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There's good reason to be skeptical of an eight-disc Batman set that forces you to buy the campy Joel Schumacher movies (Batman Forever, its title a veiled threat, and Batman & Robin) when all you need are the dark Tim Burton ones (Batman and Batman Returns). But you could watch a little bit every day for a year without ever having to sniff Val Kilmer or George Clooney; it's substantial enough to warrant the $80 price tag and still seem like a bargain. Most notable among the 50 (!) docs are the Legends of the Dark Knight history lesson and the six-part Shadows of the Bat making-of series. Burton provides commentaries for his films, but more illuminating are Schumacher's comments about Batman & Robin. He insists he wanted to do an adaptation of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, which would have meant "a darker Batman," but that Warner Bros. forced him to go light and bright. Okay, dude. We believe you. All is forgiven. Sorta. -- Robert Wilonsky
Land of the Dead: Unrated Director's Cut (Universal)
Watching a George A. Romero zombie flick with some of the violence cut out is like watching Jenna Jameson soul-kiss for just a little while: The pleasure is in the excess. So here, in all its unedited glory, is genre-creator Romero's standard stuff: ham-handed political allegory and limbs gnawed like ham hocks by legions of grunting, shuffling dead. The best extras are all about the gore, from a short doc on effects master Greg Nicolero and the many ways he can kill you to a short "music video" that relives the film's grodiest moments. Romero also provides an insightful commentary track for hardcore fans. -- Jordan Harper
The Big Lebowski Achiever's Edition (MCA Home Video)
The Big Lebowski may not be the most critically lauded film made by Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo; O Brother, Where Art Thou?), and certainly it's not the best (Miller's Crossing). But Jeff Bridges as "the Dude" provides just one of a half-dozen performances that make it a deserving cult classic. That said, you'd have to be quite the Kool-Aid drinker to shell out for the Achiever's Edition. Along with a new "special edition" DVD (which can be purchased separately, and which isn't all that special anyway), you'll be the proud owner of a Lebowski bowling towel, some beverage coasters with the Dude's White Russian recipe, and some candid photos snapped by Bridges. Remastered and with a short documentary, the DVD itself is shockingly low on added value. But it will tie your room together. -- Harper
Festival! (Eagle Eye Media)
Murray Lerner's film about the Newport Folk Festival arrives mere weeks after excerpts from it appeared in Martin Scorsese's Dylan doc No Direction Home. In 1963, '64, and '65, Lerner lugged his gear to the nonprofit shindig and came away with some sublime stuff -- nothing more so than Dylan's "Maggie's Farm," plugged-in enough to turn the crowd inside out. Problem is, there's no context, just concert -- and snippets of it at that, which is fine when you're talking Peter, Paul and Mary or Joan Baez, but not when it comes to Howlin' Wolf or Johnny Cash. Lerner didn't recognize what he had -- a film marking the end of an era, an exclamation point at the conclusion of a chapter, with Dylan going electric. Alas, no reactions to "Maggie's Farm," just more performances . . . and more, yet still not enough. -- Wilonsky


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Victoria Beckham is always flawless. This isn't news, but I just had to start there. The Spice Girl-turned-designer recently stepped out in what starts to look like a minimalist summer look with a white tee & black cuffed jeans, accessorized with classic pieces like a sleek black envelope clutch, pendant necklace, a chain link gold watch, & Celine sunglasses (shop here)… until you see the heels! They're Balenciaga Square Knife neon pumps (shop here) that make a wild style statement, but it all works seamlessly, especially on Victoria!
Of course, this look would've worked with pink, orange, red, or really, any color heel. She could've surprised us all with neon ballet flats, which would have been equally successful & exciting to post about. I'm always finding new ways to mix up my favorite wardrobe items in my collection, playing with different colors & patterns to pop, which is why I love Victoria's inspiration so much.
However, we all don't have the kind of budget needed to recreate this high-end, luxury look… but have no fear! Because so many of the pieces are staples, they're not hard to find without breaking the bank! Even imitation-inspired heels are available to peruse (in several other colors too) to bring Victoria's posh style back to life!
SHOP: Prologue short sleeve crew neck tee @Target (available in XS-XXL), black straight jeans @Old Navy (available in 0-20), neon green high heels @Stylentol, ASOS DESIGN clutch @ASOS, tinted sunglasses @Forever 21, hammered pendant necklace @Forever 21, & gold pave square link watch @New York & Company.
What celebrity inspires your summer style the most? Who are you always watching for the latest trends? Where are you shopping to recreate street style looks? For more posts about Victoria Beckham, click here, here, here, & here! For more stylish posts, check out classic maxi dresses from New York & Company, fabulous flip flops from Old Navy, & fashionable resin earrings!

subset: commoncrawl


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LONDON – The founder of China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd said media reports that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) was spying on his company came as no surprise, and they would not damage its reputation among its customers.
The New York Times and Der Spiegel reported in March that documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden said the U.S. agency accessed servers at the company's Shenzhen headquarters to obtain sensitive data and monitor executives' communications.
"This monitoring behavior of the United States is within expectations," Huawei's founder and chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, told reporters in a rare meeting with the press in London on Friday. "It has just been proved."
He added it was not just people in the United States who would be interested in the activities of the group, which he has built into the world's second-largest telecoms equipment maker and third-biggest smartphone manufacturer.
But Ren said the reports would not damage the firm's reputation with its major telecoms customers in Europe and Asia in terms of the security of its products.
"The business we are doing with our customers is built on a mutual understanding between our customers and ourselves over the last two to three decades," he said. "Therefore, those things going on will not, I believe, have any impact on doing business with us.
"It is not necessary to believe this has a heavy burden and I believe it will pass some day."
The surveillance reports came as an embarrassment for the United States because lawmakers in the country have often voiced security concerns about Huawei's networks, effectively shutting the Chinese company out of the U.S. telecom gear market.
The U.S. opposition to the Chinese company, in part stemming from Ren's background in the Red Army, has left the market to Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia Siemens Networks.
Ren said his low profile with the media – due to shyness – had contributed to Huawei's reputation as a mysterious company. But he has increased transparency and financial disclosure, he said, and there was little else he could do to change minds in the United States.
"There is not a direct linkage between being transparent and getting access," he said. "It might take 10 or 20 years for the United States to know Huawei is a company with integrity. We may have opportunities then."
In the meantime, Huawei would not waste too much energy on the U.S. market, and would instead increase investment in other areas like Europe, where its technology had been welcomed.
Ren, who set up Huawei in 1987, also ruled out a stock-market listing, at least for the rest of his tenure, saying the move would not help the business.
"Shareholders are greedy – they want to squeeze every bit of the company as soon as possible," he said. "I think that's part of the reason Huawei could catch up with, and overtake, some of our peers in the industry."
Ren, who spent his early years in a remote mountainous town in Guizhou Province, said he experienced the sharp end of capitalization when he was discharged from the army and moved to Shenzhen to set up his own company. He lost money in early deals, and he concluded the market economy was about cheating.
But he said he realized he could control the quality of the products he made, a philosophy that persists in Huawei today, and which has helped create a group with revenue of $39.5 billion last year.
To encourage loyalty and dedication, Huawei's 150,000 employees are shareholders, Ren said, an approach which would help the group double revenue by 2018.
"Huawei's employees are also the owners," he said. "This creates a very strong drive to boost the development of the company.
Ren said his focus on building a business and making money had left little time for hobbies, or opportunities to develop any bad habits like smoking or drinking. His one sadness, he said, was not being able to "fulfill the feudal obligations to his parents".
Surveying a business whose equipment is in technology deployed in more than 500 wireless networks serving billions of people today, it must be only a small regret. (Reuters)


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I'm Kate, a writer, blogger, host and travel lover living in Venice, CA with my husband Brian and French Bulldog Frank.
I started this blog in 2011 on the eve of my 29th birthday because I was feeling frustrated with the state of my life. In an inspired moment I compiled a list of 10 goals to accomplish in the 365 days leading up to my 30th birthday. Goals that I thought would bring me closer to the life I wanted– and with that, 365 til 30 was born. That year was an incredible journey and truly changed my life. Since then, the blog has grown to include everything that happens after turning 30.
…365 til 30…365 till wedding…365 til traveling the world…365 til baby? 365 till everything!…
The blogpost that started it all
So the day is upon me, I am officially 29 years old. What this means to me, other than the joy of presents and cake, is that I am 365 days away from 30. Holy SHIT, how did that happen? Wasn't I just a wide-eyed 23-year-old traipsing around West Hollywood causing trouble? 30…I just keep saying the number to myself in the hopes I will get used to the way it rolls off my tongue.
Being that I am 365 days away from 30 I have been obsessed with where I am supposed to be by 30 and what I should have accomplished by 30 and the things I should have crossed of my bucket list by now. The problem is thinking these thoughts, has led me to compare myself to every other human, ages 29-31. Strongest focus on females living in L.A., aged 29.
You see, I choose to follow the creative path in my life and career. This path has led me to many great highs and many other moments where I was left wondering…hmmm maybe a stable 9-5 job wouldn't be SO bad.
I have to say I am a very happy and fulfilled lady despite not having a stable 9-5 job, a mortgage or a baby. Although, I am sure when all of those things are mine one day I will be the asshole in the corner saying "I have never been happier".
I have decided I need to shake things up a bit. Get out of my head. Forget about my regrets and stop thinking about the phrases "should have" and "everybody else". I also plan to cross off a few goals on my bucket list and most importantly have some fun.
So, I have come up with a list to accomplish in 365 days. I will of course document it all through pictures and videos…for your enjoyment. Because, there will be no crying over 30 in this house.
Thank God, Brian has
1. Camped before
2. Has camping gear
3. Is handy with navigation
4. Likes camping
5. Seems like he could get us out of a sticky situation involving unexpected intruders i.e. spiders, bears, angry deer and angry rodents
*I have no way of knowing if number 5 is true but if I don't believe it to be true then this goal will never be accomplished.
*Not to mention if numbers 1-4 weren't true, I would probably die trying to accomplish this goal and never see 30. I would be one of those horror stories like that family who survived off of cheese whiz for a month.
I have always wanted to speak French fluently. I have had many opportunities to accomplish this goal. The first being my private school education grades 7-12. From those years I walked away with some killer French slang but beyond that not much. The second being the 3 summers I spent visiting my grandparents in the South of France. From those years I walked away with a killer French boyfriend named Jean Marc.
Since those two avenues didn't pan out…I have chosen to pay for classes during my 29th year on earth.
Let me clarify something here. I mean publish my writing in places other than my blog. I'm feeling very hopeful about this goal. But, if Marie Claire and Cosmodoesn't come knocking by day 327, I will have to resort to other measures. Measures that may involve me asking my fellow blogger friends to publish my writings.
What a seriously sexy dance to watch! A dance that I am quite sure I will look seriously deranged doing. Thankfully, I can laugh at myself and thankfully I will be enlisting someone to film these classes so you can laugh "with" me as they say.
Mark my words…I will Tango. Oh and when I do I will dance the tango scene from Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
This has ALWAYS been on my bucket list. Some people think this sounds just plain horrible but I think it sounds like heaven. Just you (and hopefully an adventurous co-captain) on the open road…stopping wherever we please…getting lost…getting found…seeing New Orleans…staying in funny motels…barns…Iowa…exploring…photographing…drinking beer with an old man in a dusty bar in Texas. Do you see where I am going with this?
It's time. It really is. I have waited long enough. He even already has a name…Frank. Or Franc when I'm in a French mood.
Each of these sites inspires me to continue creating content that makes us view ourselves as a global community. I would be beyond thrilled to contribute to them.
http://explore.org/ – "Never Stop Learning"
http://www.takepart.com/ – "Inspiration to Action"
http://www.good.is/ – "For People who give a damn"
Spend one week at Tassajara, which is a Buddhist Zen center near San Francisco. There I plan to complete a work program and spend my time working in silence. Yes, not talking…to anyone. If accepted I can stay there free of charge in exchange for working at the center. I read the list of possible work duties to my mother, which included
Cabin preparation
and general maintenance work for the community.
To which she said…"I don't hear anything that you can do?"
This cooking "thing" falls under the same category as this speaking French fluently "thing". I have had many opportunities to learn. But, still the kitchen gives me panic attacks despite my love of eating. So out of pure necessity I will accomplish this goal. Because, I have learned you can't save money like "real adults" do if you buy your dinner from Whole Foods every night.
I will start with something very simple…like scrambled eggs. Maybe by the end of this year I will throw a lavish dinner party cooked by MOI. Like how I brought the French full circle?
After reading my list of goals for the last 365 days of my 20's I thought, "These are rather self-indulgent, huh?" So, lastly I will volunteer consistently for a cause that is near and dear to me


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Oxnard is where strawberries meet the sea. In this city 40 minutes south of Santa Barbara, you'll find seven miles of unspoiled beaches, plus farm stands overflowing with picked-that-morning produce from nearby farms and fields. The town also has a rich history, and a strong preservation ethic to protect historic buildings and sites.
Start your visit with a stop at Heritage Square, which hosts a summer concert series and where 15 Victorian homes open for weekend tours (check the city's website for other upcoming events before you go). Next, visit Oxnard's two outstanding automotive museums. At Mullin Automotive Museum see exquisitely designed French cars from the Art Deco era. At the Murphy Auto Museum for American classics, see vintage classics including a 1903 Oldsmobile, and the legendary Avanti, the early Sixties sports car that was a last-ditch effort to save the Studebaker Corporation. Unfortunately, it did not work.
For Oxnard's wilder side, board a catamaran with outfitter Island Packers on trips to craggy Anacapa Island, part of Channel Islands National Park, for hiking and a visit to the island's historic lighthouse. From late December into April, set sail on naturalist-led cruises to see migrating grey whales. Or, for what would have to qualify as Oxnard's most adrenaline-pumping experience, go parasailing in Channel Islands Harbor with Channel Islands Parasail, a company headed up by highly-trained U.S. Coast Guard masters. (No experience is necessary.) Also at the Oxnard harbor, check out nautical art and meticulously crafted ship models at Channel Islands Maritime Museum.
Spotlight: Ventura County
When it comes to places in California that feel like one big outdoor playground, Ventura County, on the south end of the Central Coast, stands out as a sun- and wave-splashed surprise. The oceanfront region doesn't get the same attention as Santa Barbara County to the north or Los Angeles County to the south, but that might only add to its charm.
"I love that I can surf, I can hike, I can do whatever I want outdoors," says professional surfer and Ventura native Mary Osborne. "I love that I can walk into a restaurant and say hello to the owner. I love that it's such a beautiful place. I love that it's different from anywhere I've ever travelled." Osborne stops, shakes her head, and laughs. "It's my favourite place to come home to. So much fun."
A simple truth, often overlooked: Life is short, and you can never have enough fun. San Francisco has fine dining. Los Angeles has glitz. Ventura County—with mountains basking beneath blue skies, waves licked by ocean breezes—has, well, fun.
But don't listen to us—find out for yourself. Here's a hit list of great ways to plan a visit to this under-the-radar charmer.
The California Questionnaire: Gabe Garcia
"For me, cooking is an expression of the relationship that I have with the growers, with my team, and with the people who enjoy our food," says Gabe Garcia, head chef at Oxnard hotspot Tierra Sur at Herzog Wine Cellars. "I want to honour all of the hard work that it takes to grow and produce these ingredients. I want to reflect that care and dedication in the effort that my team and I put into each dish."
Garcia's culinary vision is evident in inventive dishes like Lamb Chorizo con Huevo and a Farfalle served with beef neck ragu, grilled broccolini, and toasted pine nuts. And because Tierra Sur is located within the West Coast's largest kosher winery, you can pair your food with some wonderful wines, including a variety of single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from the Napa Valley.
Where do you live? My home is in Oxnard.
Why there? I am a third-generation Oxnard resident—I was born and raised here. Also, our weather is the best on the West Coast.
Who or what is your greatest California love? As a chef, I would have to say our agriculture is my greatest California love. Avocados, citrus, strawberries, and grapes are incredible here, and they're all right in our backyard and locally sourced for our menu.
What is the biggest misperception about Californians? I'd say that the biggest misperception is that we all know how to surf and use the word "dude" all the time. (Some of us do, though.)
What is the stereotype that most holds true? We have amazing Mexican food.
What is your favourite Golden State splurge? It used to be In-N-Out Burgers but now it would have to be Tito's Tacos in Los Angeles.
Time for a road trip—where are you going? Even though we are only one hour north of Los Angeles, I like taking road trips to San Francisco on the 101, stopping in Los Alamos or Paso Robles for a bite to eat. If I want to stay close to the ocean, though, I stop in Pismo Beach or Cambria. Also, Napa isn't too far. We have a lot of incredible destinations right at our fingertips.
If you could decree an official state culinary experience, what would it be? I would say the farmers' market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Or, of course, Tierra Sur at Herzog Wine Cellars here in Oxnard.
Best California song? Let's start with Sublime's "Badfish," then The Beach Boys' "California Girls," and last would be Tupac's "California Love."
How would your California dream day unfold? In my perfect dream day, I'd wake up in a beach hotel with an ocean view. I'd have a pastry from Porto's Bakery and hit the road in some kind of convertible. Hopefully, I'd be heading to a live funk concert or a car show that has short rib burritos from Roy Choi's Kogi BBQ Taco Truck. Then, I'd watch the sunset on a hill or mountaintop with my wife and daughter, finishing the night by a campfire with some friends and family. Completely California dreaming.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
This library and museum in Ventura County celebrates the life of the former movie star and Californian who became one of the 20th century's most iconic presidents, but it has also won fans for its wow-factor exhibits, from an actual Air Force One to a piece of the Berlin Wall. Sitting on 100 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this may be the most scenic presidential museum in the nation.
Indeed, the Reagan Library regularly tops lists of presidential museums in terms of attendance (roughly a half million visitors per year, on average). But its appeal goes well beyond any politics. "You do not need to be a Republican or have voted for Ronald Reagan to get something out of a visit to our campus," says Melissa Giller, the chief marketing officer of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. "Our visitors learn about American history and about the American presidency as a whole."
A walk through the museum's main galleries offers a look at Reagan's upbringing and early career, as well as an easy-access history lesson in the Reagan presidency, such as the Olympic boycott, the talks with Gorbachev, and even the assassination attempt (see the bullet-hole-pierced jacket Reagan was wearing at the time). Interactive exhibits let you get a hands-on feel for, say, riding a horse alongside Reagan at his Rancho del Cielo, acting in a movie with him from his Hollywood days, or flipping through a digital version of his faithfully kept diary.
A few of the permanent exhibits go beyond Reagan himself too. There's a scaled replica of the Oval Office, an exhibit about the Secret Service, and the Air Force One Pavilion, which contains the actual airplane that served seven U.S. Presidents (including Reagan) as well as the Marine One used by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Take a virtual horseback ride alongside Reagan at his Rancho del Cielo, then sip a pint at the replica of his namesake pub from Ireland.
In this area you'll also find a prime spot for a museum-day recharge: a replica of The Ronald Reagan, a pub in the president's ancestral village of Ballyporeen, Ireland, where he made a stop during a diplomatic trip in 1984; the pub serves sandwiches, old-fashioned sodas, and pints of beer. Or, grab lunch at the Reagan's Country Café, where the menu includes salads, Air Force One Angus Beef Hamburgers, and F-14 Fighter Dogs.
Head back outside to see replicas of the White House's Rose Garden and South Lawn, as well as Reagan's final resting place and memorial, next to wife Nancy. Don't leave without seeing the graffiti-covered, 6,338-pound piece of the Berlin Wall, which came down two years after Reagan's famous 1987 speech at the Brandenburg Gate. "We continue to break barriers and stereotypes," says Giller, "of what a presidential library and museum is considered to be."
California Questionnaire: The Bryan Brothers
As the most dominant doubles team of all time, pro tennis players Bob and Mike Bryan have wowed fans worldwide. But the crowd-pleasing identical twins, known for their signature high-flying chest bump after each victory, echo that there's no place like home—especially when that home is California's Central Coast. Though they now live elsewhere, the pair often returns to Camarillo, in Ventura County, roughly halfway between L.A. and Santa Barbara. We sat down with the high-flying pair at the home of the BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells Tennis Garden near Palm Springs, and asked them to serve up their views on everything from how they'd spend a perfect day in their home state to their favourite local place for soft tacos.
Where do you live?
Mike: We grew up in Camarillo, and I have a second home there, in Santa Rosa Valley. We live on a little five-acre horse farm; my wife's a big horseback rider so we've got some land out there in the same development as Gary Sinise. He's my neighbour.
Bob: I'm out of state, but I'm hoping to come to get back to California when my kids are older. Maybe when my daughter goes to Stanford, my alma mater, I'll move out there.
Why there?
Mike: [My Santa Rosa Valley home is] close to my parents, close to where our roots are. We love the area—we've travelled the world and there's no place like home. It's just beautiful: the mountains, the ocean five miles away. That's going to be the place we'll stay once we're done playing. We'll probably die in that house.
Bob: I like the variety and diversity of California—mountains, oceans, deserts—there's not really any place like it that has it all.
Who or what is your greatest California love?
Mike: It's tough to beat the Ventura County and Santa Monica beaches. We grew up bodysurfing there. And we love the mountains too—up behind Ojai in the Santa Monica Mountains—my mom and wife go horseback riding there all the time. We love the Channel Islands too—on a clear day and you see them on the horizon. It's a great view.
Bob: The fact that you can escape into nature on a trail and see what the Native Americans saw hundreds of years ago—it's cool.
What is the biggest misperception about California?
Mike: That it's all about showbiz and Hollywood. You get a whole range of people here—even cowboy types. It's so diverse.
Bob: Yeah, everyone sees the Hollywood sign and that's what they attach to California—but that's just a very small part of this place.
What is the stereotype that most holds true?
Mike: The language. "Dude"—it's what we grew up saying. When people hear us talk they know we're from California.
Bob: Yeah: "Chill out, dude."
What is your favourite Golden State moment?
Mike: The sunsets on the beach. We always go to the huge sand hill on the way to Malibu. I go up that and watch the sunset and the waves crashing. Mornings are great too—the crystal-clear air, the blue sky, the crispness. You can wake up on Christmas and go outside to a 75º day.
Bob: The cool shade. The air's a little thicker on the east coast. I like the freshness in California—just throw on a light sweater at night and a t-shirt during the day.
Time for a road trip—where are you going?
Bob: I'd go up Highway 1 and stop at Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle, Big Sur, then spend the night at Ventana Inn. Then go to Santa Cruz Boardwalk, and I've got to stop at Stanford. Then go across the Golden Gate Bridge into Muir Woods and then keep going up to Napa to do some wine tasting. Then come back and do it all over again.
Mike: I'd hit the national parks. We'd go to Sequoia National Park—my wife has never been and I want her to see those big trees. Then we'd hit Yosemite, then Lake Tahoe and go out on a boat on the water. We'd drive around the lake—on the California side, of course—roll all the way up the state, then zoom down the I-5 to Joshua Tree National Park.
If you could decree an official state culinary experience, what would it be?
Bob: A carne asada soft taco or a chile verde burrito—they seem to get it right in Southern California. I'm always looking for authentic Mexican food.
Mike: We'd always go to Somis Market near Camarillo. It was in the middle of nowhere, and we hit it almost every day. It was pretty greasy and fattening, but it had the best flavor, and you couldn't match those beans and rice and the sauces and salsas. To this day our favourite is Mexican food. A huevos rancheros breakfast—you can't beat it.
Bob: Yeah, if we had one last meal on this earth, it would be Mexican food from Somis Market.
Best California song?
Bob: "California Love" by Dr. Dre and Tupac.
Mike: And any songs by the Beach Boys—my dad went to high school with them. He taught us to play music at an early age, and he taught us all the Beach Boys songs—"Surfin' USA," "California Girls."
How would your California dream day unfold?
Bob: We'd wake up early, drop the kids off at school. We'd go on a bike ride in Ojai, maybe take a boat out on Lake Casitas, then swing over to Carpinteria Beach—the so-called safest beach in the world—and do a little body-whomping. Come back down, pick up the kids, go to the Santa Barbara Zoo, maybe do some shopping at the outlets. Then bedtime with some good Mexican food.
Mike: I'd wake up early, go get some great breakfast down in Venice, then go roller-blading along the beach. Take off the blades and go into the ocean for a little dip. Then get some lunch in Bel Air, maybe catch a concert with friends at the Hollywood Bowl…
Bob: Which concert?
Mike: Maroon 5. Then I'd go watch the sunset…
Bob: Where?
Mike: In Yosemite.
Bob: You'd need a space ship. Sounds like a good day.
Mike: Then I'd come back and do some horseback riding with my wife, then shut it down. Yeah, that sounds like a good day.
Channel Islands Harbor
Filled with some 2,000 gleaming boats of every shape and size, Ventura County's largest harbour is also filled with opportunity. There's year-round sport fishing and, from December through April, almost-daily grey whale-watching excursions. Rent a kayak at Channel Islands Kayak Center and explore the calm harbour; alternatively, grab an oar and a stand-up paddleboard, or putt around in an electric boat, from Hopper Boat Rentals. Or use the harbour as a gateway, and climb aboard an Island Packers regularly scheduled cruise to Channel Islands National Park. This chain of unspoiled islands, some less than an hour's boat ride away, is home to plants and animals so unique that their protected habitat has earned the nickname "Galapagos of North America."
Land-based activities abound. On Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a farmers' market pops up adjacent to the harbour's Marine Emporium Landing—a great place to mingle with locals and check out fresh seafood and produce. Head to the harbour mouth and watch the boats come and go, or spread a towel out in the sun at Silver Strand Beach or Hollywood Beach. Don't miss the Ventura County Maritime Museum: the collection of ship models and maritime art (some from 1622) is exceptional.
Hungry? If it's morning, have breakfast at Mrs. Olson's, a local institution. Enjoy waterfront views at Sea Fresh Channel Islands and The Waterside Restaurant and Wine Bar, or for a twist, enjoy clay-pot cooking, Brazilian style, at Moqueca.
Ventura County Hiking & Biking
Bike riding is undeniably fun but add the chance to see dolphins leaping in the Pacific Ocean as you follow a coast-hugging path—well, it can't get more California than that. Find this slice of pedalling perfection, plus rides and hikes ranging from leisurely to downright epic, all over Ventura County.
If you don't have a bike with you, it's easy to rent one—try Wheel Fun at the foot of Ventura Pier, or get bikes and great tips on local routes at Open Air Bicycles Ventura, in town. For an easy ride, pedal along Ventura's beachfront, with views of Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands. You can take a scenic ride through the towns of Santa Paula, Fillmore, and Piru in Heritage Valley. Or follow the new Rincon Bike Trail, a three-and-a-half-mile, pan-flat paved route that heads north to Carpinteria's Rincon Point—a great place to watch ace surfers tackle this legendary break.
Ventura County has plenty of options for fat-tire fans, too. Local mountain bikers know Ojai and Simi Valley offer both rolling hills and lung-searing climbs: Ojai's Sisar Canyon trail goes up and up and up, but rewards with horizon-wide views. One ride that's almost all downhill is the Ojai Valley Trail, linking Ojai to the coast, with epic views along the way. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area also ranks as a mountain biker's dream, with options ranging from easy fire roads following oak-dappled streams to single-track trails that climb to eye-popping ocean views. Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyons, in the gently rolling Simi Hills, are favourites among local hikers and bikers too. Keep your eyes peeled for deer, and when evening comes, maybe owls and bobcats too.
Hikers can also find their happy place in Ventura County. For quick and easily accessed hiking jaunts, there are park-and-go opportunities at every turn: from Camarillo Regional Park (the hike to the top of Rhombus Rock offers panoramic checkerboard valley views) to Ventura's McGrath State Beach, one of the best bird-watching spots in Southern California. Another local favourite is the hike along the rugged, vista-laden Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Relish solitude? Lose yourself in the serene emptiness of Los Padres National Forest (stop in at the ranger station in Ojai for route maps; you can mountain bike here too). Or catch the Island Packers boat in Oxnard or Ventura to hike in Channel Islands National Park.
Dog-friendly Ventura County
If you're a smart dog, Ventura County is where you'll try to get your master to head for vacation. In this oceanfront county, dogs aren't just welcome, they're celebrated. Ventura has its own "AmbassaDogs"—four-legged city reps—including Haole, who may surf better than you.
But dogs care little for recognition, and lots for amenities. First, there are beaches. Ventura County has tons of them, and dogs, on leash or off (check local regulations), are welcome to romp at most of them. You and your best furry friend can stroll the promenade at Surfers' Point in Ventura, watching surfers catch some of California's best waves (and perhaps even spot Haole, perched on the end of his human pal's longboard), or trot out to the end of the Ventura Pier, snuffling recent catches and old wood. In Oxnard, Oxnard Shores Beach and Silver Strand Beach offer fine snuffling, too. Water-loving dogs (and their owners) are also welcome at both the county's harbours (Channel Islands and Ventura); both have extensive romping greens and many of the restaurants are dog-friendly. In Ventura Harbour, check out The Parlor's dog-friendly Paw-lor Menu.
Dog-friendly parks abound. Camarillo Grove Park and Mission Oaks Park in Camarillo, Conejo Creek Dog Park in Thousand Oaks, Cemetery Memorial Park in Ventura (the place to cavort for furry fellows, and nice ocean views for owners), and Lake Casitas Recreation Area near Ojai (no swimming in the lake, sorry) are some of the green-grass highlights. Leashed dogs are also welcome on the infinite trails crisscrossing the vast and lovely Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (check with the National Park Service for specifics).
Dogs aren't much for shopping, but they are big on being with you. All the county's downtowns welcome dogs, and many shopping outlets (such as Camarillo Premium Outlets) do too. As an added plus, many downtowns are also close to green grass: In Ojai, a quaint collection of shops is located just across the street from dog-friendly Libbey Park. And when it's time to put up your collective feet, plenty of local restaurants are dog-friendly. It might happen that your dog leads you to just the right spot for both of you: say, a star-filled night on the patio listening to live, local music and dining on farm-to-table freshness at the Deer Lodge tavern in Ojai. After all, what's a best friend for?
Ventura County Wine Trail
Sip your way along the Ventura County Wine Trail, where you'll find nearly 20 wineries and tasting rooms in settings ranging from urban neighbourhoods to the bucolic Ojai Valley.
Sample exquisite reds in a 1902 Victorian building at Rancho Ventavo Cellars on downtown Oxnard's historic Heritage Square. In the Ventura County city of Camarillo, visit the tasting room of Cantera Cellars, which offers barrel tastings of its vintages (pair them with cheeses and other snacks served in a low-key lounge area). Or get a taste of Ojai Valley's terroir at Boccali Vineyards & Winery, where you can sample estate-grown Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel in a tasting room housed in the vineyard's family-run Italian restaurant. Another outstanding wine-centric dining destination is Tierra Sur; it serves locally sourced New American fare at Herzog Wine Cellars, known for award-winning Kosher wines.
For an in-depth look at the Ventura County wine scene, take a tour led by wine experts at Explore Wines, or head out on a custom trip with Ventura County Wine Tours.


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Barcelona: Walking it, loving it!
I just spent a week in Barcelona with my family. In seven days of jaunting around Barcelona's streets and underground metro, in sunny weather as well as in rain, not once did we miss a car. My kids (at ages 3 and 7) were just as comfortable walking around as the mothers (aged mid-50s and mid-60s).
On day 1, always the time of wide-eyed discovery on a trip, dipping in and out of the metro was like experiencing a roller coaster ride. By day 2, we were all in the swing of things. Udai was reading routes off the metro map effortlessly and Aadyaa knew where there would be escalators and where she would need to trudge up and down stairs. The long underground tunnel at the Passeig de Gracias station, where we changed metro lines, seemed a bit daunting at first. But by the end of the week, it had become more like a familiar friend!
Even more delightful were the streets. At one delightful extreme is La Rambla, Barcelona's main shopping and nightlife street. A couple of hilarious American boys we met drinking at the corner bar called it "the strip"! Their first night in the city, they were probably imagining a busy strip full of hookers and neon lights. La Rambla is far from it though! A wide avenue in the centre shaded by graceful plane trees, it attracts families, hip youngsters, business tycoons, romantic couples, old shuffling folks and the wierdos in equal measure. You can see them all there, sipping sangria and eating tapas.
The 'laamblaa' was Aadyaa's favourite Barcelona spot. She could run around freely, under our watchful eyes, and watch the delightful, colourful, eccentric world go by licking a limone ice-cream. The two single motorable lanes on either side of the central promenade barely break the flow of the pedestrian festival here. The pedestrian is king, crossing the road at will, lording it over the cars and scooters, confident in her status.
The same is true of the streets and by-lanes of the city. The main motorable arteries of Barcelona- the Diagonal, the Parallel and the Passeig de Gracias, for instance, have wide sidewalks on either side. Cafes spill on to these sidewalks and walking down these is as much about people-gazing as about getting somewhere! In fact, Barcelona's fame as a fashion hub for eclectic design is evident in the way the locals dress here, their carefully conjured casual appearance and skill at layering their clothes gracefully gave us plenty of ideas to ponder over and take back home.
The smaller neighborhood streets were delightful too and the character of the city changed with each area. Personally, I enjoyed the gritty, mean and festive atmosphere of El Raval. More noise, a vibrant immigrant community that shows its presence in the signage and the variety of produce in the local shops, many more young people jesting and ribbing each other. Though the guidebooks warned us of petty crime here, it didn't feel unsafe. We actually had both of the unpleasant pick-pocketing experiences in the Metro, where petty gangs target tourists. Rahul's quick reflexes were handy and we learned fast to keep cash stowed away safe.
Nearly the diametric opposite of El Raval was the Barrio Gothic, an old quarter of the city. We dropped into a tiny shoe shop that had comfortable Majorca-made shoes on sale. A quaint old lady was competing with us for the shopkeepers attention ; clearly she was used to having him to herself! We greeted many perfectly dressed elderly gentlemen and ladies in this quarter, trodding around, sunning themselves in its quaint squares, sipping a beer.
Perhaps the most delightful experience though, and different from the city streets, was Parc Montjuic. We trekked up the short distance from our apartment to the green belt that is the city's major lung. Instantly, the greenery and the height have us the special rush of being with nature. Here is where the city hosted the Olympics in 1992 and the hill is pleasingly landscaped. Both the kids found their special activities here. Aadyaa enjoyed an hour of fun in the children's play area, mingling with a class of kindergarten local schoolkids about her age. In competing with them, pushing each other around and then finally finding friends to do mischief with, her day was made! Meanwhile, Udai was hankering for a long trek and had dragged Nani (my mom) up to the very top of the mountain from where they got the most fantastic view of the Mediterranean.
We read somewhere that Barcelona gets 14.5 million visitors annually, nearly three times the number all of India gets. For me, the tourist experience was particularly enjoyable because of how easy it was to walk through the city, access the places you wanted to, take in the sights and sounds. Though the city is well-planned, the museums are plenty and excellent, the food delectable–all of these enjoyments were really tied together by Barcelona's essentially walkable character and how fully this is embraced by its residents.
The walkable nature of the city's streets, its squares and avenues are even more engaging as you see the residents enjoying these spaces as much as you do. A group of friends sitting in the local square enjoying a cup of coffee, a family with three generations out in the metro on their way to a family lunch, two old men enjoying their sangria and Iberian ham, one old woman sitting on a park bench watching children play, a group of students divvying up their home-made sandwiches and lemonade as they hurried to finish a meal ahead of class–there were endless scenes to take back with me. Many instances of how these well-designed public spaces, wide sidewalks, careful attention to accessibility everywhere have significantly enhanced the quality of life for Barcelona's residents. The ease of passage that adds to their easy-going, friendly nature. The children especially enjoyed the special attention locals gave them, patting their heads or trying to start a conversation, playing mime games at times. Always ready with a smile, walking through Barcelona among its elegant. friendly residents was a pleasure. I can't help but imagine an equally well-planned and walkable Delhi and what a pleasure that would be!
Posted on June 9, 2011, in Travel & Experiences. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Great post and pics !! Was back there for a few minutes 🙂


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"Drink because you are happy,
but never because you are miserable."
G.K. Chesterton, Heretics
I have finally figured out our problem…the reason for all the current lack of civility,
violence, looting, hating that is sickening our nation…
It's PUNCH CUPS!!!
Yep punch cups…
We no longer have, let alone use, punch cups!!
You know, those demure little glass cups that accompany a crystal punch bowl?
You know…those little glass cups your grandmother always used during the holidays
when all the family gathered together…at her house.
Be it wassail, eggnog, or Chatham's artillery punch…
Oh and don't forget that floating ice-ring.
My mother just did a flip flop in her grave over my mentioning ice-rings.
She tried her best…but Lord knows, they never popped out as they should.
More slushie and unattractive vs the pictures in her SoutherLiving cookbooks.
Bamming and Bamming that mold on the counter trying to loosen the ring…
but I digress.
And I would bet that you were probably too little and don't really remember
those little punch cups…
And because you were little, the grown-ups didn't let you use those little cups–
they were fearful you'd drop one and Heavens forbid, you'd break Grandmother's
special glass cups.
You were relegated to a jelly jar or dixie cup.
And if the punch was alcoholic, you were offered chocolate milk
or perhaps some kool-aid or Hi-C punch or maybe a Coca-Cola.
If they were feeling festive, you may have even gotten ginger ale with
a single bright red maraschino cherry floating festively amongst the bubbles.
Punch cups speak of day's gone by…
they whisper of afternoon teas, luncheons, showers, and special gatherings.
This all came to mind when I was cleaning out the laundry room.
We've started the arduous task of purging.
We are beginning to clean out this 37-year life of ours with 21 on those 37 years
in our current house.
It's time to lighten the load in anticipation of a potential spring
change—relocating, downsizing, tightening the ship!
So as I began this insurmountable task this morning, I found an old punch bowl…
not the nice one mind you, but more of a backup…it was one of my grandmothers…
my mom's mom seems more like the previous owner vs my dad's mom as she was a bit more frufru.
I've got that pretty one in the dining room…this one was the battleship
vs the cruise liner…heavy and sturdy rather than frilly and delicate.
And as I was gathering the cups from various cabinets and hiding spaces…that's when
it hit me like a ton of bricks…our current culture's entire trouble is they/we
have no punch cups…or no real knowledge, let alone experience, with punch cups.
For punch cups harken to a time when we celebrated holidays and occasions with
those dear and near-sacred family heirlooms, be they cut class, crystal or pressed glass
or even something really special…silver or more likely silver plate.
They were pulled out of storage, washed and even polished to participate
in a generational ritual…the sharing and celebrating of our lives as a family.
Christmas, Chanukah, births, showers, birthdays, weddings…
And thus these innocuous little punch cups are equated to something so much more…
they represent family and the celebration of family.
We have sadly forgotten such.
We have become entirely too angry, too self-consumed, too divided.
What happened to punch cups?
What happened to celebrations?
What happened to family?
Long live the punch cups!
Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6


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Aha! At last I have the information I needed, and so this post that was meant to be ready a fortnight ago can go up. In the words of a man in a dressing gown, "I seem to be having tremendous trouble with my lifestyle"… The last term was the busiest I've had, the teaching not the heaviest but it's been fighting for space with an attempt at a social life and a long long list of job applications, for lo, I am running out of time and many people are hiring. More on that as and when it becomes public, but the main effect has been that I have hardly been at home with a few hours to spare for what feels like weeks, and since this is a necessary condition for getting blog written, you haven't been seeing much of me. However, the other night I had a dream about taking part in some research seminar with half the In the Medieval Middle crowd, in which we lost five minutes to Jeffrey Cohen and Karl Steel agonising over whether they could still use the word `object' without defining their terms first, so I suppose that this is some kind of warning from the subconscious about blog blockage and therefore the other day I took advantage of having an hour or so in London before a seminar during which the British Library was unable to serve up their wi-fi Internet registration page for me to register on to write the first half of this post. And I'm glad to be posting it at last as not only is this incredibly late but it also deals with the work of some very interesting people.
First of these is none other than your humble correspondent's excellent friend and sympathiser, Dr Morn Capper, now of the University of Leicester but at the time of which I write here of the British Museum and Birmingham Museum. There, indeed, she had been working on an exhibition until very close to the point at which she came to the Institute of Historical Research on 21st March 2012 to address the Earlier Middle Ages Seminar there with a paper called, "Rethinking Thought and Action Under the Mercian Hegemony: responses to Mercian supremacy, 650-850". Fans of the history of the kingdom of Offa and his dubiously-related pre- and postdecessors will notice that that's quite a long span of Anglo-Saxon history and the amount Morn tries to fit into her picture is also extremely widely-spread; hers is a holistic take on Anglo-Saxon history for which all sorts of evidence are relevant and have to be understood together. For me, who had heard Morn on some of these subjects before, therefore, this was a chance to get something like a uniting thread joining up the many many conversations we've had about particular sites or phenomena, but for others it may have been less immediately clear why all the things Morn was addressing were part of the same question. That question was, more or less, how did the Mercian kings make their rule stick in areas that weren't Mercia, but since the answer to that could quite properly involve violence and public execution, town planning, East Anglian pottery, regional deployment of royal titles,1 religious patronage, saltpans, post-facto dynastic pacts expressed in genealogies and burial sites, individual negotiations with regional potentates and national manipulation of Church and coinage, all of which were in here somewhere except the saltpans, it's easy enough to see how it could get busy.2 I think that the real clue to the import of this seminar was the extremely busy discussion afterwards, on which I have nearly as many notes as I do on most presentations, and in which Morn made it clear to all that she could have included a lot more, especially on the archæology; there was a lengthy conversation about marking border crossings with execution cemeteries, for example, which is one way of sending a message: "You are now entering Mercia. BE CAREFUL." When her thesis can be reduced and streamlined into a book, it won't just be me thinking I need to read it, I reckon.3
Now it must be pointed out that the redoutable Magistra also wrote a post on this paper, much closer to the time and with a far better title, and it does an excellent job of codifying the separate parts of the argument. Rather than try and do my own summary, therefore, it seems best to me to mention a few of the stand-out points, such as:
- that assessing Mercia as a political power is all the more tricky because we never see it static, in our evidence it is always expanding or collapsing so the way it actually worked (or failed to) doesn't stay the same;
- that Æthebald of Mercia starts appearing with titles referring to Britain at more or less the same time as the Archbishop of Canterbury stops doing so, and that the latter may be the one that impinged on scribes' minds more;
- that Guthlac's monastery at Crowland was well-positioned to knit together Mercian, Middle Anglian and East Anglian sympathies in the surrounding communities on the Wash and that Æthelbald's various visits there should probably be seen in this light, that of an appropriate way to approach the élites of these areas, much as respectful treatment of the royal mausoleum at Repton appears to have been such a way in Mercia itself to express consciousness of previous interests;
- that, of course, the regions all had their own interests in cooperating with Mercian power which had to be taken into account before the kings could carry out any overall royal policy;
- and that among these must be considered the kings of Essex, who survived as a lineage at least into the ninth century and perhaps even the Viking era, and who were never entirely removed from their seats of power, at least once having conceded Middlesex and London entirely to Mercian interests.
You will see from this, if combined with Magistra's write-up which gives you much more of a structure, that if there was a problem with this paper it was to work out whether the main thread or the asides were more important. Having all this stuff thrown into the mix thus gives us some idea of the incredibly complex set of concerns, not just material and political but also symbolic and even ritual, that we seem now to expect early medieval kings to have tried to manage, and done like this it seems like an awful lot; theories like that of Jennifer Davis about Charlemagne, that his reign was so full that it can hardly have been more than a continual reaction to emergent crises, seem more plausible.4 In Morn's thinking, I think, the Mercian kings were in their various ways trying to make something new and more controlled out of their situations, but the first thing we need to understand, if we're to understand why their success was so variable and why it has sustained so much scholarship of different views, apart from the simple fact that the sources are few and unclear, is that what they were trying to cope with really wasn't simple at all.
Then, the next week in the same building (sadly no longer always guaranteed at the IHR seminars), the 28th March, we had the unusual chance to hear Professor Florin Curta of the University of Florida giving a paper called, "In Line with Omurtag and Alfred: linear frontiers in the ninth century". This was, in some ways, one of those papers that shouldn't be necessary but has become so because of trapdooring, as one of the many many things that sensible reputable scholars who just haven't looked far enough back have argued were only first created in the eleventh or twelfth century, along with the individual, windmills, universities and professional guilds to name but a few, is the linear frontier. Before that, it has seriously been argued, frontiers were zones, because cartography and state apparatuses weren't yet developed enough to do more, and hadn't been since Roman times.5 Here, Florin took two examples where this is patently and clearly untrue, from the ninth century: firstly, a frontier set between the Bulgar Khanate and the Byzantine Empire in 816, which he convincingly argued on the basis of the treaty terms must have been forced on the Bulgars by the Byzantines despite recent military trends in the other direction, seeing for example no sense in victorious Bulgars restricting their own trade with the Empire; and the so-called Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum in which King Alfred the Great selflessly agreed a line of jurisdiction between him and the most willing of the Viking leaders who'd fought him in 878 and lost that came nowhere near Alfred's own kingdom.6 I don't mean to say that Alfred only got 'great' by bargaining away other peoples' territory, but it certainly helped. Anyway, the precise political details are not the point so much as that when they needed to, all of these leaders could very easily set a line between two territories that needed rules governing who could cross it, why and in what conditions, all of which implies some ability to say when it had been crossed, what in turn requires it to be definable. In the Bulgarian case, too, parts of it have been dug, the most significant portion apparently being the Evkescia Dyke (say my notes, but Google seems convinced no such thing exists, I must have spelt it wrong), so there's not really a problem here showing that early medieval rulers could set lines when they wanted to, and there's no wider conceptual problem with this idea really sustainable either because, after all, we have a lot of documents that set land boundaries, they're called charters…7
This paper, and the reminder that Florin is the editor of the most recent in a very long series of volumes in which medievalists get together and compare their frontiers with people from inside and outside the field, in fact set me off on some powerful reflecting on such questions, as it seems to me that, as I subsequently put it in a status update on Academia.edu, there is no theory on frontiers that the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem doesn't break. Certainly we need a lot more work, and possibly to stop borrowing other people's theories intended one way or another to reflect on different aspects of the USA and to start coming up with our own, before medieval frontiers can really be talked about as if we understand, rather than assume, how they worked.8 Not all of them were lines, this is basically self-evident to anyone who's looked at any marcher zone ever, and that there could be gaps between rival jurisdictions oughtn't to surprise us either. But to say that early medieval people just couldn't set and keep marked and working a line on the ground when it suited them is something we can hopefully see an end to thanks to this kind of demonstration.
1. On which before too long you will be able to see Morn D. T. Capper, "Titles and Troubles: conceptions of royal authority in eighth- and ninth-century Mercian charters" in Jonathan Jarrett & Allan Scott McKinley (edd.), Problems and Possibilities of Early Medieval Charters, International Medieval Research 19 (Turnhout forthcoming).
2. The saltpans is sort of the special idea of John Maddicott: see his "London and Droitwich, c. 650-750: trade, industry and the rise of Mercia" in Anglo-Saxon England Vol. 34 (Cambridge 2005), pp. 7-58.
3. Morn D. T. Capper, "Contested Loyalties: Regional and National Identities in the Midland Kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England, c.700 – c.900″ (unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Sheffield, 2008). I've got to acknowledge Morn's feedback on an early version of this post, as well, as otherwise I might have made some characteristic mistakes by trying to explain her work from months-old notes.
4. I think this particular point of view is still forthcoming – I heard it at the Kalamazoo paper described at the link – but some flavour of her take on the reign can be got from J. Davis, "A Pattern of Power: Charlemagne's Delegation of Judicial Responsibilities" in eadem & Michel McCormick (edd.), The Long Morning of Medieval Europe: new directions in early medieval studies (Aldershot 2008), pp. 235-246, on which see here.
5. This historiography is described with more respect than perhaps it deserves in Nora Berend, "Medievalists and the notion of the frontier" in The Medieval History Journal Vol. 2 (Los Angeles 1999), pp. 55-72.
6. On the former one can see little else in English but F. Curta, Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250 (Cambridge 2006), pp. 154-159. On the latter, I like David N. Dumville, "The Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum" in his Wessex and England from Alfred to Edgar: six essays on political, ecclesiastical and cultural revival (Woodbridge 1992), pp. 1-27.
7. In England, at least, the person who has made this evidence most their own is indubitably Della Hooke, whose "Early medieval estate and settlement patterns: the documentary evidence" in Michael Aston, David Austin & Christopher Dyer (edd.), The Rural Settlements of Medieval England. Studies dedicated to Maurice Beresford and John Hurst (Oxford 1989), pp. 9-30 might be the best introduction to her methods.
8. I could list a lot of conference volumes on this theme but let's pick just three, Daniel Power & Naomi Standen (edd.), Frontiers in Question: Eurasian borderlands 700-1700 (Basingstoke 1999), David Abulafia & Nora Berend (edd.), Medieval frontiers: concepts and practices (Aldershot 2002) and of course Florin Curta (ed.), Borders, barriers, and ethnogenesis: frontiers in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages (Turnhout 2005).


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As though anyone needed to make this week's Netflix debacle any more confusing, Blockbuster's about to announce a streaming service to compete with Netflix's newly-single streaming service.
Blockbuster hasn't actually come out and said they're announcing streaming, but the invitations to their 1PM event today describe a "stream come true." Real subtle, guys. Though in fairness, a Blockbuster Streaming service wasn't exactly a well-kept secret: When Dish Network bought Blockbuster for $320 million, they said outright that one of the reasons was the potential to launch streaming.
One thing to keep an eye on is whether Blockbuster institutes a premium (more expensive) tier of service, which may have been one of the hangups with Netflix not being able to re-up with Starz. We're not sure what the library and pricing will look like just yet, so check back after the announcement for how Blockbuster managed to muck things up this time. [BGR, All Things D]


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The Motorola RAZR has been officially announced and it's certainly one doozy of a phone. The handset is packing some very high-end specs that should satisfy the power users of the world and is kept in a terribly thin body.
First up, the RAZR is a mere 7.1mm at its thinnest point, which makes it the world's thinnest smartphone available today. Couple it with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB or RAM, and a 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display and it certainly looks like Motorola has delivered the goods with the Droid RAZR and doesn't put either of the brand names to shame.
The face of the RAZR is covered by Corning Gorilla Glass, packs a splash guard coating, and is wrapped in a laser cut Kevlar body. Motorola really went all out with the RAZR with features, even if it does look like a thinner Droid X with Photon 4G features.
Of course, you're going to have to pay up for the device. The RAZR is going to Verizon for $299 on contract and you can pre-order the handset starting on October 27th. The $300 price point isn't anything surprising to see, as that's what most expect to pay for a Verizon LTE device these days and it may be completely worth it to some.
While Moto won't tell you, the RAZR does ship with MotoBlur, in some form or another. The custom Android skin that's said to have been killed off has undergone a lot of great changes but still remains the ugliest of them all by a large margin. Still, some may completely overlook the software, as the hardware is really something to behold.
Now that Motorola has taken the wraps off of its latest device, we're impatient to see just what Samsung and Google will unveil, as if we didn't know already. While I'm still rooting for the Galaxy Nexus, the Droid RAZR seems to deliver in all the right places to become one of the best upcoming smartphones this year.


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The Physics Classroom has been around for a long time. And since its inception, it has been evident that one group of users that have been frequently helped by its presence include new teachers, cross-over teachers and teachers-in-training. These teachers in particular are earnestly searching for intelligible methods of presenting information to students in an understandable language and hunger for engaging activities to incorporate into their lesson plans. As the author of The Physics Classroom, I understand this. I understand this because I too have been a teacher-in-training, a new teacher, and (on a couple of occassions) a cross-over teacher.
For me, the transition into teaching was facilitated by discussions with many colleagues in my own school and the surrounding metropolitan area. I am fortunate enough to be a member of a very active and professional science department at a suburban Chicago high school (Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois). On a daily basis, I am surrounded by 10 other physics teaching professionals who are passionate about their work and their influence on students. We work together in teams to improve the various features of our physics programs. On any given day, I might have a rich, 30-minute discussion with a colleague on a topic related to pedagogy or physics demonstrations or physics curriculum or the engagement of students in physics labs or...
I recognize that my experience is not the norm. The 30-minute discussion which I may have on any given day might be the only discussion which some teachers have during the course of a semester or a year or even a career. While the department which I am immersed in offers copious amount of dialogue, enrichment and professional development, many teachers find themselves in an entirely different environment - an environment characterized more by isolation than by connectedness. In such an environment, being a new teacher or a cross-over teacher becomes doubly difficult. But thankfully, the presence of a world wide web changes all this. Information is readily available and the walls of classrooms within our schools are more transparent. Teachers can access ideas, download curriculum and dialogue with other teachers across the country on a 24/7 basis.
The Physics Classroom website hopes to provide such connectedness by complementing The Laboratory with the Lab Blab and Other Gab blog. All teachers - regardless of the amount of experience - are invited to follow along and participate in the blog. The blog will be devoted to a discussion of the features of effective physics labs, the nature of scientific inquiry, the use of laboratory notebooks and journals in the physics classroom and ideas for engaging physics labs. Each month, a featured article by a veteran physics teacher will appear in the blog. Additionally, teachers will have an opportunity to ask questions, answer questions, contribute thoughts and propose successful ideas. It is hoped that the blog becomes an avenue for connecting teachers who are passionate about doing lab.
It is no longer necessary that a semester, a year or a career pass before a rich discussion takes place between you and a like-minded colleague. It's time to talk. Please come join us at the...
Lab Blab and Other Gab blog
Follow Us


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Jessica Riddell, 26, of Fort Morgan was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of three felony charges: unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of material to manufacture methamphetamine, and child abuse.
And an arrest warrant was issued for Richard Riddell, 36, on the same charges.
Fort Morgan police learned of a methamphetamine lab at 1000 Grant St. after Fort Morgan volunteer firefighters responding to a fire call what they suspected was a meth lab.
The initial emergency call around 8 p.m. on March 19 was for a house on fire, but responding firefighters found that only a piece of furniture inside the home was burning. In evaluating the scene after extinguishing that small fire, however, firefighters discovered suspicious items that could be consistent with a meth lab and notified the Fort Morgan Police Department.
Police secured the scene, processed evidence and removed hazardous materials from the residence, with assistance from the Logan County Sheriff's Office, Sterling Police and the Morgan County Emergency Management Office.
The child abuse charge for Jessica Riddell stemmed from the fact that a child was present in the home, according to the FMPD.
Jessica Riddell is being held without bond in the Morgan County Detention Center.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Richard Riddell is asked to call the Fort Morgan Police at 867-5678.
If someone has information but wishes to remain anonymous, they can call Crime Stoppers at 542-3411, or visit the City of Fort Morgan's website at cityoffortmorgan.com and submit a tip online by following the Crime Stoppers link on the left side of the home page.
The case is still under investigation, and FMPD personnel will be educating the property owner regarding responsibilities for cleanup of the property.


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Genres: Aliens, Apocalyptic, Queer, War
Escape Pod 643: Disarm (Flashback Friday)
By Vylar Kaftan
We kept in touch through the war, when he messaged me about marching through upstate New York. He always started the same way: "Dear Ryan, Please come kick my commanding officer in the balls." Then he'd tell me about the latest mess–cracks in their radiation suits, or toxic waterholes that were supposed to be clear. He never got in trouble for the messages; they needed him too badly. My epilepsy disqualified me from the draft, which probably saved my life. Pretty boys like me weren't exactly Army material. By the time things were bad enough that they needed any warm body, there wasn't enough human government left to organize a draft.
The ruins at Binghamton were where Trey got sick. By the time I got across the country to him, he'd recovered–well, as much as possible. I remember the doctor's face as he says Trey will live, but he'll be in pain.


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'The real danger on Halloween': Kids hit by cars
- Teens face at least as much danger as younger children
- Kids 12 to 18 have highest number of pedestrian fatalities
- The good news: Deaths have been below average in recent years
Safety experts have long warned that Halloween is the most dangerous night of the year for child pedestrians. But new data suggest teens face at least as much Halloween danger as little costumed superheroes and princesses do.
A new analysis of U.S. government data shows that 115 pedestrians under 18 were killed on Oct. 31 over a 21 year period from 1990 to 2010. That's an average of 5.5 deaths each Halloween, compared with an average of 2.6 on other days, confirming that Halloween is, by far, the deadliest day of the year for young pedestrians, says researcher Bert Sperling, who analyzes quality-of-life data on U.S. communities at Sperling's BestPlaces (bestplaces.net).
"People worry about 'stranger danger' and sparking the obesity epidemic with all the candy, but this is the real danger on Halloween," says Sperling, who examined the Halloween fatality data for auto insurer State Farm.
Most often killed: kids ages 12 to 18, who accounted for 47 deaths, followed by children ages 7 to 12 with 41 deaths. The remaining 27 deaths were among children ages 6 and under.
On Halloween, "there are lots of excited kids on the streets," and "parents need to talk to kids about safety no matter how old they are" and no matter how many safety talks they've already had, says Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Kids of all ages who are headed out on foot should be reminded to cross at crosswalks, carry flashlights, wear reflective clothing and avoid masks that limit vision, she says.
Parents should accompany kids up to at least age 12, she says. A Safe Kids study in 2011 found 12% of children ages 5 and under trick-or-treated alone.
But solo-going tweens and teens need extra reminders, Carr says — to put away their cellphones, stop texting and taking pictures, and keep their eyes on their path. A recent Safe Kids study shows that teen pedestrian injuries are rising year round, while injuries among younger children are falling, possibly because of electronic distractions, Carr says.
Parents of teens and young adults will find another reason to worry in the new State Farm data: Drivers who struck and killed Halloween pedestrians were most likely to be ages 15 to 25. Those 20 or younger were involved in 18 of the deaths.
One piece of good news: Deaths were below average each year from 2005 to 2010, suggesting safety campaigns might be making a difference.
Other findings:
• The deadliest hour is from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and 60% of the fatal accidents occurred from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Just 30% of the accidents occurred at intersections and crosswalks.
Safe Kids has more Halloween safety tips for parents, pedestrians and drivers here.


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One of the more hair-brained ideas of Eamon O Cuiv, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs was to proclaim that the official names of all towns in Gaeltacht areas would be the Irish names.
I'm all for efforts to make Irish more appealing and stronger but what was he smoking when he came up with this? All the road signs to towns and villages in Gaeltacht areas now only show the Irish names. Even Irish visitors who frequent the areas have trouble matching road signs to their maps. Who knew that Ballydavid was Baile na nGall for instance?
The good people of Dingle took matters into their own hands by stencilling the English name of their town under "An Daingean" on most road signs, restoring them to their original state. I only saw a couple of signs that hadn't been modified and those were well out of reach.
I wonder will Minister O Cuiv change his name to O Caoimh as a show of solidarity with the people of Kerry?
(No, he's not a relation, despite the fact that our surnames sound the same!)
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How good of an idea do you think it would be to teach people Assembly (some variant) as a first programming language? It would take a lot more effort than learning for instance Java or Python, but one would have good understanding of the machine more or less from "programming day one" (compared to many higher level languages, at least). What do you think? Is it a realistic idea, at least to those who are ready to make the extra effort? Advantages and disadvantages?
Note: I'm no teacher, just curious


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Even Target isn't immune from the economic woes gripping the nation. The Minneapolis-based retail giant laid off 600 employees Tuesday in the Twin Cities, adding to the list of tens of thousands of job losses at companies across the country.
Target said it also will not fill 400 open positions, making the cuts amount to about 9 percent of Target's 11,000 headquarters workers, the bulk of whom work at its Nicollet Avenue office in downtown Minneapolis. It adds up to the largest job-slashing in company history.
In addition to corporate cuts, Target will close a distribution center in Little Rock, Ark., this year, forcing another 500 people out of work.
Laid-off employees learned their fate around 8:45 a.m., while their colleagues heard the details in departmental meetings that started at 9 a.m. Some workers said vice presidents cried as they delivered the news, while other meetings were said to be more stoic, with managers reading from a prepared statement.
"People were just numb. It was such a shock," said one downtown Minneapolis worker who didn't want to be identified. "We've had so few layoffs over the years that even with all of the news [about Target's sales and the economy], we didn't think it'd happen here."
Retailers nationwide are seeing record-setting sales declines, as mass numbers of worried consumers cut back on buying everything but the basics. Retailers just suffered through the worst holiday shopping season in nearly 40 years. In December, Target's sales at stores open at least a year declined 4.1 percent. The nation's second-largest discount retail chain, behind Wal-Mart, also has seen rising levels of defaults on its $9.3 billion credit-card portfolio.
"We are clearly operating in an unprecedented economic environment that requires us to make some extremely difficult decisions to ensure Target remains competitive over the long term," Gregg Steinhafel, Target's president and CEO, said in a prepared statement.
The layoffs are the latest in a brutal round of job-cutting by large corporations. On Monday, about 55,000 new layoffs were announced at a variety of companies, including Home Depot, telecom giant Sprint Nextel, construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, semiconductor maker Texas Instruments and pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Already, 170,000 jobs have been lost nationwide in January.
A rare event for Target
Layoffs at Target have been rare since the company opened its first store in 1962 in Roseville. In 1994, about 80 people were laid off when the retailer pulled the plug on some of its catalogs. In 1987, Target eliminated 219 jobs, mostly in management. And in 1972, a reorganization of in-store management led to 80 layoffs.
Target has fared worse in the economic downturn than rival Wal-Mart, in part because more of its revenue comes from discretionary items such as furniture, home decorations, jewelry and clothing.
Target said it has taken other steps to reduce costs and deal with the country's economic slide. It has suspended salary increases for senior management and stopped its $10 billion stock buy-back program, which it was about half-way through. It also has tightened its credit card operations as stressed consumers have a harder time paying their bills, and it will open fewer stores this year.
No store employees are affected by today's layoff announcement. The company has about 350,000 workers worldwide, and has 1,682 stores in 48 states.
Longtime Target shopper Joy Gretsch, of North Oaks, said she had hoped Target would be able to skirt some of the bigger problems in the economy because it sells so many consumer staples.
"It's kind of scary," said Gretsch, who was buying toilet paper and other essentials Tuesday. "I love Target. I need it to be here and be strong. But maybe they need to make some cuts at corporate, if they're top heavy. Maybe that'll be good for them in the long run to be smaller."
Target remains the largest employer by far in downtown Minneapolis, but the job losses will strike a blow to nearby businesses, said Sam Grabarski, president and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
Half of retail shopping downtown is done by people who also work downtown, Grabarski said. The Downtown Council will release exact numbers of job losses at its annual meeting next week, but Grabarski said many of the downtown core's top 20 employers have had layoffs of "200, 300, 400 workers."
"The flip side is that 10,000 Target employees remain, and they still remain a truly important economic force for downtown Minneapolis," Grabarski said. "But there is a ripple effect when downtown's largest employer has layoffs. It'll affect those companies downtown as well as those outside of downtown."
Target didn't publicly release the final tally of the job losses until 4 p.m., but laid-off employees packed their belongings in cardboard boxes and left the offices by midday, according to several workers. Laid-off employees were picked "based on business need using company wide, objective criteria," according to an internal memo given to managers to prepare for employee questions. Some portions of the company were hit harder by layoffs than others, but names of specific workers affected were not released, according to the memo.
"This was a very emotional day for a lot of people," said one worker as he climbed onto a bus at the end of the day. "It was a tough, tough day."
Laid-off workers will receive full pay and benefits through April 1 and will receive a severance package based on years of service. Target will also pay a year of health care benefits. Workers at the Little Rock center will be offered jobs at other distribution centers or comparable severance.
Andrew Newman, a University of Minnesota reporter on assignment with the Star Tribune, contributed to this report. firstname.lastname@example.com • 612-673-4308 email@example.com• 612-673-7335


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I remember working my high school job at a grocery store. As I recall, I could only work 4 hours and until 9 p.m. on school nights when I started. I soon turned 18 and was able to work longer and later. And that I did. I soon took on the role of supervisor, something that unfortunately translated to working until close – 11 p.m. I remember just how rough it was getting up in the morning for school. I had to be there by 7:15 a.m., so I was up by 6:50 a.m. at the latest. That is, if I even went to school. In my Senior year I skipped like crazy; in just one quarter I missed 11 days. My grades didn't suffer (as I recall, I had a 94 average that particular quarter), but I was also fortunate in going to a school that granted Junior/Senior privileges. Depending on the week, I either had 2 or 3 days in which I could go home and sleep from about 11 to 1.
But that isn't the case for everyone. First, not every school has the system mine did. Second, many students are going to struggle to do moderately well, much less achieve privileges (if their school even has them). Allowing kids to work that awful schedule I dumbly undertook in high school is an obvious mistake that will negatively impact education. Well, it's obvious unless you're a member of the Maine GOP:
Rep. Burns, who did not respond to an interview request Tuesday, apparently thinks Maine's kids are not only underworked, but also overpaid.
And how would Burns correct this, ahem, problem?
Well, he'd remove any limit whatsoever on the number of hours kids over 16 can work on a school day — the current limit is four on most days and eight on the last school day of the week.
He'd raise from three to four the maximum hours kids under 16 can work on a school day.
And finally — listen up, kids — he'd whack the pay for any high school student under the age of 20 from Maine's $7.50-per-hour minimum wage to a "training wage" of $5.25-per-hour for the first 180 days on the job.
This has to be the worst idea I have heard from Republicans since we invaded Iraq. Kids don't need to be working late nights while trying to juggle school and their social lives. It sucked for me under relatively fortunate circumstances; it will suck just as much, if not more, for everyone else.
Co-sponsor of the bill Rep. Bickford had this to say:
"I would support removing the cap for daily and weekly hours, but I would also support amending it to six hours when school is in session, so the student could get home from school — say 3:00 — and could work from 4:00-9:00. They'd still have plenty of time for homework," Bickford added. "Most of these kids are generally up well past 10:00. They could work a 3:00-9:00 shift."
So let's just keep them up later. Hell, I used to stay up until 12:30 a.m. quite often. How about we let kids work until midnight? Or, hell, let's allow them to do overnights. They can go to work at 11:00 p.m., work an 8 hour shift, get to school at 7 the next morning, sleep from about 2:30-10:30 p.m., then head back to work. It'll be a real resume builder.
Aside from being an education-second bill, the whole point of this legislation is to cheapen up labor for Maine's tourist industry. Anyone who has ever been to the Maine coast in the summer knows that teenagers get hired all over the place – and for less than 180 days. Burns and Bickford want to allow businesses to pay teenagers less money for the same work that those over 20 are doing. It's horseshit. It's unfair, without a good or reasonable basis, and it will have negative ramifications on the educations of working teens.
But hey, how about some science?
Citing no fewer than eight published studies, [Maine Women's Lobby direction Laura] Harper said the data consistently show that holding down a job while in high school is actually a good thing for most kids — up to a point:
One study, appearing in the "American Educational Research Journal," found that kids who work between one and 15 hours per week are actually more likely to complete high school. Pass the 15-hour mark, however, and the dropout rate starts to rise.
Ditto for another study in "Sociology of Education" that found "intensive work involvement" of more than 20 hours a week leads to higher numbers of kids giving up on school.
Then there's the "Journal of Educational Research" study that found a direct correlation between hours worked and academic performance — the more the hours go up, the more grades and standardized test scores go down.
Meanwhile, as Harper noted in a recent letter to the committee, "no evidence presented suggests that there is an unskilled labor shortage in this state."
Filed under: Local, News | Tagged: Bickford, Burns, Child labor, Laura Harper, Maine |


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Pottstown, PA– Visit Pottsgrove Manor between Friday, November 23, 2012 and Sunday, January 6, 2013, for a glimpse of colonial life during the holiday season.
With the historic site's annual "Twelfth Night Tours," visitors of all ages can enjoy a guided tour of the beautiful 1752 Georgian manor house, decorated with greenery for Yuletide. Along the way, guests will learn about traditional English celebrations of Twelfth Night and how they differed from modern Christmas celebrations.
The tours are offered during regular museum hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays, as well as Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Tours are given on the hour; the last tour of the day begins at 3:00 p.m. A donation of $2 per person is suggested for the tour. Groups of 10 or more should pre-register by calling (610) 326-4014.
Visitors will also want to stop into Pottsgrove Manor's museum shop for unique, historically-oriented gifts like locally-made redware pottery and ornaments, reproduction glassware, handcrafted candles and soaps, books, toys, games, and more. The museum shop is open during regular museum hours.
Pottsgrove Manor, home of John Potts, colonial ironmaster and founder of Pottstown, is located at 100 West King Street near the intersection of King Street and Route 100, just off Route 422, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Pottsgrove Manor is operated by Montgomery County under the direction of the Parks and Heritage Services Division of the Assets and Infrastructure Department. For more information and a full calendar of events, visit the website at http://historicsites.montcopa.org/pottsgrovemanor or follow Pottsgrove Manor on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/PottsgroveManor.


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Not everyone has the luxury of their exes going to Singapore and France for a year.
But I do.
It had been many months of silence between Mr. Possibility and I, when last Sunday I received an email at 9 a.m. I wasn't yet awake when I read it for the first time, and it was only when I dreamt about Mr. P until noon, that I realized it was real, not something my hungover-self imagined.
The email was short and sweet, saying everything I've needed to hear since we broke up. It's true that people can surprise you, and for the first time, maybe ever, Mr. P did just that. Before getting up to greet the day, I probably read those five paragraphs a dozen times — savoring the sincerity and feeling so happy that while it absolutley touched my heart…
… it didn't break it. Instead of those old, familiar feelings of longing, I felt something else: closure.
It's an odd word and odd thing to request of someone you used to be with, but it's something we all wished we could have more of. Some of my friends don't believe it's important to make amends, others are convinced no story ever has an official end, that as long as we're open to something — or rather, someone — then anything can come to be.
I think more along the lines of: tie-a-pretty-bow around everything and make sure everyone is happy with the outcome and has warm, loving feelings and memories from the time we spent together. I'm obviously the least realistic in my views about breakups, hence why most of them don't stick for the first few months and why I usually end up disappointed — again and again — by someone who I broke up with for… well, continually disappointing me.
Shocking, right?
While I've dated other people and forgiven Mr. P — I never felt like he gave me the things, the words I needed to completely move on. It's not his responsibility, I realize, it's totally mine– but yet, I hoped one day, he'd come around and see things differently.
And just like that, with his passport ready to go, he did.
I spent a good portion of the day mulling over the email, trying to figure out if I should respond, opening myself up to a possible downward spiral of bad decisions or if I should just take the letter for what it's worth and cherish it. I didn't want to get back into a mess I worked so (incredibly!) hard to get myself out of. But on the other hand– I knew I'd regret it if something happened to him on his overseas educational excursion and I never thanked him or told him goodbye.
And so, standing on one foot, baking cupcakes and trying to get my senses about me, I called a number I wish I didn't have memorized.
He left on Saturday and he won't be back until next summer. With him goes a piece of my heart, just like pieces are still in North Carolina from past loves. I said a prayer to keep him safe while finds the person he's been trying to find for nearly 32 years… and then I felt a tremendous weight lift off of me. I felt freedom.
The city is mine again. There are no opportunities to run into him, perhaps with a new girl he's seeing, at some place we both happen to like. There is no late night drunken temptations to fight when loneliness wins over logic. There is no way to go backwards when the past is so far away, you can't hop on the subway to see it. There is no need to wonder if it's the end when the only thing ahead is tomorrow. There is no questioning what could have been or should have been or will be, when I can actually see our lives going in different directions. Him to faraway schools and places, me to the job I love and city that loves me.
Because I'm overly romantic for my own good, I went to Bryant Park — a place that holds so many memories between Mr. P and I. It's the place we had out first date — which was meant to be a quick
coffee and turned into a six-hour conversation followed by Chinese food. It's where he took me, six months after that day, when it was absolutely freezing and I only stopped complaining about wanting to go inside when he spun me around, dipped and kissed me and said: "It's been six months today." It's the place we went ice skating and drank hot chocolate together, the place he laid his head in my lap in the grass while we both read our news source of choice and kissed me in between pages. It's the place I always thought he'd propose, if our relationship ever grew to that, if he could ever open his heart wide enough to let me in.
For a long time, even nearly a year after we have been broken up, Bryant Park was a difficult place for me to go. It reminded me of the love that went wrong, the foolish mistake I made of hanging on for far too long. It reminded me of everything I loved and hated about Mr P, and how I was convinced our memories in this park meant far more to me than they ever did to him.
And those same feelings came rushing back when I set foot yesterday. But instead of being bittersweet, painful memories– they were happy ones. Loving ones. They were memories I shared with a man who made a big impact on my life, who showed me that I really can love unconditionally. They remind me of the smile I used to love to watch, and the intimate moments and conversations we shared in this NYC landmark. They reminded me of the very first love I found in this city, and made me excited about the next. They reminded me that I meant something to someone, something more than he ever let me know until recently. They reminded me that while only one love truly last forever, the ones before still have significance.
They reminded me of the man who is now far away, much like he always was in some way, that while he couldn't be how he wanted or how I needed, he did love the best he could. He says he doesn't read this blog anymore — he wanted to give me privacy to sort through my emotions how I do best — but if he happens to stumble across this one, I hope he knows I wish for him the same thing I've always wished for him: happiness. Because after a long time, after lots of wondering and pain, he's finally help me find my happy after him.


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'Bertie' Marshall Speaks on the Steelpan
Bertram Lloyd Marshall
Trinbagopan.com Staff Article
Interview Recorded: March 13, 2005
Posted: March 18, 2005
Bertie Marshall (1936- ) is one of Trinidad and Tobago's living icons who has made an invaluable contribution to the evolution of the steelpan instrument. Marshall, an adept pan-tunist, introduced several fixtures and accompaniments to the instrument that are evident today such as the canopy, and the popular double tenor pans. He is also responsible for other innovations made to the pan such as the introduction of the chromatic scales to the instrument and adding a "keyboard face" to the pan for greater proficiency. Bertie Marshall was also the leader of the "Armed Forces" band and later ascended in the ranks of the band "Highlanders" and became captain, as well as its tuner and arranger. His association with the "Highlanders" ensured their numerous victories in the Bomb Competition. Also, through the "Highlanders", many pan renditions were made indelible in the musical history of Trinidad and Tobago such as "Gypsy Rhonda", "Italiana in Algiers", "Let Every Valley Be Exalted", a Waltz from the Opera "Faust" and "Bertfone". Marshall, a perfectionist, is involved in the pan movement for the main purpose of insuring the instrument's continuous betterment and improving its sound.
The saga of the steelpan is expressed in Marshall's words...
As a young fella
Changing the tone of Pan
Uncontrollable bacchanal
Bertie Marshall and Rudolph Charles
dem beating too hard
I looking for quality
Award instead of Reward
Mischief is ah hell of ah t'ing
I did everything on little funds
Berthram Kellman and Robbie Greenidge
More support needed
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Navy Pilot Surprises Mom at Chicago Bulls Game
If you think standing on the Chicago Bulls' home court during an NBA basketball game is nerve-wracking enough, imagine doing so while wearing a blindfold and being led by the team's mascot, "Benny the Bull."
Then imagine taking off your blindfold to see your son, a pilot in the U.S. Navy, who's been deployed and whom you have not seen in nearly two years.
That is exactly what happened to Sandy Miller last Saturday night thanks to some clever thinking by her son, Navy Lt. Kyle Hanford, the USO and the Chicago Bulls organization.
"We had expressed an interest in helping them with [the USO] a reunion, and then they came to us with this incredible opportunity to help a family of Bulls fans," Susan Goodenow, a team spokesperson, told ABCNews.com.
The thrilling reunion came during the first quarter break in the Bulls home game against the Indiana Pacers at the United Center.
Lt. Hanford, 28, was on a six-day leave from his station aboard the USS George Washington in Japan and decided he wanted to surprise his mom in a "special way," according to team officials.
He came directly to the stadium from the airport and clued only his dad, Neal, in on his secret. His sister, Natalie Miller, and mom, Sandy, all of Naperville, Illinois, thought Sandy, who didn't even know her son was in the country, had been picked to try to sink a basket for cash while blindfolded.
The fans packed into the arena, Goodenow says, had been clued in that something big was going to happen, so instead of long lines at the concession stand during the break in action, everyone was glued to their seats.
"After the mother's blindfold was removed the place erupted," she said.
In a video posted to the NBACares' YouTube page, Sandy Miller can be seen covering her face with her hands, putting her hands over her heart and then running to hug her son, just as you would expect a shocked mother who hadn't seen her son in one-and-a-half years to react.
As far as Bulls officials know, Saturday's reunion was the first time any such reunion has occurred during a Bulls basketball game.
The occasion was so momentous that even the players, deep in the action, took their eye off the prize, for a moment at least.
"The players, coaches and staff from both the Bulls and Pacers were applauding when the reunion happened," Goodenow said.
What could make the reunion even sweeter for Hanford and his family, all die-hard Bulls fans? Their home team won the game, 87 to 84.