Play Tab from XOLO: Announce to Launch in India

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">XOLO is going to launch new tab in Indian market. XOLO announced today about their new play tab with the tag of Play Tab 7.0 and powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wogYW8Pt8P4/Uljg7wFOvGI/AAAAAAAAAbU/i1rO8Fx9-5E/s1600/150x150xlarge-xolo-2-150x150_jpg_pagespeed_ic_gWpg8z3jqC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wogYW8Pt8P4/Uljg7wFOvGI/AAAAAAAAAbU/i1rO8Fx9-5E/s1600/150x150xlarge-xolo-2-150x150_jpg_pagespeed_ic_gWpg8z3jqC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">androidos.in</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The device will be available in stores countrywide, nothing is said about release date yet. The tab will run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and get the price tag of Rs. 13,999. The display of tab will 7-inch IPS with 1280x800 pixel and pixel density is 216ppi and can play full HD video. The device comes with 8 GB internal memory and 1GB RAM. You can expand the space through the micro SD card, however it not cleared by company that how much you can expand it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to Sunil Raina Business Head at XOLO in country “As XOLO continues to deliver on its promise to bring differentiated technology to discerning consumers, we’re replicating the success we’ve achieved in the smartphone category now in tablets. XOLO Play Tab 7.0 marks the first tablet in the XOLO Play category of products, powered by NVIDIA Tegra. Similar to XOLO Play T1000 smartphone launched in July, the Tab delivers similar entertainment now on a bigger 7-inch screen,”.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VzBcFtmne-g/Uljgg0PmBpI/AAAAAAAAAbM/VbSrr9D7vN0/s1600/xolo-play-tab-1-big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VzBcFtmne-g/Uljgg0PmBpI/AAAAAAAAAbM/VbSrr9D7vN0/s1600/xolo-play-tab-1-big.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ndtvgadgets</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">Technical specifications:</span></h3><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Processor: NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core 1.2 GHz CPU (Cortex A9)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Display: 7-inch 1280x800p IPS LCD Display</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Space: 8GB internal and can expandable with 2GB RAM</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Battery: 4000mAh</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Camera: 2 Megapixel front facing and rear camera is not available</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, G</span>PS</li></ul><br /><br /><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/100638775997274345522" rel="author">Anil Swami</a></div></div>

android 4.1 Nvidia XOLO Play Tab from XOLO: Announce to Launch in India

XOLO is going to launch new tab in Indian market. XOLO announced today about their new play tab with the tag of Play Tab 7.0 and powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor.androidos.inThe device will be available in stores countrywide, nothing i…

Read more »

And Todays Internet Winner Is........

Mr. Glenn B of <a href="http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2013/10/ah-mother-fucker.html">Ballseye's Boomer</a> fame for coining a new descriptor for the Free Shit Army Voter,<br />Yom-V.<br /><br />Rhymes with Zombie.<br />It's fucking <i>BRILLIANT!</i><br /><br /><blockquote>.....I was about to write that the main reason for that is Obama but it is not. Truth be told, it is not him nor any product of him, it is the culture that bred him and that morphed him into the end-all-be-all of the <b><b>you-owe-me voter (Yom-V)</b></b>. Amazingly, almost as soon as I wrote that, and it took about 2 seconds of thought to come up with, I realized how much Yom-V sounds like Zombie (and that is the truth - so help me Ronald Reagan).<i> While yom-v sound like zombie, they are not real zombies, they are just wanna-be zombies. Yet, they emulate zombies in that they offer nothing to society and nothing to the species survival as a whole. All they do is attempt to take everything they can from any source that is alive and thriving, to any degree better than are they, and then devour it</i></blockquote><br /><br /><br />Congratulations sir, you have won the internet today.<br /><br />

And Todays Internet Winner Is........

Mr. Glenn B of Ballseye's Boomer fame for coining a new descriptor for the Free Shit Army Voter,Yom-V.Rhymes with Zombie.It's fucking BRILLIANT!.....I was about to write that the main reason for that is Obama but it is not. Truth be told, it is not h…

Read more »

Old Howardsville Turnpike

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vB3mnsftKTCmNrvcTLd70LYsfh-fwVQZtK2tqqhmv3tn5J0RiZZFsM8tqGH7eNc7QJfh9MrE5HOOhbYv7s6GQqMrnNNKFf1ERmwYRKI4d8NRD1TAoOuUDe_5f54zgGnhxqoGNW7q_WJR/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vB3mnsftKTCmNrvcTLd70LYsfh-fwVQZtK2tqqhmv3tn5J0RiZZFsM8tqGH7eNc7QJfh9MrE5HOOhbYv7s6GQqMrnNNKFf1ERmwYRKI4d8NRD1TAoOuUDe_5f54zgGnhxqoGNW7q_WJR/s400/14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> The Old Howardsville Turnpike on the western side of the Blue Ridge Mountains runs parallel to the Blue Ridge Parkway before dropping down into the Shenandoah Valley and coming out on Rt. 340 at Lyndhurst. It offers an alternative drive especially when the Parkway is crowded with leaf lookers.<br /><br />Howardsville Turnpike was originally built in the mid-1800s as a route to transport goods from the Valley over the mountains to Howardsville on the James River in Albemarle County. Goods would then be shipped down river to Richmond. Teamsters driving loaded wagons used Humpback Rock as a guide. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfW34zFFE6027lb9wmHbuOkLxYOJHnYcCoDSPByxN96puRJDNNbNmF0c3OFyKb2fRcAgmhCXLF9lfOIfls6QaHc7JFKkWmSf001d2dx7U2QLhbprL6stYQdoQBn62gikxYn9Of4YlxALH/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfW34zFFE6027lb9wmHbuOkLxYOJHnYcCoDSPByxN96puRJDNNbNmF0c3OFyKb2fRcAgmhCXLF9lfOIfls6QaHc7JFKkWmSf001d2dx7U2QLhbprL6stYQdoQBn62gikxYn9Of4YlxALH/s400/15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Today it's interesting to drive, hike, or bike the road, and think back to 160 years ago and the settlers who used it for an entirely different reason.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuM7UdBPW4WMF6FYppfxUx5a_ncIsRLAAnwf-CfLH-VBswY3NSp_nshA1SWjX4-mqKmJvV8sNC3CsqFz-k7dRDS8MIObFKGHhQrzLdd5OeqHQWu9yTqBXXCLNW2_J65bxKKUiD34a9f77/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuM7UdBPW4WMF6FYppfxUx5a_ncIsRLAAnwf-CfLH-VBswY3NSp_nshA1SWjX4-mqKmJvV8sNC3CsqFz-k7dRDS8MIObFKGHhQrzLdd5OeqHQWu9yTqBXXCLNW2_J65bxKKUiD34a9f77/s640/16.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> On Friday the fog rolled in and deer grazed along the roadside.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhov6Kt9gmKfvaTWzyMA9q-Nw-H9cw0Jer1RQhoN32xH1JeoUxPEDevumVX3wxGfbU4vZiyK2Cz9rG-ic3wADyo1wj9PUHYqYOIND5ErDmBccalBSTfKF2wWsiqsmsnOrxg-vlWI0as9Tg4/s1600/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhov6Kt9gmKfvaTWzyMA9q-Nw-H9cw0Jer1RQhoN32xH1JeoUxPEDevumVX3wxGfbU4vZiyK2Cz9rG-ic3wADyo1wj9PUHYqYOIND5ErDmBccalBSTfKF2wWsiqsmsnOrxg-vlWI0as9Tg4/s400/17.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />October 11, 2013

Old Howardsville Turnpike

 The Old Howardsville Turnpike on the western side of the Blue Ridge Mountains runs parallel to the Blue Ridge Parkway before dropping down into the Shenandoah Valley and coming out on Rt. 340 at Lyndhurst. It offers an alternative drive especially w…

Read more »

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Review and Giveaway!

<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U7dwjLvTGyA/Ulic9V1p8MI/AAAAAAAAKL0/6qwvMIpi288/s1600/13+-+2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U7dwjLvTGyA/Ulic9V1p8MI/AAAAAAAAKL0/6qwvMIpi288/s320/13+-+2" width="320" /></i></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><i><span id="goog_1184782020"></span><span id="goog_1184782021"></span><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I've tried many chocolates throughout my lifetime but have never savored delicious artisanal chocolates from Belgium like these tasty creations from  <a href="http://www.guylian.com/en/home/">Guylian chocolates</a> . </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Guy Foubert passionate chocolatier making handmade chocolates in Sint-Niklaas Belgium and in 1958 Guy and his wife Liliane created chocolatier Guylian and today are sold in 100 countries across the world! </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>So excited to be reviewing their chocolates!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>First throughout before I ate one was that they are almost too pretty to eat!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I mean come on now they are shaped like sea a shells with designs on them and even sea horses!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>They are both luscious and sweet and don't melt in your hand!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>With the holidays approaching us these chocolates will make great gifts for our loved ones!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hint hint!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XHE3shx8x1o/UliyrwXHJmI/AAAAAAAAKMU/7b_3ik1c2nI/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XHE3shx8x1o/UliyrwXHJmI/AAAAAAAAKMU/7b_3ik1c2nI/s320/13+-+1" width="320" /></i></a></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Filled with smooth milk, white and dark Belgian chocolate and then has the most delectable hazelnut filling in each bite!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SiNbAQqHLDw/Ulic9YpvZ-I/AAAAAAAAKLs/_tPmzyziyVc/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SiNbAQqHLDw/Ulic9YpvZ-I/AAAAAAAAKLs/_tPmzyziyVc/s320/13+-+1" width="320" /></i></a></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Since I was sent so much chocolates for review I am sharing them with my family, friends and co workers so they too can savor an amazing chocolate experience!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Links:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Website:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.guylian.com/en/home/"><i>http://www.guylian.com/en/home/</i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Facebook:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GuylianChocolates?ref=ts"><i>https://www.facebook.com/GuylianChocolates?ref=ts</i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Twitter:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Guylian_Chocs"><i>https://twitter.com/Guylian_Chocs</i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />Sign up for their newsletter here:</i><br /><a href="http://www.guylianbelgianchocolate.com/join.aspx#SignUp"><i>http://www.guylianbelgianchocolate.com/join.aspx#SignUp</i></a><br /><i><br /></i><i>Link to online store with giveaway items:</i><br /><a href="http://shop.guylianbelgianchocolate.com/"><i>http://shop.guylianbelgianchocolate.com</i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>One lucky reader will discover the Belgian experience from Guylian chocolates!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /><br />Here's what the winner will win!</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Must be from the USA only!</i><br /><i><br /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="text-align: start;">One winner (1) will receive the following products:</span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">One – 22 piece box of Guylian Artisanal Belgian Original Chocolate Truffles</span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">One – 22 piece box of Guylian Artisanal Belgian Extra Dark Chocolate Truffles  </span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">Two - 6 piece Original Chocolate Truffle Box</span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">Four - 2 piece Original Chocolate Truffle Box</span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">No Sugar Added Chocolate Bars—Milk and Dark Chocolate (one bar of each)</span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">One- 16 piece Vanilla Cream Truffles - Limited Edition</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Good luck!</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>A coupon is being offered on their website just for my readers to save <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: start;">10% through the end of the year using the code Chocolate10</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/20ee166/" id="rc-20ee166" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>\ <script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>}</i></div>

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Review and Giveaway!

I've tried many chocolates throughout my lifetime but have never savored delicious artisanal chocolates from Belgium like these tasty creations from  Guylian chocolates . Guy Foubert passionate chocolatier making handmade chocolates in Sint-Niklaas B…

Read more »

Someone Smiled Upon Me Today

I don't know how I managed to get so lucky but it works for me.<br /><br />I was down at the local Bi Mart, ostensibly to get some pencils because I can never find one and to take a look at a small freezer they have on sale for a hundred bucks.<br />Been wanting a freezer.<br /><br />The one they have on sale is only 2.1 cubic feet and when I got down there with my trusty tape measure, I took one look at it and said no thanks.<br /><br />It's about the size of a garbage compactor and not even close to what I am after.<br /><br />Right next to it however, is more to my liking.<br /><br />It's twice as big and even not being on sale is only two hundred, plus it's a chest freezer.<br /><br />I put that in my brain, filed under the next clear payday.<br /><br />Of course with my Fathers funeral coming next week there are the usual unexpected expenses and I will just have to wait.<br />Not a problem.<br /><br />While I was there I did my mandatory recon of the sporting goods department without any real hopes of finding much.<br />They do have the Hot Lips 25 round magazine for Ruger 10/22's on sale for $13 instead of $20 so I was going to pick one of those up when I got there.<br /><br />As I was about to round the corner I spied some dude bent over a shelf with a little box in his hand.<br />A quick perusal shows me they finally had some 12 gauge shells in stock.<br />That was a pleasant surprise and I made a small remark to the guy about it.<br /><br />He looked up and said yeah, except he can't find the six shot version, only the four shot Buck.<br />He then looked both ways and in a conspiratorial whisper said that there was a rumor that there might even be .22 LR shells in stock.<br /><br />Trust me when I say the man had my undivided attention at that point.<br /><br />I nodded without saying anything and smiled real big.<br /><br />I went around the corner to the counter and there were five guys waiting for the guy behind the counter to fetch whatever it was they were after, I couldn't get close enough to see what they had, when a lady comes wheeling around the other corner with a handcart.<br /><br />My eyes ain't so good but I could see .22LR on one of the boxes from six feet away.<br /><br />All of a sudden you could hear a pin drop.<br /><br />She cut open a box and suddenly there were hands in her face from every direction.<br /><br />She started handing out two,yes two, 50 round little boxes.<br /><br />She handed me a couple and I pointed and said I wanted a whole brick!<br /><br />No go pal, two is the limit.<br /><br />I said your kidding me.<br /><br />Nope. So I kinda grumble and get the hell out of the way for the rest of the guys.<br /><br />I went to another aisle and picked up a water storage jug, waiting for the crowd to thin out, so I could go back and get one of the 25 round magazines.<br /><br />As I came back around the corner yet again the lady is standing there with two 50 round boxes in her hand and tilts her head my way so no one can see or hear her and says to me, hold on a minute and let me go in the back, I have something for you.<br /><br />OK, she didn't say what but I ain't no dummy.<br /><br />She comes back and motions me over out of eye sight and hands me a 555 round box of Winchester .22LR.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbUgqQCsiDbkfDUfwClSsmDf93vQNuBmuG1AQrz-ggpUi94GsaFA6aXXXz1oPJBnxlKqoJYDDWyGR2ZQyuSwlDRkNF6Ri0O2r5FrN_jVY75PEeiXLR75dVcRMQWcDxSfP_Hme4Vdj0lQ4/s1600/0002089210247_500X500.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbUgqQCsiDbkfDUfwClSsmDf93vQNuBmuG1AQrz-ggpUi94GsaFA6aXXXz1oPJBnxlKqoJYDDWyGR2ZQyuSwlDRkNF6Ri0O2r5FrN_jVY75PEeiXLR75dVcRMQWcDxSfP_Hme4Vdj0lQ4/s400/0002089210247_500X500.jpg" /></a><br /><br />She was almost apologetic that that's all she could get me but I was like a little kid at Christmas who just got his first bike!<br /><br />I have no idea why she took a shine to me like that because I ain't exactly James Bond good looking but I'll take what I can get.<br /><br />$25 for the box.<br /><br />I was all excited at the prospect that there might finally be an end in sight to the Great Ammo Shortage of 2013.<br /><br />So after I get home to the little project I was messing with and needed the pencil for in the first place, the mail lady shows up with a package.<br />That turned out to be the Coleman Dual Fuel gas lantern I ordered off of Ebay last week.<br /><br />Some of those damn things are advertised at $150 motherfucking dollars on there!<br />I about choked when I saw that.<br /><br />The one I scored said it might be missing a piece or two but the pump worked and all, for $33 and $15 for shipping.<br /><br />One third of what some of those cut throat sonsabitches were asking, <i>including shipping</i>.<br /><br />I figured if there was something missing that there are parts galore on EBay too so I wasn't worried about it.<br /><br />I opened the box and about shit myself.<br /><br />The fucking thing is BRAND NEW!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-dEBFTYyw7aQDWNsrlpaDTu7e5uiI9Rw82qVtKB3iQZ97lW3PJ-SkwHwIRsUmoE_7hqzREMxmETupbq_EPtWXIzJoxMAAC7BktZ9FZa6u9PotwAwfWBA2TLibKlqBBeT-q3cQvR49TTO/s1600/285-700t_x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-dEBFTYyw7aQDWNsrlpaDTu7e5uiI9Rw82qVtKB3iQZ97lW3PJ-SkwHwIRsUmoE_7hqzREMxmETupbq_EPtWXIzJoxMAAC7BktZ9FZa6u9PotwAwfWBA2TLibKlqBBeT-q3cQvR49TTO/s640/285-700t_x500.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The parts that are missing?<br />The fucking mantles!<br />It's never been used!!<br /><br />That was a score man, a huge one.<br /><br />So I did good today.<br /><br />I already had one of the water containers that has been sitting unused so I rinsed both of them out with a little bleach, rinsed 'em again and then filled 'em up with the date on 'em and stashed 'em in the garage.<br /><br />My poor wife is convinced I have gone around the bend but I am done arguing with her about being prepared for an emergency.<br />I told her I am doing it and to just leave me alone about it.<br /><br />Only shopping enough for one week at a time with no reserves doesn't cut it with me either.<br />I am going to do something about it.

Someone Smiled Upon Me Today

I don't know how I managed to get so lucky but it works for me.I was down at the local Bi Mart, ostensibly to get some pencils because I can never find one and to take a look at a small freezer they have on sale for a hundred bucks.Been wanting a fre…

Read more »

Captain Phillips: Take-charge thriller

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b><i>Captain Phillips</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/captainphillips/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b> </b><br /><b>4.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, for dramatic intensity, violence and substance abuse</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 10.11.13</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some stories are so astonishing, they could only be true; you’d never believe them as plots in a novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpyRHnZMkOY8CoPDwJM3nd2GggU65QB3WT_0QQamnn5kMKDzu1drIHa0-kUuhrj2FSybD9mRdmEtjFLjf51jhxaaFhBIzvoBot6APOM1cLvWA-3xrfcnhkgXYCF4K7oYNODLyOyZ3cQE/s1600/Captain+Phillips+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpyRHnZMkOY8CoPDwJM3nd2GggU65QB3WT_0QQamnn5kMKDzu1drIHa0-kUuhrj2FSybD9mRdmEtjFLjf51jhxaaFhBIzvoBot6APOM1cLvWA-3xrfcnhkgXYCF4K7oYNODLyOyZ3cQE/s400/Captain+Phillips+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Utterly helpless at the hands of four heavily armed Somali pirates, Rich PHillips (Tom<br />Hanks, center) nonetheless weighs every option, primarily concerned about the safety<br />of his crew, but also — at all times — seeking a psychological edge that might allow<br />him to outwit his captors.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The credibility-stretching 2009 saga of Captain Richard Phillips and the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama is just such a narrative, and it has become a taut, tension-laden drama in the capable hands of documentarian-turned-filmmaker Paul Greengrass. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thriller fans know Greengrass for his superlative entries in the Jason Bourne series, most notably 2004’s <i>The Bourne Supremacy</i>, by far the best of the bunch. But Greengrass also is the writer/director who uncorked <i>United 93</i> five short years after 9/11, constructing a tense, deeply unsettling real-time depiction of what likely happened that horrible day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As with <i>United 93</i>, Greengrass’ new film is ripped from disturbing headlines, with screenwriter Billy Ray (<i>Shattered Glass</i>, <i>Breach</i>) adapting the 2010 memoir <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Captains-Duty-Somali-Pirates-Dangerous/dp/1401310443/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381429248&sr=1-1&keywords=a+captain%27s+duty+somali+pirates+navy+seals+and+dangerous+days+at+sea">A Captain’s Duty:Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS and Dangerous Days at Sea</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That book is written by Phillips, with an assist from Stephan Talty ... which does, by definition, dilute some of this film’s suspense. But that hardly matters; to a great degree, Phillips’ ordeal is well known by Americans who sat glued to their TV sets during five days in April 2009. The key point here is that Greengrass depicts this saga with a degree of verisimilitude, and an attention to detail, that border on documentary realism.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add superlative performances from Tom Hanks and the actors playing his Somali captors, and the result is can’t-miss cinema: You literally won’t take your eyes off the screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film opens quietly, as veteran merchant mariner Rich Phillips (Hanks) packs in anticipation of another routine assignment; we get brief face-time with his wife, Andrea (Catherine Keener), but then she’s never seen again. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Which, just in passing, might be a missed bet: Just as much drama unfolded in Vermont, as media crews bird-dogged an agonized Andrea Phillips, while she followed these events ... and I’d love to have seen the impressively talented Keener play that role. Then again, Greengrass may have felt that her end of the saga would have diluted the drama.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /> <div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elsewhere, along the Somali coast, gun-toting thugs in the employ of a local warlord descend on the impoverished fishing village of Eyl and demand that its able-bodied inhabitants take to the sea in order to hijack another foreign vessel, the goal — maddeningly successful too many previous times — being to ransom it for millions of dollars. The none-too-subtle point is that these dirt-poor fishermen are caught between a rock and a hard place: mount the piracy expedition, or be shot for refusing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The faces blend in chaos; it will be awhile before the key Somali players distinguish themselves ... although Barkhad Abdi’s feral, cunning and unexpectedly intelligent gaze makes an immediate impression.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once underway on the heavily laden Maersk Alabama, fully aware that they’ll be traveling through the pirate-infested waters of the Somali basin, a cautious Phillips orders first mate Shane Murphy (Michael Chermus) to put the men through safety drills. The captain/crew dynamic is intriguing, in these early scenes; some of the men clearly respect and smartly obey protocol and the chain of command, while others behave like union-coddled jerks who resent not being able to stretch their coffee breaks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everybody snaps to attention, however, when their ship’s radar detects the approach of two rapidly moving blips.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What happens next can be divided into three distinct chapters, each guaranteed to surprise viewers not intimately acquainted with this saga. The assault on the Maersk Alabama is riveting, as is Phillips’ crafty response to the crisis; he doesn’t miss a trick, despite having very little with which to work. We quickly come to admire the calm, calculating depth of Hanks’ performance; his portrayal of Phillips — by all accounts, an accurate reflection of the actual mariner — is equal parts unremarkable Everyman and quick-witted master of psychology.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also can’t help being dismayed by the fact that Phillips and his crew are unarmed, and without at least a few trained soldiers; Somali piracy had been a well-established concern for several years by 2009, with every ship’s crew unwittingly involved in a ghastly, ocean-bound lottery. International shipping conglomerates clearly preferred to play the numbers, and risk the odds, rather than spend the money to protect individual ships. The mind doth boggle ... and although Ray’s script doesn’t blatantly name-check this heinous mind-set, the implication is clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually, Ray’s entire script is a masterpiece of nuanced subtlety, taking its cue from the way Phillips described the pirates in his book (and I’m quoting a <i>Booklist</i> review here) as “alternately conciliatory, vicious and simply not all there.” The latter results from the fact that these pirates are in a constant state of amped-up euphoria/anxiety, thanks to the amphetamine-like khat that they chew in lieu of eating.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To say the least, it makes their behavior unpredictable ... which Phillips recognizes all too quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually, the various pirates sort themselves out and only four become involved in the action. They’re led by Muse (the intense Abdi), who regards himself as a fellow captain and playfully insists on calling Phillips “Irish.” Muse is all business: He expects Phillips to call the shipping company, which will contact its insurance carrier, send along a ransom, and allow ship and crew to move along. We sense that it has gone down just this way, at least a few times, in the recent past ... but not this time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to Phillips’ cagy machinations — the American captain, at all times, deeply concerned about his crew — the situation quickly escalates out of Muse’s control. Meanwhile, imminent loss of life is a very real possibility, thanks to the instability of Muse’s three companions: the imposing Najee (Faysal Ahmed), with his hair-trigger temper; the taciturn Elmi (Mahat M. Ali), unexpectedly handy as a mechanic; and the youthful Bilal (Barkhad Abdirahman), wholly out of his depth.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All four — Abdi, Ahmed, Ali and Abdirahman — are first-time actors, selected from among more than 1,000 candidates living in the States’ largest Somali-American community, in Minneapolis, Minn. Their performances are authentic — and subtly complex — to an astonishing degree. We simultaneously loathe and pity these four men, and in a way almost admire their utterly insane courage, as they attempt to take command of this huge ship — and, later, defy what seems like the entire U.S. Navy — all by themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But make no mistake: Greengrass and Ray do not sugar-coat these pirates. They’re dangerously ruthless, unexpectedly violent and prone to irrational, drug-hazed behavior; they obviously wouldn’t lose any sleep after killing an American or three. (Well ... Bilal might grieve a little.) But it would be wrong to call them evil; that label more accurately applies to the much-feared Somali warlord Garaad, who orders the assault.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The closest Ray’s script comes to moralizing occurs during a brief exchange between Phillips and Muse, late in game. “There must be more than fishing and kidnapping,” Phillips desperately insists, subtly referencing the fact that Somali piracy grew in response to illegal over-fishing and the dumping of toxic waste in Somali waters, which deprived coastal villagers of their livelihoods.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Maybe in America,” Muse replies, the bitterness evident in his voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Max Martini is appropriately crisp and commanding as the SEAL officer who enters the final round of what eventually becomes an ocean-bound circus; Yul Vazquez is quietly efficient as Frank Castellano, commander of the USS Bainbridge, the Navy destroyer initially sent to negotiate a peaceful solution to the mounting crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just in passing — between this film and last year’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2013/01/zero-dark-thirty-ultimate-manhunt.html">Zero Dark Thirty</a></i> — Navy SEALS never have looked so good. I fully expect recruitment to take an upward bump.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As always, Greengrass surrounds himself with equally accomplished technicians, starting with cinematographer Barry Ackroyd — Oscar-nominated for <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2009/07/hurt-locker-explosive-drama.html">The Hurt Locker</a></i> — who works impressive magic during difficult night shoots and the confined, narrow hallways of the container ship. The result is solid <i>cinema verité</i> and intensely real.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Academy Award-winning editor Christopher Rouse (for <i>The Bourne Ultimatum</i>) similarly tightens the screws, deftly shifting between the varying perspectives of Phillips and Muse, each a casualty of circumstances. Eventually, this cross-cutting grows to include various Navy personnel, but the narrative landscape never gets cluttered, and the tension never flags.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hollywood often gets rapped, justifiably, for the way factual events are distorted on the big screen. Although Greengrass takes a few dramatic liberties here, he nonetheless distills a significant bit of recent history into a socio-political document that analyzes cultural disenfranchisement, in 134 minutes, far better than any lengthy textbook is likely to do, in years to come. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On top of which, Greengrass also delivers a rousing, suspenseful and thoroughly engaging drama that is certain to garner numerous Oscar nominations, starting with Hanks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When cynics insists that movies are too commercial to be regarded as art, <i>Captain Phillips</i> is a great way to prove them wrong.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->

2013 Barkhad Abdi Barkhad Abdirahman Catherine Keener drama Fact-based Faysal Ahmed Four Star Films Mahat M. Ali Max Martini Michael Chermus Paul Greengrass thriller Tom Hanks Yul Vazquez Captain Phillips: Take-charge thriller

Captain Phillips (2013) • View trailer 4.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, for dramatic intensity, violence and substance abuseBy Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 10.11.13 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false fals…

Read more »

Applications Development Engineer (Optics | Semiconductor | IC processing) (Multiple Openings) (# 110154)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="WordSection1"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Position:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Applications Development Engineer <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Location:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Milpitas, CA<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Duration:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Full time<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Job Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Business Unit<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Wafer Inspection Division (WIN) is the world leader in the design and manufacture of advanced optical inspection tools for inline monitoring of process defects in advanced semiconductor factories.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">WIN is seeking an Applications Engineer based in headquarters, Milpitas, CA.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Responsibilities:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As an Applications Engineer on the WIN team you will be responsible for supporting KLA-Tencor's wafer inspection products.  This includes projects related to new product introduction: characterization, alpha testing, beta testing and pilot tools in the ramp phase. In addition, the Applications Engineer will demonstrate new features and capabilities at customer’s facilities. Also, the Applications Engineer is responsible for generating best known method documents and other training material and transferring product knowledge to KLA-Tencor’s worldwide Field Applications team. Lastly, the Applications Engineer will work with customers to publish papers at industry symposiums or in technical journals.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Applications Engineer will work closely with many organizations including engineering, sales and marketing within KLA-Tencor and with customers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">International and domestic travel (~40%) is required to support inspection products at customer fabs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Preferred Qualifications:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">1) Must have MS, or Ph.D. in Engineering, Physics, Material Science or related fields<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">2) Must have at least 2 years’ experience in IC processing/Semiconductor equipment<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">3) Must have excellent communication, organizational, analytical, leadership, and interpersonal skill<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">4) Must also be self-driven, yet a strong team player<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Minimum Qualifications:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bachelor's Level Degree with at least 1 year of experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">OR<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Master's Level Degree<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kindly send your resume to <b><a href="mailto:raju.balaji@kla-tencor.com">raju.balaji@kla-tencor.com</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div></div></div>

Applications Development Engineer (Optics | Semiconductor | IC processing) (Multiple Openings) (# 110154)

Position: Applications Development Engineer Location: Milpitas, CADuration: Full timeJob Description:Business UnitThe Wafer Inspection Division (WIN) is the world leader in the design and manufacture of advanced optical inspection tools for inline m…

Read more »

Applications Development Engineer ( Wafer Inspection | Optics | Semiconductor Equipment ) (Multiple Openings) (# 110177)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="WordSection1"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Position:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Applications Development Engineer<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Location:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Milpitas, CA<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Duration:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Full time<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Job Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Wafer Inspection Division (WIN) is the world leader in the design and manufacture of advanced optical inspection tools for inline monitoring of process defects in advanced semiconductor factories.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Responsibilities:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">1) Supporting KLA-Tencor's wafer inspection products. Includes projects related to new product introduction: characterization, alpha testing, beta testing and pilot tools in the ramp phase. In addition, application engineers will manage in-house customer demonstrations and head-to-head (H2H) activities at customer facilities<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">2) Generating best known method documents and other training material and transferring product knowledge to our worldwide Field Applications team<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">3) Work with customers to publish papers at industry symposiums or in technical journals<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">4) Work closely with many organizations including engineering, sales and marketing within K-T and with customer engineers outside K-T<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">5) Worldwide travel (on average 40%) is required to support inspection products at customer fabs<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Preferred Qualifications:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">1) Must have MS or Ph.D. in Engineering, Physics, Material Science or related fields. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">2) Must have excellent communication, organizational, analytical, leadership, and interpersonal skill<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">3) Must also be self-driven, yet a strong team player<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">4) Background in IC processing/Semiconductor equipment is a plus<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Minimum Qualifications:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Master's Level Degree with at least 4 years of experience<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">OR<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">PhD<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kindly send your resume to <b><a href="mailto:raju.balaji@kla-tencor.com">raju.balaji@kla-tencor.com</a></b> <o:p></o:p></span></div></div></div>

Applications Development Engineer ( Wafer Inspection | Optics | Semiconductor Equipment ) (Multiple Openings) (# 110177)

Position: Applications Development EngineerLocation: Milpitas, CADuration: Full timeJob Description:The Wafer Inspection Division (WIN) is the world leader in the design and manufacture of advanced optical inspection tools for inline monitoring of pr…

Read more »

General Ledger and Consolidations Manager ( GL | SOX | FAS52 | SAP ) (# 110289)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="WordSection1"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Position:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> General Ledger and Consolidations Manager<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Location:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Milpitas, CA<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Duration:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Full time<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Job Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">KLA-Tencor seeks a GL / Consolidations Manager with the following primary responsibilities:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Manage month-end close including revaluation, translation, and consolidation eliminations<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Supervise staff of 4 GL accountants, including detailed review of their processes and account reconciliations<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Create and maintain system & process documentation<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Prepare and review all GL SOX documentation<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Implement process improvements<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Maintain GL master data in SAP<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Assist worldwide / corporate finance and IT finance team with accounting / close issues<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Ensure accuracy and integrity of financial reports from SAP<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Maintain and implement new allocation cycles<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Identify and resolve system and process issues with users and IT<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Preferred Qualifications:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Ability to multitask and meet many deadlines in a timely and efficient manner<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Ability to analyze and resolve complex accounting and system issues<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Sense of urgency, curiosity, and eye for details<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Thorough understanding of FAS52<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills across multiple levels, functions, and locations<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Minimum Qualifications:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Bacherlor's degree in Accounting or Finance or equivalent<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• 7-10 years of corporate accounting experience required at publicly traded, international corporation<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• 5+ years of management experience<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Solid experience managing the GL / Consolidation process</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p>•SAP FI/CO and ECCS experience<br />•System implementation and configuration<br />•Strong Excel skills (pivots, vlookup at minimum) experience</o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kindly send your resume to <b><a href="mailto:raju.balaji@kla-tencor.com">raju.balaji@kla-tencor.com</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div></div></div>

General Ledger and Consolidations Manager ( GL | SOX | FAS52 | SAP ) (# 110289)

Position: General Ledger and Consolidations ManagerLocation: Milpitas, CADuration: Full timeJob Description:KLA-Tencor seeks a GL / Consolidations Manager with the following primary responsibilities:• Manage month-end close including revaluation, tra…

Read more »

Equity Accounting Manager ( Stock | SOX | GAAP | CPA / CEP ) (# 109604)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="WordSection1"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Position:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Equity Accounting Manager<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Location:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Milpitas, CA<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Duration:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Full time<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Job Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">KLA-Tencor seeks an Equity Accounting Manager who will be responsible for accounting for stock-based compensation and stock administration.  Primarily responsibilities include the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Responsibilities:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">1) Manage stock administration team who is responsible for the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ Administer options, RSU, and ESPP programs on a global basis.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ Answer questions for employees and managers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ Review section 16 reporting.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">2)Manage equity accounting including the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ Establish, maintain and improve policies, procedures and controls related to accounting for stock based compensation<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ Prepare schedules supporting financial statements and footnote disclosures related to stock, including shares outstanding for EPS calculations and stock disclosures for statutory reporting in various countries<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ Prepare forecasts on stock-based compensation, weighted average shares outstanding, cash flow related to employee stock awards<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ Prepare quarterly accounting reconciliations for stock related accounts<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ Act as a liaison with HR, Payroll, Finance, and Legal on all stock matters<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ Forecast and account for Cash Long-Term Incentive in multiple currencies<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">◦ These responsibilities are hands-on, not managerial<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">3) Manage stock plan service provider<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">4) Prepare quarterly reporting package for management<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">5) Provide information for the executive compensation table for annual proxy<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">6) Assist with SOX compliance and internal and external audit<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">7) Stay current with global compliance for stock awards<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">8) Ad hoc projects<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Preferred Qualifications:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Stock related legal knowledge related to foreign government requirements<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Experience at large multi-national companies with broad based employee participation<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Must be flexible and be able to work under pressure and within short time constraints.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Sense of urgency and curiosity and eye for details.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Organized, able to multi-task and prioritize in fast-paced environment, with exceptional project and time management skills<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Strong written and oral communication and interpersonal skills across multiple levels, functions, and locations<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Excellent problem-solving and strong analytical skills with the ability to get things done<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• Understand how to scale a team to serve growing requirements and drive process improvements for efficiency.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• 4+years of experience with a Big 4 public accounting firm in the Audit practice<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• CPA preferred<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">• CEP a plus<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Minimum Qualifications:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">•BS/BA in Accounting<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">•5+years manager experience<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">•Strong technical accounting skills including thorough knowledge of GAAP related to stock based-compensation including tax accounting for stock-based compensation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">•Strong systems skills including MS Office/Excel<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Kindly send your resume to<b> <a href="mailto:raju.balaji@kla-tencor.com">raju.balaji@kla-tencor.com</a></b> <o:p> </o:p></span></div></div></div>

Equity Accounting Manager ( Stock | SOX | GAAP | CPA / CEP ) (# 109604)

Position: Equity Accounting ManagerLocation: Milpitas, CADuration: Full timeJob Description:KLA-Tencor seeks an Equity Accounting Manager who will be responsible for accounting for stock-based compensation and stock administration.  Primarily respons…

Read more »

Utah, Colorado national parks to reopen under agreement with feds

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtSZMRnwJ4k6Xa8lpheY1d45jUZqnMRKVLFzRxMv0eG6OFCv5Pz8kPslAE9SzTHpRt7DvBVF-lF1WQq6CgdMNaMKRMfPQZD7VlIxCNxWpgy7vBPqjRDl3oWq0yAhEdBD5rm1Vatoer62h/s1600/National+Park+Service+emblem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtSZMRnwJ4k6Xa8lpheY1d45jUZqnMRKVLFzRxMv0eG6OFCv5Pz8kPslAE9SzTHpRt7DvBVF-lF1WQq6CgdMNaMKRMfPQZD7VlIxCNxWpgy7vBPqjRDl3oWq0yAhEdBD5rm1Vatoer62h/s200/National+Park+Service+emblem.jpg" width="153" /></a></div><br />Utah and Colorado are feeling the effects of the government shutdown on closed national parks at a time of year when it is usual to see $100 million in tourism dollars generated for those areas.<br /><br />Now the governors of those states, one Republican and one Democrat, have reached an agreement with the federal government to reopen national parks in both states, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/11/us/utah-parks-reopen/">according to CNN</a>:<br /><blockquote>"Utah agrees to pay the National Park Service (NPS) up to $1.67 million— $166,572 per day—to re-open eight national sites in Utah for up to 10 days. If the federal government shutdown ends before then, the State will receive a refund of unused monies," an official press statement explained.<br /><br />The deal would reopen Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks. The other three locations that will be opened are Natural Bridges and Cedar Breaks national monuments, as well as Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.<br /><br />"Utah's national parks are the backbone of many rural economies and hard-working Utahns are paying a heavy price for this shutdown," Herbert said in the released statement. "I commend Secretary Jewell for being open to Utah's solution, and the world should know Utah is open for business and visitors are welcome."</blockquote>Colorado's governor announced the deal on Friday, according to <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/10/11/utah-national-parks-reopen-government-shutdown/2966785/"><i>USA Today</i></a>:<br /><blockquote>The state of Colorado announced on Friday it will spend more than $360,000 to reopen Rocky Mountain National Park through Oct. 20, while Utah is opening five of the state's national parks on Saturday at a cost of $1.67 million to his state.<br />...<br />More than 80,000 visitors were turned away from Rocky Mountain National Park during the first 10 days of the shutdown, and the local economy lost out on an estimated $4.8 million in visitor spending, according to a report by the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees. Colorado will spend about $40,000 per day to keep the park open. Colorado's tourism traffic also took a hit last month because of devastating floods in the state.<br /><br />"This reopening is critical to ongoing recovery efforts after last month's flooding," Hickenlooper said.</blockquote>Interesting that that a deal has been struck in Colorado and Utah ... who will be next?<br /><br /><i>H/T mkr </i>

Arches Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef Colorado government shutdown National Parks Rocky Mountain National Park Utah Zion Utah, Colorado national parks to reopen under agreement with feds

Utah and Colorado are feeling the effects of the government shutdown on closed national parks at a time of year when it is usual to see $100 million in tourism dollars generated for those areas.Now the governors of those states, one Republican and on…

Read more »

Humpback Rock on foggy October day

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEE679JNvi9gICqmnruC2rcptoYoA0XdCvc1FUEe-ijaxnp5GkaPa9Z-LbNL1-rWqjZ0dB651MfNSfdOvSY3-skAAwGgNBKkbUd6rPOD_i9RQZoVPwnUPcBBiBPHdzg6ZefDh56UfcP8xH/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEE679JNvi9gICqmnruC2rcptoYoA0XdCvc1FUEe-ijaxnp5GkaPa9Z-LbNL1-rWqjZ0dB651MfNSfdOvSY3-skAAwGgNBKkbUd6rPOD_i9RQZoVPwnUPcBBiBPHdzg6ZefDh56UfcP8xH/s400/8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Top of Humpback Rock is shrouded in fog as viewed from the farm on Friday, October 11, 2013.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcs7uzg_G1nfivqYh1ZmjMPclwNw7vf8zsB32f3YcsDEhNRl7Z8-zdLtVvr_NyJ7eda4hjZykQrMHHixMMcG8Z3WhmrrtjDQn49T_IADmsEs9s66YaYwqHGFSEAVny13pdCnbDxRh2aRa/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcs7uzg_G1nfivqYh1ZmjMPclwNw7vf8zsB32f3YcsDEhNRl7Z8-zdLtVvr_NyJ7eda4hjZykQrMHHixMMcG8Z3WhmrrtjDQn49T_IADmsEs9s66YaYwqHGFSEAVny13pdCnbDxRh2aRa/s400/9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Blue Ridge Parkway as seen from entrance to Humpback Rock hike parking area.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGBLv9LjINfqLKa0DAJV6qlVjRHrRzfYpbLH4KKPqGphHJhGEOgyRLPx275QWbp1wvr4nUDKgGB7o7x8N74yRt_HxZYQ6tWivLfV1ttGztM_8msLCAHjqEn0P1ffZKr1GupqgcDYumhVR/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGBLv9LjINfqLKa0DAJV6qlVjRHrRzfYpbLH4KKPqGphHJhGEOgyRLPx275QWbp1wvr4nUDKgGB7o7x8N74yRt_HxZYQ6tWivLfV1ttGztM_8msLCAHjqEn0P1ffZKr1GupqgcDYumhVR/s400/10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Humpback Rock hiking area had vehicles in the parking lot on a foggy, drizzly day. The assumption would be they had hiked to the top.</div><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />October 11, 2013

Blue Ridge Mountains Blue Ridge Parkway government shutdown Humpback Rock Farm Humpback Rock hike leaf season tourism Virginia Is For Lovers Humpback Rock on foggy October day

 Top of Humpback Rock is shrouded in fog as viewed from the farm on Friday, October 11, 2013. Blue Ridge Parkway as seen from entrance to Humpback Rock hike parking area.Humpback Rock hiking area had vehicles in the parking lot on a foggy, drizzly da…

Read more »

Colorful maple trees in the Shenandoah Valley

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxk5esMaiO1llVMdB5GozrJaiI6Zxm6mFZ9MAjzeCHLT9h5tQlpNoYvSuO6Qf5cPCFuetm-S3qLP20g3Y0l2HnCqYZm5_UOL3g0UOpzAvv0HrQKg3FKwrcP3KalqiYIg1HFO3XGVZPG1gA/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxk5esMaiO1llVMdB5GozrJaiI6Zxm6mFZ9MAjzeCHLT9h5tQlpNoYvSuO6Qf5cPCFuetm-S3qLP20g3Y0l2HnCqYZm5_UOL3g0UOpzAvv0HrQKg3FKwrcP3KalqiYIg1HFO3XGVZPG1gA/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">In front of Waynesboro High School</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6O2CI7F0mJts0WvtTlnbMVpk448Htyjz4R5LSctEETqJUukkBDba5djX1lxdRaiRwbibC5_98eGWPZmlhXaI6pADErncsQxix6Q4A6a71fTDgQ__BwDPj8wu1N9SGlfR3i4vvEMTB5ZCR/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6O2CI7F0mJts0WvtTlnbMVpk448Htyjz4R5LSctEETqJUukkBDba5djX1lxdRaiRwbibC5_98eGWPZmlhXaI6pADErncsQxix6Q4A6a71fTDgQ__BwDPj8wu1N9SGlfR3i4vvEMTB5ZCR/s640/1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fishersville</div><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />October 11, 2013

leaf color October leaf looking Shenandoah Valley tourism Virginia Is For Lovers Colorful maple trees in the Shenandoah Valley

In front of Waynesboro High SchoolFishersvillePhotos by Lynn R. MitchellOctober 11, 2013 …

Read more »

Our Well-Grounded Economy

The following chart shows production and nonsupervisory employee hours worked in long-distance general  freight trucking by hours worked in air transportation.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5QkLNNdVV2qceWbwvryRGyXsoqYFmblJFyk3QkmTYaspOB9_LDX2A-IARA5O4xqIrWgMIjv53_czzulScGX2kfVXqWNA-GSjgiuneeHJxqebdpjtDMSShe30wMOs2_Rvs7KThpJ6_yw/s1600/Our+Well-Grounded+Economy.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5QkLNNdVV2qceWbwvryRGyXsoqYFmblJFyk3QkmTYaspOB9_LDX2A-IARA5O4xqIrWgMIjv53_czzulScGX2kfVXqWNA-GSjgiuneeHJxqebdpjtDMSShe30wMOs2_Rvs7KThpJ6_yw/s320/Our+Well-Grounded+Economy.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Expectation:</span></b><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2010-bald-eagle-with-fish.jpg">Bald Eagle with Fish (Yathin S Krishnappa)</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOij8Nj_5WfidgMUGiTSanKYk1-gPct11FInjHOz5Y47rBEubR9nvPO7yS_Wv6arc2z2wfUmJ4EHDTswGjD4T0-jlgkiTejQVUn_5xPaNQDL66n4ZytYY69np4C8p_1u49p3Bgzv9qxM/s1600/Eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOij8Nj_5WfidgMUGiTSanKYk1-gPct11FInjHOz5Y47rBEubR9nvPO7yS_Wv6arc2z2wfUmJ4EHDTswGjD4T0-jlgkiTejQVUn_5xPaNQDL66n4ZytYY69np4C8p_1u49p3Bgzv9qxM/s320/Eagle.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Realization:</span></b><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pygoscelis_papua.jpg">Pygoscelis papua (Stan Shebs)</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyfb4KkpML40wHXTK8OJEX-fcRe9UqLTONhEffHGqcdA5C0XK_IBpY3RUUcLH244ANWRhLP4pKQFfC0uMdPbXB5gzU6qO_9p7Tlf2OpXdvowsxUhqvPp480qNo8oTVFQeS_0ibbyUm9o/s1600/Penguin.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyfb4KkpML40wHXTK8OJEX-fcRe9UqLTONhEffHGqcdA5C0XK_IBpY3RUUcLH244ANWRhLP4pKQFfC0uMdPbXB5gzU6qO_9p7Tlf2OpXdvowsxUhqvPp480qNo8oTVFQeS_0ibbyUm9o/s320/Penguin.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://www.bls.gov/data/#employment">BLS: Employment</a>

Our Well-Grounded Economy

The following chart shows production and nonsupervisory employee hours worked in long-distance general  freight trucking by hours worked in air transportation.Click to enlarge.Expectation:Bald Eagle with Fish (Yathin S Krishnappa)Realization:Pygoscel…

Read more »

October 11, 2013: Humpback Rock Picnic Area still closed

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRB7QjRwi9ukHmd4XJQ3dRbEBtLUd20Ll9xL8OZVgO1Oc__YExAVY60uuI2X5b8cXTCSPJPiqGsZ7aHTcZKX6I-GEJCje-i8ls0EnhtMOQOeso33F7PLmUiwI1hoz06MMmfpAHwR9HWEd/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRB7QjRwi9ukHmd4XJQ3dRbEBtLUd20Ll9xL8OZVgO1Oc__YExAVY60uuI2X5b8cXTCSPJPiqGsZ7aHTcZKX6I-GEJCje-i8ls0EnhtMOQOeso33F7PLmUiwI1hoz06MMmfpAHwR9HWEd/s400/11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Humpback Rock Picnic Area was closed and fog-shrouded at mid-day on Friday. The locked gate had a sign: "Because of the federal government shutdown, all national parks are closed." This is the time of year when this particular picnic area is packed on weekends with locals from the Valley.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZYTVZOaBvO32F0JTCWI8wCSsd5vGT1PyjpWOUZGx_tVebW-R5mhFWC4xZmpHzWX2tZ4hOGH23qIB2AxEYbExuFVuHU2_TfQ7PEu0yaFB5pr8wzAsRhr3aldHkAvJBGZFAoPHuC4yC3OV/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZYTVZOaBvO32F0JTCWI8wCSsd5vGT1PyjpWOUZGx_tVebW-R5mhFWC4xZmpHzWX2tZ4hOGH23qIB2AxEYbExuFVuHU2_TfQ7PEu0yaFB5pr8wzAsRhr3aldHkAvJBGZFAoPHuC4yC3OV/s400/12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Heavy fog covered the mountains at mid-day on Friday.</div><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />October 11, 2013

Blue Ridge Mountains Blue Ridge Parkway government shutdown Humpback Rock picnic area tourism Virginia Is For Lovers October 11, 2013: Humpback Rock Picnic Area still closed

 Humpback Rock Picnic Area was closed and fog-shrouded at mid-day on Friday. The locked gate had a sign: "Because of the federal government shutdown, all national parks are closed." This is the time of year when this particular picnic area is packed …

Read more »

October 11, 2013: Humpback Rock Visitor Center still closed

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ruykzzr2jqr2xTylN2mDU8GdJPNwRHh3iDvb9POIxtlB68Ss2Eo5J0Mq4OZG-x2bs0ff91wgEqu3EbTKQTBwJw2e1I-31mwWswuvP5bFYnv90WmUUic9Wj8WcI3svaVPUuD0RVqdTqno/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ruykzzr2jqr2xTylN2mDU8GdJPNwRHh3iDvb9POIxtlB68Ss2Eo5J0Mq4OZG-x2bs0ff91wgEqu3EbTKQTBwJw2e1I-31mwWswuvP5bFYnv90WmUUic9Wj8WcI3svaVPUuD0RVqdTqno/s400/6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Humpback Rock Visitor Center remains closed during the government shutdown even though travelers stopped, perhaps hoping to find it open. They were disappointed. The Blue Ridge Parkway itself is open.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW0SGzi5CJMUbI1Tv7bGIqInSzF59yCpzCQZSNlLum7QT5nhwgS8ip2oI9tOCWD8Xol3UHp_A_8SLuz1qvF3AhGGUrEt7iqzr1wLRI6xLSQvldBto4oYeocBKOyyTQqYlREFKNWB2hanx/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW0SGzi5CJMUbI1Tv7bGIqInSzF59yCpzCQZSNlLum7QT5nhwgS8ip2oI9tOCWD8Xol3UHp_A_8SLuz1qvF3AhGGUrEt7iqzr1wLRI6xLSQvldBto4oYeocBKOyyTQqYlREFKNWB2hanx/s400/7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hand-written sign on restroom doors noted, "Restroom Closed. Please travel to Waynesboro for gas and restrooms. Thank you." Comments added by disappointed patrons.</div><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />October 11, 2013

Blue Ridge Mountains Blue Ridge Parkway government shutdown Humpback Rock Visitor Center October 11, 2013: Humpback Rock Visitor Center still closed

Humpback Rock Visitor Center remains closed during the government shutdown even though travelers stopped, perhaps hoping to find it open. They were disappointed. The Blue Ridge Parkway itself is open.Hand-written sign on restroom doors noted, "Restro…

Read more »

October 11, 2013 ... Skyline Drive is still closed

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnNiCp3tWNhS-lUAp-RIs08at7qER1BMPV8iH4kWr2r4B5aEbTkwzSDn2slyH40UaGjQcG1qo3Mn0C3hwRAp63FIBLCneKSvhq_y7ayCYYE90jPIN5MP1FKDXEJLwsorKvhmZhEcv-w69/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnNiCp3tWNhS-lUAp-RIs08at7qER1BMPV8iH4kWr2r4B5aEbTkwzSDn2slyH40UaGjQcG1qo3Mn0C3hwRAp63FIBLCneKSvhq_y7ayCYYE90jPIN5MP1FKDXEJLwsorKvhmZhEcv-w69/s640/4.jpg" width="484" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The entrance to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive at Afton Mountain is blocked by a locked gate and sign that announces, "CLOSED. Shenandoah National Park is CLOSED due to the government shut down."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVUf2z1EwzcOMvrpM5MNZ19oBNeiL5dbNFxKlaUIFwH2sFer6Mm9s7VW53i3CPh1Q1YSxHkBJUPn4tpdlNsPHr_-mibGjnAG3viNB6qWjpB-bFWLri5aVRxyXI16QbCow9B3gJ4tTcPG2/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVUf2z1EwzcOMvrpM5MNZ19oBNeiL5dbNFxKlaUIFwH2sFer6Mm9s7VW53i3CPh1Q1YSxHkBJUPn4tpdlNsPHr_-mibGjnAG3viNB6qWjpB-bFWLri5aVRxyXI16QbCow9B3gJ4tTcPG2/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCE0v15J07J5zY9mg238EWUsBDUOpfWtoB8ksqBIMK7vKteT9M-d8p1Cq6iSah1IrxnxklEidc7XR9z27S8H7Lwwj7wTgfXr9FEIYEY5vR-HvOtQwte-v-8ES6akSLJbQ_iUnbB5r7_iBp/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCE0v15J07J5zY9mg238EWUsBDUOpfWtoB8ksqBIMK7vKteT9M-d8p1Cq6iSah1IrxnxklEidc7XR9z27S8H7Lwwj7wTgfXr9FEIYEY5vR-HvOtQwte-v-8ES6akSLJbQ_iUnbB5r7_iBp/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />October 11, 2013

Blue Ridge Mountains government shutdown October leaf looking Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive tourism Virginia Is For Lovers October 11, 2013 ... Skyline Drive is still closed

The entrance to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive at Afton Mountain is blocked by a locked gate and sign that announces, "CLOSED. Shenandoah National Park is CLOSED due to the government shut down." Photos by Lynn R. MitchellOctober 11, 2013…

Read more »

Passion (or lack of)

Fair warning - look elsewhere for the happy blogs :-) <br /><br />A few have commented at one point or another that hubby and I have passion.  Not the fun and exciting kind of passion that you're supposed to have.  But we'd bicker and it would build up tension and then a blowup and then really crazy sex and it would all be okay for a couple days.  And that was the sign of a marriage that was worth fighting for.<br /><br />I felt like this was a disturbing trend in our dealings with each other.  But it's passion, you said.  Yeah, it is, you're right.  There's enough there that we still bother.  The last time this happened was the beginning of August, that first weekend sometime. I thought it was more recently than that but I was wrong.  <br /><br />And before you say it, it is not an option for me to initiate even a hug let alone sex. He refuses to talk about anything like this.  And I haven't let myself go, so if my appearance and shape was acceptable years ago it should be now.<br /><br />So to the point of this...<br /><br />The passion is gone.  We stopped arguing.  Actually we've pretty much stopped talking.  Basic conversation about the kids.  About work stuff.  About dinner.  He asks my opinion about stupid things, then tells me why I'm wrong.  This would usually start a fight but I really don't give a crap about these things.  You know, like the brand of toilet paper... I just do not care.  Not sandpaper and I'm good.<br /><br />So what's happened?  He could really just be done with me.  Maybe the somewhat shaky marriage couldn't withstand me bringing up kinky things.  Maybe he's just kind of become mentally or physically repulsed by me.  He thought he knew me and then I tried to let him in and he wants out. Or maybe it has nothing to do with any of that, but is done with me for other reasons.  This is the man that lived with an ex-girlfriend for over a year because it was easier than telling her to move out.  Or is it that for the first time in quite a while that I'm calmer, a bit more settled, taking things in stride a little more?  Maybe I'm too accepting or complacent right now?  <br /><br />And here is the struggle.  I don't want to fight.  But I do want sex or at least some sort of physical contact.  And so I can engage in the arguing with the hope that it will bait a good makeup fuck like it's some kind of twisted foreplay.  I don't know if it'll still work or not.  It might make things worse and when you're near rock bottom, worse is the end.<br /><br />Is the end what I want?  No, I just want everything to go back to a time long ago when we laughed and did stuff together and enjoyed life.  Back when we didn't live two separate lives.<br /><br />But since that's not possible... well I don't know what that means.  I do know that last night is the last time I ever plan to put myself out there enough that I have to fall asleep with tears in my eyes.  This is bullshit.  Plain and simple.  But other options are way too scary...

Passion (or lack of)

Fair warning - look elsewhere for the happy blogs :-) A few have commented at one point or another that hubby and I have passion.  Not the fun and exciting kind of passion that you're supposed to have.  But we'd bicker and it would build up tension a…

Read more »

Photos #8: Irish Farm ... Homeschool Day 2013 at Frontier Culture Museum

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDRVbyH5QzjZtrmaGcVuHWSrhxtAXEXCHUzDNAzrtvUj6k3jOrf1NXb-YGb875JPu2KABbXR9L-UieP5iU2DLHB9bMgdey-fPq_6488W2qdd-jo5RCCIBpqGmQ_DInrlxcUbfUsaQnGGV/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDRVbyH5QzjZtrmaGcVuHWSrhxtAXEXCHUzDNAzrtvUj6k3jOrf1NXb-YGb875JPu2KABbXR9L-UieP5iU2DLHB9bMgdey-fPq_6488W2qdd-jo5RCCIBpqGmQ_DInrlxcUbfUsaQnGGV/s640/1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Irish Farm at the <a href="http://www.frontiermuseum.org/">Frontier Culture Museum</a> in Staunton. Homeschool Day 2013.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbL_G5P2nYP5bZ_-dRlKhbnGgeLoUV-UYuUK7IHbh9Rmucp2q4A94bq7RONdbBU-CrYuI4GNJbXQkpgmyXhgSNJN1ihD4fdsR1cbRIwneOMQz3Bk_mljvaC1tEex6IkS3BhJDD3idp5p9/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbL_G5P2nYP5bZ_-dRlKhbnGgeLoUV-UYuUK7IHbh9Rmucp2q4A94bq7RONdbBU-CrYuI4GNJbXQkpgmyXhgSNJN1ihD4fdsR1cbRIwneOMQz3Bk_mljvaC1tEex6IkS3BhJDD3idp5p9/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeolkhbxVMQH-GVDirrVHBHqZ35lh2kLWHZ64G29XiYw2_rkO4FxDt_ZeAh-ZprYy5vcR-sUeb0jRXOEsOAq0rt8Io2yw1-UeS9SRl5J_F9wTO2tKiHprNzJVJ4BSaSozgeXd2VHL2A-p/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeolkhbxVMQH-GVDirrVHBHqZ35lh2kLWHZ64G29XiYw2_rkO4FxDt_ZeAh-ZprYy5vcR-sUeb0jRXOEsOAq0rt8Io2yw1-UeS9SRl5J_F9wTO2tKiHprNzJVJ4BSaSozgeXd2VHL2A-p/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6wNKHenjqrdm3bPM_-My69TBvQkCSzPrH9xyEg3npKNl_iCSxZHR4EriPvSW36fru0Npcco3FXzSdKL-Si0o1gE8Wq9ryA88eBAo4j7YIvFPwBtZygYA9ntDDcUxn_qIwZLKpw17EXMc/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6wNKHenjqrdm3bPM_-My69TBvQkCSzPrH9xyEg3npKNl_iCSxZHR4EriPvSW36fru0Npcco3FXzSdKL-Si0o1gE8Wq9ryA88eBAo4j7YIvFPwBtZygYA9ntDDcUxn_qIwZLKpw17EXMc/s400/20.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyB3Nmo0sU11886dDyKT-PfZZAq9y6LAS2XtbjeyzRM6-ClasaklULH7RCQoAnFI8tnnJHkFenEOx-HSr3meVK4rWLjVA3QfkBPWa03j8r_XixZv2TFN53RtKBHcFz6JkTKhFHCBkxe67W/s1600/21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyB3Nmo0sU11886dDyKT-PfZZAq9y6LAS2XtbjeyzRM6-ClasaklULH7RCQoAnFI8tnnJHkFenEOx-HSr3meVK4rWLjVA3QfkBPWa03j8r_XixZv2TFN53RtKBHcFz6JkTKhFHCBkxe67W/s400/21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LfeJrpbjnyIt2_Ozf2haaGMTE4VTtCn-Sb0S8620v8JARwUxU9DoVHtE0EPi8F_WNxXDkur1lbafBJRg7m1yT_1yPas3hJOUgxjPpOAWnTBGoztXpRkq8_36CTSvF8mcM3pZjyFDhxV7/s1600/22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LfeJrpbjnyIt2_Ozf2haaGMTE4VTtCn-Sb0S8620v8JARwUxU9DoVHtE0EPi8F_WNxXDkur1lbafBJRg7m1yT_1yPas3hJOUgxjPpOAWnTBGoztXpRkq8_36CTSvF8mcM3pZjyFDhxV7/s640/22.jpg" width="378" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcrWYZwcUt5D3vLS3a5SuOV1yaD6QsNV6Sm2b74m97It2WlR7pSXAEfOxDLjFj0aNkjO-ZNOC1A2Uj8aMyBYqL5YFJQkJkLQhVXulT1K343gK492El6bRqiq2aylg2NnbADd0ncLO4doB/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcrWYZwcUt5D3vLS3a5SuOV1yaD6QsNV6Sm2b74m97It2WlR7pSXAEfOxDLjFj0aNkjO-ZNOC1A2Uj8aMyBYqL5YFJQkJkLQhVXulT1K343gK492El6bRqiq2aylg2NnbADd0ncLO4doB/s640/5.jpg" width="561" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB8nJ1mhoumBRmUXRnZBSq0D0B8s0QdPVAm2gkretrxyYrlsEI0dUsEWWi17q5I4ZKUjXkk3Wi6LqweZ1dmvKUPxK5NE9awhiz_qOND9M4M31UqTUrcDYvDcVp_pgOiqOfDrXzKFwqrc2/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB8nJ1mhoumBRmUXRnZBSq0D0B8s0QdPVAm2gkretrxyYrlsEI0dUsEWWi17q5I4ZKUjXkk3Wi6LqweZ1dmvKUPxK5NE9awhiz_qOND9M4M31UqTUrcDYvDcVp_pgOiqOfDrXzKFwqrc2/s640/6.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMI2MshPHa0UJ8KU7NuOvKQiUBfMislEUt7VELFj65DbK-4p9Yk1Jg-YYHi6Mcqocr3iKVRnIYDwJzmIaI-iDrv-JsEpcuWhwdNe3Q2o2pvfpMkkebFlsDfpgsuZ4ysDAVEokWgxxlYML/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMI2MshPHa0UJ8KU7NuOvKQiUBfMislEUt7VELFj65DbK-4p9Yk1Jg-YYHi6Mcqocr3iKVRnIYDwJzmIaI-iDrv-JsEpcuWhwdNe3Q2o2pvfpMkkebFlsDfpgsuZ4ysDAVEokWgxxlYML/s640/7.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK5eKbGnDpkRQJbDvjcvlUYjFbTOpJEDUKekq2SxMuUb0y2yy4H__7B4PT30p9LVtAlybpPBAQlL8N__1hJxwu5FkB7PPm20lK9WavenI9g6IPf9qlorC50iUJlZ9mbN0mwy1ylGTNBRs/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK5eKbGnDpkRQJbDvjcvlUYjFbTOpJEDUKekq2SxMuUb0y2yy4H__7B4PT30p9LVtAlybpPBAQlL8N__1hJxwu5FkB7PPm20lK9WavenI9g6IPf9qlorC50iUJlZ9mbN0mwy1ylGTNBRs/s400/8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvvCDmux01JQ5JFyu4ATi20c_Yhz4Abax5K6K7allD3OEuD7mFr6JTHzEd9-ayLCVivgT-FVvvHk1gtOecg8L9UBNmjlFPlXlkaRRPIrEwY5hGxUD7F5lI3OC4AvNgxOievJBdbRy8Rou/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvvCDmux01JQ5JFyu4ATi20c_Yhz4Abax5K6K7allD3OEuD7mFr6JTHzEd9-ayLCVivgT-FVvvHk1gtOecg8L9UBNmjlFPlXlkaRRPIrEwY5hGxUD7F5lI3OC4AvNgxOievJBdbRy8Rou/s400/9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFfDuvYil8q_Hc3oCduY4TKkm6X0u3CoP7UNBeSMvzVcdt25mFTbsUDVTkcA8CmGz75XoHoHkwLtF-U7IuJ19KVb2e1M5qi-C-wwg35k0bwT20ELkW0M4AAs4X5Bbyjbv051GfK61FFrO/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFfDuvYil8q_Hc3oCduY4TKkm6X0u3CoP7UNBeSMvzVcdt25mFTbsUDVTkcA8CmGz75XoHoHkwLtF-U7IuJ19KVb2e1M5qi-C-wwg35k0bwT20ELkW0M4AAs4X5Bbyjbv051GfK61FFrO/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />October 4, 2013

Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia Homeschool Day Shenandoah Valley Staunton Photos #8: Irish Farm ... Homeschool Day 2013 at Frontier Culture Museum

The Irish Farm at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton. Homeschool Day 2013.Photos by Lynn R. MitchellOctober 4, 2013…

Read more »

Memphis Has Great Techniques To Loss Weight

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Brian Mettel</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>We all continually highlight the value of finding a high quality medical spa. Searching for a respected medical spa and a venue with staff members you can trust is of the utmost importance.<br /> <br /> The one largest advantage a medical spa has is the knowledge of the employees. Medical doctors who can listen to your needs and help determine the right treatment are an essential first step. Even though methods are safe and do not lead to injury, it's always an enormous advantage to have properly trained workers who have the skills to utilize different equipment during treatment.<br /> <br /> This article will feature an introduction to things to consider when seeking out a medical spa. We'll be checking out 3 main areas that can be used to recognize reliable place: who manages or operates the spa, what type of coaching does the staff receive, and is their equipment safe and modern? We'll likewise talk about the questions you shouldn't forget to ask in your search for the correct medical spa.<br /> <br /> It's important to know who runs the spa. Medical spas which are owned or operated by doctors are usually the finest ones around. Many, if not all, of the treatments require you to seek advice from a physician first. Talking to a doctor before treatment is required if there's a requirement for prescription medicine and if the therapy may have a severe impact on your skin.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> If doctors look aloof or hard to talk with, it could be a stern warning sign. Make sure to check if this doctor could actively direct you through your treatment cycle in a method you could understand and are at ease with. Once you call in, you should be easily able to arrange an appointment with them, and they must be pleasant and knowledgeable throughout the appointment. Watch out for anyone who keeps expressing 'We can deal with that' - you are searching for an authentic doctor, not an over-promising salesman.<br /> <br /> You likewise would like to make sure that the medical spa's staff members are properly trained. These individuals must have extensive experience in handling equipment for the treatments. Search for a few online reviews about the business on Yelp or just by searching their name online with the word 'reviews'.<br /> <br /> Medical spas normally have photos of their patients that were taken before and after the treatment, and these albums demonstrate the staff's abilities and experience. You could ask them to reveal to you these photographs if you need to know how effectively the staff has worked in earlier treatments. Very poor handling of treatments will merely deliver very poor outcomes.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>Learn more about <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tbiCcAf_mI'>lipo in Memphis</a> and how you can get <a href='http://www.youtube.com/user/ExpertLocalBusiness'>liposuction</a> done in Memphis.</div><br /> </div><br />

Memphis Has Great Techniques To Loss Weight

By Brian Mettel We all continually highlight the value of finding a high quality medical spa. Searching for a respected medical spa and a venue with staff members you can trust is of the utmost importance. The one largest advantage a medical sp…

Read more »

Guidelines On How To Slim Down Without Having Fad Diet Plans That Don't Support

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Daniel Will</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>You might think that you can't do this any more. Do you experience feeling your excess fat is a huge difficulty? You may have much more ache within your joints, have gotten to expended additional money on clothes, or are not able to end thinking about weight. Follow the recommendations listed here to shed pounds.<br /> <br /> Cutting your day-to-day calorie intake will probably be a highly effective method of weight-loss. A good standard guideline is usually to reduced the volume of calories you take in each day by about 500 calorie consumption.<br /> <br /> Don't be embarrassed in case you have one half a dish of food items remaining while you are on a fat loss plan. A great deal of kids are trained to end their dishes, which is actually a great thing as long as the dish posesses a wholesome section. Consuming food house along after eating out is flawlessly satisfactory. By no means information your self due to the fact the food is there. It is vital that you identify once you truly feel full to be able to give up eating.<br /> <br /> A great idea for losing weight is to go out with close friends who are far more productive. Once we surrounds ourselves with individuals who are a lot more active, we are more likely to be energetic. Getting together with a couch potato will more than likely impact anyone to curl on the couch using them.<br /> <br /> It's effortless to shed pounds should you keep lively. Make sure you are up and relocating as much as possible. Action through the day maintains your metabolic process up, and allows your body to use up more calories all day long.<br /> <br /> Path the energy you eat. Get out there and obtain and affordable spiral laptop or journal. Make use of the laptop computer like a foods journal. Record specifically the foods you eat, such as servings and unhealthy calories for every single food object. Doing so will assist you to assess your improvement and check your eating routine so that you can make adjustments as required.<br /> <br /> A pedometer can record your jogging when you find yourself shedding pounds. Try out walking ten thousand actions each day. If you're conscious of how many you stroll generally, try demanding you to ultimately stroll much more. With every step, you might be advancing with your workout goals and receiving closer to your target body weight.<br /> <br /> Trying to keep energetic is an extremely excellent method. Avoid sitting during the day. Your metabolism will continue to work a little quicker in the event you maintain active given that you will burn fat through the day. As a result this will give you the cabability to try to eat around you are used to and still have the ability to lose fat.<br /> <br /> You will help you to flatten your belly whilst sitting down at your workplace! When flattening your belly, it is advisable to concentrate on the transversus abdominis muscle. You can reinforce it by sucking your stomach switch inward as far as you can manage and keeping it in alongside your backbone whilst you breathe inside and out a couple of times.<br /> <br /> When you are staying on a diet program and anticipate planning to some celebration which will be helping plenty of meals, it is wise to consume a pretty large food instantly before leaving to visit it. It will help you stay away from having lots of snack foods and sweets at the get together. You can even need to have some red wine instead of combined refreshments or alcohol.<br /> <br /> Seldom used calorie consumption do not just go apart, these are kept as extra fat. Take this into account to help you steer clear of ingesting food in the event you are not going to be lively pursuing the meal. Only try to eat when you know you're continue to will be active to get a period. Go for a walk or workout so that you will start using these calories.<br /> <br /> When you read through this write-up, you are most likely ready to lose excess weight. It is actually going for a toll on the physique in addition to your bank account. The information you may have read in this article ought to get you going on shedding pounds.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>You can read more about this topic on <a href="http://www.acaiextract.me">Acai Extract</a>.</div><br /> </div><br />

Guidelines On How To Slim Down Without Having Fad Diet Plans That Don't Support

By Daniel Will You might think that you can't do this any more. Do you experience feeling your excess fat is a huge difficulty? You may have much more ache within your joints, have gotten to expended additional money on clothes, or are not able to…

Read more »