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I know my thoughts can be repetitive, that there is a fine line between dogged pursuit and obsession. I know there is an endless supply of other voices for you to turn to, a virtual world at your fingertips and that there are millions of others more clever, more precise, more of so many positive qualities I do not possess.
But still there are those who not only tolerate me but seek me out and for that I am in your debt. You give me the motivation to put my ideas on the page, to think more clearly about what I feel, to try to more accurately decipher a world that is often perplexing.
I understand my failures far outweigh my successes. I know that many more walk away, disinterested or worse, than remain. I apologize to those who feel their time has been wasted in my company.
But this piece is not written to them, but to you. Thank you for letting me into your homes, your heads and hopefully your hearts. My promise to you is to try to do better tomorrow and in the tomorrows to come. I can only hope to be worthy of the faith you have shown in me.
And so, as this often bizarre year comes to a close I offer you the one present I can for 2018: my best effort.


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Season 8
The arrival of the final season of Dexter was not the most auspicious of events. Coming in the same year as Breaking Bad's denouement, there were inevitable uncomplimentary comparisons between a series that even it's kinder critics thought had outstayed its welcome by several years and one that concluded at the height of its powers. For me Dexter peaked with Season Four, but I have no problem defending the (disappointing to many) fifth year, and Season Seven managed a rallying charge after the crippling misstep that was Season Six. Unfortunately the final year, while never quite descending to the quagmire of casting Colin Hanks as a serial killer, manages to consistently fluff decent ideas and is stranded listless by its lack of forward momentum. Worse, it delivers a final episode so shoddy that the season as a whole becomes a retrospective train wreck; Six at least managed a striking cliffhanger.
Empire magazine gave the final run a hugely snubby one star, which can only identify a series as actively terrible. I'd suggest few series (that were any good in the first place), even past their peak, fall into the territory of abject disaster. Season Six, even at its nadir, is fairly passable entertainment; it just doesn't stand up in terms of the series as a whole. So too, most of the final run. It grasps hold of a strong central theme but keeps botching the batch. I hadn't been aware of the general reaction to the series until dipping my toe online over the past few days. Dexterwasn't a show that brought out the fan in me, so maybe it's on those grounds that I've found the responses a tad on the strong side. It wasn't a great series, but apart from the finale, was it really that bad? I guess I'm not invested enough in the show as a whole to see the final year as a travesty. In contrast, the final episode of Lost (which is more deeply disappointing than actively terrible) had a far more profound effect. That was a series I cared about, but in the final analysis it was revealed to be profoundly shallow (which the more discerning, distanced critics, had been proclaiming nearly from the first; I'd kept my fingers in my ears).
Ballsed-up denouement or not, there is definitely a whole load of pestilent plotting and meagre motivation throughout the final season. Repeatedly, strong ideas are clumsily executed. Added to this, the foes faced by Dexter are the of the least formidable variety, and lacking in charisma or distinctiveness. If you're sending off your (anti-) hero, you should do it with a worthy opponent or two. In the early stages of the season I had a vague hope Dexter might face a compendium of super-killers, all former patients of Dr Vogel. A kind of Dexter Sinister Six. It might have been silly, but at least there wouldn't have been much pause for reflection. That wasn't to be, and by attempting to nurse a more considered "just" fate for its protagonist the writers expose their severe limitations.
In the best of previous years the sense of escalation and momentum (the first two years especially) was breathless. To such an extent that the holes in the plots were easy to ignore. There was a feeling that Dexter was permanently on the verge of being discovered, lending the series an abiding tension. Perhaps the most curious misstep of the last year is the glaring absence of any such vein of drama. The idea of Dr Evelyn Vogel, the Dr Frankenstein to Dexter's semi-benign monster, is a sufficiently strong one and, in other circumstances, might have ensured a fitting send off for the character. Charlotte Rampling was a good casting choice, and she does her best to lend Vogel an enigmatic quality.
Unfortunately she's scuppered by a characterisation that makes her field of Hollywood psychology appear only a few steps more advanced than Hitchcock's frequently mirthful rendering of the practice in Spellbound. Her "insights" are mostly banal, and Dexter – who if nothing else over the previous seven years has announced a clarity and perceptiveness through the voiceover monologues that marble the show – is frequently made to look unnaturally foolish by listening to her. Of course, there's the argument that the realisation of his unnatural mother has shaken up his world. Plus, the idea that he is "more than a mere psychopath" merits exploration if approached in any other than the inept, sign-posted manner of Vogel's pronouncements. And the need to keep Debs close, as she does everything to distance herself from him, has shaken the foundations of his world. But if you're going to attempt to breathe substance into those ideas you need to do more than pay lip service to them or drop them when you have "better" plot lines to introduce.
Part of the attraction of the first few episodes was the possibility that Vogel herself was behind the brain removals; it felt like an obvious solution and therefore one the writers would probably be unable to resist. That they didn't go that route might have been the only surprise I encountered during the run. At least Rampling as the mastermind would have been a worthy arch-villain. But the writers didn't have anything of equal weight to her. Even having Dexter suspect her might have been something. Instead, we were given an ultimately tiresome interplay whereby Dexter becomes the estranged teenager, continually absconding then returning to his absent parent. If Vogel's "psychaitrist's chair" manner fails to convince, her weak-willed parenting when confronted by her long lost son beggars belief. I don't doubt that the writers' argument is her piercing insights fall by the wayside when faced with emotional truths, but did she have to be made quite so ineffectual? She falls apart, and the most distinctive new character of the season (almost entirely down to Rampling) is immolated.
It didn't help any that, since the latter stages of the sixth season, poor Debs has never recovered as a character from being forced into an inexplicable yearning for her foster brother. More than anything, this may have broken the back of the show. I like the character of sweary Debs, and Jennifer Carpenter is a good actress, but she's been hamstrung into having her world revolving around Dexter when previously she was an independent spirit. Our first glimpse of her, hitting the substances in her role as a private detective, was a fresh and considered approach to dealing with the fall out from the Season Seven cliffhanger. But after that her development goes from okay to total destruct. After two episodes of her being a waster she's becoming a bit of a bore but, even worse, the therapy sessions she receives from Vogel are the kind of thing old Debs would have had zero time for, especially as their miraculous success in reuniting brother and sister makes you wonder how much bullshit the writers thought we'd swallow (along the way there's the amusing "attempt to drown Dexter" incident; amusing for all the wrong reasons). But the flip-flop of "I hate you and I can't stand the sight of you" to "How will I survive with you in Argentina?" over the course of a mere few episodes takes some swallowing (as does Dexter's opposite dependency direction).
If the supporting characters are generally undernourished in this run, the attention Debs receives does her character little service. The choices of the last couple of episodes make sense on paper; as the character that deserved a ray of hope, cutting it from under her and leaving Dexter still standing makes a perverse sense. That he should be punished for making a positive choice even more so. But the detail of this map is completely skewed; Debs turned into a cabbage off screen, her fate told by a tearful Joey? Dexter given a dopey deathbed moment before taking her out to sea? The delivery is all wrong. A series that had been so tonally sure of itself careers off the rails and ends up looking faintly ridiculous. The overcooked CGI of the oncoming storm doesn't help matters either (Steve Shill, who has done solid work over the years on series including Deadwood, Rome and The Wire, completely drops the ball).
Dexter was always as much about the (reflection of the) prey as the hunter, so it's a shock to find so little of either in the last year. The only memorable aspect of serial killer Yates (Aaron McCusker) is the appealingly goofy manner of his demise (skewered through a bed by a curtain rail). Actually, although I said Vogel was the most distinctive new character of the season, it's probably Zach Hamilton (Sam Underwood). While his is the classic example of getting rid of a character before they have fulfilled their potential, Zach's exuberant, upbeat version of the Dexter's moody murderer was a breath of fresh air. Indeed, Zach's probably there somewhere if there's a genuinely funny scene during Season Eight (he even nearly makes the clumsy, telegraphed line "Are we there yet?" in the episode of the same title bearable).
As I say, I'm not au fait with Dexter fandom, so I hadn't realised that Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski) had found disfavour. I liked her in Season Seven, and there was good chemistry between Hall and Strahovski. But in Eight they reintroduce her with nothing (interesting) for the character to do. The one aspect of Dexter's changing disposition I almost bought into was that the discovery of genuine feelings for an individual was supplanting his bloodlust. The problem is, again, that it is translated in such a clueless manner. You can't maintain a viewer's respect if every choice draws attention to lazy construction and motivation (so of course Dexter leaves Oliver Saxon in the operating chair rather than does the sensible thing and ensure Debs is safe; it's not that he decides he doesn't need to kill that's the problem – even though this is introduced with insufficient forethought – but that it's accompanied by "No, don't go in there! Look about behind you!" moronic plotting).
Hannah's only good scene in the season is her first, where she has drugged Dexter and Debs. Everything else is tiresomely reactive, borderline damsel-in-distress. From the too brief appearance of Julian Sands to the dogged pursuit by The Shield's Kenny Johnson (does he have bad luck with characters meeting nasty ends or what?) And then there's the tiresome rush to the ER when Harrison cuts his chin. Of all the things the final season might have become, the least expected was a domestic disaster. It seems like half the season was spent planning a trip to Argentina. I won't even go there with regard to Hannah's basic inability to change her appearance as a means to avoid the clutches of the law; maybe Strahovski refused to muss with her lovely blonde locks?
Former Young Indiana Jones Sean Patrick Flanery's slightly sleazy tec Jacob Elway had the potential to become a decent adversary, in that he's the only character with sufficient (intentional) irritation factor to build up a dislike towards. So why the writers didn't realise what they had and ensure there was a nasty fate in store, I don't know.
There was absolutely noting distinctive about series foe Oliver Saxon (Darri Ingolfson). I don't think Ingolfson did anything wrong, he just had nowhere to goi with the part. Intentionally appearing early on as a piece of misdirection and then, when he appears, nursing an all to familiar fixation with the mother who abandoned him, there was never the time to turn him into a foe of substance. And the DNA match twist had appeared way earlier, to superior effect. I did like the swift, tidy final dispatch Dexter visits on him but it hardly makes up for predictability of what went before.
The other regulars were almost reckless disregarded. Joey (Desmond Harrington) had the glimmerings of a case when he was in pursuit of Zach, but he was relegated to romantic tribulations with Aimee Garcia and her body double. David Zayas is a big roly-poly pile of inconsequence, while poor C.S. Lee was finally given a proper subplot but it turned out to be a shit one (his daughter Niki -Dora Madison Burge – is introduced). There was at least a larger role for James Remar as Harry Morgan but even then his vanishing because he is no longer needed was strangely perfunctory. Like most of the season, the writing and realisation were at best a little off and at worst tipped over into a crevasse.
As for Dexter's fate as an Oregon lumberjack with a glue-on beard, my first thought was that they writers were inspired by Man of Steel. If inspired is the word. I don't know. He'd really leave his son – who meant everything to him – because he felt responsible for losing Debs? The best I can summon is a shrug; that's the best they could come up with? Perhaps it was a case of low expectations; series of late have tended to end on greater or lesser missteps so I'm somewhat inured. I assume disappointment. By struggling to come up with a profound place for Dexter to finish, the writers succumbed to the most facile of options. In the end, there isn't even the gentle let down of Hall's reassuring voiceover (his steady delivery can make even the most stodgy dialogue palatable). I referred to the finale as a train wreck but, for all its impact, it's more like falling off your bike and grazing your knee. A momentous episode shouldn't leave the viewer underwhelmed and unaffected.
Dexter Seasons Ranked:

subset: commoncrawl


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Toy Trains or Models?
Whenever this topic comes up on any 3 rail train forum, it's time to get out the popcorn. And I'm sure more than a few of you have raised eyebrows right now. So, I'll get right to it–the answer to the question, "Are they toys or models?" is "Yes." The hullabaloo arises because we have 2 distinct camps: those who wish to embrace the toy in the train and those who view themselves as model railroaders. However, one doesn't have to preclude the other.
In the early 1950's, the magazine, Toy Trains, featured Lionel and American Flyer trains. Back then, there was no issue with that moniker. We knew what we had and it was certainly not the stuff that filled the pages of the scale magazines—Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman. Still, we considered ourselves model railroaders. To that end, Lionel had put out a magazine from 1944 to 1949 called Model Builder. In 1950 Lionel published a book called, Model Railroading. Subsequent editions appeared through 1961. For many of us that book was the bible. As Joshua Lionel Cowen stated in the book's Introduction, The fascination of model railroading—the urge to build and operate a miniature railroad system—is typically American. Each individual has the opportunity to inject his own personality into his work, to create a railroad system unlike any other in the world.
So what happened? We grew up and so did our trains. Some of us are now creating the realistic empires that we used to dream about. Others are perfectly happy resurrecting the flat green tabletop. Many fall somewhere in between. Why does that matter? Model Railroading is a hobby and a hobby as defined by Merriam Webster is a pursuit outside one's regular occupation, engaged in especially for relaxation. The argument about toys trains verses models is silly. It seems to me that the labels are simply being used to justify one's approach to the hobby. It's a distinction without a difference.


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Reason #1) Environmentalism A portion of your retreat fees goes directly to Whales of Guererro Research Project, and we will also connect with Campam
A portion of your retreat fees goes directly to Whales of Guererro Research Project, and we will also connect with Campamento Tortuguero Ayotlcalli, and quite possibly participate in their turtle release program (this depends entirely on when the baby turtles choose to hatch - it looks good - fingers crossed!)
Support the ongoing work of local fIsherman and a team of international scientists to preserve the natural habitat of the teaming sea and bird life in the region!
Support the Mexican economy directly by avoiding expat owned retreat centers. Support your own economy by paying far less than standard yoga-retreat prices. This is the travel equivalent of shopping at a farmers market - your logding and meal fees are paid directly to local vendors - keeping our prices down while ensuring that the people cookng and serving your food are being paid well. It's a financial win / win! Plus it sets the stage for reason 3:
Engage with Mexican fishermen, artisans, business people, and families. Show your support to the preservation of small-town Mexico in the modern world, and expand your own world while doing so.
If you are already a traveler, this one's a no brainer. You already know the value of human interaction, no matter how small, within the culture of the country you are visiting. If you are new to travel, this is the perfect way to dip your toes in - with a loving group of Yoga friends to share your experience.
Our B&B is like a little tropical oasis of palms and turtle ponds, complete with swimming pool and covered palapa-style yoga space. Our rooms are artuflly simple and elegant, our meals equisitely prepared and presented with flair. The pristine white sand beach, adorned only with palm leaf structure and a hammock or two lies a few steps beyond.
Your retreat includes seven nights at the B&B, delicious, fortifyong dinners and brunches PLUS a farewell fiesta dinner on the beach.
Oh, the yoga. Your retreat includes comprehensive and concentrated yoga education five of the six days (with the trip of the whale research boat the remaining day).
Think potent teachings offerred by way of relatable metaphor and skilled alignment instruction.
The frequent practices make for intensified cumulative learning and progress - it's like a mini immersion rolled into a week on the beach!
Make one of them yours.
Much love,
Myth, Multitudes and MatterYoga and Biodiversity retreat in Barra de Potosi, Mexico - all levels welcome. HURRY - ONLY FOUR SPOTS LEFT!
Now Offering 2 Sections for 2 types of Learners!
6 Wednesdays, March 22 - April 26, 5:30 to 7:pm & 7:15 to 9:00 pm at The People's Northeast Second Studio
The Art of Living Skillfully, the Skill of Living Artfully - 100 hours - dates and Location TBA. For teachers, teachers to be, and dedicated students of all levels. Yoga Alliance certified. Contact me for more information
For reals. Fall of 2017. Details to come SOON


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Saturday, February 16, 2013
Pyrex Daisy Casserole
I love coming across patterned lid pieces, especially when they are in such great condition! I prefer these small lidded casseroles over the divided dishes... I never seem to know what to do with those.
I paid $8 for this little guy, which made me cringe a bit, but it was in such good shape. Someone must have dropped off their pyrex collection that day, as I also saw a Butterprint mixing bowl (badly dishwashered) and a perfect golden compass snack server.
I also bought another lil something that I will share with you later in the week!
I love finding a mass of Pyrex in one spot! Linking up with Nifty Thrifty at A Living Space and ATG's Thrift Share Monday!
8 comments:
So jealous! I love that little casserole dish. It's not normally a pattern I would pick up but yours is so cute I may have to find my own:-)ReplyDelete
Very nice find! Looks like it is in great shape.ReplyDelete
Love it - so useful and so pretty too!ReplyDelete
Love the yellow sunflower pattern on the lid. Very cheerful and fun!ReplyDelete
I'm the other way around - no clue what to do with this size, but love divideds!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous! I have a couple of the casserole dishes but have yet to find one still with the lid. As far as the divided dishes, my sister gave me a great solution. When you have a get together, set them around the room with chips in one side and dip in the other, or chips and salsa or cube cheese and crackers, or mints on one side and peanuts on the other, or assorted candies, and on and on. I loved her idea so now I am loved the divided dishes that I wondered why I ever bought them. I'm a new follower from www.mamawsplace4.blogspot.com.ReplyDelete
I have to up my pyrex knowledge! Beautiful finds and in such great condition.ReplyDelete
LOVE that pyrex piece. I haven't seen that design before. Very cute.ReplyDelete


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Tofuture Tofu Press £23.99
At Tofuture, we have created a unique and stylish Tofu Press that removes the water from tofu simply and effectively. Tofu is one of the most versatile, healthy and delicious foods around, but to get the most out of tofu you need to press it first.
The gradual nature of the pressing will give your tofu the perfect texture and consistency for it to absorb gorgeous marinades or the beautiful flavours of the dish you are preparing. The Tofu Press is easy to use, dishwasher safe and fits into your fridge when pressing. It will revolutionise the way you enjoy tofu.
Replacement Bands £2.00
We designed our tofu press so that the silicon bands could be replaced if necessary in case of wear and tear over the years. We will only charge a small administration fee + Postage and Packaging.
We can send them to UK, EU, US and Canada. The shipping rate will be worked out when you enter the shipping address.


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Whether you're single, taken, or on a first date we want to see you this Valentine's Day!
Get your groove on and join us for an evening full of food, drink, fun & games.
The Barrio All-Star DJ crew will be in the mix from 8pm-onwards supplying the smooth tunes including Latin licks, funky beats, hip hop & r'n'b classics to keep the right mood going.
Enjoy your favourite Barrio bites and our special (anti)-Valentine's day cocktails, or treat the love(s) of your life to some fizz – because that's literally never a bad idea.
Plus, our legendary Amigo (Extra Happy) Hour deals on selected cocktails, beer and wines are still on till 8pm!
Reservations – tel. 0207 749 3940 || eml. firstname.lastname@example.com


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CLIENT: Intact Media Group.
TECHNICAL DATA: monthly media & advertising glossy, 68 pages, site.
OBJECTIVE: promoting the group for agencies and advertising clients.
DESCRIPTION: trends, analyses, features and interviews about legacy & digital media, advertising, marketing, PR.
SAMPLE STORIES: www.theindustry.ro.
Read several issues on Issuu.
THE TEAM: Iulian Comanescu (editor, project manager), Max Turza, Dani Iancu, Mihai Nadolu/Griffon & Swans (Art Directors), Ana-Maria Caia, Stewart Clarke, Mara Coman, Florin Dumitrescu, Grig Davidovitz, Marius Dragomir, Chris Dziadul, Adrian Georgescu, Ștefan Mako, Mihnea Măruță, Victor Ilie, John Tylee, Vlad Ursulean and others. (writers).


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2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet
Moving up a league doesn't all the time deliver success. The rewards could also be larger, however the competitors can be more durable. So it's for the 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet. The one-time Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage rival has been reinvented as a dearer SUV, so now it's up in opposition to formidable prestige-badged competitors such as the BMW X1.
Fortunately, the brand new 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet builds on the strengths of the unique, providing more room, a classier really feel and improved efficiency. It is nonetheless designed primarily for on-road use, but four-wheel-drive 4Motion versions now function adjustable drive modes that assist you tackle totally different circumstances.
Engines range from a 1.Four-litre petrol with 123bhp to a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel with 237bhp, although the lowest-powered models come with front-wheel drive and a guide gearbox solely. If you want an automated 'field and four-wheel drive, you'll need to take a look at engines with 148bhp and above.
Learn on over the following few pages for every thing you'll want to know about the 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet, together with which engine and trim to choose. And remember to go to our new automobile offers to see if you can get an honest discount off a 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet.
The most effective-selling 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet is the 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel mannequin (badged 2.0 TDI 150) and it is simple to see why; it affords a tremendous blend of efficiency and fuel economy, whereas the cheaper 115 version (with 113bhp) feels a bit in need of puff. There's also a 190 version of the two.0 TDI engine that delivers plenty of punch but is slightly dear, whereas the range-topping 240 version brings but more tempo for an even more eyebrow-raising price.
If you're extra involved in petrol power, the entry-level 125 model places out 123bhp from its turbocharged 1.Four-litre engine. Nonetheless, while it's the most inexpensive mannequin in the range, it struggles a bit up inclines, particularly when loaded as much as the gunnels. The 150 model is better, however nonetheless lacks the low-rev pulling energy of the diesels.
As for the 2.Zero-litre 180 petrol engine, it feels fast and is quick off the road, because of all-wheel drive coming as customary. It doesn't fairly have the in-gear flexibility of the diesels, though, but around city you'll have little subject with the first rate performance it affords and out on the motorway there's no drawback overtaking.
By small SUV requirements, the 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet rides very well certainly. It smooths over greater imperfections, comparable to speed bumps, higher than the BMW X1, but the suspension continues to be firm enough to cease the body from bouncing up and down an excessive amount of alongside undulating roads.
Patched up roads and broken Tarmac can unsettle the 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet somewhat – especially in case you select a version with massive alloy wheels – however in contrast with its key rivals the 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet is comfy. Even the sporty R-line trim is bearable, if not as good as lesser models. If you would like a extra settled trip, you may want to decide on something with a lower centre of gravity, akin to a VW Golf.
We would not trouble with the 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet non-obligatory adaptive suspension. It does not improve the trip that a lot and there are more worthwhile extras to spend your cash on.
The 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet handles extra like a traditional hatchback than lots of its SUV rivals; it is genuinely pleasing to drive. Some might really feel the steering is a little bit too mild, nevertheless it's exact, making the car straightforward to put on the highway. There isn't too much physique roll through corners and all versions have plenty of grip, though the four-wheel-drive 4Motion fashions unsurprisingly supply higher traction in slippery situations.
True, the X1 and Seat Ateca are much more agile by way of the twisty bits, however the 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet outshines most different small SUVs, including the Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage. The R-line model is available with sports suspension however this doesn't make the 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet any extra fun.
4Motion models add a dial subsequent to the gearlever that means that you can choose totally different modes depending on the terrain and initiate a hill descent system. An extra possibility is adaptive chassis management – this allows you to stiffen or soften the suspension to prioritise both trip comfort or flatter dealing with.
The petrol engines are particularly clean, even when being labored exhausting, and whereas the diesels sound a bit clattery at tickover and when you really put your foot down, they're still muted at a cruise and much from raucous when accelerating. That stated, the diesel engines in the rival X1 are barely quieter.
At high speeds, you'll hear a flutter of wind noise across the 2019 Audi Rs5 Cabriolet door mirrors, but virtually no highway noise except you go for a model with really massive alloy wheels. The manual gearbox is gentle and easy to use, while the DSG automatic is clean and soothing the overwhelming majority of the time, with solely the occasional jerk at low speeds.
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Established in 1927 in Centralia, Washington, maker of these gloves has been producing some of the world's finest leather gloves for men and women —whether for work, dress, driving, or riding — for over 90 years. Since the company was founded, attention to detail with regard to fit, wear, and comfort has been of the utmost importance, and only the best leathers available for glove and moccasin making are used.
Sizes 7, 8, 9.5, and 10.5 are available


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Contact Us
We would love to hear from you! Please contact us today to ask how Avant Gardener can transform your property into an extraordinary place. Whether you are interested in seasonal color, interior plants, garden and landscape maintenance, a total site makeover, or an enhancement for a specific portion of your property, we would be delighted to work with you. Let us know how we can help!


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(Forwarded from Russ Hess. -TAP)
Dear Pastor Hess and Sommer:
We are excited about the opportunity to present The Gospel of Mark on Friday Oct. 13th at 6:30 pm for Town and Country Lutheran Church. We are confident that together we will bless your church, your local community and the kingdom of God.
Together as we get ready for the presentation, I want to share some important information with you as the success of the presentation relies on our two organizations working together.
Promoting the event and boosting attendance
No one wants to plan an event only to have low attendance and we would like to help this from happening! We have attached a promotion timeline that will help make this a successful event for all and help make sure seats are filled for each and every presentation. We truly appreciate your help with this endevor and we are pleased to make the investment of time in rehearsals and travel so the presentation and its message can be shared with as many people as possible.
The event runs approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes, including intermission. For staging, either the use of a traditional stage or chancel will work; set requirements are minimal. The lighting is provided by Concordia Seminary, but we will need access to three wireless mics and the sound board. If you have extra hands available to help we appreciate it. We will prepare an event program, but you will be responsible for printing and distributing the day of the event. One 6-8' table is needed to display and sell The Gospel of Mark CDs brought to each event. An extra hand to help with sales would also be welcomed.
We would like to request that a freewill offering be made available to help support future productions. We have found that offering plates placed in aisles before the presentation, which are left during intermission and afterward have proven fruitful. Organizations that don't wish to collect an offering may prefer to provide a gift directly.
Our past experiences have provided us valuable insight for promoting and executing a successful event. Consider using the Gospel of Mark trailer located on our webpage as it provides a great vision of the entire presentation. We stand ready to help you advertise and promote this amazing proclamation of Jesus Christ. We are sure that all those who attend will be enthralled by Saint Mark's words, his images and his message of the rule and reign of God.
Please let me know if you have any questions about how we might assist you in proclaiming the reign and rule of God
Beth J. Hoeltke, PhD
Director of the Graduate School
Public Services Administrator
Production Manager for The Gospel of Mark
Concordia Seminary
801 Seminary Place
St. Louis, MO 63105


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Christmas Is Just Around The Corner. People all over the world exchange Christmas cards in order to convey between people good wishes related to the Christmas and holiday season. Christmas card or a holiday card is a decorated card which is sent as part of the traditional Christmas celebration . Christmas card was first created and sent in the UK in 1843.Early times card had pictures of scenery and other pretty things. Today cards have different type of pictures on them. Now a days people also opt to send "E-Greetings" or "E-Cards" which are known as electronic cards, that has also music and animation embeded with them which is sent through an e-mail. There are plenty of online stores that sell E-Cards where you can buy and send a E-Card to your friends or family. There are also some websites that allows you to send free E-Cards to your friends or family.
Business Christmas cards
Corporates and other small businesses send personalized business Christmas cards to their customers.Sending personalized business Christmas cards to clients can be a great way of showing gesture during the holiday season. Businesses send Christmas cards to customers, enclosing a warm wish about the season and also thanking for their past and present business.Sending out a personalized business Christmas card is a great marketing tool at the end of year. It will help develop a general goodwill and will also retain the brand awareness. These personalized business Christmas cards use non Christmas themes with brief, secular messages and they do not try to sell anything.


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This page collects information about nutritional facts and other properties of powder dry mushroom gravy in summary. The information on this and other food has been gathered from various sources and may not be totally accurate. Among the data shown in this website you can find information about proteins, vitamins and minerals from powder dry mushroom gravy and other nutrients like fiber, calories or cholesterol.
The proportions of nutrients in powder dry mushroom gravy may vary depending on the type and quantity of food, and other factors that might contribute to the modification of its nutrients. Remember that depending on the preparation, powder dry mushroom gravy may vary their properties and nutritional characteristics.
You can use this information to understand your dietary intake of this food or any other soups, sauces, and gravies. This can help you to cook better and healthier recipes including powder dry mushroom gravy, but remember to consult your doctor or nutritionist before beginning any regimen or make drastic changes in your diet.
Properties of powder dry mushroom gravy
In your regular grocery store in the group of gravy you can find powder dry mushroom gravy among other available foods.
Below you can see information about nutritional facts, properties and benefits of powder dry mushroom gravy for your body as well as the amount of each of its major nutrients.
This food belongs to the soups, sauces, and gravies group.
Since powder dry mushroom gravy is a food high in carbohidrates we can say thtat this powder dry mushroom gravy is a source of immediate energy required by the body to perform numerous mental and physical activities.
Nutritional facts tables of powder dry mushroom gravy
Below is a summary table of key nutrients of powder dry mushroom gravy and a list of links to tables showing details of nutritional facts of powder dry mushroom gravy. They include the main nutrients as well as the proportion of each.
|328 kcal.
|4. g.
|3. mg.
|658 mg.
|64.66 g.
|4.8 g.
|3.26 g.
|10. g.
|Vitamin A
|0 μg.
|Vitamin C
|7. mg.
|Vitamin B12
|0.7 μg.
|23 mg.
|1. mg.
|Vitamin B3
|3.7 mg.
The quantity of nutrients shown in the previous table, correspond to 100 grams of this kind of gravy.
Food related to powder dry mushroom gravy
Below you can find some food related to powder dry mushroom gravy. You can see more information about them by doing click in their image:
|Salted butter
|Whipped butter with salt
|Anhydrous butter oil


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I have been working on a lemon poppyseed cake recipe and am thinking I finally have hit on the proper cake texture and lemon flavor. Since I am testing this recipe with the goal of using it for a stacked wedding cake, I need something with some decent structure, but I had gotten a specific request for a cake that was lighter and flufflier than pound cake (a classic spot for these flavors) and moister/denser than chiffon cake (my personal favorite). In my research, I found no recipes for lemon poppyseed cake that hit this middle ground, and many of the lemon cakes (to which I would throw in poppyseeds) turned out too moist and delicate to be used for a stacked cake.
After many test runs (and long-suffering tasters!), I am using the All-Occasion Downy Yellow Cake from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible (an slightly different version for a springform pan is published on Rose's site) and flavoring it with lemon oil, lemon zest and poppyseeds. As I discovered, you cannot just "throw in" some fresh lemon juice to a cake recipe and expect the crumb to be as soft, high or airy. Lemon juice is, of course, acidic, so it changes the chemical reaction and causes the cake to bake too quickly, leaving it cracked at the top and the texture low and dense.
But adding lemon oil, extract and/or zest will add flavor without ruining the structure*. I tested with Boyajian lemon oil by 1/8-teaspoons until I got the intensity I was looking for. Be very conservative with citrus oil or extract - it is far more potent than fresh juice. Also, these oils need to be kept in the fridge. I somehow missed that on the label of my first bottle, which had been sitting on a shelf over a year-- and the bitter cake that resulted was a good lesson.
Nothing is more painful than a baking project ruined by a 1/4 teaspoon of something.
But, nothing is more joyous than it coming out correctly after that!
Baking is histrionic.
Here is a 6" test cake (for the top tier) with a bunch of dots that make it look like a milkglass vase. The dots help disguise the uneven buttercream, which is more skillfully avoided by using a heavy duty turntable.
The raspberries on top hint at the raspberry cloud filling inside the cake: a small amount of butter cream mixed with a genrous portion of raspberry puree (with all the seeds strained!) into which I pressed a single layer of fresh raspberries.
The tart intensity of the raspberry filling was the perfect foil to the velvety, fluffy cake, punctuated by the little crunch of poppyseeds.
Of course, with such a delicate balance, the powdered sugar buttercream was not refined enough, so I will use a type of cooked sugar buttercream using meringue. Also known as European buttercream, it has far less sugar than the common American powdered sugar buttercream and won't overpower the cake I worked so hard to create. You can read a lovely explanation of and ode to meringue and its application to buttercream at the Occasional Baker.
* [for Patrincia] To one recipe of the Yellow Butter Base Cake on page 492 of the Cake Bible (i.e. for two 6" layers). At the very last stage of mixing, add:
1/4 tsp. lemon oil
1 Tablespoon holland blue poppy seeds
The zest of one small lemon (not quite a teaspoon)


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Financial Worries? No Worries! Follow This Useful Advice!
You don't wish to be wasteful and only throw each of the money you may have worked for down the drain. You may not know what the right choice for saving may be, either. You may not wish to ask because you do not desire to look like you happen to be not responsible, but chances are they are having issues too. This article will assist you by giving everybody the individual finance advice you can ever need.
When you don't feel comfortable selling, don't get it done. In case the stock you have does well, then allow it to still do well and never sell. You can see your stocks that aren't doing as well for the time being.
You should jot down every penny spent to discover where you are blowing the most money. Make sure, however, that you just do not tuck your notebook away and end up forgetting regarding it. Attempt to put up a whiteboard at work or bedroom that you could list your expenses on. You are going to pass by all this day so that it stays in mind.
It will save you a lot of money by simply being patient along with your finances. It is far from unusual for anyone to immediately find the newest electronic products every time they hit the current market. However, if you exercise a little bit of patience, you will in all probability visit a substantial price decrease on these same items. Money you save by forgoing cutting-edge technology might be profitably employed elsewhere.
Your automobile, in addition to your home, are definitely the two biggest purchases that you just can make.
The interest rates for these two are large. Pay them off as quickly as you can by including extra payments each year.
To become truly financially stable, you need to have a good deal of savings. Should you not have much saved up yet, open a savings account and acquire the ball rolling. Should you this, you can utilize your own money to cushion against unforeseen financial problems while not having to obtain financing. Even if you can't manage to put excessive cash in there on a monthly basis, save as much as it is possible to.
Reduce costs from each of your checks. Leaving these funds aside will stop you from spending it. If you put these funds aside straight away, you are going to not be able to spend it on something you do not really needhttp://www.youtube.com/embed/p28_2dEjB90
Charge cards are generally better than debit cards. One great use for a credit card is designed for daily items, like gasoline or food. Most visa or mastercard issuers offer some sort of reward for using their credit cards, and it can be in the form of cash back.
One surefire way to help keep your finances in order is always to avoid racking up credit debt. Prior to put anything on the visa or mastercard, step back and consider it. Take into consideration how long a particular purchase will take in order to be paid. Are you able to do without it? If so, pass. When you can't pay it within a month, pass.
Now, you need to have some easy personal finance tips in your head. Maybe you are shocked by how easy handing your finances is. If you don't understand all the tips, reread this informative article..


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Steve Hillage - Searching for the Spark: an Interview
With the last months of 2016 dominated by a maniacal flurry of "essential" box sets, with Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, the Stones, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Ian Hunter and even Adam and the Ants all unleashing art-form defining anthologies, it was strange to see perhaps the most definitive of them all slip by with barely a mainstream headline to its name.
Yet, on any level you choose to look, beyond the realms of commercial success, the twenty-two discs that comprise Steve Hillage's Searching for the Spark collection effectively represent a gold standard that few… if any… other acts have yet to attain.
You want the back catalog? It's here; eleven CDs that begin at the very beginning, with his teenaged Uriel and Khan collectives, then trace Hillage through to the first System 7 album in 1990.
You want unreleased material? Four discs trace demos, out-takes, rehearsals and roughs between 1970 and, again, 1990, and effectively include alternate versions of almost half the finished LPs.
You want live recordings? Seven discs include two BBC In Concert broadcasts, four gigs from the late 1970s, and Hillage's Gong Unconvention performance in 2006.
You want oodles of reading material? Two books - one a 180+ page hardback biography, the other a 60 page scrapbook of press cuttings and the like. And then there's posters, lyric books, a button and even a plectrum that doubles as a tool for digging the CDs out of their compartments.
Frankly, it's astonishing, and it is everything Hillage himself dreamed it could be.
"I'd already had an idea that if I ever did an anthology or a box set, I wanted it to be all encompassing, and cover my full story, at least up to the point where we ended up with this box set. I didn't have a concrete plan, but then I was at the Prog Awards in 2013 [where he received the Visionary Award, celebrating "the spirit of independence and… those who make their own niche in a progressive direction"] and I noticed that one of the other award winners was Snapper Records for their Family box set, Once Upon a Time.
"I thought 'ooh, these guys know what they're doing'… I took note of that and, interestingly enough, the next year they contacted me about doing a box set and they wanted to know what my ideas might be. And that's when I said I wanted to do a full career-encompassing thing."
Aware, however, that many of his fans already own some, if not all, of his albums-so-far, he was adamant that"I didn't want to sell people back what they've already got with fancy packaging - that's a bit dishonest really. So we had to balance the fact that we were needing to use the already released records with as much unreleased stuff as we could coherently add. Then we decided we were going to do a really good book. The whole aim of the thing is to tell my story, how we got from A to Z, so that was the main artistic motivation for the thing."
It's an aim at which all concerned succeed beyond most collector's wildest expectations. So many career-spanning box sets, after all, cram the stuff we want (as opposed to the albums we've got, or can pick up for pennies in previous incarnations) onto a few bonus discs at the end. Or they bulk themselves out with blu-ray repetitions of what's already on there. Or… or… or.
The idea that an artist can sit down with his catalog, and then double it in size with unreleased material which, for the most part, sounds just as good, and is just as essential, as the regular albums themselves, is one that too few folk have entertained, and that includes such box set behemoths as Dylan ("oh thank you, Bob, an entire disc of 'Like a Rolling Stone' try-outs) and the Floyd ("Yeah, I can see why you chose not to issue this at the time. Shame you changed your minds now.")
But there's not a wasted moment to be found on the Hillage box - as he discovered, much to his surprise - as he compiled it.
"Going back to the old stuff was very interesting. When we did the remasters for the regular albums in 2006, I supplied some bonus tracks for those CDs, digging into the collection, and I then that realized I had a lot more stuff. I thought one day I'm really going to have to go through this, heavily and deeply, and obviously doing the box set was a chance to do that.
"What was most interesting was with some of the reel-to-reel quarter-inch tapes, it was not noted on the boxes what was on them, so a lot of the time I had no idea what was there. So I sent a big box full of tapes to a tape restoration studio and the guy did the baking, as they normally do, and then transferred everything to CD and hit it back to me.
"And that was a really interesting moment, because I found some stuff I'd completely forgotten about and that was really good. Stuff I heard from cassette, I had a better idea about because that was better noted; I did a bit of archiving in the 70s while everything was going on - it wasn't all chaos, I kept fairly good records.
"But there were certainly some good surprises, the whole Munich gig (1979) which I've included in the box set, I'd completely forgotten I had that. "
He's also wildly enthusiastic about the a Cappella Echo Guitar recordings that wrap up the first of the Sparks discs. Recorded at the Gong heouse in Sensa, France, in 1973, with lifelong partner Miquette Giraudy and his old Urtiel bandmates Dave Stewert, Mont Campbell and Clive Brooks, the seven tracks here are excerpted from "about three hours of stuff, and it was fantastic listening back to that. That's something we could release in its entirety at some point."
Sharp eared listeners already armed with the last round of Hillage reissues, from 2006, will pick up that the core catalog has not been remastered for the box set.
"We remastered most of them back in 2006," he explains, "and it was done pretty well, with an engineer who specializes in remastering 70s stuff, and he went to the original analog tapes and he didn't make them all sound bigger and louder, he kept them pretty faithful to the originals, just made them a bit better. I listened and I just thought 'well, this stuff is pretty great, so there's no need to fix it.' I did some tweaks to some of them and I did some tweaks to the first System 7 album and to Khan, but nothing major, and all the other eleven albums with the live and unreleased stuff, I just tried to match it to the sound of the remastered released albums."
Uriel's Arzachel debut notwithstanding, the earliest track in the box, again found on the first Sparks disc, is an unfinished 1970 effort called "The Goblin"; that leads us into the first strivings of Khan, a new band formed with Stewart still aboard (before he moved on to Egg), plus the rhythm section of Eric Peachey and Nigel Griggs. The latter had left before Khan cut their sole album, but demos, rehearsals and even a taste of a live show catch this incarnation in action, while we also learn that the songs that comprised Hillage's first solo album, Fish Rising in 1974, were originally intended for a second Khan album.
"The stuff we were doing was really good, I was really happy with it, but the business situation got really difficult. There wasn't enough support from the record company - they hadn't dropped us or anything, and we were still getting gigs. But it was becoming a bit of a slog and being still just 21, I felt too young for that stressful slog, so I decided to play with other people instead, and that's how I wound up joining Kevin Ayers, eventually. So a lot of that later Khan material ended up on Fish Rising, although I'd also developed a lot of other ideas while I was with Gong and they got tried out as well."
For obvious reasons, the two year span between Khan and Fish Rising is not a story for the box set to tell - partially because it's been told elsewhere (various Ayers anthologies, and sundry Gong repackages - all of which, Hillage promises, will be blown out of the water when the surviving band members finally get around to compiling their own definitive box); but also because the tapes simply don't exist.
He played for a time with Ottawa Company, an avant-garde unit that would ultimately spawn Henry Cow, and he admits that "that stuff should really belong with the Henry Cow box set. It would have been very interesting to include, but we just didn't have anything available. In fact, I'm not sure there's much recorded stuff out there."
Likewise, his time with Lady June, the poet who acted as catalyst for so much of the legend of the Canterbury Scene. "Lady June's flat in Maida Vale was very much a meeting place for musicians with a Canterbury connection in London, and I found myself spending a lot of time there. It's where I first met Daevid Allen and Tim Blake, and where I first met Richard Branson of Virgin. It was an interesting time."
By the end of 1973, however, Hillage was firmly ensconced within Gong and, though even the so-called "classic" band's line-up was scarred with comings-and-goings, he and Giraudy remained on board until 1975. Finally, however, the band underwent a few new changes too many.
"It took the best part of a year, that change, but it was a problem for me, because first Tim left, then Daevid left, and unfortunately I was stuck in the studio finishing the mixes for Fish Rising, while the band was in another part of England falling apart, and I felt powerless to do anything about it.
"It was a really great pity, because it was such a great band, and a great combination of people. When Daevid left, in particular, it was a big surprise but Miquette and I decided to stick it out, keep going, and move Gong forward. But we still wanted to keep it as a psychedelic band, we weren't so keen on it moving into the jazz-rocky thing.
But after about six months, it wasn't really happening for us, so after Miquette and I left, and after the transitional album which was Shamal, it went fully into a jazz rock direction which was still very good, but it wasn't interesting to me. What eventually became Pierre Moerlin's Gong was very different to the Gong that attracted me, but he was such an amazing drummer, and we had fantastic respect for him, so hats off, it's such a pity he's not still here because I'd love to play with him."
With Fish Rising giving Hillage a surprise introduction to the UK chart, and the following year's L (produced by Todd Rundgren) hitting the Top Ten, and bringing Steve and his band to the US, there was a moment there when he really did feel poised for a major breakthrough - at least in progressive rock loving circles. Of which, at the time, there were many.
Unfortunately, he was not a part of any of them. It would, he agrees, have been easy for him to follow L with L2 (or should that have been M?) and then drift through the rest of the alphabet until he was finally forced to join Asia or the like. Instead, he took a deliberate left turn with the funk-and-electronics-fueled Motivation Radio, and he admits, "since that record, I feel everything I've done has had a logical progression.
"People often ask me what was my favorite record that I did in the 70s, and I find it very hard to answer, because they've all got good bits. I like them all. But Motivation Radio was definitely a pivotal record because it set me up on a different trajectory and it made me more my own man and I was happy about that. Maybe I'd have had more commercial success [if I'd stayed still], but when I look back now, I'm pretty happy with the general level of creativity, and what we managed to achieve."
One more vital ingredient in the unfolding process, he recalls, was the night he walked into a club, at the height of the disco boom, and saw the audience dancing to Kraftwerk. "That was a big moment, a eureka moment. I know disco was coming on then, but you didn't associate it with groups like Kraftwerk… now, you can listen back and you can hear the beats and you know the influence it had on hip hop and techno, and you can hear exactly where it's coming from.
"But at the time, 1977, 1978, it just wasn't the way you saw them. They were more associated with the other German psychedelic bands; it was something you'd sit cross legged with a big fat joint and listen to it. I saw that, though, and looking back, it was another key moment in our eventual path to System 7."
Motivation Radio was just the first of several abrupt turns that Hillage would take over the few years - a span that included the albums Green, Open and For To Next, before he effectively retired from recording and performance, to concentrate instead on production… a roster that included the likes of Nik Turner's Sphynx, Tony Banks, Robyn Hitchcock and, most surprisingly - and, perhaps, rewardingly - of all, Simple Minds.
Newly signed to Virgin after three albums that effectively went nowhere, Hillage and band concocted the sound and a style that would propel Simple Minds across the next decade and more, and astonished the label, too, when instead of delivering the expected single album, Sons and Fascination, they turned in a bonus second, Sister Feelings Call, too.
Of course the media of the time had a wonderful time puzzling over this collision between a culty, spikey, electro-dance band, and a former pot-head pixie who was last heard of insisting that cabbages were a higher form of life. (He didn't, but you know what the press are like for misinterpreting stuff.)
But what Simple Minds knew, and Harry-the-hack presumably didn't was that Hillage was perfect for the job; that his last few albums had shifted through many of the changes that they themselves envisioned, while one in particular - 1979's Rainbow Dome Musick - all but blueprinted what a later decade would describe as ambient music.
The album was originally commissioned for the upcoming Festival for Mind-Body-Spirit, staged at London's Olympia exhibition hall in April 1979. It was a vast concourse of new age vendors and exhibitors, and Hillage explains, "we had a lot of laughs. The whole idea of the Rainbow Dome was to provide a non-aligned relaxation space that wasn't pushing some kind of spiritual philospohy or crystals or pyramid or product. We never actually did it, but we had this idea… we were going to get these badges made with 'spiritual supermarket store detective' printed on then, and my friends and I would then go round to all the stalls pushing dodgy philosophical tracts and practices, and saying 'ooh, I don't know about this. I wonder if this would pass the trade descriptions act, sir."
The music itself, played continually throgh the exhibition inside the Rainbow Dome, "was an improvised project. We made the record because we had the commission to do the music for the exhibition, but in order to make it work, for the time and effort we put into it, we proposed that we also put it out as a record and we managed to persuade the record company to go along with it.
"But it was just what we thought was right and appropriate for the exhibition. And we had a lot of inspiration and we were really happy with it but how it would pan out for the future we didn't know. We just did it.
What that future brought, of course, was an ever more growing interest in dance music, DJ-ing, electronics and mood, a fascination that finally culminated in the foundation of System 7 - the project which still engrosses Hillage and Giraudy's attention today, but whose roots can most visibly be discerned by playing through the fourth and final volume of Sparks…. but which, you also realize, is also, simply, the ultimate outgrowth of the music that began, twenty-two discs earlier, with Uriel and "The Goblin."
"When we had the idea of doing System 7, after quite a few years of gestation if you want to put it that way, that's what we wanted to do, combine our trademark sounds with dance beats, we thought it would be an interesting project, we'd have our own distinctive sound and be able to make a mark, that was the idea."
But what neither he, nor we, realized was how seamlessly, and exquisitely, that mark would be made, and continues to be made today. Quite simply, Hillage pulled off one of the most coherent career trajectories in rock history - and Searching for the Spark tells only the first half of the story. It closes with the release of the first System 7 album, back in 1990; there's been a quarter of a century of regular releases since then, although he doubts we'll ever see a second box devoted to them.
"Probably not. We tend to release everything we do, so our mine of unreleased tracks is not as large. We've got loads of gig recordings, but it'd be a different kettle of fish.
"We have got one idea that might be interesting, though. This year, a fantastic psych festival in Portugal booked us to do a special exclusive gig; they wanted us to play a full version of Rainbow Dome, so we put together a quite interesting concoction and it worked, really well.
"We did it with a surround sound system and I'd like to record that; I think people would find it interesting to hear our new take on the album… it's the same stuff but we play it differently, it's live, and we also thought we could do 5.1 mixes of it, and then I thought we could take it and put it on blu-ray and get someone to do visuals, and also rerelease the original and have a special package, a special edition. That's something that might well happen….
"It's interesting, though, because over the last ten years, particularly since the Gong Unconvention event which we include in the box as a postscript looking back… that was the point where I started reappraising the '70s stuff and getting to a stage where I can go to work on System 7 and live rock stuff. I feel comfortable with both, and thats how we ended up doing some more stuff with Gong during 09, 10, and I wouldn't rule out doing more live rock stuff in the future."
You can read more of our interview with Steve, including his thoughts on vinyl, glissando and Jimi Hendrix, in the January 2017 edition of Goldmine magazine, available in stores from December 1.
Searching for the Spark can be purchased from retailers everywhere.


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Claire Kane is an avid reader and writer who enjoys going on zany adventures with her eccentric mother, Zoey. She's a connoisseur of classic fashion statements, craves a good root beer float, and always eats with her mouth closed. And she, of course, has a weak spot for murder mysteries.
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Website: zoeyandclaire.blogspot.com
Publisher's website: breezyreads.com
Facebook: fb.me/zoeyandclaire
Twitter: @Zoey_Claire
EMAIL: firstname.lastname@example.com
By Claire Kane
Z & C Mysteries:
The Riddles of Hillgate
Cruise to Murder
Hexes and X's
Legend of The Lost
A Grave Situation
The Howliday Inn
A Ghostly Dare
What The Dead Said
The Dead Ex Files:
Heaven Must Wait
A Model Murder
A Charli Chan Mystery:
A Yen for Murder
Lights, Camera, Murder
The Menopause Murder Society:
The Demise of The Lotto Queen
The Revenge of Pooky Poo
Clean Paranormal Romance:
To Catch a Fox


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The Seed School in Washington DC, who recorded perfect college acceptance this year will be featured on CBS's 60 Minutes This Sunday.
There's a school that's giving kids from an inner-city neighborhood that only graduates 33 percent of its high school students a shot at college they never had before. Byron Pitts reports on the SEED School. Sunday, Sept. 5, 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Text continues after Pictures of the week gallery…
Read entire article at CBS.com
DC's Seed School Reports Perfect College Acceptance Rate This Year [VIDEO]
Harlem HS Celebrates Decade Of Perfect College Acceptance
More from NewsOne


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While for those who want a downsized Golf, VW offers the Fox in South America and the slightly bigger Polo in Europe, the old continent also had a more exotic choice for the last three decades. It's time to celebrate, Ibiza style!
The first generation Ibiza was a very important car for Seat when it came out in 1984 mostly because it was the first model they developed independently under Volkswagen's umbrella after tearing up all the papers that linked them to Fiat for 34 years.
Their work was guided by Karmann and the engineers of Porsche, the body was styled by Italdesign and that combination became such a hit that the Spanish sold 1,308,461 units until 1993.
The following generation was once again penned by Giorgio Giugiaro, and while getting bigger and more powerful, Seat also managed to race the kit car version in the WRC in the 1996, 1997 and 1998 seasons. 1,522,607 left the factory until 2002, and the first Cupra from 1996 with the 2.0-liter 150 hp engine is a true modern classic by now.
The third Ibiza was Walter de'Silva's child, who was easily the hottest designer in the automotive industry at the time thanks to all his brilliant designs at Alfa Romeo before Ferdinand Piëch brought him to Seat. Sales were slightly down at 1,221,200 units, but this car was only sold for six years.
The current Ibiza has been with us since 2008, and if you like its looks, thank Luc Donckerwolke, who you might remember from his live chat with us last week.
Cheers Luc, and happy anniversary to all the four-wheeled Spaniards out there!


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How Dental Health Becomes General Health
- Posted on: Jun 19 2013
Your body is a massive, interconnected system. Problems that start in one area of your body don't stay there. This is one point that experienced general dentist Dr. Lindsey Marshall emphasizes to her Ardmore-area patients. Dental health is general health, and if your teeth and gums aren't healthy, your body won't be healthy for long.
That's why good dental hygiene and frequent, regularly scheduled trips to the dentist's office for check-ups and cleanings are so important. Dr. Marshall will be able to help you keep your teeth and gums healthy and maintain a high level of overall health.
When high concentrations of bacteria are allowed to gather in your mouth, some of those bacteria are then dispersed into your lungs and blood stream every time you take a deep breath. This is especially dangerous when you're battling gum disease.
Some general health consequences to unchecked dental problems such as gum disease include :
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Heart disease
- Low birth weight
- Premature births
Fortunately, these problems can largely be avoided through simple dental hygiene and visits to the dentist's office.
If you're an Ardmore, Pennsylvania resident looking for an experienced dentist, please contact Dr. Lindsey Marshall, DMD, to arrange a consultation.
Posted in: General Dentistry


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Information about Trendy contemporary hotel in Cardiff city centre Hotel
This city centre hotel is close to some of Cardiff's best shops and sights like St. David's Hall. During your stay, you can enjoy fresh, local flavours in the on-site restaurant and keep connected with the hotel's free wi-fi. Each room at the hotel offers tea and coffee making facilities, a laptop safe and a private bathroom.
Services of Trendy contemporary hotel in Cardiff city centre Hotel
- Non-smoking rooms
- Car rental desk
- Room service
- Business Center
- Handicap rooms
- Air Conditioning
- Wireless Internet access
- spa
- Private dining for groups
- Health Club
Hotel badges
- Romantic Hotel
- City Hotel
- Business Hotel
Top Secret® hotels
What's the big secret?
Shhh, we've managed to get you exclusive hotel deals from our leading chains and independent hotel partners. The prices are so cheap that the hotel wants to keep it a secret. Check out our Top Secret® hotels explained page for more details. Don't worry, as soon as the booking has been made we will let you in on the secret - please remember to keep it under your hat. We will also send you an email so you have a record confirming all of your booking details including the name and address of the hotel you have reserved. Top Secret® hotel deals on our website offer exclusive discounts from the same named hotels room rates on our website.
Other hotel options
Grand contemporary hotel located in the Old Town close to Edinburgh Castle Hotelper night from £185(price for Sun, 11 Dec)


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I was looking at a house today (for sale) that has some flowers about to bud outside. The leaves that have popped up are long and somewhat narrow, maybe an inch wide? They get wider towards the top, and have very rounded tops. I'd really really like to know what they are!
I unfortunately didn't take a picture, but I'll be going back on thursday to look at the house again, and will remember my camera!


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Human Resources
The work of Human Resources is to recruit, support and retain talented and qualified employees. We are committed to providing prompt, courteous, and quality customer service to our faculty, staff, and community. We accomplish this by supporting:
- Recruiting, Hiring, and Onboarding Quality Staff
- Managing Employee Relations
- Providing Outstanding Service in Workers' Compensation, Insurance Management, and HR Information Systems
- Supporting Substitute needs across the district
- General support in the retention and ongoing development of quality staff
Please use the information provided as a starting point in your career journey with our district. If you need additional assistance, please contact Human Resources at (531) 299-0240.
E-Verify & EEO
The Omaha Public School District participates in the E-Verify Program. E-Verify is an internet-based system that allows employers to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. E-Verify® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
E-Verify Links
E-Verify Participation Poster English and Spanish
E-Verify Right to Work Poster English
E-Verify Right to Work Poster Espanol
EEO Links
Applicants have rights under Federal & State Employment Laws
Federal Employee Rights
State of Nebraska Employee Rights
Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEO)
Federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)


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Secret Stash
Updated: Aug 3, 2020
Don't know about you, but a girl has to do what a girl has to do...
If your kids, young or old eat all your chocolate stash, then by all means please copy my trick. I can't tell you how many times I'd go to my freezer (where I stash my chocolate) only to find it nearly gone or MISSING!!!
Yup, my adult children like chocolate like their mama. And I found a somewhat clever way to hide it. The empty butter box!
I know....I just blew up my own spot here, but it's gonna save your sanity, especially if your little cuties are home indefinitely. Let me know if you have a secret stash and where you hide yours in the comments below.
You're welcome : )
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Assay optimization
Biological molecules, especially proteins can easily attach to plastic labware by adsorption.Read more
Aggregation describes the formation of large clusters of biomolecules. Dianthus software helps to identify aggregates and particles since they are responsible for irregular TRIC-trace.Read more
Buffer Autofluorescence
Most commonly used biological buffers (see buffer) don't show a significant fluorescence signal at the red emission wavelengths, relevant for Dianthus experiments.Read more
Buffer Gradients
Serial dilution of the ligand in assay buffer should not introduce any changes in buffer composition except the ligand concentration itself.Read more
Competition Assay
A competitive binding assay typically measures the binding of a labeled ligand to a target protein in the presence of a second, competing but unlabeled ligand.Read more
Target: To achieve a good resolution of the binding event, the concentration of the fluorescent target needs to be lower or in the range of the Kd of the interaction.Read more
Control Experiment
Control experiments for TRIC ideally use a system that is very similar to the one under investigation.Read more
Some detergents can be used to solubilize recombinant proteins, while others are recommended for the stabilization, crystallization, or denaturation of proteins.Read more
DMSO Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and Dimethylformamide (DMF) are the preferred solvents for organic small molecules.Read more
Fluorescent Fusion Proteins
A protein can be fluorescently tagged by expressing it as a fusion with a fluorescent protein (FP). Only a few fluorescent proteins are available with far red emission spectra.Read more
A fluorophore is a molecule with fluorescence properties. The fluorophore absorbs photons and emits photons of lower energy in return.Read more
Freeze Thaw Cycles
Repeated freezing and thawing of biomolecules such as proteins can lead to significant denaturation even in the presence of cryoprotectants, therefore aliquotation of protein preparations is generally recommended.Read more
Ligand Autofluorescence
TRIC uses changes in the temperature dependence of a measured fluorescence signal to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze molecular interactions.Read more
Ligand-Induced Fluorescence Change
TRIC detects biomolecular interactions by following changes in target fluorescence upon binding of ligands. Ligand binding causes a change in the TRIC signal of the target, which enables binding detection.Read more
Ligand-Induced Photobleaching
In some rare cases, ligand binding can change the photobleaching properties of the fluorescent target. This means that the photobleaching behavior changes with the ligand concentration (see concentrations).Read more
Liquid Handling
The accuracy of liquid handling systems can greatly impact the quality of the resulting data.Read more
Positive Control Sample
In the context of single-dose screening and affinity screening, a positive control sample corresponds to a ligand sample that is a well-known or well-characterized interactor of the target (sometimes also called tool compound).Read more
Protein concentration and DOL
After protein labeling with a fluorescent dye (see fluorophores ), it is strongly recommended to determine the protein concentration and labeling efficiency.Read more
Protein Labeling
One of the most common ways to make a given target protein fluorescent is to attach organic fluorophores by means of different labeling chemistries.Read more
Quenching refers to any process, which decreases the fluorescence intensity of fluorophores.Read more
Random Changes in Initial Fluorescence
Random changes in initial fluorescence are usually the result of sample inhomogeneities (such as target aggregation). Dianthus software recognizes random fluorescence changes and highlights them.Read more
The hexahistidine-tag (His6, see His-tag) provides binding sites for three Ni-NTA moieties. Tris-NTA is thus perfectly suited for non-covalent, stable, highly selective protein labeling of hexahistidine tags in a stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 at sub-nanomolar affinity.Read more
Reducing Agents
The addition of a reducing agent to an assay may be important to prevent the oxidation of cysteines in the investigated proteins and thereby the formation of disulfides. The most commonly used reducing agents are dithiothreitol (DTT), β-mercaptoethanol (β-ME) and tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP).Read more
Reference Sample
In the context of a single-dose screening, a reference sample corresponds to the target in the unbound (see baseline) state.Read more
Serial Dilution
A stepwise dilution of ligand in buffer. Typically, a serial 1:1 dilution (dilution factor 2 in DI.Control software) is performed by transferring one volume of ligand solution to an equal volume of buffer, mixing, and repeating this step.Read more
Data interpretation
Aggregation Quality
Two different algorithms are used to detect aggregation from a TRIC-trace. In a binding check experiment or a single-dose screening the fluctuations are quantified, occurring within the TRIC trace.Read more
Area Response
The area response represents a robust approach to analyze the response amplitude and the signal quality of a TRIC assay.Read more
Binder is a ligand category in DI.Screening Analysis software. It is a ligand that showed an interaction to a target molecule in an affinity screen.Read more
Dose Response Curve
For binding affinity analysis, ligand-dependent changes in TRIC are plotted as Fnorm values vs. ligand concentration (see concentrations).Read more
If a ligand-induced fluorescence change that exceeds ±20% is observed with NanoTemper Technologies RED-tris-NTA fluorophores, performing an ECP-test is advisable. The ECP-test is a type of specificity test.Read more
For binding affinity analysis, ligand-dependent changes in TRIC are plotted as Fnorm values vs. ligand concentration in a dose-response curve. Fnorm values are plotted as parts per thousand (‰).Read more
Fluorescence Quality
The NanoTemper Technologies Software products DI.Control and DI.Screening Analysis are both able to automatically detect issues with assay quality, such as initial fluorescence and use quality checks.Read more
Hill Model
The Hill fit is used for affinity quantification of multivalent interactions and provides information about the degree of cooperativity.Read more
In the DI.Screening Analysis software ligands that were measured in TRIC screenings are automatically categorized to select for hits/binders and to single out non-binders or ligands that cause artifacts, such as aggregation of the target molecule.Read more
Inhomogeneity Quality
In single-dose screening all data points for a ligand have to show a consistent significant deviation from the references for the ligand to be considered a hit.Read more
Initial Fluorescence
In TRIC experiments, the initial fluorescence denotes the fluorescence of a sample that is measured before the IR- Laser is switched on, i.e. at ambient temperature without additional sample heating.Read more
Kd Fit Model
The Kd fit model describes a molecular interaction with a 1:1 stoichiometry according to the law of mass action.Read more
Ligand Category
In DI.Screening Analysis software ligands are automatically assigned a category, depending on the data obtained for a particular ligand. The two main categories are hits and non-binders that are assigned based on the response amplitude measured.Read more
Merge Sets
Version 1.1 of DI.Screening Analysis software can work with merge sets of binding affinity data from affinity screening. A merge set is the merged dataset of replicates of a serial dilution.Read more
In single-dose screening a ligand is considered a non-binder if it yields results in TRIC measurements that are similar within a certain user-defined threshold to the reference sample.Read more
Not Reproducible
"Not reproducible" is a ligand category in DI.Screening Analysis software that is assigned to a ligand in single-dose screening if replicates of the ligand show results that are not in agreement with one another.Read more
Photobleaching Quality
The NanoTemper Technologies Software products DI.Control and DI.Screening Analysis are both able to automatically detect issues with assay quality such as ligand-induced photobleaching and use quality checks.Read more
Potential Hit
Potential hit is a ligand category in single-dose screening and affinity screening. It is a sub-category of the inconclusive ligand category.Read more
Response Amplitude
Difference between TRIC signal of target and complex in ‰ Fnorm (affinity measurements) or area response (single-dose measurements).Read more
Response Quality
The final step in assessing a ligand dose response curve in DI.Screening Analysis software is to evaluate the response amplitude, resulting in the response quality check (see quality checks).Read more
The part of a TRIC dose response curve, where the target is in the bound state is also called saturation.Read more
Signal Quality
The signal quality is a measure of assay quality and is applied to area response charts in binding check and buffer screen experiments.Read more
Signal-to-noise ratio
The signal-to-noise ratio is used to evaluate the quality of Fnorm data. It is defined as the response amplitude divided by the noise of the measurement.Read more
Specificity of an interaction
In rare cases, increasing concentrations of a ligand can cause changes in TRIC signals that are not specific (not binding-induced).Read more
Specificity Test
When a ligand-induced fluorescence change is detected that exceeds ±20%, it is recommended to perform a specificity test to distinguish between specific and non-specific effects.Read more
A TRIC-trace shows the change in fluorescence intensity of one well over time, while a temperature increase is applied by the IR-Laser.Read more
Weak Binder
Weak binder is a ligand category in DI.Screening Analysis software that is specific to affinity screening.Read more
Well-Scan Quality
The NanoTemper Technologies software products DI.Control and DI.Screening Analysis are both able to automatically detect anomalies of well scans for X- and Y-scans and display detected anomalies to the user.Read more
Dianthus software and system
Affinity Screening
In affinity screenings (sometimes also secondary screenings), in contrast to single-dose screening, the major goal is not to identify interactors but rather to determine the affinity for known binders.Read more
Binding Affinity
The binding affinity templates in DI.Control software can be used to quantify any molecular interaction between a fluorescently labeled target molecule and a corresponding ligand molecule.Read more
Binding Check
The binding check templates in the DI.Control software represent the fastest and easiest way to iteratively test and improve assay quality of a TRIC binding assay.Read more
Buffer Screen
The buffer screen experiment template in DI.Control relies on the use of the NanoTemper Technologies Buffer Exploration Kit (Cat# NT-B001).Read more
Data Export
Dianthus software solutions allow users to export all measured raw data, fitted curves, graphs and plots as well as metadata such as the result of quality checks.Read more
Dilutionseries ID
The dilution series ID signifies all wells that are considered part of a dilution series.Read more
Excitation Power
The excitation power is the strength of the LED used for excitation of fluorophores. In DI.Control the excitation power can be set to auto-excitation or to a manual setting.Read more
The exclude function in DI.Screening Analysis can be used to exclude wells/data points from analysis.Read more
The import experiment templates for affinity screening and single-dose screening allow to import plate layouts directly from Microsoft Excel.Read more
In TRIC assays an infra-red (IR) laser with a wavelength of 1480 nm is absorbed by water molecules, resulting in a defined and user-controlled temperature change.Read more
Normalization ID
The normalization ID is used to assign ligands to specific references in single-dose-screens.Read more
The term on-time is used to describe two closely related, but different aspects of a TRIC measurement.Read more
Pico Detection
The Dianthus NT.23 Pico optics have a higher detection sensitivity compared to standard NT.23 (Nano) optics.Read more
Plate Layouts
DI.Control offers full flexibility in terms of plate layouts. Dilution series of ligands can be placed either in horizontal orientation (e.g. Well A1-A12) or vertical orientation (e.g. Well A1-H1, also see vertical plate layouts).Read more
The Dianthus 384-well plate has a working volume of 18-25 µL. It is made of black polystyrene material which ensures that samples are not subjected to sunlight and do not photobleach easily.Read more
Quality Checks
Quality checks are used in DI.Control and DI.Screening Analysis to make users aware of sample quality issues. They represent the quality controls performed on the measured data.Read more
Response Evaluation Mode
In DI.Screening Analysis software the on-time for analysis used in affinity screening can be selected on the data page of the software.Read more
Single-Dose Screening
Primary screenings are usually conducted in a single-dose setup and are best and most efficiently analyzed using DI.Screening Analysis software.Read more
Vertical Plate Layouts
DI.Control offers full flexibility for plate layouts. Apart from the horizontal orientation Dianthus is also able to work with vertical orientation of samples on a plate.Read more
Dianthus 384-microwell plates contain 384 wells in 16 rows and 24 columns. Hence, it follows the SLAS standard.Read more
Well Categories
In DI.Control and DI.Screening Analysis, three main categories are used to assign a specific function to a certain sample. Each category is easily identified by a specific color that is always used to signify a certain category.Read more
Well Scans
The Dianthus instruments perform well scans in three dimensions before each well is measured for a TRIC response.Read more
Antibodies are large proteins with a molecular weight of ~150 kDa. Some antibody classes such as IgMs or IgEs form multimers.Read more
Bromodomain Proteins
Bromodomains (BRDs) have an important role in the targeting of chromatin-modifying enzymes to specific sites that contain acetyl lysines.Read more
Cooperative binding are binding events in which the binding affinity of a molecule to an interaction partner is influenced by a preceding binding event.Read more
A disulfide bond, disulfide bridge, SS- bond or simply disulfide, is a functional group present in some proteins. It describes the covalent connection of two thiol groups, usually of cysteines, in the form of R–S–S–R'.Read more
Fluorescence is the physical property of some molecules, called fluorophores, to be able to absorb a photon and emit a photon of lower energy in return.Read more
Fragment Based Drug Discovery
Fragment-based Drug Discovery (FBDD) has become a very popular approach in drug development.Read more
A polyhistidine-tag (His-tag) is an amino acid motif in proteins that consists of at least six histidines and is commonly positioned at the N- or C-terminus of the protein.Read more
Isoelectric Point
The isoelectric point (pI) is the pH at which a particular molecule carries no net electrical charge.Read more
Membrane Proteins
Membrane proteins interact with or are part of biological membranes and perform a variety of functions.Read more
Nitriloacetic acid (NTA) is a chelating agent that forms coordination compounds with metal ions. Nickel (Ni2+) is most commonly used.Read more
Nucleic Acids
Nucleic acids are macromolecules that store and translate the genetic information of an organism.Read more
Phosphatases are enzymes that remove a phosphate group from its substrate.Read more
Photobleaching describes a decay of fluorescence intensity caused by excitation light. It is typically caused by reactive oxygen species, which react with the excited states of fluorophores.Read more
Promiscuous Binders
The term promiscous binder in a screening context refers to small molecule ligands which display unspecfific effects toward the target molecule.Read more
TRIC can be used to test large numbers of interactions. Typically, a ligand library of small molecules, peptides, protein constructs or fragments (see Fragment Based Drug Discovery) is tested against one target protein, for example a kinases or receptor.Read more
Small Molecules
Small molecules are chemical compounds with molecular weights below 900 Daltons. Most drugs are small molecules.Read more


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Jeremy Bentham was born on February 15, 1748 in Spitalfields, London into a wealthy family.
Although he was trained as a lawyer, he chose not practice law, preferring instead to write about moral and political philosophy and advocate legal and social reform.
Bentham is best known for being one of the founders of an ethical system called utilitarianism (a form of a broader theory called consequentialism).
In echoing the hedonistic philosophy of Epicurus, this principle maintains that 'the good' for man is the attainment of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.
Bentham called it the principle of utility, or the happiness principle and felt that the maximizing of that which we desire and the minimizing of that which we fear should be encompassed in all law, politics and ethics.
As an ardent reformer of political, legal and social institutions, he argued that these institutions should all be set up in accordance with this rule.
Of course, utilitarianism was not intended to mean that only your own selfish views matter, but that everyone's happiness is to count equally. Our aim, according to Bentham, should be to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number - "the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation."
Some of the problems with Bentham's system included the quandary of qualifying and quantifying pleasure, as well as the concept of the subjugation of the individual for the good of the majority. As in the 'social contract' of Rousseau, his utilitarianism lacks the notion of individual rights.
Another problem for many in Bentham's day was the way in which his system gives God or religion no role in determining what is right and wrong.
Then, as today, many believed that there is a higher moral authority above man that guides us in determining what is right and wrong. The utilitarian, however, rejects the traditional religious view of morality suggesting that all that matters is enhancing happiness in this life now.
Bentham was also one of the first thinkers to advocate for animals' rights. Because animals also experience pleasure and pain and this is what matters, morally speaking, they too deserve moral consideration.
Previously many philosophers deemed animals to be of little if any moral significance because presumably they lack the faculty of reason. To Bentham it is the ability to suffer, not the ability to reason that matters.
Bentham's best known philosophical work and fullest account of his utilitarianism is his Introduction To the Principles of Morals and Legislation published in 1789. While many of his friends and followers found his work innovative and important, it was John Stuart Mill who took it one step further and developed Bentham's utilitarianism into an influential and widely subscribed to ethical doctrine.
In an unusual request for that time, Jeremy Bentham bequeathed his body for the purposes of dissection to the Webb Street School of Anatomy.At that time only the bodies of executed murderers were legally obtainable for teaching purposes.
He left it in the hope that humanity 'may reap some small benefit by my disease'. As a result of his request, after his death the Anatomy Act made it legal for bodies to be given for dissection.
Above is Jeremy Bentham's preserved body on display at University College in London, England.
Philosopher's Corner
Philosopher Archives
Jeremy Bentham Quotes


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Family Law
We know that any breakdown in a relationship will be a difficult experience. The consequences affect finances, where you live, and most importantly, any children involved. Additionally, there may well be immigration issues. With experience and expertise in Family Law in the Cayman Islands, we will advise you on your financial entitlements and guide you through the process necessary to achieve your objective needs. HSM brings a constructive approach to the resolution of family disputes. Where appropriate, we can offer mediation rather than process the dispute through the courts. Whilst we strive for solutions that consider the needs of the whole family without the drama of court appearances, we have excellent standing as court advocates. Partner Kerrie Cox, a divorce lawyer in the Cayman Islands and his team including Shelly-Perryman-Pollard can help navigate people through divorce and finance, helping on matters such as pre-nuptial and separation agreements, family trusts, wills, estate administration and property transactions. We will guide you through the process to minimise your worries and concerns.
Click on a topic below to download a flyer for more details:
- Family Law in the Cayman Islands
- Divorce in the Cayman Islands
- Nuptial Agreements in the Cayman Islands
Key Contact
Shelly Perryman-Pollard
Tel: 1 345 815 7417


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lessons on living for millennials, moms and more
By MAURA THOMAS
On July 16, 2004, Martha Stewart stepped out of a Lower Manhattan courtroom charged with a five-month sentence at a low-security prison. She and her former stockbroker, Peter E. Bacanovic, had been accused over two years prior of conspiring to hide reasons behind a stock sale of ImClone Systems. An assistant testified in court that Stewart had sold nearly 4,000 stocks of her own after receiving word that the company's top executive was making a hefty profit selling shares himself. The media mogul's image was from this day altered — could we ever again trust the lifestyle queen again?
For most Millennials, Martha Stewart has a kind of domestic omnipotence; her name permeated childhood households as a collective reference point, an incomparable icon (the Hillary Clinton of DIY?). Across the country The Martha Stewart Cookbook garnished bookshelves, while reruns of The Martha Stewart Show were left playing on the kitchen television. With each pie baked, with each homemade bunting cut and each Christmas garland painstaking woven, a new creation was born into the collective consciousness of the Martha Stewart world; that is, a world where following a set of highly detailed steps can yield a well-crafted result for anyone with an adequate store of time and patience. And, even if you and your mom weren't fanatics (like me and mine), Stewart's name still induced a halo of organizational vibes and creative energy. Personally, I would return home every December to leaf through several well-worn copies of Martha Stewart Living in search of one more cookie recipe or holiday place card idea (my excuse to exploit the hot glue gun, but whatever).
What did Stewart's rise to prominence look like, considering her level of cultural permeation? After receiving her bachelor's degree in history at Barnard, Stewart became a stockbroker on Wall Street. She then went on to develop a catering business in Westport, Connecticut in 1972. Her work first won her recognition among friends, and soon grew into an ideal springboard for growth. Through relentlessly weaving her self-image and the face of her business, Stewart climbed an ever-higher reaching ladder of success. She has since built a media empire, the eponymous Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, with her own business smarts and dedication to a seamless aesthetic. A quick search on YouTube will send back dozens of her Lifetime specials, one of which introduces her first "Good Thing" — the simple ideas which form the backbone of Martha methodology. Currently, she maintains two magazines, Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings and, as of October 2014, she has published 83 books. The Martha Stewart Show, which featured cooking and crafting with celebrity guests ranging from Snoop Dogg to Robin Williams, combined with other regular appearances on TV and in public, won her an ever-increasing circle of friends, recognition and power.
Stewart also continues to adapt in the face of a changing business and technological environment, and to appease her increasingly twenty-something demographic (really!), Stewart recently launched American Made, an annual conference and competition in New York for young entrepreneurs and crafters. The conference is replete with lectures, craft sales and receptions. The whole thing is made to feel like an organizational dream. The new generation of Etsy crafters, vintage clothing entrepreneurs and microbrewers is looking for a model of career success, and they are finding it in the woman posing on the covers of their mothers' old magazines. Martha Stewart is now 73, and she sits atop an increasingly youthful multi-million dollar enterprise.
Why should you care about a woman who crafts, cooks and manages her own media company, while still retiring by night to her Bedford, New York farm to spend a few moments with her two French bulldogs, Francesca and Sharkey? Of course, this life sounds fantastic, albeit exhausting. The real answer, though, is more complex and more fascinating by an apparent paradox. By monopolizing things like crafts, cooking and lifestyle solutions, Martha has ignored, and perhaps brought some focus to, the cultural stigmas surrounding women's gender roles as homemakers, first as a traditional cultural standard, and second as the embodiment of the ensuing counter-belief that said "strong" women should dissociate from traditional practices in order to be taken seriously. When women believed and were taught that being successful meant being successful like men, and pursuing "male" careers like finance and business, Martha demonstrated that to be successful as a woman was just to be successful — in whatever way she damn well pleased.
When Stewart walked out of federal prison in Alderson, West Virginia on March 4, 2003, was she different? She emerged in a grey and blue crocheted poncho, with her hair its typical shoulder-length blonde. Camera crews documented her return from the prison back to her farmhouse. In general, though, the press was good press — I'll call the aftermath "the poncho effect." Immediately after her release, Lion Brand Yarn, the county's biggest yarn company, received hundreds of emails asking for a pattern for the garment, which, as it turned out, was crocheted by one of Martha's fellow inmates. She featured the garment on The Martha Stewart Show not long after, and began selling her own version (proceeds to charity) online. Basically, the poncho is now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. A business and press opportunity was born from the ashes of scandal — per typical Martha fashion.
Martha is quick to treat her time behind prison walls lightly. To me, it is completely mystifying that the recovery of not only her company, but also (and more importantly) her own credibility, could have come so quickly after her release. When asked about what comforts she missed while in prison, she told CNN, "All of us asked the guards everyday for a cappuccino … just as a joke … They had their cups of coffee and stuff, and so I get here and I have a spot for a cappuccino machine, but it didn't work! So, I didn't have any cappuccino." For Stewart, normalizing prison is easy! The Martha golden medium is the middle ground between accessibility and awe, and she knows better than ever how to achieve it. Omnimedia's shares even shot up when she was hidden away in Alderson. The throne was not only awaiting her return, it was being kept warm.
The world Stewart has built is self-sustaining. Marketing its way into our hearts and minds, it seems the solution to any and all of our pesky problems is answered in print, video or online. Her name reigns supreme — and she knows it. So let's all brush up on our table etiquette, review best composting practices, sew our own handbags and try to be a little more like Martha Stewart.