text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - What languages would you like to learn? Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in What languages would you like to learn? Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Next Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Culture View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message pinkygirlJoined: 29 Nov 2006Posts: 9Location: Vietnam Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:49 am Post subject: I studied English and French at university. However, I agree with Borerbore that Korean is a nice language because its intonation is attracted. And I'll try to learn this language once. I think that every language has an its own attraction. For example, French is smooth like an naive girl. _________________This world is really nice. Why don't you enjoy it properly? Back to top SaatuJoined: 25 Oct 2006Posts: 4 Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 5:27 pm Post subject: English & French I'm Japanese and college student. I'd like to learn other countries languages.especially I'd love to learn French. I wanna go to France.so I have to study French hard.but French is very difficult for me. Recentry,I hang out exchange students.they are from America and France.When i was talking them,I felt that I wanna speak English and Fernch more smoothly and tell them what i want to say. I love study other countries language.and I think it is important for me to learn other countries language.because If i can speak some languages,i can talk with other countries peoples,and maybe i can understand other culture more easily. Back to top TulipyJoined: 21 Nov 2006Posts: 4 Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:40 am Post subject: I can teach you Chinese. Hello, Im sammi saying hello in Beijing. You guys are so interested in what's happening in China and in the world currently, yes? I can tell you the latest news about China and chat with you both in Chinese and English. Learning Chinese in this way can be really easy and efficient. Wherever you are, the only things you need are a computer, a webcam, an earphone and a MSN or Skype account. Then you will contact real people and touch real fun. More exciting, I offer you a 30-mins free trial. Link http://www.echineseonline.com/j.do?sid=Sammi&type=1&personal=1 and see my pictures. There's no better thing than talking with a well-educated, experienced, lovely and friendly Chinese girl! Back to top SarraaJoined: 28 Dec 2006Posts: 48Location: Leicestershire, UK Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 11:50 am Post subject: I love my language (Arabic) more than any other, but I would love to learn Italian and Spanish! They sound soo...uuy. _________________لا إلــه إلا الله مــحــمّد رســول الله Back to top ukguyJoined: 06 Sep 2006Posts: 13Location: england Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:27 am Post subject: Mandarin, Georgian, and Hindi_________________dont worry be happy Back to top k.m.mJoined: 23 Jul 2006Posts: 121Location: Riyadh Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:16 pm Post subject: Hi.. I really love to learn Indonesian (Malawi) language ,it can be understand in Malaysia too. KMM Back to top Anuradha ChepurJoined: 20 May 2006Posts: 933 Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject: I would like to learn computer languages. I just joined a class for C#. Back to top sumomoJoined: 08 Nov 2006Posts: 15 Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject: I'm intereted in Chinese and Spanish. Because Population of speaking those language is too much. I want to speak to many people all over the world. Back to top borerborerJoined: 21 Oct 2006Posts: 36Location: China Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:29 am Post subject: i wonder , does any language have differents accents in different areas. i totally can't understand what the people said, who are from north of the china. Back to top RogerlzJoined: 30 Nov 2006Posts: 216Location: Costa Rica Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:56 pm Post subject: beancurdturtle wrote: I speak US English Some day I will learn proper English I am learning Mandarin Chinese (slowly) Maybe some day I will learn Portugese so I can chase the beautiful girls in Brazil which chinese do you speak??? I speak cantonese, I also want to lear mandarin!!!_________________ Back to top hoshiJoined: 01 Feb 2007Posts: 564Location: At the best place of your dreams :D Loveland Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:53 am Post subject: I like french, italian and japanese_________________God gave us two ears to hear, two eyes to see and two hands to hold. But why did God gave us only one heart? Because He wants us to find the other one! Back to top hoshiJoined: 01 Feb 2007Posts: 564Location: At the best place of your dreams :D Loveland Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:56 am Post subject: sumomo wrote: I'm intereted in Chinese and Spanish. Because Population of speaking those language is too much. I want to speak to many people all over the world. R u studing spanish now?_________________God gave us two ears to hear, two eyes to see and two hands to hold. But why did God gave us only one heart? Because He wants us to find the other one! Back to top Ayita20Joined: 30 Jan 2007Posts: 60Location: Costa Rica Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 3:53 pm Post subject: Dear all, I would really like to learn French, Italian and Portuguese! Also, any Asiatic language like Korean or Chinese, but I think these ones are harder to learn than any other language _________________XOXO, Adri Back to top ElenielJoined: 13 Jan 2005Posts: 53 Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:01 pm Post subject: I'm studying Chinese now..and I will take German class next year.But I still want to learn Arabic and French!! Back to top CPJoined: 12 Jun 2006Posts: 2875Location: California Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 3:17 pm Post subject: I took Latin in high school and French in college. I can speak French when in France, but unfortunately no one speaks French around here, Southern California. Spanish is much more useful here, and since I've heard it so much and since it is so similar to French, I can understand a little and speak a little. I am taking German now, at the local community college--German 3. I'll take German conversation next semester, then German 4. Then maybe Spanish. German grammar is tough, and some of the vocabulary is hard, but a lot of it is similar to English. Kommen = to come; tanzen = to dance; schwimmen = to swim; die Hand = the hand; der Fuss = the foot; das Wetter = the weather; warm = warm; kalt = cold. Those are easy. But: fast = almost; bald = soon; bekommen = to get. Those are hard. I can say about 45 things in Cantonese Chinese, and I love it as a language, but if I spent 100 years studying it, I don't think I could learn it. Zu schwer fuer mich (too hard for me)._________________You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Culture All times are GMT - 8 HoursGoto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Next Page 2 of 6 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. 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The bones of Meredith Whitney's failed municipal default prediction have been picked clean. Critics scoff, while defenders note she just had the wrong "D," as municipal downgrades rose to precarious levels in 2011.
As wrong as she turned out to be, not everyone got off scot-free, and high profile defaults did occur, spooking markets and piquing analysts about where city governments went so wrong.
And as SmartMoney's Real Time Advice blog notes, cracks in the muni space are once again beginning to show.
"Exhibit A: So-called lease bonds, which are backed by revenue from rental payments on city facilities, are now defaulting at almost 10 times the rate of traditional municipal bonds," writes the blogger Jonnelle Marte. "Experts say many other types of revenue bonds that rely on income from city projects, such as a football stadium or retirement home, are also struggling to keep up with payments."
She quotes Patrick Early, chief municipal analyst for Wells Fargo Advisors, when explaining that the problem is twofold: "The sluggish economy has made it difficult for many of these projects to generate enough revenue, and issuers of these bonds are limited in what they can do to make up for a shortfall. For instance, a transportation authority can raise a toll to help cover bond payments, but if fewer people drive on the bridge that charges the toll, the fee hike might still not be enough to cover debt. State governments, on the other hand, can take other steps, such as raising taxes or cutting services."
Was Whitney's prediction simply delayed, rather than dismissed? Fingers crossed as we look back at five recent municipal defaults to glean what we can.
1) On Nov. 10, 2011, Alabama wasn't so sweet to those who call it home. Jefferson County, which includes the city to Birmingham, had defaulted on $4 billion of financial obligations—the worst municipal default in U.S. history at the time.
Noah Rothman, writing for political news site Politicology at the time, noted the county simply went in the sewer.
"The county voted to upgrade its failing sewer system in the late 1990s but, as municipal projects funded with state, local and federal tax dollars are wont to do, the costs ballooned and obligations skyrocketed …A deal with JPMorgan Chase to reduce the county's financial obligations though bond auctioning blew up along with much of the economy in the collapse of 2008."
2) Rhode Island's catchy marketing slogan, "The biggest little state in the union," didn't hold for Central Falls, its smallest city. Desparate to stave off bankruptcy, it fired all teachers at the city's failing high school in an effort to renegotiate contracts, which garnered national headlines but little else. The trouble stemmed from an $80 million unfunded pension and retiree health benefit liability, nearly quadruple its annual budget of $17 million. However, as Moody's notes, Central Falls somehow muddled through, and continues to pay creditors on time.
3) Unlike neighboring Hershey, Harrisburg, Pa., left residents and investors sour on its bankruptcy last October, with the added embarrassment of being the state capital. It all stemmed from a newfangled trash-to-energy incinerator that didn't fangle the way city leaders thought.
"This was a last resort," Mark Schwartz, the city council's lawyer, said at the time. "They're at their wits' end."
Bloomberg noted that Harrisburg, as guarantor of the incinerator bonds, said it filed to escape lawsuits seeking to force it to make payments. In a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario, the bankruptcy attempt itself mired the city in expensive, and some said unaffordable, litigation.
4) There are failures, and then there are spectacular failures. What happens when you try to file for bankruptcy as a last resort and judge says no? Ask Boise County, Idaho.
The county that was hit with a $4 million verdict in December 2010 for violating the Fair Housing Act. It tried to duck the judgment by prophesying poverty, but the judge wasn't buying it, concluding the municipality has "sufficient surplus moneys" to satisfy the judgment and continue services to residents.
All it took was some simple math; the county had excess funds totaling more than $3 million, which, added to $2 million that was immediately available from county trust accounts, provided $5 million.
Noting it was more than enough to pay up, the judge dismissed the county's bankruptcy case.
5) It wasn't all bad news in 2011, and a bright spot was the Northern California city of Vallejo—sort of. After declaring bankruptcy in 2008, the city finally emerged last November; however, it was not without pain. According to Capital Public Radio in Sacramento, the city of 120,000 had closed fire stations and cut funding to senior centers, libraries and public works to save money, and worked to find new sources of revenue."
The author Michael Lewis described the situation as a microcosm of what ails California as a whole—public-sector pensions. Writing in Vanity Fair, Lewis noted, "Eighty percent of the city's budget—and the lion's share of the claims that had thrown it into bankruptcy—were wrapped up in the pay and benefits of public-safety workers."

subset: commoncrawl


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This is a replacement home cradle for the Delphi Roady XT XM Satellite Radio.
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Note: This includes the home dock only, no other parts or cables. It is meant to be used as a replacement dock for your current home kit.


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Events for January 31, 2020
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Reset the Net Overview ‧ read
Reset the Net took place on June 5, 2014, marking the one-year anniversary of the Edward Snowden National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance leaks. The aim of the campaign? To help citizens reclaim our privacy and defend our internet against mass surveillance.
Here's a profile of the Reset the Net campaign.
How Reset the Net began
The folks at Fight for the Future founded Reset the Net in response to the 2013 revelations about the NSA's mass surveillance programs. The documents, leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, revealed all the ways the NSA was stealing private data from millions of individuals worldwide.
Fight for the Future has described the NSA as "twisting the internet we love into something it was never meant to be. We can't stop targeted attacks, but we can stop mass surveillance, by building proven security into the everyday internet."
3 ways to fight spying
Here are three ways the public could participate in Reset the Net.
Get the Privacy Pack: The Reset the Net Privacy Pack is a suite of tools, mostly free to use, which help individuals protect their privacy online. The pack includes apps and guides for Windows, Mac, Linux, smartphones, and password security. Recommended tools include the Tor browser, secure chat app Pidgin, and phone call–encryption app RedPhone, among others.
Celebrate Reset the Net Day: Timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the NSA spying revelations of June 5, 2013, Reset the Net Day was a planned day of action against mass surveillance. Participating websites were asked to display a splash screen or modal on Reset the Net Day, which read: "A year after the first NSA revelation, the US congress has failed to protect our rights. Starting today, June 5th, we're taking steps to directly block government surveillance on the internet. Here's how to protect your devices too."
"Starting today, June 5th, we're taking steps to directly block government surveillance on the internet."Take the Pledge: Campaign supporters were also invited to take a pledge: "Mass surveillance is illegitimate. I'm taking steps to take my freedoms back and I expect governments and corporations to follow in my footsteps and take steps to stop all mass government surveillance."
"Mass surveillance is illegitimate. I'm taking steps to take my freedoms back..."
Who supported Reset the Net?
Companies that publicly backed the campaign include Google, Reddit, Imgur, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Mozilla, Twitter, Dropbox, Mojang, CloudFlare, and ExpressVPN.
Public figures who backed Reset the Net include Edward Snowden, civil liberties attorney Jennifer Granick, and security specialist Bruce Schneier.
Snowden said: "I am excited for Reset the Net—it will mark the moment when we turn political expression into practical action, and protect ourselves on a large scale."
Schneier said: "The NSA and others do mass surveillance because it's easier than targeting. Initiatives like Reset the Net force governments into targeted surveillance. That's how we win."
Educating millions of internet users
Guardian columnist Astra Taylor suggested that Google's support of the campaign was ironic, given that the company's "profits depend on sucking up our personal information... Google and Facebook would prefer to denounce state surveillance practices rather than acknowledge the myriad ways they facilitate such encroachments."
Is it time to Reset the Net again?
But there is still much work to do around the world. Now that Australia's Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Act 2015 and the United Kingdom's Investigatory Powers Act 2016 are in full force, will Reset the Net mobilize the masses once more to prevent government agencies from spying on ordinary citizens?


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Engine 1069Posted in Man-made, Picture on 07/13/2012 11:50 am by ifferjenn
Taken when John and I took a walk in search of the elusive evening Amtrak. I'm guessing the Amtrak passed about 15 minutes after we left, though we did see two commuter trains and a CSX train! This picture is also a guest post on John's site, Jawnhenry.com today. You should see his pictures!


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Virginia Unbridled
Washington, D.C., may be all about political jockeying, but drive some 50 miles south and you'll find yourself in the heart of Virginia's horse (and wine) country.
The hissing sound of a hot-air balloon causes horses to panic and bolt. Or at least that's what a horse trainer dining in Paris's only restaurant alleged, recounting the shouting match he'd had that afternoon with a balloonist flying low over his stable yard.
Paris, Virginia, is a single street of immaculately restored houses, an antiques shop, and the Ashby Inn & Restaurant, whose menu of French-inflected comfort food shows flashes of artisanal spirit, with local raw-milk cheeses and house-made duck "ham." More important, the inn functions as a gathering place for a certain set. On the eve of the International Gold Cup, one of Virginia's largest steeplechases, the restaurant was buzzing with stable talk. The stuffed-pheasant trophy on the mantelpiece watched over women in elegant tweeds, their dressage-champion daughters, and more than one gentleman wearing an ascot. Outside, a driver stood sentry beside a Volvo station wagon.
Our new trainer friend, dining at a neighboring table side by side with a female companion, seemed in the know, so we inquired about a large group of distinguished-looking Argentines who were polishing off their desserts nearby.
"Gunslingers end up in Dodge City," he said, with well-practiced timing. "Horse people come here, to Loudoun County."
Loudoun and the collection of other counties south and west of Washington, D.C., have long been a playground for the city's old guard, their horses, and their beagles. The Mellons, Harrimans, and Grahams acquired vast Virginia retreats in the early part of the century, and Jackie Kennedy rented a place at which to ride in 1961, soon after her husband's ascent to the White House. In the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, just 60 miles from the National Mall, the land appears so English, so pastoral and pristine, it seems unfathomable that some of the Civil War's bloodiest engagements were fought here.
Besides the "balloonatics," there are other constituencies battling with the horse people for their ever more valuable expanses of turf. Among the tamer (and more refreshing) combatants are the wine growers, who over the last 30 years have converted an increasing percentage of the landscape closest to the Blue Ridge into vineyards. Though early attempts at viticulture in Virginia date to 1608, and Thomas Jefferson tried valiantly—and for the most part failed—to bottle fine wines from European grapes, success came only in the 1970's, due largely to the arrival of a few influential Italian producers, including the Veneto's Zonin family. In 1979 the Commonwealth had six wineries; today, it's the fifth-highest producer in the nation, with more than 100 wineries that receive a half million visitors a year. Napa, by comparison, gets 4.7 million annual visitors.
Although wine tourism seems to have shaken up the formula a bit, lending northern Virginia the feel of a lifestyle destination on the order of Napa Valley or the East End of Long Island, the infancy of Virginia's wine industry has its benefits: in Virginia, you're more likely to find the winemaker himself holding court in a tasting room. Tour buses and asphalt parking lots are rare here, at least for the time being. Along with tourists and the attendant retail dollars have come the inevitable preservation and development battles, waged over the region's future. Now seemed like the perfect time to chart a course through the state, beginning just south of the Washington, D.C., suburbs and ambling down through wine country to Charlottesville, both the academic cradle of the state and the site of Thomas Jefferson's first forays into wine production.
DON'T SUPERSIZE MIDDLEBURG, read signs in yards along Route 50, the road into the hamlet that is the epicenter of hunt country, and it was difficult to know whether they addressed the nearly audible encroaching of new D.C. bedroom community developments or projects such as Sheila Johnson's 168-room Salamander Resort & Spa, slated to open in town in the fall of 2009.
Johnson, cofounder of Black Entertainment Television, is one of the new Middleburg landowners: business barons who've been making an impression by thinking big and differently. Another, Cisco Systems cofounder Sandy Lerner, a philanthropist with an interest in animal rights, caused a stir when she purchased Ayrshire Farm and denied local fox hunters the right to pass through her land. (She sharpened the barb by opening a roadhouse tavern named the Hunter's Head, where a mounted huntsman's bust—sporting a riding helmet—overlooks the bar.)
But both Johnson and Lerner seem to have settled into their communities, and each offered an olive branch to her neighbors in the form of an excellent provisions store in downtown Middleburg: Lerner's Home Farm Store sells heirloom vegetables and rare-breed meats raised on her land; Johnson's Market Salamander is a prepared-foods mecca run by lauded D.C. chef Todd Gray. Both places happen to be just a stone's throw from Linda Tripp's—yes, Ms. Lewinsky's confidante's—German Christmas shop and Wursthaus.
Nevertheless, our first 15 minutes here proved that Middleburg's hunt-country bona fides remain intact. Like ski bums and surfers, Middleburg's equestrians have their own argot for discussing the sport's ripest conditions. We woke up one misty, bleak morning after our dinner in Paris to find the crowd at the Coach Stop, a diner along Middleburg's Main Street, raving about the excellent "scenting" and "footing" (for dogs and horses, respectively).
We tucked into a breakfast of country ham with grits and red-eye gravy and lingered with In & Around Horse Country (a bimonthly paper) until the sun burned off the fog. On the town green, the church bazaar was in full swing, offering items such as used jodhpurs and horse tack at fire-sale prices. One of us picked up a fern-gray custom-tailored riding blazer, and the other found a broken-in horse blanket, which had CHISHOLM embroidered on the flank in script, to picnic on. Then we shopped for fried-chicken box lunches at Market Salamander before heading to the Gold Cup.
The race takes place on the third Saturday in October, several miles south of Middleburg on a vast, impossibly green rolling plain called the Great Meadow. We drove along narrow asphalt back roads through fields—some trimmed with fence posts painted a deep black-green, others with stone walls stretching straight as plumb lines along their road frontage. In the fields, hay bales spotted the landscape with painterly irregularity.
The Gold Cup is a tough ticket, and at $55 per car and up to $11,000 for a railside tent, can be an expensive one, too. Families, frat boys and their girls, and people traveling on a budget tend to reserve the cheaper territory at the narrow ends of the roughly oval course. But the prime viewing spot is from Members Hill, a sloping green in front of the homestretch, and the most coveted places on the hill are the tailgating spots alongside the fence, where drivers of vintage wood-paneled Wagoneers and late-model Land Cruisers alike back up, open their doors, and party.
The race itself is visually stunning and perfectly paced for the attention of the tailgaters. At the crack of the pistol, all eyes watch as horses and their jockeys bolt out of sight. As the horses round the course, you see in the distance the jockeys' pastel jerseys flashing back into view now and again. That far away, their pace appears leisurely, languid even, and the tailgaters in their Lilly Pulitzer and wide-brimmed hats can relax, sip their juleps, nibble tea sandwiches, and primp the floral centerpieces on the table (or on the roof of the Mercedes). Then, several minutes later, the volume of voices along the track fence rises, and the crowd pivots to behold the pack of horses come thundering down the straightaway to the final jump and the finish line.
Compared with the plumminess of Members Hill, the wine-country experiences in this area have a neighborly informality. At Chrysalis, a winery founded in 1997 with the mandate to make the Norton, Virginia's native grape, viable for wine production, visitors are encouraged to cook out on the iron grills on the property. When the server conducting our tasting uncorked the winery's Petit Manseng—in our view, the house's finest wine, a Sauternes-like elixir and a superb match for foie gras—she volunteered, "Y'all, my girlfriends and I call this our hot-tub wine."
And though wineries in this part of the country are sprouting like chanterelles after late August rains, they seem more genuine than some of the vanity vineyards you encounter in Sonoma and Napa. At a pub in Flint Hill, we eavesdropped on a local chef raving about the wines of a new house, Gadino Cellars. The following day, we drove toward the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and found a modest shed, on which the paint was barely dry, serving as a tasting room.
Italian-American garagistes, the Gadinos pursued their dream to become commercial winemakers, and the results of their first vintage are impressive. Their premium Chardonnay is Burgundian in style—elegant, with barely perceptible oak. The Gadinos specialize in growing Cabernet Franc grapes, and the wine they make from them is medium-bodied and racy. Although we knew that it would soften and mellow in a few years, we didn't have the willpower to wait more than a few minutes, and uncorked a bottle just 12 miles further along the road, at a scenic overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The trek up the mountain to the aptly named Skyline Drive is a twisting haul, but the road, with its narrow lanes, stone-lined tunnels, and sleek Frank Lloyd Wright-style signage, is a thrilling reward, a trip back to an era of tailfinned Chryslers and full-service gasoline stations. We drove along a few undulating miles to a lookout where the view dropped straight down from our toes and the Shenandoah Mountains stretched out before us to the east. We wished we could continue along the Parkway through a bank of clouds to the south, but opted to save that for another story.
Instead, we settled for a late afternoon visit to Barboursville Vineyards, the elder statesman of Virginia wineries, established in 1976. On a plot of land that held the ruins of a house built by Jefferson, the four Zonin brothers began growing vinifera grapes in the 1800's; these days, Barboursville produces 30,000 cases of wine a year. The winery's success may owe partly to its proximity to Charlottesville and the fact that on its premises there's an Italian restaurant—Palladio—with excellent house-cured olives, hearth-baked breads, and first-pressing olive oils. But many American wine lovers acknowledge that the talent of Luca Paschina, an Alba native who came to Barboursville to work as consultant in 1990 and stayed, is what put the winery on the map. Paschina's Octagon is the most lauded wine of his portfolio.
But Paschina is only the most recent in a long line of Italian winemakers who've influenced Virginia production. In fact, in 1770, Jefferson sold some of the land surrounding Monticello, his sprawling Palladian home up in the hills just outside Charlottesville, to an Italian grower whose experiments with hybrid American-European grapes were among the first such plantings this side of the Atlantic. Grape growing at Monticello ceased by the 19th century, but the old house has been impressively restored and turned into a museum that puts flesh and bone on Jefferson's viticultural aspirations. Just paces from the house's kitchen (whose spartan, minimalist aesthetic could hold its own against the latest designs from Bulthaup), we wandered through the terraced kitchen garden, Indian-summer light dappling sprawled-out tomato plants hung with overripe fruit.
Jefferson's spirit—forward-looking, yet rooted in the land and mindful of the past—lives on in the new Charlottesville. Like other Southern university towns, such as Asheville, North Carolina, or Athens, Georgia, this is a place where people drive hybrid cars and tend to care deeply about what they eat and drink, and where it comes from. At the C&O Bar—the dimly lit college watering hole of our dreams, with early R.E.M. and the Cocteau Twins jangling through the revelry—we ordered glasses of Stone Mountain Vineyards rosé, listened to trains whistle by, and watched a table of professors and students arguing over the wine list as though it were a political treatise.
Charlottesville's most accomplished chefs are ensconced in luxurious inns just outside town. At the intimate Clifton Inn, the decadent rusticity of the rooms—claw-foot tubs, Mascioni linens, fireplaces, but nary a ruffled window treatment in sight—is echoed in the innovative comfort food of its chef, Dean Maupin, who pairs perfectly seared quail with espresso-poached pears, and orange with sesame in a rich frozen mousse.
In the same neighborhood is opulent Keswick Hall, whose laird-of-the-manor grandeur carries a hint of fun: among the hunt-club prints and Chippendale chairs in our room was a framed collection of brightly colored Best in Show ribbons that somebody's poodle had won. Keswick Hall's restaurant, Fossett's, has its own surprising charms. Its anterooms, festooned with over-the-top swags, open onto an elegant white dining room with enormous arrangements of calla lilies. Here, we found the best service of the trip, and some of Virginia's most compelling seasonal food—quail with chanterelles, rockfish with mussels and fava beans. The extensive wine list, heavy with the state's best bottles, included some exciting discoveries: King Family Vineyards Michael Shaps Viognier, made by a négociant in Burgundy, and Blenheim Vineyards' Petit Verdot, and Albemarle Rosé from Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard.
Patricia Kluge, an heiress and philanthropist, entered Virginia's wine game in 1999, and the estate was initially dismissed by many critics as a lark until its wines—sparkling ones, in particular—began consistently garnering ratings in the mid-90's from wine writers.
The Kluge Estate has far and away the most elegant tasting room and café in all of Virginia, and it's staffed by what appear to be UVA students. The one who ushered us through our sampling of the Kluge range didn't look old enough to buy cigarettes, but he was a natural wine-talker, with what seemed like a deep knowledge not only of the riddling and time spent on lees of Kluge's vintages but also of all sorts of wines the world over. He attributed his expertise to his father, a doctor, who had always encouraged his wine curiosity.
When he reached to pour us flutes of Kluge's 2002 brut sparkler, a 100 percent Chardonnay cuvée with a yeasty nose and crisp green-apple flavors, we spied the five-barrel monogram on the cuff of his Oxford shirt. We asked him his name, and took our second sips.
"Ernest William Beasley the Fourth," he replied. "But everybody calls me Bubba.
Matt Lee and Ted Lee are Travel + Leisure contributing editors.
Getting There
Fly into Dulles International Airport (IAD) and rent a car—an essential for touring this region. Middleburg, the northernmost town in hunt country, is just a half hour's drive from Dulles.
When To Go
The most festive time to visit Virginia's horse country is during Gold Cup race weekends, which happen in October and May every year. See vagoldcup.com for race schedules and tickets.
Where to Stay
Clifton Inn 1296 Clifton Inn Dr., Charlottesville; 888/971-1800 or 434/971-1800; cliftoninn.net; doubles from $235.
Goodstone Inn & Estate Intimate, luxurious rooms and pristine grounds. 36205 Snake Hill Rd., Middleburg; 877/219-4663 or 540/687-4645; goodstone.com; doubles from $330.
Keswick Hall 701 Club Dr., Keswick; 800/274-5391 or 434/979-3440; keswick.com; doubles from $325.
Red Fox Inn Spacious rooms in the heart of downtown Middleburg. 2 E. Washington St., Middleburg; 800/223-1728 or 540/687-6301; redfox.com; doubles from $195.
Where to Eat
Ashby Inn & Restaurant 692 Federal St., Paris; 540/ 592-3900; dinner for two $90.
Coach Stop Restaurant 9 E. Washington St., Middleburg; 540/687-5515; dinner for two $40.
Market Salamander 200 W. Washington St., Middleburg; 540/687-8011; dinner for two $40.
Palladio Restaurant Barboursville Vineyards, 17655 Winery Rd., Barboursville; 540/832-7848; barboursvillewine.com; dinner for two $140.
Where to Sip
C&O Bar 515 E. Water St., Charlottesville; 434/971-7044.
Chrysalis Vineyards 23876 Champe Ford Rd., Middleburg; 540/687-8222; chrysaliswine.com.
Gadino Cellars 92 Schoolhouse Rd., Washington, Va.; 540/987-9292; gadinocellars.com.
Kluge Estate Farm Shop 3550 Blenheim Rd., Charlottesville; 434/984-4855; klugeestate.com.
What to Do
American in Paris An eclectic collection of American country antiques for sale. 694 Federal St., Paris; 540/592-9008.
Monticello 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy., Charlottesville; 434/984-9822; monticello.org.
Skyline Drive/ Blue Ridge Parkway Sperryville; see blueridgeparkway.org for driving maps, bloom schedules, and road conditions.


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Labor Shortage Besets Home Builders
Shortage of Skilled Workers Ripples Across Housing Market; 'It Got Frustrating'
DENVER—John Van Dyk says he needs to hire 80 construction framers this year to keep up with Colorado's recovering home-building market, doubling his company's size. So far, he has hired only 20.
"We're really concerned about this summer," said Mr. Van Dyk, whose Van Dyk Construction Inc. employs carpenters who assemble and erect housing frames. "For the first time in my 35-year career, I have to think of whether I dare to take on any additional work."
To Read the Full Story


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Agreed Andy. The thing is is both perspectives have merit. I actively engage both. On one hand clarity on one's true nature - one's true self as simple conscious awareness - is the gold standard in life perspective. Few however, live in this perspective continuously. How one handles that time where the mind asserts itself into the forefront can make a big difference in how well one finds their way (back) to their core perspective.Sighclone wrote:Remember acceptance? Can you not each accept that the other is different, has a different experience with his personal growth? And different needs in replying to and creating posts.
Consider, the mind can be very active and distracting. If one is unable to find consistent familiarity with clear presence then conditioned mental habits often reek havoc on one's experience. In this case employing skills of positive thinking/feeling over endlessly spinning negativity can greatly improve one's experience of life. There is no wrong answer here. There is only context.


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Collectibles from Iron Man 2 and Star Wars...
For a great selection of action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, SmallJoes.com, PastGenerationToys.com, SuperHeroToys.com, MonkeyDepot.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, and Sekaido.com.
For a great selection of pop culture t-shirts and apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com and 80sTees.com.
Online retailer Action Figure Xpress (AFX) announces that they will be attending the 2010 C2E2 Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) April 16-18, 2010. To be located at booth #767, AFX excllusives to be offered at the show include:
Iron Man 2 Battle Tactics Minimates Box Set
Includes Nick Fury, Racetrack Tony Stark and Battle Damaged versions of both the Mark VI Iron Man and War Machine. $18
Star Wars Force Unleashed Mini Busts Two-Pack
Gentle Giant and AFX unleash the Force with this exclusive mini bust two-pack featuring Darth Vader's secret apprentice as both the Ultimate Jedi and the Ultimate Sith. $100
Star Wars Clone Wars Commander Fox ArtFX+ Statue
From The Clone Wars film and TV series comes this exclusive Commander Fox ArtFX+ (plus) Statue from Kotobukiya. The Commander Fox statue stands approximately 6.5 inches tall. $60


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Show All Answers
There are some exceptions. Certain subdivisions are fenced all the way around their perimeter. Nine-Mile Heights, Pike-San Isabel Village, and Warm Springs are examples. If there are livestock in your subdivision and you believe it is fenced, Animal Control will attempt to locate the owner and can force that owner to move his livestock.


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Frederick, Maryland: Il Forno Pizzeria
Il Forno Pizzeria
1035 W Patrick Street, Frederick, MD 21702 (map); 301-846-0422 ilfornopizzeria.com
Pizza Style: Wood-fired
Oven Type: Italian-made wood burning ovens
The Skinny: Some oven management issues can be a problem here.
Price: 10", 13" & 15" sizes available from $6.00 to $18.99.
Slices?: No
Alcohol/BYOB?: Full bar
Delivery: No. Take-out is available
A clock chimes from the tower looming over Il Forno Pizzeria, the wood fired pizza joint slinging what some believe to be the best pizza in Frederick, Maryland. I can't claim to be an expert on the Frederick pizza scene, but the chiming of the clock was a portent of things to come...
Il Forno has a nice sized bar, and numerous flat screen HDTVs hang in both the dining room and bar areas. I imagine it would be a nice pizza-centric spot to keep tabs on all of your fantasy players as you chow down and throw back a couple during football season. In warmer weather, an array of outdoor tables allows for dining al fresco. But it's the two Italian-made Ambrogi wood burning pizza ovens located behind the bar area which are the main draw for the pizza obsessed. You. Me. Pizza Family. Let's eat!
I ordered a 13" Margherita and a 13" Bianca with an addition of red onions and went to check out the pizza prep and those ovens.
As soon as I looked into the oven, I was immediately wary. For a restaurant called "The Oven" or, literally, "The Furnace", the last thing one would expect is inadequate oven management. And yet it appears that's exactly the case here at times.
A wood fired oven needs flames and a healthy amount of embers. The flames should lick up towards and off of the dome to reflect heat evenly over the pizza and around the refractory chamber, while the embers keep the whole fire fueled, not to mention keeping the oven floor nice and toasty. Ideally, the hotter, flame driven air above the pizza cooks the wetter, ingredient loaded top of the pizza in the same time it takes for the lower temperature of the floor to properly cook the undercarriage of the pie.
The interior of the oven at Il Forno displayed very little of this action, instead sporting minimal flame and a moderate sized pile of embers. Having peeped the Il Forno website before visiting, it looked very similar to the pictures on the home page and in the gallery section—primarily just glowing embers. My first pizza left the peel and hit the oven floor. Stopwatch started.
60 seconds. 90 seconds. Tick, tick, tick. 120 seconds. 180 seconds. Tick, tick. 240 seconds. 300 seconds. WTF? 360 seconds. Eternity.
There's much ado these days about how fast so-and-so's wood burner can cook a pie. Your oven does a pie in 1:30? Dude, I'm finishing pizzas in 45 seconds, like, get with it! I would argue that speed isn't everything, but it does play a role.
Most Neapolitan styled pizzas cook in about two minutes or less. Less efficient, square and rectangular ovens finish a pizza in the four to five minute range. But 6:18 for my Margherita and 6:25 for my Bianca were the cause of many of the issues I had with the pizzas I tried. It begs the question: with such lengthy cook times, why even have a wood fired oven?
After some quick low-tech video filming, my pies were ready. I was damned hungry and attacked the Margherita first.
Astute viewers of the short video I took will notice the pizza maker at Il Forno skipped one crucial ingredient while constructing the pies—salt. And the pies I had were in desperate need of salt. Salt in the crust, salt on top of the pizza, get some friggen salt already! It was the most immediately noticeable thing that hit me in the kisser. Though I would have prefered sea salt, a few shakes of table salt made a world of difference in helping to bring together the various flavors of the pizza.
The tomato sauce was as advertised, a little chunky. And it's pretty good as well. It's not the vividly bright, acidic sauce many of us associate with many of the newer crop of wood fired pizzerias, but it does not lean too far towards the darker, marinara-like quality I abhor. The chunkier sauce and sensible spicing definitely has a little bit of that "made by Grandma" quality to it.
The cheese is a decent, shredded whole milk mozzarella of neither bad nor memorable quality.
The undercarriage was nicely cooked, with some developed browning and a nice outer crispiness to it.
The crumb was both overly chewy and dry. Grub Grade mentioned that the crust here could be a "little chewy" sometimes and I second this based from my experience. Even with these faults, the Margherita was not a total loss and I ate most of the pizza.
The Bianca (with my addition of red onions) was a borderline train wreck: all of the issues with the oven management at Il Forno were magnified in this pie.
The need for salt was again immediately evident, but there was a nice kick of garlic in this pizza. The mixture of shredded whole milk mozzarella and fontina cheeses was applied in too heavy a layer for me, but if you like lots of cheese, the Il Forno Bianca is likely to be in your wheelhouse.
As you can see from the above photo, the poor heat distribution in the oven, coupled with the long cooking time, left a lot of uncooked dough, so the crust verged on raw in some places. The uncooked dough created the overly chewy and gummy texture while the long cook time dried out the portions of the crumb which were adequately cooked. A chewy, gummy, and slightly cottony crust. A heavy pizza to be sure and....not good.
If most of the pizzerias in Frederick are either chain pizzerias or smaller independent shops resembling the big boys, then Il Forno Pizzeria is bound to please many pizza peeps in the Frederick area. This is indeed better than delivery pizza and as such is a welcome pizza choice, especially if they work on their oven issues.
But I have to compare it to every other wood-fired pizzeria I've ever eaten in and, quite frankly, it does not stack up well. As time progresses, the enthusiast in me gets tired of reading claims on pizzeria websites promising "famous pizzas topped with only the finest ingredients," and then being served a product that makes me think....bullshit. I want better.
Full disclosure: I arrived at Il Forno at 3:00 p.m., and the restaurant was pretty empty. The timing could have played a part in why my pizzas were disappointing. But I would argue that if you are going to be open for business, everything should be in order, no matter the hour. A friend of Pizzablogger went back to Il Forno on a Friday evening and confirmed the long cooking times were occurring at busy times as well, although his pizzas did not have the uncooked dough that mine did. —K.
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You've already heard that Joss Whedon was directing Avengers 2 and creating a new Marvel TV series, set in the Avengers universe. So the announcement, a while later, that Whedon had actually signed an exclusive three-year contract to work for Marvel seemed like a minor detail. Except for one thing.
The three year contract, according to Marvel, means that Whedon will "contribute creatively to the next phase of Marvel's Cinematic Universe." You can assume that means Whedon will be involved, at some level, in the scriptwriting of the movies between now and Avengers 2 — especially the second Captain America film and Guardians of the Galaxy.
But then again, you'd have expected Whedon to do that in any case, since he already rewrote the script of the first Captain America and filmed the post-credits scene in Thor. As soon as Whedon was confirmed as director of Avengers 2, it was likely that he'd be having a hand in the films that set that film up. (And Guardians of the Galaxy, as Marvel's most "cosmic" film to date, is widely assumed to be directly tied in to the Thanos storyline that will conclude in Avengers 2.)
What's interesting, though, is the notion that Whedon is contributing to "the next phase" of Marvel's cinematic development — which could mean stuff that comes after Avengers 2, as well as the stuff that leads up to it. Just as Avengers set up the Thanos arc which everybody's expecting to play out in Guardians and Avengers 2, it seems logical that Avengers 2 will set up whatever comes afterwards.
(And this might be a good time to mention all of those rumors that Marvel has been pushing Fox to return the rights to Galactus, a villain who's pretty much unmatched in his power and scare value, in return for some concessions on the Daredevil movie. Could this be because Whedon and Marvel President Kevin Feige want to use Galactus in Avengers 3? After all, how else are you going to raise the stakes after Thanos? The Annihilation Wave could also work, but might be too complicated a story to capture on film.)
Knowing Whedon, and his penchant for sneaky plotting, it seems likely that the "next phase" of Marvel's movies could actually be something that's set up through little hints in this as-yet-undefined TV series. After all, the merest hint that watching Whedon's new TV show is the best way to get some clues as to what's happening in Avengers 2 and beyond could help drive some less committed Whedonites to tune in — although any such hints would have to be subtle enough not to turn off casual watchers.
The main takeaway from Marvel's announcement, though, is the notion that Whedon is joining a very small group of people who make the big decisions about the direction of the shared universe that includes Marvel's movies and this new TV show. This comes at a crucial phase, when most of Marvel's films are going to be sequels rather than origin stories, and at least half those films (Thor 2 and Guardians) are likely to be insanely "cosmic," with the obvious risk of falling into the Green Lantern trap of excessive CG and flat characters.
So most of all, Marvel's on-screen universe is going to have to stay grounded, something that Whedon excels at because he understands that the best stories are "about us."
And here's another possibly-on-crack prediction about Whedon's TV show — it'll be a chance to explore the nooks and crannies of the universe in a way the movies just can't. Whoever Whedon's heroes end up being, they'll probably be able to spend more time poking into dark corners and finding out if S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms chafe and stuff. I'm sort of hoping for the television answer to Kurt Busiek's Astro City and Marvels — a ground-level look at a superhero universe, where mostly relatable minor characters stumble around away from the huge cosmic battles. (But they still interact with the big stuff somehow.)
(MTV has a few obvious possibilities for what Whedon's show could be: a live-action Hulk show, Alias Jessica Jones, a S.H.I.E.L.D. show, a Secret Avengers show, or Brian K. Vaughn's Runaways. But I would not be at all surprised if the show was mostly a brand new set of characters, not based on any particular comic, living on the outskirts of the Marvel Universe. Or Damage Control, maybe.)
With Whedon on board, Marvel will probably have an easier time planning beyond Avengers 2 farther in advance, and also keeping the underpinnings of its movie and TV universe more solid and connected to bedrock. At least, there's a lot of reason for optimism. Excelsior, and all that.


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Franklin Fire Department
Contact Information
Franklin Fire Department
113 Thirteenth ST
Franklin, PA 16323Mailing Address
Franklin Fire Department
Franklin, PA 16323
Phone: (814) 432-3780
Fax: (814) 432-2539
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R u there? K. ttyl.
If you understood any of that, you probably have a kid who's 9 or older who is already fluent in "Texting as a Second Language" via cell phone or computer. As the mother of four text-message crazy teens, I am doing my best not to fall into a deep, English-major induced depression that people under 30 now spell "Thank you" as "thnx" and are cavalierly lopping off letters from thousands of other innocent words. This has reduced the overworked and underpaid verb "are" to a single, lonely consonant, and "later" now arrives that much sooner, since its two vowels have been ditched.
I am doing my best not to fall into a deep, English-major induced depression that people under 30 now spell "Thank you" as "thnx."
Call me an old mossback (I won't mind at all, as long as you spell it right) but I worry that unless somebody takes drastic action soon, we will be communicating in snippets no longer than the average license plate. And then what is to become of all our loyal vowels and conscientious consonants? They have no pension plan; no 401K, no safety net. They are simply being hurled from the keyboards of Blackberrys and other mobile devices like so much recycling dumped into the bins. So, as my kids would say, ttfn ("Ta ta for now") to these wonderful letters that gave our words shape and made them whole. Nice knowing u.
As you can see, I am not happy about any of this. And don't you agree that writing "I am not happy" is much more evocative then typing its texting equivalent, which looks like this: :-( ? Can somebody explain what makes people so busy that they can't take the time to spell out simple words and phrases? Based on a recent review of my kids' voluminous text messaging archives, they are busy preparing their next profound electronic question to their pals, such as "sup?" ("What's up," for those of you who require subtitles in pre-millenial "old" English.)
I know -- my complaint is neither new nor original. In 1733, Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay in which he bemoaned that "modern Writers injure the Smoothness of our Tongue, by omitting Vowels wherever it is possible, and joining the harshest Consonants together with only an Apostrophe between; thus for judged, in it self not the smoothest of Words, they say judg'd. . . "Poor old Ben – he ought to be very Grateful that he is not alive to see what Writers have done to the Smoothness of our Tongue today!
Part of me would like nothing more than to launch a rebellion, complete with armbands and whatever color ribbon hasn't yet been taken for other causes, and Save the Vowels. I'd raise money and contact Vana White to see if I could simply buy a few vowels. I'd petition Amnesty International about the savage, wholesale vowel-ectomies and consonant-killings by our nation's youth. Unfortunately, I don't have time. This is because as much as I hate the text messaging phenomenon, I have been forced into it by my kids. Like the old Jewish mother complaint, my kids never call, but they are sure to send me text messages, which are often painful to read, such as "Cn u pick me up?" or "Need $$." Well, at least they are thinking of me, even if it's only for my ability to drive and dispense $$.
I'd raise money and contact Vana White to see if I could simply buy a few vowels.
Sometimes I think they force me to text message as a punishment, because they think I'm obsessed with proper English. I mean, just because I asked the manager at a Borders book store why they had an ungrammatical sign on display that said, "Books you gotta read" and lectured them on why that was irresponsible and demeaning to our language? Is that obsessive?
Sometimes I wonder if I am the only literary Luddite in the world who insists on spelling out whole words and sentences in text messages, no matter how laborious or time-consuming. Once, exhausted from punching the tiny keys on my cell phone to spell out what any 11-year-old would have texted in acronyms in a nano-second, I guiltily typed "4" instead of "for." I was punished for this by a nightmare in which a SWAT team of editors from the Oxford English Dictionary stormed my office, grabbing my journalism and English diplomas off the wall and yelling at me that I no longer deserved them.
Still, I'm not giving up. After all, I'm Jewish, and we Jews believe in miracles. So starting today, I am refusing to respond to any text message unless it is spelled out completely! Of course my kids will have fits, and they'll have to explain about their crazy mom to their friends, who will wonder what's taking them so long to send a simple message. But at least they'll understand that ancient people like me, who one day will have the power to hire them, will be much more likely to do so if they remember to send real thank-you notes after job interviews and not an offhand "I Wud ? 2 Work 4 U!" (sent via Blackberry).
So wish me luck as I launch my rebellion. I'm determined to save the vowels, one message at a time.


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Shaughnessy on Lions Park
Project location: Port Coquitlam
Project size: 167 residences, 26-storey building Residence size: 1 bed, 580 sq. ft. – 735 sq. ft.; 2 bed, 830 sq. ft. — 1,150 sq. ft.
Prices: from $244,900
Sales centre: 2950 Glen Drive, Coquitlam
Hours: noon — 6 p.m., Sat — Thu
Telephone: 604-461-2750
Developer: Onni Group of Companies
Architect: LDA/IBI Architects
Occupancy: fall 2012
Project location: Coquitlam
Project size: 225 residences, 37-storey building Residence size: 1 bed, 510 sq. ft. — 520 (to be checked — mjs) sq. ft.; 2 bed, 850 sq. ft. — 915 sq. ft.
Prices: from $222,900
Sales centre: 2950 Glen Drive, Coquitlam
Hours: noon — 6 p.m., Sat — Thu
Telephone: 604-461-2750
Web: oasiscoquitlam.com
Developer: Onni Group of Companies
Architect: LDA/IBI Architects
Occupancy: Spring 2013
by claudia kwan
As the first highrise in Port Coquitlam's history, Shaughnessy on Lions Park is the latest invitation to the new-home shopper to experience urban residency in a local suburb.
"It's an accepted lifestyle development, to have multi-family residences," says Beau Jarvis, vice-president of development for Onni.
"Cities are planning for densification with transportation, mixed-use planning and more community amenities."
The permitting process proceeded slowly, but surely, Jarvis reports.
"The site was available and the city indicated a willingness to consider it, but it was controversial at first. People were saying, 'this isn't Yaletown.' There's always resistance to change."
"Suburbia" is now filled with highrises, says Jarvis. The attached home is more likely than not to be more affordable than the detached home. And it is more likely than not to be more sustainable, more green. A "town centre" household has less cause to use the private automobile and more opportunity to use public transit, for example.
The organizer of the Shaughnessy sales and marketing campaign, Cam Good of TheKey.com, thinks that the suburban-urban divide is disappearing as downtowns, or town centres, develop in Lower Mainland municipalities outside Vancouver.
"The idea of where is 'cool' is shifting," Good says. "The suburbs have centres with their own restaurants, shops and events."
The Shaughnessy homes, Good reports, are appealing to a wide range of buyers. About one-third of the homes have been sold, by an equal mix of first-time homebuyers, downsizers and would-be landlords.
"There's a group of young people who went to high school in this community and they want to stay here, but if they're going to do that, they want to live in the coolest building," Good explains. "The investors believe this is going to be the rental hot spot of PoCo. The only other competition is $800 basement suites."
He concedes that while renters may be willing to pay more for concrete construction and the views at the Shaughnessy, that market is so far untested. Still, Good believes rental rates would be in the area of $1.50 per square foot.
While the Shaughnessy is a first for Port Coquitlam, Onni's Oasis project is entering a crowded market in Coquitlam. A myriad of projects are in the process of breaking ground in the immediate area around the Coquitlam Centre shopping mall. The Grand Central project (Buying the fundamental in Coquitlam, May 8 Westcoast Homes) is less than two blocks away, for example.
Rather than being concerned about the competition, Beau Jarvis believes the intensity of development is a positive sign, showing the City of Coquitlam's commitment to densification in that neighbourhood.
"People will choose us because of our reputation, the quality of our finishings, the height of the building, and the amazing amenities we're putting into Oasis," Jarvis says with an almost-shrug.
At 37 storeys, Oasis also will be a bold vertical statement in the commercial hub of the city, being the tallest highrise in Coquitlam. The fourth floor common area includes a huge outdoor swimming pool and hot tub, a play area for children, and for golf enthusiasts, a putting green.
Radanka Trubka, one of two in-house interior designers for Onni, used the same design schemes for both Oasis and the Shaughnessy. Buying in that type of volume, she explains, allows for significant savings.
"We retained full-sized appliances because many of the buyers are coming from a single family home, and that's what they're used to," she says. "We managed to get gas ranges and convection ovens, so there's lots of value there."
Trubka says it was important to stay away from flashy or trendy aspects, like glass or mosaic accent tiles. In the kitchen, visual interest is added instead by stacking small rectangular tiles in a dense grouping; in the bathroom, large format rectangular tiles are placed on the vertical plane rather than the more common horizontal. Both add some style without any impact to the bottom line.
Overall, the goal was to stay within the market trend toward a contemporary and clean feel without being too outré. The kitchen reflects what many consumers now demand in highrise living, with industrial, restaurant-style sinks, under cabinet lighting, and soft close drawers.
Since they're being marketed out of the same sales centre, Oasis and the Shaughnessy could even be considered competition for each other, but Cam Good doesn't see it that way.
"Coquitlam is more of a proven entity for this style of living," he says. "If you have a little more of an appetite for risk, you're heading to Port Coquitlam."
Much of the densification in both cities has been predicated on the arrival of the Evergreen Line, a transit project that has been the subject of funding wrangles between different levels of government and a seemingly interminable series of delays. It is now scheduled to begin construction in early 2011, but there are still concerns in the Tri-Cities about when the project will finally be completed.
Jarvis is philosophical about one of the fundamental marketing aspects for both developments. (Both Oasis and the Shaughnessy will be less than five minutes away from Evergreen stations.) "There is lots of planning and lots of moving pieces with development. We have to rely on the government to build transportation, but there are no guarantees. There's always a risk if infrastructure doesn't develop."
Good also points out that if the SkyTrain stations were already in place, each buyer in the two developments could easily tack on an additional $50,000 to the purchase price for each unit. Having a little patience and tolerance for risk will ultimately pay off, he believes.
Until then, Onni thinks buyers will enjoy living in the soaring towers of Oasis and the Shaughnessy, high above everyone else.
Special to The Sun


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This week in the social sciences:
- Tim De Chant explains why humans tend to settle in dangerous places.
- The host of Serious Monkey Business considers the evolutionary benefits of cognition in group settings.
- Jeremy Yoder discusses the difference between heritability and heritable.
- Jason Collins maintains that humans aren't irrational - in most cases, anyway. Rather, they're subject to time inconsistencies.
I'll be back next Thursday with more selections from the social sciences!


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Mayor's Office
Beginning Friday, April 1, waste haulers will collect grass and leaves separately from household trash. State law requires grass and leaves be separated from household trash from April 1 through November 30 each year. In order for waste haulers to comply with this requirement on April 1, residents who subscribe to separate yard waste collection must begin to separate grass and leaves from their household trash after their last waste collection in March.
The separate collection of grass and leaves is provided by local waste haulers for a fee. Those who do not subscribe to the special collection have three options:
This is the 18th year of the yard waste composting program in Lincoln. Since the fall of 1992, City officials estimate that Lincoln has diverted more than 241,783 tons of grass and leaves and 108,469 tons of tree trimmings from the landfill. To date, the composting program and annual wood recycling operation have added more than two years to the life of the landfill. This represents more than 1.2 million cubic yards of landfill space with a current value of $10.7 million. If the City stopped its composting and wood waste diversion program today, it is projected that the landfill would close in 2031 instead of the scheduled year of 2034.
Dan Kurtzer, President of the Lincoln Solid Waste Management Association, said grass and leaves must be placed in approved containers: paper yard waste bags available from retailers; 32-gallon waste containers with tight-fitting lids; and 90-gallon containers provided by the waste haulers.
City policy does not allow grass and leaves in plastic bags at the compost facility because the bags do not decompose and cause litter problems. Kurtzer said some waste haulers will empty the plastic bags, so residents wanting to use plastic should contact their haulers to determine how they manage the bags.
City Recycling Coordinator Gene Hanlon said that the City inspects incoming loads at the Bluff Road Landfill and composting site. If household trash is found mixed with grass and leaves, the City can assess the haulers a $50 fine. Kurtzer said waste haulers may leave containers at the curb if they contain household trash mixed with grass and leaves.
For more information on the City's composting program or the availability of compost and wood chips, contact the City Recycling Office at 402-441-8215; visit the City Web site at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: compost) or friend us on Facebook: City of Lincoln Recycling and Solid Waste.


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Guitar World ranked him one of the 50 fastest guitarist in the world. Metalhammer voted him the best guitarist in the world. Kirk Hammett's referred to Alexi Laiho ("that kid Alexi!") as one of the "best guitarists ever." You won't be able pick up the skills of the Children Of Bodom front/axeman by using one of his ESP guitars, no, but it makes for a nice prize: One winner takes home a limited-edition ESP Alexi 600 Scythe Signature Guitar, one of six models Laiho himself plays. The details:
• Neck-Thru Body Construction
• 25.5" Scale
• Alder Body
• Maple Neck
• Ebony Fingerboard
• 42mm Locking Locking Nut
• Thin U Neck Contour
• 24 XJ Frets
• Black Nickel Hardware
• Grover Tuners
• Floyd Rose 1000 Series Bridge
• EMG HZ F-H2 p.u.
• Finish: WH w/ BLK Pinstripe & "COBHC" On Back
You'll find more information on the guitar at ESP.
Children Of Bodom's seventh album Relentless Reckless Forever is out 3/8. The winner gets a copy of that, too.
To be eligible to win, all you have to do is be a fan of Stereogum on Facebook, and comment on this post with your favorite air guitar song after logging-in via Facebook Connect (do not use your 'Gum user account on this post — we'll have to be able to check if you are a fan of Stereogum on FB when the sweepstakes ends). We'll pick a winner from the comments posted here, at random. Deadline to enter is 3/1 at 5:30PM EST. Have your comment logged by then, and you're in.
UPDATE: We have a winner. Dragonforce "Valley Of The Damned" fan Sam Goodwin.


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Dixons Estate Agents are the largest estate agency in the Midlands.
We combine experienced staff with innovative marketing to provide the very best property services to buyers and sellers.
Please contact any of our branches for advice on moving and we will do all we can to assist.
Dixons are proud to Do more
Disclaimer: The information about this Agent is provided by the Agent themselves as an advertisement for their agency services. Rightmove is not endorsing this Agent and makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the advertisement or any linked or associated information, and Rightmove does not check or verify the accuracy of the content. The information is generated, provided and maintained by Dixons, Northfield. Please contact the Agent directly to obtain further information about their property services.
830 Bristol Road South, Northfield, Birmingham, West Midlands, B31 2NS


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Revelations of the close ties of between a former SEC commissioner and key SEC policymakers are reviving questions about a so-called "revolving door" in which the lure of future high-paying jobs may improperly influence government decisions.
A Bloomberg investigative report published Wednesday documented the e-mail correspondence to the SEC from a former commissioner, Annette Nazareth, a lawyer representing large banks and securities firms for the Washington office of David Polk & Wardwell, an elite law firm.
While those e-mails appear to exhibit a carefully cultivated relationship of influence and at least two revolving door-type anecdotes, the article is all the more interesting because it comes just a week after the SEC's enforcement chief, Robert Khuzami (left), published an opinion article denying there is any kind of revolving door in Washington.
What's more, Khuzami cited as supporting evidence a new academic study published last month by four accounting professors who conclude the revolving door does not undermine SEC enforcement.
Bloomberg's investigation turned up numerous e-mails, obtained in a Freedom of Information request, that Nazareth sent former SEC colleagues.
In one e-mail, Nazareth attached an annotated copy of draft legislation, sent (before the start of the work week on a Sunday) two days after a 20-hour marathon session when legislators concluded negotiations on the rules that would become the Dodd-Frank Act.
In another e-mail, sent to SEC General Counsel and Senior Policy Director David Becker, Nazareth offered a summary of a 1,100-page Senate proposal regarding Dodd-Frank, to which Becker replied "more nap time for me," implying his dependence on lobbyist Nazareth's extensive efforts.
In another e-mail, Nazareth obtained an impromptu meeting with Becker, in another she scheduled a friendly lunch, and in still others the two exchanged thoughts on the "inanity" of Dodd-Frank's proposed SEC investor advocate position and the new consumer protection agency which made Nazareth "feel ill."
The revolving-door concept was best demonstrated in two e-mails, one in which Becker asked Nazareth to recommend a lawyer for an SEC job, and another in which Nazareth told Becker she recommended him for a legal position for which headhunters had called her. The Bloomberg article noted that SEC pay tops out at $240,000 for staff, but a partner at Nazareth's firm can make as much as $2.3 million.
While these and other e-mails with SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro exhibited a relationship of friendliness and at times seeming reliance, its evidence does not contradict the findings of an academic study which refutes lax SEC enforcement, according to University of Washington research by Ed deHaan, one of the study's authors.
In an interview with AdvisorOne, in which deHaan made clear he was offering his personal views and not those of his co-authors, the doctoral candidate said the new study was based on an average statistical effect, which does not rule out individual cases of impropriety.
"We look at lawyers who leave the SEC to join law firms," deHaan (left) says. "On average these lawyers are more aggressive in their enforcement efforts while at the SEC. So on average the revolving door does not seem to be causing a problem for these particular lawyers. But within that set (under study), there could be cases where there was this sort of unethical behavior."
Specifically, deHaan and his colleagues found that SEC lawyers who left the agency to take legal jobs defending clients charged by the SEC on average were more aggressive in their regulatory enforcement than those who did not pass through the revolving door—under the theory that tougher enforcement is a better job qualification because it showcases their legal prowess.
DeHaan, who noted only a "cursory" reading of the Bloomberg article, further commented that "Certainly [Nazareth and SEC officials] have not done themselves any favors in not maintaining an appearance of independence, but to the extent that this led to compromised outcomes, I'm not sure—I can't say one way or another.
"The fact that they speak in the vernacular [in a friendly manner] together doesn't necessarily indicate that something nefarious occurred," deHaan added.
Citing the example of the impromptu meeting Nazareth was able to schedule with Becker, deHaan offered to play devil's advocate, saying: "Delaying that meeting might have been less efficient for the SEC; the fact that they had a meeting and she was given access to this meeting in an efficient manner, does not by itself mean [the meeting changed outcomes]. But this certainly gave the appearance that there was something going on."
DeHaan acknowledged, however that improprieties in influence and access have been documented on an "anecdotal" basis in a 2011 review by the Project on Government Oversight, whose methodology he described as being more of a "case-by-case" analysis.
"In doing that sort of case-by-case analysis, they're able to come up with more anecdotes where this kind of rent-seeking takes place," he said.


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Not much is hotter these days than helping organizations control their defects, understand their business "patterns" and make adjustments to achieve breakthrough improvements. The Six Sigma programs at LTU help to do just that.
Six Sigma Overview
Participate in, or put your team members through, a Six Sigma overview that helps them understand the value of the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) model.
Greenbelt Certification
Learn the detailed tools, techniques, and methods of Six Sigma. Tackle problem definition, Cause and Effect Diagrams, Failure Modes, Control Charts, Measurement System Evaluation, Baseline, Design of Experiments, and much more. Classes run three days.
Blackbelt Certification
Take the tools of Six Sigma and apply them to a real project! With the support of a Master Blackbelt coach, study a business problem, capture the current state, generate possible improvements, and lock-in breakthroughs. PDC can help you find an organization looking for a Blackbelt candidate if needed. Blackbelt studies conclude in four months time on average working at a part-time pace.
Master BlackBelt Certification
Become a Master Blackbelt. If you are a certified Blackbelt, learn advanced statistical methods, tools and action plans for coaching others (e.g., Greenbelt and Blackbelt candidates), and detailed financial and strategic approaches to validate and quantify the business value of Blackbelt project outcomes. Includes "teachbacks" to other Master Blackbelt Candidates and opportunities to practice coaching in real and simulated settings.
Programs run regularly both in one-to-one conducts and in classes on campus. On-site training and consulting is also available for organizations and groups.


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We asked people why they go on retreat, here's what they said:
Watching the sun come over the mountain in the morning inspires me! Holly
We believe human beings are innately wise, strong and kind. This wisdom, although not always experienced, is always present. Going on retreat is a beautiful way to reconnect to our basic sanity and health. Our aspiration at Retreat Guru is to inspire people to experience authentic retreats and reconnect with their innate wisdom, strength and kindness.


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Matt Simmons Says Gulf Clean Up Will Cost Over $1 Trillion, Sees BP At $1, Says "We Have Now Killed The GoM"
Matt Simmons shares some startling revelations in his latest Bloomberg TV interview, in which he says none of the propaganda matters on TV 24/7 (photoshopped or not) as the ultimate clean up cost will likely be well over $1 trillion, and a result he is unconcerned about his BP short. He ultimately see the stock going down to $1. What Simmons alleges however is far more startling and audacious: that this is a joint cover up effort between the administration and BP, in which both entities keep throwing sand in the eyes of observers while distracting everyone from the matter at hand: "What we don't know anything about is the open hole which is caused by the drill bit when it tossed the blow-out preventer way out of the hole…and 120,000/day minimum of toxic poison has now covered the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. So what they're talking about is the biggest environmental cover-up ever. And they knew that that well, that riser, would finally deplete. And then they could say it's over." On blaming the catastrophe on Transocean: "For two days they kept saying it's a rig fire. When the rig sank they could no longer call it a rig fire. It's a riser leak…Because if they said the truth they would all go to jail." The conclusion: "Unfortunately, we now have killed the Gulf of Mexico."


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As the market for small, low-cost laptops grows, Intel increasingly finds itself competing against Taiwan's Via Technologies rather than its traditional rival, Advanced Micro Devices.
"They are definitely going into our business," said Glenn Henry, president of Centaur Technology, the Via subsidiary that designs its line of processors.
Intel's focus on the low-cost laptop segment is a mixed blessing for Via. On the one hand, Via will have to battle Intel for deals with laptop makers, but Intel's marketing efforts help to grow the overall market, creating more opportunities for the Taiwanese chip vendor.
"Maybe they'll take some of our business, maybe they won't. But what they will do, they will increase the size of that business," Henry said. "That's generally very good for us. We'd be very happy to be No. 2 in the x86 world."
Compared to Intel, Via is a financial minnow and ranks third in the x86 processor market, behind Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The Taiwanese chip vendor had cumulative sales of NT$13.8 billion -- or US$453 million -- during the first nine months of 2007, the most recent figures available. By comparison, Intel's revenue for the third quarter of 2007 alone was US$10.1 billion.
Intel also leads Via in technology, producing high-end desktop and mobile chips that outperform Via's processors. Those high-end chips also consume more power and cost much more than Via's offerings, making them unsuitable for the low-cost laptop segment.
The performance of Via's C7 processors is no match for the top-of-the-line chips produced by Intel and AMD, but the low-power capabilities of the chip allowed Via to carve out a comfortable niche for itself that was largely ignored those companies. But with the impending release of Atom, and the earlier launch of a related chip platform called Centrino Atom, that niche is suddenly a bit more crowded.
The Diamondville version of Intel's Atom processor is set for release on Tuesday. The new processor is the first that Intel specifically designed for small, low-cost laptops. These laptops don't require the high performance of mainstream mobile chips, such as Intel's Core 2 Duo, and existing systems are based on the Celeron M processor or a C7-M chip instead.
To stake out its territory in the low-cost laptop market, Intel has been offering a comparison of systems based on Atom and Celeron-M against two Via-based systems.
The comparison, a copy of which was obtained from a large Taiwanese hardware maker and marked for release only under a non-disclosure agreement, compares computers based on Intel's chips, like Asustek Computer's Eee PC, against the C7-M based Everex CloudBook and an unnamed system that appears to be Hewlett-Packard's Mini-Note 2133.
An Intel spokesman declined to comment on the presentation.
Besides existing products based on Intel chips, the presentation compared the Via-based systems against an Intel reference design called Concord River, which is based on a 1.6GHz Atom processor. But it made no mention of Via's Nano processor, formerly called Isaiah, which is set to arrive in laptops during the third quarter.
The Nano, which Via believes will outperform Intel's Atom, will further stoke competition with Intel. The new chip is not going to replace the C7, which Via will continue to offer. Instead, the Nano will give laptop makers another processor option when designing low-cost systems.
"We're in a very good place. This is our strongest position ever in the CPU market," said Richard Brown, vice president of marketing at Via.


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So I was out working on heroic Steam Vaults with some friends last night. Like usual Hydromancer Thespia was being a pain, and we wiped a couple of times. On one of the death walks back, fellow guildie Agate and I meet up with another group of ghosts running over to Coilfang Reservoir. Nothing new there.
Except Agate noticed a couple of guys running behind him. After a bit of moving around he confirmed that they were in fact on auto-follow.
"Hahaha, look at this, these two guys are following me. Should I have some fun?" he asks over vent.