Saturday, December 31, 2011

Top 10 Blogger's DIY of 2011

Love Maegan D&G shoes - Inspiration&Realisation Valentino bow shirt- A pair and a spare cut out dress- Chic Steals Screen print skirt Honestly wtf Dolce&Gabbana pasta earrings




Desdenerife con amor Glitter shoes - Keith Haring shirt by Outsapop - Clear cuffs by Love Aesthetics - Farabella bag by Feed your Style - Rodarde Boots by Disarming Darling

Today I would like to wish you a happy new year and share with you my top 10 blogger's diy of 2011 ,all prjects that wowed me and inspired me. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog during this year, expect even more diy projects for the next one. Which have been your favorite diy projects of 2011? Which inspired you the most?

And what about this page? Below I'll show you some of my favorite projects,(yes I know,mostly shoes, guilty!) what is your favorite? Share your thougths!
Thanks for reading this page and for your sweet comments!
HAPPY NEW (crafty) YEAR!

Oggi vorrei augurarvi un felice 2012 e condividere con voi quelli che a mio avviso sono stati i progetti diy più belli del web, quelli che mi hanno più colpito e ispirato. Spero che questo blog sia riuscito ad intrattenervi durante questo 2011, se si attendetevi ancora più idee per il 2012. Quali sono stati i vostri diy preferiti in assoluto?

E invece quali  vi sono piaciuti di più in questa pagina? Di seguito troverete i link ai progetti che io preferisco (lo so! Quasi tutte scarpe!).
Grazie per aver letto questo blog e per tutti i vostri simpatici commenti, Auguro un Buon Anno (creativo) a tutti!

how to fix a broken eyeshadow - Zara asymmetric shoes - glitter shoes DIY - studded shoes DIY

Friday, December 30, 2011

Down Goes Claude

Millionaire developer Claude de Botton loses his appeal in his effort to block rival BPG from developing it's town center project in Newtown Square. He was supposed to be paying $1.2 million a month in escrow to carry on his "frivolous" appeal but that was stayed months ago.

Whether that's back on was unclear from the court ruling.

Here's the background.

Fluffy feathers shoes DIY

alexander wang fluffy shoes, alexander wang diy,fluffy shoes diy,feather shoes diy,wedding shoes diy,marras diy,spring shoes diy,pin on decorations,diy shoes

alexander wang fluffy shoes,alexander wang fall 2011,antonio marras spring 2012 shoes,fluffy shoes 2012 spring
the inspiration Alexander Wang heels fall 2011 - Antonio Marras spring 2012

Last summer we talked about the fluffy shoes designed by Alexander Wang for fall 2011 asking if they were wearable or not. We both agreed that they were very dramatic. If you tried to forget about them i'll tell you: the trend of the fluffy shoes is here to stay; in fact during the latest Milano fashion week (read my report of Milano fashion week here) a sassy, fluffy detail appeared again on shoes in the Antonio Marras spring 2012 collection. Feathers are not suitable for daily wear but they can make special a pair of shoes for a evening (maybe new year's eve?), so what if they were detachable? In this fashion diy you'll see how to create a detachable feather clip decoration that can be added on top of your shoes. Since it is detachable it can decorate wedding shoes, an headband, it can be used as a brooch, as a ring, you can pin it wherever you like! You can give a new look to your shoes in minutes! What do you think of the result?


Le scarpe disegnate da Alexander Wang, sono di quelle che dividono le donne in due gruppi: quelle che le amano e quelle che le odiano. Se pensavate che fosse un trend da archiviare vi informo che le scarpe "pelose" sono comparse nelle ultime sfilate di Milano nella collezione di Antonio Marras. Tutte concordiamo siano molto sceniche e magari poco adatte ad essere indossate tutti i giorni, magari solo per una serata speciale (magari proprio Capodanno?). E se fossero rimuovibili? Nel fai-da-te di oggi vi mostrerò come realizzare una decorazione in piume rimuovibile che può essere inserita sulle scarpe. Essendo rimuovibile questa decorazione può essere appuntata su cerchietti,giacche,anelli, dovunque vogliate. Sono necessari pochi step per donare un nuovo look alle vostre scarpe, che ne pensate?

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Viva Senna

I am not a car racing fan but this was very good.

Conlin Continued

In an otherwise, OK column about the Bill Conlin controversy/tragedy, Rich Hofmann makes the mistake of writing the following two paragraphs:
The other day, a stranger shouted from two cars over in a convenience-store parking lot: "Did any of you guys know?" He asked it innocently enough, not maliciously, but the man had no idea how insulting the question was. That is where we are, though. You spend Christmas telling family and friends you were as shocked as everyone else, and then you shrug a lot.
Two or three people emailed, wondering when I was going to write a column about Conlin to compare with the ones I wrote about the Jerry Sandusky situation at Penn State. I did not answer them, even though I do have an answer. The Penn State issue was not centered on the allegations of evil, but the way the athletic program dealt with the allegations. Conlin's case is different, because there is no suggestion of a coverup and because his connection to sports is just the accident of his employment. That is the answer, but it would not satisfy a lot of people.
Well, he's got the last part right.

First of all, the question asked by the stranger, despite Hofmann's sensitivity towards it, is a perfectly fair and reasonable question.

It is the sort of question journalists ask as a matter of routine when something awful happens. Some guy does something terrible and we go to his family, friends, and fellow employees -- in short, anyone who knew him, and ask "What was he like?" "Did this surprise you? "Did you have any suspicions he might do something like this."

Where's the insult? This is what we do. We ask questions. Why should we be surprised or insulted in being asked when we're the ones who happen to know - or at least be associated with - the person involved? And, of course, Hofmann can only speak for himself about what he "knows" about Conlin. He doesn't know what anybody else at the paper "knew" or suspected or heard rumors about.

As for the differences between the Conlin story and the Sandusky situation, Hofmann has a point. But only a small one. There was, after all, a cover-up in Conlin's case. It was engaged in, at the very least, by Conlin (if he is guilty), his alleged victims and their families.

Whether anyone at the Daily News or the Inquirer ever heard rumors of Conlin's alleged proclivity toward children, is still an open question. No one has come forward to say so. Most all of the allegations again him go back 30-40 years. My father and stepmom worked with Conlin decades ago. My dad's gone but I asked her about Conlin. She wasn't insulted.

As for the alleged "cover-up" at Penn State, that remains an allegation, not a proven fact. Two administrators are charged with lying to a grand jury and failing to report an incident that was reported to them. How it was reported to them - how it was described - remains very much a bone of contention. Personally, I'll be shocked if they are found guilty based on the word Mike "I did the right thing" McQueary.

But the sports media has hardly distinguished with it's lynch-mob approach to the scandal. These administrators knew Jerry Sandusky was a monster and they covered it up to protect the Penn State brand. That has been the working assumption of dozens, maybe hundreds, of column writers and journalists. Heads, including Joe Paterno's, were called for within hours of the release of the grand jury report. And they were delivered by a shocked and panic-stricken board of trustees. (Based on what I read, I too thought Paterno had to go. But the more times I read the grand jury report, the more questions I had about who was told what, when and by whom.)

I don't know Rich Hofmann but I remember meeting him once. If I remember it correctly it was at a going away party for a former Daily Times sports editor. He struck me as a good guy, a decent guy. And I think his column about Conlin is full of decency. And so was Bob Ford's column on the subject.

Ford knew Conlin better than Hofmann, but not, of course, about his alleged history of sticking his fingers in children.

As he wrote:
I don't know the Bill Conlin who was described in The Inquirer as an alleged serial molester of young children, but I know too much now about the crime and the secrecy that goes along with it to disbelieve with any certainty he exists. 
I never met that man, but I have known for 30 years the bombastic, funny, ridiculously talented Philadelphia Daily News sportswriter who I thought was Bill Conlin. I have worked with him, traveled with him, drunk with him, played tennis with him, and stood under a thousand spring training suns talking mostly about baseball but eventually about everything else. Everything but this.
Well, certainly not everything. We all have our secrets. Some are darker than others. And some are so dark we barely admit them to ourselves.

Familiarity breeds contempt. But it also breeds compassion and decency and sadness when a friend is disgraced.

But a lot of the stuff written about the Penn State case hasn't been decent. A lot of it has been lousy with conclusion-jumping, bad-faith assumptions and sanctimony. Hofmann's stuff on the subject has been better and fairer than most. Still, he was part of the media herd that jumped to the same conclusions about Paterno's "guilt" and that of the other administration officials based on the word of Mike McQueary, a man whose credibility has since been thoroughly compromised.

If the allegations again Sandusky are true, he was an ongoing monster; a man who fed his sexual appetite for young boys by creating a charity to mentor - or rather to "groom" - them.

Conlin, on the other hand, if guilty, appears to have gone through a phase. When his access to children (mostly family members) diminished so did his crimes.

His alleged crimes are old, which makes this all the more tragic for him. He must've thought he'd outrun his demons only to have them catch up to him so late in life. Satchel Paige was right.

And so too, I bet, is Ford. The Conlin he knew wasn't the Conlin who violated those children. But still he had to live with the memory of that other self. It was a self he helped suppress with the persona of a bombastic "I'm-smarter-than-you" know-it-all. And thanks to the silence of others, he succeeded for years.

He didn't want to look back. But something was gaining on him.

Why Violent Crime is Down

Charles Murray explains this graph:



... and he sez: "Keep locking 'em up."

(Note to my friend Bob: Murray is a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. But the graph comes from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports. Which is to say Lynn Cheney had nothing to do with it.)

Barry in a Bubble

The president doesn't like to "schmooze." Plus, he misses Reggie. The New York Times has the story.

Space trainers

mihara yasuhiro puma, metallic trainers,metallic flats, trainersmihara yasuhiro puma, metallic trainers,metallic flats, trainers
mihara yasuhiro puma, metallic trainers,metallic flats, trainers

Even if trainers are not my favorite kind of shoes I have to say these got my attention with their metallic silver color, the melted  rubber and cut out details. They're part of a Puma capsule collection designed by the japanese designer Mihara Yasuhiro.

Graph Infection

Economic charts that might surprise you, brought to you by the American Enterprise Institute. For instance... Income inequality hasn't exploded in the last couple of decades.

Check out the rest of them too. A couple are kind of, well, scary.

Hewitt vs. Williamson

Having linked to Kevin Williamson's piece on the relationship between Wall Street and Washington the other day, I found this conversation between Hugh Hewitt and Williamson quite interesting.

I think Hewitt gets the better of it. You decide.

Wanted: Fat Bastard Jr.


Wanted: Michael Goodwater - 6-foot, 350 pounds - for strong arm robbery of an 86-year-old man who got a little lucky a Harrah's casino in Chester.

May be found in the company of his father...


Approach with caution.







Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Green Energy Bombs

(Posted By Dannytheman)

Prospects Darken for Solar

Plug your electric car into any panel you want!  Then wait for a sunny week.


H/T to Glenn Foden

The Democrats Rule Ends Soon

(Posted by Dannytheman)

Barney Frank is stepping down from the House, but the bigger story is 8 more Democrats are following him out the door!
These Democrats are all senior level veterans of the House or Senate. Turmoil is happening and I think it bodes poorly on President Obama's possible reelection chances. I think the Democrats see the writing on the wall, they will not win the House, and stand a great chance of losing the Senate in an old fashion whooping!! Someone asked me what poll I was quoting on another story written earlier. While I couldn't dig up that daily poll, I offer this as further proof of the major pendulum swing coming in 2012!

More details.



My design for UGG Australia


ugg boots,ugg australia,ugg design,chic ugg,black ugg,quilted ugg boots
ugg boots,ugg australia,ugg design,chic ugg,black ugg,quilted ugg boots
the croco ugg boots - McQueen blouse -  Ivory  winsor necklaceMoschino Bouclè jacket - Miss Sicily bag

A while back Ugg Australia contacted me to join their DIY contest :Art and soles and design a pair of Uggs so this is my entry. It's a black boot decorated with a crocodile quilted pattern. I chose the crocodile pattern because exotic leathers are associated with luxury and my aim was to design a boot that could be stylish with personality. I wanted to make them special with sophisticated details.
Do you like them? Would you wear them? If your answer is yes then you can support me by voting this design on talenthouse. You can make it happen, you can take these boots into the stores! I would be super thrilled to see someone buying, loving and wearing these boots!!

VOTE THIS DESIGN

Qualche tempo fa Ugg Australia mi ha contattato per invitarmi a partecipare al loro DIY contest e a disegnare un paio dei famosi stivaletti così ecco la mia proposta. E' una stivaletto nero decorato con una trapuntatura che disegna una stampa coccodrillo. Ho scelto il coccodrillo perchè le pelli esotiche sono associate all'idea di lusso ed esclusività. Il mio obiettivo era quello di disegnare uno stivaletto elegante ma con personalità impreziosito da dettagli sofisticati. Vi piacciono? Li indossereste? Se la vostra risposta è si allora potete supportare questo design votandolo su talent house. Sarete voi a portare nei negozi questi stivaletti!
Sarebbe magnifico poter avvistare questi stivaletti mentre camminano per la città!

CUENTOS PARA DESPERTAR ZENTAO · V · Trabajando para la Iluminación

Después de un día intenso, por la llegada de cientos de miembros de la Orden desde todas partes del mundo, dos discípulos se refrescaban en las aguas del río del ashram, preparándose para la meditación.

¡Mira!, le dijo uno al otro:  ¡cómo te creció tu panza en tu puesto de director!. Me creció como la panza del Buddha Japonés, le contestó.
El Maestro escuchó el diálogo caminando hacia las piedras más altas del ashram,  su sitio elegido al oriente para meditar en el atardecer.
Una semana después  aún no aparecía su amigo buddhico japonés  a meditar, por lo cual preguntó al Maestro que había sucedido.
El Maestro con su sonrisa socavona, rascándose la barba le contestó: Al Buddhico japonés, le creció la panza por meditar ZenTao. Ahora trabaja para su iluminación,  fabrica cincuenta y dos losetas con sus manos  para el camino que lleva desde la entrada del Ashram a la Cámara del Silencio.
¿Quieres seguir su ejemplo?.
Por Sisul.





Boycott Sunoco

I thought something like this would be coming:
Earlier this month, council voted 7-0 to cease using Sunoco oil to fuel borough vehicles and is calling on all residents and officials from Delaware County school districts, county and municipalities to discontinue using Sunoco or ConocoPhillips gasoline to fuel their vehicles or frequenting the company’s mini-marts. 
“I don’t think we should patronize two companies that are going to devastate the Delaware County economy,” Sharon Hill Councilman Scott MacNeil said. “People need to understand how devastating it’s going to be when these refineries close.”
I'm all for it.

The White House Repo'ed

Former editor of the Main Line Times, Kevin Williamson, get off a good shot on the relationship between Wall Street and Washington:
In a world of $600,000 cars (consult your local Maybach dealer) and $4,300-a-night whores (consult Eliot Spitzer), it’s no big deal to buy a president, which is precisely what Wall Street did in 2008 when, led by investment giant Goldman Sachs, it closed the deal on Barack Obama.

Our Patriotic President vs. An Unpatriotic One



File under: Hope, Change, Hypocrisy.

UPDATE: Happy Holidays

Spencerblog vs. Editorial Board

Two views on the new driving laws meant to make Pennsylvania safer: Ours and Mine.

From Ours:
It’s a scene that’s been replayed, too many times, all too often here in Delaware County. A group of teenagers. A speeding car. A horrible accident. Multiple fatalities.
They’re tragedies that sear the soul of the community every time they happen. Adults despair. Teens grieve deeply and slow down the car – for a while, anyway.
And everyone wonders why, and if anything can be done to prevent another tragedy in the future.
There are no certainties in life. But the Pennsylvania Legislature, which does so many things wrong, did something right this year. It approved a package of new restrictions on teenage drivers that set passenger limitations, seat belt requirements and mandates more driver education.
From Mine:
In 1999, a Johns Hopkins University study noticed that school districts that dumped their drivers’ ed programs (mostly for reasons of cost) saw a 27 percent decrease in car accidents among teen drivers.
How is that possible? Simple. Driver’s ed only really teaches kids how to handle a car, not how to drive responsibly.
Ten years later, even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration caught on.
“Despite widespread appeal of driver education, scientific evaluations indicate that it does not produce safer drivers,” said the NHTSA in a 2009 report.
With teens, the problem isn’t their driving skills — it’s their not-yet-formed decision-making ability. The frontal lobe of the average teenager’s brain is still in the process of being formed and nothing in the new law speeds that up.
The state is now requiring the extra 15 hours of driver’s training to be split between night driving and in bad weather. It would be more effective to require teen drivers to read a book or practice a musical instrument (though not while driving). Both are known to improve brain function.
UPDATE: My source on the teen brain function: NPR

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Holiday Greetings from The Minority Leader?


This hateful and, I suspect, doctored Christmas card comes to you care of Moonbattery. I always thought Nancy Pelosi's head was too big for her body. But not THIS big!

Best Science Stories 2011

Check out the Top 10 Science Stories for 2011. Strangely, the faster-than-light neutrinos story came in at number 7.  There's a reason for that.

UPDATE: Science magazine's "Breakthrough of the Year" goes to AIDS research:
HIV/AIDS researchers have long debated whether antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) used to treat HIV-infected people might have a double benefit and cut transmission rates. To some it was obvious: ARVs reduce HIV levels, so individuals should be less infectious. Skeptics contended that this was unproven. Then in May of this year, the 052 clinical trial conducted by the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) reported that ARVs reduced the risk of heterosexual transmission by 96%. Because of HPTN 052's profound implications for the future response to the AIDS epidemic, Science has chosen it as its Breakthrough of the Year.
If this pans out the Milton Hershey School will be able to rethink having that an HIV positive student on campus.

Working Overtime on Pension Padding in Philly

Police overtime in Philly is being abused. Pensions are being padded. Good thing nothing like that could happen in Delco.

Legislating While Driving

Typically, Spencerblog is skeptical of new laws meant to make driving safer. Either the penalties aren't severe enough to affect behavior or the targeted class isn't that dangerous to begin with.

Today new restrictions and penalties go into effect on teen drivers. For the most part I see these efforts as state legislators responding to specific tragedies and parent lobbies.

You want to get serious about cutting down the number of traffic fatalities? Outlaw left turns. And raise the driving age to 30. That would do it. Until then all this is just busy work for busybodies.

Make a jewelry holder with a box of chocolates

how make jewelry holder,jewelry holder,chocolates box,diy


This is not properly a tutorial it's more a suggestion on how to recycle a box of chocolates turning it into a rings holder. The tough part comes first: you and your friends have to eat all the chocolates then you can insert all your fancy rings into the box so they are clearly on display and you can quickly choose between them.

Quello di oggi non è propriamente un tutorial è più un suggerimento su come riciclare una scatola di cioccolatini trasformandola in un porta gioielli. La parte più difficile sarà sicuramente consumare i cioccolatini ma con l'aiuto di qualche amico ce la potete fare; poi andrete a riempire la scatola con i vostri anelli o anche orecchini così saranno esposti in bella vista e potrete scegliere rapidamente quali indossare.

how make jewelry holder,jewelry holder,chocolates box,diy
how make jewelry holder,jewelry holder,chocolates box,diy

Monday, December 26, 2011

Bill Conlin: Giving Pompous Asshats a Bad Name

The more I read about this particular accused child-molester, the more I think the above headline is right on.

At least Jerry Sandusky seemed like a nice guy.

UPDATE: From Conlin's emails to A.J. Daulerio at Deadspin right before the story broke...
... I am a lot bigger to the Daily News than Sandusky ever was to Penn State. But I don't have 19 years of heinous molestations involving children in my care that were covered up at many institutional levels. My daughter used to babysit Carlton's and McCarver's kids in spring training. Kalas' kids and my sons are still close. They were home-schooled by the same spring training tutor. 
          Me to Conlin (10:50 p.m.): So you don't want it out there before the grave, newspaper
          version hits.
Conlin to me (11:10 p.m.): No, because that makes it a transparent move to cover my ass and which could be construed as a tactical plea bargain. In either case, I will have no choice but to either retire or resign from the Daily News. My "old, red, eyes," as you described them in your generous piece in PhillyMag, have seen more than enough. I will be 78 in May and should have fucking retired 12 years ago. But because I continued to attract more readers on average than any writer on either paper they gave me a sweetheart deal I could not refuse. But I make enough in pension and SS to walk on my salary to retire comfortably. I just do not wish to exit with an undeserved "P" on my chest. If the piece this beatch writes paints me as a Jekyll-Hyde without identifying the "accusers," their names need to be out there next to mine—since they bought houses from my wife, drank my vodka the night of her viewing and decided after 40 years it was Sandusky Time to come out.
See what I mean.

We're Number One!

The United States leads the world in charitable giving.
According to the study, the United States is only the 10th most generous nation globally in monetary terms, but combined with high rankings in other areas such as volunteering (5th) and helping strangers (2nd) the total score put the US at the top in terms of overall generosity. Last year the US was ranked number 5, worldwide.
Behind the US, the most generous nation overall in 2011 were (in order) Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Laos. Meanwhile, the country ranked as the least charitable nation on earth is Madagascar.
When you beat out North Korea and Burma for last place, that's saying something.


UPDATE: More proof right here.

How to wear sequins

asos sequin dress,sequin dress

This is the time of the year when sequins are never over the top. If you plan to wear a sparkly dress on new year's eve here are some quick tips to wear sequins with confidence without look overdone.


  1. Dose sequins wisely: If you wear a dress covered in sequins don't match sequinned accessories like bags or shoes.
    sequin shoes, sequin bag, sequin accessories,how to wear sequins
    Clutch Nordstrom Brogues :topshop. sequin shoes Lanvin, pink sequin shoes Miu Miu
  2. Skip jewelry or wear small bijoux
  3. Sequins are not only evening wear. Wear them during the day matching them with jeans and blazer sequin shoes, sequin bag, sequin accessories,how to wear sequins, how to wear sequins day,day wear
  4. Wear sparkly make up and nails. If you're too shy to wear a sequinned dress enlight your look using a sparkly manicure or glitter eyeliner
sequin make up,glitter make up,glitter eyeliner, glitter nail polish,glitter pot,how to to wear sequins
Pupa nail polish - Urban decay eyeliner  - MAC glitter pot

Le feste natalizie sono il periodo perfetto per indossare un look illuminato da paillettes. Se anche voi avete deciso di stupire con abito di strass ecco alcuni veloci consigli per non esagerare.
  1. Dosate le paillettes. Se indossate un abito in paillettes non abbinatelo ad accessori anch'essi coperti di paillettes come scarpe e borse.
  2. Non indossate gioielli o sceglieteli piccoli
  3. Le paillettes non sono solo un indumento da sera ma possono essere indossate anche il giorno sdrammatizzandole con un jeans e un blazer.
  4. Illuminate il make up. Se pensate che un abito ricoperto di paillettes sia eccessivo per il vostro stile potete illuminate il make up con smalti e eyeliner glitterati.

    Buy This Magazine Or We'll Put Clothes On This Girl


    News item:
    Lohan ‘Playboy’ cover flying off shelves
    Yeah, but are people taking the rest of the magazine with it?

    It's Take Away Time

    Robert Samuelson warns that time is running out on our elected leaders to come to grips with our looming fiscal crisis.
    WASHINGTON -- There are moments when our political system, whose essential job is to mediate conflicts in broadly acceptable and desirable ways, is simply not up to the task. It fails. This may be one of those moments. What we learned in 2011 is that the frustrating and confusing budget debate may never reach a workable conclusion. It may continue indefinitely until it's abruptly ended by a severe economic or financial crisis that wrenches control from elected leaders. 
    We are shifting from "give away politics" to "take away politics." Since World War II, presidents and Congresses have been in the enviable position of distributing more benefits to more people without requiring ever-steeper taxes. Now, this governing formula no longer works, and politicians face the opposite: taking away -- reducing benefits or raising taxes significantly -- to prevent government deficits from destabilizing the economy. It is not clear that either Democrats or Republicans can navigate the change.
    Which is to say that the 12 percent of Americans who "approve" of congress are woefully ignorant.  

    Sunday, December 25, 2011

    I Think I Hear It

    A Christmas Story

    So before 9 a.m. this morning I am on my way to pick up Jake Spencer for Christmas breakfast. The traffic was light but driving down Route 352 through Middletown I spotted a Media police car coming the other way at a pretty good clip. I immediately thought that it was too bad that on Christmas morning there was an emergency that required police attention. But as the car sped by I noticed the driver was wearing a Santa's hat. I took that to be a pretty good sign that whatever the emergency was it involved something Christmasy.

    I called Mrs. Spencerblog to tell her about what I'd just seen and it put her in mind of something she herself had witnessed an hour earlier.

    She'd gotten up early to take a client's dogs for a Christmas morning walk. In the woods she looked up to find a hawk looking down at her from a tree. They exchanged eye contact and a moment later the hawk took off.

    "He was carrying a squirrel in his talon as he flew away," my wife said. "Ewwww!"

     "That's a nice story," I replied. "Was the squirrel wearing a Santa's hat?"

    Merry Christmas to all!

    christmas tree
    One of my Mom insuperable cakes
    We used candy canes as placeholders
    prosecco,valdobiadene
    the Prosecco of feast day

    Merry Christmas!

    Saturday, December 24, 2011

    Andy MacPhail's Christmas Gift to Baltimore

    The Orioles have plenty of holes to fill this offseason and seemingly every offseason. But there is one critical position that they do not have to fill. Shortstop.

    You could make the argument that the rarest commodity in the free agent market this season is a shortstop who can hit and field his position well. (OK, good all-around catchers and starting pitching is probably a rarer commodity.) But thanks to the dealings of former team president Andy MacPhail over the last year, the O's don't have to overpay for that talent now.

    Last December, MacPhail dealt a couple of minor league relievers to the Twins for SS J.J. Hardy. For a couple of spare parts, Hardy turned out to be a low-cost, low-risk gamble that paid off big for the O's. Hardy played a good defensive shortstop, posted an .801 OPS and had 57 extra base hits. It was a performance from a Baltimore shortstop that we haven't seen since the early days of the Miguel Tejada era.

    Knowing how tight the shortstop market would be after the season, MacPhail and the Orioles signed Hardy to a 3-year extension for a total contract of $22.5M. Given Hardy's age and skillset the contract stacks up very well to what other free agent shortstops are getting this offseaon.

                     AGE   3-year OPS+  3-year WAR total   Total Contract  Yearly Average
    J. Reyes 29 120 9.9 $111M $18.5M
    J. Rollins 33 91 9.3 $33M $11.0M
    R. Furcal 34 98 8.2 $14M $7.0M
    Y. Betancourt 30 77 -0.7 $2M $2.0M
    J.J. Hardy 29 98 8.7 $22.5M $7.5M


    In a market where Ronny Cedeno is now considered a hot commodity and other free agents are going for much more, Hardy's extension looks like a relative bargain.

    And unlink some other free agents signed last offseason to play in Baltimore, Hardy actually will be a tradeable commodity come July.

    No, Hardy is not the player Reyes is when he's healthy and Hardy certainly has some injury risks of his own but he is very likely to fill the shortstop position until Manny Machado is ready to take over or bring back some other prospects to replentish the farm system. And the Orioles don't have to overpay this offseason to get a competent shortstop.

    Thanks, Andy. You had many good moments as GM but Hardy may turn out to be one of your better ones.

    Friday, December 23, 2011

    Ofrenda de Navidad

    Amigas y Amigos del alma:

    En el árbol de la vida que crece por nuestra consciencia...
    y se ilumina en la eterna navidad para los que están despiertos...
    en el preámbulo de todo lo posible,
    donde en el umbral del silencio se revelan los anHelos del alma,
    brindo por tu presente de misterio
    y te ofrendo el mío.
    Que la luz del sol encienda una eterna Navidad en tu corazón.
     Mi gratitud y reverencia.

    Paddy Cats



    It's only got 12.9 million views.

    H/t undercover corporate titan

    Lela New York Wishes you a Happy Holidays

    Wishing you happiness and PEACE.

    xo

    Friday Funny


    The 4th Best or 1st worst?

    (Posted by Dannytheman)

    The 4th Best of All Time?!!?  


    The Conlin Con

    The child molestation wave crashes on our doorstep. My print column is up.

    Thursday, December 22, 2011

    Correo de la Escuela de T.A.I.

    Queridos Amigos:

    Después de la práctica virtual con Claudia, Carmen y Lucrecia del grupo de Palmira y las noticias de Julián con los grupos del Centro Cultural Anahata y José M. Estrada en Cali, sólo falta Fanny en Tuluá, y Beatriz en Armenia para que establezcamos un circuito  en el Valle, Colombia.

    Como estamos haciendo en Yucatán, México, con las asesorías virtuales con Neyfi, Yolanda, Virginia y en  Centro América, Chile y Argentina.

    Con Uno se cambia a si mismo a través de la autodisciplina (1 centro energético,Tierra). Con Dos (el otro) abrimos el canal de prosperidad participando en la cadena del linaje, herencia y porvenir para el enriquecimiento del alma, como el agua viva (2 centro AGUA, sexo y dinero), dando a  los demás lo que recibimos pagamos el karma de nuestras deudas.

    Así, dejando a otro en el lugar que ocupamos, la vida nos permite ocupar un nuevo nivel, en vez de dejar vacío el lugar por involuntad y desvalorización. Al dejar, abortamos el propósito de construcción de un nuevo ORDEN de Existencia con ÉL (3 centro órganismo en acción), entonces si no vivimos para servir a la vida, no le  servimos a la vida. Viviendo en Ritmo con el presente, experimentamos el Nosotros (4 nivel cooperación sistémica) generando una nueva consciencia de entidad grupal.

    Espero sus contactos personales y grupales por skype.
    Con el ANHELO de Prosperidad en sus vidas.

    Luz para todos.
     

    Desde Cali:

    Buen día para todos.

    Realmente es grato saber que estamos en la onda del chikung, en mi caso, indiscutiblemente solo tengo los días sábados para acompañarlos en las prácticas (con mucho gusto asistiré); por otro lado, les cuento que en anahata, las prácticas van muy bien (les envío algunas de las fotos que he tomado), Zamira es una persona encantadora.

    En el centro Manuel Estrada también van muy bien luego les envío fotos de allá; Fanny es una gran persona.

    Un gran abrazo para todos de parte mía y de esposita hermosa

    Gracias. Julián


    Desde Mérida, Yucatán

    Hola 

    Qué gusto saber que somos varios los que estamos con las prácticas, aquí en Mérida (sureste de México) no estamos haciendo los ejercicios por las noches a eso de las 8:30, a raíz de publicación de la invitación en un revista de la zona  han llegado como seis personas que estamos vivenciando la meditación con la armonización de los sentidos y la primera parte de los ejercicios así que agradecemos nos apoyen con la parte no hemos recibido para seguir dando.

    Un abrazo.

    Neyfi

    (foto Lucero en una comunidad Maya de Yucatán, prestando servicio).

     

    Buzz Bissinger's Failure of Critical Thinking Skills


    Journalist Buzz Bissinger has weighed in on the Bill Conlin molestation story at the Daily Beast. He ends it thusly:
    "Conlin leaves behind a body of work, just like former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno leaves behind a body of work. But they both add up to the exact same thing now:
    Nothing."
    Bissinger has been just one more member of the media lynch mob out to hang Paterno for his failure to do more to bring Jerry Sandusky to justice. But this is beyond the pale.

    Comparing Paterno's alleged failure to report (which is false on it's face) to Conlin's alleged sexual abuse of children is beyond unfair. It's ludicrous. 

    Bissinger might as well be trashing the families of Conlin's alleged victims for failing to go to the police years ago.

    Last Minute Holiday Cheer! | NYC Christmas & Holiday Cookies

    If you waited to the last minute like um, me :) There is still a chance for all of us to arrive at that holiday party with a great holiday gift! Cookies! Who doesn't love cookies?! Don't worry you don't have to bak'em just buy them. Leave it to the experts at Eleni's New York Bakery! They have the cutest holiday cookies with all different shapes and themes. You can even personalize them for your host or loved one. How cute are the NYC Taxi cookies or the puppies?! So don't fret you will be sure to be invited again with these goodies ;)

    xo

    Wednesday, December 21, 2011

    DIY idea: pom pon scarf

    pom pon scarf,pom pon tutorial,pom pon diy,sandra backlund pom pon
    colored pom pon scarf Accessorize - white pom pon scarf-top by Sandra Backlund

    During these cold days the scarf is one key accessory we cannot live without. The pom pon scarf  is cute and can be easily made at home. Anyone can do pom pons, they're a quick , no sew diy project. If you like the multi colored one pictured above you can even make a new scarf recycling yarn leftover so you'll have a new scarf for free
    Do you think a pom pon scarf is only suitable for kids? Have a look at the picture on the right where we see pom pons going high fashion in the scuptural white top by Sandra Backlund.
    So bottom line: how do we make a pom pon?

    how make pom pon,pom pon tutorial,pom pon diy
    how to make a pom pon picture via fashion crochet
    What do you need?
    carboard
    scissors
    yarn
    1. cut two discs of cardboard 3 inches wide (the width sets the dimensions of the finished pom pon)
    2. overlap the two discs
    3. wrap the yarn around the discs until they're full (the more yarn you add the fuller the pom pon will be)
    4. use the scissors and cut all loops along the edges
    5. carefully separate the discs unveiling the center of the pom pon; cut another piece of yarn and knot  all the yarns together at the center
    6. remove the discs,  and you've done
    After making several pom pons connect them using another piece of yarn and a needle, insert a pom pon after another and you've done!  
    PS: the pom pon scarf can make a nice Christmas gift!



    Durante le fredde giornate d'inverno la sciarpa è un accessorio di cui non possiamo fare a meno. La sciarpa con i pom pon è simpatica e può essere realizzata in casa. Tutti possono realizzare i pom pon, sono veloci e non richiedono alcuna cucitura. Se volete una sciarpa multicolore come quella di Accessorize potrete addirittura realizzarla riciclando gli avanzi di gomitoli che avete in casa ottenendo una nuova sciarpa completamente gratis. Se pensate che i pom pon siano adatti solo ai bambini ricredetevi guardando il top couture realizzato da Sandra Backlund. Allora, come si realizzano i pom pon?

    Avete bisogno di:
    cartone
    forbici
    lana

    1. ritagliate due dischi di cartone del diametro di 7 centimetri ( la dimensione dei dischi determinerà la dimensione finale dei pom pon)
    2. sovrapponete i due dischi
    3. avvolgete il filo intorno ai dischi fino a ricoprirli (più filo aggiungerete più pieni risulteranno i pom pon)
    4. usando le forbici ritagliate gli anelli di lana sul bordi dei dischi
    5. separate con cura i dischi scoprendo così il centro del pom pon;  tagliate un altro pezzo di filo e formate un nodo al centro bloccando tutti i fili insieme
    6. a questo punto rimuovete i dischi di cartone e il pom pon è fatto.
    Dopo aver realizzato più pom pon connetteteli prendendo ago e filo e infilandoli uno dietro l'altro e la sciarpa è pronta!

    PS: la sciarpa con i pom pon può essere un perfetto regalo di Natale!

    Cuentos para Despertar ZENTAO · IV · Despertar ParaDos · Despertar ZenTao

    El Maestro en su recorrida matinal con su cámara de video captaba, entre los árboles, el contorno del horizonte del pico nevado de Orizaba  desde el comedor, las expresiones de las flores que rodeaban la cámara secreta del Segundo Grado, camino al domo geodésico. Fotografiaba las murallas de bambú que cultivaba para la fabricación de bastones para el Wu-shu, mientras vigilaba de cerca a sus discípulos realizando sus prácticas.

    “Cuando veo sus cuerpos, veo sus almas, cuando veo la forma, vivo la esencia”, les  decía.
    Luego al atardecer en el estudio antes de meditar se regocijaba pasando la filmación, donde proyectaba sobredimensionados los defectos del alma que reflejaban los cuerpos: Unos con sus pies retorcidos intentando hacer el loto invertido, otros escondiéndose entre la maleza  para que no los vieran, se veían en ridículo y todos terminaban envueltos en una carcajada.
    Le preguntó uno de sus discípulos: - Maestro, ¿por qué me hizo orar parado una hora y a otros los hizo sentar sobre las  rodillas flexionadas?
    - Despertar…poesía…éxodo, murmuró el Maestro.
    Todos quedaron en un profundo silencio tratando de entender lo que él había murmurado.
    Están dormidos, despierten!, ¿para cuándo van a realizar el Buddha? que significa ¡estar despiertos!, exclamó el Maestro...y viéndolos tan solemnes, les dijo:
    - A tí, si a tí, el soberbio, que te sabes el Uno, por tu destreza y flexibilidad en las posturas de piso,  tienes que realizar como los hebreos, el vínculo sagrado con el SER, el DOS,  para Despertar PARA-DOS.
    El Maestro volvió a dirigirse a otro de sus discípulos  a su lado, dicéndole: A tí, por el contrario, tan humilde y obediente, que no puedes flexionar las rodillas, necesitas ser como el Musulmán, prostrado ante DIOS, para Despertar ZenTao. Ésa noche los discípulos se quedaron despiertos toda la noche riéndose de las anécdotas del día.
    Sucedió que al amanecer, el Maestro sonriente puso la música de armonización como todos los días, mirando las últimas estrellas hacia el oeste en silencio, mientras que los discípulos aun dormían felices.

    Por Sisul