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(CNN) -- After emerging as victor in the long and bruising contest to seize the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential race, Barack Obama's next move is to choose a running mate.
And that search for a vice president is getting some added support.
Caroline Kennedy has joined Obama's vice presidential selection team, a campaign spokesman said Wednesday.
Former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson is heading up the search team, and former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is also serving on the committee.
Kennedy, the daughter of President Kennedy, formally endorsed Obama late January in a New York Times op-ed piece titled, "A President Like My Father."
"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," Kennedy wrote. "But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president -- not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."
Sen. Hillary Clinton, whose tenacious refusal to surrender the nomination contest turned the Democratic race into one of the most nail-biting in modern U.S. political history, has indicated that she would be willing to sign up on a joint ticket.
But while Clinton's appointment could help heal rifts in the party after weeks of divisive campaigning from both candidates, Obama has the pick of a broad field of candidates from across the political spectrum. iReport.com: Whom do you see as VP?
Here is a list of possible front-runners:
Other names mentioned in the running include: Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, former Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland.
CNN's Candy Crowley and Roland Martin contributed to this report.


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Joe Mielo has been attending ballgames at the minor league baseball stadium in Lackawanna County since it opened in 1989.
PNC Field, home to the new Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, closed last year for a $43 million rebuilding and will have its much-anticipated season opener April 4. Mr. Mielo, who will be in his usual spot behind home plate, in Section 22, Row 5, Seat 7, was one of many fans who braved frigid temperatures Saturday to get a first glimpse of the stadium's overhaul and new look during an open house.
"Oh, it's going to be nice," the 77-year-old West Scranton man said of the revamped ballpark.
Gone is the steep, hulking upper deck that had a roof line as high up as the stadium's lighting towers. The main gate is now a spacious, open-air corridor into the ballpark. Other new features include a wraparound concourse, a bar, bleachers and lawn seating and a kids' area.
Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/fans-get-look-at-new-railriders-pnc-field-ballpark-stadium-1.1435534

subset: commoncrawl


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Are Schools Getting Too Carried Away with Technology?Posted: October 25, 2011 Filed under: Education, Long Island Schools, Nassau county schools, New York Schools, Parents, Principals, school, school administration, school district, school supplies, Suffolk county schools | Tags: classroom technology, computers, computers in the clasroom, future classroom, modern classroom, school technology, teaching technology, technology 3 Comments
When my grandmother died in 1978 at almost 90, I thought the technological changes she had experienced in her lifetime would never be duplicated. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Technology is now changing at a dizzying pace, and parents and educators have to decide what's best for our children. It's a difficult conundrum with dueling points of view.
On one hand, most schools have embraced technology, spending huge amounts of money on upgrading electronic equipment that soon becomes obsolete. First it was the installation of computer labs, then the purchase of laptops, followed by i-Pads. I admit I drooled when Smart Boards were installed in a district in which I was working as a central office administrator. I secretly wished I could be a high school social studies teacher again, and with the touch of a finger take my students to sites that would propel great class discussions.
But technology should be taken just so far. What is the wisdom of turning cell phones into teaching tools in the classroom? Newsday reports that an Amityville social studies teacher recently asked his 11th graders to use their personal cell phones to text a response to a poll about a presidential speech they had just watched in the classroom. According to the article, this is part of a growing local and national trend.
Many other school districts, however, still bar students from bringing their cell phones and smart phones to school – and for good reason. They have been viewed as a distraction, even a dangerous one. Do we really want students checking their e-mail and texting during class? Do we want them using it to make dates during class, surf their favorite sites on the Web, cheat, or even engage in drug dealing? As much as schools will try to restrict its use in school, some students won't be able to control themselves.
Even if you argue that most kids won't engage in such nefarious behavior, whatever happened to raising your hand and having a discussion? Do our children have to be tethered to machines 24/7?
Apparently, some people in the computer industry don't think so. A recent article in the New York Times pointed out that some of Silicon Valley's technology leaders send their children to schools without computers! They think it's easy enough to pick up computer skills, and that what's really important is great teaching that actively engages kids in learning. Engagement is really the issue. Does technology foster engagement or inhibit it?
In addition, public schools have to consider the cost. Computers in education are here to stay but they need to be used judiciously — always with the goal of fostering student engagement and enabling critical and creative thinking.
If cell phones are now becoming the teaching tool du jour, then what do public schools do with the millions of dollars in computer equipment they bought? With built-in obsolescence, it's critically important that schools don't spend mindlessly on the latest cool gadget, only to abandon it for a better one a few years later.
Who is watching the technology store in our public school districts? Every year, superintendents and chief technology officers present a computer budget to the board of education and the public. As we go forward in this difficult economy, there needs to be accountability, research, evidence, and a rationale for future spending on electronic devices. Most of all, schools require a clear vision for how they plan on engaging students in learning – both with and without computers.


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The Damascus Spring of 2001 was so called because Syrian democrats hoped that President Bashar al-Assad, a mild-mannered doctor trained in London, who had been installed as the successor to his ruthless father, Hafez, might forswear tyranny. That Spring ended, and some of the hopeful landed in torture rooms. Four years later, activists issued the Damascus Declaration for Democratic National Change, which called on Assad to hold free parliamentary elections, "launch public freedoms," and "abolish all forms of exclusion in public life." Instead, he imprisoned the document's leading signatories.
Last Thursday morning, Radwan Ziadeh, a signer of the Damascus Declaration, went to the State Department, in Washington, D.C., to hear President Obama assess the current Arab Spring, which has brought forth popular revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt as well as mass protests elsewhere, including in Syria, where Assad has responded by shooting demonstrators. Obama arrived late, after doing last-minute rewrites at the White House. On Syria, the President offered just eight parsed sentences. He accused Assad's regime of murder but did not call forthrightly for the President's departure, as he had when Libya's dictator, Muammar Qaddafi, ordered that protesters be shot. Syria's ruler "has a choice," Obama said. He can lead "a transition to democracy . . . or get out of the way." But Ziadeh was pleased, he said, because Assad now "has to understand that he has to step down."
A Syrian spring that rewarded its hopeful citizens would signal a major change. The country, though not as influential as Egypt, has modernized in certain respects; it has a sophisticated middle class. Moreover, because of its geographic centrality, Syria has been a fulcrum of regional politics, and it is pivotal to the futures of Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinians. In the meantime, the regime is making it difficult to provide a full accounting of the cruelties its security forces have inflicted: almost all foreign journalists have been barred from the country. Human Rights Watch estimates that about eight hundred people have died and many thousands have been arrested.
The uprising started, in March, in Dar'a, a southern city of smoky streets and eucalyptus trees. Schoolboys scrawled anti-government graffiti on walls, and were jailed. Protests erupted and the police opened fire, igniting an escalating cycle of demonstrations and violence. In late April, Assad's forces laid siege to Dar'a, shutting off the electricity, water, and telephones. They arrested scores of young men simply because of their age and where they lived. The tactics seemed derived from those of Hafez al-Assad: his forces killed some twenty thousand people while putting down an uprising in Hama, in 1982.
Brutality sometimes works. The numbers of people willing to die or to face imprisonment by taking to Syria's streets have so far proved less overpowering than those in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, and Yemen. Syria is a mosaic of religions, sects, and ethnicities, and the Assad family, from the Alawite minority, is well practiced in the art of divide-and-conquer. Large sections of the urban middle classes and the Christian minority have so far stayed at home. Nonetheless, the revolt is far from expiring. On "The Syrian Revolution 2011," a Facebook page that has played a part in the unrest, users issue polemics and post fresh video clips about every ten minutes. Pop political art and photographs of bloodied young men scroll by—part media installation, part war-crimes documentary. The day after Obama's speech, thousands of Syrians took to the streets; the police reportedly shot and killed at least twenty people.
American policy toward Syria presents mainly a record of failure. One strain of that policy has sought unsuccessfully, through diplomatic engagement, to coax Assad to instigate internal reforms; weaken Syria's alliances with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas; and broker a peace with Israel. As recently as 2008, Assad told an American diplomat that he was "a few words away" from an agreement with Israel. He never delivered. Washington has also sought to pressure Assad through sanctions imposed by the Syria Accountability Act of 2003, and by covertly funding democratic campaigners, in a program that was initiated under George W. Bush. That didn't work, either. The Damascus Declaration activists publicly rejected American support, and the covert program, recently exposed by WikiLeaks, endangered some of the people it was designed to help.
Any foreign power hoping to promote peace, stability, and democratic inclusion in the Middle East must account for the Israeli-Palestinian divide, the Sunni-Shia divide, the Muslim-Christian divide, widespread anti-Semitism, Iran's nuclear ambitions, the security of oil supplies pumped by weak regimes, Al Qaeda and related radicals, tribalism, corruption, and a picturesque lineup of despots. For half a century, the region has made outside idealists look like fools, turned realists into complicit cynics, and consigned local heroes—Yitzhak Rabin, Anwar Sadat—to martyrdom. The Arab Spring can be understood as just another fault line: it represents the destabilizing rise of a large, underemployed generation of angry youth lacking clear leaders. Yet it rightly inspires optimism, too. Millions have risked their lives to seek self-determination in countries with some of the world's largest civil-rights deficits.
However, as President Obama observed last week, the new politics imagined by this generation will be difficult without a viable Palestinian state and a secure Israel. Obama said that "endless delay" will not "make the problem go away." He endorsed Israel's 1967 borders as a basis for a negotiated peace, an incremental change that nevertheless provoked immediate anger from the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. In fact, Obama disappointed some of his aides by not going further. A peace built on the 1967 borders is a common-sense proposition and not a new one; it remains imperative, even if it looks harder and harder to achieve. In the Arab world, the reaction to the President's words was mostly tepid.
In the eloquent and more enthusiastically received speech that Obama delivered two years ago in Cairo, he pledged "to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world." The better parts of last week's address connected that pledge to new pragmatic, if limited, commitments to the Arab world, such as economic aid to democratic Tunisia and Egypt. The President also seemed to say that the United States is not the world's policeman but it can still inspire respect for universal rights. That is its truest claim on the Arab Spring. The rights that Obama listed include "free speech; the freedom of peaceful assembly; the freedom of religion; equality for men and women under the rule of law; and the right to choose your own leaders."
Implicit in that list is freedom from government death squads. Last week, following an investigation authorized by the United Nations Security Council, the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant for Qaddafi, for crimes against humanity in Libya. The Obama Administration should press hard, by the same mechanisms, to hold Syria's regime accountable. Syria's future is pivotal to the future of the region, and the country requires credible leadership. The time for hopeful bargaining with Assad has passed. ♦


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WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF ME - Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis September 30th, 2015
The Life and Music of Dave Brubeck Who Will Take Care Of Me by Dave Brubeck April 12, 2014 Rose Theater The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis explores Brubeck's extraordinary legacy with fresh arrangements that illuminate the breadth and scope of his work. Brubeck is credited with bringing jazz to the mainstream in the 1950s and 60s and releasing the first jazz album to sell over a million copies. Watch the full concert: https://youtu.be/PQ-yXQItCGg Subscribe to our channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=jazzatlincolncenter To learn more about Jazz at Lincoln Center, visit us at http://www.jazz.org


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"What's that you say? How's that? Come again? Excuse me? Say it again? "
Yeah, how about that for the top expressions you don't want to have on your short list? But, they are mine.
Because I'm losing my hearing a bit. Yeah. It bugs me like crazy.
And, I feel old. I'd like to say that this was just another piece of the hit list that is turning fifty. But I fear that I have that more genetic loss: the "cookie bite." (I know, so apropos of my sweet tooth, you'd think it was tailor made for me. Oh, it's genetic, I guess it was….)
But, I've noticed this loss for years. In fact, the doc has called me at home after my hearing test for years to say, "You'd really benefit from a hearing aid." I've dismissed it. Pssssh. Moi? Nah. Who's got time for the fiddle factor? I don't need to another gadget to have to fool with. And, since my ears already ring a great lot of the time and I don't need to add hissing or squeaking to the mix. I've already got enough of THOSE sounds from the children.
But, I'm starting, after years and years, to finally consider it. I'm even past the point of caring much what it looks like; though I feel bad that poor Tom would have a wife that looks like a senior citizen. I have the hardest time hearing Gabey. He can be my loudest child, to be sure, but when he's just talking, he can have a voice that sounds muffled, even if he's talking in english versus Gabelish. I have to ask him all the time, daily, "What? Say it again." The girls will come down and tell me that the timer on the oven is ringing or that Anthony is calling me. I can't hear the kids from the far back seat, though, granted, my car is like an ocean liner it's so big. Don't even get me started about talking on the phone, it makes me nuts and is making me feel stupid. In fact, lately I feel stupid all the time. I will often guess what is being said, but frequently I'm wrong. Or I will nod and make polite listening sounds. It works pretty well, unless someone actually is talking about something that I'm supposed to respond to, say at a large table dinner at a gala or event. Then, forget it…I usually get up and cruise the room or go refill my drink (Soda, people! Ok, the OCCASIONAL vodka soda…..Gee whiz….)
It's not that I can't hear anything, it's that the hearing is all wonky. Often sounds physically hurt. The TV and radio is usually just WAY too loud. Movies hurt. Unless, they are too low and then I can't make the voices out. I can hear tiny beeps, sometimes, that others cannot. I can hear footsteps up the stairs. I sometimes have freaky ninja hearing. But I can't hear the oven timer. I can't hear my washer spinning though I can feel it. Erratic speaker microphones are brutal. The priests homilies are often a muffle. It's erratic. It's annoying, or even crazymaking, to me and to my family.
On the other hand. It might be more peaceful this way, ha! I cope. I compensate. I can't tell if it's pretty bad or if I'm just a perfectionist. I KNOW I'm a perfectionist. (except in housekeeping…and fashion…) But, I don't know if I'm just a perfectionist whiner (sshhh, I know. I am.) or if this is actually a real problem that would be helped with a hearing aid. I suspect it might be. I read an article about the increase in dementia in people with untreated hearing loss. WHAT?! So, that's a brick on my head. I'll take the senior style look of a hearing aid over memory loss in a heartbeat!
So, I have a Cookie Bite hearing loss. It's genetic. I might just be ready and willing to take advantage of modern technology and see if I can hear better. But……my dad has this very same loss pattern too, and he never has gotten a hearing aid. He's made it to 80 and is still sharp and gets along fine. So, he has been my role model. My measuring stick. I wonder if I should just suck it up and deal like he has. But, I wonder….he didn't do the hands on, 24/7 mom-raising of 8 kids.
I don't want to jump the gun if it can't help or if it's just me being a drama queen. But, I don't want to blow it, because I'd see and live with the fallout, even if I couldn't hear it.


text: '-Reusable and washable -Full color print on front of mask -Multiple wearing options -Will fit most faces (kid and adult) -Made is the USA -Manufactured by Tough Apparel as seen on Shark Tank Here is a link for how to wear and adjust your mask: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzMy0Q-rVM4&feature=youtu.be Note: Cosmetic Only. Product is not intended for medical purposes. Actual product might vary from product shot as these are all hand made for you.


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Preview to SBS Food Safari:
Last year I was contacted by the producer of SBS Food Safari, only the best food show ever, asking if I would consider featuring a recipe for an episode on Filipino Food. I think it was on the back of some of the posts they had seen on the Kulinarya Cooking Club. There was certainly no way I would pass on this chance!
As we tried to decide which recipe to feature, the producer suggested Pinakbet. When I asked Georgie why she was interested in that recipe, she mentioned that it was one dish that really stood out as featuring unique ingredients that Australians wouldn't have normally cooked with. She was right, Pinakbet is a traditional vegetable stew usually made up of okra, talong (eggplant), ampalaya (bitter melon), and shrimp paste. I could understand why the dish would be worth showcasing but at that time it was not exactly a dish I would consider as a top choice. In fact, it probably wouldn't have even been in my top ten favourite Filipino dishes.
I didn't grow up enjoying vegetables. In fact, as a child I used to think that whoever invented Pinakbet must have really hated children because it had all the bitter and slimy vegetables I detested. The only saving grace, I thought, was the crispy bits of pork belly that was sprinkled throughout the dish. But I was determined to make sure that I would practice making the dish several times before the actual filming date.
The funny thing is, I started to appreciate the slimy okra, the bitter ampalaya, and the eggplant. The tastes started to grow on me and I thought of it as an acquired taste. The same way I learned as an adult how to appreciate a beautifully bitter dark chocolate, where as a child I would have preferred a sweeter milk chocolate.
The day of the filming came and I can honestly say I was a convert to Pinakbet. I cook this dish regularly nowadays. Sometimes the prejudices of our youth prevent us from enjoying something special.
And about the show? Maeve, the host of SBS Food Safari, and her team were fantastic! They do so much to promote the many cultures and cuisines of Australia. I was worried that Maeve would have the same reaction to Pinakbet as I did when I was a child. I was so wrong. She absolutely loved it! And in case you're wondering, Maeve is every bit as nice and beautiful in person as in the show.
Food Safari airs in Australia on 7 March 2013 on SBS One at 7:30 pm.
Recipe for Pinakbet can be found here.


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Check out on Flora's Table the new post in the Variety Show series, this time dealing with the tough question: are Primitivo and Zinfandel two different grape varieties or one and the same?… Or is there even more to it?…
Find out for yourself and discover in the process cool facts about their origins, history, DNA profiling, main appellations and recommended producers!
Enjoy! 🙂
Today's grape in the limelight of our Variety Show is Primitivo, a black-berried grape variety that has sparked a long-lasting controversy as to whether it is the same variety as Zinfandel or a different one.
With the help of the precious and up-to-date scientific data from the brilliant tome Wine Grapes, by Robinson-Harding-Vouillamoz, Allen Lane 2012, this post intends to shed some light on this debate and provide an overview of the scientific evidence that settled it.
1. A Brief History of Primitivo
The earliest documented mention of Primitivo in Italy dates back to 1799 and can be found in a note of an amateur botanist from Puglia who called "Primativo" (from the Latin "primativus", meaning "first to ripen") a particularly early ripening grapevine that he found in his own vineyard.
2. How Zinfandel Made It To The USA
The introduction of Zinfandel to…
View original post 920 more words


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Pension overhauls in Wis. topic at GOP conference
Republican activists are taking solace in success stories by governors and legislatures in GOP-leaning states.
That's as their party tries to regroup after the disappointments of a bruising presidential contest and a stalled agenda in Washington.
Here's what fired up Washington-weary GOP stalwarts at a weekend conference in Florida of conservatives: pension overhauls in Wisconsin, tax cuts in Indiana and labor losses in Michigan.
Some of the biggest applause was reserved for governors who did not attend the event.
The mere mention of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a tea-party favorite who won national attention for his battles with organized labor, prompted thunderous cheers.
That was despite a speaking card full of potential presidential hopefuls, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.


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This Thanksgiving morn I smugly drive to 10 Hammond Street, at least a little proud to be anywhere at 9:15 a.m. on a holiday, let alone Catholic Charities, where I would be making my meal delivery debut.
I am, of course, humbled immediately: The parking lot is already mostly full, with the line of would-be drivers stretching out the door. The morning is clear and cold, but the people warm me up immediately. Since moving here to Worcester, Massachusetts, I've learned to be temper my Southern extroversion, but in this line people's spirits seem to expand into the moment.
One smiling woman introduces me to her teenage son, and volunteers that while this is her first time delivering meals for Catholic Charities, it's not her first time to this building – her mother worked here for more than two decades, so she remembers visiting back in her girlhood. She's looking forward to the family reunion meal later in the day, when she'll surprise her mother with the news of where daughter and grandson spent the morning.
Inside the door we're channeled past a desk where we are given cards with our designated numbers, and I follow the swirls and eddies of people into a series of rooms and halls, where people mingle while waiting for their number to be called. Mine is 135, and I suppose it's a spiritual triumph that I can receive this news with mixed feelings. Normally when I hate lines and crowds, I'm stuck at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or a similarly joyless place; here people are talking, in mostly good spirits, in rooms lined with portraits of staff and clients of Catholic Charities. Their very presence is a testimony to the greater kindliness in people, our need to reach out to others. Before I leave the building, I'll learn that, combining Thanksgiving and Christmas Days last year, Catholic Charities of Worcester County fed 3,516 people with the help of 592 volunteers.
But as the numbers are, I find something else more striking.
My sense is that for the volunteers, these are not isolated acts of charity – some pale penance for lives spent selfishly the rest of the year. Nor is it about simply feeding people on a holiday so associated – both digestively and emotionally – with food. Lingering in one room, I strike up a conversation with a woman who turns out to be particularly qualified for this mission: As a home health care nurse, she learned that one of the illnesses a visitor must address is just plain loneliness. So when delivering meals, she resists the temptation to rush. Instead, she makes the effort to sit and talk with each person. "They are always so nice and so appreciative. One woman was perfectly friendly, even when she wasn't sure why I was there – she didn't know it was Thanksgiving."
Noting my "wow," the volunteer continued. "It's easy to become confused when you're so isolated, so cut off."
A few minutes later, out in the hallway, a mother and daughter discuss the same situation – the blend of pleasure at talking with residents and the sadness of their apparent solitude. Thinking back to the nurse, I remark on how easily one can become separated from family, how my nearest family consists of parents down in Alabama and a sister in the Florida Keys – and the mother immediately creases her brows in concern.
"Do you have a place to go today?" she asks.
Who, after a morning of waiting in line to deliver meals, then invites another stranger to her family's meal? While I decline, her gesture warms me as I finally get my seven meals to my Toyota, compare the address cards – remarkably detailed – and see that my deliveries are within a half-mile of each other, most within three city blocks on Fruit and Sever. As I drive, I challenge myself to be as open of hand, heart and mind as these people I've just met, even reminding myself of advice on how to graciously end each conversation. Just mention that there are more folks waiting for their meals, the nurse had promised, and they'll understand – it's one more way for them to connect to something bigger.
Unfortunately, I can't say the advice was necessary this time around. My first two deliveries were to a women's shelter where male visitors weren't allowed past the first floor, so I engage the security guard in conversation long enough to feel sure the meals would reach the right people. At another facility, the person is out of town while his building was undergoing renovation. I add his meal with the three that went to an address down the block, which is good since there are four people there, merry enough with each other's company; they wish me a cheerful Happy Thanksgiving while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The one man I do find in apparent isolation is still in pajamas and robe; he simply shakes my hand, says thanks, and retreats shyly into his own space.
But even had those encounters been less brief, even if I had in fact made one person's life less lonely, I suspect I'd feel the same thing as I drive to my place this Thanksgiving day – that this morning I was ministered to more than I ministered to anyone else. Sitting alone in my apartment, I feel grateful for all of my families, from the metaphorical sisters and brothers I've met today, to the siblings of my girlfriend I will meet later over a holiday meal, to the biological sister I talk with on the phone, discussing a morning that leaves me thankful for a lot of things, but most of all, for human connection.
May we all experience the same this Thanksgiving Day.


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Last three days (12th – 14th of November 2009) our Centre invited teachers and students from around Mumbai to share our work with the public (Vigyan Vividha). During this program the team members of gnowledge.org lab demonstrated several free software applications that can be used for science and mathematics education. We did demonstrations of several of them to hundreds of visitors. Though we showed several applications, our focus was on the following selected applications.
- Phoenix (Computer Interfaced Science Experiments)
- Step (An interactive physics simulator, part of KDE-EDU package)
- GeoGebra (A dynamic Geometry and Algebra Platform)
- KTurtle (A simple turtle graphics program using LOGO for children)
- Inkscape (An advanced vector (SVG) graphics editor)
- Stellarium (A planetarium for your computer)
Many of them are well known, except Step. I want to therefore say few words about it. This program will have a great role to play for physics education. An excellent platform for learning as well as teaching. If you are a physics teacher or an educator, consider using Step. Though the program needs several finishing touches (sometimes eats up resources while simulating complex systems), the author (Vladimir Kuznetsov) is ambitious and did a fantastic job. Once this program is improved, it will be a classic tool for education in the high school and college level physics.
Geogebra also gives the same experience for mathematics.
These are all free software for education. I encourage teachers to use them in the classroom, and students who own a PC must install GNU/Linux on their PCs and enjoy these applications among several others.


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It's official. My vampires have gone international! How about that? 😉 A HUGE thank you to the lovely and talented Emma Meade for featuring Corcitura today! To learn more about what inspired Corcitura, how I mapped out and created a 700 page "startling new take on the vampire mythos," and also what made Emma say that my featured post was probably "her favourite" so far on her blog, just click on the link below!
And be sure to read the comments, too! They're fantastic! 😀
All the best,


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More oryx, fewer rodents and efforts for wolves in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
Twelve expedition team members from four different countries in January 2016 participated in a Biosphere Expeditions conservation project to evaluate the oryx and gazelle population in the Dubai Desert Conservation reserve in the United Arab Emirates. The research work also involved setting live traps to capture the endangered sand fox and Gordon's wildcat. Rodents were also captured in small mammal traps.
The data gleaned in this way will now be analysed by the local scientist, Stephen Bell, who will soon be releasing a report detailing the outcome of the 2016 expedition. He explains that "we captured only few rodents and this could be a reason for the absence of the desert eagle owl, which was not spotted over the week, as well as the wildcat."
130 fox dens were also checked and several new dens logged. This high number of Arabian red fox could be "detrimental to the balance of the reserve's ecosystem", according to Bell.
39 of 42 observation cells (an area of 2 by 2 kilometres) were surveyed in the course of the week throughout the 227 km² reserve. Expeditioners navigated to their cells in the desert by 4×4 and then walked to elevated points to count the animals they could sport with binoculars and spotting scopes. That way over 400 oryx, almost 140 mountain gazelle, around 50 sand gazelle and two hares were counted over the course of the week. The rare lappet-faced vulture was spotted on several occasions and in great numbers when a fresh carcass was found.
Since starting its partnership with the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR) in 2012, Biosphere Expeditions has made several important contributions to the management of the reserve and its rare species. Initially expedition work prompted the DDCR to change oryx feeding patterns, resulting in a much healthier population. Rare Gordon's wildcats and a very rare and elusive sand fox were captured by the expeditions over the years, prompting the reserve to increase research and conservation efforts for these threatened species. Finally, data gathered by the expeditions showed that the introduction of the Arabian wolf would be beneficial. The UAE government accepted these arguments and the DDCR is now investigating processes and options to make what will be a major showcase conservation success story for Arabia become reality.


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Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, April 10, 2009, 4:08 PM
Town Square
Campaign sticker placed in Danville post office
Original post made on Apr 10, 2009
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, April 10, 2009, 4:08 PM
Comments (6)
a resident of another community
on Apr 10, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Dear Dolores and SRVUSD neighbors,
Please help us all in making sure our neighbors understand the issues of Measure C and do not let the matter of communities' children education become an angry political contest. A majority of neighbors throughout the corridor are studying ample information at the SRVUSD website and making considered positions.
We do not need another "sign-gate" or any other emotional distraction from this very important consideration. We want people to vote responsibly as their own choice and respect every vote for its consideration.
It is choice and not influence that should be our goal,
Hal, as a community courtesy
a resident of San Ramon Valley High School
on Apr 10, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I agree that people should vote based on thinking about the issue, and not just listening to what someone else says on a sign, sticker, or pamphlet.
However, I am biased as I am a senior at SRVHS, and have very much enjoyed my public education experience in the San Ramon Valley. These schools have taught me not just book-based knowledge, but life lessons pertaining to how to work with others, deal with authority, and better myself.
I think that people should think about the issue, but the topic needs to be debated and questions need to be asked. The better we understand what measure C is about, the more informed we are when we cast our vote. Don't simply vote against something because it is a "tax" and don't vote FOR something SIMPLY based on the fact that "education" is in the name.
a resident of another community
on Apr 11, 2009 at 7:00 am
Dear Dolores,
To Maxwell's point, let's be informed voters. The SRVUSD website contains detailed presentation of budgets as sources and uses of funds statements with narrative to describe such usage. If questions remain, voters should attend an informational discussion at Stone Valley School, Alamo, April 16th at 7:30PM. The Superintendent will be present to be challenged by questions and to answer each in-depth.
Politics in our area too often attempts to create ignorance among voters and anger toward campaign positions. Often disguised as voter education, half-truths, omissions, and misrepresentations have become the content of political campaigns. Thus, it becomes the individual voter's responsibility to be informed and to vote a well-studied position.
a resident of Alamo
on Apr 13, 2009 at 6:28 pm
a resident of Danville
on Apr 28, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I keep having my comments erased. I'm sorry my opinions are too real for people to take. Your censorship won't stop me. I went to los cerros and monte vista. I'm 27 and I think 75% of the teachers were total losers. I remember my math teacher used to flirt with the 8th grade girls and hide behind the projector screen like a 4 year old. We don't need more money. We need less teachers. When my parents went to school, there were fifty to ninety kids per class, and they learned more. Why? Because everyone shut up and listened. We need discipline in the class. One way to break down discipline is to amp the kids up on sugar. We should not have candy and sodas sold in schools. The teachers unions fought getting rid of jumk food in schools because they want to tax it to give the money "to the schools," ie: to them. They don't give a damn about the kids. Their demands for smaller class sizes is because that means we have to hire more teachers. By the way, we already have plenty of money being sucked from our property taxes to go to our schools. The problem is, we don't spend it on our kids. We send it to Oakland and Richmond, on bilingual education for illegal immigrants and group home kids who murder our children (Rylan Fuchs.) No doubt, 90% of the extra money that they wish to take from us through prop C will within a few years be allotted to other schools.
a resident of Charlotte Wood Middle School
on May 28, 2017 at 1:34 am
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A hint of orange in the sauce brings out the sweetness of baby bok choy and fresh water chestnuts in this vegan stir-fry.
I love baby bok choy. With its crisp, light green stalk and its leafy dark green top, it's almost like two vegetables. The leafy parts cook in seconds, so I always separate them from the bottom halves as I slice them and toss them in at the end of cooking to retain their bright green color and fresh taste. If you've only had full-sized bok choy, you really owe it to yourself to seek out their baby relatives, which are, in my opinion, much more tender and much less bitter. And much cuter–can't forget the cute factor!
You know what else is cute? Fresh water chestnuts. Though they're not much fun to peel, fresh water chestnuts have a sweet taste that the tinny-tasting canned version totally lacks. I was lucky to find both baby bok choy and fresh water chestnuts on a recent trip to New Orleans, and while two cute vegetables don't necessarily make a cute stir-fry, in this case they make a tasty one, a hint of orange in the sauce bringing out the sweetness of both the water chestnuts and the bok choy. If you can't find fresh water chestnuts, you can substitute canned or–here's a wild idea–diced apple. If you can't find baby boks, adult ones will do, but their flavor is not as delicate and they'll take longer to cook.
Bok Choy and Baked Tofu Stir-Fry in Ginger-Citrus Sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds baby bok choy about 5
- 1 14- ounce package extra-firm tofu pressed, marinated and baked (or 8 ounces packaged baked tofu)
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar or natural sweetener to taste
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil optional but recommended for flavor
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 large carrot cut into matchsticks
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger root
- 1 cup slivered water chestnuts from peeled fresh water chestnuts or canned, drained
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 ounces cremini or shiitaki mushrooms sliced
- Wash the heads of bok choy well and trim the bottom. Cut the bottom, whitish part of the stalk into 1/2-inch slices. Set them aside and slice the green leaves thinly and place on a separate plate.
- Cut the tofu into slices or cubes. Combine the orange juice, soy sauce, agave, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Heat a large wok or deep skillet. Add a splash of water, if necessary to prevent sticking, and add the bok choy stalks, carrot, and ginger. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add water chestnuts, garlic, and mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms begin to soften, about 2 more minutes. Stir in the bok choy greens, place the tofu on top, and cover tightly. Steam briefly until greens are wilted and bright green, about 1-2 minutes. Stir the orange juice mixture, add it to the skillet, and bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Serve with rice or other grain.
Nutritional info is approximate.


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By Trowbridge H. Ford
When Social Democrat leader Olof Palme surprisingly regained power in the 1982 fall parliamentary elections, the Reagan administration in Washington immediately tested his anti-communist feeling by having US and NATO submarines flood Swedish waters around its naval base at Muskö to see how it would react. It was a secret plan to check Swedish anti–submarine warfare capability (Operation NOTVART) which the new statsminister had not been informed of. He had been portrayed in Anatoliy Golitsyn's New Lies for Old, a work by the famous double agent who the CIA and MI6 not only encouraged but also endorsed (See Editors' Foreword) about the alleged agent of influence who had used his subversive intentions to gain power under false pretences (p. 55ff, esp. p. 288), a suspicion which was long past time to determine the truth of. Palme was on the Reagan administration's watch list because of his continuing support of national liberation movements in Central America and Africa, and because of his support of a Nordic Nuclear Weapons Free Zone. Despite the most serious concerns about Palme's trustworthiness, the statsminister came through the naval ordeal with flying colors.
Palme went along with the set-up, also known as the Hårsfjärden incident because of where it occurred, as if nothing was amiss. While it was still going on, Vice Admiral Per Rudberg, Chief of Sweden's Navy, appointed a service committee to determine what had actually happened, and come up with measures to make sure it didn't happen again. Two days later on October 15th, the Palme government appointed a Parliamentary Commission under the leadership of Minister of Defence and former Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Anderson, and including leading politicians across the political spectrum to investigate the incident. To assist its inquiry, Vice Admiral Bro Stefenson, the Navy's Chief of Staff, and Sven Hellman of the Ministry of Defence were appointed as experts.
General Lennat Ljung, the Swedish Commander-in-Chief, announced their creation in most alarming terms: "The investigation of the sea-floor continues. The barricades are still deployed. There has definitely been one submarine, possibly several. No indication of nationality. Large amount of force used, even mines, which has never happened. Tough methods. I don't know any other country that has done this in peace-time." (Quoted from May 1983 notes that Palme's Secretary of State Ulf Larsson took at high-level meetings.)
In December 1982, the naval inquiry, headed by Swedish Rear Adminal Gunnar Grandin, reported to the Navy Chief. It concluded that the Soviet bloc seemed to be responsible for it, thanks apparently to NATO's continuing checking of Sweden's national security reliability in light of Moscow's accidentally beaching one of its Whisky submarines on the rocks off the Swedish base at Karlskrona the year before Palme returned to office. (For more, see Chris Mosey, Cruel Awakening: Sweden and the Killing of Olof Palme, pp. 147-8.) The Grandin report put it this way:
"When it comes to nationality of the submarines, we know that the submarine incident in Karlskrona was Soviet. A number of optical, hydrophonic and passive radar indications point, even in this case to submarines from the WTO ( Warsaw Treaty Organization). Some indications of received radar signals cannot exclude that submarines of other nationality (NATO) have been in the area outside where the incidents have occurred. The reason for this has probably been to follow the activity." (CM/Grandin, appendix 2, 'Händelseförloppet' Bilaga 2 i 'Granskning av ubåtsjaktverksamheten mot background av händelserna I Stockholms skärgård' )
On April 26, 1983, the Parliamentary Commission reported, making a stronger case against the WTO, particularly the USSR. Six submarines had been involved, three of them midget ones, and given what had happened before, especially the 1981 incident, it concluded that they must be Soviet ones. "On this point the Commission confirms," it admitted, "that neither the sea floor investigations nor any other investigation has yielded proof in the form of objects found or otherwise which could bind a certain state to the violations." ( SOU (1983) 13,Att möta ubåtshotet – Ubåtskrängar och svensk säkerhetspolitik. Betäankande från ubåtsskyddscommissionen. Stockholm, 1983, p. 81) Without any smoking guns, the Commission still concluded its narrative of what seemed to have been going on by pointing to the Soviet bloc.
The Commission report was too wishy-washy for its Chairman, Defence Minister Sven Anderson, who added falsely in a press conference the same day that a midget sub that escaped to the Soviet bloc on October ll may have been damaged. To bolster any fingers pointed toward Moscow, the Palme government sent a protest to the USSR, stating that such intrusions were serious crimes against international law, adding that they were "…deliberate and illegal attempts to investigate Swedish territorial waters. These activities must be strongly condemned." (Svenska Dagbladet, April 27, 1983) Palme made the protest public knowledge by talking about its content, and delivery at a press conference . Stockholm recalled its ambassador to Moscow for consultation to underline its disapproval of what the Soviets were apparently doing.
To keep the pressure on Moscow, certain suspicious submarine events occurred – thought to be WTO ones at the time, but which turned out later to either NATO ones or simple inventions. A month before the Commission reported, there were alarms at both naval bases at Karlskrona and Muskö that unknown subs were in surrounding territorial waters, but the hunts found nothing. Then the day after it was reported, there was a Norwegian hunt for an alleged submarine in Hardangerfjord where depth charges and anti-submariine rockets were used to sink it or force it to the surface, but none was discovered. Then there was a submarine scare off Sundsvall the next day. Two days later, an unknown sub was spotted in a fjord north of Göteborg on Sweden's west coast. The next day one was sighted south of that city but when it was forced to surface, it turned out to be West German. While no Soviet bloc subs were found, the alarms created increasing, unprecedented anti-Soviet sentiment among the population.
It was still surprising, despite the politicised panic over the intrusions, that the government finally reacted to the clamor, and with more Defence Staff justification of it by sending another most caustic note, almost a provocation for war, to Moscow on October 10th. Acoustic evidence, visual observations, signal intelligence aka sigint, and physical examination of the sea floor where the submarine activity was most intense all pointed to vessels of the Warsaw Pact being responsible. Claiming that it was just summarizing what the Parliamentary Commission had concluded, it filled in its blanks completely at Moscow's expense.
For example, regarding visual sightings, it declared: "All observations from the time of the Hårsfjården incident lead us to the conclusion that the submarines belong to the Warsaw Pact." (SOU 1995.Ubåtsfrågan, 1981-1994, Stockholm, 1995, p. 137)
About two sonar findings, it added: "The conclusion is that in both these cases we are dealing with Warsaw Pact submarines. There it is possible to identify various sounds – i. e., identify the number of propellers." (Ibid.)
"Particular circumstances," it explained about sigint, "make it possible to define even a single ship. By taking the bearing of the signal, one can determine the position of a sender. It is also possible to get important information by listening to radio traffic between different ships or between a ship and its base." (Ibid., p. 138)
"The existence of the prints on the sea-floor," it added, "shows that the intruding submarines belong to the Warsaw Pact."
While Moscow had responded to the first note by declaring it an "unfriendly action", It said nothing about the second one, though it can hardly be doubted that it considered it little short of a declaration of war.
The real trouble for Sweden was that it was essentially untrue, as later inquiries after the Cold War ended showed. More important, in 1988, Pär Kettis, Director General of Sweden's National Defence Radio Establishment aka FRA reported that it had no signal information about the Hårsfjården incident, so where did the Defence Staff get its sigint claims from? Commander Björn Eklink, skipper of the spy ship Orion who was later removed from its command because of his gung-ho attitude about getting the Soviets, claimed that he was not surprised by the admission because he had never been informed that FRA had anything incriminating Moscow.
In short, it seemed that the Palme government had just endorsed leader-of-the-opposition and Parliamentary Commission member Carl Bildt's statement about the incidents:"I cannot think about anything in modern times that has been more serious." he concluded: "There is no doubt, (but we) cannot reveal everything." ("Rapport," STV2. April 26, 1983)
The only reason why Sweden was not directly punished for its provocation is because the United States, in deep trouble of its own then, adopted Sweden's cause as its own. The Reagan administration immediately had its foreign policy thrown into the greatest disarray by the revolution in Grenada which overthrew Maurice Bishop's government, and then the killing of those 346 American servicemen, mostly Marines, in Lebanon four days later. Washington would have been in better shape if the President had been able to reconstruct his government when National Security Advisor William Clark was obliged to go. (For more, see Lou Cannon, President Reagan, p. 372ff.) Instead of getting personnel changes which were in favor of better relations with Moscow, the President was stuck with one which wanted to stick it to the Soviets, explaining while the difficulties in Stockholm became opportunities for the new team.
The opportunities that Sweden provided for getting rid of the USSR some way would not last long – as Washington, despite its efforts to maintain that Moscow was in an aggressive, war-starting mood – had to be concerned that the truth about Hårsfjärden would start to leak out, especially since the Social Democrats, especially Palme, had not been duly informed about what the Defence Staff was falsely claiming, Not all journalists accepted the official line. Anders Hasselbohm was writing Ubåtshotet – En kritish gtanskning av Härsfjårds-incidenten och ubåtsskyddskommissionens rapport which would soon be published in Stockholm by Prisma. Hasselbohm was getting disclosures, especially Norwegian acoustic and other visual evidence, by NATO officers about individual submarines in the hunt which were known to be Western ones – what greatly undermined the Parliamentary Commission report, and completely gutted the note to Moscow.
The biggest problem for Washington with these claims was that the Norwegian Commander-in-Chief, General Sven Hauge who was in Stockholm at the time of the incident, and had lent Stockholm its most advanced hydrophone capability in the hope of catching the Soviets red-handed, making intrusions into Swedish waters three weeks before (Operation NOTVARP), completely changed his tune after he heard the tapes – what America's National Security Agency (NSA) got wind of. They confirmed what the leakers were claiming about NATO submarines – what the US Navy even confirmed after the Cold War was long over, and it was time to acknowledge the efforts of those involved. The giving of the Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) to the Cavalla, SSN-684, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC) to the Bergall, SSN-667, Guitarro, SSN- 665, Aspro, SSN-661, Groton, SSN-694, and Puffer-SSN-652, along with the midget submarine Turtle, DSV 3, showed that they were involved in some fashion in the incident. (Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew, Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage, Appendix C, pp. 424-5, and p. 433)
To defuse the Hauge-Hasselbohm ticking bomb – what would ruin new NSA Robert 'Bud' McFarlane's 'false flag' operation to destroy the USSR in a non-nuclear war – Washington had to inform Stockholm that the Soviets were solely responsible for the Hårsfjäarden incident in a most convincing way. One would expect the National Underwater Reconnaissance Office (NURO) – the agency that DCI Richard Helms had created when Nixon became President to keep track of all the secrets that the Navy was collecting – but it had not been informed by Captain James Bradley's Office of Undersea Warfare (OUW) of the intrusions of Swedish waters, so getting.the NURO involved would just cause more problems. The OUW, while well-informed about such secrets, was too well-organized, and widespread for any deceptive mission succeeding without some kind of damaging blowback. (For more about it, see ibid., p. 117ff.) Besides, allegedly ratting on a mission that it was most involved in would be most suspect to start with.
So NSA decided to do it. Now its director was Air Force General Lincholn D. Faurer who had had a long career of carrying out its surveillance missions. "During the 1970s," James Bamford wrote in Body of Secrets, "Faurer served variously as director of intelligence for the Southern Command, Air Force deputy assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, vice director for production at the Defense Intelligence Agency, director of intelligence at the U.S. European Command, and deputy chairman of the NATO MIlitary Committee." (p. 387) Faurer was known for his can-do attitude, and his obsession about secrecy while the agency was undergoing its largest expansion in history. "Unlike Inman (his predecessor)," Bamford added, "Faurer was determined to keep out of the spotlight; he began rebuilding the agency's wall of anonymity."
To make up for the treachery that analysts William H. Martin and Bernon F.Mitchell committed by defecting to Moscow a quarter century before, Faurer apparently had David Helmer defect to Sweden on February 10, 1984, much like Lee Harvey Oswald had done when he went to the USSR, hunting for Soviet leaders. Hemler had volunteered for the Air Force, and had done well enough to become a member of its elite eavesdropping agency, the 6913 Electronic Security Squadron, stationed in Augsburg, Germany. General Faurer had become most involved in the unit's activity while serving in various Air Force intelligence capacities in Europe, and was looking for defectors to make up for NSA's increasingly limited human spying. When Faurer was preparing to retire early, he complained about the need of still more agents, stating that the role of computers in its operations had almost doubled since those earlier defections. (Bamofrd, p. 388)
While Hembler recently explained that his alleged desertion was caused by West Germany's adoption of the installation of cruise missiles, the defection to Sweden was intended to prevent a nuclear conclusion to the Cold War, only a non-nuclear one which would lead to its capitulation was acceptable, as Joseph Nye had recommended in his Nuclear Ethics. Hemler's disclosures convinced Palme that the Defence Stall's claims about the 1982 incident were accurate, causing him to dismiss anything or anyone who claimed otherwise. When Foreign Minister Lennart Bodström claimed the following year at a dinner attended by journalists who had not taken Hasselbohm's claims seriously that there had been apparently no intrusions, as its Navy claimed, of Swedish waters, he was sacked by the statsminister. (Mosey, p. 151)
The most disturbing event that occurred while Hemler was finding employment with the Swedish government, probably with either FRA or Säpo, was the murder of TV reporter for the Rapport program Maureen 'Cats' Falck and her associate Lena Gräns after they had dinner in a south Stockholm restaurant in November 1984, They were investigating the Iran-Contra shipment of arms and money to Tehran and Central America, a process in which Swedish arms, especially from Bofors, were involved, and East Germany, particularly the port of Rostock, was the center of. It was the network that Ted 'Blond Ghost' Shackley had been assigned by Reagan to put together from Hamburg to help gain the release of American hostages held by Iran. The reporters were apparently poisoned at the dinner, and their bodies were in a car which was driven into Stockholm's Hammerby Canal – which were discovered the following May.
While attempts to get to the bottom of her claim that they were on to 'something big' – what has proven fruitless despite attempts to prove that East Germany's Stasi killed them, as most of their research has disappeared – little attempt has been made, as the Lyndon LaRouche's Executive Intelligence Review magazine noted in 1997, to determine what they meant when they claimed "…something which was going to happen in 1986." While, in retrospect, people predictably sited the Palme assassination, and it was, but not in the way they thought. When they were murdered, the plan still just called for some 'false flag' incident, like what happened in October 1982, and its exploitation. The delay was needed to get all the men, particularly the double agents in Operation Courtship, and material, especially a Keyhole radar satellite, in place to pull it off.
It seems that the reporters got wind of the mission somehow, and were asking around about it. It is possible that they learned of it from Hemler, but it is just as likely that they learned of it from CIA agents like Rodney 'Rod' Carlson or even Rick Ames himself. They were in the process of putting together the agents who were to catch the Soviets flat-footed over some surprise. Just when Hemler was defecting to Sweden, Ames, whose career crashing, was given the top job in Carlson's Counter Intelligence Group, head of its Soviet branch. (For more, see David Wise's Nightmover, p. 94ff.) It was while Ames was investigating what the moles in Soviet intelligence were doing for Operation Courtship that he decided to become a spy for Moscow, and word of the 'false flag' operation leaked increasingly to treacherous members of Sweden's military, thanks to the Agency's newest claim that Palme was in the process of pulling off a coup himself.
The assassination of the statsminister was now the first 'false flag' operation, making it look like Soviet spy Stig Bergling had done it while on compassionate leave to get married, the second would be Navy Secretary John Lehman, Jr.'s attack submarines sinking all the Soviet boomers which went on station because of the surprise in Stockholm, and NATO's Anchor Express Exercise being dragooned into taking out the Soviet forces around the bases and in the air over the Kilo Peninsula.
Palme had become the target after he most belatedly learned of the plotting by the Anglo-Americans when they tried to slip those 80 HAWK missiles through Sweden on November 17, 1985 on their way to Iran, but stopping them just increased the risks of President Reagan being impeached and removed from office because of his illegal findings.
Palme even removed the gung-ho Björn Elkind from command of the most important spy ship Orion in the Baltic, as Britain's HMS Challenger was not available, but plans had moved by then far beyond any simple change stopping the juggernaut.
Of course, Hemler survived the fiasco, as no one even wanted to acknowledge his existence, much less what he had helped happen. It was only now that it is starting to leak out, after 28 years, but it doesn't seem that much more will be heard about the deserter/defector, much less why.


text:
Chiefs' free agents find big deals elsewhere
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — As the first hour of free agency came to a close Tuesday, the flood of players headed out of Arrowhead Stadium for big-money deals had finally slowed to a stop.
Pro Bowl left tackle Branden Albert was a Dolphin. Pro Bowl punt returner Dexter McCluster was a Titan. Defensive tackle Tyson Jackson and guard Jon Asamoah were headed for the Falcons, while fellow guard Geoff Schwartz appeared on his way to the Giants.
All of them were significant contributors to last year's dramatic turnaround, when Kansas City went from two wins in 2012 to an 11-5 record and the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the only move Kansas City made Tuesday was to re-sign defensive back and special teams star Husain Abdullah. The Chiefs had earlier brought back linebacker Frank Zombo.
None of that was surprising for the cash-strapped Chiefs, who turned over about half of their roster after the arrival of general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid last season. They only have about $9.6 million available under the salary cap this year, and roughly $5 million of that will be used to sign their own draft picks.
So, while a handful of their former players agreed to deals elsewhere worth more than $100 million, the Chiefs were forced to start considering the second tier of free agents.
Those deals may develop in the coming days and weeks. The Chiefs need help at several spots, including wide receiver, free safety and offensive guard.
Perhaps the least surprising move Tuesday was the Dolphins agreeing to terms with Albert on a $46 million, five-year deal. Kansas City franchised Albert last season before nearly working out a trade to Miami. Negotiations eventually fell through, and Albert played well enough — when he was healthy — to earn his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
The Chiefs at least have options to replace him on the roster. Right tackle Eric Fisher, the first overall pick in last year's draft, could swing to the left side, or up-and-coming backup Donald Stephenson could step into the void.
The departures of Jackson, Asamoah, McCluster and Schwartz are more troublesome. The Chiefs already lacked depth at defensive end, wide receiver and the interior of the offensive line.
There was some interest from the Chiefs in bringing back McCluster, who flourished as a slot receiver and punt returner last season. But the two sides never appeared close to a deal, and the dynamic return man ultimately signed a $12 million, three-year deal with Tennessee.
The Titans had no immediate comment on the contract, but McCluster wrote on Twitter, "Very excited to join the @TennesseeTitans."
Jackson and Asamoah landing in Atlanta was hardly a surprise. Both players were drafted by former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, who has since joined the Atlanta front office.
"They are good football players and solid in many ways," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a conference call. "They add to the toughness, the size and the grittiness of our team. That was a goal we had set out at the beginning of the offseason to accomplish."
It may have made the Falcons tougher, but it also weakened the Chiefs, who were unable to be much of a player given the amount of money that was being tossed toward their former players.
AP Sports Writers Paul Newberry in Atlanta, Steven Wine in Miami and Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.


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Investigating Mars: Candor Chasma
About this image
The bottom half of this image of central Candor Chasma shows a surface topography called chaos. Chaos is a region of small to medium sized mesas surrounded by valleys that are usually the same elevation. In this image sand and sand dunes are accumulating in the valleys and increasing in depth.
Candor Chasma is one of the largest canyons that make up Valles Marineris. It is approximately 810 km long (503 miles) and has is divided into two regions - eastern and western Candor. Candor is located south of Ophir Chasma and north of Melas Chasma. The border with Melas Chasma contains many large landslide deposits. The floor of Candor Chasma includes a variety of landforms, including layered deposits, dunes, landslide deposits and steep sided cliffs and mesas. Many forms of erosion have shaped Chandor Chasma. There is evidence of wind and water erosion, as well as significant gravity driven mass wasting (landslides).
The Odyssey spacecraft has spent over 15 years in orbit around Mars, circling the planet more than 69000 times. It holds the record for longest working spacecraft at Mars. THEMIS, the IR/VIS camera system, has collected data for the entire mission and provides images covering all seasons and lighting conditions. Over the years many features of interest have received repeated imaging, building up a suite of images covering the entire feature. From the deepest chasma to the tallest volcano, individual dunes inside craters and dune fields that encircle the north pole, channels carved by water and lava, and a variety of other feature, THEMIS has imaged them all. For the next several months the image of the day will focus on the Tharsis volcanoes, the various chasmata of Valles Marineris, and the major dunes fields. We hope you enjoy these images!
Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.


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Two incidents occurred at the Freeport Terminal last week. The first led to the spill of an oily-like chemical when a container was accidentally hit and part of its contents spilled out into the sea. The second concerned odours resulting from the handling of fuels at the Oil Tanking Terminal. The second accident led to the precautionary hospitalisation of six employees. The first incident, on the other hand, led to the suspension of bathing activities at Pretty Bay, Birżebbuġa for a number of days.
The accident leading to the spill occurred on Monday, 8 June at around noon. Yet on Friday, 12 June, personnel from the Civil Protection Department were still dealing with the spill as by this time water currents had moved it from the Freeport Terminal to Pretty Bay. It was only late on Tuesday, 16 June that the Environmental Health Department certified that Pretty Bay was once more fit for swimming.
Unfortunately, such accidents are bound to happen. That they do not happen more often is only due to adequate training and the availability of the adequately maintained equipment available on site.
The Freeport Terminal extension – approved five years ago by MEPA and currently in hand – is intended to tap into the container movement market in the Mediterranean even further. In the coming years, this will lead to a increased activity and, consequently, the likelihood of similar but more frequent accidents happening in the future is possible.
The Freeport Terminal activity is only one of a number which, over the years, have transformed Marsaxlokk Bay into an industrial port. Delimara Power station and fish- farming as well as the ever-present fuel reception points at the San Luċjan and Enemalta stations are other examples of industrial activity along the Marsaxlokk Bay coastline. We should also remember that, at some time in the near future, bathers at Pretty Bay will also have an enhanced landscape: they will be able to enjoy in full view a gas storage tanker permanently anchored just opposite the sandy beach, along the Delimara part of the Marsaxlokk Bay coastline. The spectacle will include its refuelling between eight and 12 times a year, with possibly three of such refuelling instances occurring during the summer bathing season.
The compatibility of this situation with the EU Seveso Directives is debatable.
All this industrial activity may be healthy when considering the general economic requirements of the country on its own. It is, however, generally incompatible with the needs of Birżebbuġa both as a residential community as well as a touristic venue.
Efforts to mitigate the impacts of this industrial activity on the residential community of Birżebbuġa (and to an extent even on the locality of Marsaxlokk) are in place. Yet with so much going on, the effects of these mitigation measures are necessarily limited. In fact, one wonders why the decision to locate all this industrial activity in the area was not also accompanied by a decision to restrict the development of land for residential use so close to these industrial facilities. In one particular case, at il-Qajjenza in the 1980s, residential development was accelerated in the vicinity of the then Enemalta Gas Depot. Fortunately the Gas Depot has now been closed down and decommissioned, however it has been moved to the other side of Birżebbuġa, close to the entrance of Marsaxlokk Bay at Bengħajsa.
The Freeport Terminal management, supported by MEPA, had also decided to extend the permissible facilities at the Freeport Terminal to include minor repair work to ships and oil rigs. The decision was only reversed when it was faced with the vociferous opposition of the Birżebbuġa residential community led by its local council.
Recently, Transport Malta has added to the summer pleasures at Birżebbuġa. It has planned a mooring area for pleasure craft and small boats adjacent to the swimming zone, right in the middle of Pretty Bay. It seems that Transport Malta does not give a fig about the impact of anti-fouling agents used on a large number of craft berthed very close to a swimming zone.
With all this activity going on around Pretty Bay, it is inevitable that that there will be an increase in unacceptable environmental impacts on land, air and sea. Some accidents will also be inevitable.
As a result, however, it is very possible that in future there will be further restrictions on the use of Pretty Bay as a bathing venue. One hopes that this will not be often. It is, however, unavoidable and is the direct result of the ongoing activity which is definitely incompatible with the needs and requirements of the Birżebbuġa residents.
One interesting development at the time of writing is that Hon. Marlene Farrugia, as Chairperson of Parliament's Committee on the Environment and Development Planning, has placed last week's incidents at the Freeport Terminal on the Parliamentary Committee's agenda. For the time being, a request for information has been sent out. The resulting discussion will hopefully direct the spotlight on the manner in which successive governments have transformed Marsaxlokk Bay into an industrial port, in the process at times ignoring – and at other times not giving sufficient attention to the plight of the residents in the area.
published in The Malta Independent on Sunday, 21 June 2015


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2009 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Review - Motorcycle.com
It struck me more than usual while riding this 2009 Harley-Davidson Street Glide just how iconic a Harley-Davidson is to the image of motorcycling.
Like any one of the songs from the iconic American rock band, The Eagles, that played from the in-faring compact-disc player as I rumbled up California's Hwy 1, a Harley exemplifies something uniquely American. Not only is an image of America tied to a Harley, the idea of Freedom, the unique freedom found only on a motorcycle, is inexorably linked to the image of a V-Twin cruiser.
I can't recount how many times I've ridden any other brand of cruiser and been asked by non-enthusiasts, "That thing a Harley?" The concept of motorcycles or motorcycling is largely, and likely forever, tied to Harley-Davidson.
It was time for me to get my piece of the American motorcycling dream (albeit a short dream), and so I set off for a long weekender on the Street Glide.
Being a new-for-'09 model, we now know that as a touring model the Street Glide, along with the other eight machines in the FL line, gets the much improved chassis, new two-into-one exhaust and new wheels that carry a new dual-compound (rear only) Dunlop tire - developed exclusively for H-D touring sleds.
No longer just a collection of hand-welded steel tubes, the new two-piece frame is now robotically-welded and made from various investment cast, forged and stamped pieces. Total parts count for the new frame numbers 40 pieces; a big reduction from the 90 pieces that made up the previous frame. Also, the swingarm is slightly wider and more rigid.
What I experienced during my short ride time at the new model intro for these bikes in mid-summer was only reinforced by my extended ride on this Glide. This new chassis is very stable compared to the previous frame; no more vagueness or flexi feeling. It instills confidence in the rider that the bike will continue to track through a turn or stay rock-steady in a straight line at wacky-fast speeds.
Equally as notable is how agile and purposeful handling can be. For such a hefty bike (810 lbs.) it is surprisingly nimble at very low speeds when, say, picking your way through a crowded gas station. With only a couple of miles per hour showing on the speedo, the bike's weight becomes largely transparent, and it's easily flicked left to right, or held at a standstill without putting a foot down.
Though the engine is unchanged for 2009 I was still impressed with how much linear power, especially above 4, 000 rpm, the 1,584cc Twin Cam 96 mill produces. Even in sixth gear, the bike pulls with great strength all the way to 90 mph and beyond. Impressive, considering claimed peak torque of 92.6 ft-lbs comes in at 3,500 rpm. Cruising down the interstate or a lonely back road at well beyond legal speeds is child's play for this minimalist bagger. Fueling was flawless, and response very good from the throttle-by-wire system.
My test unit came with the very capable Brembo ABS front brakes that stop the bike with good feel and power. This is one of the best improvements Harley has made recently, and it's my hope we'll see this simple but effective system on all H-Ds one day. I don't think I'd own a touring machine without ABS.
Ergonomically, the Glide is essentially a perfect fit for my 5-foot-8-inch frame. The reach from seat to bars and seat to floorboards is spot-on. The saddle is slightly sculpted and was comfy for each 400 mile leg of my journey. About the only check mark in the negative column I would give the bike is for the excessive wind buffeting I experienced from the handlebar-mounted Bat Wing fairing. Though the fairing is a styling coup, the diminutive windscreen may give you the same buffeting.
Instrumentation is classic with numerous chrome-ringed analog gauges that add to the overall classic appearance of this model. Inlaid in the speedo is a small but informative LCD display that offers odometer, dual trip meters and a low-fuel countdown. Speaking of fuel, despite my constant flogging of the right twistgrip, the bike achieved an observed 36 mpg from the 6-gallon fuel tank.
Finally, my ride also came with optional cruise control and premium Harman/Kardon sound system. Not once during all my miles did the Eagles Greatest Hits ever skip a beat as I daydreamed of being a Desperado. And only once did the cruise control disengage. But this had everything to do with the fact that I went sailing over a large bump at over 80 mph. Not the bike's fault!
Near-perfection in a not-so-perfect world
There just isn't too much for me to find fault with on the 2009 Street Glide. Though, if I could have a perfect world, I'd love to see this (and most all other Harleys) shed some serious pounds. I have to believe in this day and age that new technology materials can be used to lighten a bike without raising the retail. Also, some type of handle on the hardbags would be a nice addition, though not at the cost of screwing up their clean look.
The Dzus fasteners that keep the bags attached are secure and easy enough to remove, but I'd like to be able to carry the whole bag off to the hotel room with ease. Yes, I know hardbag liners are available, but sometimes I'd need to use every conceivable ounce of storage in those bags, sans liners.
More than all the useful power from the V-Twin, or how well the ABS-equipped brakes perform, or the competency of the new frame, more than all of that, to me, the Street Glide in the metallic-flake Black Pearl color scheme simply looks like the American icon that its namesake says it is.
This bike cuts a sexy but tough profile. It looks the definition of cool parked on its sidestand, the sun gleaming off just enough chrome parts to catch your eye. The whole machine seems like one fluid piece thanks to brilliant styling use of single-color paint that includes color-matched hardbag latches.
If I had the spare $21,089 (includes options, CA emissions and freight) to acquire this sexy beast, I'd take the plunge. I like it that much.
|The Perfect Bike For...
|Someone who wants a minimalist touring rig that's comfortable, capable, attractive and all-American.
|Clean, classic and simple look Good handling Slick tranny and good Brembo ABS
|A bit portly at 810 lbs Heavy clutch pull Wind buffeting from fairing


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Saturday afternoon, ability lit up the auditorium at duPont Manual High School as over 80 children from the Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies took to the stage for the 10th anniversary of the charity's Holiday Fashion Show. The gathering, which held its first show in a church basement on Lowe Road in 2003, saw a large crowd fill the seats, family members of the participants and those with the charity in the majority. Local personality Kirby Adams and WHAS-TV's Michelle Arnold emceed the fashion show, participating in a sketch where two bouncers prevented them from taking the stage, in spite of the duo being guests of the DJ, N2iT's Roy Harrison.
Once past the velvet rope, Adams and Arnold introduced each of the 80 children participating in the show, each one escorted by their sponsor and a cheerleader from Bullitt East High School. Whether they rolled, walked or were carried, the models displayed their ability before the audience while looking fabulous in their outfits donated to each child by Macy's with the help of their sponsors.
During intermission, two of the models were honored for their participation in the Holiday Fashion Show every year since the first event in 2003. Both Katy Collins and Sophie Smith were presented with flowers in thanks for their shared milestone. Following the brief acknowledgement, the Kids Center Firecrackers cheerleading squad, with help from the Bullitt East cheerleaders, entertained the audience before a small break and the start of the second half of the show.
Aside from the fashion show, a silent auction was held in the back of the auditorium, where attendees could also purchase handmade heart pins by Kids Center Board of Trustee Dr. Ronald Lehocky, as well as sign up to participate in the charity's Walk & Roll for Kids, currently set for mid-May 2013 at Fourth Street Live.
For more information about the Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies, as well as to schedule a visit, call 502-635-6397, or visit www.kidscenterky.org. The charity is located at 982 Eastern Parkway.
Photos: Louisville.com/Cameron Miquelon, and courtesy of Scott Duthie.


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My latest at Open Zion, about why the ADL would do well to steer clear of politics.
I wasn't surprised that Abraham Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, got involved in Romney's overseas campaign. Romney, after all, is visiting Poland at the behest of anti-communist leader Lech Walesa, who won Poland's presidency in 1990 in part by calling on Polish Jews to out themselves and asking why his opponents "conceal their origins." And though he apologized for Polish anti-Semitism in 1991, first to prominent Jews and then to the Israeli Knesset, it was a pretty lousy apology: In his speech to World Jewish Congress leader Edgar Bronfman, Walesa insisted "there never was any genuine racially based anti-Semitism in Poland" just "discrimination and differences of interests between… Poles and Jews." Little surprise that, in a presidential 2000 election, Walesa returned to Jew-baiting his opponent, and to saying he wished he had been born Jewish, since "I would probably be richer." Lots for Foxman to talk about.
Wait, what? That's not what Foxman thought was worthy of comment in Romney's tour? Crazy. Apparently, though Foxman doesn't think the Romney-Walesa love-in deserved a press release, he had to weigh in on Romney's blaming Palestinian economic woes on their "culture." Which he blessed. While Jews have "a real emphasis on education, on hard work and self-reliance," he said, "part of the problem" with the Arab world, he said, "is culture."
Bernard Avishai and Hussein Ibish have already pointed out why Romney's remark is nonsense. Suffice it to say that attributing Palestinian poverty to culture—ignoring, say, the occupation's basic inequities in resources like water or its harsh restrictions of freedom of movement—takes some chutzpah. Imagine what the ADL would say if someone blamed Jewish suffering on Jewish culture. But here's what I want to know. Under what definition of "anti-defamation" work is defending Romney's, well, defamation a good fit, but condemning Romney's meeting with Walesa not worth the time?
To get the answer, read the rest.


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Changemakers® is a community of action where we all collaborate on solutions. We know we have the power to solve the world's most pressing social problems. We're already doing it, one project, one idea at a time.
How do we do it? We talk about the issues, share stories and mentor, advise, and encourage each other in group forums, even engage in friendly competition. We form surprising connections and unexpected partnerships across the globe that turn the old ways of problem solving upside down. We try things that have never been tried before.
Our mantra is "Everyone a Changemaker."™ Whatever your passions, however you want to make a difference, you'll find a way to make it happen it here. Changemakers® connects you to action because we're on the ground, making changes every day.
Be the change that you want to see in the world. -Mohandas Gandhi


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This week on Pen of the Damned, read my latest story, A Walk with Grace.
Follow Pen of the Damned on Twitter @penofthedamned And like us on Facebook
Pen of the Damned is a collection of dark tales told by those who freely dive into the maw of damnation and live to tell their stories. Every Tuesday a new story is posted to the site by one of its handful of eclectic writers. And once or twice a cycle, the members write their interpretation of a photo prompt as a group post. The stories are short and not so sweet, with a lingering aftertaste of terror.
If you haven't checked out the site I dare you to take a look into the pitch black, if only to see if you can find the light again.
More on Pen of the Damned:
Like a Puppet by Jon Olson
The Within by Mark Steinwachs
Tiny Cages by Veronica Magenta Nero


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|2005-2000 Movies in movieonline that were released from 2000 to 2005.
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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines(2003)
John Connor is now in his 20's, and a female terminator, called T-X or Terminatrix, is after him. Another T-101 is sent back through time to protect John once again on the verge of the rise of the machines. More than 10 years after 'Terminator 2', John Connor now exists only as a drifter - living 'off the grid', so no more Terminators from the future can hunt him down. Unfortunately, SkyNet does send another one back - and this one is called the T-X, even more powerful & advanced than the dreaded T-1000. However, another CSM-101 Terminator is also sent back to protect John against the T-X. Now, Skynet is patiently assuming control of civilian computer systems, under the guise of a computer virus. John has also met his future wife, Kate Brewster, whose father - a U.S. Air Force General - is in charge of the military computer systems & is leery of up linking SkyNet. However, when the SkyNet virus infects the U.S military computers & leaves the country open to attack, the machines begin their horrific takeover. Soon a nuclear war will result - and the war against the machines will begin. Can the outdated CSM-101 Terminator eliminate the highly advanced T-X - or will a darker future await man following the nuclear attack?
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Hello Crafters,
This week at Just Add Ink is the challenge using the beautiful inspiration picture by Nikki.
This just yells summer to me with gorgeous yellows, greens & whites!
I don't have anything so daisy like, but I love the Secret Garden stamp set and coordinating framelits. Initially I stamped the flowers in daffodil delight, but it didn't have enough interest, so I used the technique called Kissing. To do this, you ink up the flower stamp with the Daffodil Delight ink, then ink up another stamp with Tangerine Tango ink. Press (KISS) the 2 stamps together before stamping the flower onto the white cardstock. Don't you agree it gives more interest?
Here is a closer look!
Are you wondering how I created the background? I thought you may. I used the Simply Scored Tool and scored the crosshatch pattern. Then did the same on another scrap piece of card and cut part of it away to create a diamond template (see below). Line the template up on your cardstock and using a sponge dauber, sponge the ink in the bottom of each diamond!
I love this summery style although I am not so good in the heat. Is anyone else suffering with these days over 30 degrees? I like to hibernate and stay inside with the cooler on…. maybe it's just my excuse to stay home and stamp!!!
Why don't you have a go and some of the weekly challenges too on the Just Add Ink page!
Products Used
Stamp: Secret Garden, Simply Sketched
Card: Daffodil Delight, White
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi
Punch: Oval, Scallop Oval
Other: Big Shot Machine, Secret Garden Framelits, Simply Scored, Paper Trimmer, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Sponge Dauber, Tombo Glue, Dimensionals, Paper Snips, Rhinestones
Shop Online 24/7 for products
Be sure to visit the Just Add Ink page to view the rest of the Design Team samples, they are just stunning!
Happy Crafting,


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20th Anniversary, 20th Anniversary Gift, Birthstones, Elizabeth Taylor Emerald, Elizabeth Taylor Emerald Pendant, Emerald, Emerald Accessories, Emerald Birthstone, Emeralds, Green Birthstone, Green Birthstones, Madison Gems, May Birthday, May Birthstone, May Jewelry, Statement Jewelry, Twentieth Anniversary, Twentieth Anniversary Gift, Twentieth Wedding Anniversary
The month of May has been graced with the highly sought after emerald as it's the official birthstone. The emerald gemstone is a symbol of rebirth and its believed to grant the owner foresight, good fortune and youth. Prized for its luminous and alluring green color, emeralds are typically favored by celebrities and people of wealth, to wear as statement pieces to notable events.
The name emerald is derived from the word "smaragdus," which means "green" in Greek. In fact, emeralds range in color from light green to a deep rich green. On the contrary, just like the aquamarine gemstone, emerald is a variety of beryl, which is a mineral that grows with six sides and up to a foot in length. As well, just like aquamarine, an emeralds color can present itself in various hues, depending on its cut by a skilled gemologist. Cut is very important on an emerald, because it helps to maximize a desirable green color. Moreover, many emeralds are cut into an emerald shape, which helps to make a vivid looking stone with sparkle, while minimizing inclusions or fissures. In point of fact, most emeralds are heat treated to deepen or enhance the color. Therefore, the deeper or more green an emerald, the more valuable it is. Withal, the rarest emeralds will appear to be an intense green-blue hue.
Emeralds were mined in Egypt as early as 330 BC, but some estimate that the oldest emeralds are 2.97 billion years old. The Egyptians used emeralds both in jewelry, and in their extravagant yet ornate burials, often burying emeralds with monarchs as symbols of protection. Actually, Cleopatra is the most famous historical figure to cherish emeralds. Historians say she even claimed ownership of all emerald mines in Egypt during her reign. At present, emeralds can be found all over the world, including countries like Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan and Zambia. However, the availability of high-quality emerald is limited; thus, treatments to improve clarity are performed regularly.
Additionally, It's believed that emeralds have many mystical powers that accompany its luxe beauty. Likewise, some even thought emeralds could cure stomach problems, control epilepsy and stop bleeding. What's more, it's a great possibility that due to its soothing green color, it was also thought that emeralds could ward off panic and keep the wearer relaxed and serene.
Today, emeralds are a symbol of loyalty, new beginnings, peace and security, making it not only a beautiful gem to wear, but also a meaningful gift to be treasured dearly by the receiver. It is widely prized by the rich and famous. In fact, Elizabeth Taylor's famous emerald pendant given to her by her third husband Richard Burton, sold for $6.5 million in 2011. Accordingly, if you're purchasing an emerald for yourself or a loved one, it's a great way to recognize and celebrate a May birthday, it's known to bring in brilliance, love, liveliness, and empathy or salute a 20th wedding anniversary.
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I've just finished working on my little section of a collaborative quilt with 'Meridian' a textile group who are based in the market town of Louth. The overall quilt will be a tribute to the Louth Panorama, painted by William Brown, which is an all-round view of the town and district as seen from the top of the spire of St James's parish church in Louth as on a summer's day in the 1840s. It depicts local life, the pattern of streets and the market place, with a roofscape little changed today. The painting consists of two canvases which have an interesting history and more information can be found on the Louth Museum website.
We each chose our favourite section of the painting to reproduce as a mini art quilt, either A4 or A3. My choice was the graveyard which I've made in A3. We were given free rein to use whatever techniques we wanted to use, I've created mine as a whole cloth, painted with Inktense and then hand and machine embroidered. I've used a bit of artistic licence to square up the layout and omitted the tiny figures. You can see the original section below.
I will add an update once we get all of the quilts joined together.


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Viewing item 1 of 1.
Robert Clelland, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1763 December8
Manuscript Number763658
Date8 December 1763
AbstractClelland opines that the Connecticut government will look bad by not supporting the school. He writes that Ashpo is still in debt, and that Occom is looking to lease a farm in Mohegan.
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