Tricks
When playing poker, one of the key strategies is to appear confident. One of the ways to do that is to learn poker chip tricks. These tricks require good hand coordination, practise, and concentration to be effective. They can help convey confidence when you want to bluff a bad hand or intimidate other players with your casual yet talented handwork as you play a game of Texas Hold'em Poker, but they can also be used for fun to show off to your friends and family members. Here are a few examples of poker chip tricks to get you started.
Knuckle Roll
The knuckle roll trick is one of the more well-known poker chip tricks, as it seems to be the go-to in movies for characters to show how adept they are at poker. While it may seem complicated to pull off, it's actually surprisingly simple. All you need to do is take a poker chip and roll it across your fingers. To start, pinch the chip between your thumb and forefinger, then roll it over your forefinger, pinch it with the next finger, and keep it going. It's much easier than it looks. Practise until you get good enough that it feels like second nature.
Chip Twirl
You might find the chip twirl a little easier, since you have more control over your chips, although practise is still important. Unlike the knuckle roll, this chip twirl uses three chips instead of just one (more if you're feeling bold). When practising, you don't have to worry about the poker chips falling out of your hands, so you can focus on mastering the mechanics and learning how to do them faster. The faster you go, though, the more at risk you are of dropping your chips. This is a nice trick to do absently, making the rotation of the chip look like it's something you learned casually.
Thumb Flip
Of all the tricks shown, the thumb flip is probably the most rewarding to practise. It's not much easier than the chip twirl, but it has the advantage of being simple to learn while also being simple to master. Like the chip twirl, it takes multiple chips (usually three or four). Once you learn how to get the fine movements down, which shouldn't take long, increasing your speed is easily accomplished through practise. Once you get your speed up, you'll really impress others who don't know how to do these deceptively easy poker chip tricks.
While the thumb flip is probably the easiest trick to master quickly, the shuffle is the easiest to learn. The steps are fairly simple, and, unlike the knuckle roll, this trick lacks the risk of chips falling, since they're stacked on the table instead of placed on your hand. This chip trick works best with more chips, and it requires an even number of chips in order for the two stacks to fold together perfectly. You may have to practise this a few times to get it down pat, but the mechanics are simple enough that you shouldn't have much of a struggle, and people around you who don't know the trick will have no idea how easy it is.
When you're ready to take a break from practising your poker chip tricks, try out Casino Hold'em, a poker variation similar to Texas Hold'em, at HippoZino Casino. You may not be able to show off your poker chip tricks, but you can still practise while you play online.
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So, what exactly happened with the writing of my great Australian novel (and I use the term 'great' very loosely)?
I don't have writer's block*. I know a lot of writers suffer from this, and I am always sympathetic (did I say sympathetic. Sorry, I meant uncaring and sociopathically lacking empathy), but not me. Actually, I tell a lie—twenty years ago, in my first novel, I wrote my protagonists into a corner I couldn't get them out of. It took about ten years to resolve (hey, it was a very tight corner). So, George R R Martin, I get where you're coming from. But finish bloody Winds of Winter, already!
I'm not suffering from a paucity of time, although I assure everyone who'll listen that I am. Don't you realise how difficult life can be for a lazy, sociopathically uncaring, student? This morning I noticed my toenails had grown out to about an inch. The nail clippers were sitting on the table just out of reach. You can guess how that story ended. I think from now on my preferred footwear will be thongs (flip flops, not g-strings), rather than shoes. No reason. Loose rubber slip ons are just very stylish.
I'm still motivated to write. Admittedly, I tend to write more poems then anything else. I haven't actually written any of my novel for about a month. Let me point out that I do have a very short attention span. If I was to have a competition with a gnat, the gnat would win. But as insects go, gnats are THE most attentive insects in the animal kingdom. Of course I may have read that while I was sleep-deprived and brain-addled at 3:00am. Or maybe I just made it up.
The ideas still flow—sometimes they don't stop, streaming forth like water from a broken pipe neglected by council workers checking their Facebook timelines. I recently had to (yes, HAD to) get myself a new iPhone 8, ostensibly for the bigger storage capacity (I use my phone to store ideas and write on the run. And on the toilet). Oh, alright, I just wanted a shiny new phone. Yes, now I'm more broke than I was before. But: shiny new phone! ("My precious," he says, stroking it adoringly in a disturbingly Gollum-like voice.)
My commitment is still strong, despite my ongoing depression. Did I tell you I suffer from depression? "Only about a thousand times," says regular reader with not much better to do, rolling your eyes. I guess I better tell you again, then. I'm like a roller coaster: manic high days and abyssal troughs. High days, I can't stop talking. Low days, I'm a puddle. Today, I'm marginally angstified. (Yes, I just made up that totally and awesomely significant new word. I'm waiting for my new urban slang dictionary prize in the mail.)
I've been thinking about writing other stories. The torrid and passionate affair I've had with my novel still burns bright, but I find myself drawn to shinier, prettier things (and chocolate). Is it a victim of mid-life crisis, my ravenously short attention span, or my ongoing sociopathic egomania? Or all three? I may have answered that question already, but I've forgotten what I wrote previously. (Damn you, short attention span!)
If I start writing another novel I know I'll neglect the other**. But maybe that's what I need to do. Maybe my current novel isn't any good. (My only slightly bruised and sociopathically egomaniacal ego refuses to believe that. It's currently screaming at the wall: "you're too good for this place!" I think it might be a bit deluded, as well. Now it's rubbing ice cream all over its face…)
My excuses (uni, dating, music, reading, working out, movies, blogging, D&D, laying about avoiding cutting toenails, etc.) have become my crutches. I can barely move without them. (Perhaps I could invest in a better metaphor—a wheelchair, maybe. Then I could pretend to motivate myself to move a little faster.)
In the end, I guess I could have been writing my novel if I hadn't written this post. Am I just delusional? Or is that my sociopathic egomania talking? I'll ponder it while I eat some of this delicious ice cream that somehow got smeared on my face. Mmmmmmm….now, what was I talking about again?
Steve 🙂
*Unlike many writers, I've rarely suffered from this. If writer's block was a cold, I'd be interminably hot and sweaty most of the time.
**Like my previous unfinished novels: they wait politely and patiently, trying to catch my eye. Unfortunately, they don't realise that I'm very short sighted—literally, not just figuratively.


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Included in the character map is a bunch of arrows, boxes and circles as shown in the SCREENSHOTS.
The size of this ttf file is 244KB.


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News Section
Within the News Section you can find recent information on
- EUROFORGEN's International Dissemination Conference in 2016
- The seminar series on genetics, technology, security and justice
- The 2014 Public Relations Conference
- The EUROFORGEN newsletter
- Recent project meetings
- The application rules for the Short Term Fellowships
- Information about the EUROFORGEN competitive call, that was open between May 5th 2014 and July 31st 2014.
We sincerely hope that you and many other colleagues from the field of forensic genetics will benefit from our Network of Excellence and might even join the activities with their own contribution.
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Peter M. Schneider
Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Cologne
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To some, the pursuit of the green data center is the IT equivalent of Don Quixote tilting at windmills. To others, it represents a sincere effort to reduce consumption at one of the highest class of energy consumers in existence.
Regardless of the perception, however, the fact is that the list of green ideas continues unabated, with everything from lawned rooftops to containerized power and cooling now on the table.
One of the ideas stirring up a fair bit of controversy is switching from AC to DC power. This isn't exactly a new suggestion, having been kicked around architectural circles for several decades. But it has taken on new life recently considering the not insignificant efficiency gains that DC power could produce, theoretically at least.
One proponent is Robert Farris, consulting vice president for environmental sustainability solutions at Hitachi. He argues that since most data center devices convert AC power from the wall into DC power anyway, it makes more sense to make the conversion at a single point and then pipe DC power straight to the racks. Such a scheme would cut the power loss from the combined individual conversions 20 to 30 percent and reduce heat generation up to 40 percent.
The chief downside to DC power, however, is that it is not as easily transmitted over even moderate distances as AC, according to Data Center Journal's Jeffrey Clark. So right off the bat, you're looking at replacing existing wiring with thicker cabling. There's also the fact that most legacy equipment is designed to accept AC power, so unless you're building a brand new center, you'll have quite a hefty capital budget to deal with.
There's also the uncomfortable fact that DC maintains a higher voltage level than AC, says searchdatacenter.com's Mark Fontecchio. That opens the possibility of dangerous power buildup and arcing within the wiring infrastructure that could damage sensitive equipment. Besides, a wide variety of efficiency measures for AC architectures are available at lower cost and could produce results similar to a switch to DC power.
At the moment, most enterprise power specialists are focused on squeezing as much efficiency out of AC is possible. Emerson Network Power, for one, offers DC-based products and services for those who want them, but most of its efforts go toward AC-related systems, such as the new SmartAisle cooling management system. Part of this is due to the fact that the vast majority of its market is wired for AC already, and it would take quite a concerted effort to change that.
Energy efficiency needs to satisfy two criteria to be successfully deployed in the modern data center. First, it needs to actually deliver on its promises — reducing carbon emissions and lowering operating costs. Second, it needs a relatively simple implementation plan, one that not only won't bust the budget but won't disrupt legacy systems and operations.
DC power may satisfy the first requirement, but not the second.


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As an academic field, Area Ethnic and Cultural Studies Degree Programs are interdisciplinary and draw from different subject areas, including sociology, anthropology, political science, and history. Although sometimes misunderstood as being the study of popular culture, cultural studies programs explore the ways in which culture is both constructed and organized, how it evolves, and the ways culture creates and transforms individuals, social relations and power structures.
Designed to educate students on specific global perspectives on the history, politics, economics, society, and culture of various world regions, graduate programs in cultural studies combine deep knowledge of geographic areas and ethnicities with advanced work in the humanities and social sciences.
Rather than preparing graduates for one specific career, students with a cultural studies degree may be prepared for a variety of potential career paths in government, business, education, journalism, and the non-profit sector.
Searching for the right Area, Ethnic & Cultural Studies graduate program may be an exciting journey, whether you are looking for a broad program in multicultural studies or have something more specific in mind. Perhaps you are drawn to understanding your heritage, are interested in a specific area such as the Middle East, are open to learning a foreign language or are hoping to lead peace talks in the future.
Use the search tools on GradSchools.com to help you find ethnic studies programs by location if you are hoping to study locally in a specific city or state, or abroad. You can also choose cultural studies programs by selecting a learning format. You might choose to study on campus if you are looking for the traditional college
experience, or look into distance-learning options such as the online or hybrid programs. These offer a convenient way for busy graduate students to continue their education while maintaining other commitments.
Another great way to search is by degree level. Many Master's programs can be completed in 1-2 years, while Doctoral programs tend to be more research-based and can run between 2-6 years. Every search yields choices, for example; a Graduate Certificate in Peace Studies, Master in Jewish Studies, PhD in American Studies.
If you're looking to grow intellectually and professionally, equipping yourself with the knowledge, expertise, and skills valued by a wide range of employers and organizations in today's global economy, you may want to consider area, ethnic studies graduate programs, or cultural studies graduate degree.
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text: This musical by Carlos Saura shows the enormous vitality that flamenco has in the XXI century. For this staging Saura has relayed in more than 20 artists of the new generation; all of them fully talented and very well known in their fields, displaying a live show, brilliant, full of strength and energy. The dancing, consisting of eleven excellent dancers whose spirited choreography is created by the geniuses Rafael Estevez and Nani Paños, appears with its many deep rooted traditions acquired over the centuries and its use of new genres like jazz and contemporary. The singing is represented by four outstanding cantaores who interpret the compositions and arrangements of Chano Dominguez.


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Like all vehicles, motorcycles must meet current and forthcoming legislative requirements. Furthermore, they must also have modern on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems in place to maintain optimized fuel consumption and emission performance throughout the vehicle's lifetime. AVL's tried and true testing solutions meet these challenges head on, providing unprecedented excellent driveability and high performance for the rider.
2 Wheelers Today
Most motorcycles in Asia today are still operating with purely mechanically carburetors. Due to tightening emission standards, electronically controlled systems, such as exhaust aftertreatment systems are consequently edging out these traditional fields of carburetor applications. To deal with performance requirements of compact engines and 2 wheelers and meet emission standards (Euro 5, Bharat 6, etc.) advanced calibration solutions are required.
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AVL offers a complete range of calibration services, from prototypes all the way to SOP. Application areas include motorcycles and scooters, 3 wheelers, on and off-road vehicles, All Terrain Vehicles (ATV), and snow mobiles. Marine engine applications and even aviation and light aircraft engines are also covered.
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Thanks to our extensive project experience we are able to offer EMS powertrain calibration for all applications and all known EMS systems on the market. With our modern testing facilities and our highly qualified calibration team, we make sure the excellence is in the execution of the project. Our innovative, yet simple and robust solutions are guaranteed to meet your specific requirements.


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In today's environment, hoarding knowledge ultimately erodes your power. If you know something very important, the way to get power is by actually sharing it.Joseph Badaracco
Often, we are too slow to recognize how much and in what ways we can assist each other through sharing such expertise and knowledge.Owen Arthur
Sharing knowledge is not about giving people something, or getting something from them. That is only valid for information sharing. Sharing knowledge occurs when people are genuinely interested in helping one another develop new capacities for action; it is about creating learning processes.Peter Senge


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Statistics Surrounding our 'Most Celebrated Sporting Event'–The Super Bowl!
February 2, 2007 at 8:21 am Robert J. Lackie 1 comment
OK, for once, my post is not a post about librarians, teachers, or technology. It is, however, about data–interesting data related to an important event to many this weekend: the Super Bowl.
I found it listed on Librarians' Internet Index, one of my favorite quality reference sites, brought to us by an unlikely, at least to me, but otherwise well-known quality organization: The U.S. Census Bureau!
This short and interesting special edition press release comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's Facts for Features & Special Editions newsroom, which collects stats on "demographic and economic subject areas intended to commemorate anniversaries or observances or to provide background information for topics in the news." You can receive RSS feeds to these releases, too, if you want to be cool and stay up-to-date!
Anyway, this latest release provides facts and other links highlighting the demographics of the cities related to and info about the teams in this year's Super Bowl, as well comparing how times have changed (i.e., populations, aging, educational levels, earnings, baby names) from the 1967 (Super Bowl I) to this year's Super Bowl XLI.
It's a quick read, so check it out!
Entry filed under: Demographics. Tags: 1967, 2007, Demographics, statistics, Super Bowl.
1 Comment
You can find tikets for any event that need.
The best place to obtain tickets for: Sony ericsson open, NCAA Final Tournament Four, acc tournament, big east tournament, at: http://www.ticketsofamerica.com


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So I got the music post up and was headed out the door to Buzzard's Roost for a late Friday afternoon appointment when the phone rang and my appointment cancelled. Then Sock emailed me the link to a breaking story involving newly elected 24th Judicial District Judge Ray Steib, by all accounts a conservative guy, who nonetheless garnered the Slabbed Seal of Approval because we thought he was honest. In fact we still do think he is honest and impartial and we hope he will maintain a distance from the corrupting influences of Magnum JD.
Lest I digress further I'll add the Louisiana Judicial Commission also evidently thinks Steib the honest sort as they absolved him of the complaints filed by his two former opponents for Joan Benge's old seat on the court as reported today by Paul Purpura. This is rich because these guys who filed the complaints, Times Picayune endorsed Ungarino & Eckert partner Don Klotz and a former occupant of the "Warren Suite" at the Do Slabb Inn, Debbie Villio have all sorts of skeletons, especially Villio who popped back up on the Slab just this morning in connection with potential payroll fraud in Parish Government. Ungarino & Eckert, well let's just say those guys don't enjoy a very good rep among their peers at the present time.
Next up is a guest post by SupaSleuth in comments involving good old-fashioned kickbacks on various crime camera programs across the state of Louisiana. Today the Tech Chief for Baton Rouge hit the exits as this scandal, with origins in the Nagin Administration, has spread like wildfire.
Finally the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals bitch slapped Judge Ivan Lemelle and his screwed up, pro defense pretrial ruling in the criminal case involving Dollar Bill Jefferson's brother Moses Jefferson and his squeeze, former NOLA City Councilwoman Renee Gill Pratt. Judge Lemelle has a record of some very dubious rulings in the insurance litigation though he remains Ashton's favorite judge in all of the LAED. 😉
I'll add we received new reader horror stories concerning the practice of law before Judge Ivan after my last post on him linked above in the insurance litigation. I wish we could blog on those cases without risking retaliation by da Judge on the lawyers involved but we must remain silent.
Time for an adult beverage containing an Olive.


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iPhone Photo App Empowers Shoppers With A Mobile 'Hotline' this Holiday SeasonWednesday, December 8th, 2010
MeasuredUp.com free iPhone App allows shoppers to instantly and directly report long lines, poor customer service or incorrect prices with photos while actively shopping
NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Just in time for the Holiday Shopping Season MeasuredUp.com, the leading customer service resolution and online reputation social media website, is releasing its new, free photo shopping application named the "MeasuredUp Hotline" for the popular iPhone, available at MeasuredUp Hotline App and the iTunes Store or on your iPhone App Store. A picture is worth a thousand words and the new "Hotline" photo app allows consumers to instantly report shopping experiences and complaints like long lines, incorrect prices or messy stores directly to the businesses management with photos from the iPhone.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101208/NY14145LOGO )
The "Hotline" allows customers a new, immediate and effective way to report on the shopping experience so that business owners can respond to their customers and improve their customer service reputation, consumer loyalty and shopping experience.
"The Hotline App means consumers are ready for any shopping situation and can make sure they receive great Customer Service," said MeasuredUp.com founder Marc Karasu. "No one should go shopping without this app."
How The Hotline App Works
"The Hotline app allows shoppers to report a problem, complaint or issue in seconds by including a short title, rating, photo and optional review from their iPhone which is connected to the MeasuredUp.com website where it is seen by partner businesses. Thousands of National chain stores and small local businesses already use the MeasuredUp website Business Tools to track, fix and build their Customer Service and Online Reputation.
Whether it is alerting a Business owner to open more checkout lines, adjust an incorrect price on a product, clean up a messy aisle or any number of customer observations now a Business Owner can improve the store and shopping experience and keep their retail customers happy by replying directly to specific "Hotline" reports fast.
About MeasuredUp.com
MeasuredUp.com is the leading Customer Service Resolution social media website site where consumers rate and review their customer service experiences. Thousands of Partner Businesses use MeasuredUp everyday to reply to customers, build customer service brand and manage online reputation. Hundreds of thousands of consumers use MeasuredUp to make their voice heard and get answers directly from Businesses.
Read the article at http://finance.yahoo.com/news/iPhone-Photo-App-Empowers-prnews-3439669846.html?x=0&.v=1


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3 Charts That Show How Wikipedia Is Running Out of Admins
Very few people are being promoted into the humble, hard-working positions which make Wikipedia work.
Volunteer editing of Wikipedia is on a long decline. The number of editors peaked in 2007 and has been falling since. Lots of people know this.
But while attending Wikimania Friday in Washington, DC -- the conference for the entire Wikimedia movement -- I saw one chart that seemed more dire.
But first some context: In the world of Wikipedia, "administrators" (nicknamed admins or sysops) play the role of custodians. They can delete posts, block editors and protect pages that are in the news or being vandalized. To become a sysop, you must be nominated and undergo an application process. And even after being accepted, you, like the all the site's editors, remain a volunteer.
Now for the charts. In October 2005, Wikimedia promoted 67 people to become sysops. 2005 and 2006 were filled with months like this, where 40 or 50 people would become administrators -- but since then, their numbers have been dropping off. A few years ago, Wikipedia's oldest stewards started to worry: The number of administrators promoted every month was skidding in the high single digits. At the time that happened, this is what the chart of successful admin applications every month looked like:
In June 2010, six people became admins. March of that year saw only two promotions.
There are reasons for this. Andrew Lih, author of The Wikipedia Revolution and a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California, told me the process by which new admins are promoted is arduous and extensive.
"The vetting process is akin to putting someone through the Supreme Court," he said. "It's pretty much a hazing ritual at this point."
In the early days of Wikipedia (Lih became an admin in October 2003), editors were promoted to admin-status almost as a perk: someone else would nominate you, others would affirm, and after about a week you'd have new privileges around the site. "If you proved you weren't a bozo," said Lih, the process was easy.
But the process has gotten more and more intense over the years. Applying to become an admin now involves answering questions about copyright law. You have to write essays about notability and explain how you would act in hypothetical situations. And other Wikipedia editors dig deep into your distant edit history, find any testy discussions you got in and grill you about them.
"It's a rejection of the commitment [Wikipedia editors] put into the project," said Lih. Adminships used to be conferred without much fanfare, but now, even if you seek the position, you're going to get a "gigantic amount of scrutiny."
Here are the numbers today, of new administrators promoted by Wikipedia every month, from July 2002 to June 2012:
For the past few months of 2012, no more than one or two Wikipedia users have been promoted to admin status. This slow trickle of new talent means fewer people perform the encyclopedia's upkeep -- sorting, categorizing, correcting vandalism. And the arduous application process also fails to provide a little karmic reward for involved editors, which means they're less likely to devote time to improving the encyclopedia's structural weaknesses, like how, for example, to adapt the encyclopedia's sourcing to an age of social media.
And the drip-drip of incoming admins does signal a drip-drip of new editors of any kind, even if that tailing off is less dire. Here is total history of general Wikipedia editors per month:
The encyclopedia isn't starving for stewardship or editorship yet. Last week's Wikimania conference filled rooms and rooms of George Washington University's student center with chipper, engaged Wikipedians (though they remain, alas, mostly male).
But the project worries about falling editors. The overarching organization that runs Wikipedia, Wikimedia, affirmed in its annual report for 2010-2011 that "declining participation is by far the most serious problem facing the Wikimedia projects." Wikimedia is planning on beta-testing a new WYSIWYG text editor last this year, to make it easier for new authors to join the Wikipedia legion. And it's adjusting design elements to make it clearer to new visitors that Wikipedia can be edited: the site's ubiquity is such that many web users just don't know about its greatest feature.
It makes sense. Back in 2008, a study led by Spanish researcher Felipe Ortega found that there was great inequality between the number of people who edited Wikipedia and the number who read it. The study made headlines at the time; it initiated the first round of "Wikipedia is dying!" stories. But Ortega's team also found that the inequality between editors and readers would "trend to stable patterns of inequality in the long run."
We're now in the long run: the end of the first era of social media, Web 2.0's middle age. Among tech types, disruption tends to be the word. But what Wikipedia now requires is the careful, curatorial work of stewardship. We're about to see whether the web, so good at novelty, can also succeed at TLC.


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Currently I'm in love with… Amy Stevens' cakes
Don't you think these pictures are Oh-My-God-'this-is-out-of-this-world'-Wonderful?
When I encountered this treasure finding, I just had to share her with you!! ^^
Amy's art confections series started when she turned 30. She originally wanted to make 30 cakes for her show, but as she discovered that her cakes were not going to look like what might appear on a Martha video, she decided that they would look better if made in their exuberantly imperfect state.
What I love about her cakes is exactly that imperfection.
It is perfectly imperfect & beautiful.
I asked Amy some questions:
Q: Are they all edible?
A: The cakes are edible, although they are rarely eaten. Because I make them with the sole purpose of decoration, I don't use the very best ingredients and sometimes the cakes sit for a while in my studio while I am shooting and editing the images.
Q: Is it sponge inside?
A: I use the same cake recipe for all of them, it's a yellow cake recipe from Martha Stewart. Every so often, I will spend a whole day baking cakes – of many different shapes and sizes. I then freeze the layers in a big freezer in my studio and when I want to decorate a cake for a shoot, I thaw out various layers and put them together. Usually the cakes are layered with icing in between.
Q: What technique do you use? ie; piping bag with different nozzles?
A: I use parchment triangles for the bags and various tips.
Q:Â Is it buttercream?
A: The icing is a decorator's 'buttercream' recipe I got from a cake decorating class. It's basically powdered sugar and vegetable shortening. I found this to hold up the best – even under the hot lights while shooting. When I bake cakes for eating, I will make real buttercream (with butter!) I find it to be a little finicky in humidity, but it tastes so good.
Q: Do your get cake orders from friends? Or bake a lot beside of art?
A: Sometimes I make cakes for friends or special occasions. I have this book called the Cake Bible and like to try different recipes from it. But in general I love to cook and bake and am constantly trying something new.
Q: Amy, I love your pictures so much, have you ever considered doing a calendar? I'll be the first to buy it!!!!
A: I have considered calendars and maybe in the future will make one. Right now I am working on a photo book of Confections that will be available through my website and Blurb, and will also be selling note cards soon through my website.
Check out more of her fascinating cakes on her website!
t xoxo


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Are you a beautiful person?
No matter how you answered, I challenge you to think again. Let me pose the question another way:
Do you feel beautiful?
Thats a horse of a different color.
Ive heard people remark on how refreshing it is to meet someone real, genuine and authentic, confident and happy with who they are. These people radiate charm and grace as inner beauty emanates from the very core of their being. More than simply see it, we can feel it.
What makes them different? They are aware of who they are in a way that most others arent. Its hard to fathom if your concept of beauty is only skin deep. The world is rife with people whose outer beauty opened doors for them only to slam shut in their faces when the truth came out.
The fashion and cosmetics industries cash in on fears like this. Given the power of advertising, its no wonder so many people spend their lives focused on appearances and superficial fix-ups while neglecting what makes them truly beautiful.
Inner beauty improves with age and makes you grow more attractive with each passing year. Maybe you know someone like this how do they do it? What is their fountain of youth?
In many cases, the answer amounts to three little letters: e-g-o. For good reason, people who glow with inner beauty have created well-adjusted egos.
This is why many physically stunning people – the knockouts in the room – arent always so attractive when you get to know them better. Why? For nine out of ten, its ego. One way or another, fragile or frankly insufferable, thats the issue.
On the other hand, the people with healthy egos are easy to spot. Theyre confident and fun; they're genuinely comfortable with who they are, and insecurity and self-doubt are virtually nonexistent. They can take a joke and dish it out with ease and grace; they let go of criticism, forgive more readily, and quickly dissolve resentment and the negative emotions that thwart happiness and self-esteem.
Free from the stressors that etch wrinkles into skin, you recognize their inner beauty when you look at them. You sense it when they walk into the room; they look and feel younger than their age, and almost everyone likes them.
Those whose egos serve them possess charisma and charm thats hard to put into words. They brew a captivating aura that adds grace and presence to the dynamic, and sometimes makes them downright irresistible.
This is true beauty. Think of it as truth in transcendence.
To be truly beautiful, learn to recognize, manage and play with your ego. Put it in its proper place as an indispensable asset, subordinate to and in the service of your authentic self.
The rewards await you.