What’s here (overall)?

3,873 Posts
46 Pages
20 Categories
621 Tags
1,026 Approved Comments
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How many visitors in 2010?

26,029 Visitors
32,531 Visits
51,912 Pageviews
41,098 Unique Views

The largest number of visitors on a single day, 194 on November 22, 2010

My visitors were from 152 countries/territories, the top 20 being

United States
Poland
United Kingdom
Canada
Germany
Philippines
Italy
Australia
France
India
Ireland
Netherlands
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Spain
Brazil
Sweden
Norway
Ukraine
Romania

How did they find me in 2010?

14.84% Direct Traffic
19.88% Referring Sites
63.51% Search Engines

What browsers did they use in 2010?

Internet Explorer 47.23% (less than half!)
Firefox/Safari/Chrome/Opera 51.48%
Others 1.29%

How fast were they getting here in 2010? (their Internet connection speed)

Cable 38.07%
DSL 27.20%
Unknown 22.35%
T1 9.22%
Dialup 2.55%

If they were out and about in 2010, they were visiting using (in order):

iPhone
Android
iPad
iPod
BlackBerry
Windows
SymbianOS
Samsung
LGE

After reading the story I will point to below, my sarcasm meter went off the scale. I’ve long held that the rich, those who made their own wealth through enterprise are occasionally faced with a child or children who, if left to run the business would destroy it in a matter of minutes. As such, the rich are faced with a challenge in determining some future for their less than adequate (in a business sense) children. Where do these children end up? Typically politics. George W. Bush was a prime example – failed in every business he touched from oil wells to baseball, soft landing in politics. Looking at the pedigree of certain politicians, well, you know why they are there – let them screw up the government, just keep ‘em away from the family business.

It appears that another alternative for these children is the arts.

If you have some modicum of common sense, looking at the pictures below might give a clue as to who one might consider trusting:

Trustworthy business people with insight into international intrigue?

Polish Priests and members of Opus Dei seeking to rule the world?

…but, a scion of the rich?

Hi, I'm Roger. Which did I choose? -- Photo via Roger Davidson Music

From the Gothamist and Interia: Laptop Repair Leads To $6 Million Scam Involving Opus Dei, More

If a 58-year-old pianist, whose family founded a huge oilfield services company, is worried about his laptop being infected with a computer virus, why not grift him for $6 million by telling him that not only was the laptop infected, but that he needed physical protection from the worm’s creators based in Honduras and that ” Polish priests affiliated with Opus Dei were attempting to possibly harm” him? That’s what computer repairman Vickram Bedi and Helga Invarsdottir are accused of doing to victim Roger Davidson.

Back in 2004, Davidson went to Bedi’s Mount Kisco, NY repair shop, Datalink, because he was worried music composition on the laptop would be lost. The Westchester DA’s press release about the alleged crime is kind of amazing, so here it is:

The scheme commenced in August 2004, when the victim’s computer developed a virus. Concerned that documents, photos and more importantly the music he had written and had stored on the computer could be lost, the victim took the computer to the defendant’s premises to have it repaired. Bedi confirmed that victim’s computer had a virus and indicated that the virus was extremely virulent and had also damaged Datalink’s computers.

Bedi told the victim that he had the facility, the contacts, and the means of tracking down the source of this virus that specifically targeted the victim’s computer and that he and his family were in grave danger. As a result, Bedi convinced the victim to not only begin paying for computer data retrieval and security, but also to begin paying for necessary personal physical protection.

Bedi subsequently advised the victim that he successfully tracked the source of the computer virus to a remote village in Honduras. Bedi informed him that the hard drive was the source of the worm that had invaded the computer and advised the victim that Bedi’s uncle, who Bedi contended is an officer in the Indian military, flew to Honduras in an Indian military aircraft during a reconnaissance mission and obtained the hard drive.

Bedi further related that his uncle obtained information that Polish priests affiliated with Opus Dei were attempting to possibly harm the victim.

Bedi also advised the victim that the Central Intelligence Agency had subcontracted with Bedi to perform work which would prevent any attempts by the Polish priests associated with Opus Dei to infiltrate the U.S. government.

Over this period Datalink charged the victim’s American Express card accounts on a continuing and monthly basis, resulting of a larceny of more than six million dollars.

It’s possible that the pair may have scammed Davidson, whose great-grandfather and great-grand uncle founded Schlumberger Ltd., for $20 million. Harrison police uncovered the scam when investigating a separate complaint against Bedi. Bedi and Invarsdottir were charged with grand larceny and their bail was set at $5 million bond over $3 million cash each. The pair also had to give up their passports.

Westchester DA Janet DiFiore said, “As is charged in the complaint, these two defendants preyed upon, duped and exploited the fears of this victim with cold calculation and callousness. The systematic method with which they continued the larceny over a period of more than six years is nothing short of heartless.”

I think they could have told him that an invading Martian army had infected his computer, or perhaps it was the Jews. The sorry fact is that people are indeed dumb enough to read Dan Brown and other fiction and draw real life conclusions from it. They believe in every conspiracy flight of fancy from Nostradamus, to Masonic, Bilderberg, and Trilateral Commission plots. There is a scary cleric around every corner just waiting for a piano player with some “very important world shattering sheet music.” Why isn’t he running for office?

Of course there is the unsaid: Where did Mr. Davidson learn (from mom, dad, grandpa?) that Polacks and Catholics can never be trusted. Does he have a load of bigotry that feeds his fears?

By the way, the Star Trek tie is the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Maybe the Vulcans will beam him up to save him from the Polacks?

More info from Pressan – the Icelandic Press:

Helga Invarsdottir’s father claims that Mr. Davidson was having an affair with her, even though he is/was married. Ms. Invarsdottir and Mr. Bedi sat on the “board” of Mr. Davidson’s Society for Universal Sacred Music, Inc. It appears that she was its Treasurer.

FBMC.TV has published a series of videos describing the changes brought about by healthcare reform. Included are explanations of changes affecting Health Reimbursement Accounts; for instance, over the counter medications may no longer be covered for reimbursement. If you have such an account, it might be worthwhile to check out their videos so that you can make educated choices.

The following from the IRS: IRS Issues Guidance Explaining 2011 Changes to Flexible Spending Arrangements

The Internal Revenue Service issued guidance reflecting statutory changes regarding the use of certain tax-favored arrangements, such as flexible spending arrangements (FSAs), to pay for over-the-counter medicines and drugs.

The Affordable Care Act, enacted in March, established a new uniform standard that, effective Jan. 1, 2011, applies to FSAs and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). Under the new standard, the cost of an over-the-counter medicine or drug cannot be reimbursed from the account unless a prescription is obtained. The change does not affect insulin, even if purchased without a prescription, or other health care expenses such as medical devices, eye glasses, contact lenses, co-pays and deductibles. The new standard applies only to purchases made on or after Jan. 1, 2011, so claims for medicines or drugs purchased without a prescription in 2010 can still be reimbursed in 2011, if allowed by the employer’s plan.

A similar rule goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2011 for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and Archer Medical Savings Accounts (Archer MSAs).

Employers and employees should take these changes into account as they make health benefit decisions for 2011.

For details on current rules, see Publication 969 [large PDF] , Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans. Updates on this and other health care reform provisions can be found on the IRS Affordable Care Act page.

I have always found the Young Fogey’s posts that refer to “scarring Protestants” enjoyable (ok, downright funny – see here and here for examples). In tribute, I found a couple that will scare both Roman Catholics and Protestants:

From Fr. Calvo at Holy Name Parish in Deerfield, MA for those fearful of “schismatics” who promote old guys in aprons¹ and “sorcery:”

From the Buffalo News in Where relics of saints abound for those fearful of Catholic devotion and the bones and clothes of the saints:

In the evenings, when the Seneca Niagara Casino’s neon sign seems to pour like a waterfall and cars line up by the front-door valet, the stone church next door attracts its own admirers with its lighted spires and large, sparkling display of bone chips from old saints.

One night last week — before today’s Catholic All Saints Day — a parishioner sat in the pew near the relics to explain why he comes alone to pray when he feels aggravated by people in his life. Here in the quiet it is nice to feel close to St. Francis of Assisi, the saint known for relationship struggles with his father.

“It’s an outlet,” said Chuck Vacanti, with matter-of-fact cheer.

The cache of 1,144 religious relics — mostly mounted and framed bone fragments the size of pencil tips, or threads from saints’ clothes — is one of the largest in the United States, according to the Rev. Michael Burzynski, who has collected them since he was a young man in graduate school. In the decade he has led St. Mary of the Cataract, they have added intrigue — and maybe luck to the 1847 church with its unusual juxtaposition to the nearby casino…

From the NY Times: Hidden in Hungary, Treasures on the Vine

The mold covered every surface of the cellar, coating the walls and ceilings in layers of loose black gauze. On one shelf, sheets of mold had grown so thick that it was nearly impossible to tell what was underneath, making the ancient wine bottles seem like ash-colored homunculi, an army of toy soldiers made from fungus.

Walking farther into the cellar, I ducked under a low ceiling and felt dangling fingers of mold touch my head.

—The mold is fed by the wine that evaporates,— said my guide, Zsuzsanna Szobonya, leading me into a hexagonal tasting room where even the arabesque chandelier overhead was adorned with more black fluff. —Try this,— she said.

Standing in the dim light, I sniffed, then tasted. Though the cellar air was damp and musty, the scent from the glass was richly aromatic and floral. The wine, a Tokaji aszu, was full of citrus blossoms and fruit in the nose. In the mouth, crisp flavors of apricot and orange burst forth, followed by an invigoratingly sharp finish that begged for another quick sip.

Lucky mold, I thought.

—Can you imagine?— Ms. Szobonya asked, taking a sip. —So light and fresh, and yet it’s about 20 percent sugar.—

Though not all wines from the region are quite so saccharine, the legendary aszu sweet wines were a large part of what had brought me to this corner of northeastern Hungary. Known by the name of the region’s main winemaking town, Tokaj, the moist and moldy area at the confluence of two mysterious, slow-moving rivers is the oldest classified wine region in Europe —” older than Bordeaux in France, older than Porto in Portugal, older than Chianti in Italy. In fact, many of the stone wine cellars here date to the mid-16th century.

And now, 20 years after the changes that brought democracy, market capitalism and wide-open borders to the former Eastern bloc, Tokaj is emerging as one of the most interesting wine regions in Europe, not just for its sweet aszus and distinctive dry whites, but also for its unusual blend of history and cultures —” Jewish, Russian, Hungarian and Greek —” and for the low-key experience of a less-traveled wine trail where the curious and enterprising can easily rub shoulders with working winemakers, often right in their homes and vineyards…

I’ve had a few, particularly Egri Bikavér (“Bull’s Blood of Eger”). Definitely a full region of wines worth exploring, in person or through your local wine merchant.

Here’s one for fellow blogger, the Young Fogey at the Conservative Blog for Peace (one of my daily reads), from Interia-Anglia.

Londyńscy dżentelmeni mają co roku swoje święto – specjalną Olimpiadę dla Panów, odbywającą się pod patronatem “The Chap Magazine”. Ubrani w tweedowe, dobrze skrojone garnitury, biorą udział w oryginalnych konkurencjach. Jedną z nich jest poderwanie jak największej liczby pań, inną zachowanie uśmiechu na twarzy przy jednoczesnym odbieraniu ciosów… A wszystko po to, by pokazać bunt przeciw kulturze popularnej i dobrze się bawić

Very roughly translated to:

London’s gentlemen have their annual fest – a special “Olympics for Gentlemen” sponsored by “The Chap Magazine.” Featuring men dressed in tweed and well tailored suits, they take part in events. One of the events is to charm as many women as possible, and to respond with a smile if you are slapped. The event focuses on a bit of rebellion against popular culture, along with some fun

…and a personal favorite.

Have you ever read an issue of One Story and thought it might be a good story to include in a creative writing lesson? Now, thanks to The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses’ (CLMP) Lit Mag Adoption Program for Creative Writing Courses, you can adopt One Story for your classroom and give your students each a subscription at the lowest rate we’ve ever offered!

What’s more, if you adopt One Story for the semester, you’ll not only get a free desk copy for yourself, but a senior editor will also participate in a virtual (or in person, if the class is being held in the NYC area) meeting with your class. During this meeting, we’ll discuss the history of One Story, the current literary landscape, and the submissions process, allowing students to better understand the literary publishing environment.

You can adopt magazines for Fall 2010 courses on the CLMP Lit Mag Adoption Program website now. Once you adopt One Story, you’ll receive log-in information for your students to order their discounted subscriptions through the CLMP website.

If you have questions about the program, feel free to contact CLMP’s Programs Director, Jamie Schwartz, or One Story’s Managing Editor, Tanya Rey.

One Story is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit magazine that features one great short story mailed to subscribers every three weeks.

…along with strawberry-rhubarb pie and my Busha’s rhubarb sauce.

No Hopers, Jokers & Rogues from Ben Woolnough on Vimeo.

Fisherman’s Friends, is an emerging vocal group from Port Isaac in Cornwall. The group of 10 includes former or current fishermen, coast guardsmen and marine rescuers. For nearly 15 years they have gathered on evenings by the shore or in local pubs to have a few beers and sing sea shanties.

The group has recorded two CDs with their own interpretations of shanties. A vacationer recently came across them at the pub where they normally gathered and saw the potential. That vacationer was record producer Rupert Christie who brought them to Universal’s attention. The group signed with Universal this March.

The group’s prior two CD’s will soon be joined by a third. Their first album was recorded in a fifteenth-century church in St. Kew, Cornwall (the video above). They have also been invited to sing at the Glastonbury summer music festival.