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High Tide
Sea levels are rising slowly but surely along the Texas coast, and scientists are trying to figure out what to do about it.
By Carol Flake Chapman
It was a calm, sunny day when I arrived at a hotel on Corpus Christi's pleasant waterfront for the first International Conference on Sea Level Rise in the Gulf of Mexico. I glanced out at a halcyon scene of people strolling along the seawall and boats rocking gently at anchor in the marina, with a squadron of pelicans soaring by in neat formation and noisy seagulls swooping and dive-bombing their targets. In the distance, tankers were chugging their way toward the port. On such a day, the city's strategically built breakwaters, jetties and seawall seemed as much for picturesque viewing as for protection.
Everyone, it seems, wants to live, work or vacation on the coast. More than half of the U.S. population now resides in coastal counties. And businesses and industries want to be where the people and the ports are. Around 57 percent of the national gross domestic product is contributed by coastal watershed communities.
For the scientists from Gulf-area states and from around the world gathering at the behest of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, this quiet afternoon was the calm before the storm of information that would add some different implications and nuances to that idyllic coastal scene so common to the Gulf Coast.
As one scientist told me, "Our job is not just to see the way things are, but the way they could be." And on the Gulf Coast, that means assessing the implications of storm surges, rising tides, subsiding land, shifting sands, diminishing marshes, disappearing wetlands and eroding barrier islands. The waters of the Gulf are rising, as measured by tide gauges. And though the current rate of sea level rise has been estimated by most measures to be around 3 millimeters a year, a little less than an eighth of an inch, model projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicate that global sea level rise will continue at an increasing rate during the next 100 years.
Sea level rise, or SLR as it's known in the scientific community, is a daunting issue, fraught with a volatile combination of historic inevitability and future uncertainty. Do we need to engineer our responses, as we do in storm protection — build higher, harden infrastructure, replenish beaches, extend seawalls? Or do we need to think about adapting more flexibly and in some cases retreating?
"The purpose of the conference has been to bring together experts from different fields to see where the science stands," said Richard McLaughlin, one of the conference co-chairs, who holds the Endowed Chair for Marine Policy and Law at the Harte institute. "Then we can think about bringing the science into decision-making. We need to talk about the physical and biological dimensions of the problem, about the human dimensions, and then finally about planning and policy. At the end of the conference, we'll have a better idea of how coastal managers can develop tools for coastal adaptation."
Sea levels have been considerably higher in the distant past, as anyone knows who has picked up a fossilized seashell along an inland creek bed. And they've been a lot lower, too, as the Harte institute's Richard A. Davis pointed out in the first presentation of the conference, which traced the history of the Gulf back to its origins 150 million years ago.
"Sea level has ranged from about 40 meters above its present position to 130 meters below it," he said. The current configuration of the coast, with its deltas, estuaries and barrier islands, developed recently — over the past 7,000 years.
Currently, said Davis, we're in an "interglacial" period, a time when sea levels rise. This is the first time, however, as another scientist pointed out, that humans have been around to react when seas were rising. Until the past few decades, sea level had been rising very slowly, about 1.5 millimeters a year. More recently, tide gauges have shown that rates of rise have doubled. Moreover, Davis pointed out, there are several areas along the Gulf where natural and human factors have caused rates of rise up to 10 mm (slightly less than half an inch) a year.
The most dramatic changes along the Gulf have been occurring in southern Louisiana, and not just because of storms like Katrina and Rita, according to Harry Roberts, former director of the Coastal Studies Institute at Louisiana State University's School of the Coast and Environment. Roberts caused a stir last year with a report in the journal Nature Geoscience on his findings about the fate of the marshes and wetlands associated with the Mississippi River delta, and his presentation to this conference was no less glum. Largely because of the multitude of dams built upriver, he said, the Mississippi no longer carries enough sediment to replenish the landmass being lost. As the waters rise and the land subsides, Roberts predicts, the "drowning of a large part of the Mississippi River delta plain is inevitable."
Though Roberts was presenting a worst-case scenario, other scientists were focusing on the effects of even a small rise in sea level on the marshes and wetlands that are crucial buffers, transition zones and marine nurseries along the Gulf Coast.
Roger Zimmerman, laboratory director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service in Galveston, pointed out that fisheries production in the Gulf is largely dependent on estuaries. The Gulf's harvest of shrimp, he said, is the nation's second most valuable fishery, while catch of Gulf menhaden is surpassed in volume only by Alaskan pollock. As wetlands fragment and convert to open water, said Zimmerman, they temporarily increase in value for many fishery species, including shrimp, because of an increase in edge habitat. Ultimately, however, wetland loss will result in losses to fishery populations dependent upon these habitats, including shrimp, crab, red drum and spotted sea trout.
John Jacob, the director of the Texas Coastal Watershed Program who also works with the Texas Sea Grant College Program, said that the only way that most of the estuarine wetlands of the Texas Gulf Coast can keep up with accelerated sea level rise is essentially by moving inland, which he called "wetland transgression to higher ground." However, the ability of marshes to migrate inland depends, he said, on the coastal topography such as slopes and bluffs as well as human development that stands in the way.
The key word that kept recurring during the conference was uncertainty. Uncertainty on the part of scientists on exact numbers. Uncertainty on the part of coastal dwellers and coastal managers of how to respond to an uncertain future. It's a word that has put some scientists on the defensive, particularly with regard to climate change, and most of the experts attending the conference preferred to talk about clearly observable sea level rise without debating causes and without conjoining sea level rise with projections of climate change.
Some scientists did, however, address the subject of the frozen elephant in the room — the vast, melting glaciers of Greenland and the Antarctic, whose potential contribution to sea level rise is ominous but difficult to pinpoint. "Ice is the 'gotcha,'" said one scientist.
British scientist David Vaughn, who has been studying glaciers for the British Antarctic Survey and who is an author of the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said that he was going to stick his neck out with a prediction of sea level rise that he felt was conservative. His personal projection of sea level rise in coming decades, he said, was a rate of 4 to 6 mm a year, with an increase over the next 90 years between 40 and 140 cm — that is, between 15 inches and 56 inches. The great variable, of course, is the ice sheets.
Scientists David Yoskowitz and James Gibeaut created a model for what different levels of sea level rise would mean for the Galveston region. For Galveston County, a 27-inch rise along with a Hurricane Ike-level storm would displace 78 percent of the current households, under their projections. With an Ike-level storm on top of a 59-inch rise, 93 percent of households would be displaced.
For scientists like Larry McKinney, the former director of the Coastal Fisheries Division for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department who now heads the Harte institute, the harbingers of change can be observed closer to home. McKinney, who lives on the shore near Corpus, has noticed changes in the kinds and numbers of fish in the waters near his home.
"Corpus is right on the cusp of what's happening," he said. For example, there was the school of 200 mango snapper — a semitropical species — he observed in nearby waters. McKinney also spoiled a little of the thrill I had felt a few years ago at catching what I thought was a rarity — a snook — on my first cast from a jetty on South Padre Island. Snook, too, he said, are becoming more abundant in the area, while flounder are disappearing and reappearing in areas farther up the coast.
McKinney pointed to data collected by TPWD's Coastal Fisheries Division, possibly the largest database of its kind in the world. Water temperatures are among the millions of data points generated over the last three decades of continuous resource monitoring.
"You can look at 30-year trends in water temperature," he said. "While the summer temperatures are not hotter, the winter water temperatures have warmed up at a pace that fits the global model."
Part of the problem for coastal managers and decision makers in responding to changing conditions in the Gulf, some scientists suggested, is that those changes may seem so slow or gradual as to be almost unnoticeable, except in the extreme cases of storm surge that reveal coastal areas of greatest vulnerability. When the edges of Hurricane Ike swept over Galveston Island, for example, the surging waters followed the patterns that Gibeaut, who heads the Coastal and Marine Geospatial Sciences program for the Harte institute, had predicted on a hazards map he had prepared for the city.
"We know how barrier islands work," Gibeaut said, "and we have been collecting data on Galveston Island for decades."
But how does that dramatic one-time encroachment compare to waters that are slowly but inevitably rising less than half an inch a year — particularly when rising sea levels are a challenge humans haven't faced before?
"Never before in human history have humans been faced with a period of significant sea level rise," said Michael Orbach, who directs the Coastal Environmental Management Program at Duke University. "We lack the legal and policy tools to deal with true inundation, as opposed to hazards and storm events. You can make things better after a storm. But inundation is a very different problem. Things cannot be put back the way they were before."
Margaret Davidson, who directs the Coastal Services Center for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, suggested that one way to present the situation to the public would be to declare, "Today's storm surge is tomorrow's high tide." But she acknowledged that for those who have experienced the brunt of storms like Ike and Rita, such a notion may be simply too overwhelming to contemplate, particularly when another such extreme high-water scenario may be decades away. Or less than a year away.
Davidson suggested that sea level rise might be better approached in increments. Instead of trying to tackle the whole rising sea problem, she said, perhaps we should plan for a series of flooding events or seasonal storms that will progressively worsen in magnitude over time.
After all, said one scientist, "Sea level rise is happening. But it's not going to be a wall of water. It's going to be day by day — inexorable and inevitable."


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Why Cleveland?
Ranked as one of the country's most livable cities, Cleveland has a vibrant mix of families, students, young professionals and entrepreneurs thanks to growing medical, technology and finance sectors.
The rejuvenated neighborhoods and historical districts of Cleveland are host to many of the midwest's best food and dining, nightlife, art, music and cultural activities.
Residents in the Greater Cleveland area can access an abundance of nature and wildlife both at the city's center and in its suburbs. The Cleveland Metroparks offer 18 reservations spanning more than 23,000 acres with more than 300 miles of trails, eight golf courses, eight lakefront parks and a nationally-acclaimed zoo. Cleveland's Botanical Garden and the Holden Arboretum also are popular destinations for those looking to reconnect with the outdoors.
University Circle
Adjacent to Cleveland Clinic's campus is University Circle, the center of Cleveland's cultural life. Encompassing 525 acres, the University Circle area contains the greatest concentration of museums, cultural activities and churches in the United States.
Cleveland Museum of Art
This area also features the Cleveland Museum of Art, which houses one of the most highly acclaimed art collections in the world and several other museums.
Cleveland Orchestra
The internationally renowned Cleveland Orchestra plays at Severance Hall during the fall, winter and spring and at Blossom Music Center, an outdoor amphitheater, during the summer.
Theater District
The Cleveland Playhouse, a premier repertory stage company, has a multi-theater complex within three blocks of Cleveland Clinic. Opera Cleveland has found a permanent home at Playhouse Square, a complex of three theaters restored to their original 1920's elegance in downtown Cleveland.
Nature & The Outdoors
Cleveland Metroparks
Many activities are also available for outdoor enthusiasts. The natural woodland Cleveland Metroparks form an "Emerald Necklace" which surrounds the city and contains 18 reservations spanning more than 23,000 acres with more than 300 miles of trails, eight golf courses, eight lakefront parks. Cleveland also offers sailing enthusiasts, boaters, swimmers, and fishermen abundant lakeshore to enjoy.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Explore a beautifully landscaped Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, just minutes from downtown Cleveland and the airport with nearly 3,000 animals from around the world.
Cleveland Botanical Garden
Cleveland Botanical Garden is home to 10 acres of beautiful outdoor gardens and an 18,000-square-foot glasshouse featuring a Costa Rican rainforest full of lush plants, butterflies and birds, as well as to the spiny desert of Madagascar, where prickly plants, out-of-the-ordinary blooms and wonderfully weird plants and animals.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Located downtown on the bank of Lake Erie, Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognizes and archives the history of many of rock music's best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers, and other notable figures.
Great Lakes Science Center
Featuring hundreds of hands-on exhibits, themed traveling exhibitions, daily demonstrations, the awe-inspiring OMNIMAX® Theater and the steamship William G. Mather, Great Lakes Science Center is one of the nation's leading science and technology centers and home to Northeast Ohio's NASA Glenn Visitor Center.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is considered one of the finest institutions of its kind in North America. The Museum features a planetarium, observatory, discovery center, live animal shows and a wildlife center and woods garden highlighting native Ohio flora and fauna.
Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Founded in 1968, the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), a leading force in the cultural life of Northeast Ohio, is recognized nationally and internationally for its vital and creative exhibitions and public programs.
Cleveland Institute of Art
The Cleveland Institute of Art is one of the nation's leading accredited independent colleges of art and design. For more than 130 years, the college has been an educational cornerstone in Cleveland, Ohio, and produces graduates competitive as studio artists, designers, photographers, contemporary craftsmen, and educators.
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve, a leader among independent research universities, offers world-class academic programs in Cleveland's culturally vibrant University Circle.
Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University provides a contemporary and accessible education in the arts, sciences, humanities and professions, and conducting research, scholarship and creative activity across these branches of knowledge.
Ohio City
One of Cleveland's oldest neighborhoods, and perhaps its most ethnically diverse, Ohio City is a culturally rich community with an eclectic offering of restaurants and nightlife, along with the culinary diversity of the West Side Market, a landmark in this West Side neighborhood. From pierogi to falafel, no place in Cleveland combines more cultures under one roof. There are more than 180 vendors offering ethnic delicacies and an amazing variety of fresh bakery, produce, dairy products, meats and seafood.
Cedar-Fairmount is the Gateway to Cleveland Heights. The business district is situated in a three block area at the top of Cedar Hill. Conveniently located near downtown Cleveland, it is only minutes from Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and University Circle. Along with beautiful architecture, green space and accessibility, Cedar Fairmount offers over 100 businesses, services, professionals and restaurants that are individually owned. These unique services include award winning restaurants, coffee houses, European style bakeries and specialty foods.
The Flats
The Flats enjoys a rich history that began in the late 18th century. The area has undergone a stunning transformation from a manufacturing and distribution center to a unique district that attracts more than seven million visitors to the east and west banks of the Cuyahoga River. Excellent entertainment and nightlife now line the river, highlighted by two outdoor concert venues: The Time Warner Amphitheater and Nautica Pavillion.
Gateway District and East 4th Street
The historic Gateway District offers great entertainment, retail stores, attractive lodgings, wonderful dining and nightlife. Progressive Field, home of major league baseball's Cleveland Indians, and Quicken Loans Arena, home of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, are both located in this revitalized area of the city. In addition, Quicken Loans Arena features numerous concerts throughout the year and is also home to the Lake Erie Monsters hockey team and Cleveland Gladiators arena football team. East 4th Street is the latest in numerous reinvestments into the downtown area, featuring numerous restaurants, including those from nationally recognized chefs like Michael Symon and Jonathon Sawyer, and ample nightlife nightlife choices that includes an improv comedy club and the House of Blues. Also located in the nearby North Cost Harbor are the Cleveland Browns Stadium and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The latest addition to downtown is the JACK Cleveland Casino, complete with upscale dining options, including Iron Chef Michael Symon's B Spot Burgers.
Little Italy
Little Italy is located at the base of Murray Hill, between University Circle and Cleveland Heights. It provides many of the city's well-liked Italian restaurants and serves as the center of Italian culture in Greater Cleveland. Its unique mix of galleries, restaurants and bakeries makes it one of Cleveland's most popular locations. Little Italy is home to many private art galleries and two private schools. It is also within walking distance of Case Western Reserve University, the notable Wade Oval Museums and University Hospitals of Cleveland. During the second weekend of August, the streets of Little Italy are packed with Italian food vendors, rides and a parade celebrating the Feast of the Assumption Festival.
Tremont's architectural gems demonstrate its rich cultural heritage. Located on the ridge directly above "The Flats," Tremont offers fine dining, charming shops and an excellent view of downtown Cleveland and the Cuyahoga River. The area has become a favored site for artists' studios and galleries. It is also one of Greater Cleveland's prime destinations for dining and entertainment.
Warehouse District
The Historic Warehouse District has emerged as downtown Cleveland's premier residential and commercial area. Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1982, The Warehouse District is home to a unique mix of restaurants, galleries, shops, businesses and nightclubs. Many of the old warehouses have now been transformed into loft-style condos and apartments. The District encompasses 43 acres and contains more than 70 original structures.
Discover much more of Cleveland and its suburbs using these resources:

subset: commoncrawl


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Fresh off a tour with Ben Folds, classically-trained Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke brought her operatic-pop to SXSW Thursday night.
During the short set (SXSW is notorious for short-sets), Heidke sung about not only childhood regret but also, and with great humor, how to deal with an old lover who wronged you when the seek you out on Facebook. (Watch the YouTube video here) The latter mixed perfectly with a bit of colorful language placed perfectly to indicate her shock and willingness to "ignore" the past.
As of this writing, Heidke plays three more shows at SXSW -- two on Friday and one on Saturday before continuing her U.S. tour. She returns to Austin on May 7 for a show at Stubbs and has vists shortly after at the House of Blues locations in Dallas, Houston and San Diego. See full tour schedule here.
U.S. & World
Heidke released her second album, Curiouser, in Oct. 2008 in Australia, more recently in the U.S.


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4 Yr Old Skateboard Prodigy Jacob Christopher Shredding W/ Stevie Williams And Lil Wayne At Da PlayGround [User Submitted]
"Lil Wayne hits Da PlayGround and grinds it out with
Stevie Williams and Jacob Christopher, this awesome
little skate prodigy dude! Wayne hits a couple moves
and Stevie does a few tricks as well. Check out
little Jacob though…kid's got balance!
Jacob Christopher, remember that name, he will
become one of the future pro skateboarders that
we'll enjoy.
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(one's) applecart(redirected from applecarts)
(one's) applecart
One's plans or goals. I'm worried that not making the Olympic team after so many years of hard work would totally upset Ben's applecart. Look, he's not trying to upset her applecart—he just needs to meet later in the day now, that's all.
See also: applecart


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In the seven years I've known Walter James "Jimmy" Humphrey, this was the longest conversation we've had. Not because we don't like each other or have anything to talk about; Jimmy just doesn't talk much.
Let's pause right here. Jimmy and I are not brothers. He's a Humphrey. I'm a Humphreys. But if you don't pay attention to the letter "s" and are gullible enough, we will lead you to believe that we're siblings for as long as we can keep the joke running. So far in our fake-brother tenure we've established that dad liked me better, mainly because he disapproved of Jimmy's slick, long, black hair – which Jimmy will tell you isn't that far from the truth.
Back to the story. I met Jimmy when I was 17 and working at Suncoast in Jefferson Mall, and he was 24 and working at the Hot Topic. We had a few friends in common and I used to see him out but never really spoke to him, mainly because when you put two quiet people together, all you get is silence. I knew that he had something called "I Eat Poop" (we'll get to that shortly) and was a fan of puppets and Star Wars. Besides those few things, my non-brother was a complete mystery to me. As the years went by we became slightly closer, ending up in the tightly knit group of friends we share now.
Over the last three years, Humphrey has been working on something called "Billy Inaction," an action-comedy that stars Louisville native Billy Duckett, whom Humphrey has known since he was in fifth grade and Duckett was in third. "Every day, my friend's brother would beat him up, and he took it so well. It seemed like he enjoyed it and from that time on I always liked Billy," Humphrey recalled. "I always found something interesting about him. We started doing the public access show and I would always include Billy. I just felt there was something funny about Billy and I hoped that more people would agree … they may not get him at first, (but) they usually do after a few minutes, and enjoy his look at life and his candor and how sort of uncensored and real he is."
The public access show that Duckett appeared in is the aforementioned "I Eat Poop," which Humphrey began in 1998. It was a reality show of sorts that starred Humphrey's band of misfits. "I remember someone said to me, 'I've seen your show, I don't care for it. If I want to see a group of friends hang out I can just watch my own friends. There's nothing special about you all.' And that was the whole point. Anyone can do this, everyone does this, everyone hangs out with their friends – it's just that we filmed it."
The show still airs every Saturday morning at 12:30 a.m. While there hasn't been a new episode since "Billy Inaction" started filming in 2009, the "I Eat Poop" legacy continues –  Humphrey now uses the same name for his production company, under which he's released skits, shorts and his first feature length film, "Gunther Toody's Happy Time Fun Show," an adult-humor puppet comedy.
His next film, which will be screened in a private premier on September 30th and in public showings this fall, is loosely based on Duckett's life. "We took the sort of legends, the stories, that some are half truths, some have been told third party and get back to us, and we ask Billy and the endings are totally different. So there are a lot of truths … but then we kind of take off on that and his life, which is, I wouldn't say mundane, but he lives with his parents, he doesn't have a job, he likes to play World of Warcraft – so we sort of extrapolate on the most inaction of characters … and we sort of push him into the hero role."
Humphrey said that Duckett's character is based on characters you would find in '70s sitcoms. Think Archie Bunker and Fred Sandord; characters who are outspoken and might not say what you expect the lead character to say. "I like the idea of introducing a character (that), two minutes into the movie, Billy does things and says things that you don't have your hero say two minutes into the movie. …It's sort of a test on the audience. Are you going to follow this guy for an hour and forty minutes?"
If you've seen any marketing for the film, you've probably seen the line "you will see his (let's keep this P.C. and say 'privates')." When asked about Billy's bits, Humphrey explained, "you really will. You really will see his (privates). I want you to know what you're going to get. I want to say right on the poster, (in) the trailer, 'in case you're wondering, this is that kind of movie.' "
But it's not just his parts you'll see in 'Billy Inaction.' "It is a day in the life of this guy. We get to know him. We get to know what ambitions he doesn't have," explained Humphrey. "He's not an action hero character. He's like a character from a different movie that has to live in this realm … You have action cliches and action characters, you have silly explosions and you have this guy who's completely bemused by it. All he wants is a video game and to sit in his basement and smoke. But we're forcing him to take part in a movie.
"He can make a difference. You have to make the character who is inactive become proactive, and put things in front of him and see how his life really is. And we have that in the movie, with his relationship with his mother and how she is not exactly proud of him, and he wants his mother's pride, and how he gets that. And he meets a woman who he falls in love with in this day. And we see how these women in his life kind of change him, which I guess if you want to extrapolate the movie to my real life, that's probably how that works. How women, certain women, have changed my life. Women will change his life throughout the movie," said the 33-year-old Louisvillian.
When asked about the filmmaking process, Humphrey explained that "you start with a script and it has a big story and you have big ideas, then you realize you don't really have any of this. You can't pull any of this off. So you scale it down. And you scale it down again. And again and again. And now it's this smaller thing. Something that I can actually pull off." Â Along with pulling the film off, Humphrey also learned some things along the way. "…It took three years to make, so I have to have things in it that interest me and I have to kind of become Billy in order to keep interested in it," he went on. "So you put things in there that are really interesting to you, that you want to see and you want to deal with. And there are things about yourself that come out in these things. That's just part of it.To keep myself interested, since I'm obviously not the greatest communicator, communicating on film is just a better way for me to show these things.
"I think from the future projects on, I think I'll have much more dependency … I think I've learned with 'Billy Inaction' that I'm not God and I can't do everything. I need people. There are people who are good at things … who can do these things and will help out because they're in my life and they're wonderful for that. …And I think that's the big stepping stone for 'Billy Inaction,' " Humphrey shared. "I think I'm a better communicator. I feel like I can rely on people a little better than I did in the past. And that had nothing to do with people, that had to do with me and what I've learned making movies."
Jimmy Humphrey is quiet about many things, but filmmaking isn't one of them. He's not one of those people who think they're going to make it big just because they made a couple of low-budget, independent films. He is humble about this being a hobby for now. When I brought up making movies as a profession, he explained, "That's something that, (in) the next few months, I'm going to look into and see how can I take this thing that seemed like, it never seemed like it could possibly be that, but could it be? Could we push it in that direction? I don't know. If not, this is sort of what I do and I've accepted that. That no matter what I'm doing in life there will always be this elephant in the room, this thing that my mind is always on something that I'm working on, so regardless, if that doesn't happen, I will always continue to do this. It is my gift, it is my curse, it is my dark passenger, I will always make movies, even if I don't want to. Â …I like the pressure, I like the juggling, I like the ripping your hair out, it's a puzzle that I have to solve. It would make a great Chris Nolan movie."
As the night grew old, Jimmy closed by saying, "Some people make movies and projects with …I think, the goal to constantly impress and show how good they are as far as technicalities and things like that. I have really have no interest in those things  – I just like being clever. I like people to get a little chuckle out of what I do. So again, enjoy these things for what they are, don't take them too seriously. I'm also saying that to myself, not to take them too seriously because they're just cheeky fun. And you will see his (privates)."
Photos also by CHRIS HUMPHREYS | The Voice-TribuneÂ


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In 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Julius L. Stucky of Newton established an endowment fund at Bethel College whereby annual cash awards would be given to students for the most significant contribution to Mennonite or Anabaptist research in the form of an essay, research paper or collection of historical materials. Contributions are judged by a committee of current and former faculty and staff.
Generally the entries for the Mennonite Contributions Contest are research papers or seminar projects focusing on some aspect of the Mennonite-Anabaptist experience. Projects have also included musical or artistic creations as well as biological, sociological, psychological or health-related research, all with some Mennonite or Anabaptist theme or connection.
In 2005, the Mennonite Contributions Contest was integrated with the college's other undergraduate research awards so that awards are given to fund proposed research or creative projects rather than being given after projects are completed. We hope to encourage a greater number of such projects with this change of format.


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Author: SuperUser Account/Tuesday, June 10, 2014/Categories: Landscape
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Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936 / Bombay)
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Birds Of Prey March
March! The mud is cakin' good about our trousies.
Front! -- eyes front, an' watch the Colour-casin's drip.
Front! The faces of the women in the 'ouses
Ain't the kind o' things to take aboard the ship.
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"ValueWalk provides an invaluable service—bringing together the best and most important commentary in the world of value investing, all in one place."
–Mitch Kuflik, Co-Founder of Brahman Capital, a $5 billion long-short New York-based hedge fund
Maybe THAT kind of insight makes it clear that ValueWalk Premium is worth another look. 😀
It seems like a pretty easy decision.
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Auto Vases: an Accessory Born from Necessity
June 24, 2014 at 7:00 am smithsoniangardens Leave a comment
Imagine yourself after a long day outside; you are driving down the road on a hot summer day with temperatures in the upper 90s. Now imagine there is no air-conditioning in the car; immediately a pungent odor of battery acid hits you and mingles with the stench of the other passengers' sweat. This experience is not common today thanks to temperature controls that are standard in most cars, but it would have been the case whenever you rode in a car until air conditioners were installed in automobiles in 1939.
There were no pine-scented cardboard trees to dangle from the mirror during this time, and many car owners desperately wanted a reprieve from the foul smell. The auto vase, a term coined by auto magnate Henry Ford, was the solution to the problem. As early as 1895, small vases, which held one or two flowers that emitted a sweet fragrance, became the first automobile air-fresheners.
The auto vase is comprised of a small bud vase with a bracket that allowed it to be mounted inside the car either on the dashboard or by a passenger side window. Vases came in many designs and colors, in a variety of price ranges. They not only improved the smell but also added a touch of elegance to the car interior. Pressed glass, cut crystal, metal, porcelain, ceramic, and even wood were used for the vases, which were often paired with brackets that were fancier than the vases themselves. The fixtures could be made of silver and some were even gold plated. Smithsonian Gardens preserves three examples of these auto vases in its Garden Furnishings and Horticultural Artifacts Collection. One of the three is made from Depression glass with a sky blue satin finish, and is encircled by a nickel-plated bracket.
Auto vases were sold in jewelry stores, auto parts stores, and catalogs from companies such as Sears. Henry Ford was so pleased with these simple solutions that he offered them in his parts department and added them to his system of mass production. The service these vases provided made them a desirable feature to add to any car. With improvements in car batteries and air-conditioning becoming standard in vehicles, the auto vase was no longer necessary. In recent years, however, there has been resurgence in these novelties. Cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle revived these little vases for a fresh twist on their interiors, and drivers of other cars have caught on to the trend.
For more information about auto vases:
Steele, Evie. "For your Limousine." Classic Car, vols. 23-25. Michigan: Classic Car Club of America, 1975. p. 22-23.
Stout, Sandra. Depression Glass Price Guide. Wayne, PA: Wallace-Homestead Book Company, 1980.
____. "Origin of automobile bouquet holders." Popular Mechanics, May 1913. Hearst Magazines, 1913. p. 678-679.
Lounsbery, Elizabeth. "Some Automobile Accessories." American Homes and Gardens, Vol. 10. Munn and Company, 1913.
____. "Flower-Decorated Motor Cars the Vogue." Automobile Topics, Vol. 18. E.E. Schwarzkopf, 1909. p. 386.
–Janie R. Askew
Research Assistant, Smithsonian Gardens
MA Candidate, History of Decorative Arts
The Smithsonian Associates – George Mason University
Entry filed under: Artifacts, Collections, Garden History. Tags: auto vase, garden history, glass, horticultural artifacts, material culture.
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Events for May 8, 2020
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10:00 am
Tai Chi at UUFE
Tai Chi Classes focusing on Serenity, Balance, Coordination Instructor: Alyse Knepple (269-476-9509) has 25 years of experience studying/teaching Tai Chi. All levels welcomed. $10 Contact Emily Morrison at for more information.Find out more »


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At UPMC, we are committed to keeping our community safe and healthy as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. As our team continues to provide Life Changing Medicine to our patients, our recruiters will continue to fill positions throughout this time. Interviews and other processes may be modified to protect the safety of our candidates and employees. Thank you for your patience.
For more information about UPMC's response to COVID-19, please visit upmc.com/coronavirus.
Registered Nurse
0.7 Flex Full Time Day with rotation
T 11 Ortho/Neuro Department
Union position: SEIU
Tower 11 is a 44 bed, orthopedic, trauma, neurological, medical surgical monitored unit, serving the adult population. We are the unit of choice for patients with orthopedic surgeries, neurological surgeries, fractures, trauma, neurological disorders and medical cases. We are trained in caring for complex fractures and post-operative care of joint replacements.
What makes Tower 11 a special place to work? We have an amazing team of Nurses, Nursing Assistants, Physical Therapists, Physicians, and Case Management, who collaborate to provide exceptional patient care to our diverse patient population.
As a team member on Tower 11, you will enjoy a leadership team that is invested in your growth, a team philosophy and diverse clinical experiences. Come and join our team on Tower 11 to enhance your career.
This position is eligible for a generous sign-on bonus! Whether you're a recent Graduate Nurse looking to launch your nursing career, or a seasoned RN seeking a change, now is your moment to find your place at UPMC!
Sign-On Bonus Details (Full Time or Flex Full Time status)
*Part Time status positions are also eligible for sign-on bonus at a prorated amount - $5,000 for experienced nurses with over 2 years of experience, and $2,500 for GNs and nurses with less than 2 years of experience
Provides direct and indirect care to patients utilizing the nursing process. Provides leadership for the nursing team, and contributes to the education of a variety of members of the staff and students.
Education and Formal Training Required:
Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire
GN level candidate starting rate - $26.31 (BSN $27.56)
Experienced RN starting rate - starting rate commensurate with experience (BSN differential: $1.25)
When you are ready to take your career to the next level, UPMC Altoona has a RN Career Ladder, which allows you to enhance your practice and receive additional compensation! Ask your recruiter for details!
At UPMC, our shared goal is to create a cohesive, positive, experience for our employees, patients, health plan members, and community. If you too are driven by these values, you may be a great fit at UPMC!QUALITY & SAFETY
UPMC provides a total rewards package that can help you achieve the goals you have for your career and your personal life. Whether you want to learn a new skill through a training course, reach personal health and wellness targets, become more involved in your community, or follow a career path that provides you with the right experience to be successful, UPMC can help you get to where you want to be.
Now more than ever, YOU can help us shape our communities and UPMC into a better place for everyone to work, study, play, and thrive.
Learn more about working here and check out our policies and recent updates.


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James W. Brussell
James W. Brussell of Waunakee, WI died peacefully on Tuesday December 4, 2012 at Agrace Hospicecare in Madison WI.
He was born July 23, 1930 in Greenup, IL and grew up on a farm during the depression until the age of 15 when the family moved back to Greenup. He graduated from Greenup High School in 1948 and joined the US Army in 1949. He was stationed in France and Germany before and during the Korean Conflict serving as a supply sgt in a tank company in the 14th Armored Cavalry.
He was discharged in Nov 1952 and began his college career at Eastern Illinois State College transferring to the University of Denver graduating with a BSBA in accounting and entered the accounting profession in Denver. It was here he developed a love for snow skiing that he pursued for many years and was involved with the National Ski Patrol System for 25 years.
He married Theresa Breclaw, a public health nurse from Vulcan, MI working in Denver. After the birth of their first daughter Ruth the family moved to Milwaukee and after two years to Portage, WI where Jim joined the CPA firm of Hoppe and Miller, where he practiced public accounting until retirement in 1990 as managing partner of Miller, Brussell, Ebben & Glaske, CPA's.
During his stay in Portage he was active in many clubs and projects including the Rotary Club, Curling Club, Ski Patrol at Cascade Mtn, Elks Club, Boat Club and Chamber of Commerce. After retirement Jim and Terri returned to Colorado to once again enjoy the mountains, snow skiing and Terri's golf. Jim suffered heart problems in 1998 and was advised to move to a lower altitude, so he and Terri returned to Wisconsin settling in Waunakee.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents Ralph and Cora Brussell and sisters Evelyn Adamson and Betty Brussell Catey. Jim is survived by his spouse Theresa, daughters Ruth (Patrick) Wasson, Diane Skokan of Waunakee, Mary Brussell (Dennis Davis) of Lakewood, Co and Karen Barks (Tim Daniels) of Granby, CO. Grandchildren include Sean, Adam and Paul Skokan and Iris Barks.
A Memorial service will be held on Friday Dec. 7, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at St John's Catholic Church 209 South St. Waunakee. Rev David Johannes will officiate. A reception gathering will follow in the school hall after the services.


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Council Bluffs, Iowa (CNN) - In the face of bruising headlines and public opinion that President Obama did not bring his A-game for Wednesday's presidential debate, Vice President Joe Biden rallied to the president's side - disagreeing with dominant public opinion and essentially casting Romney as a flip-flopper.
"I thought the president did well. He was presidential," Biden said after reporters asked him about the president's widely panned debate performance.
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
- Check out the CNN Electoral Map and Calculator and game out your own strategy for November.
In the next breath, the vice president turned the tables – panning Romney's performance, instead.
"You just never know what … position that Governor Romney is going to come with," Biden said. "I mean, the centerpiece of their economic policy so far has been a tax cut. And last night I, we found out he doesn't have a $5 trillion tax cut."
"I guess he outsourced that to China or something," Biden added. "I don't know if that's off-shored. But it's hard to figure out what Gov. Romney's position is on a number of issues. But I think as time goes on, meaning days, it's going to become pretty clear that Gov. Romney has either changed a number of his positions or didn't remember some of his positions."
Biden's comments came during a stop at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Council Bluffs, ahead of a campaign in the city. They echoed a slam from the president himself. At a Denver campaign event, before Biden's, the president mocked that "the real Mitt Romney" could not have on stage with him.
Both men press that Romney has proposed $5 trillion in tax cuts that would help the wealthy and harm the middle class. Romney repeatedly denied that characterization and insisted his plan would not add to the deficit.
Independent fact checkers have sided against President Obama's claim.
Performing a fact check, CNN anchor John Berman ruled the claim as false because of Romney's intention to offset the tax cuts by eliminating as yet unspecified loopholes and lowering deductions.
Berman rated Romney's claim that his plan would not add to the deficit as incomplete.
Meanwhile, Factcheck.org also ruled the president's claim as false.
Obama is not wrong on that tax cut. Romney is on tape, saying he will cut taxes 20% across-the-board. However, he has no details on how he would pay for it. Until he details that, Obama's statement stands.
@Kala Spot on!
I predict a Rocky-style comeback in the coming debates. They always go down in the first few, it just makes it that much more dramatic!
Everyday guy where do you think the government gets its money from? It gets it from taxes and if it can't get enough money to cover its expenses it borrows the money from other people/countries. If we keep running this country as a piggy bank for special interests and polictal contributers then soon our money will be worth dirt because we will owe more than we could ever pay back. When this happens you will be have to pay so,etching like $100,000 for a loaf of bread or gallon of milk. This will happen sooner than you think if we keep running the country the way we are. However if we look at our fiscal books like a business would we would see we need to make money to spend money. Romney knows how to take companies that are on the brink of closure and turn them around. We need somebody like that to run our country now!
I am not an American but I think American are stupid. Even if you think Obama is bad enough, would replace
him with this guy who changes position on everything. How would he even do things he promised
in this campaign.
He just panders to the polls. When American people they like that, he changes his position.
He will kill dream act but when polls indicate most Americans want to do something, he agrees with
the president decision to keep visa waiters for those children by their parents.
He stood by what he said about 47%, never said it is wrong until after the election, he is now wrong.
how could anyone listen to this man.
Biden is right on...Romney is going to look like an idiot after all the lies he told over and over...It won't be allowed anymore...No wonder they call this guy Mr Flip flop and the Great Etch a Sketch...He flipped more than a US Gymnast!! Cant trust a word this guy says sorry...At least stand for something Romney...Obama 2012!!
Romney the greatest flip flop in the history of politics....Middle class we cannot trust this man period!! Once in office you can forget about every promise to middle class its over!!


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25-Line BLING Pave Crystal Bangle Cuff Statement Bracelet Gold
Brand New
BIG & BOLD sparkly statement maker
This spectacular bangle cuff bracelet features 25 rows of sparkling crystals
This will make an entire outfit!
One on each wrist looks outstanding
Oval shaped cuff bangle and FLEXIBLE, one size fits all
Yellow gold plated
2.5 inches in width!
Much bigger & Much more sparkly than appears
- Item #: SMB0030GD
- Manufacturer: Samantha Manzo
- Cannot ship to: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom


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ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police are investigating what they say was an attempted kidnapping of a woman who was nearly dragged into some bushes while she walking.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. Monday at The Summit apartments near Metrowest Boulevard and Park Center Drive.
According to the victim, she left the gym of the complex and was walking when a man grabbed her from behind, put his hands over her mouth and attempted to pull her into some bushes.
According to Orlando police, the woman was able to escape after elbowing the man in the ribs. She told police she believes she may have cracked one of his ribs.
The woman then ran home and called police.
The man was only described as 6 feet 2 inches tall with short hair and no facial hair. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.
The woman was not injured.
Alex Guevara moved into the area recently and says she is surprised to hear about this incident because she always feels safe in the apartment complex.
"It definitely does make you feel uneasy when you know stuff like that is happening," Guevara said.
Jackie Robinson said she was surprised, too.
"It definitely can be scary if I'm caught walking around here and something like that happens," Robinson told reporters.
"It is a little disturbing. I do have a 3-year-old daughter of my own," Sierra Fernandez said, expressing her own unease. "It's just a reminder, really. This happened to a grown woman, and we just really have to watch out at night."
According to police, the victim said she has had several incidents with a group of men at the complex, and a few months ago she was slapped on her backside while running on a treadmill.
Orlando police conducted a search in the area but were unable to find the man. Anyone with any information about the man is urged to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.


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Pro-Guide Retainer includes everything shown above.
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other products by Air Venturi
Unit Converter for Airgun Measurements
Create an online review and share your thoughts with other customers
5.0 5.0
4.0 4.0
Things I liked: Installed this into an RWS 34 Panther which is a well damped air rifle from the factory to start with. Shooting RSW Super domes it went from 926 to 940 FPS and shoots Predator PolyMags at 853 FPS (they shoot flatter for me). Analyzed audio recordings of gun before and after spring installiation. It does not make retort of the gun any quieter but it does dampen the spring noise. After the initial bang, there is less audio energy and it decays slightly quicker. You can feel the difference, what little spring bounce I had is gone. Also the spring noise from cocking is gone. If you need to replace the spring in your rifle, definately consider this. If you have a rifle that has a lot of spring vibration, get this spring now.
Things I would have changed: Tune it for the heavier pellets.
What others should know: The Panther has a synthetic stock that does not vibrate like some of the wooden ones do. The improvement should be much greater for those guns.
5.0 5.0
5.0 5.0
Things I liked: Quite operation and now cocks nice and smooth...elimated a crunching sound on cocking
Things I would have changed: Make it standard issue
What others should know: Spoke with the tech at Pyramyd, as I had to send this in to get installed, very helpful and even gave me some chrony numbers on how it was shooting..I didnt gain any spped, if fact lost approx 25'..but its made the rifle so much smoother...using it on a 34 panther. Fast turn around from Pyramyd.
5.0 5.0
4.0 4.0
Things I liked: Drop in replacement assm (with the right tools). VERY smooth with no "twang" effect AT ALL. Just a solid "thump". Cocking effort "feels" a wee bit stiffer although after 20 shots I got used to it as if it were the original. Makes a big difference in the feel of the gun firing.
Things I would have changed: nothing.
What others should know: Before the Pro-guide the rifle had about 1500 shots through it and could shoot 14.3 CP's at around 840- 850 FPS. I installed the Pro-guide and a washer as per BB's blog to try and get a little more velocity. Test fired about 5 shots for function and then set up the chrony. Did a 10 shot string and these were the results with 14.3 CP's: 1) 833.4 2) 838.4 3) 831.9 4) 837.8 5) 837.5 6) 842.0 (HIGH) 7) 825.9 8) 832.0 9) 837.7 10) 805.3 (LOW) Avg = 832.2 ES = 36.75 SD = 10.48 Not bad for a drop in spring/guide. Plus the "feel" of the rifle now is so good you want to shoot it MORE. I didn't get a chance to do any accuracy tests yet, hopefully it will shoot as good as it feels.
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Elm and Payne Street Improvement Bid Request
Sealed bids for "Elm and Payne Street Improvements" will be received by The Village of Johnstown, 599 S. Main St., Johnstown, Ohio, 43031, until 11:00 a.m. (local time), May 23, 2012, and at that time publicly opened and read.
The work consists of pavement resurfacing, spot full-depth pavement replacement, and installation of new storm sewer. The Engineer's Estimate for this work is $120,000. The Project is to be completed within 60 calendar days from the date of award of the contract.
Contract documents may be examined at the Village, or at the office of the consulting engineer, W.E. Stilson Consulting Group,355 East Campus View Blvd., Suite 250,Columbus,Ohio43235, or at Central Ohio Builders Exchange,1175 Dublin Road,Columbus,Ohio, or at the Columbus Dodge Reports,1175 Dublin Road,Columbus,Ohio.
Contract documents may be obtained from W.E. Stilson Consulting Group,355 East Campus View Blvd., Suite 250(Phone 614-847-4670). Orders for Contract Documents which are to be delivered by parcel post or other carriers will not be accepted after five days prior to the bid date.
Each set of Contract Documents shall consist of Project specifications and plans.
There is a nonrefundable charge of $40.00 for each set of Contract Documents.
Each bidder is required to furnish with its proposal a Bid Guaranty in accordance with Section 153.54 of the Ohio Revised Code. Bid security furnished in Bond form shall be issued by a Surety Company or Corporation licensed in the State of Ohio to provide said surety.
Each proposal must contain the full name of the party or parties submitting the proposal and all persons interested therein. Each bidder must submit evidence of its experiences on projects of similar size and complexity.
It is the Bidders responsibility to comply with the prevailing wage rates and threshold amounts on Public Improvements inLicking County,Ohioas determined by the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services.
The Village reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities in the bidding; and to enter into a contract with the bidder whom, in their opinion, offers the lowest responsive and responsible bid.
Each bidder must insure that all employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.


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Monday, January 28, 2013
A Week's Mish-Mash
18 comments:
Snow and ice, you have been so lucky that the last 4 years we had both of them.ReplyDelete
I always smile when you see 'sheeps' in the polder. I have to stop and you get some pictures. I intended to get a nice shot myself.... NO WAY, the moment they spotted me, off they ran, to the far end of the meadow.....
You took some fabulous shots of the amaryllis and the hyacinth. To me the hyacinth on water, is and will be, always spectacular.
The amaryllis is a treat, for so little money, so much pleasure.
Great post again with beautiful pictures.Replies
I KNOW I am lucky to have seen snow here each year thus far...kinda like having it in Atlanta. I just wish you could have skated this season. Is there really no more chance? It won't get freezing cold again???Delete
You know how much I love your green thumb. It thrills me to no end the way you love your plants and watch over them with TLC. The orchids, of course, are all year 'round!
Hartstikke bedankt, MLMA.
A delightful post again Ginnie. The pictures of the sheep in the snow are so good – you could make Christmas/New Year cards out of them for sure. The Polder is certainly beautiful when blanketed with snow. No snow here, we are in the mid 50s today and going to the high 60s this week. Your flower pictures are great. Looking at hyacinths makes me sad, in a way. You see my mother used to buy a potted hyacinth for my birthday, each year. On the morning of 26 March (my birthday) there would be a potted hyacinth near my café au lait at breakfast – every year. So, when I see them I remember this – it's a little remembrance of things of my past in France.ReplyDeleteReplies
You're very kind and generous, Vagabonde. We make a good Mutual Admiration Society. :)Delete
What a sweet remembrance of your mother's gift for you every birthday. I don't think I'll ever forget that story! Thanks for sharing its bittersweetness.
What a perfect shot of those sheep, just posing so prettily for you! And Astrid's flowers are just spectacular ... that's a grand idea of growing the hyacinth in water, it's like a work of art!ReplyDelete
You girls are very talented, indeed!
Somehow I am not surprised that Astrid has a green thumb. :) I love amaryllis and hyacinth. How lovely!ReplyDelete
And oh you poor thing to be without your laptop so long!
I love that polder. Those sheep! All wonderful.Replies
Astrid is one of those rare persons who can do just about anything, sister, in or outside of the house! She'd be the first to tell you if she couldn't do something, but I'm not sure what it would be. Actually, I do know: she has a real mistrust of the internet and computers, having no clue about how they work most of the time. I think it's probably a healthy fear, to be honest!Delete
Speaking of which, it's never fun being without my laptop. But it's probably a good exercise once in awhile, now that I have it back. Easy to say now. :)
I know you love the sheep as much as I do. The brethren! May they live forever. And thank you, as always.
i've never seen a hyacinth survive without soil before. another talent in the arsenal of talents that astrid have, a green thumb. my hyacint sits in my kitchen window sill and while the leaves came out early, i don't see a sign of any bloom yet, pity.ReplyDeleteReplies
I have no clue how these things work, Maria, only that they do under Astrid's surveillance. She finds great joy in watching plants grow and seems to know exactly what to do and when. I quite admire her! :) Maybe I should send her over?Delete
I love the sheep photos and Astrid's lovely flowers!ReplyDelete
Those hyacinth "vases" brought back childhood memories - my brother and I each had one and putting in the hyacinths was probably the first of the build up to Christmas. I've tried mini ones for crocuses, but they have never been nearly as successful.ReplyDelete
The bare trees in winter take my breath away, but add sheep and you have perfection. ;) The hyacinths are fascinating - just WoW!ReplyDelete
I neglected to comment on the V&V post how beautiful your coloring effort is! It never occurred to me that coloring patterns could be soothing/relaxing.ReplyDelete
Love the sheep images especially out of your snowy scenes. They are so cuddly looking! And the flower macros... YUMMY!Replies
Thank you, Victoria. I've really enjoyed coloring again because it IS so soothing and relaxing. Therapeutic, too. And creative, since I have to envision what colors to use and how they will look together.Delete
You know me: I LOVE the sheep whenever I see them. Not growing up around them in America makes me like them even more. Here they are everywhere! :)


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John S: Alright, Tim, it's Final Four time. I don't know how we manage during the two weeks before the Super Bowl, because just having two more basketball free days really chills my excitement for the Final Four. An up-for-grabs game between two very likable teams that not many people saw getting this far, though, is a great way to start the weekend. But, this game is going to be UGLY. Neither of these teams plays a very fast game, particularly now that Kalin Lucas is gone, and each of them likes to keep the game low-scoring. Matt Howard, Butler's leading rebounder who is going to be counted on to hang with Michigan State's great rebounders, seems to start the game with three fouls. Butler managed to beat Syracuse and Kansas State by getting them to take bad shots, but the Bulldogs themselves haven't shot particularly well either. So this game may not be the most aesthetically pleasing of the Tournament. My question to you: Will it be ugly exciting, or ugly boring?
Tim: Well, if you run down the games these two teams have played in the Tournament so far, it's hard not to envision this being ugly exciting. Michigan State won its four games by a total of 13 points–which I think is the fewest ever for a Final Four team. After its first-round win over UTEP, Butler's last three games have come down to the final minute. I have no doubt in my mind that this game is going to be close. Continue reading


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AP Interview: Mali wants help against land mines
Mali's foreign minister is urging international cooperation to root out extremists who littered the north of his country with land mines and who pose "a global threat." He also hinted that Malians aren't ready for French troops to pull out just yet.
Tieman Hubert Coulibaly spoke in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday in Paris, where he is visiting to discuss with French authorities the 3-week-old French-led military intervention against al-Qaida-linked fighters in the vast West African nation.
In recent days, land mine explosions killed four Malian soldiers and two civilians in northern Mali.
"Those who planted those mines there are barbarians," Coulibaly said. "They are criminals, because when you plant a mine you jeopardize the life of a population for years."
He said that Mali's land mine problem shows "the large extent to which we need help."
The recent explosions also suggest that the Islamist rebels are beginning a guerrilla-type conflict from their desert retreats.
The two civilians died in an explosion from a land mine, or an improvised explosive device, on the road in northeastern Mali that links Kidal, Anefis and North Darane, the U.N. said Monday. The four soldiers were killed last week by a land mine explosion in the northeast area near Gossi. The French reported that two other land mines have been found in that vicinity, and early Monday they detonated one of the mines.
Coulibaly said his country needs a strong military force to push out extremists who held northern Mali under harsh rule for nearly a year - suggesting that French talk of handing over control of key cities such as Timbuktu in the coming days to African forces may be premature.
"There is a real need for a strong military force, air force, to destroy all the implementations around the mountains," he said. "There is an enormous amount of work to be done so that the criminal economy can no longer prosper. Chasing terrorists is not the only thing. It is also to uproot the criminal and illicit economy that has taken root in these areas. That's our challenge."
He insisted that the extremists pose "a global threat. It's not only Malian or Mali-oriented. This is a threat concerning stability and peace and the world."


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Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Rick Rodgers's book Kaffeehaus: The Best Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. To read more about Austrian cooking, click here.
This recipe originally accompanied Farmer's Cheese and Raisin Filo Strudel.
A cousin to the French crème anglaise, this pale yellow dessert sauce is called Kanarienmilch, or "canary milk," in some old cookbooks. The Viennese version is boiled, as the egg yolks are protected from curdling by the cornstarch. This makes it a slightly thicker, less egg-rich sauce that beautifully offsets Austro-Hungarian desserts. Because it takes less watching, I now use Vanillesauce whenever I need a vanilla dessert sauce.
- Yield
- Makes about 2 3/4 cups
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 1/2 cups milk, divided
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1. Sprinkle the cornstarch over 1/2 cup of the milk in a small bowl and whisk to dissolve. Add the sugar and egg yolks and whisk well.
- 2. Bring the remaining 2 cups of the milk and the vanilla bean just to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over low heat. Remove the bean, scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk, and discard the bean. Gradually whisk the egg yolk mixture into the milk.
- 3. Cook, whisking often, until the sauce comes to a full boil, about 3 minutes. If using vanilla extract, stir it in now. Strain through a wire sieve into a bowl. Serve warm.
- The sauce can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat in the top part of a double boiler over simmering water.
From the book Kaffeehaus: The Best Desserts from the Classic Caf¿of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague by Rick Rodgers ©2002 Published in 2002 by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.


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Conservation and Environment in Mexico: Monthly Updates
Conservation in Mexico - Monthly Update January - February 2013
Turtle Project
In what has been of the present year on our turtle conservation program the number of nests collected till February 28th was 123, of which two were the critically endangered leatherbacks. As the number of nests become more scarce we can clearly see the decrease brought by the low season in turtles, however the patrols must be kept constant as we cannot afford to lose ground on our beach as poachers keep patrolling the beach as well and it is in this point, when turtle eggs become more rare, that the prices in the black market elevate dramatically, making turtle eggs poaching a very profitable illegal activity that our efforts must come to stop.
Biodiversity Study
A couple of years ago the government through their environmental agency (SEMARNAT) decided to support an eco-tourism program in the Chupadero lagoon. As part of the program, there was an addition of off board engine boats to offer tours around the lagoon to the public. We saw that it was possible to start adding their services to our already ongoing project. Using their resources and knowledge of the area we have been able to add a few more destinations, which had been out of our reach in the past, to our already monitored areas. These areas have proven to be isolated virgin paradises.
Within el Chupadero lagoon we made our survey in an area called la Colorada ( 18®44´9.338"N 103®46´47.393"W) where we could see the vastness of the numerous species such as blue winged teals, Mexican mallards, whistling ducks, etc. The birds use this vessel of water as a resting area in their migratory routes.
But perhaps the most interesting and breathtaking of the new sites is an area called El Caiman that lies about 10 kilometers south of camp. After a 45 minute long boat ride we came to discover El Caiman (18®42´46.620"N 103®45´41.084"W), a branch of the El Chupadero Lagoon. Perhaps the name was given by the several Crocodiles that inhabit the area. We managed to identify at least three crocodiles class 4 –over 220cm of length- Acutus Crocodiles. Due to the lack of human presence, this area enjoys of a vast amount of undisturbed bird species which makes this place a true paradise for our biodiversity surveys.
It is not very often that we get the chance to add new species to our bird checklist at the lagoon; however on January 31st we had the luck to spot a Vermillon Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus. It was, ironically, perching on the docks. Added to our checklist, it became bird species number 74.
Crocodile Farm
The last few weeks, along with the veterinarian in charge of the management plan, we have started to help in the rehabilitation of an area in the main building that will become an exhibition space for crocodile facts for educational purposes. In this area we will recreate artificially a Crocodile Acutus nest and will show several crocodile skeletons that we have managed to collect. This collection is due to be ready for Easter, when the center receives its most visitors.
As the next new moon comes to approach, the nights have been turning darker, giving us the opportunity to conduct one of our night censuses of the la Colorada lagoon. This last time we could use a new format to collect files, in this new format we take notes of the species and measurements from a distance. The measurements are taken as we approach the specimen in the boat. As you see the size of the head (from the tip of the snout to the end of the skull), you multiply this distance x 10, giving you an approximation of the total size of the reptile. We spotted 24 different specimens, with a predominant size that is designated as a class 4 Crocodile (over 2.20 meters long).
In addition to the survey we are starting a capture, mark, release program that will be implemented first in the facility's lagoon, and then will be brought to the adjacent lagoons to see average sizes in different spots.
Beach Cleaning
With the tutorial of our new staff member Juan José Díaz (a.k.a Rene), our volunteers have managed to collect over 450kg of plastic from our beach in these last few months. This has already been sent to the recycling center. Even though it is not the most popular of our activities, it is important to take notice of how relevant this activity is in the eyes of the local public as it encourages a general environmental consciousness.
Construction and Maintenance
As part of the turtle low season activities, we have the chance to enhance our already existing facilities, giving a little bit more comfort to our volunteers. As part of this, we built a wooden pathway connecting the bathroom areas, dormitory building, and classroom. This way, our volunteers can access every area in camp on footpaths. In addition, we have protected our existing buildings and signs by adding wood finish and termite protection.
With the invaluable help from our volunteers we started to bring down the roof of the structure that covers the pools that we use as a nursery for damaged turtles. In the next few days, we will take down the entire structure. Then, in the next few months, we will replace it with a newer, much improved ramada (locally made structure).
Oliver Garcia
Camp Manager


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Power restored to 10,700 suburban LA homes
Crews have restored power to more than 10,700 households in suburban Los Angeles County after a three-hour outage.
Southern California Edison spokesman Michael Padian told City News Service that electricity went out about 7 p.m. Monday when a transformer caught fire at a substation in Whittier.
The blackout knocked out 911 service to the Whittier police department. Calls were rerouted to the Los Angeles County sheriff's station in nearby Norwalk during the outage.
Homes in Whittier, La Mirada and Santa Fe Springs, an area south of downtown Los Angeles, were affected.


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So, Deadspin reader Dan sent her/us a present: "You guys might have seen these before but I thought I would give it a shot, I found them on a USC football website."
Isn't there some sort of online date reminder already set up for these sort of events? You know, like they have for Cinco De Mayo. Wait...holy fucking chimichangas — it's Cinco De Mayo!
Gracias for your continued support of Deadspin. Vamos a subirnos a la montana rusa.
Here's some gay-as-Easter special music just to commemorate this 12- margarita day. Ole!