[Updating: Police confirm that two men rode up to the Washington Mall in Hamilton, went into the Gold Standard store and began smashing the display cases and stealing jewellery, with one of the suspects pointing a suspected firearm at one of the workers.] Police have confirmed that there was a robbery in Washington Mall in […] (Click to read the full article)

Bermudian fashion consultant Shiona Turini recently worked with American magazine Variety to style Kerry Washington for the publication’s cover photo shoot. Ms. Turini was also recently recognized for working with toy maker Mattel to style a line of Barbie dolls, and earlier this year attended the Costume Designers Guild Awards [CGDA] in Beverly Hills, California, […] (Click to read the full article)

One of the most important tips for protecting yourself from COVID-19 is to wash your hands for 20 seconds, or as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. British teen William Gibson decided he wanted the public to have more song options while fighting the spread of coronavirus.

Gibson created an online tool that allows a user to enter the title of their chosen song and artist to automatically generate a poster. The poster matches lyrics from the song to a 13-step washing routine. The UK’s NHS Health Secretary Matt Hancock has publically praised Gibson’s initiative as the posters have been shared extensively on social media. Gibson thought it would be popular, but has still been surprised to see some of his favorite celebrities posting about it. Visit the Wash Your Lyrics website to create your own poster for washing hands with your favorite song.

After being elected in 2008 on "hope and change", "change you can believe in", and "change the way Washington works", President Obama now says that he cannot change Washington from the inside? Then why should we re-elect him in 2012? Continue reading →

The Brainwashing Of Hillary Voters Is Complete. Hillary Clinton voters are either getting paid or have been brainwashed into defending her pro-corporate status quo policies. Jimmy Dore breaks it down on his broadcast, October 20, 2016. Continue reading →

UPDATE: Both workshops filled very quickly. I only do these about once a year; apologies for the imbalance. I have set up a system so people who are potentially interested in future small-class lighting workshops can receive advance notice. More info here.

__________
I'll be teaching two, full-day lighting workshops in the suburban Baltimore/DC area on December 6 and 7.

They are two separate one-day events. These are small-group workshops, with a maximum class size of 12 people each day. These are shooting workshops, and you'll be behind (and/or in front of!) a camera for most of the day.

Assuming you arrive at this class with a basic understanding of f/stops and shutter speeds, you will leave with a strong foundation in the fundamentals of off-camera lighting. You will be comfortable using single and multiple lights both alone and/or balanced with a mix of ambient lighting.

All lighting gear will be provided. We will also provide lunch.

You will need to bring a camera that is adjustable in manual mode and has a hot shoe connection for a flash, a lens that covers normal and/or portrait range, one or two fully charged batteries and an empty storage card. Maybe a notebook and pen if you like.

That's it. Just show up ready to learn and to have fun. Leave the rest to me.


Details

Dates:
December 6 and 7, 2019

Time:
9:30am - 5:30pm

Price:
$259

Location:
Sandy Spring Friends Lyceum
17715 Meeting House Road
Sandy Spring, MD 20860


Note; These are the only small-class lighting workshops I'll be teaching in the US this year. In the past, these have tended to fill very quickly. So if this is something you'd like to do, I'd suggest signing up sooner rather than later.


Sign-Up Links

Friday, December 6 [FRIDAY'S CLASS HAS BEEN FILLED]

Saturday, December 7 [SATURDAY'S CLASS HAS BEEN FILLED]

Hi! I've been stuck inside for weeks, probably just like you. I go out running every day, dodging people, but otherwise it's lockdown-mode. Our washing machine promptly broke, so I had to replace that thing. It became a project, because (aside from the difficult but mostly uninteresting process of getting it onto the second floor) one of the things that contributed to the last one's failure was its not-very-stable footing, and I wanted to do this one well. The thing resides inside a nice (but probably unnecessary) tile basin, which poses a few problems: It would make it impossible to get to the bottom doors on the machine, and it makes it impossible to adjust the feet in situ for leveling purposes, and the basin is not at all flat. The weirdly-shaped surface meant that my CAD prospectus was not very useful, which is annoying because I like to measure like 200 times in CAD and then cut once.

Figure 1. Click to zoom

The other problem is that I didn't have the right wood for this, and although Home Depot claimed to be able to do a same-day shipment, they gave me the runaround for over a week (I still don't have it). It's understandable, but our piles of laundry were getting a bit dire, so I just had to make do with what I had. In figure 1(a) I sawed through these 6x6 timbers with a 3.5" saw, which took like an hour. Then I used the also-too-small table saw to mill that into the smaller size I actually wanted (figure 1(b)). Then, I painstakingly test fit the logs in the basin, and sawed/planed/chiseled/sanded them until they were sitting stably on that curved surface without wobble. This was a real pain. The best advice I have for doing this was to get the tile sopping wet, then place the wood there for a moment, and then see where the high spots are based on where the wood is wet. (It would work better with some dye or something, but I didn't want to ruin the tile, ugh.) At that point we have some logs that were nice and sturdy, but not necessarily level gravity-wise. My solution here was router-out cups for each of the washer's feet, which I could set the depth of so that the washer would be level without any adjustment. (This also has the nice advantage that the washer can't jump around more than a few millimeters!) This was accomplished by using a laser level for an accurate level, and then putting some objects of fixed height (here the feet from the old washer, which will be disassembled for its more exciting pieces) into each cup, and iteratively routing the depth until they all touch the laser line exactly (Figure 1(c)). All that work paid off, though, because when we finally dropped the washer into place, it was as level as a spirit level can possibly indicate (Figure 1(d)). No pictures of the install here because this is like in my bathroom and that seems weirdly intimate to put on the internet for some reason.

SIGBOVIK is tomorrow, but this year there is no in-person event due to the shelter-in-place order! The proceedings is shaping up nicely though, and there is some "podcast" expected. I have a few silly papers in there, but I'll save those for tomorrow. No talks from me this year; the whole situation in the world has been sort of draining my creative energy, but hopefully I will start feeling good again soon.

Save big on this major appliance. READ MORE...

Three quarters of PotterCast unite to consider Ilvermorny, its song, and the wizarding world beyond its borders. 

 

Episode 267 — Hogwash

PotterCast is hosted by Melissa Anelli, John Noe, Frank Franco, and Zack Luye.

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Here is the COVID-19 situation in Maryland and Washington, DC.

On February 20, 1792, President Washington formally created the U.S. Postal Service with the signing of the Postal Service Act, which outlined in detail Congressional power to establish official mail routes. The act allowed for newspapers to be included in mail deliveries and made it illegal for postal officials to open anyone's mail.

Here is the COVID-19 situation in Maryland and Washington, DC.

(Seattle) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that nine Northwest communities and tribes will receive a total of $4.75 million to assess and clean up contaminated properties under the agency’s Brownfields Program.

(Seattle) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that nine Northwest tribes and communities will receive a total of $4.75 million to assess and clean up contaminated properties under the agency’s Brownfields Program.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: R3press@epa.gov U.S. EPA Honors 2020 ENERGY STAR® Partners of the Year in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC and West Virginia

Morning she shouted across the road . Morning I replied . Busy isn't it I thought it was lockdown Yes seems like a lot of people still travelling in their cars was my reply. We agreed the lady on her morning walk and I that this was a lovel

The situation practically begged for the young and inconsistent Trojans to fall apart. But instead, USC beat Washington, the Pac-12's last-place team 62-56.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calls the Senate back as Washington, D.C.'s coronavirus numbers rise.

The coronavirus has ended big budget brand deals for some influencers, but the focus has shifted to engaging with a potentially bigger audience more authentically.

We have highlighted the issue of door switches causing fire in different white goods to Whirlpool, Government and in our evidence to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee, so we are pleased to hear that Whirlpool have decided to take the step to get these potentially lethal washing machines out of people’s homes.

Thousands more consumers have learned they are at risk in their own homes from faulty washing machines which have been added to Whirlpool’s expanding list of recalled models

It seems the world is awash with money, even though most governments are facing economic pressures. Trillions are being hidden away by a very few global super elite in offshore bank accounts, avoiding billions in taxes such that constrained governments turn to austerity and other measures, inflicting more hardship on people who are typically already victims of the global financial crisis. Furthermore, it turns out that many of the banks we have all bailed out help with these offshore practices in various ways.

Tax avoidance by the super rich results in lost revenues in the order of hundreds of billions a year, which would (in theory at least) benefit most of society. But if you can afford an army of ingenious lawyers and accountants, it seems you can play by a different set of rules.

Recent high profile cases of companies and individuals avoiding taxes in recent years has resulted in governments claiming they will address this issue thoroughly. But that is as far as it seems to go.

This update includes additional figures and examples of recent tax avoidance issues that have come to light.

Read full article: Tax Avoidance and Tax Havens; Undermining Democracy

As Utah begins loosening its most stringent coronavirus restrictions, larger gatherings will be allowed and most businesses can open, within limits.

Around 60% of Utahns have completed the census. The Five County region vary widely in response rates.

Health officials counted nine new cases of COVID-19 in southwest Utah, although the Utah epidemiologist says infection rates are in decline.

Once an attraction to international travelers, Washington County Tourism Office shifts marketing toward regional travelers.

Utah's four Republican governor candidates debated virtually on Washington County issues, including Trump, the coronavirus and Lake Powell Pipeline.

Washington County principal Burke Staheli continues to motivate and inspire students who are studying from home by posting daily messages on Facebook.

Bradly Scott Hunt, 32, was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility after shooting and killing another man late Thursday night.

IndyStar preps Insider Kyle Neddenriep identified the 64 "best" high school teams of all-time. That means the best team you can put together.

Patmon is big (6-4) and fast (4.48-second 40-yard dash) but lacks polish and production

Colts find developmental quarterback on Day 3 of Draft.

The animal's cause of death was inconclusive because a full examination was hampered by stay-at-home and social distancing orders issued amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The BBC Health team talks through the NHS advice about protecting yourself from COVID-19.

The World Health Organisation's advice is difficult to follow in some developing countries.

Fanny packs and Kristen Wiig's Cheetah fill the frame in the teaser to the franchise's first sequel.

Maybe it was the altitude at Davos.

Washington D.C.

Seattle, Washington

Hear about travel to Seattle, Washington as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mary Jo Manzanares from travelingwithmj.com about her hometown.

Hear about travel to the state of Washington as the Amateur Traveler talks to Anne and Mike Howard from HoneyTrek.com about their recent road trip from the ocean to the mountains to the wine region.

Hear about National Parks in Washington D.C. and the vicinity as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith about monuments, memorials, mansions, battlefields, gardens and more.