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Big data is still a hugely relevant topic, although the term has become a little distorted and overused. According to Google Trends, there's an indication that interest is fading in terms of the hype.1 However, it's actually accelerating in terms of real enterprise adoption.
Big data has the potential to transform long-standing traditional organisational practices, as well as business planning. Data-driven business strategies are taking hold, and becoming an increasingly important point of competitive differentiation among companies. According to McKinsey and Company, using big data when building a business strategy involves three mutually supportive steps
Source: getsmarter.com
Author: 5 Minutes
Categories: Articles

subset: commoncrawl


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Office Policies
We try to see all patients on an appointment basis. Please call in advance so that we can reserve time for you. We make every effort to honor time commitment, and request that you extend the same courtesy to us.
If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify us immediately. We ask that you give us 24-hour notice. This courtesy makes it possible to give your appointment time to another patient who desires to see the doctor.
Anyone who does not show for an appointment will be charged $50 for a sick visit or $75 for physical exam.
When you make your appointment, please always advise the receptionist of any change in address, phone number, insurance coverage, or health history that may have occurred since your last visit. Parents must accompany patients under the age of 18 years, or they will not be seen by the provider.
School, Day Care, Camp Forms
Please allow at least three (3) days to complete all necessary forms. Your child's physical exam must be current (within 12 months) to complete the form. After each physical exam visit, you will receive a physical exam form with updated information and vaccines for your child. Please make enough copies for any after-school activities or sports camps. Please note that we do charge a fee for certain forms.
Phone Calls
Please feel free to call if you have any questions about our policies, procedures, or if you are in need of advice for routine care and minor illnesses. During the week, triage staff is available to answer these calls.
If you need to speak to the doctor, your call will be returned at the end of the day. Please be sure that we have your current phone numbers and contact information.
Same Day Sick Visits
If you feel your child is ill and will need to be seen, please call the office in the morning after 8:30 AM to schedule an appointment for that day. We try and leave adequate time each day to schedule same-day sick visits. Please be aware that calling the physician between 7:00 and 8:30 AM will not guarantee an appointment.
Prescription Refills
Please contact your pharmacy to request a refill on your prescription. If you are out of refills, your pharmacy will fax us a request to renew your prescription.
We require 48 hours to fill a prescription, though it will often be ready much sooner. Please call your pharmacy to request a refill and they will contact our office.
If you have any questions about your prescription that the pharmacist cannot help you with, please contact our office staff they will be happy to assist you.
Financial Policies
Payment for medical service is often a complex and confusing matter. We are currently accepting:
Anthem BCBS
Harvard Pilgrim
Health Partners
Northeast Health Direct
Tricare Standard
Tufts Healthcare
United Healthcare
For other private insurance carriers, you will be expected to pay at the time of services. You should then submit your paid receipts for reimbursement to your insurance carrier. Our office staff will be available to answer your questions.
All co-payments, deductibles and payments for services not covered by insurance are expected to paid at the time of service. Any outstanding balance over 90 days will be considered for collections. There is a $25 fee for any check that is returned for insufficient finds.
Your Referrals
We sincerely welcome and appreciate patient referrals. We would consider it to be the highest compliment if you would recommend our office and medical services to your family, friends, and associates.


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The first thing you should do is focus on what you're looking for in a home.
You can start by establishing priorities in the following three areas:
- Location: Are you relocating to a new town because of a new job, or to be closer to your current job? How will the location of schools, shops, and transportation affect your choice of neighborhoods?
- Personal tastes: How large a home do you need? What style of architecture do you prefer? On what kind of lot? Depending on where you live, you may have a choice of homes in dozens of styles, sizes, and settings.
- Budget: How much home is wise for you to own?
As you consider these areas, do a little research of your own by conducting a property search, and reviewing our neighborhood info.
For affordability, try contact our mortgage experts.
Finally, contact me to help you find neighborhoods and properties that appeal to you. The more knowledgeable you become with an expert at your side, the better your final decision is likely to be.
Whether you are a first-time home buyer in search of your dream home, a seller looking to downsize or an investor looking for a great opportunity, working with a dedicated real estate professional can make all the difference.
I deliver unmatched customer service, and my genuine desire to see your property goals come true makes me the go-to resource for all your real estate needs. For sellers, I take full advantage of Coldwell Banker's« marketing tools to ensure that your property is broadly promoted on a variety of channels, including major real estate websites, and my negotiation skills are second to none. For buyers, I effectively analyze the local market and target trends to help you find the perfect home at the right price.
If you are looking for a positive, helpful partner who is ready to provide you with exceptional service, lets talk today!
Orhan is a really knowledgeable broker, who helped me understand the area and properties in the area, so I could make a sound decision. I feel great about my investment, thank you.
-Rick, Client
Emlak konusunda uzman, güvenilir, isini bilen, dürüst, çaliskan, bugünün isini yarina birakmayan bir kisi.
-Onur Aydin, Client
Orhan worked non-stop to get us the apartment we hoped for. even once the lease was signed, he stayed in touch to make sure everything was running smoothly and that we were happy. we will definitely call him when we are ready to buy!
-Marcela Valdes, Client
Orhan's focus was on helping my gf and I find a place that felt right for us. He was patient and enabled pleasant experiences each time we met with him. We had specific priorities with a large breed dog and he was relentless in getting access to units to allow us viewings, always timely and responsive, relaying info w/ listing agents and the owners about our concerns and …
-David Marin, Client


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Selecting the Pool Supplies You Need for Maintaining Your Pool
The importance of pool maintenance
Keeping your pool properly maintained can help you get the most out of it, all year around. The right maintenance will also help keep it healthy and clean.
Pool maintenance can be broken down five ways:
- Balance
- Chlorine
- Shock
- Algaecide
- Skim, Brush, and Sweep
Some of the supplies that are needed to keep a chlorine pool in good shape are:
- Water test strips
- Chlorine tablets
- Water Shock
- Algaecide
- Skimmer net
- Pool brush
- Vacuum
A few optional supplies include:
- Water clarifier
- Scale, metal and stain control
- Chlorine filter
Testing and Chlorinating the Water
The steps to maintaining a pool are fairly simple and take just a little time each week. It is best to begin by checking the water balance about twice a week. Regular testing can inform pool owners of the exact products their pool needs.
The next step entails chlorinating the water. Maintaining a chlorine level of 1 to 3 parts per million will help you fight bacteria that can form in the water, along with viruses, and germs.
Shock Treatment
Sometimes, a shock treatment is needed. This adds an additional boost of chlorine in the range of 5-10 parts per million. This higher concentration of chlorine is often used after heavy pool usage, after a hard rain, or when chlorine levels read particularly low for any reason. Shock treatments are best when applied either in the morning or in the evening because the UV rays of the sun can destabilize chlorine.
Begin by testing and balancing the pH level of the water. Then, add the shock treatment, then test the chlorine levels again. It is important to avoid entering the pool until chlorine levels are between 1 and 4 parts per million.
While chlorine does help keep the pool clean, it is also important to protect it from algae. An algae buildup can make the pool's wall and floors feel slick and oily. Algae can be halted and prevented by adding an algaecide to the pool's water.
Skim and Sweep Routine
Every maintenance session should be concluded with a regular skim and sweep routine. Begin by skimming the top of the water with a skimmer net. This helps clear debris, such as leaves, twigs and other small floating objects. The walls and floor should be swept with a vacuum. All skimmer baskets should be emptied and cleaned at this time.
Additional Maintenance Steps
A maintenance dose of water clarifier can help keep the pool's water sparkling clean by trapping tiny particles in the water in the pool's filter. Scale, stain and metal control can also be added, which can help prevent scale from damaging the pool's filter system. Scale results from heavy doses of calcium.
With regular pool maintenance, and by using high-quality pool supplies, your pool can stay in great shape for the entire swimming season.
Contact Us
Schedule your pool or spa service with Poolwerx by calling 1-888-215-9695


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Content Count715
Last visited
Community Reputation266 Excellent
About Hula_Girl
Recent Profile Visitors
I would love to see a payment option for people like me, who can not spend too many hours a day playing. For the last premium payment that I made, I had maybe 2 hours of gameplay. This was just too much - I love Wurm, but I have to respect myself too.
Do you consider wurm cheap?
Hula_Girl replied to Yiraia's topic in Town SquareYes, it is expensive, that's why I stopped playing. I have limited time and played max 10 hours per week, the cost of premium is just too high. Maybe the premium time could be counted in-game, and not by calendar?
Remove disembarking ship on border crossing
Hula_Girl posted a topic in Suggestions & IdeasWhen crossing the server border on a ship, we get thrown in the water more often than not. It's been like this for years, so apparently it's a feature, a bug would surely be addressed by this time. The suggestion is to remove this feature, because it serves no purpose.
Overaged and shriveled trees
Hula_Girl replied to ozmods's topic in Suggestions & Ideas+1
Drum Roll for Affinity rolls
Hula_Girl replied to Aetherion's topic in Suggestions & Ideas+1, and confetti particles when it succeeds
Instanced Wurm PvP
Hula_Girl replied to Darklords's topic in Suggestions & IdeasI hear you! Time to put an end to those safe spaces for carebears; no more children play - let's introduce permadeath, this will kickstart the pvp again fer sure /s
Why nobody pvps in wurm.
Hula_Girl replied to Malcore's topic in Town SquareThe topic is "Why nobody pvps in wurm", so the opinion of those who refrain from PvP (especially those who tried it and went back to Freedom) might give some insight into the subject. But yeah, this attitude is why I didn't throw my 3 cents in this thread...
How Long Furnaces Last
Hula_Girl replied to Yiraia's topic in Suggestions & Ideas+1, it goes from "burn steadily" to cold quickly and you never know when...
Constructing player traps
Hula_Girl replied to Hula_Girl's topic in Community AssistanceBuildings in Wurm are not only houses. There are temples, inns, public shelters, workshops, watchtowers, bridge entrances, and so on... - it's actually the door lock / door permission which says what is fine to enter.
Constructing player traps
Hula_Girl posted a topic in Community AssistanceToday while exploring a seemingly abandoned stone building I had a most unfortunate experience, as there was no floor behind unlocked porticullis on top floor, and the horse just leaped down into doorless yard. The walls were protected from bashing, and all opening were too high to be reached - no way to walk out. Is this ok to build such traps?
More precise turning when riding vehicle
Hula_Girl replied to Wilczan's topic in Suggestions & Ideas-1, this would make more people to lock autoride and alt+tab.
Weird idea about MMOs and religion
Hula_Girl replied to Jarisleif's topic in Wood ScrapsAFAIK the Christians don't consider "success" to be money, power, and popularity. The simulation hypothesis has been deeply explored (also in context of religions) by philosophers and sci-fi authors, sorry but there was nothing new in your lenghty post.
Random Enkounters
Hula_Girl replied to Enki's topic in Town SquareTo be honest, at first I was petrified by Enki's ghastly manifestation, and by the horse eaters. But we all survived and it was a good time after all.
Rifts Location
Hula_Girl replied to Hula_Girl's topic in Town SquareCan someone in-the-know put some clarification on this issue? Because again the rift is in the same region, and pretty close to a deed.
Mini Games
Hula_Girl replied to nicedreams's topic in Suggestions & IdeasSomeone will lose his drake set in a rigged game of poker, mind my words...


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FIS Sticker "RECEPTION", 25cm x 10cm Horizontal
In stock
Brand - FIS
- FIS Sticker "RECEPTION", 25cm x 10cm Horizontal
Disclaimer : Pictures are for reference purpose. Packaging design of the final product may be different.
Returns : Item is eligible for return if in original packaging and undamaged. No returns for bundled items.
- Long life and maintenance free sticker.
- Easy installation as it is self adhesive and excellent quality product.
- UV laminated for weather proof performance.
Frequently bought together
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- Free delivery on all orders above aed 150. Use coupon code "freedelivery"
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By accessing and using the web site of Colombo School of Construction Technology ("CSCT") you agree to the following terms and conditions:
- Although care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information on the CSCT web site, INFORMATION ON THE SITE IS PROVIDED WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY AND IN NO EVENT SHALL CSCT BE LIABLE IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF THE INFORMATION MADE AVAILABLE, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY STATED OTHERWISE.
- CSCT does not warrant that the web sites or the servers which make CSCT web site available, are free from viruses or any other harmful elements.
- CSCT reserves the right to make changes and/or updates with respect to the information contained on the web site at any time without notice.
- The CSCT web site may provide links to other web sites, which are not under the control of CSCT. CSCT shall not be responsible in any way for the content of such other web sites. CSCT provides such links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link to any such web sites does not imply endorsement by CSCT of the content of such sites.
- The information provided on the CSCT web site may only be used, copied or distributed in unmodified form for informational purposes.
- The web sites provide access to CSCT products and, therefore, may contain references or cross references to specific CSCT products and services, which are not available. Any such reference does not imply that CSCT intends to sell such products or services.
- These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.


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Conservation ArduCopter Test Flight
Finally found time and some good weather to test fly the latest addition to our Conservation Drones fleet — ArduCopter. This test flight was fully autonomous, including takeoff and landing.
Details of test flight as follows…
Weather: Sunny
Wind: 2-4 km/h (NNE)
Battery: 5000 mAh
Camera: GoPro with case
Total payload: ~700g
Total flight distance: ~0.5 km
Flight time: 2 x 5.5 min
Average ground speed: 1.5 m/s
Battery consumed: 50%
47.364800 8.676420


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We need an end to pay restraint on our terms.
We're all too familiar with the effects of the Conservative-led governments' pay freeze and pay cap since 2010. Had wages risen in line with RPI inflation, pay levels would now be nearly £2,000 higher for a hospital porter; £2,500 higher for teaching assistants; £3,700 higher for social workers; and over £4,000 higher for nurses.
In the aftermath of the general election, Chancellor Philip Hammond explained the result as being a consequence of people being "weary of the long slog" of austerity. Theresa May's newly-appointed Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell believes that he lost his Parliamentary seat because the pay cap has gone on too long.
The Conservatives know that for electoral reasons, they have to move on public sector pay – or more precisely, they have to be seen to move on public sector pay.
In September, the Government announced that the police would get a 1% rise plus a 1% bonus, with prison officers getting a 1.7% rise. Last month, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Parliament that continuing the 1% pay cap "wasn't sustainable". Newspaper headlines screamed that the pay cap has been scrapped.
It is of course welcome that the across-the-board 1% cap has been breached. But we need to watch out for what comes next. We should note with concern that:
The 1% bonus for the police is not part of workers' consolidated, pensionable pay.
The prison officers' pay increase is to be found from existing budgets.
There is as yet no guarantee of more money to increase NHS pay and instead Hunt has talked of it being linked to 'productivity gains'.
There is every chance that the Government will try to limit pay increases to certain groups - perhaps just to workers in emergency services, or just workers in services with recruitment problems. We need to be clear that there is no justice in this type of divide-and-rule strategy. Living costs have gone up for all of us and it's not right that any public sector worker's living standards have fallen. We don't just want a pay rise for unformed staff, we want all workers to be treated with uniform fairness.
We need to make sure that the government ends the pay cap on our terms – with funded pay rises that address the losses we have already suffered.
We need to keep on campaigning hard on pay. We have already been involved in the march in Manchester on 1 October, public meetings around the region, and the lobby of Parliament.
We need to keep the pressure on the government in the run up to the budget on November 22nd and beyond.
On the eve of the budget, the People's Assembly are holding a 'Shine a Light on Tory Failure' protest on the steps of the GMEX conference centre in Manchester. Tuesday 21 November, 6.30pm.
In Sefton, Manchester, Wirral and Halton, councils have passed motions supportive of the unions' NJC claim of 5%. It would help to build pressure on employers and the government if more councils passed the model motion.
You can order Pay Up Now campaign leaflets, stickers, posters and badges for your workplace by visiting the online catalogue. Many of the items are free of charge. Simply, click 'Browse catalogue' and then choose 'Pay Up Now' from the alphabetical list.


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The Cake Parlour
The Cake Parlour offers only the best quality ingredients to customers, teamed with immaculate attention to detail to create the perfect centrepiece, whatever the occasion. Staff provide an extremely professional service, from the initial consultation and cake tastings, to the collection or delivery and set-up of the cake, offering expert advice on choosing the perfect design for your special occasion and how to store your cake should there be any left over.
The Cake Parlour's award-winning designs regularly appear in national and global best-selling bridal and sugarcraft magazines such as Brides, You and Your Wedding, Elle, Vogue Sposa, The Bridal Guide, Cakes & Sugarcraft, Cake Masters and Sweet Magazine. The shop is regularly commissioned to make cakes for TV and films, including Made in Chelsea, Decoy Bride and Les Miserables.
"Cake Designer of the Year"
We are very proud to have been awarded the "Cake Designer of the Year" award at "The English Wedding Awards 2018"


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Mirjam Penha-Blits
"we believed war would be over within three months"
On 25 February 1943 in Amsterdam 26-year-old Mirjam Penha-Blits and her husband Eddy were arrested in their bed by the Sicherheitsdienst. They were told to get dressed as quickly as possible and were given just enough time to prepare some bread. 'We quickly grabbed some clothes and to my question whether we should bring blankets as well they answered that we were going to perish in Poland anyway,' Mirjam wrote in her war memoirs in 1947. First she was taken to the SD headquarters in the Euterpestraat, after that she was taken via the Borneokade to Westerbork. Four days later she was put on a transport to Eastern Europe. Despite the ominous words of the arresting squad the mood in the train compartment – Mirjam's transport was the last one by passenger train – was not gloomy, 'as we believed the war would be over within three months'. After a few days the train stopped in Auschwitz-Birkenau, but after standing there for some time the train started moving again towards its destination Sobibor.
"before I knew it I was struck by a whip"
In Sobibor the prisoners were forcibly removed from the train. Mirjam tried to help an elderly gentleman get off the train, 'but before I knew it I was struck by a whip'. She saw that the guards 'were Ukrainians with grimy faces, and a skull and the SS symbol on their collars.' The prisoners were led into the camp and the men and women were separated; it was the last time Mirjam was to see her husband Eddy. The women and children were then put in an empty barracks and told to line up in rows of five. 'An Oberscharführer walked past the rows and selected 25 young girls, including me.' During the selection Mirjam saw the narrow-gauge railway and the tippers on which, as she remembers, 'all people, men, women and children, some 1500 in total' were thrown. 'On the tippers were also the Ukrainians, who laid into the transport with their whips. There was a lot of moaning and screaming. And then they turned the machine gun on them. We were all broken and did not have a gleam of hope left of ever seeing our husbands again.' Mirjam and the other women who were selected to work, were taken to a barracks where they had to hand over their jewels and other personal belongings. Then they were returned to the train and taken to Lublin. In addition to Mirjam the following Dutch women were also part of this transport: Judith Eliazer, Bertha Ensel, Sophie Huisman, Cato Polak, the sisters Suze and Surry Polak, and the sisters Sientje and Jetje Veterman.
After they arrived at Lublin station the women had to proceed to the concentration camp on foot, escorted by SS. Along the way 'the Polish people called us names and spat in our faces. Our escorts loved this, which only egged the fools on.' In the camp the women had to sleep on a bare floor without any straw; they were not given any water or food. After several days Mirjam and the other women were sent to camp Lublin-Flugplatz. This time they were escorted by female helpers of the SS, who turned out to be much worse than the SS men. 'They pointed out the chimneys of the crematoria and told us we would end up there, but first we would have to work. How I cursed those women, who weren't embarrassed to get drunk and behave obscenely with the SS guards when we were on work detail.'
"life in the camp is really just one big fight"
In the camp Mirjam worked in the so-called clothes hall, where she had to sort clothing from murdered Jewish prisoners. Initially the Polish Jewesses thought it was odd that the women from Western Europe did not understand Yiddish. 'And so they considered us Christian women. This caused a lot of trouble for us, and it was the reason for many fights.' Nevertheless the women also had fun together. Mirjam enjoyed rendering English jazz songs, which was much appreciated and in addition earned her quite some extra bread. In October 1943 the Germans needed workers for the marmalade factory in Milejow, which was run by the Wehrmacht. Mirjam and the other Dutch girls, who could feel their strength diminishing, were afraid they would not pass the next selections. They reported to the Kapo, who accepted the women's offer and they were taken to the factory by truck. The women were lucky. The Catholic Polish women who also worked in the factory later told Mirjam that on 3 and 4 November nearly all the Jews in and around Lublin had been shot by the SS, over 42,000 in all. Only the slave labourers in the weapons industry were spared. Presumably Himmler had decided on this massacre (Aktion Erntefest) in response to the incidents in Treblinka and Sobibor, where the prisoners had revolted. The girls in the marmalade factory knew nothing of these acts of resistance. They and a group of men were taken to Trawniki, where more than 6,000 Jews had been killed during the SS operation. Here the women had to sort the clothes of the prisoners who had been shot to death, and the men had to burn the bodies. The work ended with 'the men themselves being shot after two weeks, and us having to burn these men too.'
In May 1944 the camp was evacuated because the Red Army was advancing. Mirjam and the other women were moved to concentration and extermination camp Majdanek, where Jews were no longer being gassed at that time. The camp now predominantly housed prisoners of war, who did forced labour. Mirjam worked as a Kapo in the laundry for the camp SS. The front came closer and closer and Majdanek, too, was evacuated in a hurry. Escorted by Wehrmacht soldiers and SS they now had to march to Auschwitz. 'Several hundred people dropped out that first night,' Mirjam recounted, 'and anyone who stayed down on the side of the road was shot.' As the Germans were also near exhaustion after walking for a few days, the last part of the death march was by train. In Auschwitz Mirjam found out that solidarity among the prisoners was sometimes hard to find and hate between the fellow-sufferers could be intense. However, this lack of solidarity was no great mystery to her. 'It is not hard to get along and be pleasant when you are free, but to retain the slightest veneer of civilization in a camp, where things are at their worst, that is not easy. Life in the camp is really just one big fight; you fight for your mouthful of food, you fight not to get sick, to keep the few clothes you have.' In Auschwitz Mirjam and the other Dutch women from Trawniki worked in the so-called Scheisskommando, that had to collect the faeces from the hospital barracks and dump them on a dung heap outside the camp. Soon Auschwitz was also evacuated and Mirjam and others were moved to Bergen-Belsen. After that she went via Fallersleben to Salzwedel, where she was liberated.
Back to "Dutch survivors"


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Yesterday I learned of the death of a true legend, Sir Bruce Forsyth. One report giving a brief overview of his life, particularly in the area of entertainment, reads: "Veteran entertainer Sir Bruce Forsyth had a career spanning eight decades, in which he went from struggling variety performer to Saturday night TV stardom. On the way, he became one of the most recognisable entertainers in the business, driven by what appeared to be inexhaustible energy. He became synonymous with the plethora of game shows that seemed to dominate television light entertainment in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, although he often felt he had become typecast as the genial quizmaster. And at an age when most performers would have put their feet up, his career enjoyed a huge revival with the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson was born in Edmonton, north London, on 22 February 1928. His father owned a local garage and both his parents were Salvation Army members who sang and played music at home".
Social and other media is awash with tributes, so here is my own modest contribution. I have been aware of Brucie from my early childhood, given he was a regular feature on the TV screens. He is one celebrity that made an important impact even though for a long period his rather in your face style I found somewhat irritating. But he is one person who grew upon me as I came to recognise he was very good at what he did and brought cheer into the lives of many. The three TV shows I remember most are: "Sunday Night at the London Palladium" (in my early years), "the Generation Game" (in my middle years) and Strictly Come Dancing (in my later years, up to only a few years ago when well into the eighties and still going strong he decided to call it a day). In all these shows he was the presenter and was a commanding presence who controlled things nicely and was a master of his craft. He made people feel at ease, even when he made cryptic comments at their expense. He was largely responsible for making each show the resounding success each was to become, attracting huge followings. I remember watching all those shows, sometimes regularly and over the course of a lifetime, and the latest, "Strictly", became my unlikely favorite.
The word "unique" is often overused but not I feel in the case of Sir Bruce. His was an incredible talent and he was extremely versatile. Besides being a superb host, he was very funny and could act, sing, dance and play the piano, and it was to a good standard too. He was a master of memorable one liners. I can still picture him saying "I'm in charge", "good game, good game", "didn't he do well" or "you are my favorite". There are still one or two friends, that when we meet we take off Brucie when greeting each other with "nice to see you" followed by "to see you nice". He represented the best in family entertainment. He struck me as a decent sort off screen, and this is confirmed by many who paid tribute to him, although I suspect he was no saint. But it is his contribution to his various shows that he will be remembered most, for he was the star. He could rightly be described as a national treasure, who now will be sadly missed.
Thanks for brightening up our lives and RIP Sir Bruce.


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I jumped at the chance to read Capote in Kansas by Kim Powers mainly because the cover said it was "A Ghost Story," and I love a good ghost story. When I read that it was a book about Truman Capote, author of In Cold Blood, and Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, I was intrigued. Then I was worried that I needed to have read their books in order to enjoy the story. I was wrong.
Capote in Kansas tells the story of two childhood friends, Capote and Lee, who investigated the slaughter of the Clutter family together but eventually severed all ties. It begins with Capote making a late-night call to Lee, known as Nelle, to say he is being tormented by the ghost of Nancy Clutter. He hasn't spoken to Nelle in years. What follows is an eccentric tale of the end of Capote's life, the ghosts that haunt both him and Nelle, and the creepy snake boxes Capote assembles and has delivered to Nelle. Nelle must determine who is sending her these odd packages and why, and the snake boxes spark memories from their childhood and their trip to Kansas to research the Clutter murders. Why have the Clutters come back to haunt them? Did Harper Lee really pen To Kill a Mockingbird? And why does she never write another book? These are just some of the questions Powers raises in Capote in Kansas.
Powers expertly created a fictional story about two very real, very famous people. The book flows seamlessly from the past to the present, and he made the characters come to life on the page. One of the most memorable characters is Myrtle, Capote's housekeeper, who provides some comic relief as Capote's sidekick in making the snake boxes and plotting revenge against Capote's lover. While reading, I kept wondering how much of the story of Capote and Lee was true, and I was pleasantly surprised to find an "Author's Note" at the end of the book explaining his inspiration and answering some of my questions. After reading the book, I can't wait to read Capote and Lee's books, and I was glad I didn't let my lack of knowledge of these writers prevent myself from enjoying a good story!
Read the first chapter of Capote in Kansas here, and check out the reading group discussion questions here.
Kim Powers was kind enough to write a guest post about one of my favorite topics: writing! Thanks, Kim!
The sight and sounds of me writing: it used to look like an outtake from The Exorcist, or something from The Three Faces of Eve. Scary. I would sit in a darkened room, some weird "mood music" on ("Tubular Bells" from The Exorcist was an early favorite, then Steely Dan—go figure), pounding away on the keyboard with my eyes closed, in a sort of stream-of-consciousness fugue state. I'd start with the barest idea of a scene, and not stop until I had written down everything I "saw" in my head, and my wrists went into carpal tunnel overdrive. (John Irving has said he doesn't begin writing until he has the whole plot worked out, and the very last sentence in his head. That's the complete opposite of my approach. I don't have an outline, just a few key turning points in my head before I start.) The Exorcist analogy isn't far off: I used to think I had to "exorcise" the story, sweat the writing out of me, or it wasn't any good. I really was convinced that writing this way brought me closest to my subconscious, so I could get to the heart and soul of something, not just graze the surface. (Really, I just didn't have the courage, or the confidence, to look at a blank computer screen.) The next day, I'd go through what I had written (or more accurately, typed) and try to make the most basic, nouns-and-verbs sense of it. There were tons of typos, of course, and maybe half of what I had written even began to approach "usability." Truman Capote advocated something similar: "Just start writing," he said, "you're bound to wind up with some meat on the bones." Of course, a lot of this showmanship had to do with subject matter. Mine has always been pretty tortured. (More on that later.)
Earlier on, when I used a typewriter and not a computer, I was much more normal in my approach to writing. I'd craft sentences one at a time, and make them perfect before I moved on to the next, feverishly erasing and leaving a mound of little pink curlicues in my wake, or fumigating myself with White Out. I'd always written well, but don't remember having to do a lot of it until grad school (a literary criticism/theater history program). My twin brother Tim was the writer; I was the actor. We went to the same college, and our father's going away present to us was an electric typewriter, which we were to share. We didn't have a lot of money, so he'd really saved for it. (This is sounding more and more like an episode of The Waltons, isn't it? That's me, John Boy Powers.) Hours after we unpacked on that first day of school, Tim came to my dorm room–thank God we weren't rooming together–and said, "I need to use the typewriter." I told him I thought he had it. He told me he thought I had it. Neither of us had it, and the last we could remember was it sitting on the ground, outside of the trunk of our (shared) car. We never told our poor Dad what had happened, just borrowed friends' typewriters for the next four years. By the time I got out of grad school, I had finally started using a computer, and it made a world of difference. I could "think" on my fingers, not on my feet. I can't even handwrite anymore, my hands cramp up so much. (Donna Tartt, who wrote The Secret History and The Little Cousin, has said she writes all of her novels–and those suckers are big!–in long-hand. She loves the old-fashioned sense of ink staining her fingers. My fingers shudder at the thought.)
In my early jobs out of grad school–finding and developing film and TV projects for various companies–I was having to do a lot of writing. My older brother Ed, who worked in Washington politics and did a lot of writing, always taught me: "Just get a draft. You can always rewrite. Just get some words down on a page." It was the most valuable thing he ever taught me. Although I didn't realize it at the time, it also helped me to see writing as a nuts and bolts thing, not just something that I could only access when "inspired." (I would later learn if you wait for inspiration to strike, you'll be waiting a very long time.) Another mentor told me, "A writer writes. Period." He was that blunt about it, after too much whining on my part about wanting to be a writer, but not writing. It seems obvious, but it wasn't. I can't tell you how many people I know–and I was one of them–who say, "I want to be a writer," but haven't made the first step toward getting anything on a page. If there are any aspiring writers reading this, that's my first "take-away": a writer writes. Fire up your computer, and get to it. No more excuses. Perfection can come later. (Now, if only one of YOU would give me the same butt-kicking lesson about getting back to the gym!) I think that's one of the reasons I'm so mystified about Harper Lee stopping writing. If there was ever a writer, it was her. It seems like it would be the same as being forced to stop eating, not to be able to write.
By the time I was working as a producer for Great Performances at PBS, I finally realized that thing that has launched many a writing career: I could do this as well as "they" can–the people I'm paying to write! It happened on a big miniseries called Trials we were trying to get off the ground, about a group of disparate people brought together to participate in an experimental AIDS drug trial. I wasn't happy with the writing that was coming in, and started rewriting it myself, to match the idea I saw in my head. And I was making it a lot better. I mark my beginning as a professional writer from that.
That somewhat brings me back full circle to how I started this little post, about my "tortured" subject matter. I was so involved with that AIDS miniseries at PBS because I was living it: both of my brothers (my twin Tim, and my older brother Ed) had AIDS, and it took over my life. Tragically, they died, about a year apart from one another, and I began writing in earnest, to keep myself from going crazy. I'm not sure my approach was the healthiest, but I began writing short stories about the three year period of their illnesses, closing my eyes and making myself relive that time, to get it down truthfully on the page. Those short stories eventually formed the basis of my first book, a memoir called The History of Swimming, which also dealt with my twin brother's disappearance one weekend, and my search for him–literally and metaphorically. (That's my second "take-away" for the writers out there: don't write anything that doesn't matter to you. It's too hard otherwise. I'm not saying everything has to be autobiographical, or tragic. I wish I could write a great comic novel. But don't set out to write something just because you think it's commercial and will make money. It will come off looking like an imitation of something else. Of course, what do I know? I'm living in debt, and John Grisham is laughing all the way to the bank.)
Writing got a little bit easier after that first book. (The writing that is, not the selling and marketing. That's a whole other "skill set," which no writing program prepares you for.) During the time I was really polishing The History of Swimming, I was also working as a writer for Good Morning America, and writing non-stop. Nowhere was my brother Ed's adage more important: just get a draft on paper. I'd have to pump out voluminous "briefing notes" for the anchors–background on segments and interviews I had done with the guests–and there just wasn't time to make them perfect. Seven or eight full pages a day. But even that style, so different from my book writing, developed my writing muscles. It was like going to the gym: practice might not make you perfect, but it makes you better. (Even that news writing took me back to my acting roots. People would walk by my office and see me making faces and reading my copy aloud, and ask what I was doing, and I would say I was "doing" Diane (Sawyer) or Charlie (Gibson), each of whom had very different styles and rhythms.)
Over the four or so years it took to turn out The History of Swimming, I squeezed in extra hours in the morning before work, and became a hermit on the weekends, to turn a five hundred page SINGLE SPACED mess into something resembling a coherent story. (I kept a separate computer file called "outtakes"–and that soon grew larger than the book itself.) But I loved the process of rewriting, once I got that dreaded first draft down on paper. Now the real work could begin. I've always thought if I weren't a writer I'd have become a film editor, because I love the process of taking little pods and rearranging them for maximum effect. That's what re-writing is like, constant tweaking, and I went through a lot of "tweaking"–eight or nine complete drafts–before I started trying to find an agent to sell it. (Another take away: don't send your material off before it's AS GOOD AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY MAKE IT. Don't make the same mistake I have, convincing yourself, "Oh, it's pretty good, just needs another draft or two, they can at least see what the story is and where I'm going." Publishing doesn't work that way anymore; agents and editors are drowning in paper, and few will take the time to really shape something, unless it shows tremendous promise.)
The first book made the second one, Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story, easier. I knew I had done it, so I could do it again. It would take a few years, but I could do it. And even though Capote wasn't autobiographical, it was no less tough emotionally as I tried to "see" those dark places Capote and Lee had visited, or seen in their own minds. I still closed my eyes to write the first draft, but didn't go through those early death throe contractions. I taped pictures of Capote and Lee all around me, and drew inspiration from looking into their faces. I listened to Elmer Bernstein's magnificent film score from the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird, and got in the mood. But I did it everyday, like a job, like going to the office. I try to reserve morning hours to write, at least when I'm in the early few drafts. Maybe it's because I'm closer to my dreams, and the pressures of the day haven't yet worn me out. By nighttime, after a day at work, I'm too bushed to write. But during the day, at the office, I'll find myself thinking a lot about my project, and write down little phrases that come to me, that I'll shoot to my home email to be waiting for me. I also used to leave a few pages to be corrected the next morning when I picked back up, just to give me a way back into the writing, without the terror of the blank white computer screen. One of the things I've learned is that when the writing isn't coming, and you feel the work sliding down hill, take a break. I walk my dog, and magically, when I get back, I find I've broken the log jam.
I just turned in my new book to my agent–called The Movies We Watched (The Year My Father Killed My Mother)–and she's taking it out to editors to try and sell it. It's another semi-autobiographical story, and I wrote down every childhood memory I had–a surprisingly concise number–to get going. I'm already having some very loose ideas about my next book, and it will be the first thing I've written that doesn't deal in any way autobiographically with my life–or those of famous people like Capote or Lee. It will involve a lot of research, but for now one of the exercises I'm using to get going is collecting random photographs at flea markets. I love digging through piles of old candid shots–and finding the ones that "speak" to me. I think this would be a great warm-up exercise, if I ever taught creative writing. But even writing a completely "made up" story doesn't mean you aren't constantly drawing on your own experiences, or at least emotions. You'd be amazed at how much of Capote in Kansas came from my own life, even though it's about two real people I've never met.
Anyway, these are just a few random (and long-winded) thoughts about my writing process, and how The History of Swimming and Capote in Kansas got "born." If any of it resonates, use it. If not, don't blame Anna, who I know is working on some of her own writing! She graciously offered me the chance to pass on a few pointers, and I appreciate it. And whatever you do–keep reading! That's the way to make yourself a better writer.
Thanks so much, Kim! I really enjoyed reading your writing story, and I think you provided a lot of great advice! I wish you much success!
Read Kim's bio here, and if you want to follow him around the blogs, you'll find the list of tour dates for Capote in Kansas here.
Kim is generously offering a copy of Capote in Kansas to one lucky reader! There are no geographical restrictions. Comment on this post and let me know why you want to read Capote in Kansas or what you found most interesting from Kim's guest post. For an extra entry, mention the giveaway on your blog and let me know you've done so! Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. Please provide your email address or blog URL! The deadline is Friday, Oct. 31, 2008.
**Please note that this giveaway is now closed**
Disclosure: I received a copy of Capote in Kansas from the author for review purposes. I am an Amazon associate.
© 2008 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.


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Camp Fire Sparks Students to Wear Masks for Protection
Winds are blowing smoke from the Northern California wildfires down into the Bay Area resulting in hazardous air quality.
November 9, 2018
Woodside, California is currently in a state of unhealthy air quality with an air index of 184 and visibility of only 2.5 miles. Woodside students have taken to the nurse's office to acquire barrier masks for some protection against the smoky air.
"I'm giving them out to potentially serve as a barrier and protect against all the smoke and bad air that's been going on because of the fires," Nanette Pasion, the school nurse, said.
Pasion also mentioned that symptoms from the air quality could include "difficulty breathing, headaches, nausea, and eye irritation."
The winds could continue to blow smoke south toward the Bay Area for several days. Pasion recommends limiting your time outside and if possible, using an air purifier or humidifier inside. Some students decided to go home today instead of rely on a mask for potential protection from the haze.
"Today was one of the busiest days since the beginning of the school year that I've sent kids home for not feeling well," Pasion revealed.
The city of Woodside is at an index 135 above what is defined as good air quality. The source of the Bay Area's poor air quality is the Camp Fire in the Northern California town of Paradise. The wildfire began just yesterday morning and has already swept over 70,000 acres of land and destroyed more than 1,000 structures throughout the town. Details about fatalities and total damage are still unclear because firefighters have not yet had time to fully survey the area.
As of Friday afternoon, the air quality index in Paradise, California was at 386, placing it in a state of hazardous air quality. Paradise has been evacuated but the flames are now spreading west toward Chico, California, threatening 75,000 structures and 93,293 people.


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"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." (1 Jn. 1:5)
It is time to consider a basic question…why can faith be so difficult for us? Why is it faith of all possible things…that separates self-sovereignty from God-sovereignty…in determining the all-important course and direction of our lives?
Why does the Bible characterize placing faith in ourselves alone…as self-autonomous kings and queens sitting upon the thrones of our lives…as reprehensible…but instead placing faith in God within a journey of faith as righteousness (Heb. 11:7)…again a concept that is as far removed from the autonomous individualism of conventional thinking as is imaginable?
Why is faith the central element…the most important thing…in our personal relationship with God that is tested and put at risk…that is the bonding agent that connects us…that is being twisted and pulled and stretched by the challenging events and circumstances of our lives?
The issue of difficult challenge…inherent in a faith-journey following God…is a central theme in every positive person of faith throughout the Bible (Rom. 4:3; Ex. 3:11; Josh. 1:5-7; Jud. 6:14-17; Lk. 22:42; Acts 23:11; Heb. 11).
In our current cultural and social exploration into the question of the existence of God…the spot-on accuracy of the biblical description of the variableness of faith in our personal relationships…especially in a relationship following the leading of God…beginning thousands of years ago at the start of the book of Genesis…should give us momentary pause.
Is it rational and plausible to think that material particles and energy…according to the philosophy of naturalism…could conceivably be the source and origin of the incredibly complex value judgment system that is an inseparable part of the variableness of faith in our relationships with other people…and with our Creator God?
Does the sheer existence of this thing called faith…which exists only within the personal interactions between moral beings having the capacity for free-will choice and cognitive thinking…place the reality of the entire framework of the natural world above and outside of any naturalistic explanation?
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight…from the vantage point of living in the middle of what is being called the Information Age…doesn't commonsense Christian apologetics tell us that the oddity of the variableness of faith in the personal relationships between people…should have been an obvious offsetting fact to Charles Darwin when he wrote his famous book The Origin of Species?
Should not the high quality of the variableness of faith be a compelling counter-argument against a naturalistic explanation for the origin of human intelligent decision-making, moral reasoning, qualitative judgment, free-will choice, and communication skills…all coordinated into a functional coherence that cries out for an Intelligent Designer and a Master Craftsman of sublime ability?
On the surface, establishing and maintaining faith in our relationships with other people should be much easier and simpler than it is.
As Christians, it should be easier to place our faith in God in the middle of attacking the current, temporary life-crisis at hand…the current life-lesson for ourselves…and for others in need.
But this is one reason why faith is such an important moral reality…such a central factor in personal relationships…answered at the end of this essay.
In our Christian journeys of faith, the challenging issues always seem to come back around to the same successful strategy of centering our trust in God, releasing our faith, relinquishing self-sovereignty over the control of our lives, listening in the Spirit, and patiently waiting…for the answer to our prayer…for the inspirational solution needed…or for the one right path of action to follow…all of which have an element of built-in difficulty.
Why does the foreign missionary find themselves in the difficult situation of trying to make do with limited resources in their balanced evangelical effort to bring the light and the transforming power of the gospel message to the lost…along with the help that is needed in terms of financial and material support to alleviate poverty…and in the process discover what is the elusive sweet-spot balance…which only real-life events and circumstances can define and delineate…between the eternally valuable and the temporally practical needs of people?
Why does the local church pastor find themselves frustratingly short of finances, church member volunteers, and community support to solve the many social problems and desperate needs they confront on a daily basis?
Why does the heart-broken grandmother find herself investing many hours on her knees as a prayer warrior on behalf of a wayward grandchild…temporarily lost in drug or alcohol addiction and walking along the dangerous edge of falling into the abyss of oblivion at any moment?
Why does the calling of Abraham in the Bible involve a time-period of waiting for the birth of his son Isaac?
Why does Moses, part-way through the ten miraculous plagues in Egypt, find himself waking up each morning without Pharaoh relenting and releasing the Israelites from bondage?
Why does David have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death as penned in his beautiful and famous Psalm 23?
Why does Jesus the divine Son of God say in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion: "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me"…then without missing a beat says in perfectly executed faith: "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Lk. 22:42).
Why is there this curious space…this interval…this gap…in time and in outcomes…between where we are and where we want to get to…for ourselves or on behalf of others in need…that creates the opportunity…the space…for free-will choice and biblical faith to operate together in tandem?


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Although the varieties of vegetables described under this head do not as a general thing possess the same curative properties as those treated in the previous chapter, they are, on the other hand, more nutritious, owing to their greater starch content. The assimilation products absorbed from the air by the leaves are deposited in the root tubers in the form of starch, and it is just these products which we shall now discuss as food. The tuberous roots most rich in starch, such as the tropical varieties and the potatoes, have already been described. We shall now consider the turnips and other tubers of this class.
The turnips most frequently used are no doubt the yellow turnips. They contain in the natural substance, according to König, 1.18 per cent. proteins, 0.12 per cent. fat, 4.03 per cent. of sugar, with 3 per cent. of other carbohydrates and 1.62 per cent. of cellulose. In the dry substance they contain 8.91 per cent. of protein, 68.48 per cent. of carbohydrate, and 1.43 per cent. nitrogen.
Of nutrient salts the yellow turnip, contains much lime 11.34 per cent.and 36.93 per cent. potash, 21.17 per cent. soda, 1.01 per cent. iron, o.45 per cent. sulphur; thus, there is much potash and soda in addition to the considerable amount of lime.
While their high content of certain salts would lead us to consider yellow turnips as a useful vegetable, they are unfortunately not well assimilated by the intestine, as Rubner states that a considerable portion of the nutritive substance is eliminated unused. The yellow turnip promotes the action of the bowels. The "red turnip"-the beet-is principally used as a salad. According to Kong, i, p. 772, it contains 0.54 per cent. of sugar and 9.02 per cent. o,f other carbohydrates ; those gathered in the beginning of August contain 1.37 per cent. of protein, and beets in general contain 1.05 per cent. of cellulose.
A variety of turnip which is not much used, although deserving o,f more attention, is the white turnip. It probably contains the most water of any : 93 to 95 per cent. It is quite rich in nutrient salts, 45 per cent. potash and 10.60 per cent. lime, but, owing to its indigestibility and poor assimilation, quite a good deal of these salts is lost. The digestibility and general value of white turnips may be increased by salting them and allowing them to ferment, as is also, done with the white cabbage. When cooked they may be mixed with sour milk or cream, and also with tomato sauce. Like the yellow turnips, they likewise have a favorable action upon the bowels.
Kohlrabi is much more used than white turnips. This variety of turnip has a sweetish taste, but does not contain very much sugar, only 0.38 per cent., with 7.80 per cent. of carbohydrates, o,f which a certain amount, owing to its chemical composition and poor assimilation, need not be taken into account. Kohlrabi contains 1.68 per cent, of cellulose, rather more than does white cabbage, and, while the total carbohydrate content amounts to 8.47 per cent., only 6.87 per cent. is assimilated. Very nearly one-half this amount is fruit-sugar, which is well tolerated by many diabetics. For this reason kohlrabi may be recommended in diabetes. What is here said of the kohlrabi is applicable to many other vegetables.
Less as a vegetable, but more as a stimulant for the appetite, the large radishesboth black and whitehave come into use. They do excite the appetite, but are of themselves very indigestible. They should consequently not be used by persons having weak stomachs. For healthy persons with good stomachs they are an excellent food at the beginning of a meal, especially the smaller and more tender radishes.
Horseradish is rather to be regarded as a pungent flavoring substance than as a vegetable, which should only be used by perfectly healthy persons as a stimulant for the appetite in combination with other foods. Even healthy persons would do well to use it but sparingly. Like the onion, the horse-radish should only be used to improve the taste of certain foods. Both of these vegetables may have an injurious action upon the kidneys owing to the pungent substances they contain.
The various radishes contain a pungent substance, an ethereal oil similar to that contained in mustard. The smaller varieties of radishes are more easily digested than the larger ones, but when not well masticated and salivated will cause disagreeable eructations. In summer the large radish will be found useful when the appetite may for various reasons not be quite up to the mark. It should first be well salted, which will draw out some of its fluid content, and should then be left covered up for a time until more juice has been extracted. In this way the fibers are somewhat softened, and are rendered more digestible. People possessed of a good stomach can eat quite a good deal of it at the beginning of a meal, and yet have plenty of appetite for the rest of the food. It is not without nutritive qualities, since it contains 8.47 per cent. of carbohydrate, but there is a large amount of fiber, so only 7 per cent. o,f the carbohydrate is assimilated. Small quantities may be taken by diabetics, but the smaller varieties, which contain only 3.79 per cent. of carbohydrates, would be better; of these, but 3. 18 per cent. is assimilated.
The tomato, with its pleasant acid taste,the name tomato comes from the Aztec (Mexico) word tomatl,is another agreeable addition to various other foods. It also has a certain nutritive value, since, according to Bailey and Lodema, it contains 4 to 5 per cent. of sugar. In this country it is principally the juice which is used; it is put up in bottles in the summer, and is then used throughout the year, to flavor other foods, such as rice, potatoes, cabbage, etc. When a considerable quantity of tomato is used the nutritive properties are naturally improved. Owing to its content in citric and malonic acid,-O.7 to o.8 per cent.,the tomato may be regarded as a healthful food.
In some countries, and particularly in England, America, Spain, and Italy, this vegetable is also eaten raw as a salad. The meat is tender, and when this alone is eaten it is easily digested; when the seeds are also used they may have a some-what beneficial action, as do figs, by exercising a sort of massage upon the intestinal mucous membrane. As a disadvantageous feature it may be mentioned that tomato contains a small quantity of oxalic acid.
When prepared as an acid vegetable the cucumber may also prove useful. In general, it is not easily digested, but when it undergoes a process of fermentation in salt water its tissues are softened by the action of the lactic acid which is thus formed, so that it becomes somewhat more digestible. The salted cucumber pickle would therefore probably be the most healthful mode of using the cucumber, except in the cases in which salt is to be avoided, as in kidney affections.
The cucumber is not rich in nutritive substances. It con-tains only 1.09 per cent. of protein, but the carbohydrates are rather better represented, there being 1.12 per cent. of sugar and 1.09 per cent. of other carbohydrates. Large cucumbers contain more sugar and are therefore better adapted for pre-serving. According to König, the nutrient salt content of the cucumber is in the ash 51.71 per cent. of potash, 4.19 per cent soda, 6.97 per cent. of lime, 0.75 per cent. iron, 13.10 per cent. phosphorus, and a considerable amount of chlorine, 9.16 per cent.
The pumpkin is likewise prepared as a sour vegetable in some countries, as in Hungary. It is also used like cabbage in combination with various dishes prepared from, flour, such as the "strudel." In my opinion, this vegetable is undeservedly neglected as a food, for it contains a considerable quantity of nutritive substance. It only contains 1.10 per cent. of protein, but over 6 per cent. of carbohydrate, of which 1.29 per cent. is in the form of sugar, and 5.16 per cent. in other carbohydrates. The small pumpkin is worthy of much greater attention than is accorded it at present, since it contains as much as 6 per cent. of sugar (4 per cent. grape-sugar and 1.50 per cent. cane-sugar). It is therefore a nutritious vegetable, and its taste is very agreeable. Of the nutrient salts it contains much phosphorus, up to 33 per cent. in the ash, and much soda and lime, 21.13 and 7.79 per cent. ; it is very poor in common salt.
The melon is much more used and liked than the pumpkin, although some varieties of the former are less nutritious than the dried pumpkin. According to König, the melon contains 0.84 per cent. protein, 3.41 per cent. sugar, and up to 3 per cent. of other carbohydrates; the American sugarmelon con-tains 8 to 12 per cent, of sugar, together with the other carbohydrates.' The watermelon has o.61 per cent. of protein, 4.21 per cent.. sugar, and 1.07 per cent. of other carbohydrates. When we drink melon juice we absorb 4.14 per cent. of invert-sugar and o.17 to o.19 per ct. of malic acid. Notwithstanding the fact that the cellulose content of the melon is not great,1.06 per cent.,it is nevertheless hard to digest, as is also the pumpkin, especially when not quite ripe. Both of them, have laxative properties, but they may also have an irritating effect on the intestine, thus causing diarrhea and intestinal catarrh. The juice of the watermelon is very refreshing in the heat of summer, and in some countries, as in Turkey, Spain, and Hungary, this fruit is much eaten. The negroes in the United States are particularly fond of watermelon. When there is catarrh of the intestine or a tendency to diarrhea melon is a dangerous food, and when cholera is prevalent the people are warned against its use.
To a much greater extent than the above-named vegetables, green peas form a nourishing, and also a very palatable, food. They contain (according to König, i, p. 781) 9.50 per cent. of sugar and other carbohydrates and 5.54 per cent. of nitrogen, with 1.61 per cent. of cellulose. Green peas should be classed among the most nutritious and most easily digested vegetables, especially when they are young and tender; they contain but little cellulose. When they are older they are more nourishing, but also contain more of the latter substance, and are digested with more difficulty, both in the stomach and intestine. Peas should not be given to small children, who, as I have frequently observed, simply swallow them whole, in which form they are also passed out through the intestine, after having caused irritation of the latter. The garden variety of green peas may contain as much as 62.45 per cent. of sugar and other carbohydrates, of which only 10.40 per cent. is assimilated.
String beans are less nourishing and more indigestible. They consist principally of inosite, and, as this substance does not increase the sugar in the urine in diabetes, string beans represent one of the most desirable among the green vegetables for patients suffering from that disease. Of the 6.60 per cent. of carbohydrates only about 5.54 per cent. is assimilated. Green string beans contain much less sugar than peas, only about 1.16 per cent.


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A History Of Bowling In Birmingham
The first bowling house in Birmingham is somewhat of a mystery. As happens so many times, it depends on whom you ask. Some say there was a bowling house on 1st Avenue North near the Old Terminal Station; while others say the YMCA had the first, with either two or four bowling lanes located in the YMCA building.
It is agreed, however, that the first regularly used bowling center was opened in 1933 and known as The Phoenix Bowling Alley, located in the basement of the Phoenix Building at 1706 2nd Avenue North. It was a twelve- (12) lane house, owned and operated by Harry and Elizabeth Arnold. Its opening in 1933 coincided with the forming of the Greater Birmingham USBC Association. First officers of the association were V.G. Shields – President, Manual A. Ellis -Secretary, and F. J. Stanton – Treasurer, and the Executive Committee included Dr. N. C. Glass, Jr. and M. A. Moran. The Phoenix Bowling Alley remained in business until the Phoenix Building burned down.
During the 1930's and until the war, Birmingham bowling, like most activities, was centralized in the downtown area – between 2nd and 5th Avenues North. Bowling Houses, in addition to Phoenix – in alphabetical order – were: Downtown (Birmingham) Bowling Lanes, Liberty Bowling Alley and Lucky Strike Lanes.
Bowling grew in popularity after World War II and continued to grow through the fifties, and with this popularity, came an increase in bowling alleys: Tarrant City (8 lanes), Fairfield (6 lanes), Woodlawn (8 lanes), lrondale (16 lanes), Five Points South (12 lanes), and Chapman Lanes, later to be known as LoMac Bowl (16 lanes). Chapman Lanes got its name from one of the proprietors, Ben Chapman – the great major league baseball player from Birmingham. Marvin Lowry (Lo) and Joe McCorvey (Mac) purchased Chapman Lanes, and the name was changed to LoMac Bowl. It was not long until small 6-12 lane houses gave way to the modern automated centers. In the late 1950's and into the 1960's, came the introduction of today's modern Bowling Centers. The first one to open in Birmingham was Holiday Bowl (32 lanes), followed by Bowl-O-Mac (LoMac Bowl closed and the name was reversed for the new center to read BowLoMac), Eastwood Bowl, Roebuck, Ensley, Homewood, Pine Bowl, Trussville (later Cahaba), Green Springs, Vestavia Lanes, Star Bowl, Honey Lanes, El Dorado (later Super Bowl) and Riverview Lanes. Over the years several bowling centers were closed for various reasons.
The last to close, after 42 years of service, was Eastwood Bowl In June of 2002. With the closing of Eastwood Bowl, five bowling centers remained operating in the Greater Birmingham area. They are ThunderBowl Lanes (Formerly Holiday Bowl in Bessemer), Pine Bowl (in Fultondale), Super Bowl (in Center Point), Riverview Lanes (off Hwy 280) and Vestavia Bowl (in Vestavia). Pine Bowl has since closed.
In the spring of 2004, two new bowling centers, Spare Time Entertainment (Originally Lightning Strikes Lanes in Trussville) and Oak Mountain Lanes (in Pelham) joined the five existing centers. These seven centers with a combined total of 218 lanes provide the 2100 plus ABC sanctioned bowlers and the general public of the Birmingham area with a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the sport of bowling.
The youth of Birmingham also enjoy the increased opportunity to participate with the introduction of many different league formats such as home school leagues and scholarship leagues.
In the age of gender equality, bowling continues to be one of the few sports where gender does not offer either sex an advantage, and with improved equipment (lanes, dressings, and bowling balls) plus creative owners and managers, our sport should enjoy increased popularity and growth in the coming years.


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There are times when mistakes look like mistakes, but that is only with the benefit of hindsight. (Genre – general, Rating – PG)
It feels like you've done something wrong. It's never clear cut, life never is, but there is a feeling, a suggestion that if you were to go back in time you would do things differently.
That's not a bad thing, a mistake. It's a thing you learn from, if you can recognise why you made the mistake. Perhaps it was the age you were at – you were young, brash, selfish. Maybe you were to wrapped up in a problem that took al of your time. Maybe you had other struggles that meant you lost touch with people.
Maybe, even, the past was not as rosy as your mind likes to think it was. People were not as good as you like to think they are. Situations weren't as black and white as they are with the power of hindsight. They are normally good reasons why you do what you do, even if you know you'd never do it again. In that moment, it might have been the right thing.
But that doesn't mean you don't regret it. Or learn from it.
And vow never to do it again.


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An Albany landlord says the Mallozzi Group not only stopped paying rent last summer at the now-shuttered Brown Derby but also alleges that it abandoned and gutted the place, taking equipment and fixtures it didn't own to help furnish a new restaurant it was planning for Schenectady.
University Development LLC hurled a slew of accusations at the Mallozzi family in a 12-page complaint filed last week in Supreme Court in Albany County. Chief among them was the claim that the Mallozzi Group unfairly benefited at its expense by diverting resources away from lease obligations and using them to pay other obligations and open a new restaurant. In all, University Development wants at least $1.5 million from the family-owned restaurant and catering company.
The Mallozzi Group owns and operates a number of Capital Region establishments. In August 2012, it announced it would close the Brown Derby, a 138-seat restaurant it had opened four years earlier in downtown Albany as a modern and local re-imagining of the original Hollywood Brown Derby.
"The Brown Derby failed to meet revenue projections while our other six locations continue to perform extremely well," said co-owner Bobby Mallozzi at the time. "As we move forward, we will continue to expand our operations in the Capital Region."
Soon after, the Mallozzi Group announced its plans for a family-friendly Italian restaurant across from Proctors Theatre in Schenectady. And last month, Johnny's Restaurant opened to much fanfare by local officials.
In 2008, Mallozzi Group co-owners John and Bobby Mallozzi entered into a 10-year lease agreement with University Development LLC for part of 22 Clinton Ave. Among other things, the lease required monthly payments of $11,500 until January 2012, when an amendment increased the amount to $14,000 a month.
The landlord is alleging that the Mallozzis haven't paid rent since September 2012, right after they announced the operations would close.
The Mallozzis did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
University Development LLC says it was convinced to enter into the lease because the Mallozzi family had been in the restaurant business since 1965 and University Development was told it "could rely upon that expertise and the personal involvement of the Mallozzi family to insure [sic] a successful venture."
In addition, the landlord says, it made "significant and costly improvements" to the premises at the Mallozzis' request, with the family agreeing to pay the more than $435,000 in improvements back over the term of the lease.
"It was restaurant equipment and restaurant fixtures that had been installed at the Brown Derby in downtown Albany, and we believe they have been installed and are now being used at Johnny's in Schenectady," said attorney Mary Elizabeth Slevin of Albany firm Stockli Slevin & Peters LLP.
She declined to specify exactly what equipment was taken.
The suit further alleges that the Mallozzis "vacated and abandoned" the Brown Derby property without giving "direct notice of any kind" to the landlord. Since then, they have refused to make any rent payments, even after the landlord notified them Sept. 10 they were in default.
On Sept. 18, University Development sent a letter to the Mallozzi Group demanding it pay the entire balance of the lease, as well as late fees and any other required sums. It has yet to do so, the suit alleges. As of April 16, the Mallozzis owed just more than $1 million.
The suit lists multiple causes of action against the Mallozzis, including breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing and unjust enrichment — all for failing to pay rent, failing to provide lien releases and other documentation required by its lease, taking fixtures and equipment without consent or compensation and then using them for their own benefit.
The landlord contends that because of breached obligations it has suffered more than $1.5 million in damages, and it is demanding full restoration and restitution.
The Mallozzi Group is in the middle of another lawsuit as well. A former server has accused the company of cheating its servers out of more than $1 million worth of tips. The company denied all accusations in that suit, which has yet to be resolved.
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The Bilenky Cycle Works Urban Junkyard Cyclocross Race is not your typical cross race. Unless your idea of typical includes riding through stacks of junked cars, ducking under I-beams, traversing railroad ties and taking a trip through a storage trailer. Like the City of Brotherly Love, this race is gritty, a bit rough around the edges and something that for some reason you find yourself wanting to return to. And like any true Philly sporting event, bring your "A" game because your fans are sure to let you know if you have not. This year's race attracted all kinds from the newbie racer to the pro-mountain biker to a newly minted national cyclocross champ.
The 3rd annual running of the junkyard cyclocross took place December 21 and I caught up with four souls that voluntarily risked tetanus and grave bodily harm to take part in the day's festivities. Here are their thoughts on how it all went down.
Not to state the obvious, but this race is different. What makes it different for you?
MARC VETTORI aka FAT MARC (C3 Sollay.com): I didn't make my mind up that I was going until the morning of … Only brought one bike, no trainer.. Worried about staying dry and warm more than anything else. The course was super fun, but not so UCI.USCF legal. Hell, I'm not sure it's legal anywhere and I mean the laws of the land, not cross rules. VIVA LA RESISTANCE!
HARLAN PRICE (Independent Fabrication): It's in a junkyard. It's officially not serious, but is seriously fun.
ANNE ROCK (Sturdy Girl): Fear of tetanus.
DAMIEN TALESE (Ambler, Pa.): I've never done a CX race before. I don't do much if any racing. Mostly ride with friends just for the fun of riding (and to stay in shape).
How did you prepare for the race? Pre-race food, warm-up, pre-race ritual?
FAT MARC: Well since Reston [Capital 'Cross Classic] I've been riding my fixed gear two days a week. I've also been catching up on eating and drinking. Especially the stuff I skipped during cross season. I got to do some days at the climbing gym working some bouldering problems, too. None of that was proper preparation. Saturday night I went to a party that my buddy Peaches's in-laws hosted. Buddy the keg breaker made sure I was properly hydrated. Jeff [Bahnson] bought me a chicken and bacon sandwich from the roach coach before our race.
ANNE: Race preparation: Prepare? Pre-race food: candy canes. Warm-up: Rode from my house in Mt Airy, Pa. Pre-race ritual: usually, a visit to a heated bathroom and listening to my IPod that has songs in sync with my warm up pyramid.
DAMIEN: Race preparation: Weather was iffy, so I sat on my couch all morning and wrestled with myself "go or not go." Pre race food: coffee and a bagel. Warm-up: one lap around the course. No pre race ritual.
What did you wear and did you get it right for the weather?
DAMIEN: Spandex and a winter Under Armor top Gore jersey. Yes I got it right, until I got wet during my warm-up. Then got wetter during the race.
FAT MARC: I had initially planned on riding my race by being paced by Anne Rock, but she stood me up. I had intended to wear my cargo pants and my Granogue Cross sweatshirt. Jeff was in the heat before me and wearing his pajama bottoms. They got really funky, really quickly. I quickly slipped back to the car and put on some tights and my C3-Sollay.com shorts. I pulled the bibs up over the sweatshirt for maximum sexiness.
HARLAN: I always get it right. Even when I'm wrong.
ANNE: I have a knack for that. Extra socks, plenty of wool, and lobster claws for the ride home.
What bike did you race? What tires and pressure?
DAMIEN: SS Ti Bontrager, Maxxis mobster tire, 35 psi. I liked the course it was nice.
ANNE: The Felt FX1 with Michelin Muds. I didn't flat, so I guess the pressure was just right.
HARLAN: Pneumatic hydrolic cross IF machine. Rubber higher than usual.
FAT MARC: I raced my 5 year old Fort Frames Cross bike. I had clinchers on. No tubulars for the junk yard. I think I ran 35lbs in front and rear.
Describe the course. What was the best part of the course? Sketchiest?
FAT MARC: After you rode out of the trailer there was a couple of switch backs. The one cut left hard. I would always go way outside and start to dive in. With the normal taped courses I could lean the tape to make the corner. Unfortunately there was the frontend of FORD F150 as the course marker, and I came awfully close to being a fly on the windshield a number of times. The 6-pack of railroad ties were fun to ride over.
HARLAN: Through a junkyard. Take every piece of road shrapnel you've ever seen and put it in a two acre lot. Best part was the stupid sign. Sketchiest was the submerged railroad rails.
ANNE: It was hard to see the course through my mud encrusted eyes. Lots of pot holes, lots of cars, train tracks, dead bodies, and crack vials. Best course of the year. I didn't pre-ride the course, so I found entering and exiting the trailer a bit of a surprise.
DAMIEN: I liked the course it was nice. The best part and sketchiest was the trailer with the trailer people in it. Once you got in it the floor was wet and slippery.
Is this your first time doing this race?
DAMIEN: It was my first time doing this race and first CX race.
ANNE: First time doing this race.
HARLAN: First time.
FAT MARC: Yeah, it was. I'll definitely be back.
What was the key moment in your race?
HARLAN: Taking a lazy line, thinking I had enough of a gap, but not counting on a slipped pedal to let Bush come around. [ed. note: Harlan finished 2nd behind Bush].
FAT MARC: A few thoughts here. The start was way faster than I had expected. I quickly found myself near the back. Next about 7 laps into my 10 lap heat, I realized that riding the fixed gear bike to the donut shop wasn't great training for a 10 lap cross race. Finally, and this was the biggest key for me, was realizing that Anne Rock had showed up during my heat, and that since I had qualified for the final (by finishing 4th in my heat), that she was going to race the final for me. Jeff, who took second in his heat had the same idea, and Anne raced the 2 lap final wearing both our numbers.
ANNE: When the little dog ran in front of me. Didn't see that coming.
DAMIEN: I was in the mix 'til he said go. Everything just blended together.
Any standout moment before, during or after the race you can share with us?
ANNE: Seeing Damien trying to race cross. The roach coach. The dude in the red, white and blue outfit. Pirates. The usual.
HARLAN: Wrapping ourselves in packing tape.
FAT MARC: Once I realized that the gap between Dan Langolis (Action Dan) and me was not changing and I asked him to slow down and wait for me. That tactic didn't work and better than me trying to chase my brains out to catch him. My Jedi skills are weak. Dan's are much stronger than mine.
Give some advice to somebody thinking about doing the Junkyard CX race next year.
DAMIEN: My advice-It's a must do race, there is a big mix of people racing. From pro MTB racer to the non-pro MTB racer. Even if you just wanna go and spectate you can. There was beer and food and chill people hanging out all day.
ANNE: Heavy sedation and lots of bacon before the ride. Also, many changes of clothes. Or just ride naked-that way you'll avoid a wet kit.
HARLAN: It's not a race. If you don't appreciate petroleum products on your face don't go.
FAT MARC: Beer than liquor never sicker, liquor than beer, have no fear. Buy low, Sell High. If it's too good to be true it probably is.
Give a shout out.
DAMIEN: Shout out to Bilenky bike builders and whose ever junk yard we were in.
ANNE: A shout out to the fine folks of Bilenky bikes for hosting this grand event. Also, the [DCCoD] stalwarts Jeff B. and FatMarc for giving me their race paper-plates. You guys are alright in my book!
FAT MARC: My wife Diane rules. This lifestyle wouldn't be as fun or even possible without her. I've said it before but having a partner who understands all this Tom Foolery that is the cross lifestyle just makes all this that much more awesome. Thanks to the Delaware Cyclocross Coalition of Delaware. Thanks to Lauri Webber for allowing me to take her 15-year-old son to race in a junkyard. Jeb is a great traveling partner. To all my teammates on C3-Sollay.com, the 2008 MAC Cup Champions; Thanks to my coach Chris Mayhew. Thanks to Kris Auer for deciding on a black kit. For a bigger fellow like myself, black is very slimming. Thanks to folks at Henry's bikes and Howard at Newark Bike Line for their support as well. . I'd also like to thank the inventor of the apple fritter, clearly the world's most dominate donut. Thanks to Lenore for emailing me and telling me the race was still on. I was getting ready to settle in for a long day of couch surfing, and this was much more fun.
HARLAN: Blogoyavich!


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Amanda Rose, creator of Warrior Fight Club, shares her insight into the benefits of HIIT or high intensity interval training.
"Although my first love is yoga, I have been incorporating more cardio into my workouts," says Amanda. "With a history of cardiovascular disease in my family, I understand and respect the need for a healthy heart."
Considering that the #1 excuse people use for not exercising is lack of time, intervals are a perfect solution. It is quick, effective and to the point.
Interval training incorporates the body's two energy systems: the aerobic and anaerobic. The aerobic system uses oxygen to convert carbohydrates into energy. When you run or walk for several miles, you are tapping into this system. The anaerobic system draws energy from fuel stored as glycogen in the muscles for short bursts of energy, such as sprinting. This system doesn't utilize oxygen and cannot provide enough energy for a sustained effort.
Because intervals require both systems, interval training has lots of benefits:
1. Increase calorie burn: The more vigorously you exercise, the more calories you burn! But interval training can also cause an "afterburn effect," where the body burns more calories anywhere from 24 to 48 hours post-workout. So when you are relaxing on the couch, the furnace is still cooking. In addition, it boosts metabolism and builds lean muscle.
2. Improve cardio function: Intervals cause your heart and lungs to become bigger, stronger and able to adjust to sudden intense challenges (like running to catch a bus). Plus, it allows you to exercise longer and with more intensity, which improves your overall athletic performance.
3. Focus on fun: Because intervals are short you're less likely to become bored. Intervals add a nice variety to traditional workouts, especially since you can vary the intensity level, length of work, rest intervals and number of reps. You can even opt to change the type of exercise by riding a bike, running on a treadmill or even jumping rope. The great thing about interval training is that there is no one way of doing it. Different lengths of work and recovery bring different benefits and challenges, all of which are good.
4. Lessen your time commitment: As I previously mentioned, you can do intervals in a short amount of time. My workouts average 20 to 23 minutes and I am completely spent! I have no excuse to not get it done and neither will you. AsOne's Deck of Cards and Basic Circuit are particularly good and short as they are under 20 minutes each!
5. Improve your health: Interval training can improve insulin sensitivity, optimize cholesterol levels and decrease blood pressure.
DISCLAIMER: Interval training is tough, so if you're just starting to work out, spend at least one month working on your stamina with steady intensity cardio workouts before incorporating intervals into your routine. Add these intervals in slowly and avoid repeating them on consecutive days. Intervals are hard on the body so give yourself ample rest and be sure to practice yoga too!
Booya features some amazing interval training workouts—check out our Bootcamps for guidance from the best trainers in the industry!


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Last updated 16 August 2016
An application for a change of name must be prepared in a format acceptable to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and the applicants' signatures must be witnessed.
Form 4a is the application form used to register a change of name of an adult on the Change of Name Register. Form 4c is used for a child under 18 years of age. Three forms of appropriate identification of the applicant must be attached to the application form. If the forms of identification are photocopies, a qualified witness must certify them as being a correct copy of the document. Photo identification normally is required. In some situations, the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry may request other documents to verify other information contained in the application. If a person was born outside of Australia, evidence of birth (a birth certificate) and evidence that the person ordinarily resides in Queensland (and normally has done so for one year) is required. If the person is a minor over 12 years of age, their consent for the change of name is normally required. If a child is unable to consent, then further advice should be sought from the registry about making the application.
The fee to apply to register a change of name for an adult or child is $165.60. Changing a child's first name within one year of the child's birth is $19.65.
Name changes of adult names and surname changes of children normally can only be made once in every one-year period, unless the Magistrates Court has ordered otherwise A child's first names can only be changed once before the child turns 1 year of age (if their birth or adoption was registered in Queensland), and then only once more before the child turns 18 years of age (ss 13, 21 Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 2003 (Qld)), unless the court approves otherwise). The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages may refuse to register a person's change of name in limited circumstances. The court's approval may also be required to allow a child's change of name where only one parent or guardian makes the application.
A Form 5 is used to note a change of name on the Birth or Adoption Register where a person's birth or adoption has already been registered in Queensland, but the person has changed their name either under the law of another state or through a different legal process, such as a deed poll.
Notification to authorities
After a person's name has been changed, that person should take care to notify the following authorities:
- the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Licensing Branch, if the person has a driver licence
- the local council and the Office of State Revenue, if the person owns a house
- the Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, if the person has a passport. The person will need to complete an application to have a new passport issued in their new name
- the Australian Taxation Office
- the Land Titles Office within the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, if the person owns land and wishes the title to be recorded in their new name. A request to register the new name on the title and a declaration/certificate as to the identity of the person concerned must be prepared. A fee applies.
If people need to deal with other government departments and institutions (e.g. Centrelink, banks and schools), they should also be notified of a name change.
Obtaining copies of standard birth certificates from the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry involves payment of a fee of $43.50. A commemorative certificate costs $57. Priority preparation of the document and any search fees involve additional costs. The registry will only release certificates or certificate extracts to people who are entitled to documents—normally the people named on the document or their immediate family members. Reasons for the request of the document and proof of the identity of the person requesting the document must be provided to the registry. Further information about the process is available directly from the registry.