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RPA Lab
Planning for a Green New Deal
by Carlos Mandeville & Jonathan Marty
New York's newly elected representative from the 14th Congressional District, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has made waves in recent weeks with a bold environmental, social, and economic agenda named the "Green New Deal" (GND). Ocasio-Cortez is advocating for the establishment of a Select Committee in Congress to develop a plan that would achieve 100% power generation from renewable sources, create a national "smart" grid, and decarbonize heavily polluting industries like manufacturing and agriculture among other goals.
Building off the work of environmental justice advocates, the GND would tie these goals to the empowerment of low income communities through the parallel development of a democratic economy. It is evident that there are threads planners could pick up to help in this process, especially in our region where as of 2017 only 4.3% of the 31 county region's energy generation capacity comes from renewable sources. As ambitious as it may seem, the proposed GND actually draws many of its ideas from pre-existing campaigns both in and out of the Tri-State area. Here we will highlight two local initiatives that work towards the goal of 100% renewable energy generation, and point to how planners, with the momentum of a GND, can enhance their work.
UPROSE, a Sunset Park, Brooklyn-based community organization has three renewable energy projects currently in progress, all of which seek to prioritize frontline communities and local low-income renters. In addition, UPROSE is studying how the creation of offshore wind along the Sunset Park waterfront could spur sustainable energy production and community economic development, while mitigating displacement in the process. Consistent with the Green New Deal's calls for the provision of "cooperative and public ownership," both of these "Just Transitions" proposed by UPROSE are predicated on community ownership and access. Grassroots projects like these could tie into existing goals in New Jersey and New York State, who seek to produce 3500 and 2400 megawatts through offshore wind by 2030, respectively.
Uptown in the South Bronx, a startup called PowerMarket — part of New York University's Urban Future Lab — has created a community solar farm with over 1,200 panels on a rooftop in Port Morris. Functioning like a community garden, the project allows NYC residents and small business owners from all five boroughs to rent solar panels, guaranteeing savings of more than $750 on their electric bill. As advocates highlight, community solar offers a pathway for lower income people to benefit from renewable energy generation.
By working with and funding local planning institutions, and enabling state, city, and community-wide initiatives, Ocasio-Cortez's committee could catalyze unprecedented investment in environmental and economic justice measures, the livelihoods of under-resourced people, and the wellbeing of the planet itself. With this in mind, planners have an important role to play in bridging the different scales at which environmental and economic justice would be operationalized, whether that is connecting community organizations to resources or working in a regulatory capacity to ensure building energy efficiency. Planners should be excited by the opportunity to push the nation, in concert with advocates and community leaders, towards a more just environmental, economic, and social future.
Housing & Neighborhood PlanningEnergy & Environment
Carlos Mandeville
Former Associate Planner
Jonathan Marty
Former Intern
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Tech UpdatesGadgets
Apple Proves Again That It's Turning Into a Modern-Day IBM
Finding the Best Mortgage Rates – Mortgage Brokers Can Help
When you opt for a mortgage loan, the most crucial thing is that you must look at the mortgage rates taken by the mortgage...
Paytm Eyes 4.5 Billion Transaction Milestone This Yr
Alibaba-sponsored Payton expects its platform to facilitate four billion transactions this monetary, enthused by the strong uptake of virtual payments within u. S. A... Paytm...
LG is prepping a LG G6 mini with 18:9 display?
If new reports are to be believed, LG is operating on a smaller version of its popular G6 released in February. The device, dubbed...
Meizu E2 With Quad-LED Flash, 3400mAh Battery Launched
At an event in China on Wednesday, Meizu Released its E2 phone. The Meizu E2 is able to fast charging and packs a fingerprint...
APPLE IS A company that builds gadgets and software, and online services for the world's consumers. But that's not all. More and more, it's a company that builds tech for businesses and schools, too. The new Apple has its eye on the enterprise.
The iPhone maker continued its transformation yesterday morning when, during a typically extravagant press event in San Francisco, it unveiled not only a new iPhone and a new Apple Watch but also a new incarnation of its iWork apps that lets business workers and students collaborate on documents in real-time. Plus, Tim Cook and company announced that by this fall, they would provide technology for over 114 schools through its ConnectED program, donating all kinds of devices—Apple TVs, Macs, and iPads—for use by 50,000 students across the US. And they launched a new school program called Everyone Can Code, which aims to help students learn the art of computer programming—through Apple's own Swift programming language.
In other words, Apple is behaving a lot like Google. It sees the enterprise as an enormous growth opportunity, and one important way into the enterprise is through schools. For one thing, there are lots of schools, and so many of them need new tech after using stuff from Microsoft and IBM for far too long. Plus, if kids start using Apple technology in school, they'll grow up and want to use it at work too. Oh, and the education thing makes for nice PR. "We've always believed that education is a great equalizer and that our products could always have a tremendous positive impact on teachers and students," Cook said. "But we are also deeply aware that not every student can feel this impact."
Google has long played a similar game, with its Chromebook notebooks and its suite of online productivity applications, Google Apps, challenging the enterprise dominance of another tech giant, Microsoft. Ultimately, Google hopes Chromebooks and Google Apps will be big money makers in the enterprise. Over the past five years, as a way of gaining a foothold in Microsoft's traditional market, it has successfully pushed these technologies into many schools. Last year, Google Chromebooks accounted for more than half of all devices sold into US classrooms. Three years before, their share was less than 1 percent.
Win With Words is back with new excitement and new sponsors.
It's Tough Being Over 40 in Silicon Valley
'Sofa potatoes!' Put off devices & couch-happiness, Pope Francis tells adolescents
Coolest Gadgets We Saw at CES 2018
One of Google's big advantages in this area: Google Apps were built for the Internet age. They allow real-time collaboration across devices and browsers. At school or at the office, when you share a document with many other people, everyone can edit it at any time. And that's how it should work. Microsoft's Office suite now works in much the same way, as do countless other productivity services, including tools from Box, Quip, and Evernote. So, Apple is playing catch-up here as well. It has updated iWork, its own productivity suite, adding real-time collaboration to the suite's Pages, Keynote, and Numbers apps, and this collaboration can happen across all Apple devices.
It's all part of a much broader change at Apple. Since the second coming of Steve Jobs in the mid-90s, it was mostly a consumer company. But as the iPhone and the iPad matured, it started pushing these as business devices—though this mostly happened behind the scenes.
Previous articleWin With Words is back with new excitement and new sponsors
Next articleSamsung Galaxy Note 7 Review: Possibly the most complete smartphone ever made
6 of the quality… Circle of relatives-friendly gadgets
From cuddly comforters that mimic womb sounds to battery-operated bouncers, toddlers are well catered for in the world of tech. And here on the...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Jeff Laity Hermissenda Crassicornis nudibranchs frolic on the Purple Hydrocoral Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Canon 5D / Ikelite housing / Inon Strobes "At least 4 nudies in this photo"
Tim Conklin ORANGE GUMDROP (Berthellina citrina) Not a nudibranch but a pleurobranch Taken: 8/01/07 @Triangle Reef outside Two Harbors Camera: Ricoh Caplio GX8 If you look close you can clearly see the small internal shell.
wendy taylor Nikonos V 1:1 with one SB 105 strobe, Tylodina Fungina, San Clemente Island. I thought this was a rare find until talking with Kevin Lee. These use to be a rare sighting but now are seen everywhere.
Ruth Harris Sea & Sea 750G with internal flash only Woods Cove Sunday 8/5/07 Anemone eating an urchin "That's gotta hurt"


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Liver transplantation for a giant mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver in an adult: Case report and review of the literature
© The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. Mesenchymal hamartomas of the liver (MHLs) in adults are rare and potentially premalignant lesions, which present as solid/cystic neoplasms. We report a rare case of orthotopic liver transplantation in a patient with a giant MHL. In 2013, a 34-year-old female sought medical advice after a 2-year history of progressive abdominal distention and respiratory distress. Physical examination revealed an extensive mass in the abdomen. Computed tomography (CT) of her abdomen revealed multiple liver cysts, with the diameter of largest cyst being 16 cm x 14 cm. The liver hilar structures were not clearly displayed. The adjacent organs were compressed and displaced. Initial laboratory tests, including biochemical investigations and coagulation profile, were unremarkable. Tumor markers, including levels of AFP, CEA and CA19-9, were within the normal ranges. The patient underwent orthotopic liver transplantation in November 2013, the liver being procured from a 40-year-old man after cardiac death following traumatic brain injury. Warm ischemic time was 7.5 min and cold ischemic time was 3 h. The recipient underwent classical orthotopic liver transplantation. The recipient operative procedure took 8.5 h, the anhepatic phase lasting for 1 h without the use of venovenous bypass. The immunosuppressive regimen included intraoperative induction with basiliximab and high-dose methylprednisolone, and postoperative maintenance with tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone. The recipient's diseased liver weighed 21 kg (dry weight) and measured 41 cm x 32 cm x 31 cm. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of an MHL. The patient did not experience any acute rejection episode or other complication. All the laboratory tests returned to normal within one month after surgery. Three months after transplantation, the immunosuppressive therapy was reduced to tacrolimus monotherapy, and the T-tube was removed after cholangiography showed no abnormalities. Twelve months after transplantation, the patient remains well and is fulfilling all normal activities. Adult giant MHL is extremely rare. Symptoms, physical signs, laboratory results, and radiographic imaging are nonspecific and inconclusive. Surgical excision of the lesion is imperative to make a definite diagnosis and as a cure. Liver transplantation should be considered as an option in the treatment of a non-resectable MHL.
World Journal of Gastroenterology Journal
10.3748/wjg.v21.i20.6409
Li J; Cai JZ; Guo QJ; Li JJ; Sun XY; Hu ZD; Cooper DKC; Shen ZY


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Nassau Nail Salon Robberies Connected, Cops Say
Nail Salon (Photo: NCPD)
Nassau County police said Tuesday that they believe three armed nail salon robberies over the last eight days are all connected.
News that the robberies are related comes one day after another nail salon was hit, this time in New Hyde Park, by a white male armed with a black handgun.
Police believe the same man is responsible for at least two previous armed robberies in Valley Stream on Dec. 23 and Dec. 27—both on Rockaway Avenue.
All three robberies have occurred on weekdays between 6 and 8 p.m., police said.
The suspect enters the business around closing time, brandishes a black handgun and states: "This is a robbery, open the register," police said.
"Merchants should always be aware of their surroundings with emphasis during opening and closing hours," police said in a statement, adding that businesses should call 911 if they notice any suspicious activity.
The man is believed to be between 40-60 years old, with a thin build and between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-6, police said. He also uses a mask or bandana to cover his face.
The suspect hit Tiffany's Nail & Spa and Nail Fetish—both in Valley Stream—on Dec. 23 and Dec. 27.
Monday's armed robbery occurred at Cleo Nails and Spa on Hillside Avenue in New Hyde Park. In that incident, the suspect was wearing a blue sweatshirt, blue scarf, black hat and black pants and was armed with a black handgun, when he entered the business and demanded cash. Two customers and one employee were inside the salon during the robbery.
Suffolk County police are also investigating two separate nail salon robberies in Islip—Nail Tek and Diamond Nails—that took place less than an hour apart on Dec. 13. In both cases, an armed robber ran out with cash, police said. The two robberies remain unsolved. Police haven't said if they're connected to the three in Nassau.
Police are asking anyone who can identify the suspect or has any information regarding the robberies, to call the Robbery Squad at 516-573-8040 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.
Previous articleNY Sen. Fuschillo Resigning to Head Nonprofit
Next articleNew Year's Resolutions on Long Island: Four Corners, One Common Thread


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Cornell Program on Applied Demographics
About PAD
NY Counties
Budget playground
Census 2010 Atlas
ACS 2010-2014 Atlas
Towns, cities and villages
NY County profiles
NY minutes
At Cornell
About NY
ACS Calculator
County Characteristics
Overview (under construction)
NY portal
NYBBLES
Determining Significant Differences in ACS Estimates and MOE
March 10, 2016 - 10AM
Joe Francis, Program on Applied Demographics, Cornell University
Watch webinar recording
ABSTRACT: For some years we have become used to working with the uncertainty of ACS estimates as well as the estimates themselves. In our own work, and hopefully in our reports to clients, we have dutifully reported both the ACS estimate and some measure of error indicating how well that estimate differs from the null condition. Whether presenting results in tables, graphs or maps, it has become generally agreed that informing the user of our research as to the uncertainty of our estimates is crucial to trustworthiness and useful interpretations of the estimates themselves.
With the recent release of the ACS_14_5YR period estimates we finally have a non-overlapping ACS dataset that we can compare changes over time for all geographies down to the tract and block group level of geography. Now seemed a good time to examine procedures for determining, and interpreting, differences in common ACS statistical estimates like means, medians, percentages and ratios. The two independent datasets we will examine are the ACS 2005-9 period versus the ACS 2010-14 period.
This webinar will walk through the process of computing and interpreting the significance of a differences of means, using change in household size as an illustration. Median household income will be employed to illustrate the change between these two periods, including adjusting for inflation in each set of estimates. To illustrate the comparison of difference in percentages across time, the percent below the poverty line will serve our purposes. Lastly, the webinar will investigate changes in a derived ratio—renter occupied to owner occupied housing units.
New features on the Cornell Program on Applied Demographics website
February 11, 2016 - 10AM
Jan Vink, Program on Applied Demographics, Cornell University
ABSTRACT: The Cornell Program on Applied Demographics maintains a website where people can find data on a variety of subjects. Most of the data is presented as trends in time, but users can also easily compare data between areas. Furthermore there are sections on the website for publications, maps, tools and other resources adding value to the data published on the website and data found elsewhere. This webinar takes a tour to the different sections of the website, shows some of the things you can find there and how to use some of the features, especially those features that where recently added.
2020 Census Redistricting Data Program
James Whitehorn, Chief Redistricting Data Office of the U.S. Census Bureau
ANNOUNCEMENT: The NYSDC Network Webinar for Thursday, January 7 features James Whitehorne, Chief of the Redistricting Data Office of the U.S. Census Bureau to make a presentation to our network on the Redistricting Data to be produced from the 2020 Census. Of immediate interest is the process by which the Blocks will be configured for delivery of the PL 94-171 and subsequent tabulations. Determination of the boundaries for the 2020 Census Blocks is underway in a program called the Block Boundary Suggestion Program. James will cover how the Census Bureau works with New York State throughout the process.
NHGIS Time Series Tables, Now Including 2000 Data for 2010 Census Areas
Jonathan Schroeder, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota
ABSTRACT: The National Historical Geographic Information System (http://www.nhgis.org) provides free online access to summary tables and GIS boundary files for U.S. censuses from 1790 to the present. In recent years, NHGIS has begun releasing time series tables, which link together comparable statistics from multiple censuses in customized downloadable bundles. There are now thousands of time series available, organized into hundreds of tables, mainly covering statistics from the 1970-2010 censuses and the 2012 American Community Survey. The newest tables provide 2000 and 2010 statistics for 2010 census areas at 10 geographic levels, including census tracts, block groups, ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, and census places. These tables use an advanced interpolation method to produce high-quality 2000 estimates where boundaries changed between censuses. This webinar provides an overview of current and planned NHGIS time series features, highlighting how they can simplify the measurement and mapping of changes in census data.
Using DataFerrett to Create Custom Tables from ACS PUMS
Warren Brown, Program on Applied Demographics, Cornell University
ABSTRACT: This webinar walks through some examples of the use of DataFerret. DataFerrett is a data analysis and extraction tool at the U.S. Census Bureau to customize federal, state, and local data to suit your requirements. Using DataFerrett, you can develop an unlimited array of customized spreadsheets that are as versatile and complex as your usage demands then turn those spreadsheets into graphs and maps without any additional software.
Accessing & Interpreting Demographic Data
Robin Blakely-Armitage, Community and Regional Development Institute (CaRDI), Cornell University
ABSTRACT: This session builds on the prior one with a focus on accessing and interpreting demographic and socio-economic data for communities and regions. Participants will be introduced to three valuable on-line data resources, with an emphasis on how to examine data over time, across geographies, and how to reach statistically sound conclusions about patterns and trends. This session is critical for those seeking additional socio-demographic data for a variety of community development purposes.
County Population and Economic Characteristics
Joe Francis and Jan Vink, Program on Applied Demographics, Cornell University
ABSTRACT: Following the 1970, 1980 and 1990 Census of Population and Housing, the Department of Development Sociology (Rural Sociology then) produced a series of booklets, one for each county, in which selected key population and housing statistics were compiled along with some interpretive text. These booklets and materials were quite widely sought and used. The Program on Applied Demographics (PAD) has been commissioned by CCE Administration to produce profiles containing key population, housing and economic information for each county. The training will use the profile developed for Genesee County to highlight the information, the data sources, and interpretation of the numerous charts and diagrams.


Produktinformationen "ROEDELIUS - Wasser im Wind"
Of all Roedelius solo works, this is the one most similar to Cluster. It sees Roedelius use a wide variety of musical and sonic ingredients hitherto associated with Cluster, almost as if he sought to erect a monument to the group. Right from the word go, the familiar sound of the Drummer One rhythm machine can be discerned on the opening track, then we hear those hand played, swirling keyboard patterns so typical of Roedelius; his drifting melodies, with no beginning or end, gone before one has barely recognized them; synthetic sounds recalling the heroic era of the mid-seventies; and occasional glimpses of the shadow of Dieter Moebius as sounds and forms emerge from his cosmos. Almost like Roedelius recorded a Cluster album all by himself!
Weiterführende Links zu "ROEDELIUS - Wasser im Wind"


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Paulo Antonio Mascarenhas Roxo O. Praem. (12 June 1928 – 1 June 2022) was a Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate.

Mascarenhas Roxo was born in Brazil and was ordained to the priesthood in 1952. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, from 1990 until his retirement in 2014.

References

1928 births
2022 deaths
Brazilian Roman Catholic bishops
Premonstratensian bishops
Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II
People from Mogi das Cruzes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Q: Manually performing linear regression in R Suppose I have the following linear model.
y = ax + bz
My question is; how to I estimate these parameters without using the lm function.

A: It's not clear how strict you want to be with the no package requirement. If you are willing to use the stats package (which most people don't really even think of as a package because it comes standard with base R and you don't have to load it with library()), then you can just call the usual "linear model" function lm().
Using `lm()`
fit <- lm(y ~ x + z, data = your_data_frame)
summary(fit)

Using matrix algebra
In contrast, you can also take the more pretentious route of coding the matrix algebra to fit these parameters manually. This involves no packages, other than base R.
X <- as.matrix(your_data[, c('x', 'z')]) # extract your predictors
X <- cbind(1, X) # add an intercept to your design matrix
y <- your_data$y

betas <- solve(t(X) %*% X) %*% t(X) %*% y

EDIT: Note that these approaches assume no missing data (i.e., that every row has a y, x, and z value).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Startup Q&As
Zadara Storage is bringing the flexibility and security of closed systems to the public cloud
By Editor - August 3, 2012
A Q&A with Zadara Storage co-founder and CEO Nelson Nahum. The Irvine, California–based company was founded in 2011 and raised $7 million in funding in mid-July. Investors include Genesis Capital Advisors and Platinum Management.
SUB: Please describe Zadara Storage, and the value proposition you offer to the enterprise.
Nahum: Zadara Storage allows enterprises to define Virtual Private Storage Arrays, in the public cloud. This is storage for the cloud servers to run applications inside the cloud. These storage arrays are similar to enterprise class SAN/NAS storage arrays but in the cloud—Amazon, Rackspace and Opsource for now. The customer gets full control of the storage, high availability, dedicated drives and all the storage features and performance of an on premise SAN/NAS storage, but with the elasticity and the economics of the cloud. Pay by hours of use. Use the cloud like it was their own datacenter.
SUB: Who are your target users?
Nahum: Enterprises and SaaS companies that want to run workloads in the cloud. Have the elasticity and the economics of the cloud, but also want to have the same reliability, performance and security of on premise storage arrays.
SUB: Who do you consider to be your competition?
Nahum: As of today, nobody offers this kind of storage in the cloud. The competition would be people that are not moving to the cloud and buy physical storage arrays or people in the cloud but using the storage offered by the cloud providers despite the heavy limitations.
SUB: What differentiates Zadara Storage from the competition?
Nahum: We are the only storage in the cloud that can offer each user the whole drives for himself, avoiding the noisy neighbors. We are the only storage that can be shared between multiple cloud servers to run things like Red Hat clustering or MS Clustering. We allow each customer to decide the type of drives he wants or the RAID protection levels. We are the only storage in the cloud that the user can encrypt the data and have the password for the encryption keys, so nobody, including people at the cloud provider, can see the data.
SUB: When was the company founded and what were the first steps you took in establishing it?
Nahum: Zadara Storage was founded in March 2011. We started with an amazing team of engineers that have under their belt many years of experience delivering enterprise storage products. We started architecting and developing the product that I had in mind. We created an environment that people can work from anywhere in the world and have the same access to the info., code, etc. We have people in the U.S., Israel and India working like they were all in the same place. We meet every day, we share documents, all is in the cloud.
SUB: What was the inspiration behind the idea for Zadara? Was there an 'aha' moment, or was the idea more gradual in developing?
Nahum: We had many years developing SAN and NAS storage arrays for the enterprise. When I started looking at what Amazon offers as a cloud, I saw that they have very good functionality in the VM management, EC2, the networking with VPCs and Virtual Gateways, but in storage, was nothing even close to an on-premise SAN/NAS array. So I thought, if I, as a customer, could have a SAN/NAS array for myself, but running in Amazon, that could be created in less than a minute with the elasticity and pay per usage like the EC2, this would be a great idea for a startup. And the team architected in a way that today, with Zadara a person can go to our console and define a SAN/NAS array in less than a minute and connect to the EC2 instances.
SUB: What have the most significant obstacles been so far to building the company?
Nahum: We are doing something completely new, and some people are skeptical. Others said that it is 'too good to be true.'
There is no other company doing something similar that we can point or reference to. But overall, has been great. In the last couple of quarters we proved that the technology is rock solid, and the need and customer adoption is bigger than we thought.
SUB: You just raised $7 million in your first round of funding. Why was this a good time to raise this round, and how do you plan to use the new funds?
Nahum: We have great plans to become pioneers of a new generation of storage system not only for cloud providers but also for private clouds. This is a storage system that can be based on low cost x86 machines; that can scale to 1,000s of storage nodes; that can be multitenant, allowing each user to define the storage they want and avoiding one user to interfere with the other. A storage system that has all the metering needed so an IT division with a private cloud can charge back the business units.
We are heavily invested in R&D, nine out of our 12 people are engineers, top engineers. We released two months ago our service at Amazon, Rackspace and Opsource and we are investing in sales and marketing. In parallel we are in conversations with some big companies to create private storage clouds.
SUB: Do you plan to raise additional funds in the near future?
Nahum: Not in the immediate future, but it will really depend on our success, especially with the very big projects. If we succeed faster than we thought, we may want to raise money to replicate these big projects fast. We are currently focused in the U.S. market but we constantly get requests for our service in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
SUB: How does the company generate revenue or plan to generate revenue?
Nahum: Currently we generate revenue from our customers that sign up for our virtual storage arrays for Amazon, Rackspace or Opsource clouds. This is recurring revenue. We plan to quickly expand our customer base on those clouds. In addition we are also planning to license our software to some cloud providers for public and also private clouds.
SUB: What are your goals for Zadara over the next year or so?
Nahum: Our goal for the next year is to have a large amount of customers in the clouds where we offer the service, as well as to have signed a couple of deals where we provide the entire storage for a big public or private cloud. We would like to prove that this architecture of having 10s,100s or 1,000s of storage nodes and each customer define their own storage arrays in seconds, is the right one for cloud and for modern data centers that want to be managed like a cloud.
Zadara Storage – www.zadarastorage.com
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Integrated Magnetics has more than 60 years' experience in advanced magnetics, specializing in building custom magnets and magnetic assemblies for highly technical applications. We use extensive engineering expertise, cutting edge magnetic materials, and global manufacturing solutions to deliver top quality products for customers all around the world.
The global client base we've built as custom magnet manufacturers also means we have more than ample experience in shipping magnetic materials and magnet systems by air. Below, you'll find detailed information about the necessary packaging requirements for shipping magnets by air, including restrictions, classification, packaging and safety regulations, and more, for both domestic and international shipments.
If your application requires custom magnets or magnetic assemblies, send us a request a quote or contact us today.
For air shipment purposes, magnets are considered "dangerous goods". As such, the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) must be followed.
Flux measurements of all packages containing magnets must measure less than 0.00525 gauss 15' from the package. If flux measurements are less than 0.002 gauss when measured 7' from the package, the package is not considered to contain magnetic material, and hence is not classified as Dangerous Goods. However, unless the package is extremely secure and there is no chance that the contents will shift or that shielding will be damaged in transit, it is safer to proceed as though the package falls under the DGR.
Packages containing magnetic materials must be clearly identified according to Packing Instructions 902. This calls for a "Magnetized Material" label to be affixed, and for a Shipper's Declaration of Dangerous Goods to be provided to the carrier.
Personnel responsible for shipping magnets by air are required by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to be trained for that purpose and for those training records to be maintained. Contact your carrier for more information and guidelines.
Note that, in addition to transportation costs, Dangerous Goods fees apply to each package shipped by air, oftenmaking shipping magnets by air quite costly.
All of the above factors must be taken into consideration when packaging magnetic materials for air shipments. Powerful magnetic components and assemblies need to be shielded so that magnetic fields will meet air shipment criteria. Packaging may need to be designed using Finite Element Analysis methods.
Thus, re-packaging or re-arranging packaging that has already been certified for air shipments will void the original certification.
An example of how magnetic fields can be contained is illustrated in the FEA models below.


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History Jokes: Long live King Charles--not James
Long live King Charles--not James
Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 07:20 PM - British humor, history of England, Jokes and funny Stories about Kings and Queens, royal history
Posted by Queen of History Jokes
While on his morning walk, King Charles proceeded to stroll through Hyde Park accompanied by just two lords. As he was walking, his brother James, Duke of York, drove up in his carriage under heavy guard.
The duke was suprised to see his brother virtually alone and expressed to him that it might be dangerous and unwise. King Charles confidently replied,"No danger, for no man in England would take away my life to make you king."
view entry ( 341 views ) | permalink
A Small Step for Neil Armstrong
Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 07:17 PM - American history in jokes,anecdotes and funny facts, American history in jokes,anecdotes and funny facts, Jokes and anecdotes of famous people, Modern Age History
Once, while having lunch with photographer Yousuf Karsh and his wife, Armstrong inquired about the many countries the couple had visited. Surprised, Mrs, Karsh replied, "But Mr. Armstrong, you've walked on the moon. We want to hear about your travels."
"But that's the only place I've ever been", responded Armstrong apologetically.
Alexander the Great as Parmenion
Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 07:15 PM - Ancient history jokes and anecdotes, Greek and Roman, Jokes and anecdotes of famous people, Jokes and funny Stories about Kings and Queens, royal history
After Alexander had conquered Egypt, King Darius of Persia offered Alexander generous terms for peace.
Darius would pay Alexander 10,000 talents for releasing Perisan prisoners, give him the areas west of the Euphrates and he would hand over his daughter to Alexander in marriage.
Alexander was unsure if he should accept these terms and consulted his general, Parmenion. Parmenion said, "If I were Alexander, I would accept these offers."
Alexander countered, "So would I, if I were Parmenion."
Monday, March 31, 2008, 12:17 AM - American history in jokes,anecdotes and funny facts, American history in jokes,anecdotes and funny facts, Jokes and anecdotes of famous people
Edison himself has played many a practical joke
upon his employees, and in the early phonograph days
he enjoyed many a laugh on them with the aid of his
"talking machine." Sometimes, however, the joke
was on him, as was instanced by the "fake cigar"
story, which was a popular Edison anecdote twenty
odd years ago. Edison was always an inveterate
smoker, and used to keep a number of boxes of cigars
in his room, and these were a constant object of interest
to his associates. First one man, then another,
would enter the room, ask Edison some trivial question,
and when leaving would manage, unseen, to insert
his hand in one of the boxes and annex three or
four choice cigars. Edison began to suspect something
of the kind, and one day he called on his tobacconist, explained
things, and got the man to fix up some fearful
"smokes," consisting of old bits of rag, tea leaves, and
shavings, and worth about two dollars a barrel. These
were done up in attractive-looking boxes, and delivered
to the laboratory. Nothing happened, however; there
was a falling off in the number of Edison's visitors,
but no casualties were reported. Then one day Edison
again called at the store, and inquired of his dealer if
he had forgotten to send up the fake cigars. "Why,
Mr. Edison," replied the amazed tobacconist, "I sent
up ten boxes of the worst concoctions I could make
two months ago. Ain't your men through with them
yet?" Then Edison made a rapid calculation, divided
the number of cigars by his daily allowance, and was
forced to the painful conclusion that he had consumed
those "life destroyers" himself. There and then he
gave a big order for his usual brand, and his cigars
disappeared once more with their accustomed celerity.
From Thomas Alva Edison: Sixty Years of an Inventor's Life by Francis Arthur Jones
Theological argument
Friday, March 28, 2008, 11:15 PM - Religious jokes, Church history jokes, Clean Christian jokes, Jokes and anecdotes of famous people
Charles V, King of Spain, at the suggestion of Hernado Cortez, entertained the idea of digging a canal to connect the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. In 1567, Philip II, the successor of Charles V, sent a party of engineers to survey the Nicaraguan route, but the report was unfavorable to the success of the work. Impressed by the representations made in favor of a canal, notwithstanding the unfavorable report, the king, in his perplexity, is said to have laid the matter before the Dominican Friars, who, desirous of obeying the mandates of the king, were, in their ignorance of the problem, in probably a greater state of perplexity, so they turned to the Scriptures for consolation and relief, hitting upon the following verse, which they concluded had a direct reference to a canal: "What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder". With this injunction from the Holy Writ, they reported against the undertaking. This was a sufficiently good argument for King Philip to abandon further consideration of the subject, which was thereafter put aside and not again considered, for death was to be the penalty for any one who sought a better route across the Isthmus than the paved road which had been constructed from Porto Bello to Panama.
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C. S. Lewis-- a First Class Author
Queens of the Sea
A Stamp for King George
Benjamin Franklin takes a King
A Picture by Rubens: an Appraisal story
Henry Ford's Engineer
Conan Doyle's practical joke
Compliment to King Charles II
The Poor Animal: a Prisoner's Dog
Raffael: Generousity of an Artist
Shaving a Queen -- Let the Barber Do His Best!
Captain Kidd -- Famous Last Words of a Pirate
Jonathan Swift and Thomas Sheridan at a Beggar's Wedding
Death of a Hero
Sergeant and a philosopher
Navy Chaplains
Understanding Einstein
That rat
P.T. Barnum's Elephant
A monkey and a parrot
King Charles II on Writing History
A Strange Wedding
Ultimate solution to the problem of naming a baby
Demosthenes' comeback
Doctor Bell and the patient
Queen Victoria Meets her Maker
Children bug Princess Diana
Charles De Gaulle who?


Any suggestions please? Do we pay by the car?
This is the one we've typically gone to. Price has really skyrocketed, though; when we first started going, it was donation only, then it went to $8 per car and you could get a season pass for $20, and now it's $20 per car. We haven't gone since the price hit $20 because it's only a 5 minute drive (even if you go slowly).
The article says there are new displays this year.
hope to hear some reviews on the Zoo's new light display, was on their web site last night and believe the price was 20.00 per car.
I see from a flyer at the zoo that theirs start on November 3rd. We're on our way home by then. Are any of these up and operating by tonight - November 1st?
Gift of Lights (the one mentioned in the newspaper article) opens tonight.
Shepherd of the Hills Trail of Lights opens tonight also. No idea on price, though.


text:
Health System›
Hospital and community health services output volume growth United Kingdom 2000-2016
Percentage growth of hospital and community health services volume output in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2016
by Conor Stewart, last edited Apr 24, 2019
This statistic shows the volume growth for public service healthcare quantity output by hospital and community health services in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2016. In 2016, the volume growth in this sector amounted to 2.9 percent.
Percentage growth
Volume growth for public service healthcare quantity output by component.
Healthcare expenditure per capita in the United Kingdom 1997 to 2013 (In GBP)
Healthcare expenditure in the United Kingdom 1997 to 2017
Healthcare expenditure growth rate United Kingdom 1998 to 2017
Physicians, Hospitals & Pharmacies
NHS foundation trusts operating revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017/18
Statistics on "NHS in the United Kingdom (UK)"
NHS Foundation trusts
NHS Services ratings
Public attitudes towards the NHS
Total healthcare expenditure in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2017 (In billion GBP)Healthcare expenditure in the United Kingdom 1997 to 2017
Total healthcare expenditure annual growth rate in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1998 to 2017Healthcare expenditure growth rate United Kingdom 1998 to 2017
Total healthcare expenditure per capita in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1997 to 2013* (In GBP)Healthcare expenditure per capita in the United Kingdom 1997 to 2013 (In GBP)
Total healthcare expenditure as a share of GDP in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2017Healthcare expenditure as a share of GDP in the United Kingdom 1997 to 2017
Forecast budget expenditure on the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2015/16 to 2030/31 (in billion GBP)Budget expenditure on the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) 2015-2031
Share of GDP expenditure on the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom from 2015/16 to 2030/31*Percent of GDP spent on the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) 2015-2031
Average cost of hospital treatments on the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2016 (in GBP)Average cost of hospital treatments on the NHS in the United Kingdom 2016
Annual number of National Health Service doctors employed* in England from 2004 to 2019Number of doctors employed in the NHS in England 2004-2019
Annual number of National Health Service nurses employed* in England from 2004 to 2019Number of nurses employed in the NHS in England 2004-2019
Annual number of National Health Service scientific, therapeutic and technical staff* in England from 2004 to 2019Number of scientific, therapeutic and technical staff in the NHS in England 2004-2019
Annual number of National Health Service support staff to clinical staff* in England from 2004 to 2019Number of staff employed to support clinical staff in England 2004-2019
Annual number of National Health Service central functions staff* employed in England from 2004 to 2019Number of central functions staff in the NHS in England 2004-2019
Annual number of National Health Service qualified ambulance staff* in England from 2004 to 2019Number of qualified ambulance staff in the NHS in England 2004-2019
Annual number of National Health Service senior managers and managing staff* in England from 2004 to 2019Number of senior managers and managing staff in the NHS in England 2004-2019
Annual number of National Health Service hotel property and estates staff* in England from 2004 to 2019Number of hotel property and estates staff in the NHS in England 2004-2019
Number of National Health Service (NHS) foundation trusts in the United Kingdom (UK) as of March 31, 2019, by specialtyNHS foundation trusts in the United Kingdom (UK) 2018/19
Capital expenditure of National Health service (NHS) foundation trusts in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 3rd quarter 2015/16, by type (in million GBP)NHS foundation trusts capital expenditure in the United Kingdom (UK) 2015/16
Operating revenue of National Health service (NHS) foundation trusts in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017/18 (in million GBP)NHS foundation trusts operating revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017/18
Operating revenue of clinical activities in the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018/19 (in million GBP)NHS clinical activity operating revenue in the United Kingdom (UK) 2018/19
Operating expenses of the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018/19, by activity (in million GBP)NHS operating expenses in the United Kingdom (UK) 2018/19
Number of NHS trusts and foundation trusts in surplus/deficit in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012/13 to 2015/16NHS trusts' in surplus/deficit in the United Kingdom (UK) 2012/13-2015/16
Rating of NHS mental health core services in England as of July 2018, by serviceOverall rating of NHS mental health core services in England in 2018, by service
Rating of NHS community health core services in England as of July 2016, by serviceOverall rating of NHS community health core services in England in 2016, by service
Rating of NHS acute hospitals core services in England as of July 2018, by serviceOverall rating of NHS acute hospitals core services in England in 2018, by service
Rating of NHS acute hospitals core services in England as of July 2018Overall rating of NHS acute hospitals core services in England in 2018
Share of public attitudes towards the NHS over the next few years in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017Public attitudes towards the NHS in the next few years in the United Kingdom 2017
Do you think the ability for the NHS to deliver the care and services it provides over the last six months has been getting...?*Changes in NHS ability to deliver care and services in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Share of reasons for public dissatisfaction with NHS services in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018Reasons for public dissatisfaction with NHS services in the United Kingdom 2018
Share of reasons for public satisfaction with NHS services in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017Reasons for public satisfaction with NHS services in the United Kingdom 2018
Share of public satisfaction with NHS and social care services in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018Public satisfaction with NHS and social care services in the United Kingdom 2018
All in all, how satisfied or dissatisfied would you say you are with the way in which the National Health Service runs nowadays?Public satisfaction with the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) 2000-2018
Public service healthcare output volume growth by component United Kingdom (UK) 2016
Family health services output volume growth in the United Kingdom (UK) 2000-2016
Volume growth of non-NHS health services in the United Kingdom (UK) 2000-2016
Public service healthcare labor volume growth in the United Kingdom (UK) 2000-2016
Public service healthcare goods and services volume growth in the UK 2000-2016
Capital volume growth in public service healthcare in the United Kingdom 2000-2016
GP prescribing output volume growth in the United Kingdom (UK) 2000-2016
Public service healthcare labor expenditure in the United Kingdom (UK) 2000-2015
Public healthcare: quality adjusted productivity growth United Kingdom (UK) 2000-2016
Public healthcare: quality adjusted output in the United Kingdom (UK) 2000-2016
Public service healthcare: goods and services expenditure United Kingdom 2000-2016
Italy: NHS workforce 2001-2016
Enterprises in hospital activities in the United Kingdom 2008-2017
Residential care activities gross value added (aGVA) in the United Kingdom 2008-2017
Public health expenditure on current transfers in Spain 2010-2015
Public health expenditure on economic agreements in Spain 2010-2015
Public health expenditure on local corporations in Spain 2010-2015
Public health expenditure on fixed capital in Spain 2010-2015
Public health expenditure on autonomous communities in Spain 2010-2015
U.S. miscellaneous health and allied services: ad spend to sales ratio 2011-2015
Hospitals in the United Kingdom
Hospital Admitted Patient Care and Adult Critical Care Activity 2017-18
NHS Immunization Statistics, England 2017-2018
Department of Health: Financial Sustainability of the NHS
UK Health Accounts 2014
The State of Health Care and Adult Social Care in England 2017/18
General Practice Forward View: April 2016
The Autumn Statement: Joint statement on health and social care
Healthy Ireland Survey 2018
Vital Signs: How to deliver better healthcare across Europe 2016
Addaction World Hepatitis Day Poll 2016
Who Cares? The Future of General Practice
Waiting Times Report: Feeling the Wait 2016
Total healthcare expenditure in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2017 (In billion GBP)
Total healthcare expenditure annual growth rate in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1998 to 2017
Total healthcare expenditure per capita in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1997 to 2013* (In GBP)
Total healthcare expenditure as a share of GDP in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2017
Forecast budget expenditure on the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2015/16 to 2030/31 (in billion GBP)
Share of GDP expenditure on the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom from 2015/16 to 2030/31*
Average cost of hospital treatments on the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2016 (in GBP)
Annual number of National Health Service doctors employed* in England from 2004 to 2019
Annual number of National Health Service nurses employed* in England from 2004 to 2019
Annual number of National Health Service scientific, therapeutic and technical staff* in England from 2004 to 2019
Annual number of National Health Service support staff to clinical staff* in England from 2004 to 2019
Annual number of National Health Service central functions staff* employed in England from 2004 to 2019
Annual number of National Health Service qualified ambulance staff* in England from 2004 to 2019
Annual number of National Health Service senior managers and managing staff* in England from 2004 to 2019
Annual number of National Health Service hotel property and estates staff* in England from 2004 to 2019
Number of National Health Service (NHS) foundation trusts in the United Kingdom (UK) as of March 31, 2019, by specialty
Capital expenditure of National Health service (NHS) foundation trusts in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 3rd quarter 2015/16, by type (in million GBP)
Operating revenue of National Health service (NHS) foundation trusts in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2017/18 (in million GBP)
Operating revenue of clinical activities in the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018/19 (in million GBP)
Operating expenses of the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018/19, by activity (in million GBP)
Number of NHS trusts and foundation trusts in surplus/deficit in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012/13 to 2015/16
Rating of NHS mental health core services in England as of July 2018, by service
Rating of NHS community health core services in England as of July 2016, by service
Rating of NHS acute hospitals core services in England as of July 2018, by service
Rating of NHS acute hospitals core services in England as of July 2018
Share of public attitudes towards the NHS over the next few years in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017
Do you think the ability for the NHS to deliver the care and services it provides over the last six months has been getting...?*
Share of reasons for public dissatisfaction with NHS services in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018
Share of reasons for public satisfaction with NHS services in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017
Share of public satisfaction with NHS and social care services in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018
All in all, how satisfied or dissatisfied would you say you are with the way in which the National Health Service runs nowadays?
Volume growth for public service healthcare output in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2016, by component
Percentage growth of family health services volume output in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2016
Percentage growth of non-NHS health services volume output in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2016
Volume growth of labor in public service healthcare in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2016
Volume growth of goods and services in public service healthcare in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2016
Volume growth of public service healthcare capital in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2016
Percentage growth of GP prescribing volume output in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2016
Share of expenditure on public service healthcare labor in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2015
Percentage growth of public service healthcare (quality adjusted) productivity in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2016
Quality adjusted output of public service healthcare in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2016 (as index value)
Share of expenditure on public service healthcare goods and services in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2016
Total number of employees working in hospitals and facilities of the National Health Service (NHS)* in Italy from 2001 to 2016
Number of enterprises in the hospital activities industry in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2017
Approximate gross value added (aGVA) of residential care activities in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2017 (in million GBP)
Consolidated public health expenditure on current transfers in Spain from 2010 to 2015 (in million euros)
Consolidated public health expenditure on economic agreements in Spain from 2010 to 2015 (in million euros)
Consolidated public health expenditure on local corporations in Spain from 2010 to 2015 (in million euros)
Consolidated public health expenditure on fixed capital in Spain from 2010 to 2015 (in million euros)
Consolidated public health expenditure on autonomous communities in Spain from 2010 to 2015 (in million euros)
Advertising spending as percent of sales in the miscellaneous health and allied services industry in the United States from 2011 to 2015


text:
Preview: Tokyo Revengers Episode 22
Developed from a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Wakui, 'Tokyo Revengers' is a Shounen action TV anime with romance, science fiction, and action-adventure elements. The story revolves around a 20-something underachiever named Takemichi Hanagaki, whose consciousness travels back to his middle school body, giving him an opportunity to set things right in his life. The anime premiered on April 11, 2021. Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming episode of the show.
Tokyo Revengers Episode 22 Release Date
'Tokyo Revengers' episode 22 is set to release on September 5, 2021, in Japan. The episode will air at various times on MBS, TV Tokyo, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, BS Asahi, AT-X, TSK, QAB, and RKK. On March 30, 2021, the show had a special premiere in Japan in which important scenes from the first three episodes were broadcast together. Liden Films Studios developed the series, with Kouichi Hatsumi as the primary director and Yasuyuki Mutou as the primary scriptwriter. Hiroaki Tsutsumi created the music, and Kenichi Oonuki and Keiko Oota designed the characters. Pop group Official HiGE DANdism sang the show's opening theme, "Cry Baby." The ending theme for the first 12 episodes is eill's "Koko de Iki wo shite." After that, Nakimushi's "Tokyo Wonder." serves as the ending theme.
Where to Stream Tokyo Revengers Season 1 Online?
Episodes of 'Tokyo Revengers' with original Japanese audio and English subtitles will be available on Crunchyroll and VRV outside Asia on the same day they air in Japan. For viewers in South and Southeast Asia, Muse Asia's official YouTube channel, its affiliates, and Bilibili will stream the episodes. In Japan, the viewers can watch the anime on Netflix Japan with Japanese audio and subtitles.
Tokyo Revengers Episode 22 Spoilers
In episode 21, after seeing Baji fall, Chifuyu rushes toward him, demanding to know what Kisaki has done to him. Takemichi realizes that the stab wound that Baji has received from Kazutora was indeed serious. Horrified, he realizes that the future he has come from is coming true. Mikey gets up and climbs down the heap of the cars, revealing that he hasn't killed Kazutora yet because Baji pleaded to him not to do it. Now that Kazutora has taken Baji from him as well, Mikey is free to kill him.
Hanma, who is still standing, says the fight between Valhalla and Toman isn't over yet, but Mikey takes him down with a single kick, prompting the rest of the Valhalla members to run away. As he begins beating Kazutora, the latter thinks of his time with Baji. Suddenly, Baji gets up, climbs down the pile, declares that he is alright, and then stabs himself. Before dying, Baji tells Takemichi to take care of Mikey and Toman.
After Kazutora taunts Mikey, the latter starts beating him again. Takemichi steps up and stands between them. As Mikey focuses his anger on Takemichi to remove him from his path, Takemichi tells him that Baji killed himself because he didn't want Mikey to blame Kazutora for it. As both Mikey and Kazutora come to realize the extent of their friend's sacrifice, Mikey sees the charm that Takemichi found and originally belonged to Baji, and the fire in his eyes starts to die down.
In episode 22, the police might arrive. That will probably lead to everyone leaving, except for Kazutora, who will stay to accept responsibility for his actions. Takemichi and Drakken might later visit Kazutora in prison to relay a message from Mikey.
Read More: Anime like Tokyo Revengers


Greetings Sports Fans". Welcome subscribers and customers. Some visitors will be here either through word of mouth, or have previously commissioned a trophy from me via other third-party platforms. I now conduct over 90% of my trophy business directly though my store. Confidence via word of mouth and endless referrals through the memorabilia world is bringing you directly to me. Please feel free to purchase via my COPYTROPHY site offering you lower prices with full payment security.
Already over the past 12 months alone I have taken commissions for trophies from some of the sport's top names. In Baseball every coach from the SF Giants (click for related article) along with every coach from the KC Royals are all proud recipients of my Commissioners Trophy. The list of recipients are quite extensive and a more detailed who's who can be found in the World Series product page content.
In Football I have been commissioned to make Vince Lombardi Trophies for all the coaching staff at the Denver Broncos after the unique SB 50 final. Some of the guys kindly sent me some pictures that you can view in the gallery page. One of my first ever commissions 8 years ago was to make a super bowl 1 trophy for Anne Bratton. Anne is now an ambassador for the NFL and daughter of Pete Rozelle, one of the founding fathers of the NFL. She takes great pride in her fathers collectibles and the only missing representation of the first Super Bowl was a SB1 trophy. This was the start of copytrophy.
As i was originally born in the north of England. It would come as no surprise to all my native American friends who know me that somewhere along the line i would make the ultimate soccer trophy. Well, boy i did. I often picture my trophies sitting proudly in a privileged position throughout numerous households and man caves the world over. Well it was a bit of a buzz watching live coverage of the Champions League Final on the biggest RTL sports channel in Europe and seeing my trophy positioned as the center piece of the studio set up.
All our trophies are meticulously hand-made to order. At the point of purchase you can request absolutely any additional art work at no extra cost, and no extra lead time.
There are no borders to contend with for all my iconic U.S sports trophies. You receive the goods within the USA and any returns will be within the USA. Purchasing from overseas (import) for any iconic U.S trophies is inadvisable. The problems that regularly arise are very much self-explanatory.
For the knowledgeable and until proven otherwise, it is my craftsmanship that sets the standards in this hobby. I look at you as a fellow collector. I regard your order as a commission to create affordable trophy art through hand crafted metalsmithery. I do not entertain wholesale, or memorabilia dealers. You will rarely, if ever see my work for sale at large memorabilia fairs or conventions. The majority of people who are in receipt of my trophies have commissioned me directly on a one on one basis. If anything i am a thorn in the side of retailers because i create a thing of beauty, and of unparalleled quality that is available to all collectors at a price dealers pay for overseas junk. I am certainly not a retailer who holds inventory that is ready to ship next day. On the contrary, our inventory are our tools and born out of these tools and your specifications a work of art is created. Any trophy, by definition, irrespective of any attached paraphernalia is a material representation of an achievement/award. From the local pool hall to the razzmatazz of a major sporting final, the trophy that is presented represents both the achievement of the winners and is the visible symbol of the sport. My objective is to recreate the trophy so that the piece is worthy of offering the finest representation of the sport. We all know it is not real, however it is without doubt the ultimate collectible that allows us to champion our most cherished sports. One of the most satisfying aspects of doing what I do is the feedback I get from you when he or she receives their trophy. I enjoy reading the feedback comments and I enjoy the process of getting this done for you. I like the challenge of taking an order and fulfilling it to the highest standards afforded to me. I am always a phone call (+1 831 471 5567) or email (info@copytrophy.com) away. You are my customer and customer service is my main objective. Any personalized hand-made goods must ultimately come with a personal touch.


It started raining and freezing yesterday afternoon about 4ish. We then had freezing rain and sleet all night.
I left home and came to my son's house. If the power goes out, I have no way to heat my house. He has a big fireplace that will heat most of the downstairs, so I camped out with Superhero last night. We slept in the floor(because he wanted to, not because it was necessary).
The trees have a heavy coat of ice with more to come today and tonight. We are expecting to be without power, possibly for several days.
I wish I could show some pictures of the back yard here. There are lots of skinny oak trees and several really tall pine trees that are covered with ice. They look as if they are draped in lace. We also have nice fat icicles hanging from the roof. We could hear trees snapping and popping during the night, but don't see any down this morning.
I'm concerned about my 4 small(4 year old) Redbud trees. I'm afraid they will all split and have to be cut down. They are so pretty in the spring, I'd hate to lose them, but I guess we'll cross that bridge if we have to. I'm thankful the 13 pine trees are gone. At least I don't have to worry about any mess they would make.
I hope you are staying warm and dry today.
PS. Go visit Chickens In the Road and vote for her blog. She has the link in her post this morning.
Have you ever received a 'Forbidden You don't have permission to access /blog/ on this server' thing from a blog you read? I'm not sure whether its a glitch or if I've actually been removed from being able to read a particular blog.
I've never had anything like this happen before. The blog that I'm getting this message on is 'Chickens In The Road'. I've been reading this blog for quite sometime, and occasionally comment, but I can't for the life of me understand why I've been ex-communicated.
I make it a point to never say anything negative about anything anyone has posted, so I know that's not the reason. And let's face it, I'm a nice person(at least I think I am).
Needless to say, if I have been intentionally cut off, I'm totally devasted. If you can get in from your blog, please let me know. Or if you know an innocent reason why I got this message, I'd like to know that as well.
My day is off to a bad start, what with the bad weather coming and not being able to read a blog that I normally read.
I hope you are having a good Monday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
As I was going to purchase a gift card for my oldest grandson who will be 24 on Sunday, I was thinking about all my grandchildren and the fun I've had with them.
My oldest grandson was the only one I had for several years until his brother came along. So I got to spend a lot of time with just him. He had no competition. He would come and spend the weekend with me quite often, and I took him everywhere I went. And the thing was he never complained.
He's a pretty laid back young man, just as he was a kid. He was never any trouble. In fact, he entertained himself so well, that I would forget he was there. One day when he was about 5, maybe 6, I got into the car to run to the store and was half way down the street when I remembered he was at the house. I'm not sure if he would have noticed if I had gone on and came back after my errand, but I went backand got him.
Occasionally, when we're all together, he'll say 'grandma, remember when we did......or remember when you took me.....' I guess before he outgrew me(and believe me, they all do), I was taking him to the wrestling that was happening at the fire station in our small community. That was some sort of entertainment, but he seemed to like it.
I also let him drive my car. When he would come, we would get out and drive the country roads so he could learn to drive. My car was small and easy to handle. It was front wheel drive and would drive itself out of a ditch if I needed it to. Fortunately, we never needed to when he was at the wheel.
I don't get to see him very often anymore. He's working, and busy with his own life, and probably wouldn't want grandma hanging around too much(might cramp his style). I do get to see him on special occasions-Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July. We are celebrating his birthday so I'll get to see him tonight. He got to pick the restaurant. We used to go to McDonald's or Burger King. Fortunately, he's out of that stage.
Even though I don't get to see him that often, I have great memories and more important, I think he has some too. As I've told you before, my goal in life is to be the best grandmother in the world. I may not be able to give my grandchildren material stuff, but I hope to give them good memories and lots of love.
Have a great Friday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
One Thursday a month, I eat lunch with the senior singles from our church. You have to be 55 or older to go, so we have people 55 and older. In fact, I think one lady is approaching 90.
We always have a good time. I have to eat and hurry back to work since I'm about the only one who has a job. The rest are pretty much retired, or self-employed. The lady who is nearly 90 has her own business, and works 6 days a week. I can't imagine that, but she is probably in better shape than I am.
Today we discussed taking a trip. We have a new bus at church that holds 32 people, and some are itching to use it. Since I work, I probably won't be taking too many trips. They are wanting to go to the Passion Play at Eureka Springs, or to Branson, Mo. I don't really have much desire to go to either place. I've been to Branson twice in the last 30 years, and that was one time too many.
I've never been to Eureka Springs, but I'm just not a passion play type of gal.
And I'm not really a stick in the mud, really I'm not.
Are you making any plans for a vacation in the near future? Is so, tell me where you are going. I need some fresh ideas. Or just tell me somewhere you've been that you think I should go--and the place that might freeze over is not an option.
They've given the banks and automakers tons of money, so I'm ready for mine. I'm not expecting a ton, but a few hundred would sure be nice. I'll be checking my mailbox every day.
On a different note, I'd like to thank those of you who sent me your meatloaf recipes. I will try them and my oldest daughter has agreed to sample each and every one. Like I'm going to share. Who does she think she is anyway?
Not much going on around here today. It's a typical hump day, because I'm already looking forward to the weekend.
Hope you are having a nice Wednesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
Today is a historic day. Not only will our 44th president be sworn in today, but also our first African American president. Folks, we are part of history!!!
Whether or not I voted for Senator Obama or not is at this point unimportant. What is important is that I do everything I can to support him. He has now obtained an office that deserves my respect, and, he will have it. There will be things he does that I won't like, but I will not dis-respect him. But there were also things I didn't like that the former presidents have done that I didn't like, but I didn't dis-respect them either.
However, the thing of which I'm most proud today is that I'm not part of the expected 2 million people who will be in DC for the inauguration. It's cold there, and I don't like being cold. I'd much rather be right here in my office with this little heater going at my feet and staying warm. I'll be able to see it as often as I'd like, because you know it will be replayed on every tv station every 15 minutes for days. And let's not forget U-Tube. You know it will be there.
And just where are these 2 million people going to go when nature calls? How many porta-potties will be available? This would be my number one concern at this point. Some of those people have been here all night.
There was a time when the inauguration was held in March. But I think sometime in April or even May would be good. Have it when the cherry blossoms are blooming. It would be much more comfortable and beautiful at the same time.
Maybe I should go to the Bush after party. It will be much warmer in Midland, Tx than in DC. There probably won't be nearly as much competition for the bathrooms, and Lee Greenwood is going to entertain. He's one of my favorite singers. And I'm sure he'll do 'I'm Proud to be an American'. Bet there'll be some good barbeque at that shindig as well.
But since I'm not invited to either party, I'll stay right here in Arkansas, mind my own business(no comments from my children) and try to be the best American I can be.
I am proud to be an American. How about you?
I think I'm a meatloaf snob. I'm not comparing myself to self acclaimed 'food snobs', but I really am particular about my meatloaf.
When I was growing up, my mother would take 1 lb of ground beef, and make it a meal for five. She did this by adding oats along with whatever other seasonings she normally used and made this incredible meatloaf. It was always moist and tasted great, and it didn't fall apart when you sliced it. So I guess that is what I compare all meatloaves to.
There are three criteria for my meatloaf.
Unfortunately I didn't get her recipe(if she had one) so I have been in search of the perfect meatloaf ever since. I have a friend named Charlene who makes a good meatloaf, and on the meatloaf scale, I'd probably give it a seven. It has a good taste and is pretty easy to make except it calls for slices of bacon to be placed on it, and I've never decided why that is necessary, and the slice of bread you soak in liquid and then wring out. How do you wring out a piece of bread without making a ball out of it? And I always thought the bread/oats/crackers were put in the meatloaf to soak up some of the liquid generated by the cooking of the meat anyway.
My friend Sara has a good meatloaf recipe, and I would probably give it an eight. I've made it a couple of times. It has a good flavor, holds together and is pretty easy to make.
Last week, I ran across a recipe for SouthWest Meatloaf. It sounded good so I printed a copy and gathered the ingredients. The first thing I noticed was the difficulty in getting all the ingredients. It called for both red and green bell pepper. It also called for Chipolte peppers in adobo sauce. Not easy to find in some supermarkets. And it used a lot of garlic which I thought I'd be able to taste in the finished product but didn't.
But the kicker was that you had to make Chipolte BBQ sause to not only go on top of the meatloaf, but in it. This lovely sauce was made up of a cup of vinegar, a cup of catsup, 1/2 cup honey, worshestershire sauce, and dry mustard along with red and green bell pepper, onion and garlic which then had to be cooked until it had reduced in volume and gotten thicker.
This took some time, and my house smelled of vinegar. I finally had to light a candle to get rid of the smell.
I got the meatloaf made and in the oven. The recipe said to make two meatloaves, but since I am by myself, I decided to make 6 small meatloaves so I could freeze some of them. I took them out of the oven and let them rest for a bit. Then I transferred them to a plate. When I thought it was the perfect time to eat one, I did.
I gave it a four on my meatloaf scale. It was ok, no better than any others I'd made, the texture wasn't the greatest, and the amount of work to make it was seriously not worth the time. I had taken some pictures of the sauce, and of the finished meatloaves, but didn't want to post anything I didn't think was worth making again.
I did find a recipe in a Taste of Home magazine that I'm going to try. It has onions rolled up in the middle of it. Sounds interesting.
So there you have it, I'm still on a quest. What is something you are out there hunting?
Hope it's a great Monday for you. Pray for our country. Love one another.
I have been looking for new dishes for a while now. I look at dish sets and think I don't really need everything in the box, since I don't need the cups and saucers. I really only want plates, salad plates and what I call cereal bowls. To buy most any dishes by the piece is pretty expensive. So it seemed cheaper to buy a set than to buy by the piece. So I would look and not buy, and later look again and not buy.
I wanted something plain that I could use with anything. I'm really, really tired of the blue geese dishes that I've been using for years. How out of date are they?
The other day I was in TJMaxx looking for a collander, when on the mark down isle I spotted some plates I really liked and there were 8 of them and they were 3 dollars each. What a deal! They are Lennox, Butler's Pantry. The pattern is Fruitier I knew they had to be a discontinued pattern or they wouldn't have been on the clearance isle of TJMaxx. There were also 4 salad plates but they were also 3 dollars each and I thought that was a bit much since they weren't as big as the plates, so I didn't get them.
I knew they had to be good dishes because they are Lennox. So when I got home, I searched the internet and found that similar plates of the Butler's Pantry persuasion and similar in design and color were 25 dollars per plate. So I decided I'd gotten a good deal. That was when I decided to go back and get the salad plates if they were still there, and they were.
I looked at some of the websites with replacement pieces, and to get more salad plates, I'd have to pay 14 each and the bowls I would like to have are also 14 each. So for now, I'm totally satisfied with what I have, and can add other interesting bowls to my set. I kinda like having an ecclectic set. Actually, I'm pretty ecclectic about most everything anyway.
I'm all about good deals, and I have a friend at work who is the queen of good deals. She's always finding them, and I'm usually really jealous.
What good deal have you found lately? Was it something you've been looking for a long time, or just something you ran across and couldn't pass up.
Hope you are having a warm Friday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
We are at the high of 18 degrees today. I just about froze my backside off just coming into work from my vehicle. That is a total of about 25 or 30 steps. Plus, we are having a hard time getting our offices warm. I have a little heater under my desk to supplement the heat in the building. We have our thermostat set at 80, and we are at 69.
Needless to say, we continue to go about our business, just as those do in the colder climes. I would much rather be sitting in my recliner, wrapped up in a throw or maybe one of those backwards fleece things with sleeves.
I was just trying to think of a time I could remember when it got really cold and stayed that way for a while. When my kids were young, one winter it got cold enough and stayed cold long enough that the river froze. People played on it, and someone even drove a VW bug out onto it.
We had snow along with that cold, and lots of people used the levee as a hill on which to sled. You have to remember we don't have too many hills, and since the levee ends up in the river, it would definitely need to be frozen to keep anyone from sliding right into the water.
Then six or seven years ago South Arkansas was hit by an ice storm much like the one Oklahoma had last year. It looked like a war zone with all the downed trees and broken limbs.
Do you have fun winter memories? Maybe being frozen in, or being able to get out and play in the snow with friends?
Have a warm Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
If I understand this right. You should copy this list, and bold those you have done. Then post it to your blog.
This list makes you realize, at least it did me, that you haven't done much and haven't been many places. Kinda makes you want to start a Bucket List.
I think one of the first things I'd put on my list would be to go to Alaska. My dad talked about it often. He was there when he was in military service before Pearl Harbor.
What would be the first think on your Bucket List?
Hope you are having a warm Tuesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
Superhero is five years old today. I called him on the way to school and sang Happy Birthday to him. I asked what he was taking to school, and he said cupcakes. He sounded excited. His mother said I could come by the party at 11:00 for a few minutes.
Now on to what I want to post about today. The news this morning spent a good bit of time talking about how history will remember George W. Bush. This made me start thinking about how history will remember me. Now I know I won't be remembered on the same scale as George, but at least for a while, there will be a few people who remember me. And how do I want to be remembered? I've said for years that as I get older I'm going to get cranky, hateful and say whatever I want to. But that isn't really true.
We don't always have a great deal of control over what people think of us, or what they say about us. There are some who never have anything good to say about anybody, and choose only to remember any bad things we ever did. We've all heard that phrase that goes something like this, "Yes, they may be doing good now, but don't you remember when they............." and you can fill in the blanks. It may have been 5o years ago, but we are often remembered for what we have done in the past no matter what wonderful things we have done lately.
So let me tell you how I want to be remembered here on this earth after I'm gone. I want to be remembered as a Christian mother, grandmother and friend. I don't think my children will forget me, and I want my friends to remember me for the happy times we've had together.
But I especially want my grandchildren to have wonderful memories of me. When my oldest grandson was little, he was the only grandchild. I was in better health then,(he's in his 20's now) and he spent a lot of time with me. I used to say that I dragged him all over creation, and I honestly believe he would have gone anywhere with me.
Now when we are together, sometimes he'll say, "Grandma, remembr when we did this or that? That was pretty cool." Those are the type of memories I want all my grandchildren to have. I always tell them I love them, and how pretty or handsome I think they are. I want them to think each of them is the most special to me. I try to spend one on one time with them. I like to read to them, and let them cook, but mostly I like to be in their presence.
Hopefully, I won't ever be that old grandmother that no one wants to go see because my house smells like an old person, or because all I do is fuss at them for making noise or something. I hope they always give me a kiss or a hug when they come and go because they want to rather than because mom or dad insists they do.
How do you want history to remember you?
Have a bright Tuesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
I always dislike Mondays. They remind me that the weekend's aren't long enough. I think we should have three day weekends. I should think that a 4 day workweek should be enough to get everything done, don't you?
That would also shorten the school week to 4 days too, which since I have no small children at home, would not be a problem.
I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I spent the night at my son's house. I babysat so my son and wonderful dil could celebrate her birthday. Superhero had gone home with his other grandmother so I only had the smallest princess and we had fun. She ate a good supper, and after we played, she let me rock her to sleep and then slept all night.
Saturday morning, I cooked breakfast and went home. I stopped to visit the other two princesses and played with them for a bit. I did very little else on Saturday except for buying a box of crackers for the chili we were to eat at the friends group on Sunday.
Went to church on Sunday, took a nap in the afternoon, and went back to church Sunday night. Afterwards, we had our chili supper. It was very good, and we had fun.
But alas!, it's back to the daily grind on Monday.
Hope you are having a productive Monday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
Has your body ever rebeled, mutineed, revolted? As you can see by my picture, I an not a little girl. I have been overweight for many years. But like most folks who diet, I would lose weight, then ultimately gain back what I'd lost and more.
Then there was the stress thing. Each time I started a new job--20 lbs! Zapp, Zing, Zowee. It just magically appeared. Seldom did I manage to get any of that off. So here I am, 60 and shopping at Omar's Tent and Awning store for my clothes. I know you thought I would tell you how much I weighed--not going to happen, but let's just say I don't go to the ladies department, I go to the womens.
I've had lots of health care professionals tell me I'd be much better off if I'd lose some weight. I would always ask about my thyroid. I think dr's thought women saw the thyroid as a way to either blame for the weight, or as maybe a way to lose weight. Blood would be drawn and I would be told the numbers were within normal limits. But for years, I had no problems. My blood pressure was perfect, my cholesterol was perfect, and I saw no reason to make any life style changes when I was disgustingly healthy.
First time I was ever really sick was 6 years ago when I had to have major surgery. Got over that like gang busters, but as a result of the illness, would be on blood pressure meds the rest of my life. No amount of healthy living would change that. So I soldiered on.
After a 6 month ordeal with a sinus infection, I was sent to an ear nose and throat dr who as a matter of routine, checked my neck. He found, not one, but two tumors on my thyroid, one on each side. He wanted to jerk it out. I said no, and after seeing a specialist, we decided to wait and see if it had changed in 6 months. I go back in February to see if anything has changed.
Two years ago I was diagnosed with diabetes in a regular health screening. I ignored it for a while, but then decided I could no longer do that. After all, I'm a reasonably intelligent person, so why was I being so muleheaded about this. Even then, I only half-heartedly worked on it. I took a pill at night, checked my blood sugar occasionally and ate whatever, whenever, however I wanted to.
About 4 months ago, I began feeling like I had been pulled through a knot hole backwards. Nothing seemed to make me feel any better. I began checking my blood pressure thinking maybe my meds needed to be changed. It was higher on top than usual, but it still didn't seem to be enough to make me feel that lousy. But I called and made an appt to see the dr anyway.
In the meantime, I began checking my blood sugar, and pretty much found the culprit. It was running around 200 consistently.
My dr gave me a good going over, changed the diabetes meds and sent me home to work on it. We discussed all the levels I needed to look out for, but by this time it was Thanksgiving and then soon after Christmas. How could I possibly leave all that good food alone. It just wasn't going to happen. But the numbers on my monitor weren't changing for the better. I was staying below 200, but that was the new med, not what I was contributing to the effort.
Now I'm not much on making New Year's resolutions, but I made up my mind that it was time to change and I started not on 1/1, but on 12/29.
I write down every bite that goes into my mouth, and list the calories, carbs, protien, fat and sodium if I know it. If I cook it from scratch, I just make sure it fits inline with what I'm supposed to have. I know that carbs and sodium are my worst enemies of these 5 items, but calories must be watched also.
I check my blood sugar each morning, and I weigh each morning. Since 12/29th, I have gotten my blood sugar down to under 125,(yesterday it was 115), and I have lost abut 7 lbs. I can tell you all day long that weight loss is not my goal, but it just stands to reason that if I control the blood sugar and eat about a third of what I had been eating that I will lose weight. And I'd be lying through my teeth if I told you I didn't want to lose weight. No one in their right mind wants to be fat.
So as you can see, my body has and continues to rebel, mutiny, and revolt. So, I'm trying to respond to the call and do better. After all what better time to start than when you have just turned 60?
I hope you have a great Friday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
When we got to work this morning, we couldn't access the internet. Much of our work is done through network connections. So we were in a real pickle.
Evidently there was a virus that was sent out world wide. If you weren't hit, consider yourself lucky. It happened early last night, and our network gurus worked on it all night. We are finally back in business as of about noon eastern time.
We don't realize how dependant on the internet we've become. I not only couldn't work, I couldn't update my blog, I couldn't check my checking account balance, I couldn't look up an address I needed and I couldn't schedule a payment on a utility bill. Basically, I felt like my hands were tied behind me.
How could we possibly allow something like the internet to be so entwined in our lives? I can remember when we didn't even have the darn thing. How did we ever survive?
I can't even cook anymore without looking up a recipe online. And I certainly can't keep up with my new friends without it.
But if you had to choose between the internet and something else to which you really are attached(besides family), which would you choose?
Have a wonderful Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.
It's Wednesday, which means for those of us fortunate enough to be off the entire Christmas/NewYears Holiday that we are on our way to completing half the week of being back at work.
I'm like Maynard G Crebbs of Dobie Gillis fame, it's hard to say the word 'work' without my voice going up an octave or two. I also just gave away my age by knowing who Dobie Gillis was(like you didn't already know what it is).
Needless to say, it's been hard to get myself to work. Oh, I continued to get up at the usual time, I was just able to sit in my robe to drink my coffee and watch the morning news, then the next news program, then--you get my drift. I did a lot of tv watching while I was off. You need to understand that there are always tv's on in my house when I'm home. I may not always be paying attention to what is on, but it is on anyway. There are times that what I do is done during the commercials. Did you know you can actually take a shower while commercials are on and not miss any of the action in the program you are watching?
I went out to see the two princesses for a few minutes yesterday. They got a dachshund(weenie dog)for Christmas. He's about a year old. They are in the process of adopting him from one of the animal rescue programs here in town. He is a really sweet dog and liked me right off the bat. The girls like to lie in the floor on a blanket with him between while they draw and color. They have found that he likes to chew on crayons, so they are learning to keep them picked up and accounted for. This is a good lesson for them in caring for a pet and in keeping things picked up. He likes both girls, but is especially attached to the oldest one. His name is Skittles.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday. The sun is shining here this morning(a welcome change) and it's supposed to get to 50 today.
Please pray for our country. Love one another.
I only mentioned my surprise birthday party in yesterday's post since I try not to make a big issue of my 'declining years'. However, in not giving some detail, I offended my youngest daughter, so I told her I would give more details today.
My son, whose truck had burned on Christmas Eve morning had borrowed my vehicle since I had no place I had to be for several days. He told me he was taking me out on Friday night to repay me for the use of said vehicle and for my birthday. He then found out that his wife would be unable to join us because she had to work late that night.
I had kept his son, and one of the other granddaughters Thursday night and all day Friday, then thinking it would be just the two of us to keep up with a 5 year old, a 4 year old and an 18 month old, I tried to get him to change til Saturday night, but he wouldn't. Did this raise a red flag as it should have--no, not with my old dense self. So off we went.
I did think it a bit strange that he didn't let me pick the place to eat, but knowing how he loves fish, I wasn't surprised that he headed for Ron's Catfish. We waited in line to pay, and while doing so, I began scoping out a place to sit. And as luck would have it, I saw a table for 4 that would be just perfect for us. Heading off in front of me, he said he'd rather sit in the back. I followed.
The first person I saw was my sister-in-law's mother and dad. Didn't think too much about that. They live near and I occassionally run into them. Then I saw my sister-in-law and was about to say, 'you just thought you could come to our area and not let me know you were here'. Then I saw my other sister-in-law and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I'd been had!!
We had surprised my brother when he turned 60, but since nobody had mentioned my birthday, I thought I was sliding by. They hadn't mentioned it because they were plotting and planning behind my back. I told you yesterday they were devious.
All together, I had 23 family members and friends. Both my brothers live out of state, so I don't get to see them often, but I was certainly glad they were there. My oldest brother lives in Louisville, Kentucky, and my younger brother lives in Brandon, Mississippi. My step-brother and his family and my step-parents all live in Jonesboro. I was blessed they were all there.
We ate, I opened presents, and then we had birthday cake. We visited and pretty much closed up the restaurant. I got a gift card, some money, some really smell good stuff including a bottle of my favorite cologne, and a basket from my younger brother and his wife, and I know she's the one who went to all the trouble. He just got to put his name on the card. It had one of the new cards that you can load 50 pictures on to carry with you, a lotion, shower gel and stuff to use on your hands from Bath and Body works that smells like cotton, an album of pictures of my grandson at Disney World, some candy and the cutest little thing to hang your glasses on(I should have taken a picture). It a ceramic nose. I've never seen one of them before. I also got a really soft scarf and gloves. The kids did a framed picture of my grandchildren. It is a frame for three pictures, and they did each set of grandchidren in black and white which I think I'm going to hang it in my office.
I don't think I've ever enjoyed a birthday so much. They weren't big deals when I was growing up. We got our favorite meal cooked and our favorite cake. Which for poor folks like us was a pretty big deal in the grand scheme of things.
I hope you are having a wonderful day. It's 34 degrees and raining here today. Pray for our country. Love one another.
I am back at the grind. I know you may have wondered why I haven't been posting regularly over the holidays. Let me explain. I work for a university as a computer programmer/analyst. I literally sit in front of a computer(actually two)screens for 8 hours every day. When I get an opportunity to get away from them, I take it. Sitting in front of a computer screen while on vacation would be like a busman's holiday. I didn't post, I didn't work, I didn't surf, I didn't play solitaire, I literally stayed away from my computer.
But now it's back to work, and all the other things I normally do. I just finished wading through about 200 emails. Most of them junk. A few from friends, but few for work, since everyone else was off too.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and that each of you have a wonderful New Year. I stayed denned up like an old bear for most of the time between the two holidays. My son had my vehicle since his met with an unfortunate demise Christmas Eve morning, so I didn't have too many options of any place to go.
My friend Jan came the 19th, and stayed til the 23rd. We had a great visit. Ran around a lot. And just had a wonderful time. I intended to make some pictures, but didn't even accomplish that. I'm planning to go see her in the spring, and I'm taking another friend that Jan has gotten acquainted with through me. Jan lives in the Smokey Mountains so spring should be absolutely beautiful.
We spent the Saturday night before Christmas with my step-parents. The Tuesday night before Christmas I spent with my children and their children. Then Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was spent watching tv and enjoying the quiet.
As much as I love people, I could totally live on a mountain away from everyone. And I say that knowing it's not going to happen and I can see my family any time I want to.
I also passed a milestone. I was 60 on the 3rd. My family gave me a surprise birthday party. We had about 30 family members and friends there. Got some good loot. Found out how devious my children are, and had a great time.
But now it's back to work, back in harness, back to the grindstone. And I'm already looking forward to the next holiday. Yes, that's me, just looking forward to time off and eventually maybe retirement. As much as I joke about work, I am thankful for my job. I know there are many people who have lost their jobs or are unable to work due to illness. My job is a blessing.
Hope you are having a great Monday. Have you counted your blessing today? Pray for our country. Love one another.