, blah. That's all well and good. But sometimes, I've got to have snacks. Disgusting, over-processed, diabetes-inducing snacks. And thanks to Peta's list of brand-name products that are "accidentally vegan," now I know what my options are.

Below is my list of Top 10 junk foods that are, purely by accident, vegan-friendly.

10) Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs
If I can’t have Reese’s peanut butter cups, I’ll settle for their slightly significantly less exciting younger cousin. In the realm of junk food parading as breakfast cereal - and it’s a surprisingly vast realm - Reese’s (Reese?) is the obese king.

9) Smartie’s
According to my British friends, there is a UK version of Smartie’s that is way more delicious than our version here in the US. Well, those aren’t vegan. Sure, our Smartie’s might not be all that delicious – they might even be the thanks-for-participating prize of choice at pretty much every elementary school spelling bee – but you know what they’re great for? Gluing to a piece of graph paper in color-coordinated rows to learn about fractions.

8) Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate (Double Chocolate)
The chocolate mocha and chocolate hazelnut versions are also accidentally vegan, but if I’m fancy enough to drink Ghirardelli hot chocolate (and snobby enough to pronounce it with a hard “g”), I think I can handle the double chocolate, thank you.

7) Big League Chew
Never mind that the last time I actually purchased a Big League Chew, it was from the snack shack at my middle school baseball field and I was wearing tube socks and Adidas Sambas. Back then, I had no qualms about shoving fistful after fistful of those gooey pick shreds into my mouth, then tipping the bag back and pouring in the rest, so the resulting wad of gum was nearly impossible to manage between my jaws. It's good to know I can relive that experience any time I want.

6) Wheat Thins
Wheat Thins are one of those snacks that you just barely convince yourself are healthy for you to eat an entire box of. They’re basically crackers. They have the word “wheat” in the title! Come on.

5) Fruit by the Foot
In the hierarchy of elementary school cafeteria snack trading, Fruit by the Foot is the bourgeoisie. You could trade up for a Fruit Roll-Up pretty easily (jokes on the wrapper, hello?!), but no way was I going to score a Fruit by the Foot in exchange for the low-fat cheese stick or apple my mom stuck me with.

4) Kellogg’s Unfrosted Poptarts
A lot of people think the best part of poptarts is the frosting. I disagree. I think the best part of poptarts is the goopy, slightly grainy, artificially flavored “fruit” filling that sticks to the roof of your mouth like napalm. Lucky for me, I can have it in fake brown sugar, fake blueberry, or fake strawberry form.

3) Nabisco Oreo Cookies
When I was a kid (and had traded shrewdly that day in the school cafeteria, duping some poor sap into exchanging his Oreos for my chewy granola bar), I used to enjoy Oreo cookies in the most disgusting way imaginable. I would use my front teeth to scrape the crème filling off, and then – rather than just swallowing it – I would collect it from behind my teeth and use my fingers to roll it into a little ball. That ball would grow as I added the filling from three to four cookies, discarding the chocolate cookie part as I went. Then I would pop the huge, spitty crème ball into my mouth and suck on it until it dissolved. I can’t wait to resume this enchanting little ritual as soon as I get my hands on some Oreos.

2) Swedish Fish
Yes! Swedish Fish are the best.

1) Sour Patch Kids
I never understood this snack. Am I really nomming on kid-shaped candies? And what is a sour patch? Is it like a vegetable patch, but instead of vegetables, it grows… sour? Do the candy kids live in the sour patch? How did they get so delicious?

The world may never know. But at least I know what to snack on as I ponder these questions.

  1. haha! I found this incredibly funny, especially the oreo cookie story. We all have 'special' stories like that from our childhood, props to you for sharing it!

  2. Also, sour patch kids commercials are really pretty odd. It turns out Sour Patch Kids really are mean to you and then smile at you and are then "nice." The overly simplified and unrealistic dichotomy there is disturbing!

    Also, I will never eat an oreo again without thinking of you. And am a little creeped out (but not REALLY surprised) that there's no real cream in their creme....

  3. Wait... how often does napalm get stuck on the roof of your mouth? And if this is a routine occurance for you, shouldn't you be at the doctor's office right now instead of bloghing?

  4. Haha! Napalm has (thankfully) never gotten stuck to the roof of my mouth. But, like napalm, the fake fruit filling in poptarts is sticky and burning.

  5. wait. oreos are vegan? this is a revelation. i guess I assumed the creme was, well, cream. not sure if this a win or a loss for veganism.

    great list!

  6. Because of a few different outreach events I did around Halloween, I learned that DOTS are vegan (and despite sticking to my teeth like there's no tomorrow, they're pretty good!).

  7. Agree! Sometimes I just gotta have swedish fish!

  8. That oreo cookie story is hilarious! I totally remember how you used to do that and you never even ate the cookies.

  9. I've seen you eat oreos like that!.... recently.

  10. Wait, #s 1 & 2 don't have gelatin? Why don't more chewy snacks lack gelatin? Score one for the kosher crowd too.

    And could I really comment on your blog using a LiveJournal?! That's sooooo 10 years ago.<|endoftext|>Bits & Bites

Stylin: Fall Brunch at The Marshal

I’m kinda into this trend of dressy chill clothes.  With the right accessories, super casual pieces, like tshirts and sweatshirts become acceptable in nicer settings.  Sure it’s nice when this allows you to wear a graphic tee to a bar, but it’s REALLY nice when it means you can wear a sweatshirt to brunch, like I recently did at The Marshal.

The colder the weather gets, the more I want to just live in a blanket.  Thanks to the recent popularity of embellished sweatshirts, that’s sort of possible.  It’s not like The Marshal is fancy, but it’s also not the neighborhood diner so I needed to remain comfortable while stepping it up just a teeny bit.

This sweatshirt (Lord & Taylor, old, ~$25) is just as cozy as any sweatshirt (meaning, super cozy), but the lace on the front means I can totally wear it out to a brunch with friends.  I paired it with ripped jeans by Blank (old, ~$85) and a long necklace from Loft (old, ~$20).  I carried a forest green bag from Kate Spade.  But what really made this sweatshirt outfit fun and brunch appropriate were the heels.  I wore suede pointy toed heels in a boysenberry color with a wide ankle strap from Zara (old, ~$45).  I also wore a lipstick in a similar color.  I’m loving these deep berry hues this season!

stylin - the marshal5

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Connecting to %s<|endoftext|>Question: What supplies are needed to make herringbone film strip window?
Answer: Film strip         Packing Tape        Quilter's cutting mat and ruler        Rotary cutter        Pencil        Paper<|endoftext|>Currency converter
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Putin presents message on budget policy in 2014-2016

June 14, 2013, 13:04 UTC+3
One of the main tasks for the government and Federal Assembly is to create conditions for owners of large funds to find it advantageous to invest in Russia
1 pages in this article

President Vladimir Putin presented a message on budget policy in 2014-2016 to the government. In his view, the main thing is to support economic growth by fulfilling strategic tasks outlined on May 7, 2012. Also, the previous requirement to make the country's budget deficit-free by 2015 is no longer on the agenda. Experts believe it is nearly impossible.

Vladimir Putin talked about stimuli for business activity, attracting investments and ensuring a balanced

 for eating local, unprocessed foods as much as possible, blah, blah, blah. That's all well and good. But sometimes, I've got to have snacks. Disgusting, over-processed, diabetes-inducing snacks. And thanks to Peta's list of brand-name products that are "accidentally vegan," now I know what my options are.

Below is my list of Top 10 junk foods that are, purely by accident, vegan-friendly.

10) Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs
If I can’t have Reese’s peanut butter cups, I’ll settle for their slightly significantly less exciting younger cousin. In the realm of junk food parading as breakfast cereal - and it’s a surprisingly vast realm - Reese’s (Reese?) is the obese king.

9) Smartie’s
According to my British friends, there is a UK version of Smartie’s that is way more delicious than our version here in the US. Well, those aren’t vegan. Sure, our Smartie’s might not be all that delicious – they might even be the thanks-for-participating prize of choice at pretty much every elementary school spelling bee – but you know what they’re great for? Gluing to a piece of graph paper in color-coordinated rows to learn about fractions.

8) Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate (Double Chocolate)
The chocolate mocha and chocolate hazelnut versions are also accidentally vegan, but if I’m fancy enough to drink Ghirardelli hot chocolate (and snobby enough to pronounce it with a hard “g”), I think I can handle the double chocolate, thank you.

7) Big League Chew
Never mind that the last time I actually purchased a Big League Chew, it was from the snack shack at my middle school baseball field and I was wearing tube socks and Adidas Sambas. Back then, I had no qualms about shoving fistful after fistful of those gooey pick shreds into my mouth, then tipping the bag back and pouring in the rest, so the resulting wad of gum was nearly impossible to manage between my jaws. It's good to know I can relive that experience any time I want.

6) Wheat Thins
Wheat Thins are one of those snacks that you just barely convince yourself are healthy for you to eat an entire box of. They’re basically crackers. They have the word “wheat” in the title! Come on.

5) Fruit by the Foot
In the hierarchy of elementary school cafeteria snack trading, Fruit by the Foot is the bourgeoisie. You could trade up for a Fruit Roll-Up pretty easily (jokes on the wrapper, hello?!), but no way was I going to score a Fruit by the Foot in exchange for the low-fat cheese stick or apple my mom stuck me with.

4) Kellogg’s Unfrosted Poptarts
A lot of people think the best part of poptarts is the frosting. I disagree. I think the best part of poptarts is the goopy, slightly grainy, artificially flavored “fruit” filling that sticks to the roof of your mouth like napalm. Lucky for me, I can have it in fake brown sugar, fake blueberry, or fake strawberry form.

3) Nabisco Oreo Cookies
When I was a kid (and had traded shrewdly that day in the school cafeteria, duping some poor sap into exchanging his Oreos for my chewy granola bar), I used to enjoy Oreo cookies in the most disgusting way imaginable. I would use my front teeth to scrape the crème filling off, and then – rather than just swallowing it – I would collect it from behind my teeth and use my fingers to roll it into a little ball. That ball would grow as I added the filling from three to four cookies, discarding the chocolate cookie part as I went. Then I would pop the huge, spitty crème ball into my mouth and suck on it until it dissolved. I can’t wait to resume this enchanting little ritual as soon as I get my hands on some Oreos.

2) Swedish Fish
Yes! Swedish Fish are the best.

1) Sour Patch Kids
I never understood this snack. Am I really nomming on kid-shaped candies? And what is a sour patch? Is it like a vegetable patch, but instead of vegetables, it grows… sour? Do the candy kids live in the sour patch? How did they get so delicious?

The world may never know. But at least I know what to snack on as I ponder these questions.

  1. haha! I found this incredibly funny, especially the oreo cookie story. We all have 'special' stories like that from our childhood, props to you for sharing it!

  2. Also, sour patch kids commercials are really pretty odd. It turns out Sour Patch Kids really are mean to you and then smile at you and are then "nice." The overly simplified and unrealistic dichotomy there is disturbing!

    Also, I will never eat an oreo again without thinking of you. And am a little creeped out (but not REALLY surprised) that there's no real cream in their creme....

  3. Wait... how often does napalm get stuck on the roof of your mouth? And if this is a routine occurance for you, shouldn't you be at the doctor's office right now instead of bloghing?

  4. Haha! Napalm has (thankfully) never gotten stuck to the roof of my mouth. But, like napalm, the fake fruit filling in poptarts is sticky and burning.

  5. wait. oreos are vegan? this is a revelation. i guess I assumed the creme was, well, cream. not sure if this a win or a loss for veganism.

    great list!

  6. Because of a few different outreach events I did around Halloween, I learned that DOTS are vegan (and despite sticking to my teeth like there's no tomorrow, they're pretty good!).

  7. Agree! Sometimes I just gotta have swedish fish!

  8. That oreo cookie story is hilarious! I totally remember how you used to do that and you never even ate the cookies.

  9. I've seen you eat oreos like that!.... recently.

  10. Wait, #s 1 & 2 don't have gelatin? Why don't more chewy snacks lack gelatin? Score one for the kosher crowd too.

    And could I really comment on your blog using a LiveJournal?! That's sooooo 10 years ago.<|endoftext|>Bits & Bites

Stylin: Fall Brunch at The Marshal

I’m kinda into this trend of dressy chill clothes.  With the right accessories, super casual pieces, like tshirts and sweatshirts become acceptable in nicer settings.  Sure it’s nice when this allows you to wear a graphic tee to a bar, but it’s REALLY nice when it means you can wear a sweatshirt to brunch, like I recently did at The Marshal.

The colder the weather gets, the more I want to just live in a blanket.  Thanks to the recent popularity of embellished sweatshirts, that’s sort of possible.  It’s not like The Marshal is fancy, but it’s also not the neighborhood diner so I needed to remain comfortable while stepping it up just a teeny bit.

This sweatshirt (Lord & Taylor, old, ~$25) is just as cozy as any sweatshirt (meaning, super cozy), but the lace on the front means I can totally wear it out to a brunch with friends.  I paired it with ripped jeans by Blank (old, ~$85) and a long necklace from Loft (old, ~$20).  I carried a forest green bag from Kate Spade.  But what really made this sweatshirt outfit fun and brunch appropriate were the heels.  I wore suede pointy toed heels in a boysenberry color with a wide ankle strap from Zara (old, ~$45).  I also wore a lipstick in a similar color.  I’m loving these deep berry hues this season!

stylin - the marshal5

Tell Us What You Think!

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

Twitter picture

Facebook photo

Connecting to %s<|endoftext|>Currency converter
News Search Topics
Use filter
You can filter your feed,
by choosing only interesting

Putin presents message on budget policy in 2014-2016

June 14, 2013, 13:04 UTC+3
One of the main tasks for the government and Federal Assembly is to create conditions for owners of large funds to find it advantageous to invest in Russia
1 pages in this article

President Vladimir Putin presented a message on budget policy in 2014-2016 to the government. In his view, the main thing is to support economic growth by fulfilling strategic tasks outlined on May 7, 2012. Also, the previous requirement to make the country's budget deficit-free by 2015 is no longer on the agenda. Experts believe it is nearly impossible.

Vladimir Putin talked about stimuli for business activity, attracting investments and ensuring a balanced budget, the Novye Izvestia reports. To fulfill these targets, a decision was made to complete the development of budget strategy in the period


Question: To add the look of green grass to the dirt block
Answer: Pour some left over melted chocolate on top of the blocks to stick on the GREEN m&ms,<|endoftext|> about her mother’s time there. Traveling with Hope are friends Anna and Julie, first introduced as little girls in The Wednesday Sisters, now grown women grappling with issues of a different era. They’ve come to help Hope sort through her mother’s personal effects, yet what they find is a tangled family history—one steeped in Lake District lore.  Hope finds a stack of Ally’s notebooks tucked away in a  drawer, all written in code. As she, Julie, and Anna try to decipher Ally’s writings, they are forced to confront their own personal struggles. And as the real reason for Ally’s stay in England comes to light, Hope, Julie, and Anna  reach a new understanding about the enduring bonds of family, the unwavering strength of love, and the inescapable pull of the past.

A Literary Break Up Letter

Wise Novel in Verse

A Meditation on Villainy

Chuck Klosterman has walked into the darkness. As a boy, he related to the cultural figures who represented goodness—but as an adult, he found himself unconsciously aligning with their enemies. This was not because he necessarily liked what they were doing; it was because they were doing it on purpose (and they were doing it better). They wanted to be evil. And what, exactly, was that supposed to mean? When we classify someone as a bad person, what are we really saying (and why are we so obsessed with saying it)? How does the culture of deliberate malevolence operate?   In I Wear the Black Hat, Klosterman questions the modern understanding of villainy.   Blending cultural analysis with self-interrogation and imaginative hypotheticals, I Wear the Black Hat delivers observations on the complexity of the antihero and is a rare example of serious criticism that’s instantly accessible and really, really funny.

Cute New Cozy

No mission is impawsible for pet sitter Dixie Hemingway (no relation to you-know-who). On an early morning walk, she spots an exotic bird rarely seen north of the equator, much less in the sleepy beach-side town of Siesta Key, Florida. At first, Dixie thinks the bird has been blown off course by a terrible storm, but as she digs deeper into where the bird came from, Dixie becomes increasingly suspicious of its origins. When one client is found dead and a new friend and her baby disappear without warning, Dixie is pulled into a whirlwind of greed, deception, and danger. The eighth in this popular cozy series, John Clement and Blaize Clement's The Cat Sitter's Cradle, will keep both newcomers and loyal Dixie fans perched on the edge of their seats.

New Music Memoir

Mo' Meta Blues is a punch-drunk memoir in which Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture.  Questlove  is many things: virtuoso drummer, producer, arranger, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bandleader, DJ, composer, and tireless Tweeter. He is one of our most ubiquitous cultural tastemakers, and in this, his first book, he reveals his own formative experiences--from growing up in 1970s West Philly as the son of a 1950s doo-wop singer, to finding his own way through the music world and ultimately co-founding and rising up with the Roots, a.k.a.,the last hip hop band on Earth. But this isn't just a memoir. It's a dialogue about the nature of memory and the idea of a post-modern black man saddled with some post-modern blues making it a one of a kind read.

For Fans Of The Paris Wife

For fans of The Paris Wife, Loving Frank, The Other Boleyn Girl and Shanghai Girls comes Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufmann.  Minna  is an overeducated woman with limited options. Fired again for speaking her mind, she finds herself out on the street. In 1895 Vienna, even though the city is aswirl with avant-garde artists and writers and revolutionary are still very few options for women. Out of desperation, Minna turns to her older sister, Martha, for help. But Martha has her own problems—six young children, a host of physical ailments, a household run with military precision, and an absent, overworked, disinterested husband who happens to be Sigmund Freud. Freud is a struggling professor, all but shunned by his peers and under attack for his theories, most of which center around sexual impulses, urges, and perversions. While Martha is shocked and repulsed by her husband’s "pornographic" work, Minna is fascinated.  Minna is everything Martha is not—intellectually curious, an avid reader, stunning. But while she and Freud embark on what is at first simply an intellectual courtship, something deeper is brewing beneath the surface, something Minna cannot escape

New Steampunk Mystery

A serial killer is loose on the streets of London, murdering apparently random members of the gentry with violent abandon. The corpses are each found with their chest cavities cracked open and their hearts removed. Charles Bainbridge, Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard, suspects an occult significance to the crimes and brings Newbury and Veronica in to investigate.  If you're new to steampunk, try George Mann's The Executioner's Heart to start!

Spellbinding Novel of Love, Despair, and Revenge

1943: Tucked away in the hills of Florence, the Rosatis, an Italian family of noble lineage, believe that the walls of their villa will keep them safe from the war raging across Europe. Eighteen-year-old Cristina spends her days swimming, playing with her young niece and nephew, and wandering aimlessly. But when two soldiers, a German and an Italian, arrive at the villa asking to see an ancient Etruscan burial site, the Rosatis’ bucolic tranquility is shattered. A young German lieutenant begins to court Cristina, the Nazis descend upon the estate demanding hospitality, and what was once their sanctuary becomes their prison.

Set against an exquisitely rendered Italian countryside, Chris Bohjalian's The Light in the Ruins unveils a breathtaking story of moral paradox, human frailty, and the mysterious ways of the heart

A Crack In Time

It is Christmas afternoon and Peter gets an unexpected phone call from his parents, asking him to come. It pulls him away from his wife and children and into a bewildering mystery.  He arrives at his parents house and discovers that they have a visitor.  His sister, Tara.  But twenty years ago Tara took a walk into the woods and never came back and as the years have gone by with no word from her the family have, unspoken, assumed that she was dead. Now she's back, tired, dirty, dishevelled, but happy and full of stories about twenty years spent travelling the world, an epic odyssey taken on a whim.  But her stories don't quite hang together and once she has cleaned herself up and got some sleep it becomes apparent that the intervening years have been very kind to Tara. She really does look no different from the young woman who walked out the door twenty years ago. Peter's parents are just delighted to have their little girl back, but Peter and his best friend Richie, Tara's one time boyfriend, are not so sure. Tara seems happy enough but there is something about her.  Some would say it's as if she's off with the fairies. And as the months go by Peter begins to suspect that the woods around their homes are not finished with Tara and his family  .Graham Joyce's Some Kind Of Fairy Tale  is a magical book that explores the concept of family even as it questions the nature of reality.

Chasing A Ghost

Romantic New Love Story
<|endoftext|>Blue Baker has a unique program where customers can come into the store wearing some kind of blue and receive free food depending on how much blue they are wearing! Refer to the picture below to determine how much blue you need to wear to get the kind of food you want. Have fun!<|endoftext|>Leadership Etiquette

Businesswoman leading a casual meeting
A good leader respects those who follow. Portra Images/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Are you in a leadership position at work, on a committee, or among friends? If so, you probably have some skills and traits that people look up to. Maybe you're a role model or simply someone who always follows through on commitments.

Whether you are a corporate executive, floor supervisor, or leader of a social club, proper etiquette is essential if you want to continue to be respected and followed.

Professional Appearance

The old saying, "You only have one chance to make a good first impression," is true. Dress for the position

 about her mother’s time there. Traveling with Hope are friends Anna and Julie, first introduced as little girls in The Wednesday Sisters, now grown women grappling with issues of a different era. They’ve come to help Hope sort through her mother’s personal effects, yet what they find is a tangled family history—one steeped in Lake District lore.  Hope finds a stack of Ally’s notebooks tucked away in a  drawer, all written in code. As she, Julie, and Anna try to decipher Ally’s writings, they are forced to confront their own personal struggles. And as the real reason for Ally’s stay in England comes to light, Hope, Julie, and Anna  reach a new understanding about the enduring bonds of family, the unwavering strength of love, and the inescapable pull of the past.

A Literary Break Up Letter

Wise Novel in Verse

A Meditation on Villainy

Chuck Klosterman has walked into the darkness. As a boy, he related to the cultural figures who represented goodness—but as an adult, he found himself unconsciously aligning with their enemies. This was not because he necessarily liked what they were doing; it was because they were doing it on purpose (and they were doing it better). They wanted to be evil. And what, exactly, was that supposed to mean? When we classify someone as a bad person, what are we really saying (and why are we so obsessed with saying it)? How does the culture of deliberate malevolence operate?   In I Wear the Black Hat, Klosterman questions the modern understanding of villainy.   Blending cultural analysis with self-interrogation and imaginative hypotheticals, I Wear the Black Hat delivers observations on the complexity of the antihero and is a rare example of serious criticism that’s instantly accessible and really, really funny.

Cute New Cozy

No mission is impawsible for pet sitter Dixie Hemingway (no relation to you-know-who). On an early morning walk, she spots an exotic bird rarely seen north of the equator, much less in the sleepy beach-side town of Siesta Key, Florida. At first, Dixie thinks the bird has been blown off course by a terrible storm, but as she digs deeper into where the bird came from, Dixie becomes increasingly suspicious of its origins. When one client is found dead and a new friend and her baby disappear without warning, Dixie is pulled into a whirlwind of greed, deception, and danger. The eighth in this popular cozy series, John Clement and Blaize Clement's The Cat Sitter's Cradle, will keep both newcomers and loyal Dixie fans perched on the edge of their seats.

New Music Memoir

Mo' Meta Blues is a punch-drunk memoir in which Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture.  Questlove  is many things: virtuoso drummer, producer, arranger, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bandleader, DJ, composer, and tireless Tweeter. He is one of our most ubiquitous cultural tastemakers, and in this, his first book, he reveals his own formative experiences--from growing up in 1970s West Philly as the son of a 1950s doo-wop singer, to finding his own way through the music world and ultimately co-founding and rising up with the Roots, a.k.a.,the last hip hop band on Earth. But this isn't just a memoir. It's a dialogue about the nature of memory and the idea of a post-modern black man saddled with some post-modern blues making it a one of a kind read.

For Fans Of The Paris Wife

For fans of The Paris Wife, Loving Frank, The Other Boleyn Girl and Shanghai Girls comes Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufmann.  Minna  is an overeducated woman with limited options. Fired again for speaking her mind, she finds herself out on the street. In 1895 Vienna, even though the city is aswirl with avant-garde artists and writers and revolutionary are still very few options for women. Out of desperation, Minna turns to her older sister, Martha, for help. But Martha has her own problems—six young children, a host of physical ailments, a household run with military precision, and an absent, overworked, disinterested husband who happens to be Sigmund Freud. Freud is a struggling professor, all but shunned by his peers and under attack for his theories, most of which center around sexual impulses, urges, and perversions. While Martha is shocked and repulsed by her husband’s "pornographic" work, Minna is fascinated.  Minna is everything Martha is not—intellectually curious, an avid reader, stunning. But while she and Freud embark on what is at first simply an intellectual courtship, something deeper is brewing beneath the surface, something Minna cannot escape

New Steampunk Mystery

A serial killer is loose on the streets of London, murdering apparently random members of the gentry with violent abandon. The corpses are each found with their chest cavities cracked open and their hearts removed. Charles Bainbridge, Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard, suspects an occult significance to the crimes and brings Newbury and Veronica in to investigate.  If you're new to steampunk, try George Mann's The Executioner's Heart to start!

Spellbinding Novel of Love, Despair, and Revenge

1943: Tucked away in the hills of Florence, the Rosatis, an Italian family of noble lineage, believe that the walls of their villa will keep them safe from the war raging across Europe. Eighteen-year-old Cristina spends her days swimming, playing with her young niece and nephew, and wandering aimlessly. But when two soldiers, a German and an Italian, arrive at the villa asking to see an ancient Etruscan burial site, the Rosatis’ bucolic tranquility is shattered. A young German lieutenant begins to court Cristina, the Nazis descend upon the estate demanding hospitality, and what was once their sanctuary becomes their prison.

Set against an exquisitely rendered Italian countryside, Chris Bohjalian's The Light in the Ruins unveils a breathtaking story of moral paradox, human frailty, and the mysterious ways of the heart

A Crack In Time

It is Christmas afternoon and Peter gets an unexpected phone call from his parents, asking him to come. It pulls him away from his wife and children and into a bewildering mystery.  He arrives at his parents house and discovers that they have a visitor.  His sister, Tara.  But twenty years ago Tara took a walk into the woods and never came back and as the years have gone by with no word from her the family have, unspoken, assumed that she was dead. Now she's back, tired, dirty, dishevelled, but happy and full of stories about twenty years spent travelling the world, an epic odyssey taken on a whim.  But her stories don't quite hang together and once she has cleaned herself up and got some sleep it becomes apparent that the intervening years have been very kind to Tara. She really does look no different from the young woman who walked out the door twenty years ago. Peter's parents are just delighted to have their little girl back, but Peter and his best friend Richie, Tara's one time boyfriend, are not so sure. Tara seems happy enough but there is something about her.  Some would say it's as if she's off with the fairies. And as the months go by Peter begins to suspect that the woods around their homes are not finished with Tara and his family  .Graham Joyce's Some Kind Of Fairy Tale  is a magical book that explores the concept of family even as it questions the nature of reality.

Chasing A Ghost

Romantic New Love Story
<|endoftext|>Blue Baker has a unique program where customers can come into the store wearing some kind of blue and receive free food depending on how much blue they are wearing! Refer to the picture below to determine how much blue you need to wear to get the kind of food you want. Have fun!<|endoftext|>Leadership Etiquette

Businesswoman leading a casual meeting
A good leader respects those who follow. Portra Images/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Are you in a leadership position at work, on a committee, or among friends? If so, you probably have some skills and traits that people look up to. Maybe you're a role model or simply someone who always follows through on commitments.

Whether you are a corporate executive, floor supervisor, or leader of a social club, proper etiquette is essential if you want to continue to be respected and followed.

Professional Appearance

The old saying, "You only have one chance to make a good first impression," is true. Dress for the position you hold. Make sure you are well groomed at all times and avoid wearing anything too flashy. If you aren't sure that an article of clothing or piece of jewelry is appropriate,


Question: Increase lifespan of laptop battery.
Answer: Charge battery when almost drained.<|endoftext|>

They will teach you all about the ingredients that you need and they will also let you get all the tips that you need to know to make some delicious brew. They will also get you started with the entire process from the very beginning so that you get to learn about all of the important details that come with making your very own beer.

error: Content is DMCA protected !<|endoftext|>

Armstrong was the first man to step foot onto the lunar surface. On July 21 at 02:56:15 UTC, Aldrin joined him. They spent a little over two hours outside the spacecraft and collected 47.5 pounds of lunar material to bring back to NASA on Earth. Michael Collins piloted the Command Module, Columbia, in lunar orbit while they walked on the Moon’s surface.

Armstrong and Aldrin were able to walk and spend roughly one day together on the lunar surface before getting back on Columbia.

A view of Earth from the Moon’s surface:

moon and earth

Bethany Blankley

Please leave your comments below<|endoftext|>Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Social Conscience

For some time now, a word has been floating in and out of my awareness. A word like Alzheimer's, Hiroshima, sarcoma, or September 11th. A word grown heavier over time with the weight of tragedy or just plain bad news.

It's Darfur.

Ah, there's she's said it. Add another one to the heaving bandwagon of concerned citizens who have just unwrapped their brand spankin' new social conscience. There's gotta be a wristband for this, right? A magnetic ribbon?

No, it's not really like that. I'm not trying to be a do-gooder poseur. But enough about my intentions, that's not going to help anyone in need right now. This was all just build up to an thoughtful piece by Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly. And with a mighty flourish I was all set to include a live link to his May 14th article. But no. I cannot produce one, so I can do this instead.

This is a link to Rabbi Brant Rosen's blog, Shalom Rev. There he links to the Reilly article.

They say it better than I ever could.

1 comment:

prof said...

Help me to write biographies!
you can write also a letter on personnalities and I post your letter!<|endoftext|>Jay Cutler Venturing into Public Eye - NBC Chicago
Grizzly Detail | The Chicago Bears NFL Football Blog
Awful good coverage of the Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler Venturing into Public Eye

    If you didn't know better, you would think Jay Cutler was on a tour to create goodwill between him and fans. First, he ran in a fun run for kids in Naperville. Next, he proposed to his reality TV star girlfriend with an engagement that made US Weekly and People magazine. Then this weekend, he raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and talked to the Sun-Times about his plans to bring the team together for workouts.

    Is this the same man who Chicago hated after he was pulled from the NFC Championship game? The man assailed on Twitter for being soft? The quarterback that drew even more ire for having the audacity to go shopping with his girlfriend days after injuring his knee? The athlete whom Mike Ditka has criticized repeatedly for his "body language?"

    Yep. And it being the same man is exactly what Jay Cutler is: a study of contradictions.

    Here's the thing about Jay Cutler -- he doesn't care if he has the perfect public image. His acts of charity, proposal to his girlfriend, and plans to workout with his teammates are being done because he wants them to happen. It's not about his public persona.

    If it was, he would have conducted several interviews after injuring knee, getting out "his side of the story." He would work on his body language so that it showed a commanding leader. He would go after the lucrative endorsement deals that come with being the quarterback in a football-crazed town.

    We're still looking for a bombastic hero who wants the love and affection that we so want to give. Cutler may be the Bear who can lead Chicago back to the Super Bowl, but he's not the guy who will head to a bar after the game to lead the crowd in "Bear Down, Chicago Bears." That makes him a difficult quarterback to support. How do you yell and cheer and buy the jersey of someone who doesn't really care if you do?<|endoftext|>The Vigil

An illustration for the story The Vigil by the author W. W. Jacobs An illustration for the story The Vigil by the author W. W. Jacobs An illustration for the story The Vigil by the author W. W. Jacobs

"I'm the happiest man in the world," said Mr. Farrer, in accents of dreamy tenderness.

Miss Ward sighed. "Wait till father comes in," she said.

Mr. Farrer peered through the plants which formed a welcome screen to the window and listened with some uneasiness. He was waiting for the firm, springy step that should herald the approach of ex-Sergeant-Major Ward. A squeeze of Miss Ward's hand renewed his courage.

"Perhaps I had better light the lamp," said the girl, after a long pause. "I wonder where mother's got to?"

"She's on my side, at any rate," said Mr. Farrer.

"Poor mother!" said the girl. "She daren't call her soul her own. I expect she's sitting in her bedroom with the door shut. She hates unpleasantness. And there's sure to be some."

"So do I," said the young man, with a slight shiver. "But why should there be any? He doesn't want you to keep single all your life, does he?"

"He'd like me to marry a soldier," said Miss Ward. "He says that the young men of the present day are too soft. The only thing he thinks about is courage and strength."

She rose and, placing the lamp on the table, removed the chimney, and then sought round the room for the matches. Mr. Farrer, who had two boxes in his pocket, helped her.

They found a box at last on the mantelpiece, and Mr. Farrer steadied her by placing one arm round her waist while she lit the lamp. A sudden exclamation from outside reminded them that the blind was not yet drawn, and they sprang apart in dismay as a grizzled and upright old warrior burst into the room and confronted them.

"Pull that blind down!" he roared. "Not you," he continued, as Mr. Farrer hastened to help. "What do you mean by touching my blind? What do you mean by embracing my daughter? Eh? Why don't you answer?"

"We--we are going to be married," said Mr. Farrer, trying to speak boldly.

The sergeant-major drew himself up, and the young man gazed in dismay at a chest which seemed as though it would never cease expanding.

"Married!" exclaimed the sergeant-major, with a grim laugh. "Married to a little tame bunny-rabbit! Not if I know it. Where's your mother?" he demanded, turning to the girl.

"Upstairs," was the reply.

Her father raised his voice, and a nervous reply came from above. A minute later Mrs. Ward, pale of cheek, entered the room.

"Here's fine goings-on!" said the sergeant major, sharply. "I go for a little walk, and when I come back this--this infernal cockroach has got its arm round my daughter's waist. Why don't you look after her? Do you know anything about it?"

His wife shook her head.

"Five feet four and about thirty round the chest, and wants to marry my daughter!" said the sergeant-major, with a sneer. "Eh? What's that? What did you say? What?"

"I said that's a pretty good size for a cockroach," murmured Mr. Farrer, defiantly. "Besides, size isn't everything. If it was, you'd be a general instead of only a sergeant-major."

"You get out of my house," said the other, as soon as he could get his breath. "Go on Sharp with it."

"I'm going," said the mortified Mr. Farrer. "I'm sorry if I was rude. I came on purpose to see you to-night. Bertha--Miss Ward, I mean--told me your ideas, but I couldn't believe her. I said you'd got more common sense than to object to a man just because he wasn't a soldier."

"I want a man for a son-in-law," said the other. "I don't say he's got to be a soldier."

"Just so," said Mr. Farrer. "You're a man, ain't you? Well, I'll do anything that you'll do."

"Pph!" said the sergeant-major. "I've done my little lot. I've been in action four times, and wounded in three places. That's my tally."

They will teach you all about the ingredients that you need and they will also let you get all the tips that you need to know to make some delicious brew. They will also get you started with the entire process from the very beginning so that you get to learn about all of the important details that come with making your very own beer.

error: Content is DMCA protected !<|endoftext|>

Armstrong was the first man to step foot onto the lunar surface. On July 21 at 02:56:15 UTC, Aldrin joined him. They spent a little over two hours outside the spacecraft and collected 47.5 pounds of lunar material to bring back to NASA on Earth. Michael Collins piloted the Command Module, Columbia, in lunar orbit while they walked on the Moon’s surface.

Armstrong and Aldrin were able to walk and spend roughly one day together on the lunar surface before getting back on Columbia.

A view of Earth from the Moon’s surface:

moon and earth

Bethany Blankley

Please leave your comments below<|endoftext|>Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Social Conscience

For some time now, a word has been floating in and out of my awareness. A word like Alzheimer's, Hiroshima, sarcoma, or September 11th. A word grown heavier over time with the weight of tragedy or just plain bad news.

It's Darfur.

Ah, there's she's said it. Add another one to the heaving bandwagon of concerned citizens who have just unwrapped their brand spankin' new social conscience. There's gotta be a wristband for this, right? A magnetic ribbon?

No, it's not really like that. I'm not trying to be a do-gooder poseur. But enough about my intentions, that's not going to help anyone in need right now. This was all just build up to an thoughtful piece by Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly. And with a mighty flourish I was all set to include a live link to his May 14th article. But no. I cannot produce one, so I can do this instead.

This is a link to Rabbi Brant Rosen's blog, Shalom Rev. There he links to the Reilly article.

They say it better than I ever could.

1 comment:

prof said...

Help me to write biographies!
you can write also a letter on personnalities and I post your letter!<|endoftext|>Jay Cutler Venturing into Public Eye - NBC Chicago
Grizzly Detail | The Chicago Bears NFL Football Blog
Awful good coverage of the Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler Venturing into Public Eye

    If you didn't know better, you would think Jay Cutler was on a tour to create goodwill between him and fans. First, he ran in a fun run for kids in Naperville. Next, he proposed to his reality TV star girlfriend with an engagement that made US Weekly and People magazine. Then this weekend, he raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and talked to the Sun-Times about his plans to bring the team together for workouts.

    Is this the same man who Chicago hated after he was pulled from the NFC Championship game? The man assailed on Twitter for being soft? The quarterback that drew even more ire for having the audacity to go shopping with his girlfriend days after injuring his knee? The athlete whom Mike Ditka has criticized repeatedly for his "body language?"

    Yep. And it being the same man is exactly what Jay Cutler is: a study of contradictions.

    Here's the thing about Jay Cutler -- he doesn't care if he has the perfect public image. His acts of charity, proposal to his girlfriend, and plans to workout with his teammates are being done because he wants them to happen. It's not about his public persona.

    If it was, he would have conducted several interviews after injuring knee, getting out "his side of the story." He would work on his body language so that it showed a commanding leader. He would go after the lucrative endorsement deals that come with being the quarterback in a football-crazed town.

    We're still looking for a bombastic hero who wants the love and affection that we so want to give. Cutler may be the Bear who can lead Chicago back to the Super Bowl, but he's not the guy who will head to a bar after the game to lead the crowd in "Bear Down, Chicago Bears." That makes him a difficult quarterback to support. How do you yell and cheer and buy the jersey of someone who doesn't really care if you do?<|endoftext|>The Vigil

An illustration for the story The Vigil by the author W. W. Jacobs An illustration for the story The Vigil by the author W. W. Jacobs An illustration for the story The Vigil by the author W. W. Jacobs

"I'm the happiest man in the world," said Mr. Farrer, in accents of dreamy tenderness.

Miss Ward sighed. "Wait till father comes in," she said.

Mr. Farrer peered through the plants which formed a welcome screen to the window and listened with some uneasiness. He was waiting for the firm, springy step that should herald the approach of ex-Sergeant-Major Ward. A squeeze of Miss Ward's hand renewed his courage.

"Perhaps I had better light the lamp," said the girl, after a long pause. "I wonder where mother's got to?"

"She's on my side, at any rate," said Mr. Farrer.

"Poor mother!" said the girl. "She daren't call her soul her own. I expect she's sitting in her bedroom with the door shut. She hates unpleasantness. And there's sure to be some."

"So do I," said the young man, with a slight shiver. "But why should there be any? He doesn't want you to keep single all your life, does he?"

"He'd like me to marry a soldier," said Miss Ward. "He says that the young men of the present day are too soft. The only thing he thinks about is courage and strength."

She rose and, placing the lamp on the table, removed the chimney, and then sought round the room for the matches. Mr. Farrer, who had two boxes in his pocket, helped her.

They found a box at last on the mantelpiece, and Mr. Farrer steadied her by placing one arm round her waist while she lit the lamp. A sudden exclamation from outside reminded them that the blind was not yet drawn, and they sprang apart in dismay as a grizzled and upright old warrior burst into the room and confronted them.

"Pull that blind down!" he roared. "Not you," he continued, as Mr. Farrer hastened to help. "What do you mean by touching my blind? What do you mean by embracing my daughter? Eh? Why don't you answer?"

"We--we are going to be married," said Mr. Farrer, trying to speak boldly.

The sergeant-major drew himself up, and the young man gazed in dismay at a chest which seemed as though it would never cease expanding.

"Married!" exclaimed the sergeant-major, with a grim laugh. "Married to a little tame bunny-rabbit! Not if I know it. Where's your mother?" he demanded, turning to the girl.

"Upstairs," was the reply.

Her father raised his voice, and a nervous reply came from above. A minute later Mrs. Ward, pale of cheek, entered the room.

"Here's fine goings-on!" said the sergeant major, sharply. "I go for a little walk, and when I come back this--this infernal cockroach has got its arm round my daughter's waist. Why don't you look after her? Do you know anything about it?"

His wife shook her head.

"Five feet four and about thirty round the chest, and wants to marry my daughter!" said the sergeant-major, with a sneer. "Eh? What's that? What did you say? What?"

"I said that's a pretty good size for a cockroach," murmured Mr. Farrer, defiantly. "Besides, size isn't everything. If it was, you'd be a general instead of only a sergeant-major."

"You get out of my house," said the other, as soon as he could get his breath. "Go on Sharp with it."

"I'm going," said the mortified Mr. Farrer. "I'm sorry if I was rude. I came on purpose to see you to-night. Bertha--Miss Ward, I mean--told me your ideas, but I couldn't believe her. I said you'd got more common sense than to object to a man just because he wasn't a soldier."

"I want a man for a son-in-law," said the other. "I don't say he's got to be a soldier."

"Just so," said Mr. Farrer. "You're a man, ain't you? Well, I'll do anything that you'll do."

"Pph!" said the sergeant-major. "I've done my little lot. I've been in action four times, and wounded in three places. That's my tally."

"The colonel said once that my husband doesn't know what fear is," said Mrs.


 at least universalistic, then political realists would rightly admit that attempting to be moral will be detrimental to the national interest or for the world as a whole, and therefore morality ought to be ignored. But, if morality accepts the validity of at least some self-serving actions, then ipso facto political realism may be a moral political doctrine.

Author Information

Alexander Moseley
Email: alexandermoseley@icloud.com
United Kingdom<|endoftext|>Artsy: The Mysterious Dog Painting of Artist Morex Arai

The image begs a lot of questions and invites speculation on many possible narratives, which make this painting so interesting and rewarding. Why is the dog on a leash but nobody is holding his leash? Why is the dog standing there? What is the dog looking at? Are they at a park? Is this in Hawaii? Where is the dog’s owner? Did something happen to his owner? Should I get a pet? What is the meaning of life? And so on.

The painting is on view as part of a group show at Ars Cafe & Gallery in Honolulu.<|endoftext|>Wednesday, 12 September 2007

Voce: Airy Matte Skin guide

Voce's October issue had a detailed 15-step guide to creating "Airy Matte Skin" by noted Japanese makeup artist Shimada Chiaki. Matte makeup often tends to look very heavy but the key to "Airy Matte Skin" is a sheer, even application to create a natural, healthy look.

Step 1: Dab small amounts of the makeup base on the forehead, cheeks and chin. Using the length of two fingers, even the base out starting from the centre of the face and moving outwards and also in an upward motion from the jawline.

Step 2: The area around the eyes is prone to oxidisation and it is also an area where many people forget to apply foundation. Using the fingertips, apply the makeup base in a light tapping motion.

Step 3: Using your third and ring fingers, apply liquid foundation from the centre of the face towards the outer edge and also from the bottom upwards.

Step 4: Use a sponge in a rolling motion across the face to lift off excess foundation/oil.

Step 5: Use a brush to apply concealer in a triangular area under the eyes from the inner corner to the outer corner.

Step 6: Use your finger to smoothen out the concealer in a light pressing motion for an even finish.

Step 7: Use your finger to apply a light layer of concealer on the upper eyelids.

Step 8: Use a brush to apply an illuminating concealer at the inner corners of the eyes and then use your finger to even out the application.

Step 9: Use your finger to apply a light layer of illuminator along the T-zone from between the eyebrows to vertically down the centre of the nose. This helps to create more contrast between the various areas of the face so that the face does not look so flat.

Control Color
Step 10: Apply an apricot-toned concealer at the outer and inner edges of the eyes as these are prone to oxidisation.

Step 11: Before applying loose powder, press the two sides of the powder puff together until the powder can hardly be seen. This helps to ensure an even application.

Step 12: Apply the loose powder using the powder puff in a gentle large rolling motion from the centre of the face outwards. Do not apply in a direct patting motion.

Step 13: As the eye area is prone to creasing, apply the loose powder on the eyelids using the powder puff in a gentle pressing motion.

Step 14: Apply a sheer blush on the apples of the cheeks until the area just in front of the ears using a large blush brush

Step 15: Applying a light highlighter powder under the eyes using a small powder brush.

Further tips: To ensure an even, sheer application of foundation, do not just use one fingertip. Instead, use the length of your second and third fingers. To prevent creasing of foundation under the eyes, apply a light layer of powder using a powder puff folded in half in a gentle pressing motion.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for taking the time to translate this into English! I hope you had a safe flight home. Cheers, Betsy

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the English Translation. I live in Japan and think it's awesome how they have magazines that actually teach you how to apply make up, not just tell you which one you should buy. It's amazing how Ive been putting make up on for years, and how much the simple 'how to's' makes application soo much better (and easier).<|endoftext|>Question: To make a lion house cherry chocolate cake,
Answer: you'll need a package of devil's food or chocolate cake mix, a can of cherry pie filling, and 2 eggs.<|endoftext|>Mark Ryan

Visitor Scoring With Custom Dimensions in Universal Analytics

  |  July 24, 2013   |  Comments

For many B2B organizations, the primary goal of marketing websites is to generate as many qualified/sales-ready leads as possible. These sites generate leads that are stored in a CRM and/or a marketing automation tool, which often applies a lead score to the individual. The sales team uses lead scoring in many ways, including determining how aggressively to pursue a specific opportunity, while marketing folks use lead scoring to defend the value of their efforts.

Hold that thought on marketing and lead scoring…

If you haven't yet heard, this year Google Analytics started to offer beta access to Universal Analytics. With Universal Analytics there are many notable improvements over the existing Google Analytics features. But one area that marketers should be very excited about is the 20 custom dimensions and 20 custom metrics. These new slots for the storage of persistent custom data give marketers an enhanced ability to create a visitor scoring (a.k.a. lead scoring) platform within their web analytics data.

With a healthy bit of skepticism, you may ask "What's revolutionary about that?"

Marketing-run sites in the B2B arena are typically focused on two key areas: 1) acquire as much quality traffic as possible; and 2) convert as many visitors to leads as possible. These two areas of focus are typically the primary motivators for marketers as they make updates to the digital channel. Have you ever seen sites that ask you to fill out a lead form before you've learned anything about the product or the organization? This is because marketing is focused on getting you to the site and turning you into a lead - and that's it. By the way, if you did what they wanted and filled out the lead form immediately, sales wouldn't want to talk with you anyways - because you don't know what the benefit of their product offering is (you would have a low lead score). Because of this, most sales teams actually only want to talk with less than 10 percent of the leads generated by the site. The majority of sales teams would rather have 10 solid leads (e.g., visitors who came to the site multiple times and visited multiple pages, watched videos, read case studies, etc.) than 100 mediocre leads (e.g., visitors who came to the site and filled out a lead form on the first page on their first visit).

In B2B marketing, prospects often visit the site multiple times (sometimes from multiple devices) before they ever fill out a lead form. According to Google, business buyers typically do 57 percent of their buying research before they even fill out a lead form or call an organization. What are they doing before the point of contact? They're looking at your website again and again.

A marketing team should judge the success of the digital channel on its ability to create high-scoring visitors.

Using the custom dimensions in Universal Analytics, we can start to create an internal scoring system more intricate than Google Analytics would allow us with custom variables. From there, marketing's primary goal could be to create as large an audience of visitors who are engaged in the digital channel and aware of the products, product benefits, and the organization. If marketing can become expert on making the majority of the visitors knowledgeable about the superiority of the organization's products and services, then sales may want to talk with a higher percentage of the site visitors.

Below is an example of a scoring system for an organization that typically sees multiple visitors looking at the site across multiple visits before buying decisions are made (e.g., Cisco, Micron, Caterpillar, McKesson, IBM, Dow, Boeing, AIG, etc.) using custom dimensions and custom metrics.

  • Product views/multiple product views. The simplest and possibly the most important action is getting visitors to view one or more of the product pages and multiple products. (Two points for each product page viewed and three points if they view a product page repeatedly over multiple visits.)
  • Product drill-downs. Interested visitors should view as much product information as possible. Ideally they are clicking into detailed information such as features, specifications, comparisons, and support material. (Four points for each auxiliary product page view.)
  • Downloads. White papers, research docs, best practice guides, case studies, and third-party product reviews encapsulated in a pretty PDF are the catnip of marketers looking to generate leads. Video views can be lumped into this group. (One point for the first download, two points for each subsequent download, and three points for any repeat downloads.)
  • Non-branded search phrases. This is a huge area that marketers often ignore. If visitors get to your site by using a search phrase describing a

 absurd for parents to give equal consideration to their children and others' children. But if morality is employed in the sense of being altruistic, or at least universalistic, then political realists would rightly admit that attempting to be moral will be detrimental to the national interest or for the world as a whole, and therefore morality ought to be ignored. But, if morality accepts the validity of at least some self-serving actions, then ipso facto political realism may be a moral political doctrine.

Author Information

Alexander Moseley
Email: alexandermoseley@icloud.com
United Kingdom<|endoftext|>Artsy: The Mysterious Dog Painting of Artist Morex Arai

The image begs a lot of questions and invites speculation on many possible narratives, which make this painting so interesting and rewarding. Why is the dog on a leash but nobody is holding his leash? Why is the dog standing there? What is the dog looking at? Are they at a park? Is this in Hawaii? Where is the dog’s owner? Did something happen to his owner? Should I get a pet? What is the meaning of life? And so on.

The painting is on view as part of a group show at Ars Cafe & Gallery in Honolulu.<|endoftext|>Wednesday, 12 September 2007

Voce: Airy Matte Skin guide

Voce's October issue had a detailed 15-step guide to creating "Airy Matte Skin" by noted Japanese makeup artist Shimada Chiaki. Matte makeup often tends to look very heavy but the key to "Airy Matte Skin" is a sheer, even application to create a natural, healthy look.

Step 1: Dab small amounts of the makeup base on the forehead, cheeks and chin. Using the length of two fingers, even the base out starting from the centre of the face and moving outwards and also in an upward motion from the jawline.

Step 2: The area around the eyes is prone to oxidisation and it is also an area where many people forget to apply foundation. Using the fingertips, apply the makeup base in a light tapping motion.

Step 3: Using your third and ring fingers, apply liquid foundation from the centre of the face towards the outer edge and also from the bottom upwards.

Step 4: Use a sponge in a rolling motion across the face to lift off excess foundation/oil.

Step 5: Use a brush to apply concealer in a triangular area under the eyes from the inner corner to the outer corner.

Step 6: Use your finger to smoothen out the concealer in a light pressing motion for an even finish.

Step 7: Use your finger to apply a light layer of concealer on the upper eyelids.

Step 8: Use a brush to apply an illuminating concealer at the inner corners of the eyes and then use your finger to even out the application.

Step 9: Use your finger to apply a light layer of illuminator along the T-zone from between the eyebrows to vertically down the centre of the nose. This helps to create more contrast between the various areas of the face so that the face does not look so flat.

Control Color
Step 10: Apply an apricot-toned concealer at the outer and inner edges of the eyes as these are prone to oxidisation.

Step 11: Before applying loose powder, press the two sides of the powder puff together until the powder can hardly be seen. This helps to ensure an even application.

Step 12: Apply the loose powder using the powder puff in a gentle large rolling motion from the centre of the face outwards. Do not apply in a direct patting motion.

Step 13: As the eye area is prone to creasing, apply the loose powder on the eyelids using the powder puff in a gentle pressing motion.

Step 14: Apply a sheer blush on the apples of the cheeks until the area just in front of the ears using a large blush brush

Step 15: Applying a light highlighter powder under the eyes using a small powder brush.

Further tips: To ensure an even, sheer application of foundation, do not just use one fingertip. Instead, use the length of your second and third fingers. To prevent creasing of foundation under the eyes, apply a light layer of powder using a powder puff folded in half in a gentle pressing motion.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for taking the time to translate this into English! I hope you had a safe flight home. Cheers, Betsy

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the English Translation. I live in Japan and think it's awesome how they have magazines that actually teach you how to apply make up, not just tell you which one you should buy. It's amazing how Ive been putting make up on for years, and how much the simple 'how to's' makes application soo much better (and easier).<|endoftext|>Mark Ryan

Visitor Scoring With Custom Dimensions in Universal Analytics

  |  July 24, 2013   |  Comments

For many B2B organizations, the primary goal of marketing websites is to generate as many qualified/sales-ready leads as possible. These sites generate leads that are stored in a CRM and/or a marketing automation tool, which often applies a lead score to the individual. The sales team uses lead scoring in many ways, including determining how aggressively to pursue a specific opportunity, while marketing folks use lead scoring to defend the value of their efforts.

Hold that thought on marketing and lead scoring…

If you haven't yet heard, this year Google Analytics started to offer beta access to Universal Analytics. With Universal Analytics there are many notable improvements over the existing Google Analytics features. But one area that marketers should be very excited about is the 20 custom dimensions and 20 custom metrics. These new slots for the storage of persistent custom data give marketers an enhanced ability to create a visitor scoring (a.k.a. lead scoring) platform within their web analytics data.

With a healthy bit of skepticism, you may ask "What's revolutionary about that?"

Marketing-run sites in the B2B arena are typically focused on two key areas: 1) acquire as much quality traffic as possible; and 2) convert as many visitors to leads as possible. These two areas of focus are typically the primary motivators for marketers as they make updates to the digital channel. Have you ever seen sites that ask you to fill out a lead form before you've learned anything about the product or the organization? This is because marketing is focused on getting you to the site and turning you into a lead - and that's it. By the way, if you did what they wanted and filled out the lead form immediately, sales wouldn't want to talk with you anyways - because you don't know what the benefit of their product offering is (you would have a low lead score). Because of this, most sales teams actually only want to talk with less than 10 percent of the leads generated by the site. The majority of sales teams would rather have 10 solid leads (e.g., visitors who came to the site multiple times and visited multiple pages, watched videos, read case studies, etc.) than 100 mediocre leads (e.g., visitors who came to the site and filled out a lead form on the first page on their first visit).

In B2B marketing, prospects often visit the site multiple times (sometimes from multiple devices) before they ever fill out a lead form. According to Google, business buyers typically do 57 percent of their buying research before they even fill out a lead form or call an organization. What are they doing before the point of contact? They're looking at your website again and again.

A marketing team should judge the success of the digital channel on its ability to create high-scoring visitors.

Using the custom dimensions in Universal Analytics, we can start to create an internal scoring system more intricate than Google Analytics would allow us with custom variables. From there, marketing's primary goal could be to create as large an audience of visitors who are engaged in the digital channel and aware of the products, product benefits, and the organization. If marketing can become expert on making the majority of the visitors knowledgeable about the superiority of the organization's products and services, then sales may want to talk with a higher percentage of the site visitors.

Below is an example of a scoring system for an organization that typically sees multiple visitors looking at the site across multiple visits before buying decisions are made (e.g., Cisco, Micron, Caterpillar, McKesson, IBM, Dow, Boeing, AIG, etc.) using custom dimensions and custom metrics.

  • Product views/multiple product views. The simplest and possibly the most important action is getting visitors to view one or more of the product pages and multiple products. (Two points for each product page viewed and three points if they view a product page repeatedly over multiple visits.)
  • Product drill-downs. Interested visitors should view as much product information as possible. Ideally they are clicking into detailed information such as features, specifications, comparisons, and support material. (Four points for each auxiliary product page view.)
  • Downloads. White papers, research docs, best practice guides, case studies, and third-party product reviews encapsulated in a pretty PDF are the catnip of marketers looking to generate leads. Video views can be lumped into this group. (One point for the first download, two points for each subsequent download, and three points for any repeat downloads.)
  • Non-branded search phrases. This is a huge area that marketers often ignore. If visitors get to your site by using a search phrase describing a general product need (e.g., warehouse sensors


 Requesting pre-litigation mediation when not required by the contract can be perceived as weakness by the requesting party.  While this perception is illogical, ill-informed parties may not be willing to take the risk of being perceived as weak.  However, including the mediation provision in the underlying contract takes away this perception.  Also, requesting the pre-litigation mediation required by the contract has the opposite impact.  Instead of the request being perceived as weakness, the request is a showing that your client is getting prepared to move forward with litigation.

The Value of a Pre-Litigation Mediation Provision

Consider the practical applications of a pre-litigation mediation provision in the context of the governing documents of a partnership, limited liability company, or corporation.  Litigation between business partners often results in the destruction of the business, and losses for all parties.  If the governing documents contained a pre-litigation mediation provision, the parties would be forced to consider opportunities to resolve the dispute before the business is irreparably harmed by the battles of litigation and before the matter becomes public.  This concept is no less applicable to distribution agreements, independent contractor agreements, service agreements, etc.  All types of business relationships can benefit from having an opportunity to circumvent a problem before it gets out of hand.

When inserting a mediation provision into a contract, be mindful of completeness and mechanics.  Simply stating that the parties agree to mediate before litigating, alone, is not a best practice.  As is the case with all contractual terms, it is better to be more specific as to what is being agreed to by the parties.  Consider including language addressing how a mediation demand is to be made, how a mediator will be selected, and whether the parties will provide pre-mediation position statements to the mediator.  It is ordinarily easier to agree on these concepts while the parties are forming the contractual relationship, as opposed to once a dispute has surfaced.  Also, consider whether arbitration is a better alternative for the dispute in the event mediation is not successful.

When negotiating and preparing your next business contract, consider inserting a pre-litigation mediation requirement so that your client’s interests can be best served.  After all, clients are not ordinarily averse to the idea of saving time, money, and business relationships.

Matt Thiry, Esq. is a registered mediator and arbitrator with significant commercial litigation experience. He mediates and arbitrates disputes in areas of business, fiduciary, real estate and probate. To book Matt for your next mediation or arbitration, please call 678-320-9118 or click here to schedule online.<|endoftext|>Mondo funky

Ever wonder where the word mondo comes from? As used in a phrase like “a mondo party” or the old magazine title Mondo 2000, it has connotations of bigness and hipness and weirdness. It gets used precisely because of its imprecise implication of coolness. Brandish it with a swagger and nobody will challenge you, being thereby intimidated by the Louis Armstrong principle: “Man, if you have to ask what it is, you’ll never know.” Of course, the word mondo is Italian for world, but how far does that get you? Why does the Italian word for world mean big and weird in English? The answer comes from the wildly successful 1962 mondo movie, Mondo Cane, or A Dog’s World, sometimes called the very first shockumentary. Old hat now, but wildly outrageous at the time. Here’s a good NY Times article about it:
Dispatches From a World Gone Wonderfully Wrong.

Pop culture words implying coolness are famously difficult to pin down. My favorite is funky. Try to explain to a foreigner just exactly what funky means. You can’t do it. But you can happily use it in a sentence. How does that work? Here’s a lovely quote from about the word history of funky.

When asked which words in the English language are the most difficult to define precisely, a lexicographer would surely mention funky. Linguist Geneva Smitherman has tried to capture the meaning of this word in Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America, where she explains that funky means “[related to] the blue notes or blue mood created in jazz, blues, and soul music generally, down-to-earth soulfully expressed sounds; by extension [related to] the real nitty-gritty or fundamental essence of life, soul to the max.” The first recorded use of funky is in 1784 in a reference to musty, old, moldy cheese. Funky then developed the sense “smelling strong or bad” and could be used to describe body odor. The application of funky to jazz was explained in 1959 by one F. Newton in Jazz Scene: “Critics are on the search for something a little more like the old, original, passion-laden blues: the trade-name which has been suggested for it is ‘funky’ (literally: ‘smelly,’ i.e. symbolizing the return from the upper atmosphere to the physical, down-to-earth reality).”<|endoftext|>Question: To cook bacon in a paper bag.
Answer: Place the slices of bacon in the bottom of a paper bag. Place the bag on top of hot coal left over after fires goes out. Leave until cooked for about 10 minutes.<|endoftext|>Take the 2-minute tour ×

One such problem I know is integer factorization.

What are other interesting cases?

share|improve this question
So, presumably you are taking a definition of NP that includes things that are not decision problems? Or can you formulate integer factorization as a decision problem? –  Emil Jul 14 '10 at 11:14
Integer factorization can be converted into decision problem: given $n$ and $k$ return YES if $k$-th bit of the smallest prime divisor of $n$ is equal to $1$. –  falagar Jul 14 '10 at 11:30
Do other problems thought to be NP-Intermediate (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NP-Intermediate) satisfy this? –  BlueRaja Jul 14 '10 at 15:35
@BlueRaja: It's not clear exactly what you're asking. For any function problem in NP, you can turn it into a decision problem in NP. One interesting question would be: for any function problem in NP-intermediate, can you turn it into a decision problem in NP-intermediate (or do some NP-intermediate function problems automatically turn into NP-complete decision problems)? I don't have any idea how to answer this question. –  Peter Shor Jul 28 '10 at 21:14

7 Answers 7

One of my favorite problems in NP $\cap$ co-NP is deciding who wins a simple stochastic game. The game is played on a directed graph by two players, call them A and B. This graph contains several types of nodes. There is a source node and two sink nodes, one for each of the players. There are also random nodes (which include the source), "A" nodes, and "B" nodes. At the start of the game, for each "A" or "B" node, the corresponding player chooses one of the edges leading away from it, without seeing the other player's choices.

A token is then placed on the start node. The token undergoes a random walk. When it hits a random node, it chooses randomly among the edges directed away from this node. When it hits an "A" or "B" node, the token takes the chosen edge.

Each player's goal is to maximize the probability that the token lands on their sink node. The question in NP $\cap$ co-NP is: does player A have a winning strategy that ensures the token lands on his sink node with probability at least $\frac{1}{2}$?

share|improve this answer
Here's a recent reference on simple stochastic games and related problems: springerlink.com/content/5500m01711124283. –  Peter Shor Jul 18 '10 at 13:06
Presumably A and B are disjoint? –  András Salamon Jul 19 '10 at 7:25
Yes, the vertex set of the graph is the disjoint union of random nodes, "A" nodes, "B" nodes, and the two sinks. –  Peter Shor Jul 19 '10 at 20:20
Deciding the winner in parity games is also in $NP\cap co-NP$ but not known to be in $P$, and parity games are simpler (in my opinion) than stochastic games. –  Denis Jun 9 '13 at 23:04

Under popular derandomization assumptions, the following problems are in $NP\cap coNP$:

  • Graph Isomorphism and Automorphism (as well as Group Isomorphism, Ring Isomorphism, ...)
  • Group Membership (e.g., given invertible matrices $A$ and $B_1,...,B_k$, is $A$ in the group generated by $B_1,...,B_k$?)

(More precisely, these problems are known to be in $NP\cap coAM$. $coAM$ is a "close cousin" of $coNP$, and equals the latter under derandomization hypotheses: see this paper by Klivans and van Melkebeek.)

Besides factoring, there are various other number-theoretic problems in $NP\cap coNP$, such as decision versions of Discrete Logarithm (both in $Z_p^*$ and in elliptic curve groups).

If you're willing to allow promise problems (i.e., the algorithm only has to output a

 more popular among those without a contractual requirement to mediate? This can be attributed to several factors; however, the most easily identifiable reason is perception.  Requesting pre-litigation mediation when not required by the contract can be perceived as weakness by the requesting party.  While this perception is illogical, ill-informed parties may not be willing to take the risk of being perceived as weak.  However, including the mediation provision in the underlying contract takes away this perception.  Also, requesting the pre-litigation mediation required by the contract has the opposite impact.  Instead of the request being perceived as weakness, the request is a showing that your client is getting prepared to move forward with litigation.

The Value of a Pre-Litigation Mediation Provision

Consider the practical applications of a pre-litigation mediation provision in the context of the governing documents of a partnership, limited liability company, or corporation.  Litigation between business partners often results in the destruction of the business, and losses for all parties.  If the governing documents contained a pre-litigation mediation provision, the parties would be forced to consider opportunities to resolve the dispute before the business is irreparably harmed by the battles of litigation and before the matter becomes public.  This concept is no less applicable to distribution agreements, independent contractor agreements, service agreements, etc.  All types of business relationships can benefit from having an opportunity to circumvent a problem before it gets out of hand.

When inserting a mediation provision into a contract, be mindful of completeness and mechanics.  Simply stating that the parties agree to mediate before litigating, alone, is not a best practice.  As is the case with all contractual terms, it is better to be more specific as to what is being agreed to by the parties.  Consider including language addressing how a mediation demand is to be made, how a mediator will be selected, and whether the parties will provide pre-mediation position statements to the mediator.  It is ordinarily easier to agree on these concepts while the parties are forming the contractual relationship, as opposed to once a dispute has surfaced.  Also, consider whether arbitration is a better alternative for the dispute in the event mediation is not successful.

When negotiating and preparing your next business contract, consider inserting a pre-litigation mediation requirement so that your client’s interests can be best served.  After all, clients are not ordinarily averse to the idea of saving time, money, and business relationships.

Matt Thiry, Esq. is a registered mediator and arbitrator with significant commercial litigation experience. He mediates and arbitrates disputes in areas of business, fiduciary, real estate and probate. To book Matt for your next mediation or arbitration, please call 678-320-9118 or click here to schedule online.<|endoftext|>Mondo funky

Ever wonder where the word mondo comes from? As used in a phrase like “a mondo party” or the old magazine title Mondo 2000, it has connotations of bigness and hipness and weirdness. It gets used precisely because of its imprecise implication of coolness. Brandish it with a swagger and nobody will challenge you, being thereby intimidated by the Louis Armstrong principle: “Man, if you have to ask what it is, you’ll never know.” Of course, the word mondo is Italian for world, but how far does that get you? Why does the Italian word for world mean big and weird in English? The answer comes from the wildly successful 1962 mondo movie, Mondo Cane, or A Dog’s World, sometimes called the very first shockumentary. Old hat now, but wildly outrageous at the time. Here’s a good NY Times article about it:
Dispatches From a World Gone Wonderfully Wrong.

Pop culture words implying coolness are famously difficult to pin down. My favorite is funky. Try to explain to a foreigner just exactly what funky means. You can’t do it. But you can happily use it in a sentence. How does that work? Here’s a lovely quote from about the word history of funky.

When asked which words in the English language are the most difficult to define precisely, a lexicographer would surely mention funky. Linguist Geneva Smitherman has tried to capture the meaning of this word in Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America, where she explains that funky means “[related to] the blue notes or blue mood created in jazz, blues, and soul music generally, down-to-earth soulfully expressed sounds; by extension [related to] the real nitty-gritty or fundamental essence of life, soul to the max.” The first recorded use of funky is in 1784 in a reference to musty, old, moldy cheese. Funky then developed the sense “smelling strong or bad” and could be used to describe body odor. The application of funky to jazz was explained in 1959 by one F. Newton in Jazz Scene: “Critics are on the search for something a little more like the old, original, passion-laden blues: the trade-name which has been suggested for it is ‘funky’ (literally: ‘smelly,’ i.e. symbolizing the return from the upper atmosphere to the physical, down-to-earth reality).”<|endoftext|>Take the 2-minute tour ×

One such problem I know is integer factorization.

What are other interesting cases?

share|improve this question
So, presumably you are taking a definition of NP that includes things that are not decision problems? Or can you formulate integer factorization as a decision problem? –  Emil Jul 14 '10 at 11:14
Integer factorization can be converted into decision problem: given $n$ and $k$ return YES if $k$-th bit of the smallest prime divisor of $n$ is equal to $1$. –  falagar Jul 14 '10 at 11:30
Do other problems thought to be NP-Intermediate (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NP-Intermediate) satisfy this? –  BlueRaja Jul 14 '10 at 15:35
@BlueRaja: It's not clear exactly what you're asking. For any function problem in NP, you can turn it into a decision problem in NP. One interesting question would be: for any function problem in NP-intermediate, can you turn it into a decision problem in NP-intermediate (or do some NP-intermediate function problems automatically turn into NP-complete decision problems)? I don't have any idea how to answer this question. –  Peter Shor Jul 28 '10 at 21:14

7 Answers 7

One of my favorite problems in NP $\cap$ co-NP is deciding who wins a simple stochastic game. The game is played on a directed graph by two players, call them A and B. This graph contains several types of nodes. There is a source node and two sink nodes, one for each of the players. There are also random nodes (which include the source), "A" nodes, and "B" nodes. At the start of the game, for each "A" or "B" node, the corresponding player chooses one of the edges leading away from it, without seeing the other player's choices.

A token is then placed on the start node. The token undergoes a random walk. When it hits a random node, it chooses randomly among the edges directed away from this node. When it hits an "A" or "B" node, the token takes the chosen edge.

Each player's goal is to maximize the probability that the token lands on their sink node. The question in NP $\cap$ co-NP is: does player A have a winning strategy that ensures the token lands on his sink node with probability at least $\frac{1}{2}$?

share|improve this answer
Here's a recent reference on simple stochastic games and related problems: springerlink.com/content/5500m01711124283. –  Peter Shor Jul 18 '10 at 13:06
Presumably A and B are disjoint? –  András Salamon Jul 19 '10 at 7:25
Yes, the vertex set of the graph is the disjoint union of random nodes, "A" nodes, "B" nodes, and the two sinks. –  Peter Shor Jul 19 '10 at 20:20
Deciding the winner in parity games is also in $NP\cap co-NP$ but not known to be in $P$, and parity games are simpler (in my opinion) than stochastic games. –  Denis Jun 9 '13 at 23:04

Under popular derandomization assumptions, the following problems are in $NP\cap coNP$:

  • Graph Isomorphism and Automorphism (as well as Group Isomorphism, Ring Isomorphism, ...)
  • Group Membership (e.g., given invertible matrices $A$ and $B_1,...,B_k$, is $A$ in the group generated by $B_1,...,B_k$?)

(More precisely, these problems are known to be in $NP\cap coAM$. $coAM$ is a "close cousin" of $coNP$, and equals the latter under derandomization hypotheses: see this paper by Klivans and van Melkebeek.)

Besides factoring, there are various other number-theoretic problems in $NP\cap coNP$, such as decision versions of Discrete Logarithm (both in $Z_p^*$ and in elliptic curve groups).

If you're willing to allow promise problems (i.e., the algorithm only has to output a correct answer if the input satisfies some property), then there are lots of natural examples of $NP\