Fans began drifting in an hour before game time. Their noise grew slowly and steadily, barely disturbing Streetrat's repose. Garbled words from the loud speakers filter though the blanket of metal and people above. Streetrat could have screamed without detection. She shifted to fold a blanket around her. Cold would bring more discomfort then metal.
Fifteen minutes before the game began, the loud speakers blared. Streetrat opened her eyes to gaze through boards to the tracks entrance. Spectators above began to stamp their feel as the band entered the gate. Sharp trumpets sang to intricate drum beats. Three dozen soldiers in royal blue swayed in time to the drum corp. The band's flamboyant majordomo sliced the air in time to the beat with a staff that better resembled a drunk disco metronome then a conducting rod. The first line of the band followed ten feet back, no doubt in fear of the flailing.
Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.
Secondhand Lions is a coming of age story about Walter (a young boy played by Haley Joel Osment) who lives with his eccentric great-uncles Hub (Robert Duvall) and Garth (Michael Caine). This movie is fun, sappy, and a general good time. Duval and Caine produce nuanced performances that make real the stock gruff-but-lovable-old-man troupe. Osment also turns in a realistic performance that avoids
obvious pitfalls.
The plot in short: Walter's mom dumps him on her two uncles in hopes that Walter ingratiates himself with the men and finds their hidden fortune. Rumors swirl about how Hub and Garth got their money, which their eccentric behavior does nothing to squelch. As Walter settles in among his uncles' five dogs and pig, he learns his uncles' history (never quite believing the stories) and convinces Hub and Garth to hear out the traveling salesmen who drop by - instead of shoot at them. Soon the men start spending their money on the wild and mundane, in the process teaching Walther values his mother hadn't. Eventually Walter's mom returns with a new boyfriend. After an adventure, Walter chooses to remain with his uncles. By the end of the movie, Walter finds out the truth to his uncles' old tales.
This is a fun movie. It's made for kids but with enough intelligence and nuance that adults like it. It's based on tried and true tropes but that doesn't stop you feeling good at the end. Secondhand Lions is a movie to enjoy.
One thing know about this movie is that it is a period piece. People are seen smoking, a kid is offered chewing tobacco, and folks, who would be considered too young now, pick up beers to drink. At the times and places Secondhand Lions depicts, all of these actions weren't just legal, they were socially acceptable. Sadly this includes racial attitudes. There are no overtly prejudicial statements made but a few remarks and situation could take the 2013 viewer aback. These comments are tame for 1950s Texas and may have
been considered enlightened for that time.
Oh, one last thing. Comics appear at the beginning and end of the movie. They are drawn by Berkeley Breathed of Bloom County fame. Fans should watch the credits.
Rated PG for some crude language and light swearing, physical violence, use of tobacco, and people of legal age drinking alcohol.
obvious pitfalls.
The plot in short: Walter's mom dumps him on her two uncles in hopes that Walter ingratiates himself with the men and finds their hidden fortune. Rumors swirl about how Hub and Garth got their money, which their eccentric behavior does nothing to squelch. As Walter settles in among his uncles' five dogs and pig, he learns his uncles' history (never quite believing the stories) and convinces Hub and Garth to hear out the traveling salesmen who drop by - instead of shoot at them. Soon the men start spending their money on the wild and mundane, in the process teaching Walther values his mother hadn't. Eventually Walter's mom returns with a new boyfriend. After an adventure, Walter chooses to remain with his uncles. By the end of the movie, Walter finds out the truth to his uncles' old tales.
This is a fun movie. It's made for kids but with enough intelligence and nuance that adults like it. It's based on tried and true tropes but that doesn't stop you feeling good at the end. Secondhand Lions is a movie to enjoy.
One thing know about this movie is that it is a period piece. People are seen smoking, a kid is offered chewing tobacco, and folks, who would be considered too young now, pick up beers to drink. At the times and places Secondhand Lions depicts, all of these actions weren't just legal, they were socially acceptable. Sadly this includes racial attitudes. There are no overtly prejudicial statements made but a few remarks and situation could take the 2013 viewer aback. These comments are tame for 1950s Texas and may have
been considered enlightened for that time.
Oh, one last thing. Comics appear at the beginning and end of the movie. They are drawn by Berkeley Breathed of Bloom County fame. Fans should watch the credits.
Rated PG for some crude language and light swearing, physical violence, use of tobacco, and people of legal age drinking alcohol.
If you are a fan of hard science fiction, you'll probably be happy to read this book. Published in 1985, the story chronicles the discovery of an alien asteroid that settles into Earth orbit. Written at the end of the Cold War, the story is seeped in NATO vs Soviet conflict, which for a child of that time reading in 2013 seems more like an alternative universe then an avoided future. Although if you are reading Eon for the first time now, the end does have an ironic twist that Bear probably did not intend but hoped for.
This is hard science fiction. Nearly everything is explained and the necessary hand waving is skillfully given enough science that the average Star Trek fan will be well content. Eon gets a bit loose towards the end but that's forgivable given the fast pace of events.
A common critique of this book is that is takes a left turn at Albuquerque towards the end. Well, yes but the main characters are moved from one world into another and that second world comes complete with its own politics and problems. The problems follow logically for that world and make sense when you sit down and think about them. The issue for the reader is in how jarring the world change is, but this too is logical. Imagine you are an 15th century Incan farmer who suddenly is dropped into a New York boardroom with only a smattering of 21st century English. Everything will seem new and little will make sense. It's a tribute to Bear's skill that the reader can figure what is going. Frankly I think the second world is made a bit simplistic for just this reason.
Overall, the story is good. It starts slow but becomes a definite page turner by the end. Hard science fiction fans will enjoy it. Folks who like human interaction will find enough to keep their interest.
4.25/5 stars
This is hard science fiction. Nearly everything is explained and the necessary hand waving is skillfully given enough science that the average Star Trek fan will be well content. Eon gets a bit loose towards the end but that's forgivable given the fast pace of events.
A common critique of this book is that is takes a left turn at Albuquerque towards the end. Well, yes but the main characters are moved from one world into another and that second world comes complete with its own politics and problems. The problems follow logically for that world and make sense when you sit down and think about them. The issue for the reader is in how jarring the world change is, but this too is logical. Imagine you are an 15th century Incan farmer who suddenly is dropped into a New York boardroom with only a smattering of 21st century English. Everything will seem new and little will make sense. It's a tribute to Bear's skill that the reader can figure what is going. Frankly I think the second world is made a bit simplistic for just this reason.
Overall, the story is good. It starts slow but becomes a definite page turner by the end. Hard science fiction fans will enjoy it. Folks who like human interaction will find enough to keep their interest.
4.25/5 stars
With the release of Ender's Game looming on the horizon, Orsen Scott Card is not doing the movie any favors. Like so many anti-gay marriage proponents, he is advocating for tolerance of his opinions after fighting to deny gay couples legal marriage. For those that don't see the hypocrisy in this, let me explain.
Each person demonstrates how they think others should be treated by what they say and do. Thus when someone has the upper hand in a situation, they demonstrate how folks in lesser positions should be treated by how that person treats those folks. It is only logical that if you behave in one way, that you think others should behave in that way too. So if you have the law on your side and you demean and denigrate a group of people who do not adhere to your creed or religious beliefs, if you do not treat a minority with dignity, if you do not respect those who disagree with you; then you can have no reasonable expectation of respect, dignity or tolerance from those you disagreed with when the tables are reversed. To demand others do something different then what you did in the same situation is hypocrisy.
So if you worked against marriage equality, then you should have no expectation of respect from supporters of gay marriage. If you called homosexuality unnatural, immoral or something worse; if you gave money to the National Organization for Marriage; if you voted for a law banning same-sex marriage, then you were intolerant and to ask for tolerance now is the epitome of "do as I say, not as I do".
What the Supreme Court essentially did in overturning section 4 of DOMA and refusing to back Proposition 8 is to inform the United States that religious-fueled homophobia is not an acceptable legal basis for discrimination. Gay marriage is coming to every state. The best you can hope for now is something called grace and here it is:
No gay mafia is going to show up at your house and beat you for your beliefs. No one is going to burn down your house or spray paint vulgarity on your home. (Although if someone does, that person will be caught and prosecuted which is much more then most victims of gay bashing get.) No court is going to rule that your church or other religious institution has to consecrate a same-sex marriage. You will have to suffer some name calling but face it: being labelled a "homophobe" is much better then being compared to a stick about to be thrown on a bonfire - or murdered for that matter.
Grace is something given when it has not been earned. Grace is something hoped for, not demanded. So opponents of gay marriage: if you want tolerance, stop reminding the supporters of marriage equality why you shouldn't receive it.
Each person demonstrates how they think others should be treated by what they say and do. Thus when someone has the upper hand in a situation, they demonstrate how folks in lesser positions should be treated by how that person treats those folks. It is only logical that if you behave in one way, that you think others should behave in that way too. So if you have the law on your side and you demean and denigrate a group of people who do not adhere to your creed or religious beliefs, if you do not treat a minority with dignity, if you do not respect those who disagree with you; then you can have no reasonable expectation of respect, dignity or tolerance from those you disagreed with when the tables are reversed. To demand others do something different then what you did in the same situation is hypocrisy.
So if you worked against marriage equality, then you should have no expectation of respect from supporters of gay marriage. If you called homosexuality unnatural, immoral or something worse; if you gave money to the National Organization for Marriage; if you voted for a law banning same-sex marriage, then you were intolerant and to ask for tolerance now is the epitome of "do as I say, not as I do".
What the Supreme Court essentially did in overturning section 4 of DOMA and refusing to back Proposition 8 is to inform the United States that religious-fueled homophobia is not an acceptable legal basis for discrimination. Gay marriage is coming to every state. The best you can hope for now is something called grace and here it is:
No gay mafia is going to show up at your house and beat you for your beliefs. No one is going to burn down your house or spray paint vulgarity on your home. (Although if someone does, that person will be caught and prosecuted which is much more then most victims of gay bashing get.) No court is going to rule that your church or other religious institution has to consecrate a same-sex marriage. You will have to suffer some name calling but face it: being labelled a "homophobe" is much better then being compared to a stick about to be thrown on a bonfire - or murdered for that matter.
Grace is something given when it has not been earned. Grace is something hoped for, not demanded. So opponents of gay marriage: if you want tolerance, stop reminding the supporters of marriage equality why you shouldn't receive it.
Particularly if you are a calligrapher or cat lover or both:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/02/the-15th-century-equivalent-of-your-cat-walking-on-your-keyboard/273283/#
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/02/the-15th-century-equivalent-of-your-cat-walking-on-your-keyboard/273283/#
This 96-page manual is the goldwork installment of the Essential Stitch Guide series published by the Royal School of Needlework. Like the other guides, it follows a standard format: history of the school, history of its embroidery technique in Britain, materials, fabrics, design transfer, frames, stitches/techniques, and completed project for inspiration.
Much of the general embroidery information is a repeat of previous guides. However there are two new items worthy of note. This manual discusses stretcher frames, a lesser known type of rigid frame. Stretcher frames are wooden rectangles composed of four
interlocking sides. In the States, they easier to find and less expensive then the slate frames that the RSN is so fond of. The other bit of new information is how to end a thread. While briefly touched upon in other Essential Stitch Guides, this basic technique is finally discussed in enough detail in Goldwork. I'm not sure what took them so long.
The goldwork technique section is well organized and well illustrated. It discusses a variety of techniques and tricks from simple couching to Or Nue. Ms. McCook covers multiple forms of padding and offers one of the better discussions of basketweave couching that I've seen. Her Or Nue section is brief but informative and covers multiple methods. The book is worth its price for this section alone.
In contrast is the completed projects section. Ms. McCook, shame on you! The text in this section reads like art show descriptions. Where Ms. McCook could have explained how different techniques combine to create comprehensive wholes, she choose to blather on about the inspiration for her pieces. I'm sure all the members of the McCook family are nice people but really, readers don't need to know the family history. The projects themselves range from traditional to abstract to post-modern something. I'll admit my traditional embroidery sensitivities are not impressed by a few of the pieces.
On the whole, I can't say there's a lot new to this book. It has nothing to say about color theory nor how to use the newer colored metal threads. (Answer: treat them like traditional metal threads.) Where I hoped for discussion on combining techniques, there was @rT. This seems to be a common occurrence in the Essential Stitches Guides: great technique / poor aesthetic sense.
If you already have a book on goldwork, you can safely skip this book. If however you are looking for a good book on goldwork techniques, this manual is worth picking up. Just ignore that last section.
Much of the general embroidery information is a repeat of previous guides. However there are two new items worthy of note. This manual discusses stretcher frames, a lesser known type of rigid frame. Stretcher frames are wooden rectangles composed of four
interlocking sides. In the States, they easier to find and less expensive then the slate frames that the RSN is so fond of. The other bit of new information is how to end a thread. While briefly touched upon in other Essential Stitch Guides, this basic technique is finally discussed in enough detail in Goldwork. I'm not sure what took them so long.
The goldwork technique section is well organized and well illustrated. It discusses a variety of techniques and tricks from simple couching to Or Nue. Ms. McCook covers multiple forms of padding and offers one of the better discussions of basketweave couching that I've seen. Her Or Nue section is brief but informative and covers multiple methods. The book is worth its price for this section alone.
In contrast is the completed projects section. Ms. McCook, shame on you! The text in this section reads like art show descriptions. Where Ms. McCook could have explained how different techniques combine to create comprehensive wholes, she choose to blather on about the inspiration for her pieces. I'm sure all the members of the McCook family are nice people but really, readers don't need to know the family history. The projects themselves range from traditional to abstract to post-modern something. I'll admit my traditional embroidery sensitivities are not impressed by a few of the pieces.
On the whole, I can't say there's a lot new to this book. It has nothing to say about color theory nor how to use the newer colored metal threads. (Answer: treat them like traditional metal threads.) Where I hoped for discussion on combining techniques, there was @rT. This seems to be a common occurrence in the Essential Stitches Guides: great technique / poor aesthetic sense.
If you already have a book on goldwork, you can safely skip this book. If however you are looking for a good book on goldwork techniques, this manual is worth picking up. Just ignore that last section.
For the past four years, the Knitters Brewing Company has been sponsoring a Mystery Sock Knit-along in January. Wendy Gall, their designer, bases each pattern on a theme and (at least for the last two) a toe-up sock construction that is different from the oh-so-common french heel. Ms. Gaal breaks each pattern into a series of clues that are released weekly until the pattern is complete. Each clue can be knit twice during its week.
Ms. Gaal's patterned are imaginative and fun. She incorporates cables, lace, slip stitches, color work, and a variety of other techniques into her designs. Experienced knitters find several of the clues challenging, while new knitters are pleased at the clear instructions.
If you are looking for a mystery knit-along that will keep your attention and make you eager for each segment, check out the Knitters Brewing company. Their next KAL starts on January 11.
Just one caveat: buy a second set of needles. The KAL is most fun and you avoid second sock syndrome if you knit each clue
on both socks each week.
Ms. Gaal's patterned are imaginative and fun. She incorporates cables, lace, slip stitches, color work, and a variety of other techniques into her designs. Experienced knitters find several of the clues challenging, while new knitters are pleased at the clear instructions.
If you are looking for a mystery knit-along that will keep your attention and make you eager for each segment, check out the Knitters Brewing company. Their next KAL starts on January 11.
Just one caveat: buy a second set of needles. The KAL is most fun and you avoid second sock syndrome if you knit each clue
on both socks each week.
Open the door and it's Italy 1610. Close the door and open it again. It's Dover 1415. Once more and it's Boston 1773. Do it again and again, a hundred times over and you'll hit a hundred places. That's the reason. That's the secret. I turned, looking across the tavern. So many faces, so many fashions, so many currencies. And to the side stood Matthew absentmindedly wiping the bar, returning my stare.
He made me wait until closing time. Which was odd because the tavern rarely closed, but here we were in the empty dinning room. Karen had come in smiling to wish us good night. She and Matthew kissed before she left to close down the kitchen. Matthew started.
"You're going to ask me 'How' and 'Why'."
I nodded.
"I'm not completely sure. The generators downstairs run on garbage which means they can use any matter for fuel. The mechanism controlling the front door also affects the windows and backdoor, although there's some sort of suggestion that discourages people from looking out the windows. Jamie thinks it's a photo-sensitive coating that transmits a headache inducing signal. I've not been able to scrap off a sample. The bulls-eye glass doesn't hurt though.
"One of the generators emits a toxin that affects perception, short-term memory and information transfer to long term
memory. So people don't notice what's happening around them too well, nor remember what happens if they do. Step outside for 2 minutes and the toxin passes through your system. Long term exposure seems to have no effect save for better resistance. That's why people rarely complain about the food."
"How do you know this?"
"I had the air tested in 2533."
"But I remember everything that's happened in here."
"The toxin doesn't work on everyone. Some people seem to have a natural resistance. Those that work here one build up over time. For customers, it can take several years of casual visits before they have a noticeable tolerance."
"Is that why people often don't get the food they ordered?"
"I'll talk to Gia."
"That's also the reason you don't have menus."
Matthew smiled. "Right. It would be embarrassing if a Spaniard noticed he couldn't read the menu."
"How do you deal with all of the languages?"
"I trained the waitstaff to ask for an order in 12 languages. Since the patrons aren't paying much attention to begin with, they only notice the words they recognize and respond accordingly. Didn't you notice that most of the time my waiters just look expectantly at you?"
"You're going to ask me 'How' and 'Why'."
I nodded.
"I'm not completely sure. The generators downstairs run on garbage which means they can use any matter for fuel. The mechanism controlling the front door also affects the windows and backdoor, although there's some sort of suggestion that discourages people from looking out the windows. Jamie thinks it's a photo-sensitive coating that transmits a headache inducing signal. I've not been able to scrap off a sample. The bulls-eye glass doesn't hurt though.
"One of the generators emits a toxin that affects perception, short-term memory and information transfer to long term
memory. So people don't notice what's happening around them too well, nor remember what happens if they do. Step outside for 2 minutes and the toxin passes through your system. Long term exposure seems to have no effect save for better resistance. That's why people rarely complain about the food."
"How do you know this?"
"I had the air tested in 2533."
"But I remember everything that's happened in here."
"The toxin doesn't work on everyone. Some people seem to have a natural resistance. Those that work here one build up over time. For customers, it can take several years of casual visits before they have a noticeable tolerance."
"Is that why people often don't get the food they ordered?"
"I'll talk to Gia."
"That's also the reason you don't have menus."
Matthew smiled. "Right. It would be embarrassing if a Spaniard noticed he couldn't read the menu."
"How do you deal with all of the languages?"
"I trained the waitstaff to ask for an order in 12 languages. Since the patrons aren't paying much attention to begin with, they only notice the words they recognize and respond accordingly. Didn't you notice that most of the time my waiters just look expectantly at you?"
- Current Location:another time, another place
I recently ordered two spools of Soie Goblien for $11.90, $17.75 with shipping. A spool of Soie Goblien silk embroidery thread contains 50 m of silk floss and comes in many colors. A skein of DMC cotton floss is $0.74 for 8.7 yd at your local craft store. My transportation costs are about about $3, significantly below the millage reimbursement.
On a per yard basis, the Soie Goblein costs ~$0.108 and the DMC cotton ~$0.093. The DMC can be divided into six strands, so depending on how you use it, the DMC can be as little as $0.014 per yard. Although to be fair 2 stands of the DMC floss is equivalent in thickness to Soie Goblien, so $0.028. When you factor in transportation and mail costs and assuming one buys similar amounts of each, the Soie Goblien is ~$0.162/yard and DMC floss is ~$0.116/yard for the whole 6 stands or $0.039/yard for 2 stands.
So what's the point? Good silk floss can cost 4-5 times more per yard than cotton. However, what you are paying for is the beauty of silk. That's something to think about the next time you plan an embroidery project.
What do you think would have happened if Harald Godwinson won the Battle of Hastings and why? Leave a comment.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9606163/In-everything-we-say-there-is-an-echo-of-1066.html
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Why? First, the Tudors would never have come to the throne because the Norman elite from whom they were descended wouldn't…