News for today's 2018

Display your curated Scoop.its as attractive widgets on your blog or website

9:14 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzbin-LCaRWXzCCyB0VFJIdscD_sonxlAjX-Z06VQKqSlI7yY6JFJ42veSIxg4hNxgAkV_8DSEjMo3BW8lHFSgg7whx4Ofrdj_SJpRBVcawvex0_xjUHV2JeXW3ZsKNN_Sh5aH5enURc/s1600/scoopit+widget.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzbin-LCaRWXzCCyB0VFJIdscD_sonxlAjX-Z06VQKqSlI7yY6JFJ42veSIxg4hNxgAkV_8DSEjMo3BW8lHFSgg7whx4Ofrdj_SJpRBVcawvex0_xjUHV2JeXW3ZsKNN_Sh5aH5enURc/s1600/scoopit+widget.JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Internet is getting so full of information these days that it is not surprising to see how many curating tools are emerging for teachers to use. Scoop.it is definitely one of my favourite curating tools. (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately with Scoop.it you are only allowed five free Scoop.its.) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But how do you display a Scoop,it in an attractive manner on a blog or webiste? Today when I was surfing the web I noticed that some bloggers had lovely Scoop.it widgets embedded at the side of their blog which gave a slideshow on the various posts curated. This really appealed to me so I set about discovering how to do this. Unfortunately the side column of our SchoolNet blog is too narrow for showing this widget successfully so I created a page instead.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this post I thought I would tell you how I created these widgets and then show the finished product. .</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How to create the widget</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Step 1: </span><br />Log in to your Scoop.it and click on Manage and then on Export</span><br /><strong><br /></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieN9CDRZxG25-ZK2hPWVyk_UUQX3KpGGMrHdNJu7UG0xnHX39gYquA-BsYhlgOmwx6GgVCdIqrqgK7tNeT3Z5t2Son-t538M6-O9AcuT_fEEl_gXXaqcSP0KakHRuXyAL1_vD_A4UpB8A/s1600-h/image%25255B16%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3lYhLNurNL7AyZANl8V_1IfHKX8_wI6Gl_phoSKlpwC5Lvc8gQx8iCXFU5fA63neehtYpEGmHi79q4M0o5iH2DOmzW1DCIfhVQwBbMfeCXfpMz83OLCoabDz8wlAThn7TY8ZOGkggMI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Step 2: </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You will be taken to the Export page which hosts the widget for a blog or website. On this page you will make some decisions about your widget and fil in your requirements. Right at the bottom, under the displayed widget slideshow, is a place to ‘Finish and grab the code’. </span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7S3IyohEB0l5XWSs1oHOpUDtv15tI0ZJf1uV6TiYS22LxxlRkL3_uyDNKcA3yphlWDKQ1Id_2AYP16fDY8ancYKRRSkjVoSzmwP3w2uK397zPMXdGyLA4pdTvRuHMc1zS0seVwZ7syc/s1600-h/image%25255B17%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Abx-dHh33UxLpHaakfwq4auru0s3OLEgHDQXrjeXuuTr6S2vQ3nqxLubMAUxinyXB9sR4Zy39U-oJu3UXbeD6zCVofvEVFUbqeb2Jc7yfzYvBazn3sk-pm0C40MhNjpysLXRlbI83WY/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="278" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step 3: </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click on ‘Finish and grab the code’ and copy the HTML. Place the HTML on the appropriate page of your website or blog. </span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1k77oIO__5CsQt6fsKG-xEPCMUywH_VWffdpWfLkj38e3wujcKX0As7vF2MWDzU__WBKppmR9U52xrpM0pJzcfpKiZ_i9d5zezhqgg9SQfeYQCVmCLgglTuUsrrGuL-n6ZapkfWo7R80/s1600-h/image%25255B18%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJutnDXYjp39GeIxObjXXoS_6CGzDoMV0alu73VNtf22muRLBmyZRymBWBoAW3fBNQFfMF9OI_ytz3S8pyMG-fXZabomw0w8G-8V27_AvB88MosjIRdIsJYM5JbGlCahz1KIDEm1EUnb0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Our five Scoop.it widgets</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are our five presented as embedded widgets</span><br /><br /><iframe align="middle" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scoop.it/t/learning-with-tablets/js?format=square&numberOfPosts=3&title=Learning+with+tablets&speed=3&mode=normal&width=300" width="300"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe align="middle" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scoop.it/t/tablet-use-videos/js?format=square&numberOfPosts=3&title=Tablet-use+videos&speed=3&mode=normal&width=300" width="300"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe align="middle" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scoop.it/t/history-and-geography-teaching-resources-elementary-school/js?format=square&numberOfPosts=3&title=History+and+Geography+teaching+resources+-+elementary+school&speed=3&mode=normal&width=300" width="300"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe align="middle" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scoop.it/t/reading-and-writing-in-primary-school/js?format=square&numberOfPosts=3&title=Reading+and+Writing+in+primary+school&speed=3&mode=normal&width=300" width="300"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe align="middle" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scoop.it/t/maths-for-k-3-students/js?format=square&numberOfPosts=3&title=Maths+for+K-3+students&speed=3&mode=normal&width=300" width="300"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To see these widgets on the actual page where I display them on the blog go to <a href="http://e-blogschool.blogspot.com/p/scoopits.html" title="http://e-blogschool.blogspot.com/p/scoopits.html">http://e-blogschool.blogspot.com/p/scoopits.html</a></span></div>

Scoop.it. tutorial Display your curated Scoop.its as attractive widgets on your blog or website

The Internet is getting so full of information these days that it is not surprising to see how many curating tools are emerging for teachers...

ISRAEL’S SYRIAN AIRSTRIKE AFTERMATH

7:31 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvyXpzK3FpgqQ5vFAmVgtgt0iTdegBrxuKLmDnTSQIxpFXMJEQMH_2q-tjrx_XQ8Vpa3XW7WrXVyibKcvqNMUZeoD6n7Q9VdExBPeFWqsjHz3h-2xZS4UnGk7Ya8L0UiY5bQVSPr3uL1G/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvyXpzK3FpgqQ5vFAmVgtgt0iTdegBrxuKLmDnTSQIxpFXMJEQMH_2q-tjrx_XQ8Vpa3XW7WrXVyibKcvqNMUZeoD6n7Q9VdExBPeFWqsjHz3h-2xZS4UnGk7Ya8L0UiY5bQVSPr3uL1G/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">IRANIAN GENERAL AND TWO AIDES WERE THE REAL TARGET OF </span></b></span></span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ALLEGED </span></b></span></span>ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE IN SYRIA</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Via DEBKA<i>file</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i> </i> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The depth of IRAN’S loss by the death of senior IRANIAN Revolutionary Guards general Hassan Shateri aka Hossam Khosh-Nevis was signified by the rank of mourners at his funeral in Iran Thursday, Feb. 15.  Among them were IRAN’S Defense Minister Ahmed Wahidi, Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi and Al Qods Brigades commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">IRAN POINTS FINGER AT ISRAEL FOR IRGC GENERAL’S DEATH, VOWS REVENGE</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Gen. Shateri was in fact the live wire of the tremendous military effort IRAN is investing in SYRIA for keeping President Bashar Assad in power, DEBKAfile’s IRAN and Persian Gulf sources say.  He acted additionally as the vital IRANIAN link in the military partnership between Assad and the LEBANESE Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span>IRAN is reported by Gulf intelligence sources to have initially drawn a veil of secrecy over the time and place of his death for fear exposure would force a military confrontation with ISRAEL. They reveal that Gen. Shateri was in fact killed two weeks ago Saturday, Jan. 30, in the course of the alleged ISRAELI air strike against a SYRIAN military complex and arms convoy destined for Hizballah in LEBANON</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ALLEGEDLY IRANIAN GENERAL AND TWO AIDES WERE THE REAL TARGET OF ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Those sources claim that that the IRANIAN general and two aides who were driving in the same car were the real targets of that air strike.<br />After the event, Damascus reported two people killed and five injured, without identifying them or releasing their photos as would normally have been routine.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Targeted assassinations by foreign hands claimed by no one are not unusual SYRIA. In February 2008, Hizballah’s security chief Imad Mughniyeh, who carried out many of the same functions for Tehran as Gen. Shateri, was assassinated in Damascus. Eight months ago, in July 2012, a mysterious explosion wiped out half of Assad’s inner circle, targeting the men running the war against the SYRIAN uprising.<br /><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">DEEP INTELLIGENCE PENETRATION IN IRAN, LEBANON AND SYRIA</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Tehran was taken aback this time by the precise foreknowledge of Shateri’s movements and the accuracy of the attack, which presumed deep intelligence penetration in Tehran and Beirut as well as Damascus. Now, the IRANIANS appear to have decided not to take this setback lying down after all. ISRAEL is in their sights for payback – either directly or through their allies, SYRIA or Hizballah, which both suffered loss from the general’s death.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMA-sPAlN2hF3l2d_9gsbPJEmxbox8bUgHiXn8qTLnjX39nhK_2O8rNfuO38rrDwyfcSixEZw3GKcI5vC03Ep8uqxYXNhdQuhyphenhyphenj4H7dfqFdZDWzdjoFAGUZyQ2B3OVyA5O1zkMNojFfKs/s1600/140728_mainimg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMA-sPAlN2hF3l2d_9gsbPJEmxbox8bUgHiXn8qTLnjX39nhK_2O8rNfuO38rrDwyfcSixEZw3GKcI5vC03Ep8uqxYXNhdQuhyphenhyphenj4H7dfqFdZDWzdjoFAGUZyQ2B3OVyA5O1zkMNojFfKs/s320/140728_mainimg.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">DEBKAfile has learned that the IRGC general was in the process of rapidly establishing a small guerrilla army of 5,000 Revolutionary Guardsmen and 5,000 Hizballlah operatives for strengthening the defensive ring around Assad’s governing institutions in Damascus and its outskirts, secure the main SYRIA-LEBANON road routes and keep them open to free military movement between the two countries.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For Tehran, an open highway between SYRIA and LEBANON is an overriding strategic goal in view of its determination to get Hizballah’s stock of sophisticated weapons out of SYRIAN stores and across to LEBANON whatever it takes - despite ISRAEL’S reported action to frustrate the transfer.<br />In Tehran, the influential IRGC preacher, Hojjat-ol-Eslam Mehdi Ta’eb, declared Wednesday in a sermon that SYRIA’S importance to the Islamic Republic is greater even than the oil region of Khuzestan in southern IRAN.</span></span></div>

ISRAEL’S SYRIAN AIRSTRIKE AFTERMATH

IRANIAN GENERAL AND TWO AIDES WERE THE REAL TARGET OF ALLEGED ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE IN SYRIA Via DEBKA file The depth of IRAN’S loss by the ...

More reviews/giveaways coming soon!

3:44 AM Tukiyooo 0

More reviews/giveaways coming soon!

Hello and good morning everyone. It's been a crazy busy week with the power outage from the storm etc. Hang tight I've got some more...

Matt Said, Jay Said 21613

9:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Matt whimpers…Jay moans…You get their assisted living rooms ready.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMBLl6OvNPHLVtWPabDKQjtLAk57wdxWrVcmEsi-Z517k79KklxVo0LHt5ZB3uv1-MYSjlAUxvP-ceTL0ttHNffg6DpTyr1U_O1-ZD72CIU0GGVnXSp1MiIpeb83gZO2hWnAPZ5KaI_c/s1600/Christopher+Dorner+Sexy+Murderer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMBLl6OvNPHLVtWPabDKQjtLAk57wdxWrVcmEsi-Z517k79KklxVo0LHt5ZB3uv1-MYSjlAUxvP-ceTL0ttHNffg6DpTyr1U_O1-ZD72CIU0GGVnXSp1MiIpeb83gZO2hWnAPZ5KaI_c/s320/Christopher+Dorner+Sexy+Murderer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Matt:  Hellooooo?<br />Jay:  Wait a minute…(garbled noise) (more garbled noise) Okay…Hi.<br />Matt:  What the hell were you doing?  Stuffing a dead hooker in your fridge?<br />Jay:  I was tryi----<br />Matt:  Hold on…my boss is calling me, I’ll you alert as to when he is done.<br />Jay:  Okay.<br /><br />(five minutes pass, Jay calls back)<br /><br />Matt:  Howdy.<br />Jay:  Could you answer your damn phone?<br />Matt:  I just did.<br />Jay:  I mean on the first ring.<br />Matt:  Hell no…I’m old, and my kidneys hurt.  Takes me awhile to get to it.<br />Jay:  Alright.<br />Matt:  How’s your back?<br />Jay:  It has felt like shit since I put together that table this week.<br />Matt:  Whatafuckingshame…What are we going to talk about on Saturday’s show?<br /><br />Jay:  I was going to ask you.<br />Matt:  Well…I had two thoughts.<br />Jay:  Wow, that’s impressive…and unprecedented.<br />Matt:  Cute…Either, Open Phone Line Saturday, or a President’s Day show type thing and...<br />Jay:  Giving up Rose and Steel Reserve has made you more lucid, but I dunno, those ideas seem a bit….<br />Matt:  Orrrrrr…We could talk about guys who are afraid to give up Pepsi for Lent.<br /><br />Jay:  I loooooove the <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/02/17/open-line-saturday" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Open Phone Line Saturday</i></span></a> idea.<br />Matt:  Yeah. I mean the President’s Day thing would be good, but…<br />Jay:  But who really cares?<br />Matt:  Exactly…we want numbers and ratings.<br />Jay:  Damn right, we’re not beneath putting quantity before quality.<br />Matt:  Never have been.<br />Jay:  Never will.<br /><br />Matt:  We can encourage listeners to call-in and get whatever is <i>on</i> their chest, <i>off</i> their chest.<br />Jay:  They could speak their mind about the Russian meteor, Chuck Hagel, or the State of the Union.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBUuKfuypSZtK2leLfgCdhkMs-vLpcWIOHVmwmxJhVYsiWQSh29kH0cl90-d2ZLXIoFKKNLp7B5AaZiZ6i2DrMofwfGMdetxE3cMTZNftZXYLQazyNotzsCFkuA9NGCvParhfmJnpWYk/s1600/Oscar-Pistorius+Murder+Girlfriend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBUuKfuypSZtK2leLfgCdhkMs-vLpcWIOHVmwmxJhVYsiWQSh29kH0cl90-d2ZLXIoFKKNLp7B5AaZiZ6i2DrMofwfGMdetxE3cMTZNftZXYLQazyNotzsCFkuA9NGCvParhfmJnpWYk/s400/Oscar-Pistorius+Murder+Girlfriend.jpg" width="400" /></a>Matt:  They could chime in on Oscar Pistorius the legless sprinter who killed his girlfriend.<br />Jay:  Frankly, I am stumped as to why he did that.<br />Matt:  IKR?<br />Jay:  We could open up the phone lines for opinions on Christopher Dorner, and what constitutes a cabin.<br />Matt:  Excellent!!  We could also talk about the fact that today is Singles Awareness Day.<br /><br />Jay:  It’s what?  Sing---?<br />Matt:  Singles Awareness Day.  After Valentine’s Day, single people have <i>their</i> special day.<br />Jay:  Oh wow…I didn't know that.<br />Matt:  Well now you do, so I guess in this case, an “Awareness Day” actually worked.<br />Jay:  How ‘bout that?  Fascinating.  I’ll make sure to nuke a special Hormel Meal for One today.<br /><br />Matt:  So I guess we’re set.  Hope the listeners support our efforts and call-in, but if not…<br />Jay:  If not, we have plenty of magic with which to work our speculative comedy.<br />Matt:  Alrighty then. I will see you on the air at 11 PM ET tonight!!<br />Jay:  Yep…Provided my back doesn't go out again.<br />Matt:  And my kidney pain doesn't flare back up.<br />Jay and Matt:  I think we’re ready for Open Line Saturday!!<br /><br />If you’d like to listen in, and or call-in LIVE TONIGHT at 11 PM ET on the IWS Open Line Radio Show you can click right : <i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/02/17/open-line-saturday" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></i> <br /><i>.</i><br /><i>.</i></div>

Matt Said, Jay Said 21613

Matt whimpers…Jay moans…You get their assisted living rooms ready. Matt: Hellooooo? Jay: Wait a minute…(garbled noise) (more garbled noise...

The Taste

6:18 PM Tukiyooo 0

The Taste

I love watching cooking shows, because well I love to take a recipe and make it my own by adding or removing ingredients to make them health...

Tantrums in the morning

8:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

<p>Generally my husband takes the dog with him to the office everyday.  However, he decided to leave Bones at home with me as I am off work today.</p><p>I had planned to have a lie in and take it easy.  Well I tell you, that was not going to happen with Bones in the house.  He went berserk when Ciaran left without him.  The dog was so cross that I nearly phoned Ciaran to come back and take him with you.</p><p>The whole day I've had a sulky dog on my hands.  He is really acting up - he won't even eat his food!!</p><p>Not a good boy......and I'm not too pleased with having been woken up early on my day off.</p><p>If you are looking to read another blog about Irish life, pop over to <a href="http://amydublinia.blogspot.ie/">my sister's blog</a></p><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYj_d5L3JqvQx3tmcHwGXfs_P_g_fsl2f_-Bnth5UI94Sw1foFFnJSTkwE3HbGMzKW-lhpZNVGLAafFc7z14rcvAgBKviqyPEcUb_38-yv1wlq2epKO8vbZbIYJVmWDTp6LQkdphIJFqMA/s1600/20130209_225501.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYj_d5L3JqvQx3tmcHwGXfs_P_g_fsl2f_-Bnth5UI94Sw1foFFnJSTkwE3HbGMzKW-lhpZNVGLAafFc7z14rcvAgBKviqyPEcUb_38-yv1wlq2epKO8vbZbIYJVmWDTp6LQkdphIJFqMA/s400/20130209_225501.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFEbqTq2n9ExMaPuwjbHzWKQLXa19MZ3ORf-dQ7SiGnRgs0-LFL-cFACFsmDYEVvvHt6Rjey3F1UrWc4VpnFuY3w_1u0zkAyPx86UeYKloNmZilE6vk3Ha0gbfaCunRLLuV2aJnLeUoaa/s1600/20130215_154719.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFEbqTq2n9ExMaPuwjbHzWKQLXa19MZ3ORf-dQ7SiGnRgs0-LFL-cFACFsmDYEVvvHt6Rjey3F1UrWc4VpnFuY3w_1u0zkAyPx86UeYKloNmZilE6vk3Ha0gbfaCunRLLuV2aJnLeUoaa/s400/20130215_154719.jpg" /> </a> </div>

Tantrums in the morning

Generally my husband takes the dog with him to the office everyday. However, he decided to leave Bones at home with me as I am off work tod...

28 in 28 #15: Modern Views

7:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

<i>February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The "<a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/search/label/28%20in%2028">28 in 28</a>" series features a different book every day of the month.</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.assouline.com/9782759404674.html"><b><i>Modern Views</i></b></a><br />Assouline, 2010<br />Hardcover, 200 pages<br /><br /><img alt="28-28_modern-views.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/28-28_modern-views.jpg" title="Book cover" /><br /><br />For the month of February I'm hosting <a href="http://glasshouseconversations.org/where-do-you-stand-on-the-traditional-versus-modern-debate-and-why-is-there-a-contemporary-compromise/">a debate at Glass House Conversations</a> on traditional versus modern architecture. My participation prompted me to flip through my copy of the companion book to <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2010/10/modern-views.html">Modern Views</a>, a 2010 project that benefited Mies van der Rohe's <a href="http://www.farnsworthhouse.org/">Farnsworth House</a> and Philip Johnson's <a href="http://philipjohnsonglasshouse.org/">Glass House</a>, both operated and maintained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  For Modern Views, "One hundred contemporary artists, architects, and designers created and  donated works of art and written statements, capturing their inspiration  about these iconic buildings and the architects who created them."<br /><br />Beyond the National Trust connection, the two buildings are obviously linked by their form (rectangular boxes), material (glass), and timing (1949 for Glass House, and 1951 for Farnsworth House). It's also been shown that Johnson knew about Mies's design (he started it in 1945) but beat him to the punch. This history often ignores just how distinct each building is from the other—the way each addresses the ground (Farnsworth raised above, Glass House directly upon it); the related structure (Mies carefully detailed the steel to make the building look like it is magically propped up, though the steel structure at the Glass house is more incidental, blending in with the glass framing); the clients (Mies designed it for Dr. Edith Farnsworth while Johnson designed it for himself); the articulation of bathrooms (Mies chose wood, but Johnson opted for brick); and the function (the Farnsworth House is a single building that serves as a country retreat, but the Glass House was built alongside the Brick House that contained Johnson's bedroom). Yes, each house is a glass box, but there are infinite variations within that term to give each house its unique effects.<br /><br />The catalog of approximately 100 works in <i>Modern Views</i> are split into four chapters: Architects, Landscape Architects, Artists, Designers. They are bookended by essays (Paul Goldberger, Phyllis Lambert, Sylvia Lavin) and original drawings of the Farnsworth House and Glass House. About half of the architects (the biggest chapter) simply dug something appropriate out of their archive, which is mildly disappointing. The ones that took the time to create something that addressed each house or the relationship between the two are a hit-or-miss bunch, but they also serve to say as much about the author as they do about the two houses. A good example is Léon Krier's imagining of a "future for the glass house" with timber framing, pitched roof and divided lights; it is more humorous than provocative. My favorite is Jeanne Gang's sketch of the Farnsworth House, where the trees are drawn in colored pencil then erased in part to define the silhouette of Mies's floating structure; nature is the key, not the architecture.<br /><br />Similar distinctions—between old and new creations for the project—apply to the landscape architects, artists, and designers. Overall I'm drawn to the pieces that look at the relationship between the two houses, rather than the ones that look at just one house or find words to convey how an old work relates to the creation of Mies and Johnson. In this vein Fritz Haeg's piece—two pillows stitched with elevations of each house between the names of the clients and architects (Edith/Ludwig, <a href="http://philipjohnsonglasshouse.org/history/bios/whitney/">David</a>/Philip)—is a highlight; it gets at the personal nature of each house, going beyond the abstractions and generalizations that have been applied to them since the 1950s. Now they are museums, so that personal connection is just a memory, sacrificed for people to be inspired by their architecture and settings.<br /><br /><b>Purchase at <a href="http://designstore.philipjohnsonglasshouse.org/modern-views-p43.aspx">The Glass House Design Store</a> or <a href="http://shop.farnsworthhouse.org/SelectSku.aspx?skuid=1000581">Farnsworth House's online store</a> to support your favorite house! </b>

28 in 28 #15: Modern Views

February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The " 28 in 28 " series features a different book every day of the month. ...

Pregnancy: In the Beginning - Part 2

6:18 AM Tukiyooo 0

By the time I could get rescheduled with my doctor, I was desperate for relief.  I tried absolutely every morning sickness aid that was suggested to me, and the list was long:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">1. Sea bands (2 different brands!)<br />2. Preggie pops<br />3. Saltines<br />4. Ginger ale<br />5. Eating before getting out of bed<br />6. Eating before getting out of bed while keeping my head on the pillow and my eyes closed.<br />7. Exercise - which actually helped.  However, it was hard to motivate myself to get up and move when I felt like death.<br />8. Small, constant meals<br />9. Ginger candies<br />10. Ginger root<br />11. Hard candies (Jolly Ranchers, etc)<br />12. Peppermint candies<br />13. Toast<br />14. Chicken broth</blockquote><br />Honestly - none of those worked for me, with the exception of the exercise.  As soon as the exercise was over though, I was sick all over again.  When I was finally able to see my doctor, she gave me a prenatal that had vitamin B-12, which is said to ward off nausea.  It seemed to help at first, but maybe that was just a false positive, because eventually it didn't make any difference.  My doctor tried to prescribe some medicine to me, but my insurance wouldn't cover it.  She said my next best bet was to try Benadryl.  Benadryl is the only thing that gave me any kind of relief!  The relief was almost instant too and it was glorious when I could finally lay on the couch without a perpetual stomachache.  Still, I'm not a fan of pumping myself full of medicine, so I tried to take it sparingly even though my doctor assured me it was safe.<br /><br />I had my first ultrasound a few short weeks later to determine the due date of the baby.  Even though I was certain on the date of conception, I couldn't remember exactly the date of my last period and that was info they insisted on knowing.  By mid-November we knew we were due to have a baby by June 22, 2013! <br /><br /><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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFa-H2dLgyzhy3copnUf9oI2cb-J-GqAIfMn5pYnCgoQUtv-kMnF8KF7U8woDfFSzuIyHuUBc51ss__7ccP2y-9O_G4ot5OP39EAEpmiSkZfmIBcVRMMDJV89W9nmhVUyCjWGWn2I-VI/s1600/baby+busbee+9+weeks+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFa-H2dLgyzhy3copnUf9oI2cb-J-GqAIfMn5pYnCgoQUtv-kMnF8KF7U8woDfFSzuIyHuUBc51ss__7ccP2y-9O_G4ot5OP39EAEpmiSkZfmIBcVRMMDJV89W9nmhVUyCjWGWn2I-VI/s400/baby+busbee+9+weeks+-+Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby @ 9 weeks</td></tr></tbody></table>Seeing the little kidney bean on the screen was miraculous.  Everyone I know describes it that same way, but I guess I was still in such denial of being pregnant that when I first saw the little blob on the screen, with it's beating heart, I couldn't believe that was inside of me!

Baby Busbee Pregnancy: In the Beginning - Part 2

By the time I could get rescheduled with my doctor, I was desperate for relief. I tried absolutely every morning sickness aid that was sugg...

where's the fire

2:30 AM Anonymous 0

Happy Friday all!<div><br /></div><div>This week I poured over the new issue of <a href="http://www.matchbookmag.com/" target="_blank">Matchbook</a> probably at least once a day. I tell ya I can't get enough of that thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>One image that I kept coming back to was this one.</div><div><br /></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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvvR9Yh7qO-JQiHT0IHq6y5ZEbfHFvHwoim9qqFs71QM0FwZPdzFRYTnigvp0Ob1JTNtXXlfuMxjipoIisF7w2UEuy8IUWvnrmYvuIqjT1wihpF57bZFaoag5_IsKHGA7Mb27C83D2o-H/s1600/matchbook22013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvvR9Yh7qO-JQiHT0IHq6y5ZEbfHFvHwoim9qqFs71QM0FwZPdzFRYTnigvp0Ob1JTNtXXlfuMxjipoIisF7w2UEuy8IUWvnrmYvuIqjT1wihpF57bZFaoag5_IsKHGA7Mb27C83D2o-H/s640/matchbook22013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.matchbookmag.com/issues/february-2013#99" target="_blank">Bailey's house in Matchbook</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />OK, so really it is three images, but I'm looking at the same thing in each one - the very cool match strike collection.</div><div><br /></div><div>While they are by no means a new thing, I seem to be noticing them more and more in magazines. They are a great sculptural element and make a great addition to a coffee table, mantel or vanity. Much better than the free matchbook in the bathroom for sure. You can find vintage ones in antique stores and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/search?q=match%20strike&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US" target="_blank">Etsy</a> and I think they would make a great thing to keep an eye out for on vacations and trips. A unique souvenir to bring home.<br /><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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenhVtAulzvTZ8DoQj062Ae_Llkm-scK1BEyVLp1I74fe5u5z315o2GwDMsMJWaMbXRRSyLWbtDONyHgIyPhlz8DKKk9kJkOr5ge3Bg-KHSkSPGpxSgaZfT4LX_4tcPxMl0-gSMjzKHMRp/s1600/f6ca4d6e87a8fe25a97b996aaa6c863e.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenhVtAulzvTZ8DoQj062Ae_Llkm-scK1BEyVLp1I74fe5u5z315o2GwDMsMJWaMbXRRSyLWbtDONyHgIyPhlz8DKKk9kJkOr5ge3Bg-KHSkSPGpxSgaZfT4LX_4tcPxMl0-gSMjzKHMRp/s400/f6ca4d6e87a8fe25a97b996aaa6c863e.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/111816003218434220/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbWkaCK5xzvU8EJOH3B35Cccgw55qWKiw3KUsN2D0mMtay2ATslxMf4tg1oPF6d4Fs3sJ4bMqMpqHWkYLb7PkH6B_sqMmw4OPLw_LIeF_D_DNy5F60hFek2_FqTmZ5CQEpE-A5HwfTiln/s1600/product.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbWkaCK5xzvU8EJOH3B35Cccgw55qWKiw3KUsN2D0mMtay2ATslxMf4tg1oPF6d4Fs3sJ4bMqMpqHWkYLb7PkH6B_sqMmw4OPLw_LIeF_D_DNy5F60hFek2_FqTmZ5CQEpE-A5HwfTiln/s400/product.jpeg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.outblush.com/women/home/lighting/ceramic-bistro-match-strike-/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrd6n_vBvz1eMjypMtrTrNWWUckL_oypDmlMMrt1aZ4T9V-N4iYl9zR5VN0omw4O9RRcTs0TXUTYGt_3ASrZCNTUPAxkuK3otbG69PLEBc9YTi77yQVHQ8LCzZ21UDEta_Hlofr9O3yu4r/s1600/NMH6KNT_mx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrd6n_vBvz1eMjypMtrTrNWWUckL_oypDmlMMrt1aZ4T9V-N4iYl9zR5VN0omw4O9RRcTs0TXUTYGt_3ASrZCNTUPAxkuK3otbG69PLEBc9YTi77yQVHQ8LCzZ21UDEta_Hlofr9O3yu4r/s400/NMH6KNT_mx.jpeg" width="314" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/AERIN-Round-Match-Striker/prod152660096/?ecid=NMALRFeedQFGLnEolOWg...&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=prod152660096sku&CS_003=5630585" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfUCYxlh_ymX8oKsIhds9NwyoWqPtcMrhpK_fKLXk049noKEDuLSAGvZUcrHhNBvpBGdg2nxpQT1S_9gyAE-sn6spuJGEJOBWDY5KNYsjqYkdFA5acZI7JLQIpURn5a6BXhJ8xnKK9gba/s1600/_6702662.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfUCYxlh_ymX8oKsIhds9NwyoWqPtcMrhpK_fKLXk049noKEDuLSAGvZUcrHhNBvpBGdg2nxpQT1S_9gyAE-sn6spuJGEJOBWDY5KNYsjqYkdFA5acZI7JLQIpURn5a6BXhJ8xnKK9gba/s400/_6702662.jpeg" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/jonathan-adler-devil-porcelain-match-strike/3256016?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_ite=jonathan_adler_'devil'_porcelain_match_strike:519425&cm_pla=home:table_placements&cm_ven=Google_Product_Ads&mr:referralID=da5e2019-7524-11e2-97b3-001b2166becc&pprd=0" target="_blank">source</a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSuacHto4h8RT711DSueoy8tna03fB0EiUwe7OZboGuWs4Y6_RAAtGPS6pUrye3A-SP1dpKLX061oSM3IY8rMThOdk9mgd9QH0auhIi-SK4216pouZmoSQzFU8aDcYTL5r0rmw2YfXf0bD/s1600/RollingWords_Book1sdfs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSuacHto4h8RT711DSueoy8tna03fB0EiUwe7OZboGuWs4Y6_RAAtGPS6pUrye3A-SP1dpKLX061oSM3IY8rMThOdk9mgd9QH0auhIi-SK4216pouZmoSQzFU8aDcYTL5r0rmw2YfXf0bD/s400/RollingWords_Book1sdfs.jpeg" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dangerousminds.net/comments/snoop_doggs_new_smokable_book_rolling_words" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This one is just funny.<br /><br />I think I found a new collection.<br /><br />I'm off to get my arse in gear for tomorrow's celebration. Eve is turning two! It won't be <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/02/very-first-birthday.html" target="_blank">the big celebration we had last year</a>, but good times are on the menu.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3J4MSIU9o88SJ0c9Cr1FBja5qy0TWXJzZrbfPF1cljhbcZ54ApVNdVf212dALGceG4cXixA2Cb82FQrd_WrMkrXQ68NFK5p9wvUG-hRzaXLN4pM7UfNZ-6vds6DUuLP0AuUXQVmB1JhO/s1600/Eveis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3J4MSIU9o88SJ0c9Cr1FBja5qy0TWXJzZrbfPF1cljhbcZ54ApVNdVf212dALGceG4cXixA2Cb82FQrd_WrMkrXQ68NFK5p9wvUG-hRzaXLN4pM7UfNZ-6vds6DUuLP0AuUXQVmB1JhO/s400/Eveis2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Also, I'm over at <a href="http://alivedinhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Lived in Home</a> today talking about some things I've learned from DIYing. Make sure to <a href="http://alivedinhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">check it out</a>.<br /><br />Have a great weekend!</div>

where's the fire

Happy Friday all! This week I poured over the new issue of Matchbook probably at least once a day. I tell ya I can't get enough of that...

Lent and Lunch are Like Peanut Butter and Jelly ... Or Something

9:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />Hola y’all! You know what? I’m kind of having a problem with two things, and they both begin with the letter “L.”  There are a lot of things that begin with the letter “L” that really suck. Just of the top of my head I can think of  love, loneliness, lobotomy, losers, litter, lawyers, licorice, lunatic, liars, liver, Lichtenstein, love letter, lizards, leprechauns, lice, lameness, loins, lettuce and well, LIFE!  I’m sure there’s a lot more, but you get the idea. But, like I said, there are two things that begin with “L” that are really pissing me off right now …<br /><br />Lunch and Lent.<br /><br />I really don’t care for either. They’re both stooooopid! And, I can never decide what I should do about either. So, I guess the obvious thing to do is combine the two. No, I’m not giving up having lunch for lent, but there are some things I’m going to give up having for lunch during lent.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNYb1imb1bAbSpfe07EOj3pahtznJ3YQIKxbK_CA2ZbjeeU6pcY0svPpECC7BoV6MceTs-Sf_2I7Gi8voxm66wUVgfpYX2mWvM4YleHFuwlG_8poZT64kpevENHMw8T3wypOQwlzznKI/s1600/Priyanka-Chopra-Hot-Nude-Pepsi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNYb1imb1bAbSpfe07EOj3pahtznJ3YQIKxbK_CA2ZbjeeU6pcY0svPpECC7BoV6MceTs-Sf_2I7Gi8voxm66wUVgfpYX2mWvM4YleHFuwlG_8poZT64kpevENHMw8T3wypOQwlzznKI/s320/Priyanka-Chopra-Hot-Nude-Pepsi.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>Originally I was going to give up Pepsi for lent, but then I thought, fuck that. See, there are some very good reasons not to give up Pepsi for lent. 1) I don’t want to. 2) I won’t do it. 3) It’s not worth it.<br /><br />I’ve done the lent thing a few times. I gave up alcohol one year, which was much easier than it seems. I gave up chips and fast food another year. Again, that wasn’t a really big sacrifice. Now, I know people say you should give up something big that you really love. This somehow brings us closer to God and gives us strength and blah, blah, blah. If that works for you then that’s great and I totally support your lifestyle choices. But, it hasn’t done shit for me. In fact, even after participating in this lent-thing what did I get from God?<br /><br />HEARTACHE!<br /><br />God damn right, bitches! Nothing but heartache. So, what’s the point? Why should I bother? Especially if I try something I know I’m not going to succeed at. Or worse, something I have no intention of succeeding at. In this case, trying and failing will not be superior in any way to not trying at all.<br /><br />So, what to do? Ignore lent? Well, I’d like to. That would also mean ignoring Matt-Man’s attempts and guilting me into observing lent, which really wouldn’t be that hard to do. But, part of me feels like I should do something, if for no other reason to provide moral support for my partner in crime Mattcicle. Oh and that whole “get closer to God” thing too.<br /><br />This is where lunch comes in. I’m terrible at lunch. I always end up eating something “bad.” I tend to have hot dogs, cheeseburgers, frozen pizza, breaded chicken patties, Beefaroni … shit like that for lunch. Well, that’s gonna just have to change. For lent I will give up those “bad” things that I have for lunch (including the chips I would have with some of those items). This way I will not only observe lent, but I will use it for good.<br /><br />Trying to give up Pepsi, and failing, really wouldn’t accomplish a thing. But, if I stop eating unhealthy things at lunch, and replace them with healthier things or at least things not super unhealthy, then I will be doing something positive. It’s fucking brilliant!<br /><br />So, the great Lent Crisis of 2013 has been avoided.*<br /><br />Jayman<br /><a href="mailto:Jayman3768@gmail.com">Jayman3768@gmail.com</a><br />@Jayman_IWS<br /><br /><br />*I wrote this post on Wednesday, February 13, 2013, the first day of lent. But, since I had BBQ Pork Sandwich for lunch today, I started lent on the 14th. I checked with Jesus and he’s totally cool with it.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>

Lent and Lunch are Like Peanut Butter and Jelly ... Or Something

Hola y’all! You know what? I’m kind of having a problem with two things, and they both begin with the letter “L.” There are a lot of things...

Sex Diseases Cost $16 Billion a Year to Treat, CDC Says - Bloomberg

5:17 PM Tukiyooo 0

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/std/" title="Open Web Site" rel="external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Sexually transmitted diseases</a> cost $16 billion each year to treat in the U.S., with 19.7 million infections diagnosed annually, the nation's health agency found.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">People ages 15 to 24 account for half of the annual cases, according to reports released yesterday by the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/" title="Open Web Site" rel="external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. There are about 110 million total infections among U.S. men and women of all ages, the agency said, with the most common infection human papillomavirus, a virus linked to cancer.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">Young people have borne a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted diseases for as long as the Atlanta-based CDC has kept records, said Catherine Satterwhite, an author of one of the reports and a CDC epidemiologist. They often don't have good insurance or difficulties accessing care, she said.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">"We've seen a disproportionate burden for quite a while," Satterwhite said in a telephone interview. "Young women in particular are at greater risk."</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">The CDC reported data on eight sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, herpes and HPV.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">Drug-resistant gonorrhea is a growing threat, the agency said in a <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6206a3.htm?s_cid=mm6206a3_w" title="Open Web Site" rel="external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">separate study</a> published today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. There aren't enough antibiotics in development and more experimental therapies are needed immediately, according to the report. For now, to minimize the spread of resistant strains, more people should be screened and treated, the agency said.</div><h2 style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Trends Persist</h2><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">The sexually transmitted diseases study released yesterday, which uses data from 2008, the most recent comprehensive information available, isn't directly comparable with previous studies because of changes in the reporting methods, the CDC said. However, some trends, including that of younger patients, have persisted.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">All sexually transmitted diseases are preventable, many are curable and all are treatable, Satterwhite said. Getting more people tested effectively, such as making sure more young women are screened for<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002321/" title="Open Web Site" rel="external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "> chlamydia</a> and all sexually active adults are tested for HIV at least once, would help, she said.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">The costliest STDs are HIV, which requires lifelong care, and HPV, which causes throat, anal, penile, and cervical tumors. Use of vaccines that can prevent HPV, made by <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/MRK:US" class="web_ticker" title="Get Quote" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Merck & Co.</a> and<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/GSK:LN" class="web_ticker" title="Get Quote" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">GlaxoSmithKline Plc</a>, have remained low as rates of HPV-related cancers have risen, according to a study last month in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">Curable sexually transmitted diseases cost $742 million, with chlamydia as the most common and the most expensive.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">Prevention strategies for STDs include abstaining from sex, condom use, and mutually monogamous relationships, Satterwhite said. The HPV vaccine made by Merck called Gardasil is recommended for boys and girls to help prevent cancers.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.6em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; position: static; z-index: auto; ">The two reports on sexually transmitted infections' prevalence and cost, were published in the journal <a href="http://journals.lww.com/stdjournal/pages/default.aspx" title="Open Web Site" rel="external" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Sexually Transmitted Diseases</a>.</div></div><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-13/sex-diseases-cost-16-billion-a-year-to-treat-cdc-says.html">http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-13/sex-diseases-cost-16-billion-a-year-to-treat-cdc-says.html</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Sex Diseases Cost $16 Billion a Year to Treat, CDC Says - Bloomberg

Sexually transmitted diseases cost $16 billion each year to treat in the U.S., with 19.7 million infections diagnosed annually, the nation&...

From Commodore Criterion to Porcelanosa

5:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

Not too long ago I was giving an architectural walking tour in the Madison Square Park area when somebody asked me "what's going on with the Commodore Criterion building?" If you've been by the park you've probably <a href="http://goo.gl/maps/lsX4O">seen the building</a> at the intersection of Fifth Avenue, 25th Street, and Broadway with its name fixed atop the tall stone parapet. I had no answer to the question, except that the Christmas display over the front door had not come down in years, meaning the building was most likely vacant. What I did not know at the time was that Spanish tile/kitchen/bath company <a href="http://www.porcelanosa-usa.com/">Porcelanosa</a> bought the building <a href="http://www.madparknews.com/business/porcelanosa-buys-commodore-criterion-building-on-madison-square-park-for-us-headquarters/">last summer</a>. Since my tour I've also learned that Porcelanosa hired Foster + Partners to transform the six-story building into their US/NYC flagship showroom.<br /><br /><img alt="porcelanosa1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/porcelanosa1.jpg" title="Image courtesy of Porcelanosa" /><br />[All images courtesy of Foster + Partners and Porcelanosa] <br /><br />The building at 202 Fifth Avenue, which dates back to 1918, has already been gutted, ready for the insertion of a public showroom on the lower levels (above rendering) and a materials library atop the building for architects and designers (below rendering). The showroom is a three-story space that extends from the cellar to the second floor. Plenty of light infuses the showroom through offset openings in the ground floor and second floor. In a statement, Norman Foster describes how "the design will create new visual connections vertically through the  building and will introduce a greater variety of spaces, with a series  of dramatic interlocking levels." Befitting for the architect, the interior is simple and clean, gallery-like in appearance. <br /><br /><img alt="porcelanosa2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/porcelanosa2.jpg" title="Image courtesy of Porcelanosa" /><br /><br />The materials library atop the building is a double-height space where additional light comes in through new skylights that recall James Turrell's skyspaces. The below sketch—an east-west section looking south—shows these spaces at the top and bottom of the building, with two floors of offices in between. More importantly, this section shows the location of the stairs and services along the west facade (as they are in the existing), meaning that light previously entered the narrow building only through windows on the south and east sides. Hence Foster's decision to cut up the floor plates and insert skylights atop the building. A good deal of the budget will probably go toward these structural changes, but these renderings make it clear that it's worth it.<br /><br /><img alt="porcelanosa3.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/porcelanosa3.jpg" title="Image courtesy of Porcelanosa" /><br /><br />The building sits within the southern tip of the <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/maps/madison.pdf">Madison Square North Historic District</a> (PDF link), meaning that any changes to the building have to be reviewed by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Comparing the photomontage below with the <a href="http://goo.gl/maps/lsX4O">Google Street View</a> I'd wager that won't be a problem, given that new windows on the ground floor and the new name atop the building are the only noticeable changes. Again Foster says, "the design will restore historic aspects of the exterior and create a  new interior experience of large–volume showroom spaces – all within  the context of a sustainable agenda." (LEED Gold is the target.)<br /><br />Manuel Prior, U.S. Branch Director for Porcelanosa says in a statement: "As a staple of New York’s Flatiron district for years, the Commodore Criterion is the ideal location for Porcelanosa’s new flagship showroom as the neighborhood is the epicenter of New York’s architecture and design community." Epicenter may be overstating it, but I can vouch that a lot of architects and other designers work in the area; I worked for an architect about four blocks up Broadway (near the <a href="http://www.acehotel.com/newyork">Ace Hotel</a>, a magnet for designers and other "creative types") and <a href="http://www.pentagram.com/">Pentagram</a> is right next door (note the abstracted P on the flag in the below photo).<br /><br /><img alt="porcelanosa4.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/porcelanosa4.jpg" title="Image courtesy of Porcelanosa" /><br /><br />Porcelanosa's flagship showroom is one of three projects in New York City that Norman Foster is currently working on, including the high profile <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2012/10/425-park-avenue.html">425 Park Avenue</a> and the controversial <a href="http://www.fosterandpartners.com/News/486/Default.aspx">transformation of the New York Public Library's main building</a> into a circulating library. By comparison the 1,700-square-meter (18,000 sf) renovation overlooking Madison Square Park may be a walk in the park. We'll see if that's the case—literally, as I'll be making occasional site visits between now and the showroom's completion in spring 2014, documenting the construction on this blog. So check back here to see Foster's design for Porcelanosa take shape.

From Commodore Criterion to Porcelanosa

Not too long ago I was giving an architectural walking tour in the Madison Square Park area when somebody asked me "what's going on...

Valentine's meal

3:08 PM Tukiyooo 0

<p>Here's what we had for Valentine's....</p><p>Wicklow Blue Cheese<br>Prawns in parsley butter<br>Steak and chunky chips (fries) with pepper sauce<br>Chocolate torte<br>Chocolate truffle</p><p>Washed down with a bottle of Cab Sauv.</p><p>What did you do for Valentine's Day?</p><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_5eUyHeKQ2xFZcDdersOuULHfq-Y3fbMg50LmZbduc6JXd6qJnJb5LDN4xP2U777eVpe4_4v8HiCeP3IenKE8dhZDNe05lVUDx72P3YyqNzQ74Od5dHw3XUx7CbZYLtNIgXdHhLpTCV-/s1600/20130214_194903.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_5eUyHeKQ2xFZcDdersOuULHfq-Y3fbMg50LmZbduc6JXd6qJnJb5LDN4xP2U777eVpe4_4v8HiCeP3IenKE8dhZDNe05lVUDx72P3YyqNzQ74Od5dHw3XUx7CbZYLtNIgXdHhLpTCV-/s400/20130214_194903.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTJfvklPcTF-pNMUlaj4qZ44HSEnWwG0Rlv182T8uCfC1P0r7gFjlolJERpH9VQGKPRre7BfV4hcgw5v6aaq8cT8nveSbiMv_Ov5lwwLrDgZBWG1y_pG5NcmYJVU9_6Am6ZFWBBG2im5B/s1600/20130214_183359.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTJfvklPcTF-pNMUlaj4qZ44HSEnWwG0Rlv182T8uCfC1P0r7gFjlolJERpH9VQGKPRre7BfV4hcgw5v6aaq8cT8nveSbiMv_Ov5lwwLrDgZBWG1y_pG5NcmYJVU9_6Am6ZFWBBG2im5B/s400/20130214_183359.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODN2i71Es3dbWybvoD89rdI0H_M9ef3CFfkipIhGLCK-D7QCl_xqWPrnY9SCgw1PLUMR89xekXgOWB_n8bs0X3sedtJZEOUbD36iADxoxQ44DAGy46XZSRxi-LWz4cffEucpuJzDJBOgU/s1600/20130214_190853.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODN2i71Es3dbWybvoD89rdI0H_M9ef3CFfkipIhGLCK-D7QCl_xqWPrnY9SCgw1PLUMR89xekXgOWB_n8bs0X3sedtJZEOUbD36iADxoxQ44DAGy46XZSRxi-LWz4cffEucpuJzDJBOgU/s400/20130214_190853.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl5CiyaQtj051dAb1g59JZtsDyWeahSMv8fWysMiZhmexigs2GQpPn3GicUO6jwUn8r-1UStuw1QxOiKYZjSdAQvkLHUKteo3wUoxv2XzzXjUbfr3nwI7VfG-HU5I98G56D0tMw4LOhmp/s1600/20130214_190052.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl5CiyaQtj051dAb1g59JZtsDyWeahSMv8fWysMiZhmexigs2GQpPn3GicUO6jwUn8r-1UStuw1QxOiKYZjSdAQvkLHUKteo3wUoxv2XzzXjUbfr3nwI7VfG-HU5I98G56D0tMw4LOhmp/s400/20130214_190052.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-YVNxXeci2G9U5uo4_QXkJnID-Bb8aDWlAUdh1oQV8MQt7s0TEwSRD7QE98_FcNSk7d_VQ9lEkNzW4ucrtqtPW2-TgoApzFrqvFTeqXzeuJrObT3SLpvf5MOWauvbnRBCmhr9473joX0/s1600/20130214_192211.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-YVNxXeci2G9U5uo4_QXkJnID-Bb8aDWlAUdh1oQV8MQt7s0TEwSRD7QE98_FcNSk7d_VQ9lEkNzW4ucrtqtPW2-TgoApzFrqvFTeqXzeuJrObT3SLpvf5MOWauvbnRBCmhr9473joX0/s400/20130214_192211.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheajSovWqgAQrTSMiTRGyGvJSaKqXpEDLQkYBnmfx3tB3sJ1V0IP2FgnZMQvhvFK4DfILkde7AdZUZG_t096uRr9eFtl-pU3yOOh54LHFpeLrrM3BRA88Sr44AYfo8pzeGUbgJxTCxob2K/s1600/20130214_191248.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheajSovWqgAQrTSMiTRGyGvJSaKqXpEDLQkYBnmfx3tB3sJ1V0IP2FgnZMQvhvFK4DfILkde7AdZUZG_t096uRr9eFtl-pU3yOOh54LHFpeLrrM3BRA88Sr44AYfo8pzeGUbgJxTCxob2K/s400/20130214_191248.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJ8hklrCNOHk5qOlslxNYUgtuwgw-nhcpqwjv2YQNAoFJ8Mu2UH7eIVDHjzEbCwkfQuNJYuv1sNyaD5q2YpljlV4-yquzFw-2p-2in67utNkeLl9CwruTVK-Z5nzbCJl2mLfKbywwwf6n/s1600/20130214_183223.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJ8hklrCNOHk5qOlslxNYUgtuwgw-nhcpqwjv2YQNAoFJ8Mu2UH7eIVDHjzEbCwkfQuNJYuv1sNyaD5q2YpljlV4-yquzFw-2p-2in67utNkeLl9CwruTVK-Z5nzbCJl2mLfKbywwwf6n/s400/20130214_183223.jpg" /> </a> </div>

Valentine's meal

Here's what we had for Valentine's.... Wicklow Blue Cheese Prawns in parsley butter Steak and chunky chips (fries) with pepper sauce...

U.S. Approves First Method to Give the Blind Limited Vision - NYTimes.com

3:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div><div class="articleBody"><nyt_text><p itemprop="articleBody">The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first   treatment to give limited vision to people who are blind, involving a   technology called the "artificial retina."</p></nyt_text></div>  <div class="articleBody"><p itemprop="articleBody">  With it, people with certain types of blindness can detect crosswalks on   the street, burners on a stove, the presence of people or cars, and   sometimes even oversized numbers or letters.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  The artificial retina is a sheet of electrodes surgically implanted in   the eye. The patient is also outfitted with a pair of glasses with an   attached camera and a portable video processor. These elements together   allow visual signals to bypass the damaged portion of the retina and be   transmitted to the brain. The F.D.A. approval covers this integrated   system, which the manufacturer calls Argus II.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  The approval marks the first milestone in a new frontier in vision   research, a field in which scientists are making strides with gene   therapy, optogenetics, stem cells and other strategies.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  "This is just the beginning," said Grace Shen, director of the retinal diseases program at the <a href="http://www.nei.nih.gov/index.asp">National Eye Institute</a>,   which helped finance the artificial retina research and is supporting   many other blindness therapy projects. "We have a lot of exciting things   sitting in the wings, multiple approaches being developed now to   address this."        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  With the artificial retina or retinal prosthesis, a blind person cannot   see in the conventional sense, but can identify outlines and boundaries   of objects, especially when there is contrast between light and dark —   fireworks against a night sky or black socks mixed with white ones in   the laundry.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  "Without the system, I wouldn't be able to see anything at all, and if   you were in front of me and you moved left and right, I'm not going to   realize any of this," said Elias Konstantopolous, 74, a retired   electrician in Baltimore, one of about 50 Americans and Europeans who   have been using the device in clinical trials for several years. He said   it helps him differentiate curbs from asphalt roads, and detect   contours, but not details, of cars, trees and people. "When you don't   have nothing, this is something. It's a lot."        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  The F.D.A. approved <a href="http://www.2-sight.com/SSMP_ARVO_2009.pdf">Argus II, </a>made by Second Sight Medical Products, to treat people with severe <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002024/">retinitis pigmentosa</a>, a group of inherited diseases in which photoreceptor cells, which take in light, deteriorate.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  The first version of the implant had a sheet of 16 electrodes, but the   current version has 60. A tiny camera mounted on eyeglasses captures   images, and the video processor, worn on a belt, translates those images   into pixelized patterns of light and dark. The processor transmits   those signals to the electrodes, which send them along the optic nerve   to the brain.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  About 100,000 Americans have retinitis pigmentosa, but initially between   10,000 and 15,000 will likely qualify for the Argus II, according to   the company. The F.D.A. says that up to 4,000 people a year can be   treated with the device. That number represents people who are older   than 25, who once had useful vision, have evidence of an intact inner   retinal layer, have at best very limited light perception in the retina,   and are so visually impaired that the device would prove an   improvement. Second Sight will begin making Argus II available later   this year.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  But experts said the technology holds promise for other people who are blind, especially those with advanced age-related <a href="http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts.asp">macular degeneration</a>,   the major cause of vision loss in older people, affecting about two   million Americans. About 50,000 of them are currently severely impaired   enough that the artificial retina would be helpful, said Dr. Robert   Greenberg, Second Sight's president and chief executive.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  In Europe, Argus II received approval in 2011 to treat a broader group   of people, those with severe blindness caused by any type of outer   retinal degeneration, not just retinitis pigmentosa, although it is   currently only marketed in Europe for that condition. In the U.S.,   additional clinical trials need to be completed before the company can   seek broader FDA approval.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  Eventually, Dr. Greenberg said, the plan is to implant electrodes not in   the eye, but directly into the brain's visual cortex. "That would allow   us to address blindness from all causes," he said.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  Initially, the artificial retina will be available at seven hospitals in   five states: New York, California, Texas, Maryland and Pennsylvania. It   will cost about $150,000, not including the surgery and training   sessions to use the device. Second Sight said it was optimistic that   insurance would cover it.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  Developed over 20 years by <a href="http://www.usc.edu/programs/neuroscience/faculty/profile.php?fid=45">Dr. Mark S. Humayun</a>,   an ophthalmologist and biomedical engineer at the University of   Southern California's Doheny Retinal Institute, the artificial retina   was inspired by cochlear implants for the deaf. Some financing came from   a cochlear implant maker and other private sources, but about $100   million was provided by the National Eye Institute, the National Science   Foundation and the Department of Energy, all federal agencies.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  Dr. Humayun said he envisioned applying the technology to other   conditions than blindness, implanting electrodes in other parts of the   body to address bladder control problems, perhaps, or spinal paralysis.          </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  "We don't think of the human body as an electrical grid, but it runs off electrical impulses," he said.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  The Argus II has had relatively few safety problems, mostly   post-surgical infections and occasional erosions of a thin layer in the   eye that covered the implant. Those problems have been addressed, Dr.   Greenberg said, and only two people needed to have the implant removed.   An F.D.A. advisory panel voted unanimously last September to recommend   approval, finding that benefits outweighed the risks.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  Some patients experience more improvement than others, for reasons the   company has not been able to determine. Kathy Blake of Fountain Valley,   Calif., said she has had success with a Second Sight exercise to see if   patients can identify large numbers or letters on a computer screen.          </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  Dean Lloyd, a lawyer in Palo Alto, Calif., said he initially wondered,   "Is it really worth all the time and expense? I, at first, did not think   so." Early on, only nine electrodes were working, but over time his   implant was adjusted so more electrodes responded, and now 52 of them   work. He can see flashes of color, something not every patient can, and   he wears the glasses and video processor constantly.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  "If I don't wear it, it's like I don't have my pants on," he said. "I've even fallen asleep with the blooming thing."        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  Stephen Rose, the chief research officer for the <a href="http://www.blindness.org/">Foundation Fighting Blindness</a>,   which supported Dr. Humayun's very early work but has not financed it   since, said the artificial retina would eventually be only one of the   options to help blind people.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  "I think there are tremendous possibilities," he said. "I'm not   downplaying the retinal prosthesis, don't get me wrong. It's huge for   some individuals, and it's here now."        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  Barbara Campbell, 59, relishes how the device helps her navigate   Manhattan streets, locate her Upper East Side bus stop, and spot her   apartment building's foyer light while riding in a taxi.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  Most exciting, though, is how it enhances her experience of museums, theater and concerts.        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  At a performance by Rod Stewart, "I could definitely see his hair," she   said, which was white-blond under the lights. At a concert by Diana   Ross, even though Ms. Campbell sat far away from the stage, she said Ms.   Ross "was wearing a sparkly outfit, and I could see her."        </p><p itemprop="articleBody">  No such luck at a performance by James Taylor, though. His low-key   clothing created no contrast for the artificial retina to register.   Alas, Ms. Campbell said, "He wasn't so sparkly."        </p></div></div><div><br></div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/health/fda-approves-technology-to-give-limited-vision-to-blind-people.html?_r=0&pagewanted=all">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/health/fda-approves-technology-to-give-limited-vision-to-blind-people.html?_r=0&pagewanted=all</a>

U.S. Approves First Method to Give the Blind Limited Vision - NYTimes.com

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first treatment to give limited vision to people who are blind, involving a te...