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BMW M5 is held back by sloppy manual transmission
The ultimate 5 Series sedan -- ranking above the 535i and 550i -- BMW's M5 is blazingly fast. This four-door "family sedan" with 560 horsepower and insane acceleration rivals the thrill of most dedicated, two-door sports cars. Channeling the M5's tremendous power is a six-speed manual transmission, which high-horsepower super-sedans like Mercedes' E63 AMG and CLS63 AMG and the Audi S6 don't offer.
Though appealing in theory, the 2013 BMW M5's exclusive six-speed manual transmission just isn't that good, and it leaves the M5's driving experience unfulfilling.
The manual transmission's vague shifter, long throws and numb clutch pedal are sloppy, like an economy car's, and don't inspire the confidence needed in a powerhouse like the M5.
Get the Automatic Transmission
The M5 is hard to drive with a manual transmission in the way I imagine taming a bucking bronco would be for someone with the wrong tools. The M5 shifter's lack of precision is not a good characteristic for an insanely powerful car. There's no real sense of confidence in the stick, which sometimes feels as if it will bend in half or slip out of gear because it's so flimsy and clunky; it won't actually break, but it's far from a precision instrument. Successfully clicking off smooth and quick shifts is rare, and it takes concentration to operate seamlessly on spirited drives. The flimsy shifter pairs with an equally awkward, nonlinear clutch that requires more slipping to drive smoothly than I'd like; let the clutch out normally, and the M5 truly is like that bucking bronco.
Adding to the confusion is a mysterious notch to the left of 2nd gear into which the shifter moves during aggressive shifting -- a trait of other BMW manuals, including the M3's. It's frustrating to be wide open, go to grab 2nd gear and totally miss it because the shifter went left into nowhere-land. Reverse is an equally less-than-ideal execution with no real safety provision, one editor noted. Reverse engages when you throw the shifter to the left hard enough at a stop -- not by lifting a ring or pushing down to engage.
What is executed well is the manual's rev-matching feature that automatically blips the throttle during downshifts to raise engine speed for smooth engagement. The Nissan 370Z has a similar feature on its manual transmission. The M5 executes the throttle blip perfectly over a wide range of downshifts, from casually downshifting while slowing for a stoplight, to grabbing 2nd gear from 6th at 50 mph and scaring passengers with a random blast of acceleration. The throttle-blipping feature is active on two of the M5's engine driving modes -- Efficient and Sport -- but race-ready Sport Plus mode disables the feature so drivers have to rev-match themselves.
The six-speed manual is a no-cost option that all but manual transmission purists can skip. If you're one of those, have fun. Everyone else should check out the seven-speed, dual-clutch, automated manual transmission. In the BMW M6, this transmission paired with the same engine shifts quickly and was surprisingly fun to drive with paddle shifters (most aren't).
The M5's manual transmission has better gas mileage ratings -- 15/22 mpg city/highway compared with 14/20 mpg for the automatic -- though gas mileage is rarely a priority among buyers of these pumped-up super-sedans. A gas-guzzler tax of $1,000 still applies to the manual transmission despite an increase in fuel economy compared with the old M5 (11/17 mpg). The E63 AMG and CLS63 AMG are exempt from the guzzler tax thanks to their higher gas mileage ratings (16/24 mpg and 16/25 mpg, respectively).
Taming the Beast
Helping rein in the M5's big power are various active suspension, steering and engine modes. There are three modes for each system: Comfort/Efficient, Sport and Sport Plus. Customizable M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel let you store particular combinations that you can then activate with a single press. For example, you can configure M1 as a comfort button with all settings on the comfort/efficiency option and M2 can be set as the race-ready, "I-wanna-go-fast" mode. The M1 and M2 shortcuts are hugely useful and should be copied by every high-performance automaker who decides to offer more than two modes. Mercedes uses a similar function with its AMG button on various AMG models.
The differences between the comfort and full sport modes is dramatic, with a suspension changing from slightly firm to bounce-out-of-your-seat firm. The throttle becomes significantly more sensitive while the steering also firms up, though it's already tight to begin with.
The sportiest modes do an admirable job of hiding the car's weight, but they can't make the M5 feel light and nimble thanks to its 4,354-pound curb weight -- in spite of its use of aluminum for the hood, front fenders and doors.
Unfortunately, the M5 we drove had summer tires that didn't grip the road with any kind of authority in temperatures that topped out around 40 to 50 degrees. It was nearly impossible to control wheelspin in 1st and most of 2nd gears. The vicious rush of power from the twin-turbochargers overpowers the traction control in its various modes, including the looser M Dynamic Mode, where the computer still abruptly cuts power to keep the car in control. The reward when the M5's tires agree with the road and the shifter goes where it's aimed is a blast of grin-inducing acceleration that's part sheer acceleration, part satisfaction that the shifter, clutch and tires are working together in harmony.
BMW's Active Sound Exhaust
BMW "enhances" the auditory strength of the M5's noises with its Active Sound, a reproduction of engine noises piped through the stereo for added effect. It's a subtle and very artificial addition. A sports car's sound is very much part of its character and uniqueness, and the M5 still needs work, with its video-game-like artificial boost of engine noises on the inside.
What's puzzling is that the roar of the engine and exhaust, and the defined turbocharger whistle, are greatly pleasing with the windows down. It just doesn't find its way into the cabin otherwise, which is why BMW went the artificial route. An aftermarket exhaust on the M5 would surely bring out the 4.4-liter's true exotic sounds. The Mercedes-Benz E63 and CLS63 AMG sound hellacious and borderline obnoxious compared with the M5, with a much deeper, fuller and rewarding exhaust.
Even so, exhaust preference is hugely subjective, and what may be music to some is fingernails on a chalkboard to others.
The M5's real aluminum trim (called Aluminum Trace) is unique to the M5 and plentiful on the dashboard and door panels. Seeing the real stuff in such quantity and quality makes the fake, painted plastic in less-expensive cars even more pitiful. Standard equipment includes a 10.2-inch display screen and iDrive multimedia system, an anthracite headliner and engraved door sills with the M logo. Replacing the blah gauges of the regular 5 Series are red-needle gauges and a head-up display with a sweeping tachometer to keep an eye on engine revs.
There still isn't a decent cupholder in the entire 5 Series. The M5's are a flimsy D-shaped one up front and a massive, almost unusable one that flips down from the underside of the center storage compartment lid. The M5 isn't a dedicated sports car like the Porsche 911 -- it's a sedan. C'mon, BMW. Give us something to work with here.
The 2013 BMW 5 Series is a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, having earned the institute's highest score, Good, in moderate overlap frontal, side-impact and rear crash protection, as well as in a roof-strength test.
Standard safety features include front and side airbags, side curtain airbags for front and rear passengers, and the federally mandated electronic stability system and antilock brakes. A full list of standard safety features is available here. Safety options include a Driver Assistance Package for $1,900 that includes a lane departure warning system, blind spot monitoring and side- and top-view cameras.
In the Market
The novelty of four doors paired with more than 500 horsepower never tires. Adding a manual transmission may seem like it would make the M5 the holy grail of super-sedan driving fun, but it's far off the mark. The M5 is as exciting as you'd expect, though the sloppy manual transmission keeps it from being as entertaining as it should be.


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The question is what camera do I transition to that is dramatically lighter than the above - in short, even my wife could tote it for me with one or two lenses.
Sorry to hear about your disease, I hope they will be able to keep it as much under control as possible.I have not used one myself, but I would consider the Fuji X-Pro 1 and its excellent lenses.The D800 is of course the best option by far from an image quality standpoint, but it still is a pretty bulky camera and so are the lenses.Cheers,Bernard
I've developed a degenerative neuromuscular disease. As such, my days of long hikes down rough trails hauling my Hasselblad H4D 50, 28mm, 50-110mm, HTS, tripod, etc are over.
Amend to the "Trunk Photographer" paradigm - that's what my wife keeps telling me, and this time she is right! :-)
I'm leaning toward the Nikon D800E at only 2.2# for the body.I can handle that and a lens while my wife could carry a couple of lenses and my trusty light meter.Before going to the Hassie 500cm years ago, I always shot Nikon F's - liked their glass!Actually worked with Nikon many moons ago when their were developing the first digital camera.Got to do this as a result of my working with a team out of MIT that formed Eiknoics.At this point I have no interest in getting back into film as I have long ago sold my Howtek 8K drum scanner.Leica S2 would be nice, but I'm thinking with the weight at 3.1# and their heavy glass I'd not gain much from the Hassie.Thus Nikon D800E is running out front, assuming their glass is still as good as it was in the past.

subset: commoncrawl


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CityGear 160 Disc CD/DVD Album
The Targus CityGear 160 Disc CD/DVD Album is designed with 160 CD/DVD pockets to accommodate the increasing demand for media storage. The CityGear line of media cases incorporates the same stylish design and high-quality material featured on the successful CityGear line of Targus notebook cases. These cases are fabricated of durable, dual textured nylon with grey contrast stitching. A robust nylon zipper provides added security for valuable contents and the durable metal zipper pulls help prevent breakage. Both compact and functional, the CityGear CD/DVD media case provides the ideal way to protect your media from scratches either at home or on the go.
Targus CityGear 160 Disc CD/DVD Album, 160 discs, Black, Nylon
Targus CityGear 160 Disc CD/DVD Album. CD capacity: 160 discs, Product colour: Black, Material: Nylon


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Groove (Feat. Bundy) - Singing The Blues [Unsigned Hype]
Thatboygroove reports "The realest thing you will ever watch!! For sure. Straight outta philly, the home of soul singers ,Groove's national debut will have you nodding your head and thinkin about life. "
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Andrew Binstock's Bio
Prior to joining Dr. Dobb's Journal as Editor in Chief, Andrew Binstock worked as a technology analyst, as well as a columnist for SD Times, a reviewer for InfoWorld, and the editor of UNIX Review. Earlier, he was a senior manager at Price Waterhouse. He began his career in software development in the early 1980's.
- Dr. Dobb's Archive
- Farewell, Dr. Dobb's
- The Long Death of Project Hosting Sites
- The Uncompromising Economics of Being #3 in Mobile Platforms
- C# and .NET's Sudden Ubiquity
- In Search of Agile Architecture
- Whose Cloud Will You Use?
- Testing Complex Software Automatically
- Open Software's Thousand Eyes: A Misunderstood Claim
- Portable File and Directory Management in Java
- Lack of Manual Labor
- Continuous Delivery: The Agile Successor
- The Curse of Version 6
- The Internet of Overhyped Things
- Remote Learning: The Lay of the Land
- Getting Back to Coding
- Just Let Me Code!
- Got Google?
- Developer Reading List
- The Best of the First Half
- Redmond's Remarkable Reversal
- Swift, Objectively
- The Right To Be Forgotten
- 2014 Developer Salary Survey
- Things I Wish I'd Known Earlier


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I have moved this blog to: http://thenextfivesteps.aegauthorblogs.com/ Same quality, different location. Please come join me at my new location. Author: Robert Patterson Sr.
Posts Tagged 'Appraised'
PLEASE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS BLOG@ THE LINK BELOW.January 4, 2010
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Dear everyone,
I am delighted to inform you that our new look Pearson
Over the last three months, a team led by Anindo and Vibhor have worked with HCL to develop a world class website, and have made it ready within a week of their original schedule. This was a true cross functional team, with people from marketing, sales, editorial and IT across our School and Higher Ed divisions contributing to this project.
The new website has the look and feel of a Pearson site, while giving it a distinctively Indian touch. It allows us to feature our newest and most important books, and to make heroes of our authors. We have also incorporated a few features that are now standard on the web, such as allowing readers to rate our books, or contact our authors.
As with all new websites, there are bound to be a few bugs, and if you come across any, please point them out to Anindo, Vibhor or myself so that they can be fixed. A few features are still under development and should be up on the site in about 3 weeks.
Please let your customers and associates – authors, professors, school administrators, distributors, printers – know about the site.
And congratulations to everyone who worked on this project, from Pearson and HCL for a job well done.


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Holiday Cards
By Message
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Business Greeting Cards
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Christmas is a time for family, friends, and associates to look back on their best memories from the previous year and send best wishes for the year ahead. Many businesses reach out to their customers with unique corporate holiday cards and great deals, so make sure you don't get left out in the cold! When you order business Christmas cards from us, we donate 20% of the purchase price to a charity of your choice.
When looking for the perfect business Christmas card to send to clients or associates, you can choose from foil cards, laser-cut cards, cards with custom photos, and more. Your holiday cheer is all right here!
Ordering custom greeting cards from Cards for Causes is an easy, straightforward way to improve your client outreach and benefit a charity you care about. Since our business began in 2006, we have donated over $1 million to charities located across the United States. Customers can choose from a variety of charities in our database or add a new cause that's important to them.
The customization process for unique corporate holiday cards at Cards for Causes enables you to nail down the exact right design and message to make your marketing goals a reality. Once you've found the perfect design for your corporate greeting cards, you can customize the inside with pre-written verses from our experts or with an original verse of your own. Our mission is to empower you to make the best possible greeting cards for your business and give back to the community in the process!
Christmas cards for business help you to put your best foot forward with clients large and small!
In November and December, it's especially important to keep an eye on your mailbox. Christmas cards start streaming in from friends and family near and far, so it's a good idea not to let that stack of envelopes pile up too high. When it's time to send out holiday cards of your own, you want to make sure they arrive to your recipients at the perfect time. Christmas cards that arrive before t...Read More...
Christmas cards are a big deal. Everyone sends them at some point during the holiday season, so they're all trying to make their cards more creative and memorable than the last. What can you write in your cards to make them stand out above the rest? "Merry Christmas" and "Season's Greetings" are fine for beginners, but how can you become a legend of Christmas cards? How can you knock people's s...Read More...


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Russian Warships to Syria; a Strategic move for Moscow - Day Press News
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Q&A: Policies for Renewable Energy in Developing Countriesby , and -
Last month, WRI convened a group of international experts to discuss policies and incentives for increasing the use of renewable energy in the developing world. WRI's Davida Wood and Lutz Weischer discuss the key lessons learned at the workshop and their work on helping developing countries make the transition to renewable energy.
What are some of the key renewable energy success stories in developing countries?
Lutz: There are many success stories, as many developing countries have scaled up renewable power in recent years. Of course, China gets a lot of attention, but the trend is much broader than that. The Renewables 2010 Global Status Report counts 45 developing countries with renewable energy targets and 42 with some sort of promotion policy.
One approach that has worked well in many countries is the so-called "feed-in-tariff," which is a guarantee that renewable energy producers will be able to sell the electricity they generate at a price set in advance by the government. To date, there are 78 countries, states, and provinces that have passed feed-in-tariffs for renewable energy, including a rising number of developing countries. These include major emerging economies such as China and India, as well as smaller countries such as Tanzania and Thailand. In all of them, the feed-in-tariffs have led to more investment in renewable energy generation and an increased share of renewables in the electricity mix.
Davida: In India, electricity regulators at the state level have a mandate to set feed-in tariffs for a range of renewable energy technologies. Some of these state regulators have been very active and have succeeded in attracting considerable investment. For example, in the state of Gujarat, the regulatory commission set a tariff in January 2010 for photovoltaic solar power. Power purchase agreements for 500 megawatts (MW) were signed in just six months, backed up by financial guarantees.
But there are other approaches. In Brazil, after experimenting with various incentive schemes for increasing investments in renewable energy, the National Agency for Electrical Energy held the country's first wind-only power auction in December 2009. More than 1800 MW of wind power was contracted for.
Lutz: One thing I'd like to add on India is that this has also been a success story for industry development and employment. India's use of policies to create stable demand for wind power has led to development of a successful manufacturing base, making India the fifth largest wind power market in the world. An Indian company, Suzlon, which began in 1995 with just 25 people, is now the third largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world, employing over 16,000 people globally.
What are the barriers to increased development of renewable energy in the developing world?
Lutz: The number one barrier to renewable energy scale-up in the developing world is cost. Access to modern forms of electricity is crucial for both basic improvements in quality of life and for being able to develop a robust, modern economy. But most people in developing countries simply cannot afford the cost of electricity with increased renewables. They need policies that drive down the costs and increase the deployment of these technologies. Until clean power technologies reach full price parity with fossil fuels, even the best policies will come at an additional cost that can't be borne by poor ratepayers in developing countries. That's why international support is needed. For an international donor like the World Bank that's committed to increasing energy access, you will get more renewable energy if instead of investing in individual wind farms, you invest in the policy environment that makes people want to build wind farms.
You will get more renewable energy if instead of investing in individual wind farms, you invest in the policy environment that makes people want to build wind farms.
Davida: An important element for this approach is access to data and methodologies. While feed-in-tariffs are widely adopted, regulators do not have sufficient access to information about the costs of renewable energy, and are dependent on project developers to provide these figures. At a forum convened by WRI and Prayas Energy Group, a commissioner from the Indian state of Gujarat I mentioned previously described the process by which his state's tariff had arrived: a combination of technical inputs, public consultations, and artful guesswork. Participants at the renewable energy policy workshop we recently held at WRI also stressed that access to methodologies, benchmarking data and performance metrics, and techniques of competitive bidding are badly needed to support development of renewable energy resources. Independent oversight from civil society is a key ingredient here.
Lutz: That's right; feed-in-tariffs can be quite successful, but they're only successful if you're doing a good job in setting your rates. If you set rates too low, you get no deployment, but if you only rely on information from developers, you end up setting your rate too high and providing windfall profits. Even if there's good policy in place, developing countries often don't have the domestic investment capital for these projects. So, you need an international mechanism that mobilizes finance and investment for these projects at affordable interest rates.
Davida: Furthermore, from a planning perspective, much more could be done to design off-grid renewable energy systems--in rural areas for example--that take advantage of the synergies between different forms of renewable energy. For energy on the grid, building capacity on integrated resource planning is key to integrating renewable and conventional energy sources.
Lutz: Yes, that's true; the challenge of managing a national grid with multiple intermittent sources of energy is greatest in developing countries. You need engineers who are able to install renewable energy technologies, maintain them, and manage the grid.
Finally, some countries simply have not been able to replicate these success stories because they don't know about them, or don't know how to implement them in their own countries. So, one priority is facilitating the exchange between countries that have policies and those that don't.
What is WRI doing to help overcome these barriers?
Lutz: We're working with the World Bank on reforming their energy strategy, so that in the future, renewables will play a larger role in the Bank's portfolio. We are also helping to disseminate information on successful policies, for example by convening a renewable energy policy workshop together with the Heinrich Boell Foundation North America. The workshop brought together 20 experts from developing countries that have implemented these policies or are currently considering them.
In the context of the United Nations climate change negotiations, we are advocating for a technology mechanism that will support capacity building and knowledge sharing on regulatory and policy incentives for renewables. We're also working with negotiators in parallel processes such as the Clean Energy Ministerial and bilateral initiatives. In the coming months, we'll also be working closely with major emerging economies to develop low-carbon development strategies for their power sector.
Davida: WRI's Electricity Governance Initiative [EGI] is a joint project of WRI and Prayas Energy Group that works with civil society organizations in developing countries to analyze policy and regulatory decision-making processes. We are increasingly turning our attention to renewable energy. We have convened three forums that have brought regulators and civil society together to share experiences. Prayas has written a seminal paper on attempts to promote clean energy in five Indian states that holds lessons relevant to other countries. And our partners in South Africa and Thailand have used EGI methodology to intervene in national planning processes.
What's next for this issue? What signs of progress should we look for in the near future?
Lutz: One thing we should look for is an increase in the number of countries that use these policies. There are also international moves in the works. Deutsche Bank has proposed a global feed-in-tariff mechanism. It will be interesting to see how that develops. The revised World Bank energy strategy will come out in 2011, and will hopefully give more weight to renewable energy. We should also look towards the technology mechanism that came out of the climate conference in Cancun, which will create a network of experts and clean technology centers that will help share experiences and build capacity. I'm also optimistic that the Clean Energy Ministerial next year in the United Arab Emirates will produce some more ambitious initiatives on renewable energy.
Davida: There are a lot of promising signs to look for: countries developing a better understanding of best practices in clean energy regulation. These include standardized power purchase agreements; increased transparency of the methodologies used to assess resource capacity, costs, and performance (which will benefit both governments and civil society organizations); harmonization of renewable and conventional energy policy and planning. Most of all, though, the way you'll know that these policies are working is when you see falling prices and improved reliability for electricity from renewable sources. Ultimately, that's the real test of these policies.


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Landscape and A Kind of Alaska, directed by Jamie Lloyd, are spellbinding evocations of loneliness, isolation and the strange mists of time.
Landscape is a minimalist marvel: a woman is locked in a beautiful memory and her husband demands to be heard. In A Kind of Alaska, Deborah awakes from a twenty-nine-year sleep and is suspended between the conscious and unconscious worlds.
Lee Evans will perform the poignant Monologue and a selection of Pinter's most hilarious comedy sketches, including the sketch Apart From That, with Meera Syal.
In addition, long-term Pinter collaborator Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey) will make 12 special guest appearances to perform the witty monologue Tess - written specifically for her by Pinter - from the 19th November.
Cast includes Keith Allen, Lee Evans, Tamsin Greig, Meera Syal, Tom Edden and – at select performances – Penelope Wilton.
About the Pinter at the Pinter Season
The Jamie Lloyd Company presents a complete season of Harold Pinter's one-act plays to celebrate the legacy of the Nobel Prize-winning British writer on the 10th anniversary of his death. This unique theatrical event will play at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 6 September 2018 to 23 February 2019, and promises an unforgettable celebration of the "most influential, provocative and poetic dramatist of his generation" (The Guardian).
Pinter 3: Landscape / A Kind of Alaska / Monologue is not available to book, please sign up to our newsletter for updates and offers on forthcoming and available shows.
Find out more about the venue for your show: Directions, Transport options and facilities.
(3mins) Take Coventry Street up to Oxendon Road; the theatre is 100 metres along on the right.


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|Morning view of Stracta Hotel
We had delicious and fulfilling breakfast before leaving our hotel. I took photos of the hot tubs and sauna that we used the night before. It was beautiful, wasn't it? Made of wood, it looked so natural and cosy :) And yes, that was the van that we took for our tour at the southern part of Iceland these past few days.
|Group photo courtesy of Francis Lew - Seljalandsfoss, Iceland
Our guide cum driver was named Inggo, a tall, young, and strong Icelandic man who told us lots of fable from Iceland throughout our journey, the one who stood directly behind me :) And yes, the photo taken was with the background of the magnificent 60-meter high Seljalandsfoss waterfall, our first stop for the day!
|Jump pose at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall - South Coast of Iceland :)
|Footpath behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall - Iceland
Unlike other waterfalls in Iceland, here it was possible for us to walk behind it (see the photo above), via a footpath at the base of the cliff. It was wet, stony and slippery though. So, a good waterproof hiking shoes were really needed!!! And I was amazed on how my Mom would be able to walk through it!! Well done Mom!! :)
|Other waterfalls next to Seljalandsfoss waterfall :)
|In panoramic view - Seljalandsfoss waterfalls - Iceland
And there were other few waterfalls next to it as shown in the two photos above :)
|Icelandic horses on the move :)
On our way, we passed by through many beautiful view on our left and right. I loved the view of Icelandic horses running freely in a small group, so free and natural :)
|Icelandic turf house - connected to stones
We also passed by many Icelandic turf house like shown at the photo above. Too bad we did not have any chance to visit and see how it looked like.
"The common Icelandic turf house would have a large foundation made of flat stones; upon this was built a wooden frame which would hold the load of the turf. The turf would then be fitted around the frame in blocks often with a second layer, or in the more fashionable herringbone style. The only external wood would be the doorway which would often be decorative; the doorway would lead in to the hall which would commonly have a great fire. Another interesting aspect of the Icelandic turf house was the introduction of attached toilets, which were communal, and the act of going to the attached toilet was often done in large groups. The floor of a turf house could be covered with wood, stone or earth depending on the purpose of the building. They also contain grass on their roofs."- Source: Wikipedia.org
|Skógafoss waterfall - Iceland
We visited another beautiful waterfall called Skógafoss waterfall - a 60-meter high waterfall in the Skógá River. Legend said there was buried treasures (chest of gold) by the settler called Þrasi Þórólfsson in a cave behind this waterfall.
|View of the Skógafoss waterfall upper part :)
|At the upper part of Skógafoss waterfall - where the waterfalls came from :)
Here, there were staircases where we all could go up and see where the waterfall came from. So I guess, the above photo was the Skógá River itself. Oh my!!! It looked so wonderful!! So pretty!!! Love it so much!!! :)
|Reynisfjara or Black Beach at Vik Village - Iceland
From there, we continued our journey to see the unique black sand/ pebble beach called Reynisfjara located at Vik Village, south coast of Iceland. The beach was named by International Islands magazine in 1991 as one of the ten best beach in the world. Perhaps due to its uniqueness where all the pebbles and sands were black in color.
|Eldhraun Lava Field - Iceland
We had lunch afterwards and continued our journey across the Eldhraun lava field.
"This impressive lava field the biggest lava flow in the world which occurred during the Laki eruption in the late 1700s. The enormous site which is 565 square kilometers (218 sq mi) is where the Apollo 11 crew came to train for their impending moonwalk."- Source: icelandtravel.is
"The thick green moss dressing the lava wipes out all hard edges and, for a while, the world exists only in the colors of the asphalt, the sky, and the moss."- Source: icelandmag.visir.is/
It felt simply amazing just passing through this huge area. There was no one staying as the area not suitable for living.
|More waterfalls throughout the journey - South Coast of Iceland
|More waterfalls - South Coast of Iceland
Iceland was truly rich of natural resources. As we passed by, more waterfalls were to be seen on our left side. Simply grateful with the beautiful view it offered!!!
|Skeiðarársandur or vast sand desert - South Coast of Iceland
We passed by the Skeiðarársandur - a vast sand desert that used to be farms before, but destroyed by huge floods caused by the volcanic eruption that came beneath the Vatnajökull glacier back in 1996. It was so huge until it swept the bridge away and disconnected the Ring Road to eastern side of Iceland. It was said to be the largest Sandur (outwash plain) in the world covering an area of 1,300 km sq.
|Panoramic view from the top - Jökulsárlón or glacier river lagoon - Iceland
The journey continued on. We were brought to Jökulsárlón or glacier river lagoon, a large glacial lake in southeast of Iceland. Many movies had been using this place for their background, such as: Lara Croft: Tomb Rider, Batman Begins, and 2 James Bond's films, which were A View to Kill and Die Another Day.
|Beautiful glacier lagoon - Jökulsárlón, Iceland
|Tried licking the glacier hahaha.... :P - Jökulsárlón, Iceland
|Tasted the floating ice - I know.. the water looked dirty, but who cared??? :D
|Wishing stones - wish for dreams to come true.... :)
My friend and I were having so much fun there. Licked the glacier pose was fun! Inggo helped us taking the photo and we were just laughing with our stupidity there! Hahahahaha..... :P We tried the taste of the glacier ice too :) Although the glacier lagoon looked dirty, but who cared, right? Hehehe... And while my friend was busy taking photos, I was busy building the wishing stones :) It was at the back of my mind wishing to have chance to build it and the chance was just there waiting for me :) Thank you SB for granting my wish!! I was very happy to finally have my dream came true there!! Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!! :)
|Expression of my happiness by being there!!! Grateful!!! :)
|Glacier lagoon at the black beach - Iceland
|Amazing view that can not get it too often in life!!! You only live once!!! :)
|Add one stone at the top of someone else' wishing stones :D
|Group photo at the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon - Iceland
|Stayed and dinner at Hotel Smyrlabjörg
After a very long day, we finally reached our hotel - Hotel Smyrlabjörg. Some of us ordered our dinner there while some made their own food at the hotel. I had fish again - one of the two fresh and delicious food in Iceland (either fish or lamb). Ma and Pa shared the lobster soup and lamb steak. My friend and I shared another beer - their own brand - Smyrlabjörg Beer. It was bitter though! But nice try! :) Overall, we had a wonderful day in Iceland. A bit tired, but worth it!!! Will continue the journey in a while... Hope you enjoy reading it and are patiently waiting :D


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The Russians were right: Polaroid is planning to launch an Android camera with an interchangeable lens.
Days after an image of said camera popped up on a Russian social network, Polaroid's president and CEO told Imaging Resource that we don't have to wait long to take shots with the snapper.
"There will be an Android powered, interchangeable lens camera introduced by Polaroid at CES 2013," Scott Hardy wrote in an email.
"Additional information and specs will be released during the show."
I am camera
Despite Hardy's close-lipped answer, some rumors and reports give us a few juicy details to go on for the device.
It looks to be called the IM1836, and Sakar will likely build it for Polaroid. The mirrorless camera should come with an 18.1 million pixel sensor. Physically, it resembles Nikon's J1/J2.
The baked-in Android gives the camera access to downloadable apps, including email, Facebook and Twitter.
We should also see pop-up flash, built-in Wi-Fi, HDMI output, microSD memory and a 3.5-inch touchscreen, while the Russian photo looks to show a 10mm - 30mm optic.
Polaroid introduced an Android camera at this year's CES, the SC1630, so for it to follow up with a new and improved version at the upcoming show is par for the course. We just can't wait to play with it.


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NBA begins process to end Donald Sterling's ownership
The NBA began Monday the process to terminate Donald Sterling's ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers, the league announced in a news release.
The NBA charges that Sterling "engaged in conduct that has damaged and continues to damage the NBA and its teams. Among other things, Mr. Sterling disparaged African-Americans and 'minorities'; directed a female acquaintance not to associate publicly with African-Americans or to bring African-Americans to Clippers games; and criticized African-Americans for not supporting their communities."
Sterling has until May 27 to respond to the charges and a hearing to terminate Sterling's ownership will be held June 3. It requires three-fourths vote of owners to terminate Sterling's ownership. The Board of Governors plans to vote on termination that day, and the hearing will be held in New York. Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor will preside over the hearing.
Sterling and his attorney Maxwell M. Blecher received the charges Monday by hand delivery, and Blecher said in an e-mail, "We are studying the extensive charges served today by the NBA. Otherwise, we have no comment."
The league said Sterling's "actions and positions significantly undermine the NBA's efforts to promote diversity and inclusion; damage the NBA's relationship with its fans; harm NBA owners, players and Clippers team personnel; and impair the NBA's relationship with marketing and merchandising partners, as well as with government and community leaders. Mr. Sterling engaged in other misconduct as well, including issuing a false and misleading press statement about this matter."
The NBA contends Sterling's acts allow the NBA to pursue termination "under several provisions of the NBA Constitution and related agreements."
In its constitution and bylaws, the NBA has focused on Article 13(d) which states a member or owner can be terminated if he or she fails or refuses "to fulfill its contractual obligations to the Association, its Members, Players, or any other third party in such a way as to affect the Association or its Members adversely."
Sterling is also accused of violating ethical and moral contracts with the NBA, USA TODAY Sports reported on May 7. USA TODAY Sports also reported last week that Sterling is refusing to the pay the $2.5 million and Sterling's attorney Maxwell M. Blecher wrote in a letter to the NBA that Sterling does not warrant "any punishment at all." Blecher also said the matter will need to be settled in a court of law because the NBA's fine and lifetime ban violates Sterling's right to due process.
Pierce O'Donnell, attorney for Sterling's wife Shelly, also put out a statement:
"We have just received the voluminous charges and are beginning the process of carefully reviewing them. Based on our initial assessment, we continue to believe there is no lawful basis for stripping Shelly Sterling of her 50 percent ownership interest in the Clippers. She is the innocent estranged spouse. We also continue to hope that we can resolve this dispute with the NBA for the good of all constituencies."
If Sterling does not think he deserves the fine or lifetime ban, it stands to reason Sterling does not think he should be forced to sell his team. Sterling is well-known for his litigious tactics and it is expected Sterling and his legal team will try to halt this process by filing an injunction.


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I am not quite sure this is the right sub-forum for my question but the other ones didnt seem to be correct either. If I am in fact at the wrong place I apologize in advance.
Now to my little problem with a direct ByteBuffer.
I am trying to put an array of int values into a ByteBuffer but the ByteBuffer does not offer a method to do so directly.
My own performance tests have shown, that iterating through an int array and putting each int individually leads to drastic performance loss compared to using an IntBuffer and putting the entire array at once.
But performance is very important in this specific part of my application and to keep the code clean I would prefer to only use ByteBuffers.
I was trying to cheat a little and did the following:
In comparison, this code works and will not throw an error but is siginificantly slower:public static ByteBuffer makeByteBuffer(int[] data) { ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.allocateDirect(data.length * INTEGER_BYTE_SIZE).order(ByteOrder.nativeOrder()); IntBuffer buf = buffer.asIntBuffer(); buf.put(data); buffer.flip(); return buffer; }
public static ByteBuffer makeByteBuffer(int[] data) { ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.allocateDirect(data.length * INTEGER_BYTE_SIZE).order(ByteOrder.nativeOrder()); for (int i = 0; i < data.length; i++) { buffer.putInt(data[i]); } buffer.flip(); return buffer; }
But this just got me a fatal error when trying to use the ByteBuffer:
So my question is, what exactly is the correct way of realising a bulk put method for ints on a ByteBuffer with good performance?#
# A fatal error has been detected by the Java Runtime Environment:
# EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION (0xc0000005) at pc=0x00000000669b09e5, pid=9132, tid=7664
# JRE version: 7.0_07-b11
# Java VM: Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (23.3-b01 mixed mode windows-amd64 compressed oops)
# Problematic frame:
# C [atio6axx.dll+0xac09e5] atiPS+0x840475
# Failed to write core dump. Minidumps are not enabled by default on client versions of Windows
# If you would like to submit a bug report, please visit:
# ...
# The crash happened outside the Java Virtual Machine in native code.
# See problematic frame for where to report the bug.
Or is there any fast and efficient way to cast an IntBuffer into a ByteBuffer maybe?
Thank you very much.


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- Home
- About
- Services
- Schedules
- Resources
The Supplemental Instruction (SI) program is designed to proactively support students enrolled in supported sections of traditionally challenging courses. SI sessions are offered twice weekly to help students increase their understanding of the course material while learning applied study skills from a peer leader who has successfully completed the course. Through structured one-hour sessions in an academic setting, students are encouraged to work collaboratively to identify what to learn and how to learn it. International data suggests that students who regularly attend SI sessions are more likely to earn a higher grade in the course.
|RIT's Supplemental Instruction (SI) program is certified by the International Center for Supplemental Instruction at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
For more information on the mission and philosophy of SI, visit the International Center for Supplemental Instruction.
Have you ever wished you could do something over, knowing what you know now? That's impossible, but students can come close in SI. SI Leaders are students themselves and are prepared to share with students what they have learned over the years about how to study. They are familiar with the course content and are there to help guide students through it. They will be in class every day, hearing what students hear and reading what students read. What they will not do is teach. Their job is to help students think about the lecture they hear and the books they read and then put it into perspective during SI study sessions so students can learn it more efficiently.
Supporting research has shown that students who regularly attend SI are more likely to earn a letter grade higher than their classmates that do not attend SI sessions. They will develop a better understanding of course content as well as more effective ways of studying. This will help in other classes too.
During the first few days of class, the SI Leader will introduce themselves and ask students to take a short survey so that they are able to know when the best time to schedule sessions will be. SI sessions will be scheduled for twice a week. Students may attend both or just one. SI sessions are informal. Participants should bring their notes, textbook, homework, and QUESTIONS!
Currently supported courses have been identified based on the historical rates of D, F, & W's in the class. These courses have proven to be difficult in the past and the AIM Team has worked with the departments to identify the most appropriate placement of SI.
Please note that participation in SI study sessions is limited to students enrolled in the supported course section. All students enrolled in a supported section are welcome and encouraged to participate in weekly sessions for their section. We also encourage students to take advantage of the many other resources available to them, such as their professor's office hours, department tutoring centers, the Bates and Sol Study Centers, and Academic Coaching within the Academic Success Center.
Stephanie Haynes
Coordinator, Supplemental Instruction
2140-A Student Alumni Union


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Johnny Cardinale
Johnny was an accounting major in college who regularly would make fun of his crazy family to his friends. Then one day a light bulb went off right above his head just like you see in cartoons and he decided to drop out of college and start making fun of his family up on stage with a microphone in his hand. Since then he has toured the country (all 50 states) and performed on four different continents. Not bad for a kid from Cleveland.
Most recently you've seen him on Chelsea Lately and Jimmy Kimmel Live as well as various sketches on the TV Guide Channel's pre-Emmy show.


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This award will be presented to a Croatian-Canadian business with less than 25 employees.
Please complete the form below in order to nominate a candidate for this award. In addition, please submit any supporting information and documentation that you may have available to you (i.e. candidate's current curriculum vitae, letter(s) of reference, newspaper clippings, copies of other awards and/or recognitions received, and any other material which may be useful for the Selection Committee in their evaluation of the candidate(s)).
Please feel free to submit as many nominees as you would like. All nominations must be submitted in writing. Verbal nominations will not be accepted. Nominations may be made by on-line submission, regular mail, e-mail, or hand delivery. The Chamber will not be responsible for any nominations undelivered by Canada Post, private carriers, or malfunction / misdelivery of electronic data. It is the responsibility of the individual submitting the nomination to ensure that the nomination is received.
By Mail or Hand Delivery:
Wanita Kelava
630 The East Mall
Etobicoke, ON
By Email:
All nominations must be received by the nomination deadline, which is March 31, 2021. Late applications will not be accepted.


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Azad Zangana, Senior European Economist at Schroders, comments on the Eurozone GDP figures
Aggregate real GDP growth for the Eurozone softened in the third quarter as manufacturing and wider industrial production slumped. GDP slowed from 0.4% quarter-on-quarter to 0.3% in the three months to September, against consensus expectations of continued 0.4% growth.
Within the member states, Germany disappointed with growth also slowing from 0.4% to 0.3% quarter-on-quarter. Details are limited at present but the German statistics office reports continued growth in household and government consumption, but a slowdown in investment. Net trade made a negative contribution, but mainly due to a rise in imports, rather than a fall in exports. The slowdown in investment may be related to uncertainty caused by concerns over the state of the Chinese economy. Exports from Germany to China have certainly been slowing, but exports to the US and UK have more than made up for the shortfall.
Growth in France picked up from a flat second quarter to 0.3% growth quarter-on-quarter in the third. However, details within the data show that final demand was much weaker than implied by the headline GDP figure. When inventories are excluded, France's GDP would have contracted by 0.5%. Elsewhere, Spain posted strong growth of 0.8%, which is a slight moderation compared to 1% quarter on quarter growth in the previous quarter. Italy on the other hand continues to struggle, recording 0.2% growth, also a slowdown compared to the previous quarter.
Overall, the latest official growth data from Europe suggests a slowdown in activity, but a reasonably robust and stable recovery. There is little here to cause alarm, and would not be enough to trigger any major change in monetary policy. That said, European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi appears very eager to expand quantitative easing for Europe, despite reasonable growth and recent upside surprises in inflation. The case for more stimulus has weakened, especially as markets have increased bets on the Federal Reserve raising its policy interest rate in December, which has helped reverse the recent appreciation of the euro against the US dollar which had caused concerns for the ECB.


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I just got this email from amazon:"Star Wars Vintage Collection Episode VI Return of the Jedi Royal Guard"Previous estimated arrival date: December 06, 2012 - December 08, 2012New estimated arrival date: November 09, 2012 - November 15, 2012
I got the Amazon email as well, but mine said November 7th on it.
Got the same email though the later dates... Don't care, I'm just happy to get stuff.
Page created in 0.08 seconds with 18 queries.


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The victim of an armed robbery in Virginia was ordered to swim across the Potomac River, United States Park Police say.
The victim was near the first scenic overlook on the George Washington Memorial Parkway between 6 and 7 p.m. Thursday when he was robbed at gunpoint, police said Friday. His wallet and cell phone were taken, police said.
The victim was then forced to enter the Potomac River and told to swim across, police said. Authorities said he was able to reach the shore on the D.C. side of the river, where he alerted police.
Police weren't immediately able to provide more details.
They said two suspects were detained but were later released without being charged because they couldn't be positively identified as the attackers.
Police have not provided any suspect information.
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at 202-610-8730.
During the course of the search, a Park Police officer experienced heat-related distress and was taken by helicopter to a local hospital. The officer was later released.


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County-level Study Design & Methodology
The Missouri County-level Study followed standard U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) methods and techniques. The questionnaire used for the interviews contained questions from the BRFSS and CDC Adult Tobacco Survey (ATS).
The 2011 CLS goal was to complete 47,200 landline interviews with Missouri adults ages 18 and older. The goals were as follows:
- 800 interviews in Jackson County and St. Louis County with 400 interviews among African Americans and other races and 400 interviews among whites.
- 800 interviews in St Louis City with 400 interviews among African Americans and 400 interviews among whites and other races.
- 400 completed interviews in the rest of 112 counties.
Additionally, a goal was established to obtain 4,720 interviews with adult cell phone-only users. Data from cell phone interviews were combined with landline data for analysis at the state and regional levels.
Between January and December 2011, interviews were completed with 47,261 landline and 4,828 cell phone only users, totaling 52,089 completed interviews.
Data were weighted to be representative of the Missouri adult (18 years of age and older), non-institutionalized population of the area covered. A new and enhanced weighting methodology that was adopted by CDC to weight the 2011 BRFSS was utilized. A fact sheet explaining the new weighting methodology may be found at http://health.mo.gov/data/brfss/data.php.
Prevalence of chronic disease, conditions, and risk factors was generated at the county, region and state level. The age-adjusted prevalence was also produced using the 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Due to the rounding error, the total responses to certain questions may slightly exceed or be less than 100 percent. The study response rate was 58.72 percent (CASRO).
CLS findings are subject to limitations. The CLS did not collect information from institutionalized persons, thereby excluding persons residing in nursing homes, long-term care, and correctional facilities.
The CLS did not include persons residing in households without landline telephones that do not use a cell telephone or that do not speak English. As a self-report survey, the CLS is subject to recall bias.
For more information about the study design and weighting methodology, contact Katie Long, CLS Coordinator, Office of Epidemiology, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Suggested citation for data use: 2011 Missouri County-Level Study. Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Community Data Profiles can be accessed at https://webapp01.dhss.mo.gov/MOPHIMS/ProfileHome


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CHR Fellows are typically one-year appointments to work in the Center, affiliated with the Department of History, and housed in Dulles Hall on the OSU-Columbus campus. Our hope is that this year of research and writing will provide the fellows time to make significant progress on a major intellectual project, usually a book. Faculty Fellows will teach one course in the department; all fellows will engage in the on-going intellectual life of the Center and make a presentation of their research during their fellowship term.More information on the fellowships and information on presenting in the program as other than a fellow are available here.
The fellows are invited to participate in all History Department activities, including our ongoing seminars: the Early Modern Seminar, the Women's History Seminar, the Early American Seminar, the Modern U.S. Seminar, and any other seminars and conferences supported by the department. Fellows will have access to facilities of The Ohio State University, its libraries, and the normal social amenities sponsored on campus. The History Department and the College of Humanities will provide visiting fellows with office space equipped with personal computers, staff assistance, research support, copying facilities, telefax and e-mail service, and access to the internet.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
State Formations: Histories and Cultures of Statehood
The Ohio State University Center for Historical Research Center for Historical Research welcomes applications for the 2013-2014, the first year of a two-year program on the theme of "State Formations: Histories and Cultures of Statehood." The deadline is February 1, 2013.
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- Rolling Machine Series
- Used Rolling Machine
- Three Roll Bending Machine
- Four Roller Machine
- Upper Roll Bending Machine
- Asymmetric Bending Machine
Company Profileintroduction
Tangshan Ruitai Machinery specializes in the production, processing and sales of coiling machines. After more than ten years of development, we have extensively absorbed younger teams, already have professional production and processing technology, and a stable operation team, and the production level has been improved. . Our products are divided into three-roller and four-roller, which are classified into many categories. Each second-hand coiling machine has its own advantages. Tangshan Ruitai Machinery is located in Tangshan, Hebei Province. Whether it is a visitor to the factory or a second-hand coiler, it is very smooth. Do not accumulate steps, no more than a thousand miles; no accumulation of small streams, no rivers and seas , a little progress every day, is the source of long-term development of our manufacturers!
- [ 2017-08-21 ] The development and current status of the coiling machine
- [ 2017-08-17 ] Classification and Characteristics of the Bending Machine
- [ 2017-08-04 ] What should I pay attention to when transferring the coiler
- [ 2017-07-29 ] How much is the operating procedure for the coiling machine
- [ 2017-07-27 ] Mechanical Garden "Guarders" - Bending Machines
- [ 2017-06-15 ] How to make the new opportunity for the development of the coiling machine
- [ 2017-06-07 ] The spring of the new type of coiling machine was ushered in by the market demand >
- [ 2017-06-02 ]
- [ 2017-05-23 ]
Manufacturers recommend quality products
Tangshan Ruitai Machinery Recommended Products
Second-hand rolling machine products of our factory
Tangshan Ruitai Machinery Recommended Products
Tongshan Ruitai Machinery, Hebei Province
Contact: Manager Tian
Mobile: 15512006189
Phone: 13784148788
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Fax: 0315-2576719
Address: Jingjue Temple, Yutian County, Tangshan City, Hebei Province


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For Knights of the Beer Roundtable Review #21, we chose to hit an establishment that Indianapolis has needed for a long, long time--BARcelona Tapas, the new Spanish tapas bar that is part of an effort to invigorate the eastern side of the Mile Square along Ohio Street. Making our roundtable special this time around were our guests. As Jason noted, we had a whopping party of fourteen for the festivities. Four of our guests simply popped in after reading last week's beer feature in INtake; three guests were the esteemed gentlemen who were also part of the INtake feature.
As a tapas aficionado as well as a beer geek, I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of a tapas bar in Indy. Unfortunately, our fair city has a reputation for being slow to change, and we are well behind the curve on the tapas phenomenon. While other restaurants in the city have done tapas, they didn't do the Spanish-style dishes that are the main feature at BARcelona. Consequently, I am very grateful for BARcelona's arrival in the Circle City. It saves me the trouble of having to trek up to Chicago for Emilio's or Café Iberico, which are great restaurants in their own right but not exactly conveniently located at 180 miles to the north.
So, Hoosiers, here's a crash course in tapas. Why should you love tapas? Because they're very flavorful, served in small portions--a welcome change from the typical American restaurant, where your main course comes on a plate the size of Rhode Island--and inexpensive. The smaller portions are also conducive to sharing with friends. Everyone can order a different dish for the whole group to sample.
Tapas usually consist of hot and cold plates. The classic cold tapas plates are marinated vegetables, olives, Spanish cheeses, garlic potato salad, and serrano ham. Typical hot tapas plates include fried turnovers called empanadas, and various meat, fish, and vegetable dishes coupled with distinctive sauces. From what I sampled, BARcelona gets the food right. I tried the spinach and mushroom empanadas, the patatas bravas (potatoes in spicy tomato sauce), and some marinated mushrooms. Though not the best tapas I've ever had, all three dishes were excellent.
Accompanying my tapas was the feature beer, which was Delirium Tremens, a Belgian beer. Throwing together Spanish and Belgian fare might be considered a strange pairing--sort of like Antonio Banderas and Jean-Claude Van Damme choosing to co-star in some sci-fi/martial arts/b-grade action flick. Not so. While taking in a Banderas/Van Damme feature would undoubtedly be a total waste of a hard-earned $8.00, the pairing of spinach and mushroom empanadas and the Delirium was darn near ideal.
Like many Belgian ales, the Delirium Tremens has a huge fruity aroma, heavy with apple and plum notes. The flavor is similar to the aroma; it's fruity, malty, slightly sweet, and dry on the finish. At 9% alcohol by volume (about twice the ABV of American macrobrews), Delirium Tremens is appropriately served in a snifter, which promotes the drinker's slow enjoyment of its potent aroma and taste. I have, however, had more flavorful Belgians than Delirium Tremens. Still, this is a decent beer. I'm with Jason here--a 3.5 mug rating seems about right.
All in all, Review #21 turned out to be a fantastic evening. We ate some food unique to the Circle City, drank some Belgian suds, and forged new friendships--all thanks to the power of beer.
Brewers and beer geeks join forces. From left to right: Jason, Jason, Jim, Mike, Chris, Gina, Adam, and Brent


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Pictured above is a picture the Official Information Car of the Lake Shore Route Association, taken in the 1930s. The Lake Shore Route Association promoted the
Lake Shore Route
as the shortest, safest, most scenic automobile route between Buffalo,
New York and .
The opening of the old Sandusky Bay Bridge on February 2, 1929 allowed automobiles to travel in a direct route
from Chicago, Illinois Erie County
to Ottawa County
across . The Sandusky Bay was a key
component of the Sandusky Bay
Bridge Lake Shore Route
in the 1930s.
In June of 1933, three members of the Lake Shore Association took an automobile tour along the
According to an article which appeared in the January 29, 1931 issue of the Sandusky Register, a very early


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Saturday, September 29, 2012
Outfit #25: Potion Bottles and Totoro
Skirt: H&M // Shirt: Thrifted // Belt: Thrifted // Hat: H&M // Necklace c/o Rainbow Darkness // iPhone case c/o // Shoes: Litas by Jeffrey Campbell
It's a lovely mellow day. I am writing this from the cafe where Daniel works, just editing photos and chilling out. I still have a persistent cough that is really frustrating and means I can't really do anything to exert myself. I had to miss out on a good night of expensive beer last night because of all this lung butter (ew, I know).
I am madly in love with this skirt. I got it at H&M last week and they only had one in my size. Upon finding it, I told my bestie Becki: "This skirt makes me feel the way I feel when I first meet a boy". No, seriously.
Friday, September 28, 2012
My Mom is Awesome: Dory McIsaac & Mystic Farm Wildlife Rescue
A few years ago my mother founded Mystic Farm Wildlife Rescue Inc, a non profit wildlife rescue that specializes in the rescue and rehabilitation of ungulates (deer, moose, elk, etc). Whenever I visit my parent's place in the hills of Northern Idaho, there are fawns everywhere and my mother working her butt off to make sure she is the momma they never had - literally.
I asked my mother if she would be willing to answer some questions for my blog, and she was more than willing.
Molly: What inspired you to start Mystic Farm Wildlife Rescue?
Dory: I have always had a deep love for animals...all animals. While living in Alaska for more than 20 years, that love of animals led me to an almost obsession with the majestic moose. I learned all I could about them... including what it takes to successfully raise a moose calf for release back into the wild. We had many a needy orphaned moose calves on our property each year. After moving to Idaho, I contacted the local Fish & Game after hearing a radio report of a moose calf stuck in a basement window well in Pocatello. The report mentioned that it was not known where the baby would be taken to be cared for, as there was no sign of the mom and it was too young to be released back into the wild on its own. My offer to take in the calf and care for it until it was old enough to be "soft released", was met with the answer that it had already been placed in a "drive through bear viewing" facility near Yellowstone Park. I told Fish & Game that if ever the need were to arise in the future, I would be willing to take in any orphaned moose calves. (It was learned a couple of days later that the calf had died at the bear facility). The following year, I received a call from F & G of a set of orphaned, newborn, moose calves. They were followed by a tiny, orphaned mule deer. Then another mule deer fawn... Mystic Farm Wildlife Rescue has continued to grow and expand every year since.
Molly: Was this something you have always wanted to do?
Dory: Not consciously. I know now that I have always wanted to do this...just wasn't sure where, how, when, or even why! Now, I know it is my calling. I can't see myself ever giving this up or doing anything else.
Molly: What's your primary goal with the rescue?
Molly: What's your primary goal with the rescue?
Dory: The primary goal is the ultimate goal...to get the babies back in the wild where they belong. Period. All of them deserve a second chance. Without Mystic Farm, most of them would be eaten by predators or dead from starvation. As far as where is the rescue operation going? It is only growing...so much so that we are continually expanding to meet the needs of not only the immediate area, but of the state.
Molly: What have been some of your most rewarding triumphs?
Dory: So many... One little fawn pretty much sums up what this is all about...the triumph and rewards. She was brought to me hypothermic, limp, and lifeless. She had been discovered alone and abandoned in a small patch of woods adjacent to a subdivision. It was assumed the mother was probably killed by a car, leaving a near newborn fawn to fend for itself. After wrapping in warm blankets, being placed under a heat lamp, and slowly dripping small amounts of fluids down her little throat, she held her head up...a full 24 hours later. Now, three months later, she is part of a small herd of 10 fawns. I can't tell her apart from the others. She is in the middle of "soft release" and is a great success story. Now, that's a happy ending!
Molly: How many babies do you have right now?
Dory: Right now at Mystic Farm, we have 17 babies - whitetail, mule deer, and elk. All are in the process of being soft released back into the wild.
Molly: How do you acquire the orphans?
Dory: Every year, baby elk, moose, and deer (ungulates) are orphaned and/or injured due to the mom being killed when hit by a car (and/or the baby being hit - a young elk at our facility now was hit by a train), injuries from predators (we've had everything from a fawn that was picked up and then dropped by an eagle, to a newborn fawn that was stepped on by a cow shortly after birth). Unfortunately, way too many of the orphans that end up at Mystic Farm are due to well intentioned (or sometimes not so well intentioned) people picking up newborn calves/fawns, either thinking they are abandoned or even worse, thinking how fun it would be to raise their own fawn/calf! A major part of Mystic Farm is education...informing people to NOT pick up babies when they find them. The mother is usually nearby.
Molly: You single handedly run the entire rescue by yourself. What are some of the challenges that come with this?
Dory: I have been fortunate to have volunteer help now that the rescue is growing. It's a bit of a dichotomy...we want as little human contact with the animals as possible, but yet it is a tremendous job for one person. As the rescue is expanding, I am able to delegate more and more duties to volunteers. Mystic Farm has been approved for an intern through the University of Idaho for next season. That person will be assigned a particular group of fawns, for example, and care exclusively for them.The every two hour feedings of the newborns ('round the clock!) may not be such a challenge in the future!
Molly: You are 100% community and donation funded. Where can readers of the Geeky Peacock go make a contribution or help out in some way?
Dory: Mystic Farm has a website with a Paypal link. All donations are tax deductible as we are a 501 (c) 3 non-profit. We are presently in the running for up to $8000 from a local charitable give away contest. I urge everyone to vote for us in the Parker Toyota contest. Voting is only until the end of September (this Sunday!), and is only one vote per FB account.
Please vote (it only takes ten seconds!) to help my awesome mother win the money the wildlife rescue so desperately needs. Click here to vote.
See? Told you my mom was awesome. She's essentially a Disney princess!
All of the photos included are photos I have taken of the various babies my mom has rehabilitated over the years.
Outfit #24: Bow Ties Are Cool
However, I'm feeling SLIGHTLY better today, so I decided to dress EXTRA cute today to make up for the last two days of misery and hair sticking straight up. I am going to continue to suck down kale and fruit smoothies until I begin to feel a little less like death warmed over.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Geeky Fashionista Profile: Brea Grant
I met the incredibly talented, breathtakingly beautiful Brea Grant a few years ago through an ex boyfriend. The ex boyfriend was complete rubbish and thoroughly smashed my heart into itty bitty pieces, but Brea was definitely one of the best things to come from that relationship. We don't see one another outside of cons (she lives in LA and I in Seattle), but when the two of us get together it's like oil and fire. We have a ridiculous amount of fun, causing trouble and generally being silly and having the best time we could possibly have.
That's why she was one of the first people that popped into my brain when I thought about who to feature for this week's Geeky Fashionista Profile. She's eloquent, wordy, fascinating, intelligent, and well dressed on top of all of this. You may remember her from her roles in Heroes, Friday Night Lights, Dexter... or you've read the comic she wrote with her brother, We Will Bury You. However you are familiar with this awesome lady (or even if you aren't!), there's no denying she is a very interesting young woman rife with talent.
Me: You have made a career out of being geeky, gorgeous, and well dressed to boot. What makes you a geek?
Brea Grant: For some reason, starting my career playing a geeky character on Friday Night Lights got me some acceptance in the geek community. For me personally, I've been a comics fan for a long time and started writing them myself a few years ago. I'm also a diehard horror and sci-fi fan - movies, books, tv shows. I'm a little obsessive. But in general, I feel like I geek out WAY more when I meet a comic artist or writer that I admire than when I meet someone on a show I watch (even when I watch it religiously).
Me: Have you always been fashionable?
BG: I've always had my own sense of style. Not sure if you can call it "fashionable." In fact, you probably couldn't. I shaved my head when I was 14 and wore skater pants even though I didn't skate. And that really solidified me as a little weird in my super small East Texas hometown. In college, I wore wife beaters and crazy skirts all the time, like polka skirts or super short red minis. And I had short blonde dreadlocks. I think a lot of my fashion choices came out of a sense of rebellion rather than an interest in fashion.
BG: Girly, vintage with an edge.
Me: Where do you like to shop for clothes and beauty supplies?
BG: A lot of vintage stores - my favorite is a place called Lemon Frog in LA. But I also love places like Crossroads where the clothes are used but much newer. I'll hit up Forever 21 and H&M as well. I'm also a fan of borrowing my friends clothes. I have a friend who never throws away anything so I feel like I can always find something awesome in her closet. I'm a fan of digging for the exact right thing no matter where I am.
For jewelry, I like to wear things that are memorable to me - they usually mean something special like a necklace from India or a bracelet my boyfriend gave me. It's nice to have a piece that starts a conversation.
Me: You're an actress and thus have to go to events where your picture is taken a lot. How do you like to dress for these sorts of events?
Me: You're an actress and thus have to go to events where your picture is taken a lot. How do you like to dress for these sorts of events?
BG: It depends. I try to plan. I try to wear something I haven't owned too long so I feel new and sexy in it. The biggest lesson I've learned though is to not be scared to change your mind last minute. I'll get all done up, have on the dress I was planning on wearing and then change it all for something that fits my mood more. If you're uncomfortable on the carpet, it's really obvious in the photos.
BG: I'd say early seasons of Sex and the City Carrie Bradshaw mixed with Layla Miller or Cassie Hack. I love an offbeat vintage look but my punk rock roots always manifest themselves in some way. If I'm wearing a sexy light colored dress, I'm probably wearing a black bra under it. And if I'm going straight up vintage, I'll probably wear some goth-y heels. I mean, I don't generally go for a Cassie Hack-style school girl skirt, but I wouldn't be opposed to it.
Me: What's one clothing article and beauty supply you could never live without?
BG: A necklace and concealer. My long necklaces go with me everywhere and I have big under eye circles that I hide before going ANYWHERE.
Me: Do you have any advice for fellow geeky ladies who want to dress well and be fashionable?
|Brea and I wrecking havoc on the streets of SDCC!
Brea has an awesome twitter, and you should follow it. Check it out here.
Outfit #23: Wonder Woman
White Lace Dress: Ruby Rox // Cranberry Red Blazer: Vintage // Brown Lace Up Wedges: JustFabulous.com // Tooled leather bag: Vintage // Wonder Woman necklace c/o Comics Salvage // Carousel iPhone Case c/o Petek Design
How amazing is this Wonder Woman necklace?! It's actually made from an old comic book! Comics Salvage makes all of this incredible, fashionable, delightfully geeky jewelry out of old comics and she was kind enough to send me a necklace. I'm OBSESSED. It's so lovely and a great subtle way to wear your geekiness.
This awesome vintage tooled bag was a gift from my best friend Angeline Oliver - she found it at a yard sale! My name's not Jan, but dammit, I will make it be Jan if it means I get to use this beautiful bag.
I love my carousel horse iPhone case from Petek Design. When I was little, my dearest goal was to design carousel horses for a living. Unfortunately, that's a bit of a dying art form. But I still love looking at the incredibly detailed craftsmanship on carousels! They just closed down the one here in Seattle last year and it made me very sad. I wish I could have afforded to buy one of the horses!
I made blueberry cupcakes last night for my coworker and friend Flynn's birthday today. Everything was going swimmingly until I was making the buttercream frosting - I reached for the vanilla extract and grabbed mint instead! So instead of blueberry cupcakes with brown sugar frosting, I made blueberry pancakes with mint frosting. It was surprisingly not terrible, but I think mint frosting would do much better on chocolate cupcakes (mint chocolate chip!).
Thank you for everyone's lovely comments on my post about my dog yesterday. I loved reading your pet stories! They all made me very happy ^_^
Monday, September 24, 2012
The Love of my Life: Sushi the Pomeranian
When I was 17 years old, I had already graduated highschool, started college, and I was poised to move out of the house. I had always been raised with dogs - big, happy, in love with life labradors - and the prospect of living away from any canines left a weary sort of sadness in my soul. I had owned my very own black lab since I was around 12 - Tidus - but there was no way I was going to move this 80lb beast with me to a tiny studio apartment after he had spent all of his life running wild on my family's farm.
What I REALLY wanted was a little dog. A little dog that was the size of a cat, but didn't make me sneeze and my throat close up the way cats did. But I have zero experience with little dogs - the only ones I had met had been yappy and annoying. So as I do with everything, I started researching. I started reading. I thought Pomeranians and Dachsunds were really cute - Pomeranians because I had seen them in Superman Returns, and Dachsunds just because Dachsunds are just adorable.
I looked into rescues, but as a 17 year old girl on a next to nothing budget there was no way I was going to be able to afford the medical bills all of these dogs needed. That pained me, but I also promised myself I would not buy from a pet shop or a breeder - it would have to be from a family who had bred their dog or nothing.
I started my search in earnest, calling every advertisement for Pomeranians in the newspaper and Thrifty Nickel. My mother was not 100% sold on the idea of her teenage daughter owning a puppy - she continued to insist that I wasn't responsible enough. But I was relentless in my search. I knew exactly what I wanted in my companion - after all, she was going to be with me for at least 15 years. Finally, after months of searching, I called a family that had bred their Pomeranian in order to teach their granddaughter about birth and life. They emailed me two photos - and I was immediately in love.
|The photo that let me know she was the one for me <3
The next day, my mother and I piled in her car and drove from Idaho to Wyoming (right on the border) to pick up my new fluffy BFF. I wasn't 100% sure if I wanted the girl or the boy of the puppies, but when I opened up the front door, a tiny bolt of peach colored fuzz attacked my legs, trying to crawl up into my lap. The darker, chocolate colored boy puppy hung back and eyed me warily as I scooped up the girl and she attacked my face with her tiny cherry blossom tongue.
It was love at first sight between the two of us. I kept putting down this one pound ball of trembling fluff and she was trying to get back into my grasp as quickly as possible. She was so adorable I kept looking at her and giggling - it was an overwhelming response to what was essentially a real life anime mascot.
Soon enough, money had exchanged hands and the teensy bebe was mine. On the drive back, she stretched her miniscule body in between my thighs and went to sleep. I gazed down upon that creature and I felt a swell of love that I have never experienced before - I'm pretty sure she had awoken my maternal instinct.
|The day she came home with me! Look at that widdle face!
My mother and I spent hours debating names - I was leaning towards the name Ella or Bella (thank goodness I didn't go with that, because Bella as a name is forever ruined for me by Twilight!). My mother looked over at the small little animal in my lap and said: "She's like a little piece of sushi! You could just eat her!"
And thus, Sushi was named. I brought her home, and the two of us have literally been inseparable since. At the time I was working as a Radio DJ at my local NPR station, and she came with me to work, quietly sleeping at my feet in the On Air booth. She came with me to class and slept in my book bag. She slept (and still sleeps!) curled up underneath my chin every night.
It's been six years today since this amazing little creature entered the world. I cannot even begin to express the love and adoration I have for my dog: she has helped me through some of the most difficult emotional times of my life. When I was all alone and grasping myself through unbearable emotional pain, Sushi was licking the tears away. No matter how miserable my day is, the minute I come home to her excited bouncing and face kisses everything is better. Even through the darkest of times in my life, I knew I was loved and wanted and needed by at least one creature - and for that I honestly owe this dog my life.
People can call me a crazy dog lady but I don't care. There is a place in my soul that would be greatly lacking if I didn't wake up with her fluff pressed to my cheek every morning. I'm getting a tattoo of her face on my foot as soon as I can afford it. I love you, Sushi: happy birthday!
Do you have an intense emotional connection with your pet? I'd love to hear about it!
Posted by Molly McIsaac at 3:49 PM 38 comments:
Outfit #22: Happy Birthday Sushi!
Dress: Ruby Rox // Spiky Lace up Booties c/o gojane.com // Hat: H&M // Purse: Nordstrom (Thrifted) // Dripping Chanel Logo Necklace c/o Von Trash // iPhone case c/o Zero Gravity
Posted by Molly McIsaac at 9:54 AM 18 comments:
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Outfit #21: So Say We All
Dress: Romwe.com // Shoes: Litas by Jeffrey Campbell // Jacket: Forever21 // Pouch Necklace: H&M
I'm a little pissed off at Etsy right now, because they DELETED MY ACCOUNT. Apparently, emailing sellers and telling them I like their stuff and asking them if they would like to collaborate in some way is spam. Uh, okay. Each message was personalized and I never asked for money of any sort, but WHATEVER. So I am miserably fighting that right now. It really sucks because I have a bunch of half finished conversations/business interactions in my inbox on Etsy, and I can't reach any of these individuals now since I have no Etsy account! So now I appear flakey, and there's nothing I hate more than appearing unreliable. Argh. Have any other bloggers experienced something like this?
Headed to the Seattle Central Community College's amazing fashion show very shortly! Cannot wait to see the amazing student designs (it's all Japanese inspired!!).I'll try and take some photos for you guys.
But until then, want to win the dress I'm wearing in this post? Well, the ever amazing Romwe.com is having an AWESOME contest to win this dress or others like it (same cut, different colors!). They are picking FIVE WINNERS a day! A lot of bloggers I follow have won from Romwe in the past, so your chance is good! Just click here to enter.
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Essendon Bombers Babies My First Jumper
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Kid's never forget their first, so make sure you set them up for life with this Essendon Bombers Babies My First Jumper. Featuring a premiuim 100% Merino Wool, this jumper will ensure they stay warm and comfortable from the opening bounce. Featuring a v-neck design, the guernsey inspired design has them looking the part with the rest of the family. Complete with a heritage inspired team logo at the chest, this Essendon Bombers Babies My First Jumper is perfect for the smallest of fans.


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Final preparations for first human-rated spacecraft to be launched from Europe's Spaceport
For the first time in 40 years of space activities, a silent revolution is taking place at the European launch site in Kourou. Jules Verne, the first human-rated spacecraft to be launched from Europe's Spaceport, is being prepared for launch.
The 48 m3 pressurised module of the largest, most complex automated spacecraft ever developed in Europe has been inspected and closed, fulfilling the most stringent rules of human spaceflight.
Three days later, the two halves of the 20-tonne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) – the avionics/propulsion module and the pressurised cargo carrier – were mated ready for its launch, scheduled for February 2008, to re-supply the International Space Station (ISS).
"In order to eliminate any risk of disease or contamination for the astronauts on board the ISS, we have disinfected all the surfaces inside the pressurised module with purified hydrogen peroxide [at 6%]. Even if it is launched unmanned, 'Jules Verne' respects all the human spacecraft safety requirements. This also applies to the 7 tonnes of cargo carried into orbit", said Patrice Amadieu, ESA's ATV Deputy Project Manager.
Over five days, the interior of the cabin has been first disinfected, filled with approximately 1300 kg of 'dry cargo' such as food (500 kg), clothing (80 kg) and spare parts, and then disinfected a second time. Afterwards, experts from ESA, NASA and the world-famous Institut Pasteur's laboratory, through its branch in French Guiana, have taken surface samples inside the ATV cabin for bacteriological analysis.
"Before closing the aft rear door of the pressurised module [through which the cargo has been loaded], we inspected one last time the entire cabin to be sure that everything was secured for the launch and safely placed where the ISS crew will expect the different items to be. After working for seven years on the programme, it was a special feeling to be the last person inside Jules Verne before it is launched into orbit", said Charlotte Beskow, ESA engineer in charge of on-orbit crew operations.
Tanking of 'Russian' water
Last week, with the technical support of Thales Alenia Space in Turin and flown in from Italy, the ATV's tanks were filled with about 268 litres of drinking water for the ISS astronauts. This is the municipal water of Turin (Italy) that has been treated according to Russian standards. Once in orbit, the water will be transferred via hoses to small portable containers or to the main tank on the Russian Service Module, where 'Jules Verne' will be docked for up to four months.
"It took about five hours to tank the water on board. The fact that for the first time drinking water will be carried into orbit by a European cargo spaceship for the ISS crew brings a great sense of satisfaction", said Pierre Rebeyre, ESA expert for water quality control and Life Support System Development.
The ATV can deliver to the ISS water either in compliance with the standards of NASA or with those of the Russian State Space Agency Roscosmos, but the ISS partners have decided Jules Verne will only bring the Russian water type.
Roscosmos standards call for water with certain amounts of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and fluoride, and disinfection with silver obtained via electrolysis. By contrast, the NASA potable standard requires water with a low dry residue, such as the one produced through reverse electrolysis process by fuel cells on board the NASA Space Shuttle, and disinfection with iodine.
Synthetic air inside the cabin
Once the ATV's pressurised module is closed and sealed, its air can be purged and replaced by pure synthesised air. The main purpose of this operation is to ensure that the astronauts breathe clean air, free from particles, bacteria or microbes and unaffected by off-gassing from the several tonnes of cargo.
Off-gassing poses a serious concern in space because cargo objects emit odours and odourless gases that can endanger the cabin environment. Because no windows can be opened in space, the climate of the ISS and space vehicles are delicately checked and balanced. The air inside the pressurised module will be regularly analysed until launch by ESA, NASA and Institut Pasteur experts to be sure that cargo off-gassing will not alter the quality of the air brought into orbit and then mixed with the Space Station atmosphere.
Final steps
Implementing a work schedule of two eight-hour shifts and sometimes three shifts for six days a week, the ATV campaign, which started in early August, solved all technical issues. The two major pieces of the ATV, a pressurised payload unit and an avionics/propulsion unit, were carefully 'mated' for the last time in one piece on 15 December in the Spaceport's giant integration hall. In this final launch configuration, the ATV is the size of a double-decker London bus.
As the year 2008 approaches, Jules Verne ATV will be transferred to the filling area in the restricted propellant zone of building S5-B. In the first days of February, the cargo vessel will be transferred to a different site for integration atop a special Ariane 5 launcher. The launch and maiden voyage to the International Space Station is scheduled on the first Ariane 5 flight of the new year in February 2008.


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Ditch Your Car Step 1: Move to a Mixed Use Neighborhood
New research from Southern California has found that residents of neighborhoods with a central core of shops and services – a pattern typically found in older, traditional communities – walk nearly three times more often than do residents of neighborhoods whose nearest shops and services lie along a major arterial roadway – a pattern typically found in newer suburban development. Residents of traditionally styled and centered neighborhoods also drive less than their counterparts residing in the newer pattern.
This is true even when the data are controlled for individual and household economic and demographic characteristics. The study was led by Marlon Boarnet of the University of California at Irvine, assisted by several other researchers from southern California, Texas A&M, and UNC-Chapel Hill. It is published in the Fall 2011 issue of Access, the magazine of the University of California Transportation Center.
Notably, the residents of the centered neighborhoods were found to take shorter trips, suggesting that walkable proximity – both closeness and a safe, direct walking route – to shops and services is also important. It may not do much to encourage walking, for example, if the dry cleaner's is a quarter mile away as the crow flies but you have to travel two or three times that far navigating busy roads around the subdivision to get there.
The authors discuss some of the findings:
"Our results show that the number of businesses per acre is the single most robust indicator of whether people are likely to walk in their neighborhood. We find that people living in neighborhoods with more business establishments per acre conduct more of their travel within their neighborhood and are more likely to travel by walking.
"This suggests that walkable neighborhoods are often places where there are many nearby destinations. Measures that might correlate with large establishments—retail employment or sales—did not predict walking travel nearly as reliably as the number of businesses per acre, suggesting that the key is not simply sales but a large number and variety of businesses in a relatively small area."
There is a wrinkle, though. For the formula to work, the businesses must also be large enough to draw some customers from outside the neighborhood:
"The tricky part is that the business concentration needed to encourage walking appears to be larger than most neighborhood residential populations can support. Given that, suburban regions should focus both on fostering pedestrian centers and on knitting those centers together with transportation networks, though such networks need not accommodate only cars."
I also find it interesting that, although the new report is directionally consistent with other research, it differs in some details. Ewing and Cervero's massive 2010 synthesis of some fifty separate empirical studies found that the presence of a well-connected street network, which tends to shorten walking routes, was even more influential in encouraging walking than a mix of residential and commercial uses. I suspect that sophisticated analysts can tease out the specifics to reconcile the findings, which I suspect are not really inconsistent when put to close scrutiny.
Boarnet's team studied travel and land-use data from eight neighborhoods in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. Micro-variations in one study area were examined in particular detail to confirm that "self-selection" (for example, that people who innately like to walk were choosing the centered neighborhoods but would have walked just as much wherever they located) was not contaminating the findings.
The authors place their findings squarely within the larger issue of "retrofitting" or "repairing" car-dependent suburbs to make them better able to accommodate growth, respond to changing market preferences, and respond to environmental issues. It's a welcome addition to the discourse on these topics.
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Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment. For more posts, see his blog's home page. Please also visit NRDC's sustainable communities video channel.