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Dancing to an Irish Reel by Claire Fullerton – A book review
Oh to be twenty-something again, but this time with the same intuitive sensibility as Hailey Crossan, the heroine of this fictional story.
That thought crossed my mind many times while reading Claire Fullerton's novel, Dancing to an Irish Reel. I had the pre-decided notion that I would relate personally to Hailey's experience being that, like her, I'm an American woman involved with an Irish gentleman. Relate I did, but not where I expected to. Our relationships are as different as our personalities and the same goes for the men in our lives. So I reread the book with no expectation or comparison and it won my heart over.
What I most connected with were the references to western Ireland geography, weather, language, and societal mores — they are impeccable. I could nearly hear the distinct Connemara blas when natives spoke. Ms. Fullerton nailed the vernacular, evidence she had spent time in the setting either researching the book or being inspired to write it. How fortunate for her because the west of Ireland is a spectacular place to be.
Another appealing part of this book for me is the use of genuine locations. One pub in particular made me smile each time it was mentioned. My husband and I celebrated there with friends and family days before our wedding and returned again on the day following our wedding. I've eaten, drank, danced, shopped, and wandered in many of the places that are written about. And the places I was less familiar with, I found myself drawn to explore.
The story reads more like a true narrative rather than one of fiction. As Hailey keenly observes the nuances of Irish life, her confusion about her swain, Liam Hennessy, begins to make sense and she gains knowledge about the realities of life with an Irish man whose first loves are music and family. While all this is happening she remains remarkably level-headed and generous with her time and affections for friends, co-workers, and neighbours. In their own unique way, they provide insights that may or may not relieve some of her uncertainty; if not, they at least help to take her mind off the wonders of her heart while also enhancing the storyline.
Hailey and Liam's relationship is not an uncommon scenario here in Ireland. Bittersweet at times, there's an innocence and naivety to their love story that had me reading between the lines of their dialogue right up to the end of the book. I'll admit, the ending was unexpected but not surprising. I could easily see a sequel to this book and would welcome it with open arms.
Would I recommend the book? Absolutely. Who would I recommend it to? Anyone living apart from Ireland who wants to get a sense of its people and intrinsic nature. Anyone who is living in or has visited Ireland and wants a reminder of how unique a culture it is. Readers who are interested in real life relationships, full of complications and void of fairy tale scenarios would also find this story appealing. If you enjoy a really good piece of fictional writing, then Dancing to an Irish Reel is for you.
Dancing to an Irish Reel – Google+ page
Dancing to an Irish Reel – Facebook page:
Follow Claire on Twitter: @cfullerton3
About the Reviewer:
Melissa Gillan "The Aran Artisan" is an Amercan lady who married her Irishman and moved to Ireland on love and a prayer. She and her husband work the land, raise their children, and do everything the Irish way. Her Blog, "The Aran Artisan" is a favorite stop for many who love her style of sharing the Irish way of life in an American voice. She was chosen specifically for this review to deem how authentic and how successful Claire Fullerton had made Dancing to an Irish Reel. Living in the area of the setting for the book, she would know.


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New Mexico requires that individuals seeking licensure as an MLO are required to complete 20 hours of NMLS-approved education. This education must include 3 hours of federal law, 3 hours of ethics (which must include instruction on fraud, consumer protection, and fair lending issues), 2 hours of non-traditional mortgage lending, 9 hours of undefined education (referred to as electives), and 3 hours of New Mexico-specific state law instruction.
If you haven't completed your initial 20 hours of SAFE education, click here to view our 20 Hour SAFE options.
As mentioned, New Mexico has a 3-hour state specific pre-licensing education course requirement. Please view our New Mexico PE course options below.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In examples and procedure descriptions and all other places where the evaluation of Scheme expression is shown, we use some notation for denoting the output and evaluation results of expressions.
The symbol '⇒' is used to tell which value is returned by an evaluation:
(+ 1 2) ⇒ 3
Some procedures produce some output besides returning a value. This is denoted by the symbol '-|'.
(begin (display 1) (newline) 'hooray) -| 1 ⇒ hooray
As you can see, this code prints '1' (denoted by
'-|'), and returns
hooray (denoted by


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A look at headlines from today's business news:
Stocks post best September in 71 years
U.S. stocks fizzled Friday, but that didn't stop the market from logging its best September in decades.
Dow Jones industrial average slipped 47 points, or 0.4 percent, after soaring more than 100 points at the start of trading. The S&P 500 fell 4 points, or
0.3 percent, and the Nasdaq ticked down 8 points, or 0.3 percent.
Economic jitters have kept stocks from breaking out of a narrow range this week. And while upbeat readings on employment and economic growth helped spark an early rally Thursday, gains subsided as worries about the euro zone bubbled up.
The five most popular stories on CNN.com in the past 24 hours, according to NewsPulse.
Apparent suicide linked to webcast: New Jersey prosecutors are considering additional bias charges against two Rutgers University students accused of invading the privacy of another student who committed suicide after his sexual encounter with another man was streamed online.
Movie star Tony Curtis dead at 85: Screen legend Tony Curtis, who appeared in 150 films including, "Some Like it Hot" and "Spartacus," died Wednesday, his family said.
An investigation into a mail bomb sent in 1993 to a Harvard professor has been closed, Massachusetts' top federal prosecutor said Thursday, following a review of the case prompted earlier this year by the arrest of former professor Amy Bishop.
Bishop faces capital murder and attempted murder charges in the shooting of six colleagues, three of whom died, during a staff meeting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville on February 12.
Her arrest prompted several law enforcement agencies and media outlets to take a closer look at her past brushes with the law, among them her suspected involvement in the attempted mail bombing of a Harvard Medical School professor in 1993, according to The Boston Globe.
In the week since Tyler Clementi updated his Facebook page with the status, "jumping off the gw bridge sorry," web pages dedicated to the Rutgers University freshman have cast him as a victim of harassment and homophobia.
But to those who knew him in his hometown of Ridgewood, New Jersey, Clementi was a kind friend and talented violinist whose passion for music was his main focus.
BP Products North America Inc. has agreed to pay a $15 million penalty to resolve federal Clean Air Act violations relating to two fires and a leak at its Texas City, Texas, oil refinery, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department said Thursday.
The fires - in March 2004 and July 2005 - and the leak in August 2005 released thousands of pounds of flammable and toxic air pollutants, the EPA said.
The violations were identified during investigations after a separate incident - a March 2005 explosion and fire that killed 15 people and injured more than 170 others, the EPA said.
Life-threatening flash flooding is occurring in the Cape Fear region of southeastern North Carolina.
Wilmington, North Carolina, set an all-time 3-day rainfall total today, according to the National Weather Service. With additional rain in the forecast, September 2010 could become the wettest September on record in Wilmington. Records in Wilmington, North Carolina date back to 1871.
The 3-day, all-time record (recorded since Monday) is 19.66 inches. That shatters the old record of 19.06 inches set from September 14 through September 16, 1999, during Hurricane Floyd.
Since September 15, Karl Meltzer has run 782 miles.
No big deal. He's got more than 1,000 more miles to go.
The Utah runner, best known for running the entire Appalachian Trail in 54 days in 2008, has taken on his next big challenge.
Meltzer is running 2,000 miles across what was the Pony Express route, crossing the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains from Sacramento, California, to St. Joseph, Missouri. The Pony Express was the primary mail service for the country in the 1860s before the invention of the telegraph.
The 42-year-old is sleeping in an RV each night.
"I wanted to do something that was historic, above and beyond what anyone else has done," he said. "And you've got so much time out there. When I'm by myself, I'm constantly taking it all in, being reminded of how cool it is to do this for a living."
Meltzer's run is sponsered by Red Bull which hosts endurance and extreme-sporting events around the globe.
Meltzer has a paid crew of four people who are making sure he eats mostly fatty breakfasts and carbs and sugar throughout the day. He's running about 7 mph, 50 miles each day. A doctor checks his vitals daily.
Meltzer expects to finish the adventure in late October. You can check his progress at www.karlmeltzer.com.
There's rarely a dull moment in NBA training camp, and this year is no exception. But it hasn't been just Carmelo Anthony's yes, no, maybe free agency that's been raising eyebrows and frustrating fans. We can now toss some anger and ire toward Lakers big man Andrew Bynum. The center is stirring up a bit of controversy for having put off knee surgery so that he could head to South Africa for this year's World Cup.
"I had to have the surgery when I was ready for it," Bynum explained to ESPNLA.com. "I was coming off the emotional high of going out and winning your second championship. I just kind of needed a little me time. Me and the family. I just took it from there. I went to go see the World Cup, it was a great time for me, one of the best of my life. I got to stay on safari. And then when I got back home, I took care of business."
But Bynum's post-World Cup surgery plans hit a road block when doctors discovered that his injury was more extensive and would require a longer recovery time, pushing his return to the Lakers back to possibly November, at best.
SI.com's Nicki Jhablava will bring the latest news from the NBA in her Training Camp Buzz. While we still may have a few more weeks until the NBA's season opener, college football is in full swing with tonight's Aggies-Cowboys matchup-up and baseball playoff action.
Texas A&M Aggies vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7:30 p.m., ET) – Undefeated Texas A&M and Oklahoma State will go head-to-head in tonight's Big 12 face-off. The win would be a huge coup for either team and their Big 12 South prospects.
Former President Jimmy Carter left a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio on Thursday afternoon after spending two days recovering from a gastric viral infection.
He will resume his schedule with a meeting this week in Washington, D.C., a statement from the Carter Center and MetroHealth Medical Center said.
Carter thanked his medical team for "attentive and comprehensive care" and expressed appreciation to all those who wished him well.
Carter, who turns 86 Friday, suffered stomach distress Tuesday during a flight to Cleveland, where he had planned to sign copies of his new book, "White House Diary."
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will step down Friday to run for mayor of Chicago, two sources told CNN Thursday.
The move was expected, after Chicago Mayor Richard Daley recently decided not to run for re-election.
Candidates for the Chicago mayoral race must gather 12,500 signatures by November 22.
Gliese 581g may be the new Earth.
A team of astronomers from the University of California and the Carnegie Institute of Washington say they've found a planet like ours, 20 light years (120 trillion miles) from Earth, where the basic conditions for life are good.
"The chances for life on this planet are 100 percent," Steven Vogt, a UC professor of astronomy and astrophysics says. "I have almost no doubt about it."
The planet is three times the size of Earth, but the gravity is similar.
Dr. Elizabeth Cunningham, planetarium astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, says the discovery is a huge deal.
"It could have liquid water on the surface," she said. "That's the first step to find life."
The Seattle-based author and "Savage Love" advice columnist has launched a YouTube channel that allows gays, lesbians and their straight allies to post messages of encouragement to young teens and tweens questioning or struggling with their sexuality. The site, launched September 15, features at least 200 videos and is part of an effort to deter gay youths from committing suicide. There have been about 500,000 views of the channel so far, with more than 6,000 people subscribing to it.
Savage, considered one of few gay relationship columnists in the country, posted his own video September 21. In it, he and a friend named Terry share their own stories of growing up gay. They talk about religious conflicts with family members, keeping secrets and facing unspeakable episodes of harassment in high school. "What I want people to take away from this is that it gets better," Savage urged his viewers, "But you have to tough this period of your life out, and you have to live your life so that you're around for it to get amazing — and it can."
YouTube: It Gets Better project
Disturbances broke out Thursday on the streets of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, as national police protested the government's cancellation of bonuses and promotions, images on the official Ecuador TV showed.
The broadcast showed mobs on the streets and clouds of black smoke coming from burning tires.
Rank-and-file police took over their headquarters, Ecuador TV said.
"We work 14 hours a day," a uniformed officer said. "We are the ones who never protest."
Said another: "One hour without police. Let's see what happens."
On the evening of September 19, Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi is believed to have sent a message by Twitter about his roommate, Tyler Clementi.
"Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay."
Ravi, 18, of Plainsboro, New Jersey, surreptitiously placed the camera in their dorm room and broadcast video of Clementi's sexual encounter on the internet, the Middlesex County prosecutor's office said. Ravi tried to use the webcam again on two days later, on September 21.
"Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it's happening again," Ravi is believed to have tweeted.
The next day, Clementi was dead.
New Jersey authorities said he apparently committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge, which spans the Hudson River between New
Jersey and New York. A law enforcement source told CNN that Clementi's wallet
and cell phone were found on the bridge.
A week later, the New York City Police harbor unit recovered the body of an unidentified male from the Hudson River. Thursday, authorities were trying to determine if it was Clementi's body.
Germany and the Allies can call it even on World War I this weekend.
On Sunday - the 20th anniversary of East and West Germany unifying about a year after the Berlin Wall fell - Deutschland will make the last in a series of reparation payments that has spanned more than nine decades.
The final payment is £59.5 million, about $93.8 million, reported London's Telegraph newspaper. Germany had to pay Belgium and France for material damages and the rest of the Allies the costs of fighting the war.
The initial tally in 1919, according to the German magazine Der Spiegel, was 96,000 tons of gold but was slashed by 40 to 60 percent (sources vary) a few years later. The debt was crippling, just as French Premier Georges Clemenceau intended.
North Korea's state news agency has released the first photo of Kim Jong Il's youngest son since he was named vice chairman of the Workers Party of Korea's central military commission.
Little is known about Kim Jong Un. Only two photos of him consistently circulate in news reports outside of North Korea because he's been kept off the radar by the North.
Kim Jong Un, who is widely expected to be the successor to North Korea's "Dear Leader," was also named to the Central Committee of the party. Earlier, during the WPK conference, the younger Kim became a four-star general, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
This photo was taken with the entire body and new leaders of the WPK at Kumsusan Memorial Palace, Pyongyang reported.
The Workers Party of Korea last convened its delegates more than four decades ago.
Tony Curtis - The spokeswoman for Jamie Lee Curtis, Heidi Schaeffer, tells CNN that Tony Curtis has died. The Associated Press reports that the Clark County Coroner's office has confirmed that Curtis died at his home last night of a cardiac arrest.
Curtis starred in more than 140 major motion pictures and was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 1958's "The Defiant Ones" with Sidney Poitier. Curtis also is known for his roles in the 1959 movie "Some Like it Hot" with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon and "Spartacus" in 1960 with Kirk Douglas.
Torrential rain - Tropical Storm Nicole only lasted a few hours, but its remnants, along with a stalled frontal boundary, are expected to dump heavy rain Thursday on parts of the Eastern Seaboard.
Pakistan has banned NATO supply convoys from entering Afghanistan after fighting between NATO troops and militants led to the killing of three Pakistani soldiers, according to a military official from the NATO-led command in Afghanistan.
The troops were killed when three NATO helicopters crossed from Afghanistan into Pakistani airspace early Thursday and attacked a military outpost, Pakistani security officials said. Three troops were wounded as well, the officials said.
Supply convoys are all-important for the Afghan war effort, and officials from NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were trying to
persuade Pakistan to lift the ban. Coalition forces rely heavily on convoys from Pakistan to bring in supplies and gear.
Alberto Contador tested positive for a banned substance in July. He has been suspended by the governing body pending an investigation. Contador's spokesman blames the failed test on food contamination. Contador is expected to speak later today. Peter Flax, editor-in-chief of "Bicycling" magazine spoke to John Roberts on American Morning:
Peter Flax: Yes, it was 1/400th of the normal limit they test for. They're talking about a trace amount of a 20-year-old asthma drug. It's a really shocking piece of news.
John Roberts: So Alberto Contador claims that it was food contamination that led to this. Are they offering any further explanation of how this food might have gotten contaminated?
Flax: No, my desk will be buzzing with all sorts of statements and press releases. I think they're holding off on that piece until the press conference in a little while. In the present anti-doping system the way its written, athletes have to take responsibility for what goes into their body. He's on the hook in that way. I have to admit like a lot of observers seeing a trace amount of such an easily detectable drug that stays so long in your system that's so old, it does make you think there's a high likelihood that there's some explanation other than a deliberate amendment for performance enhancing.
Toy manufacturer Fisher Price announced Thursday that it has recalled about 10 millions toys because they were dangerous to children.
The toy maker said it has recalled about 2.8 million of several types of baby play areas with inflatable balls because of problems with choking. It also recalled 125,000 of the toys in Canada.
The company found that a valve from the inflatable ball can come off and become a choking hazard.
Fisher Price said it knew of 46 reports where the valve came off in the U.S. and eight incidents in Canada.
"These include 14 reports of the valve found in a child's mouth and three reports of a child beginning to choke. No injuries have been reported," the company said.
More than 7 million tricycles were also being recalled over a protruding part that had cut children, the company said.


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Nuclear Energy's Comeback Is Fueled By Lobbying Dollars, Not By Safer or Better Technology
The mystery has been solved.
Where is this "new reactor renaissance" coming from?
There has been no deep, thoughtful re-making or re-evaluation of atomic technology. No solution to the nuke waste problem. No making reactors economically sound. No private insurance against radioactive disasters by terror or error. No grassroots citizens now desperate to live near fragile containment domes and outtake pipes spewing radioactive tritium at 27 US reactors.
No, nothing about atomic energy has really changed.
Except this: $645 million for lobbying Congress and the White House over the past 10 years.
As reported by Judy Pasternak and a team of reporters at American University's Investigative Reporting Workshop, filings with the Senate Office of Public Records show that members of the Nuclear Energy Institute and other reactor owner/operators admit spending that money on issues that "include legislation to promote construction of new nuclear power plants."
Money has also gone to "other nuclear-related priorities" including "energy policy, Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste disposal, plant decommissioning costs, uranium issues, such as tariffs, re-enrichment and mining, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission funding." But even that may not fully account for money spent on coal and other energy sources, or on media campaigning.
In short: think $64.5 million, every year since the coming of George W. Bush.
That's $1 million per every US Senator and Representative, plus another, say $100 million for the White House, courts and media.
"I think that's understated," says Journalism Professor Karl Grossman of the State University of New York/College at Old Westbury. The "torrent of lies" from General Electric and Westinghouse, the "Coke and Pepsi" of the nuclear industry, "has made the tobacco industry look like a piker.
Their past, present and/or future media mouthpieces, says Grossman, span CBS, NBC and a global phalanx of interlocking radio-TV-print directorates.
All are geared, adds MediaChannel.org's Rory O'Connor, to flood the globe with "Nukespeak," the Orwellian lingo that sells atomic power while rehtorically air brushing its costs and dangers.
Thus Noam Chomsky's "manufacturing consent" has become an "outright purchase."
Thus National Public Radio is now the Nuclear Proliferation Redux. Disgraced ex-Greenpeacer Patrick Moore (who also sells clear-cut forests and genetically modified food) is portrayed as an "environmentalist" rather than an industry employee.
That's not to say all reactor advocates do it for the money. Certainly some have grown on their own to like nuke power.
But $645 million---SIX HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE MILLION---can buy a lot of opinion going one way, and suppresses a lot going the other. Op eds, air time, "independent" reports, phony claims that "green" nukes can solve global warming…not to mention campaign "donations," fact-finding junkets, political fundraisers, K-Street dinners…all can be had for a trifling drip from the mega-slush fund.
The latest payback is Barack Obama's $8.33 billion in promised loan guarantees for two new nukes proposed in Georgia. Two old ones came in at 3000% over budget at a site where the Nuclear Regulatory Commission warns the proposed new ones might crumble in an earthquake or hurricane.
As Juan Gonzalez of Democracy Now! points out, Team Obama has taken VERY goodly chunks of that $645 million from Chicago's nuke-loving Exelon. Despite his campaign hype for a green revolution, Obama's first two named advisors, David Axelrod and Rahm Emmanuel, were proud Exelon "associates."
Now Obama wants taxpayers to pony up $36 billion MORE in loan guarantees. (John McCain wants a mere trillion).
All this BEFORE the US Supreme Court ruled that corporations are "persons" who can spend without limit to buy Congress and the media. The cash pouring into the pockets of politicians voting for still more taxpayer money to build still more reactors will parallel the gusher of radiation that poured from Chernobyl.
But does this mean the flood of new reactors is inevitable?
Despite that cash tsunami, grassroots activists stopped $50 billion in loan guarantees three times since 2007. No new US reactor construction has started since the 1970s, when public opinion was over 70% in favor of atomic power, and Richard Nixon promised 1000 US reactors by the year 2000.
With green jobs advocate Van Jones ditched and Obama now openly in the nuclear camp, atomic energy is still a loser.
It can't solve its waste problems, can't operate without leaking radiation, can't pay for itself and can't get private insurance against terror or error.
Once hyped as "too cheap to meter," Warren Buffett, the National Taxpayers Union, the Heritage Foundation and the CATO Institute are among those joining the Congressional Budget Office in warning that atomic energy is really "too expensive to matter."
With all those hundreds of millions to spend, the reactor backers are still selling a technological corpse. With licensing and construction and the inevitable unforeseen, not one new US reactor can come on line in less than seven years.
Meanwhile, renewable/efficiency prices will continue to plummet. And grassroots opposition will not stop, as in Vermont and wherever else reactors operate or are proposed.
As Abe Lincoln reminds us: you can't buy all the people all the time. And the ones that can't be bought CAN be damn powerful.
Those loan guarantees, all that hype about a new nuclear age…they are NOT a done deal. They still must withstand a Solartopian revolution in green technology that's left atomic power in its economic dust…and a human species whose core instincts DEMAND economic and ecological survival.
So when you hear some hired gun selling nukes, remember: even $645 million can buy only so much green lipstick for a dead radioactive pig.
And when Nature bats last, the final score is not about cash.


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The U.S. preterm birth rate dropped for the fifth consecutive year in 2011 to 11.7 percent, the lowest in a decade, giving thousands more babies a healthy start in life and saving billions in health and social costs.
Four states – Vermont, Oregon, New Hampshire, and Maine earned an "A" on the March of Dimes 2012 Premature Birth Report Card as their preterm birth rates met the March of Dimes 9.6 percent goal. Although, the US preterm birth rate improved, it again earned a "C" on the Report Card.
"These results demonstrate that many premature births can be prevented with the right policies and bold leadership," said March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer L. Howse. "Our national progress in reducing premature births over the past five years shows that when infant health becomes a priority, babies benefit. We must implement proven interventions and accelerate our investment in new research to prevent preterm birth so one day every baby will get a healthy start in life."
The US preterm birth rate peaked in 2006 at 12.8, after rising steadily for more than two decades, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. It dropped to 11.7 in 2011, the lowest in a decade.
All this improvement means not just healthier babies, but also a potential savings of roughly $3 billion in health care and economic costs to society, said Dr. Howse. About 64,000 fewer babies were born preterm in 2010, when compared to 2006, the peak year.
Dr. Howse attributed the improved rates to an expansion of successful programs and interventions, including actions by state health officials in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, who formally set goals to lower their preterm birth rates 8 percent by 2014 from their 2009 rate, based on a challenge issued in 2011 by the Association of State and Territorial Health Organizations.
On the 2012 Report Card, 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico saw improvement in their preterm birth rates between 2009 and 2011, earning 16 of them better grades.
The largest declines in premature birth occurred among babies born at 34 to 36 weeks of pregnancy, but the improvement was across the board. Every racial and ethnic group benefitted, and there were fewer preterm babies born at all stages of pregnancy.
The March of Dimes "Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait" campaign urges health care providers and patients not to schedule a delivery until at least 39 completed weeks of pregnancy, unless there is a medical reason to do so. Many important organs, including the baby's brain and lungs, are not completely developed until then. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services "Strong Start" initiative is partnering with the March of Dimes to raise awareness about the importance of a full term pregnancy through paid advertising support and collaboration with hospitals to improve perinatal care.
The March of Dimes Report Card compares each state's preterm birth rate to the March of Dimes goal of lowering the rate to 9.6 percent of all live births by 2020. The Report Card information for the U.S. and states are available online at: marchofdimes.org/reportcard.
The Report Card also gauges states' progress toward lowering their preterm birth rates by tracking contributing factors.
- 7 states and the District of Columbia reduced the percentage of uninsured women of childbearing age;
- 43 states the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico lowered the late preterm birth rate, infants born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation.
Worldwide, 15 million babies are born too soon each year and more than one million of those infants die as a result of their early births. The US ranked 131 out of 184 countries, according to a May 2012 global report on premature birth issued by the March of Dimes and several partners. This November 17th, the March of Dimes and its global partners will mark the second World Prematurity Day by asking everyone to post a story about a baby born too soon at facebook.com/WorldPrematurityDay. The page will feature an interactive world map showing the home place for each story told.
Also on Nov. 17, the Empire State Building in New York City will be shining in purple light to symbolize hope for a healthy start for more babies.
Please visit the March of Dimes multimedia news release to see videos, pictures or for more information.
The March of Dimes Prematurity Prevention Campaign is made possible by support from Destination Maternity, Watson Pharmaceuticals, the WellPoint Foundation, and gifts from millions of individual donors.


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Do Mills and Richmond have upper hand?
So, it seems as though young Brad Mills can do no wrong in manager Cito Gaston's eyes. After Friday's four-run, six-hit, five-inning performance, Gaston was still very forgiving, pointing out missed calls by the umpire and praising Mills' ability to settle down.
Gaston also offered up this gem:
"Hey, we're looking forward to having him on this club."
Quickly adding…
"We're not sure if he's going to make it out of camp, but we'll see what happens in the next week or so."
On Sunday, Matt Clement and Scott Richmond will pitch in the same game on the road against the Twins. That could be a big game for both of them. Even after today, I get the impression that Mills and Richmond is ahead of Clement in the club's eyes, which could mean that's the pair that will be heading north.
An MRI on Janssen's right shoulder showed a mild muscle strain, according to the Jays, and he's set to play catch in three days. But, that's on flat ground. He is now behind and heading north as a starter seems an unlikely scenario, especially with the Jays needing a fifth man right out of the gates.
"He's going to have to back off either way, whether we want to or not," said Gaston. "He's going to be backed off anyway. It might be a little bit of a struggle to get him ready for the season. We have to wait to see what's going to happen with that."
As for Richmond, who missed some time due to the WBC and is also a tad behind thanks to not pitching in the tournament, GM J.P. Ricciardi had this to say:
"We're giving him a little bit of leeway there. Innings wise, he's behind the other guys, but he's right in the mix."
Thoughts, Cito?
"We're going to try to take the best guys with us and Richmond, he certainly has a great chance of making this ballclub. We all know him, we all like him and he didn't get a chance to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, but we've had him around before and he's always given us a chance to win a ballgame."
Ricciardi was very short in his meeting with the media today and worked very hard not to say much of anything. When asked if every start from here on out was a sort of audition for the rotation candidates, this was his response:
"Yeah and no. Right now, we have a pretty good idea what we think we can take. Obviously, if someone goes out and keeps pitching well, it's only going to make you take notice. But, I think we're going to take the whole body of work into consideration."
By "whole body of work," Ricciardi meant this Spring Training.
Catch you all tomorrow…


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I received an advanced review copy of this title from Pushkin Press through Edelweiss. Montaigne was originally written in German in 1941 and this English translation is done by Will Stone. This is my second contribution to German Literature Month, hosted by Lizzy's Literary Life and Beauty is a Sleeping Cat. Please visit their blogs for more great German Literature in translation and to see the full list of blogs that are participating.
My Review:
Stefan Zweig was forced to flee his home in Austria as the Nazis were taking control of his motherland. For years he wandered around Europe as a nomad with no real place to call home. As Europe is ravaged by war, he finds his way to the German community of Petropolis in Brazil and in 1941 he decides to write this brief biography of Michel de Montaigne with whose life he identifies on many levels.
Montaigne comes from a long line of hardworking ancestors. His father's family were fishermen and made their fortune by eventually owning their own fleet of ships. His mother's family were Jewish bankers from Spain who fled that county to avoid the Inquisition. Montaigne's grandfather buys a chateau and a vast estate in Bordeaux and intends to further the family's aristocratic status through his purchase of land and a title.
Montaigne is brought up in the lap of luxury and it was very important to his father that his eldest son receive the best education possible. As a result it was mandatory that Montaigne be fluent in Latin, for which purpose his father hired a German tutor when Montaigne was only four years old. Montaigne was only allowed to speak in Latin and even the rest of the family and the household servants were required to learn some basic Latin phrases in order to communicate with the young boy. As a result of this immersion in the language Montaigne is said to have been more comfortable speaking and writing in Latin than in his native French. As a classicist I couldn't help but simile at and appreciate this part of Montaigne's story. If only it were possible to educate all of my students in this way!
When Montaigne's father dies he takes over as the head of household.. This foists a large responsibility on a man who sees his familial and civic responsibilities as mundane and tiresome occupations. Zweig highlights Montaigne's detachment from his family whom he even seems to view at times as a burden. He never has fond words for his wife or the institution of marriage and at one point Zweig says that Montaigne is not even really sure how many children he has that are still alive. Montaigne's isolation from his family is further deepended when, at the age of thirty-eight, he decides that he wants to retire from his life, lock himself in the study in his tower, and read the precious books with which he has surrounded himself.
Montaigne's view of books and reading is also noteworthy in Zweig's account of his life. Montaigne wants to absorb as much information and knowledge as possible and he scribbles notes in his books as various thoughts occur to him. Montaigne states about his collection: "Books are my kingdom. And here I seek to reign as absolute lord." It is during this time of self-imposed retreat and isolation that Montaigne tries to attain individual freedom and seeks to know himself as a man and as a human being on a deeper level. His intentions, like other philosophers, is not to give his readers a specific ideology to follow. Instead his thoughts and writings are introspective and intensely personal.
Ten years later, at the age of forty-eight, Zweig decides that he has had enough of his retirement and so decides to travel across Europe. This journey becomes very painful for him since he suffers debilitating pain from kidney stones. While he is away on his journey, the citizens of Bordeaux elect him in absentia as their mayor so at this point he decides to go back and serve his people. Zweig reminds us, though, that Montaigne is no hero and his selfish habits come to the forefront once again when the plague breaks out in Bordeaux and he abandons his people to find for themselves.
Whether or not one is familiar with Montaigne, Zweig's account of him is definitely worth a read. Zweig was at a critical point in his life where he saw the world erupt in violence because of fascism and communism. He commiserated with Montaigne who also saw his world torn apart by religious wars and fanaticism. Zweig commits suicide in 1942 and this was one of the last things that he wrote. Many believe that Zweig took Montaigne's advice as far as death is concerned and decided to die on his own terms instead of living through a miserable exile imposed on him by outside forces.
About The Author:
Zweig studied in Austria, France, and Germany before settling in Salzburg in 1913. In 1934, driven into exile by the Nazis, he emigrated to England and then, in 1940, to Brazil by way of New York. Finding only growing loneliness and disillusionment in their new surroundings, he and his second wife committed suicide.
Zweig's interest in psychology and the teachings of Sigmund Freud led to his most characteristic work, the subtle portrayal of character. Zweig's essays include studies of Honoré de Balzac, Charles Dickens, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Drei Meister, 1920; Three Masters) and of Friedrich Hlderlin, Heinrich von Kleist, and Friedrich Nietzsche (Der Kampf mit dem Dmon, 1925; Master Builders). He achieved popularity with Sternstunden der Menschheit (1928; The Tide of Fortune), five historical portraits in miniature. He wrote full-scale, intuitive rather than objective, biographies of the French statesman Joseph Fouché (1929), Mary Stuart (1935), and others. His stories include those in Verwirrung der Gefhle (1925; Conflicts). He also wrote a psychological novel, Ungeduld des Herzens (1938; Beware of Pity), and translated works of Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, and mile Verhaeren.
Most recently, his works provided inspiration for the 2014 film 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'.


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Rowdy Readers
UTSA athletes mentor and support elementary school students
Braun Station Elementary School assistant principal Veronica Segovia- Cadena and UTSA assistant track coach LaVera Morris never talked about it, but much to their surprise, the two were thinking on the same wavelength.
Segovia-Cadena was looking for a way to connect the school's students with UTSA student-athletes. At the same time, Morris was looking for a way for Roadrunners track and field athletes to give back to the community.
Thanks to a little hard work and the UTSA Rowdy Readers program, their paths crossed and a solid relationship developed. Since the beginning of the fall semester, Morris and a group of UTSA track athletes have been going to Braun Station every other Tuesday to meet with approximately 30 students.
Joining Morris for the sessions are UTSA student-athletes Isabel Balbontin, Ryan Elizalde, Brady Hand, Adrienne Mosby, Kourt'ney Payne, Kyndall Snider and Sarah Wedgeworth.
The meetings will continue until the end of the school year.
"When UTSA called us to ask what they could do, we were excited," Segovia- Cadena said. "LaVera wanted her student-athletes to get involved with the kids, and what better way to do it than academically? We have a need. We have some children who may not have a lot of support at home. They may not get read to and some might be struggling with reading. Here, the student-athletes are serving as mentors and also big brothers and sisters. And these kids really look up to them. It has been great."
UTSA head coach Aaron Fox sees the benefits for the Roadrunners as well.
"LaVera has done an outstanding job putting this together," Fox said. "This is something we try to do as much as possible, and definitely with the younger kids. Sometimes, it's tough for our student-athletes with their classes and practice schedules, but they've made it work and they really enjoy it."
They've also developed a fan base. When the UTSA student-athletes gathered at the school at the start of the new year for a photo session, they found Christmas cards waiting for them.
"We have enjoyed having them here," Braun Station Principal Jack Funkhouser said. "A lot of people don't realize these kids learn so much from visiting and talking to the student-athletes, but these connections are important to the kids. It is really good for everyone involved. We hope to keep the partnership going."
The Roadrunners who work with pre-K and kindergarten students usually read to the students. Those involved with first through fifth grades help the students with their reading skills. Whatever their role is for the session, they also make it a point to get to know the kids.
Seeing the track and field athletes and elementary students connecting is special for track coach Morris. "I am really big in getting our athletes involved in community service," she said.
"I really want them to do something hands-on while they're here. We help the kids with their reading, but we also ask how their day is going. My initial goal was for our athletes to see how they can give back to the community and how they will value this."
The value has been priceless for all involved, as Brady Hand exemplifies. The senior, who works mostly with econd graders, became good friends with one student who transferred to another school before the beginning of the semester. But Hand hopes to re-connect somewhere down the road.
"He was a real cool kid," he said. "I saw it as an opportunity to have an impact on his life and we really bonded. I even came up and had lunch with him a couple times, and we talked about whatever he wanted to talk about. I love kids, and this is my chance to have an impact on them and represent UTSA well. It might be good for them to meet someone from UTSA. They might get to thinking they want to do the same thing someday. Thinking about the future is good for them."
The project has also encouraged Hand to think of his own future. He was planning to become a coach and teacher after graduating from UTSA. He was looking at coaching in high school or college, but the recent project has him leaning toward a new direction.
"I've been looking at becoming an elementary physical education coach ever since I have been here," Hand said. "I realized I could do this. I enjoy working with the kids at this age. This will give me a chance to have another impact on them."
–Pat Turner
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Monitors all network traffic using Trend Micro Deep Discovery Inspector and Analyzer
Talus Informatik AG has been providing customers with comprehensive IT solutions for more than 20 years, from analysis and consulting to conception, implementation and support. The diversified IT portfolio includes leading industry and individual software solutions.
In addition to being a general contractor in their own geo-redundant data center, Talus is responsible for the outsourcing of customer IT, web and email hosting, and offers software as a service.
Services are tailored to public administrations of cities and municipalities, energy suppliers, and subject matter experts (SMEs) in the service sector. Given the diverse offerings for clients, one of the biggest challenges for Talus is to maintain the availability and integrity of an immense amount of critical client data, such as, city administration social services and registration data.
The security of IT systems and applications is ensured by firewalls and email relays, which are maintained and monitored around the clock by an external partner. Trend Micro™ Antivirus, including ScanMail™ for Exchange and OfficeScan™ solutions, run on servers and terminal servers, monitored internally by IT staff. All services are integrated into a monitoring software solution, reporting to the CIO.
Given the increasing number of attempted attacks, especially via email, the existing security infrastructure was not enough for the CIO. "The ever-increasing threats to the data center, including ransomware, and limited online visibility across all existing services, such as email flow or traffic, illustrated the need for better analytics and an early warning system to detect anomalies, threats and weak spots," explains Michael Weissbach, CIO, Talus Informatik AG. Talus looked for a solution which, in addition to the features of the firewall and intrusion prevention system (IPS), offered more functionalities to detect irregularities, and indicators of other threats that might have escaped the perimeter protection mechanisms. As well, Talus wanted to have a second view of the incidents in the network and the endpoints.
"With Deep Discovery, we have a tool that is completely in our hands and that gives us a second view of the systems. The solution now provides us with metrics such as increased traffic or abnormal behavior that provide us with insights we did not have before."
Michael Weissbach,
CIO, Talus Informatik AG
"That's exactly what Trend Micro's Deep Discovery™ Inspector and Deep Discovery™ Analyzer do," says Talus CIO. "We knew Trend Micro and its products for some time, and a reference customer convinced us even more." In a two-month trial, the Talus team familiarized themselves with Deep Discovery and tested its suitability for the specific needs of the business. The patched configuration was then exported and adopted. With support from Trend Micro, the Talus team set up interfaces, thresholds, exceptions, and whitelists. This was particularly important, as the solution had significant results in the initial phase, which had escaped the other solutions - especially incoming email.
Deep Discovery monitors all network traffic on the LAN, DMZ, and entire data center server network, including the second site (geo-redundancy) at Talus. Every morning there is a system check across the entire data center, which also includes Deep Discovery. Email alerts have been configured to continuously send critical notifications to the responsible person's mailbox, so they can take necessary action.
"The protection of IT in our business is on the right track with Trend Micro Deep Discovery, and there are hardly any critical alerts left!"
Michael Weissbach,
CIO, Talus Informatik AG
In addition to protecting firewalls and email relays under the responsibility of a partner, Talus now has additional in-house security with Deep Discovery Inspector and Deep Discovery Analyzer. "We have a tool that is completely in our hands, giving us a second view of the systems," explains Weissbach."The solution also provides us with better analysis capabilities."
Deep Discovery has emerged as an early-warning system for detecting threats and vulnerabilities, e.g. proven for high spam volumes or other irregularities. With an email volume of more than 300,000 emails per day, it is essential to be able to quickly recognize a sudden increase in spam volume and initiate countermeasures. An example of an instance where the solution proved to be beneficial was when there was an attempt at a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which could be blocked quickly. "The second online view was important, because the attack was understandable and the interruption of the operation took only one hour," says the CIO.
Detection of vulnerabilities is very important for the security of Talus' IT systems, as the service provider runs a variety of software solutions. It is important to identify weak points that the mechanisms at the gateway cannot find. "With Deep Discovery, we now have metrics on increased traffic or abnormal behaviors, that provide insights we did not have before," explains Weissbach. The CIO particularly appreciates using Trend Micro's Connected Threat Defense to keep track of all the suspicious objects found in Deep Discovery. The experts at Talus have to recognize the threat, and understand where a spam mail came from. The sandbox environment, which tracks the behavior of threats in completely detached instances across different operating systems, keeps detailed logs; providing a unique "behind the scenes" view of what happens when an infection occurs. "The protection of IT in our company is more relaxed because we are on the right track with Deep Discovery," Weissbach's concludes.
IndustryIT Services
RegionEurope, Switzerland
Products OfficeScan
Deep Discovery Analyzer
Deep Discovery Inspector
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This article was originally published in the May/June 1998 issue of Home Energy Magazine. Some formatting inconsistencies may be evident in older archive content.
| Back to Contents Page | Home Energy Index | About Home Energy |
Home Energy Magazine Online May/June 1998
First Step in Cellulose Sealing: Spot the Style
by Fred Lugano
For a home performance contractor, knowing the typical problems in each style of house can save time and improve the quality of your work.
The problems can start below ground: there are usually large holes through the foundation (as in the case of homes with stone foundations or below-grade windows). The basement is often connected to the house by a leaky cellar access door. In this case, the neutral pressure plane drops, placing the top of the house under very high pressure. This pressure means that even small holes into the attic, such as wiring penetrations or the gaps around shrunken partition top plates, blow enough air to heat the attic and ice the roof. This type of air movement causes many two-story homes to develop large black patches on fiberglass insulation in both the basement and the attic. The fiberglass filters out particles as air flows through.
We block the large foundation leaks, but focus primarily on the boundary between the attic and the second story. Every plumbing and wiring penetration and every inch of partition top plate needs to be traced and air sealed with caulk. We've found that leaks around the tops of interior walls are so consistent that we now rarely use pressure from the blower door to guide us. Since the drywall is dimensionally stable, gaps always form when the top plate lumber dries. The gaps may only be 1/16-inch or 1/8-inch wide, but with high stack pressure, this is enough to deliver enormous amounts of heat and moisture to the attic. So every gap gets caulked.
Next Step, Stairways
There is a special problem with the stairwells in two-story houses. When they are balloon framed from the first floor to the attic, the wall bays provide large passages through the conditioned space. When a sloped ceiling is built over the stairs, big problems develop. In this design, a sloped 2 x 4 ledger is nailed to the inside of the stairwell to frame the ceiling over the stairs. This leaves a huge wedge-shaped divot in the attic floor (see Figure 1). However, the interior walls of the stairwell have no top plates, leaving open air passages from the heated space into the attic.
To make matters worse, we find fiberglass batts that have been tented over the void. Air in the divot is then on the attic side of the pressure boundary, but on the house side of the thermal boundary. Once warmed, this air can flow through batt insulation into the attic, to be replaced by cold air.
Cold attic air conducts heat out of the walls. This shows in condensation on (and degradation of) the surrounding wall finishes. When the house is heated, any leaks into the walls (for example, the space around electrical boxes) exhaust enormous amounts of air from the house.
With such extreme leakage to the attic, windows draft, flues backdraft, and roofs ice up, regardless of wind conditions or insulation levels. I've seen three homes where the second floor system was depressurized--the top sashes were sucking in air without help from mechanical depressurization--because the neutral pressure plane was somewhere in the middle of the attic.
So we air seal and insulate the space above the stairs. If access is available, we can build a new attic floor of wood framing, applying normal air sealing methods. But for a quick and utterly reliable air seal, we dense-pack the whole divot. The stairwell is so open that normal pneumatic dense-packing is impossible, so we compress the cellulose with our bodies. At 3 lb/ft3, a typical 3-ft-wide stairwell requires 450 lb of cellulose, which isn't enough to cause structural failure on the ceiling of the stairway below. (Indeed, the main structural stress is having workers in the cavity compressing the insulation.)
Garrison Colonials
The Garrison colonial is known for its cantilevered second-story floor. These same floors show up in many modern contemporaries. This type of construction exposes interior joists between the first and second story to the outdoors (see Moisture Control in Bathrooms, HE Mar/Apr '98, p. 21). Fortunately, they often reside near the neutral pressure plane and are thus not subjected to much infiltration in calm weather. But coupled with balloon framing that is open at the top, these floors are depressurized, and become conduits through which large amounts of inside air can get to the attic. Repair requires air sealing and insulating the ends of the joist bays. There are two methods. We can remove the cantilever's siding and sheathing and manually air seal the joist bays with bags of fiberglass or with rigid materials and caulk. Or, to dense-pack, we can drill holes under the cantilever, over the cantilever, or through adjacent drywall, and pack the ends of the bays with cellulose.
Wood Stoves
In cold climates, where most colonials are found, homeowners sometimes install wood stoves to overcome the heat loss from drafts. At least heat can radiate across the drafts, allowing people to sit still without wearing a coat or blanket. Due to excessive leakage at the top of the house, these same homeowners sometimes have to develop tricks to start a fire. I've seen electric hair dryers, propane torches, and various petroleum accelerants put into wood stoves to light them when they are cold. Once heated, wood heaters pull yet more air out of the house, increasing negative pressures. Even then, some fireplaces backdraft enough that they are unusable unless windows are open. Backdrafting is a sign of strong negative pressures around the wood stove. It shows that air is being lost out the top of the house.
Recessed Cans
Recessed lights are very popular in two-story houses. When installed upstairs, they create a huge aggregate puncture into the attic. I've seen over four dozen used in a single house. Fixtures labeled fire hazard cannot be air sealed safely. If homeowners won't let us replace these fixtures, I do what I can to seal the other gaps in the house, and hope for the best. Building and installing baffles to keep insulation away from these fixtures ends up costing more in labor and energy than just replacing the fixtures with IC-rated ones.
With IC-rated fixtures installed, it is possible to air seal the attic floor. We seal the fixtures by covering them with airtight boxes. We build the boxes by screwing five 12-inch squares of drywall into scrap pieces of steel corner bead. We cut notches to accommodate wiring and framing, and then seal the whole thing to the ceiling with caulk and foam.Contemporary Houses By their nature, contemporary houses are unusual. This in itself can lead to thermal defects. When unskilled laborers attempt challenging architecture, misaligned walls and loose framing joints become commonplace. These lead to a leaky envelope that house wrap conceals, but does not air seal. Every framing junction in a building is a source of some leakage. In dramatic designs where walls are ballooned or floors are cantilevered, interior wall and floor bays are exposed to outside air. This leads to large bypasses and intrusions. Even energy-conscious builders have difficulties with unique homes because they have no relevant insulation and air sealing patterns to follow.
Contemporaries often have interior walls that separate living space from attics. Where these open areas butt into the other rooms with lower ceilings, the interior partitions are framed up to the roof. This leaves one side of the wall framing exposed to the attic. Such a wall needs to perform as an exterior wall, blocking the flow of air and heat. However, the partition wall is rarely blocked at the lower ceiling plane, and is often uninsulated. In a complicated design, these critical details are easy to overlook.
These walls destroy thermal comfort by leaking air to the attic or by convecting heat out of the wall. During winter, the lower part of the wall is heated from both sides, heating air within the wall. At the lower ceiling plane, the stud bays are open to the attic, allowing heated air to rise up and out. If the wall is interrupted by electric outlets or other penetrations, house air is drawn through them. If there are no penetrations, dense cold air from the attic falls down the stud bays to be heated. (This can make a thermostat behave erratically, because the wall gets colder as the house is heated.)
To air seal and insulate the confusing spaces at the top of interior walls, we've found that house wrap and dense-pack cellulose are particularly useful. We hang house wrap over the short attic walls and other large areas of strange and leaking framing. To secure it to the framing, we either use wide-crown roofing staples or nails and screws with lath or cardboard reinforcement. Fasteners should be 12 inches on center. We then fill the stud and rafter bays with dense-pack cellulose, delivering insulation and air sealed building joints with a minimum of expense.
Today, exposed beams across cathedral ceilings are a popular theme. The sloped ceilings create mighty drafts that suck huge volumes of air through leaks around the beams. If the air is humidified, either mechanically or by a saturated foundation, destructive condensation often occurs in the roof system. The solution is to pack the cathedral ceiling full of cellulose and turn off the water. Turning off the water can mean sealing the foundation, or at least telling residents not to run mechanical humidifiers all winter. Once air leakage is reduced, humidification should be less necessary.The Ranch Home In single-story construction, we see the lowest stack pressures. This means that for every square inch of leakage area, there is relatively little air flow. The trouble is that every square foot of living area is exposed to the attic. This offers many more opportunities for envelope breaches than are present in a two-story of the same floor area.
Typically, the roofs of these houses are framed at a 4-in-12 pitch. Getting out to see and fix bypasses and intrusions at the eaves is difficult. More than with any other type of house, I like to walk the interior and map the walls, lighting, and likely chases before entering the attic. The attic is so tight that it's a waste of physical exertion to hunt for leaks up there.
Each bathroom has a separate plumbing chase leading to unconditioned space. Ceiling fixtures are almost never sealed, providing more routes for air flow to the attic. Every linear foot of interior partition top plate is a potential source of leakage, especially in walls with wall switches and electrical outlets. Shower surrounds present especially big leaks--they are intentionally left open to the attic to let moist walls dry out, but they also let warm air escape all winter long. Chimneys are potent leakage sites (see See the Chimney, Seal the Leak). And kitchens are often open to the attic through valances, exhaust chases, and built-in cabinetry.
Big divots in the attic floor, such as kitchen valances and dropped ceilings (see Figure 2), kill envelope performance in two ways. Wall bays that open into these cavities draft warm air into the attic (just like the colonial staircase described above). This air is replaced either from the house or from the attic. Cold attic air can be drawn down into the wall, or house air can leak into the bays through electrical openings and around trim.
To add architectural interest, ever more ranch houses are featuring cathedral ceilings in living rooms and other public areas. These present the same sort of performance problems found in contemporaries, although in ranch homes, the ceiling anomalies are generally easier to see and fix.
Fixing the Ranch
The goal in the ranch is a continuous air seal at the ceiling plane. Most ranch-style homes have one large, flat ceiling, so the main problem is just locating and accessing the leaks. After walking the interior of the house, looking for likely penetrations, we bring a variety of air sealing materials into the attic, including scraps of drywall, waxed cardboard, and wood blocking, caulk, expanding foam, and sheet metal.
Where adjacent wall bays open into lighting valances, there are two possible repairs. It's possible to block the wall framing at the valance level. Rather than waste time cutting rigid air sealing material, we air seal the bays by stuffing them with bags of fiberglass insulation. Alternatively, the entire valance can be dense-packed with cellulose.The Finished Half-Attic One last style of building with inherent problems is the finished half-attic. This popular design includes bungalows, Cape Cods, and gambrel houses. Some two-story colonials also have a finished attic that adds half a floor of living space. The element common to all of these houses is the side attic (see Figure 3). This odd triangular space behind kneewalls destroys the performance of these houses (see Beauty and the Beast Upstairs, HE, Mar/Apr '95, p. 28).
In a house with vented attics, the finished half-attic can be surrounded entirely by outdoor air. This conducts heat in during the summer and out during the winter, to the point that water sometimes freezes when spilled on the floor of these rooms. The extensive exposure to outdoor air also causes massive air leakage. Insulation in the sloped ceilings above the attic often turns black from filtering out particulates in flowing air. I have found homes where sealing the various attic spaces reduces total house leakage (measured by blower door) by over 75%.
Generally, the floor of a side attic is unfinished, consisting of exposed joists and insulation. Some finer old houses have tongue-and-groove subfloors in the side attics, but these pose little obstruction to air movement. Thus, the floor under the finished half-story is connected to the side attic. (Building guides sometimes recommend blocking between the floor joists where the kneewalls sit on the joists. This is a good idea that is practically never implemented.) From the side attic, open rafter bays lead to the top attic. So there is a continuous zone of outdoor air that includes the floor system, the side attic, and the top attic.
The attic living space is effectively outdoors for two reasons. First, roof venting is so effective at circulating air out of the attic that there is a constant flow of outdoor air past the interior space, bringing the attic's temperature ever closer to outdoor conditions. Second, the attics usually leak so much (through the backs of built-in furniture, for example) that the primary pressure barrier becomes the attic ridge vent.
Fixing the Half-Attic
Fixing these houses is extremely difficult with normal air sealing methods. Just getting in there can be a challenge. If residents are using the space for storage, it will be full of belongings, and unused side attics often have no access. The kneewalls tend to be broken up by built-in drawers, bookcases, and shelves, to capture some utility from this otherwise wasted space.
Using traditional air sealing methods, we must treat about 100 ft2 of house to eliminate 100 square inches of effective leakage area. Such a project is not usually cost-effective. But if the side attics are small or unused, it is much simpler to solidify them completely by packing them with cellulose. This eliminates all the hand work in what can be hot, confined, dangerous, and filthy places. The results, unlike conventional air sealing, are extraordinarily reliable and durable, regardless of complications such as built-in furniture.
To solidify a half-attic, we cover the backs of the built-in furniture with house wrap, stapled to the framing. To gain entry, we go through interior walls, through exterior walls, or through the roof. We check the side attic for bad wiring, unlined chimneys, light fixtures labeled fire hazard, disconnected ductwork, roof rot, and dead animals. We then pack the side attics with cellulose at 3.5 lb/ft3, eliminating all attic venting. We treat the top attic conventionally, by air sealing manually and blowing with cellulose. We have found that by blocking off all air movement between the living space and the attic, we can get rid of moisture problems. We guarantee our work, and have yet to have any problems from structural failure or moisture diffusion through the cellulose. Most importantly, we have found that residents are far more comfortable.
In order to preserve side attics, we sheath the rafters with oriented strand board and dense-pack the rafter bays. This is easiest to do from above. If there is no hatch, we gain access to the top attic, either through exterior walls, through the roof, or through gable vents. For uninsulated slopes, we push a 2-inch hose down the rafter bays all the way to the floor. If there is existing batt insulation in the sloped ceiling, we slide a 1-inch hose past the existing insulation. Either way, we blow in cellulose at 3.5 lb/ft3. When we are done, the soffits and rafter bays are packed tight, and any batt insulation in the slopes is crushed flat against the sloped ceiling.
Fred Lugano is a builder and home performance contractor in Vermont.
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Saturday, October 24, 2009
Playdough Storage Update
We've recently discovered that storing playdough in the metal IKEA containers is NOT a good idea, and I thought I should let everyone know... The playdough dried out on the edges, and the homemade chocolate playdough had some kind of strange chemical reaction with the container. It turned black in a couple of spots and seemed to burn a hole in the bottom of the container somehow. Very strange. I guess it's better to store playdough in plastic containers after all :(
5 comments:
thank you for the update, I was totally going to steal this idea!ReplyDelete
Yeah, my kids left something metal in our homemade playdoh once and there was also a weird chemical reaction that took place. We just use ziploc baggies instead.ReplyDelete
I try to avoid plastic like the devil but sometimes you just can't beat it!ReplyDelete
I just saw your salad spinner clip on Rachel Ray! =) That was so cool! =)ReplyDelete
This is really good to know! We might try making some today.ReplyDelete
And I wanted to share that I am having a giveaway!
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Health News
Should Older People Still Get Colorectal Cancer Screenings?
Health officials say colorectal cancer screening can stop after age 75 in some cases. But could there be a benefit to continuing screening after that age?
What Causes Colorectal Cancer?
Several non-genetic factors may increase your risk for colorectal cancer.
Colorectal Cancer FAQs
There will be 101,000 new cases of colon cancer and over 44,000 new cases of rectal cancer in the United States this year, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates. Here's what you need to know.
Approved: First Biosimilar Rx for Cancer
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the United States' first biosimilar drug to treat cancer.
How Diet May Affect Your Colorectal Cancer Risk
The foods you eat may have an impact on your risk for colorectal cancer, according to a new report.
The Link Between Statins and Colorectal Cancer
In a new study, researchers took a closer look at the relationship between statins, cholesterol and colorectal cancer.
What's Behind the USPSTF's Aspirin Guidance
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) just released new guidance on daily aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and colorectal cancer. But what was behind that recommendation?
Is a Daily Aspirin Right for You?
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued a recommendation on taking aspirin for heart attack, stroke and colorectal cancer prevention for certain patients.
Colorectal Cancer Q&A
Over 136,000 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the United States last year, reports the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Here's what you need to know.
For Colorectal Patients, Surgery May Not Be Enough
A colonoscopy is a medical procedure that uses a thin, flexible tube to examine the colon. Although invasive and sometimes uncomfortable, colonoscopies are essential screening tools. And that may be especially true for colorectal cancer patients.
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text:
Edward McClelland has an article on Salon about Obama-McCain voters– generally guys (or "dudes", as the article puts it), who will vote for Obama if he's the Democratic candidate but McCain if Clinton gets the Democratic nomination. McClelland started out feeling just this inclination, and then became convinced that all his rationalisations for it were wrong, that it was sexism, and that he should vote for Clinton if she gets the nomination. What interests me is the question of how we should go about deciding in any case, including our own, whether we are motivated by an inappropriate bias or by something more respectable. It might seem obvious that every Obama-McCain voter is motivated by sexism. After all, their politics are extremely far apart (at least as far as the US political spectrum goes), and Clinton's views are very close to Obama's. But loads of voters don't base their votes on detailed knowledge of candidates' positions, and instead go by some nebulous sense of "character". "Character" evaluations certainly make it easy for bias to come in, but surely they don't guarantee it. Mightn't somebody just *dislike* Clinton for non-sexist reasons, and therefore prefer Obama/McCain? Surely this is possible, and probably there's at least one person like this. So, even if we grant that many Obama/McCain dudes are motivated by sexism, mightn't you, or your cousin, be one who isn't? How would you know? It's very, very tough. You can't point to a record of support for other women who have come close to the Presidency, as there haven't been any. Self-knowledge of this sort is very hard. It's wrong to expect that if you are influenced by sexist biases you'll discover the belief "women suck" lurking somewhere in your subconscious. (I think a lot of people do mistakenly assume this picture of sexism, by the way.) If what researchers on unconscious associations and gender schemas tell is correct, *most* of us– even some of those who devote their lives to fighting sexism– are affected by sexist biases. This may be take the form of some inferences being easier than others, or of very slight positive or negative emotions being tied to sex/gender. What McClellan realised about himself was the extent to which he associated masculinity with leadership.
I never said to myself, "I want a man for president." I said to myself, "I want a leader who can unite the country." Like a lot of guys who are about to furtively nod their heads, I think of leadership as a masculine quality, so Obama and McCain seemed like the strongest candidates. I was also leery of Clinton's association with the culture wars — I don't want to go through that again — but she was a polarizing first lady because she was given power over healthcare before the nation was ready to see a woman in that role. (In 1994, I walked into a religious bookstore and saw an anti-Clinton biography titled "Big Sister Is Watching You.") Ultimately, it was impossible to separate my reservations about Clinton from the fact that she's a woman.
But realisations of this sort about oneself are hard to come by (partly because they involve admitting things we don't want to admit, but partly just because self-knowledge is hard). I think there's a real epistemic problem here. There are also some interesting issues about how to define a bias, and about how blameworthy people are for biases and actions based on biases. And, of course, these questions and phenomena are by no means confined to sexist biases.


text:
A Florida teenager was arrested this week on charges of attempting to have her parents killed, according to a police affidavit.
Alyssa Michelle Hatcher is accused of stealing nearly $1,500 from her parents' bank account while trying to carry out her murder-for-hire plot, the affidavit shows. She used $400 to pay a friend to have her parents killed, the document says, and when the act was not carried out, the 17-year-old paid another person $900 to do it.
The girl's boyfriend told investigators he had seen her at "a known drug house" where she told him she wanted to kill her parents, according to the affidavit.
When she was interviewed by an investigator at her home, Hatcher said that in addition to paying two people to kill her parents, she also used money she had stolen from her parents to buy cocaine, the affidavit says.
Hatcher's parents were not injured and told investigators they wanted to press charges against their daughter. She has been charged as a juvenile with two counts of criminal solicitation for murder.
On Tuesday, Hatcher was transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Ocala, Florida, Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Fred Jones said. She'll get her next court date from that location, he added.


text:
Who would Peter be today?
It's a question I ask myself all the time. Where would Peter be living? What would his life be like? What would he have chosen as a career?
I knew Peter for many years when we were kids. We grew up in the same town, but we weren't friends. In fact, I can't remember a meaningful conversation Peter and I ever shared. We had many classes together and we were both in the school band. He was definitely a more talented musician. I struggled in my attempts to play the saxophone. Peter mastered playing the tuba. I was more interested in sports, since I also played baseball and football. Peter focused on his classroom studies and his music.
Peter didn't have many friends. He wasn't like us. Everything about him was different. He didn't dress like the rest of us; he didn't have the same interests as most of us; Peter just didn't fit in.
For as long as I can remember, Peter was bullied.
Bullied probably isn't the right word to describe the way Peter was treated. I'm disgusted thinking of the days of our youth and remembering how he had to go through his life at school. The abuse was relentless. Students would heckle loudly as he walked by; he was laughed at and teased at almost every corner. People would shout out, "Peter the nerd!" or "Geek!" every chance they could.
Almost everyone I knew would join in. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm not innocent either. I honestly don't remember any specific taunt or harsh words I may have said toward Peter or his close circle of friends, but I know I laughed along with the others in my crowd.
I watched as he was kicked and I did nothing. I didn't say anything to a teacher, nor did anyone else.
I watched as people would trip him or knock his books from his hands. I did and said nothing.
I once saw him lose his temper as he was getting smacked in the back of the head. As he ran toward those taunting him, I stopped him and told him he didn't want to get in trouble. I advised him to turn around and go back to class. I saw the anger and hurt in his eyes, yet I did and said nothing. I think I was convinced that if I let him continue his chase, it wouldn't have ended in Peter's favor.
This was the life Peter had to lead in school for years. It never seemed to get better for him; it only got worse as we grew older.
One night in 1986, as we entered our freshman year in high school, Peter had enough.
He ended his life of abuse and ridicule with a single gunshot to his head. He was only 15-years-old.
Friends told me the news as we were waiting for the school bus in the morning. I remember feeling sick to my stomach thinking that this didn't have to happen. We all knew why he took his life. It was never a question. I don't know that I would have been strong enough to endure the abuse he took for so many years. I don't know anyone who would be able to handle that kind of pain.
I didn't attend Peter's funeral. I didn't feel I earned the right to say good-bye. I was upset with my fellow classmates who didn't seem to feel badly or somewhat responsible for his death. I was mostly upset with myself for laughing at some of those taunts and not telling any of my friends to stop.
I was sitting in class when Peter's father returned some of the school issued equipment. All he said was, "I'm sorry, but Peter won't need these anymore."
I'll never forget that moment for as long as I live. His father turned and walked out of the classroom without looking at any of us.
Last week, I called some old friends to talk about Peter. We hadn't talked about Peter in over 25 years, yet we all remembered the same thing: no one at the school ever talked to the student body about Peter's death. There were no lectures, no demands for this type of abuse to end. No speeches, nothing. The teachers knew why he took his life, the students knew, yet our life continued like nothing happened. I even searched newspaper archives from that time. Nothing was ever written about him.
I think about Peter all the time. I try to teach my own kids not to bully and to stand up for those who are mistreated. I also remind them to talk to us about things that happen at school. Most importantly, a day doesn't pass when I don't tell my kids I love them.
I wish I could go back and talk to Peter. I'd invite him to sit at our table for lunch. I'd ask him what his interests were, or just share a laugh together. I also wish I could go back and talk to me. I would like to talk to the kid I once was and tell him how much even a laugh or a taunt hurts. I would tell him there was no place for bullying.
I'm not sure where Peter would be today or what his life would be like. Sadly, he wasn't given that chance. I only hope that I can take the most serious lesson I have ever learned in life and teach others about the consequences of bullying.
Follow Ismael on Twitter: @ishestradacnn
Post by: Ismael Estrada
Filed under: Bullying • Ismael Estrada
Powerful stuff. Thank you for sharing this; I know it can't be easy looking back on it.
I know I am an adult being bullied and harassed at work. I have been working there 27 years and it got worse the last 7 years when I became disable and couldn't do the same physical work the others did. It has affected me mentally to the point I hurt myself and wish I could end my life by I know that would hurt my family. I get lots of counselling to deal with this but it is still very very hard to deal with emotionally and mentally
I feel so bad. I am bullied too. I know how he feels because I have rough life, but I have a brother, two sisters, and a mother who love me. Hopefully I'll see you in heaven, peter.
Tanner, I too was bullied....mercilessly at times. I endured being spat upon, having stones thrown at me on a daily basis and so many taunts I can't even remember half of them/. I had very few friends and spent most of my time feeling lonely and scared. I tell you this because, today I am 49 years old. I work as a corporate software trainer and I am married. I live in a really nice house, with my wife who loves me for who I am and three dogs who think I am great. Hang in there. I KNOW how hard it can be and I know about the tears at night when you're alone and think you can't go on.
I wish you nothing but happiness and, if I could, I would take away the pain. But it will get better my friend. Maybe not tomorrow, but it will. All the best for your future which will be far better than you could possibly imagine right now.
This story is so simple yet so powerful and touching!
Peter is talking to Anderson & Ismael letting them know that children and teens need to be taken care from being bullyed.
This is by far one of the sadest stories I have ever heard. I had to read through my tears.No one should have to endure this kind of emotional torture. I'm glad I never saw bullying @ its worse,when I was in school,the kind I saw was rather mild.I'm sure Ismael will live with this awful memory for the rest of his life...
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text: Health care professionals increasingly have to make clinical decisions in aging and diverse populations. Also, they have to deal with rising health care costs, fragmented health care supply and advancing medical technologies and IT systems. These developments go beyond every day practice and will require new skills. In this course we will walk you through key steps in designing a research study, from formulating the research question to common pitfalls you might encounter when interpreting your results. We will focus primarily on analytical studies used in etiological research, which aims to investigate the causal relationship between putative risk factors (or determinants) and a given disease or other outcome. However, the principles we will discuss hold true for most research questions, and you will also encounter these study designs in prognostic and diagnostic research settings. This course is part of a Master's program Population Health Management at Leiden University (currently in development), which includes nine courses on Coursera (including this one). If you are interested in learning more about the Population Health Management approach follow the course "Population Health: Fundamentals of Population Health Management" on Coursera.


text:
Just a quick announcement about the next opportunity for you to see my work…..
I'm part of the Fall Foliage Open Studio Tour (affectionately known as the FFAST tour), aptly named because it takes place during some of the most beautiful days here in New England. On Saturday and Sunday, October 6 & 7, I will open my studio to the public–YOU, dear reader.
There are two preview shows for this tour. One just finished up at the Jaffrey Civic Center in Jaffrey NH.
The other will run through the month of October at The Works Bakery on Main Street in Keene, NH.
You can see peeks of my studio here. And see more details about the FFAST tour here.
And now I have to find my vacuum cleaner and dust cloths. And find a place to stash my 250 old wood boxes for my new series I'm working on. And make it look like I actually did use the dust cloths in here…!!!
So….Why should you visit an artist's open studio?
Well….Years ago, it was how I found out I was an actual artist.
I stuck my head inside the door to ask a new housemate something. To my amazement, he had the same vast collection of beach pebbles, small animal bones, acorns, interesting sticks, sea shells, sea glass, bird's nests, squashed rusty metal objects and other little doodads as I did.
He was a "real artist"–enrolled in art school, making cool stuff, etc. It slowly dawned on me…. maybe I wasn't "crazy acorn-hoarding squirrel person". Maybe….I was an artist, too! An artist-in-waiting, perhaps. An artist who hadn't actually honored and made room for her creative spirit–yet. But an artist all the same.
It was the beginning of an incredible journey. And I've never forgotten that first moment, that shock of recognition, that foreshadowing of what I was supposed to do in this world.
Other reasons to visit an artist's studio:
A chance to talk with someone who makes stuff.
A chance to snoop through drawers and bins and shelves. (You cannot believe all the drawers, bins and shelves I have in here, and what they hold.)
The opportunity to see work I can't display or sell at the League of NH Craftsmen shops and Fair. (Hint: It involves PEARLS and semi-precious stones!)
The opportunity to watch me make stuff.
The chance to buy really cool stuff. Like jewelry, and wall art, and sculptures, maybe even a handmade print or two.
Wine and crackers and cheese. And maybe chocolate. Oh, and more wine. Cold cider. Or hot cider, depends on the day's weather. Did I mention the wine?
And who knows? Maybe, as you exclaim (with astonishment, or dismay) at my immense collection of pebbles, sea glass, driftwood, elk antlers, moose antlers and deer antlers, buttons, bird's nests and such, you, too, will have that same flash of insight….
Maybe I can be an artist, too!


text:
Revolution score twice in stoppage time to beat KC
Revolutions 2, Sporting Kansas City 0
Teal Bunbury scored in stoppage time to break a scoreless tie and help give the New England Revolution a 2-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.
Bunbury scored in the in 92nd minute, and Lee Nguyen scored from the spot in the 95th minute to keep the Revolution unbeaten (2-0-1) at home this season.
Kansas City went down to 10 men in the 74th minute when Aurelien Collin was red carded for a hard challenge on Diego Fagundez near the box. It marked the second straight game the Revolution benefited from an opponent's red card.
The Revolution broke through two minutes into stoppage time when Bunbury redirected Diego Fagundez's pass out of the reach of keeper Eric Kronberg.
Fagundez set up the second goal when he broke free and attempted to slip it through. But after his initial effort was denied by Kronberg, his subsequent header was handled by Uri Rossel, and a penalty was given to the Revolution. Moments later, Nguyen scored.
The Revolution snapped a six-game regular season winless streak (0-3-3) against Sporting Kansas City. They also scored their first goal against Kansas City since a 1-1 draw on July 30, 2011.
The Revolution have yet to give up a home goal this season through 270 minutes.
Saturday's clash was a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference semifinal series between the longtime MLS sides. Kansas City overtook the Revolution 4-3 on aggregate before going on to win the MLS Cup championship.
The Revolution were without left back Kevin Alston, who was suspended for the match after he was red carded in last Saturday's match at Chicago.


text:
|Toto Poetry
|~ A Poetry Dictionary ~
|toto, adj. (Latin) altogether, complete, universal.
|poetry, n. (English) metrical composition.
|Mission: If English dictionaries define the word poetry, perhaps we can define all English words with poetry. Using experimentation and new media, this project heavily relies on the mathematics of language to create didactic digital poems – one or more for virtually all words in the dictionary.
|History: With origins dating back to the 1990s, the poems posted here were created for educational or didactic purposes. They are designed to mostly benefit non-English speakers (by far the largest users of a dictionary project I am working on, and who can click on words in the poems for translations if they are using non-English browsers). In addition to illustrating various English-language poetic forms (especially the forms used to teach English), in many "English for non-English speakers" courses, poetry exercises are used to allow learners to explore the complexities of English, and to help students retain vocabulary (some persons benefit reading didactic poetry as a form of learning). Poetic forms taught in such classes are included in this project (e.g. acrostics, cinquain, diamante or diamond, haiku, sonnets, etc., with more being added over time). Another purpose is to have the poems, themselves, give insight into the title word or expression, with an express goal to highlight ambiguity for as many words or expressions as possible in all of the world's documented languages (e.g. over 1.4 million poems in English alone). The graph theoretic poems posted take on a lexicographic purpose, therefore, which may lead to further exploration and/or learning of the language (e.g. a poem about "pope" may refer to "ruffe" which is a type of fish, called a "pope"). As I gain more experience with techniques, I will expand to other languages (about 100 languages at first, and then the languages with smaller populations, except those where ownership rights are claimed by academic field linguists or local community leaders).
|"Graph Theoretic Poetry" Methodology: The word "graph theoretic" in "graph theoretic poetry" is not meant to imply that the poems are "edgy," "punk," or "counter cultural" (though some might think they are). Rather, graph theoretic poems are created based on programmed heuristics (following rules from accepted poetic genres) relying on theorectic values from a type of large linguistic graph. I used these values to mimic what I think my brain does when it is asked to write a poem on a particular topic using a particular poetic form (as assigned to me in grade school or college), for a specific purpose (didactic). Simplifying the process, most of what happens can be boiled down to four basic activities (they are really more involved, and programmed for, of course).
First, when I am asked to write a poem that should describe or explain "love," I imagine that my brain quickly searches over a semantic web that has learned a type of experiential linguistic graph. This graph then intersects with a second set of constraints imposed by a given poetic form, or set of elaborate rules, to create poetry within the genre specified (rules can be vague, and not hard, which allow for half-rhymes, metaphors, puns, poetic violations, etc.). Third, I must choose a good poem to publish, among many, that makes me happy or satisfied with the outcome. The third activity, therefore, is a mathematical problem of constrained optimization, where an economic utility function is being maximized. Finally, there is a portfolio problem given that there are exogenous social constraints, especially the perceived preferences of the reader. For example, the person reading the poem who is not the author might want to recognize it as being within the genre, evaluate it, enjoy it, understand its meaning or find some other value in it (e.g. certain "rules" beyond poetry may need to be adhered to – perhaps using less obscure words in a poem making it more accessible to non-English speakers, whereas other readers may prefer less common words, poems having unusual grammar, revolutionary ideas, vulgar themes, etc.). In economics, this is similar to a matching function between "buyer" and "seller" where there needs to be an equilibrium of sorts between consumers and producers (e.g. creating a poem that I enjoy may not be a poem that "sells" best in the market place). My brain, solving a portfolio problem, is implicitly trying select the right poem to get a good grade from the teacher who may give better marks for "cleverness" or something else he or she prefers (e.g. using a false rhyme to give the poem a "rap song" feel or cadence). Solving this problem becomes important when there are many poems that each maximize the utility function, or when social constraints are more "important" than the traditional utility maximization problem. You can read more about the methodology, which largely depends on graph theory, here. You can read about the various poetic genres covered here.
|For fun: You can access all of the poems using the search box. For the courageous, follow the links below to what may be the world's longest poems (for the particular genre indicated; each of these have been condensed from substantially longer off-line versions that include proper nouns, hyphenated words, contractions, possessive forms and expressions). They start with stanzas defining the first words of the dictionary, and then continue alphabetically thereafter to the end of each poem reaching the length of an entire dictionary:
Acrostic (prefix)
Acrostic (diagonal)
Acrostic (suffix)
Butterfly Cinquain
Cinquain (phrasal)
Cinquain (expressional)
Haiku (terse)
Haiku (3-word)
Haiku (modern)
Mirror Cinquain
- Philip M. Parker, INSEAD
Browse Index


text:
"Alexis" Poseable Baby Doll By Waltraud Hanl
So sweet, so pretty and full of life – she's picture-perfect and ready to steal your heart! Enjoy pose after delightful pose with the Alexis Baby Doll, available exclusively from The Ashton-Drake Galleries. This adorable little one is the first-ever African-American baby doll to feature innovative Hold That Pose!® technology, which gives her an infinite range of motion for lifelike poses that hold until you move her again!
From blowing a kiss to raising her arms for a hug, this Hold That Pose!® baby doll by Master Doll Artist Waltraud Hanl is sure to melt your heart every way you pose her! She's lovingly handcrafted, with hand-painted baby-soft RealTouch® vinyl skin and hand-rooted hair styled in perky pigtails. She even has a weighted cloth body and a baby powder scent for realism, and arrives dressed in a vivid green ruffled romper accented with a fabric rosette. Don't wait to find out all of the charming poses this darling So Truly Real® baby doll can do. Strong demand is expected, so order now!
Fine adult collectible, not intended for children under 14.
- Fall in love with pose after pose with this So Truly Real® Alexis Baby Doll by Master Doll Artist Waltraud Hanl, the first-ever African-American baby doll that features Hold That Pose!® doll technology, exclusively from The Ashton-Drake Galleries
- Hold That Pose!® technology gives Alexis an infinite range of motion for lifelike poses that hold until you move her again
- Handcrafted of baby-soft RealTouch® vinyl, with beautifully hand-painted features, expressive eyes, a baby powder scent, and a weighted cloth body for realism
- This irresistible lifelike baby doll also has soft, hand-rooted hair styled into perky pigtails with petite flower barrettes
- Arrives in a charming green ruffled romper accented with a fabric rosette, perfect for striking extra-adorable poses
- Premiere issue in the Playful Darlings Baby Doll Collection
- Certificate of Authenticity
- Measures 19″ L; 48.3 cm L