text:
Bookmark: web developer toolbars
Here's a quick link for myself for the web developer toolbars you can install for Firefox and IE6.
I love them because the web developer toolbars make doing clientside work so much easier. They give you tools to find out information about the page that you're working on without having to do a million alert statements. One of the most useful features is you can highlight the boxes on the page to see why something isn't showing up or to see how they're really overlapping.
They also make it easier to find page information like javascript errors without having to do the million clicks you need to find this information that's been hidden from regular users.
Another really handy clientside debugging tool for firefox is the Javascript debugger pluggin that you can use to step through your clientside script code. You can do all the regular debugger things with it like inspecting variables and setting breakpoints.
Filed under Browsers, Tools, Web development


text:
History of Bowling
Bowling has a long and rich history, and today is one of the most popular sports in the world.
A British anthropologist, Sir Flinders Petrie, discovered in the 1930's a collection of objects in a child's grave in Egypt that appeared to him to be used for a crude form of bowling.
If he was correct, then bowling traces its ancestry to 3200BC.
A German historian, William Pehle, asserted that bowling began in his country about 300AD.
There is substantial evidence that a form of bowling was in vogue in England in 1366, when King Edward III allegedly outlawed it to keep his troops focused on archery practice. And it is almost certain that bowling was popular during the reign of Henry VIII.
By this time, too, there were many variations of "pin" games, and also of games where a ball was thrown at objects other than pins. This would seem to imply that the games had developed over time, from an earlier period.
One of the most eccentric games is still found in Edinburgh. The player swings a fingerless ball between his legs and heaves it at the pins. In doing so, he "flops" onto the lane on his stomach.
There were and still are many variations of ninepins in Western Europe.
Likely related are the Italian bocce, the French petanque, and British lawn bowling.
Undoubtedly, the English, Dutch and German settlers all imported their own variations of bowling to America. The earliest mention of it in serious American literature is by Washington Irving, when Rip Van Winkle awakens to the sound of "crashing ninepins".
The first permanent American bowling location probably was for lawn bowling, in New York's Battery area. Now the heart of the financial district, New Yorkers still call the small plot Bowling Green.
The game had its ups and downs in America. An 1841 Connecticut law made it illegal to maintain "any ninepin lanes", probably because bowling was the object of much gambling.
But the problem, of course, also evidenced its popularity. Also, many captains of industry chose to install a lane in their mansions.
While it is uncertain where the tenpin game evolved, by the late 1800s it was prevalent in many states such as New York, Ohio and as far "west" as Illinois. However, details like ball weights and pin dimensions varied by region. But that changed when restauranteur Joe Thum finally pulled together representatives of the various regional bowling clubs. On September 9, 1895, at Beethoven Hall in New York City, the American Bowling Congress was born.
Soon standardization would be established, and major national competitions could be held.
While women had been bowling in the latter half of the nineteenth century, the American Bowling Congress was for men. It was in 1917 that the Women's International Congress was born in St. Louis. Encouraged by proprietor Dennis Sweeney, women leaders from around the country participating in a tournament decided to form what was then called the Women's NationalBowling Association.
Bowling technology took a big step forward about the same time. Balls used to be primarily lignum vitae, a very hard wood. But in 1905 the first rubber ball, the "Evertrue" was introduced, and in 1914 the Brunswick Corporation successfully promoted the Mineralite ball, touting its "mysterious rubber compouund".
Now organized, with agreed upon standards, the game grew in popularity. But another technological breakthrough set the stage for massive growth. Morehead Patterson, a vice president of American Machine and Foundry Company (AMF, then a maker of machinery for the bakery, tobacco and apparel businesses) purchased for the company the patents to Gottfried Schmidt's automatic pinspotter.
The first commercial installation was made in Michigan in 1951, and by late 1952 production model pinspotters were introduced.
No longer did a proprietor have to rely on "pinboys"; a few higher-paid mechanics could keep numerous lanes functioning many hours each day.
Television experimented with bowling in the 1950's, and the game's popularity grew exponentially. NBC's broadcast of "Championship Bowling" was the first network coverage of bowling. Coverage proliferated with shows like "Make That Spare", Celebrity Bowling, and "Bowling For Dollars". And in 1961, ABC became the first network to telecast competition of the Pro Bowlers Association. Successful promoter, agent and entrepreneur Eddie Elias founded the PBA, and with his leadership, the Pro Bowlers Tour became a hugely popular stalwart of ABC sports broadcasting. Joined later by telecasts of the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour, millions of Americans witnessed and became interested in the sport.
Organized, competitive leagues remain the foundation of bowling in the United States. However, more than 70% of leagues today are mixed, with a more relaxed level of competition. Also, "organized open" play -- such as Saturday night "Rock and Bowl" events -- are growing in importance to proprietors throughout the country.
Today, the sport of bowling is enjoyed by 100 million people in more than ninety countries worldwide. The sport has a long and intriguing history, and good prospects for growth around the globe.
|Items on this page are taken from the website of >>> International Bowling Museum and Hall Of Fame <<<
Top of page

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Vern G. Swanson, longtime director of the Springville Museum of Art, knows some readers will think he's crazy. Others will be intrigued, and still others may be offended.
That's because Swanson has written a provocative new book theorizing that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene, that they bore children and that LDS Church founder Joseph Smith was their direct descendant. Swanson also suggests that this heavenly birthright gave Smith spiritual authority as a prophet and affirms the historical legitimacy of the LDS Church.
Titled Dynasty of the Holy Grail: Mormonism's Sacred Bloodline, the book was published in November by Cedar Fort, a Springville-based publisher. The scholarly 540-page tome hasn't yet attracted much attention beyond Utah, but Swanson believes his topic will eventually reach a large audience of Mormons, Holy Grail theorists, and fans of The Da Vinci Code book and movie.
I don't mean to sound like I'm making fun of someone's religion (especially where I am living), but this just cracks me up.
Can anyone show me definitive proof (not just the New Testament) that the messiah in question existed, and that he got married and had descendants?
And how can you trace anyone's genealogy back 2000 years? Hell, if you are tracing back the surname Smith, things can get pretty murky just a couple of generations back. And to claim an ability to trace the Smith family back to Yeshua bar Yusuf of Palestine strikes me as near impossible. I may have to check out the book just to see how he claims to have accomplished said task.
To my LDS friends and relatives, I mean no disrespect to your beliefs, but I think this is pushing the boundaries of belief just a bit.
Just my opinion.


text:
Landscape Design
Masters Degree, June 2012 from Cal Poly Pomona. Recently finished co-authoring Marks Ranch Vision Plan, a phased, multiuse plan for a former 816-acre ranch site in Salinas, CA. My master's project was Getting to Green: Toward a More Sustainable Cal Poly Pomona, a vision plan focusing on campus sustainability and offering many low-cost and no-cost solutions that would increase long-term sustainability.
View a short portfolio of my work (4.6MB).
View a short portfolio of my work (4.6MB).


text: Well, after the editor of this journal has bugged me to return to writing for this "rightwing" blog. Our last conversation on the subject was after Kip Koontz's memorial service, I feel inspired by Kip to cooperate with my old friend. Therefore, I acquiesce to his request for a "liberal" point of view.


text:
Refreshing Spice Body Cleanser is a smooth and gentle cleanser with organic Avocado Oil and Rosehip Oil that is remarkably nourishing to the skin and encourages skin regeneration. The smooth and light lather cleanses your skin, while leaving it soft and relaxed from the nourishing and refreshingly aromatic blend of Tangerine Oil, Rosemary Oil and Cinnamon Bark Oil to rejuvenate your senses.
Key Ingredients in this product:
Avocado Oil*
Rosehip Oil*
Jojoba Oil*
Rosemary Oil
Availability: In Stock Delivery: 1 day
Origin: Made in Australia
Net Weight: 50mL
For dry skin or to nourish your skin after cleansing, follow with the Five Senses Exquisite Floral Body Oils - Arabian Jasmine, Bulgarian Rose or Precious Neroli.


text:
Measured value:
The KUEBLER CANopen Cubix 538 series LED displays feature characters with 8 mm height, floating decimal point up to 5 places, reverse polarity and IP65 protection, factor and offset-scalable values. They have a 48 x 24 mm DIN panel-mount housing, with the minimal installation depth of 59 mm. They also feature supply voltage from 10 to 30 V, power usage below 2 W, screw terminals RM 5.08 mm, CAN specification 2.0A/2.0B, are CANopen compliant, EEPROM data backup, with automatic baud rate recognition up to 1 Mbit/s, up to 16 node numbers set via rotary switches.
* Tips on getting accurate quotes. Please include product name, order quantity, usage, special requests if any in your inquiry.


text:
Potential Tropical Cyclone Eighteen prompted the governments of Cuba and the Bahamas to issue Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches for portions of those countries on Friday afternoon. At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Potential Tropical Cyclone Eighteen was located at latitude 17.5°N and longitude 84.5°W which put it about 415 miles (670 km) south-southwest of Havana, Cuba. It was moving toward the north-northwest at 6 m.p.h. (10 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 40 m.p.h. (65 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 1006 mb.
Tropical Storm Warnings were issued for the Cuban provinces of Isla de la Juventud, La Habana, Ciudad de la Habana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Villa Clara. Tropical Storm Warnings were also issued for the northwestern Bahamas including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Island, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island and New Providence. Tropical Storm Watches were issued for the Central Bahamas including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador.
An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance plane investigated the system formerly known as Invest 93L on Friday afternoon. The plane found sustained winds to tropical storm force. The plane also found a broad circulation center with several smaller centers of circulation revolving around inside the broader center. Based on the observations from the plane, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) chose not to upgrade the system to Tropical Storm Philippe in its 5:00 p.m. EDT advisory. However, NHC did change the designation of the system from Invest 93L to Potential Tropical Cyclone Eighteen. If a more well defined center of circulation develops, then NHC could still change designation of the system to Tropical Storm Philippe.
The circulation of Potential Tropical Cyclone Eighteen is still organizing. As mentioned above, there is a broad center of counterclockwise rotation. There are also several smaller counterclockwise swirls within the broader center. More showers and thunderstorms developed closer to the center of circulation on Friday afternoon. The storms closer to the center of circulation were generating some upper level divergence which was pumping away mass to the northeast of the system. Some bands of showers and thunderstorms were developing in the outer portions of the circulation.
Potential Tropical Cyclone Eighteen will move through an environment somewhat favorable for intensification. It will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperature is near 30°C. The system is embedded in a flow over warm moist air. However there is a stationary front northwest of the system and there is cooler, drier air north of the stationary front. The system is currently under the western side of an upper level ridge. The upper level winds are weak and there is not much vertical wind shear. Potential Tropical Cyclone Eighteen could slowly intensify during the next 24 hours as the circulation becomes more well organized.
The ridge east of Potential Tropical Cyclone Eighteen is steering the system toward the north-northwest. That general motion should continue for another six to twelve hours. An upper level trough will approach the system from the west on Saturday and the trough will start to steer it more toward the northeast. On its anticipated track Potential Tropical Cyclone Eighteen will approach Cuba on Saturday afternoon. The center of the system will move south of the Florida Keys on Saturday night and it could move across the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday.
The system will bring gusty winds and locally heavy rain to those locations. The locally heavy rain could cause flooding. There could be a storm surge of several feet (one to two meters) on parts of the south coast of Cuba, where the wind blows the water toward the coast. There could also be some storm surge along the coasts of the Florida Keys.


text:
Rated: PG-13
Length: 2 hr. 25 min
James Bond's mission is to keep a computer hard drive which has a list of MI6 agents from being used against them. He chases Patrice, (the man with the hard drive) and they have a fight on top of a train and Patrice shot Bond in the shoulder during the fight. Eve, (an agent sent to assist Bond) has them in her crosshairs but hesitates to take the shot because she might hit Bond but M orders her to take the shot so she does, and the shot hits Bond who falls into the river and is believed to be dead. Mallory,(the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee) has a meeting with M .A few months later, the British government is upset with MI6 for losing the list; especially at M. She is told by Mallory that she'll be allowed to retire but she refuses to leave until the matter is resolved. So she returns to HQ to work on it but as she arrives, there's an explosion. In the meantime, Bond, who is not dead, has been laying low. When he learns of what happened, he returns. And M tasks him with finding the one who has the information. Bond removed the shrapnel from his shoulder and they traced it to Patrice, Bond is sent to shanghai to find Patrice. Bond met with Q, (the gadget guy) and Q gave him a emergency radio that connected with MI6 to and a gun that can only be used by Bond. Patrice was in a skyscraper and he assassinated someone in the opposite skyscraper and then had a fight with Bond and Patrice fell to his death. Bond found a poker chip in Patrice's suitcase. Bond went to the casino that the chip was from and cashed it out and he received 4 million euros. Bond rans into a women from the other skyscraper and she leads him to Raoul Silva (the enemy). Raoul Silva gets captured and brought back to the UK. Q took Raoul Silva's laptop and tried hacking it but it opened Silva's cell and let him out. Bond chased Silva through london's subway system. Silva set a bomb which derailed the subway which led Bond off track. Bond came just in time to save M from Silva. Bond and M drove to the Bond family estate called Skyfall in Scotland and led Silva there and used booby traps to try and injure Silva's henchmen. The first batch of hentchmen stood no chance. Then the last batch came in a helicopter with Silva. Bond used dynamite to destroy the helicopter and most hentchmen except Silva and 2 of his men. M escaped with Bond's friend through an escape hatch that led to a church and they were using a flashlight to see. Silva saw their flashlight and started chasing them. Bond kills the 2 hentchmen but Silva shot M. Silva asked M to shoot them both but Bond comes just in time and throws a knife at Silva's back. M and Silva die. Bond goes back to the UK and finds out that Eve's last name is moneypenny and mallory becomes the new M. I give Skyfall an A because this movie has a lot of action and decent acting but the gadgets could have been more futuristic.


text:
Indianapolis City Ballet burst onto the Indianapolis arts scene in September 2009 with its Evening with the Stars, gala-style program. The audience was enthusiastic and immediately embraced the new ballet presence. This unique event includes some of the world's foremost dancers performing their signature works including classical and cutting-edge contemporary ballet works and excerpts. With four consecutive years of performances and five performances, the event is the perennial favorite of the community and the media, having been named "Event of the Year" every year!
Created to add to the community, filling a void in the professional ballet scene and complementing the dance and arts institutions already in Indianapolis, Indianapolis City Ballet seeks to build a ballet program that embraces the best of classical ballet and strives to define its contemporary development. Built on a standard of excellence, ICB's build-up with include the creation of a ballet company and presentations of major international companies.
The Penny and Jock Fortune Master Class Series presented by Indianapolis City ballet started in January 2010 and have brought some of the world's most renowned teachers and artists to Indianapolis. This series has served to unite a community of dance in Indianapolis and provided unique and special opportunities for students and teachers alike. With classes sizes capped to assure a productive experience, all have been filled to capacity. Video-taped question and answer sessions allow students, parents and teachers to learn more about the teachers and artists and to gain from the insights and experiences of some of the ballet world's leaders. View videos here >>
IIBC from Indianapolis City Ballet on Vimeo.


text:
Mom burnout is a thing. A real thing.
It happens to some parents — dads too — more than others. Perfectionists, for sure.
A study published this year in Frontiers of Psychology found that about 13 percent of mothers and 12 percent of fathers experienced "high burnout." Researchers noted a correlation between this level of burnout and health problems, addiction and depression.
Keep in mind, this is a Belgian study of more than 2,000 parents in a country where they get 15 weeks of paid maternity leave and child care is subsidized.
Not that a study is needed to know there's normal sleep deprivation and kid-crazy and next-level burnout.
Stephanie O'Leary, clinical psychologist and author of "Parenting in the Real World," said the signs of parental burnout and work burnout are similar, with one exception:
At work, you can blame your burnout on a boss. A heavier than normal workload. The unfairness of the workplace culture. "But being a parent, it's all on you," O'Leary said.
"And at the end of the day, being a mom is the most important job you have. And when it goes off track, you fear making a big mistake and that impact that's going to have is going to be something that messes up your kids for the rest of their life."
Gah. No wonder burnout comes with a heaping side of guilt.
How to recognize burnout
O'Leary said the signs of burnout are:
- Fatigue. (Beyond the usual I-have-kids fatigue.)
- Irritability. Losing patience more often.
- Low productivity.
- Oversensitivity to light and sound. Your kids run up and down the stairs all day. But for some reason, now it seems particularly loud.
- Failure to follow through. Giving in or overcompensating because you have low energy.
- Withdrawing from family and friends. Not returning phone calls, for example.
- Forgetfulness.
What if you have all the signs?
First, O'Leary said, congratulate yourself on acknowledging where you are.
Second, stop judging yourself. You see that mom laughing it up on Facebook at the zoo with her kids and think she never faces parent burnout? Maybe. Maybe not. Stop comparing and despairing.
It's impossible to say whether every parent faces burnout, she said. But some are more susceptible, especially parents who are perfectionist, lack a support system or won't ask for help.
If you can drop everything — meaning drop the kids with Grandma or another relative and take a spa day, maybe two — then by all means. But most parents can't.
5 ways to douse the burnout, keep it at bay
No spa day? No problem. Besides, O'Leary said, parenting is a 24/7 gig, so preventing burnout is really about taking small moments every day. Her top tips are:
1. Avoid engaging in social media.
It's not self-care, O'Leary said. It's a depleting distraction that feeds our need to feel valued and validated but does neither.
"It's more valuable to sit across from someone or pick up the phone and talk to someone."
2. Say no.
Cancel, delegate and leave it for later.
3. Say yes to feel-good moments.
When you're in burnout, you may feel nothing less than a month with Tibetan monks will do. But O'Leary said choosing to say yes to small pleasurable moments can prevent mom and dad burnout. "Even if you tell the kids, 'we're going to sit in the driveway and listen to mommy's favorite song before we get out of the car.'"
4. Schedule downtime or pick-me-up time.
Waiting for the perfect time to relax or fit in some me time? Never. Going. To. Happen.
You have to schedule it, O'Leary said. Even if scheduling it means texting hubby to say, "I'm going to Target BY MYSELF for 30 minutes." Or it could mean scheduling a lunch date with a friend on Saturday or arranging a play-date swap with a friend while you run to the gym or the movies.
5. Lower your expectations.
Sometimes it's OK to pop in a video, set the kids in front of it and "go and lay on the bathroom floor," O'Leary said. Is it what we aspired to do when we clutched the first sonogram photo of our progeny and imagined what motherhood would be like? Heck to the no.
But sometimes, we need to press the pause button and take time to recharge wherever and however that may look in the moment. That won't mess up our kids for the rest of their lives, which is what we fear.
When it's more than burnout
Sometimes, what you're feeling is anxiety or depression, which may require medical or professional intervention.
Burnout is often situational, brought on by a confluence of happenings. But while parents dealing with burnout can pretend everything is A-OK, people with more serious issues can't.
"They are really struggling to function," O'Leary said. "Their sleep is impacted, their appetite, their health, their ability to do the things they used to be able to do without difficulty."
That's when it's time to see a doctor and get professional help, she said.
Like All the Moms?
Parents: Study shows how you deal with conflict rubs off on your kids
Mom secret: How to get your kids to quit touching your stuff
Kids and chores: If they can walk, they can do chores


text:
HUNTSVILLE — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is enlisting the public to help determine who is responsible for shooting a deer around sunrise on Wednesday (July 5) morning.
According to a report filed by Scott County wildlife officer Wade Young, a landowner in Huntsville heard a gun shot, followed by the sound of a vehicle with a loud muffler, at around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. Shortly thereafter, the landowner discovered an eight-point whitetail buck that had been shot and left laying in a field along Mill Branch Road.
Young said that the bullet wound in the deer was consistent with a small-caliber, center-fire rifle, such as a .223. Young added that the shot was likely fired from Mill Branch Road, towards several houses on nearby Day Lane.
Persons with information on the incident can call the TWRA's East Tennessee poaching hotline, 800-831-1174.
The agency offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of wildlife poachers.


text:
Flourishes were never a strong suit. One day I will master them.
Day 20 – Weak
4 comments
I don't know, Denise, I don't see anything wrong with it. Yet another one of us being too hard on our own work (a fellow thing-a-day-er took me to task about that earlier). Incorporating the skull must have been tricky. I bet if you made it in black and pink and white it would look fantastic.


text:
time to time we offer
Escorted Tours to Argentina. If the tour includes a visit to any
of the cities or regions above you may click on it for a complete
tour description including day by day itinerary, rates, useful
information, terms and conditions, departures and reservations or
click on the name of the tour below.
Copyright ©
2013 Travel and Tours Online Inc.. All Rights Reserved.IMPORTANT
NOTE: All information and prices quoted on our site are subject to
change without notice


text:
Accessibility tools
Service tools
Language selector
Navigation path
Left navigation
Additional tools
European Commission - Press release
Internal market: Commission requests Austria and Poland to fully transpose EU rules in the area of defence procurement
Brussels, 31 May 2012 - Austria and Poland have been asked to notify to the European Commission within the next two months the measures they are taking to transpose EU rules on defence procurement (Directive 2009/81/EC). The Commission is concerned that they have failed to fulfil their commitments under the Directive regarding procurement of arms, munitions and war material (and related works and services) for defence purposes, and also the procurement of sensitive supplies, works and services for security purposes. If the Directive is not fully implemented in all Member States, companies and taxpayers alike cannot reap the benefits of easier access to a transparent and open – and hence more competitive - defence market.
These rules are tailored to the specificities of defence and security equipment and markets. The deadline for implementing the rules in question was 20 August 2011.
Austria has not yet transposed the Directive's provisions with regard to Carinthia, which means that the Directive's measures do not apply to its entire territory. As to Poland, it has not yet communicated any measures transposing the aforementioned Directive.
The Commission's request takes the form of a reasoned opinion. If the Austrian and Polish authorities do not notify the necessary implementing measures within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union and may request the Court to impose financial penalties.
The Directive introduces at European level:
It covers specific security and defence procurement contracts for:
Procurement of non-sensitive and non-military equipment, works and services by contracting authorities in the fields of defence and security is covered by the general public procurement Directive 2004/18/EC.
Both directives are subject to Article 346 of the Treaty, which means that EU countries can exempt defence and security contracts where the rules of Directive 2009/81/EC are not sufficient to safeguard their essential security interests.
More information:
Latest information on infringement proceedings concerning all Member States:
For more information on infringement procedures, see MEMO/12/387
Arms, munitions and war material included in the 1958 list which defines the scope of Article 346 of the Treaty
Side Bar


text:
Hey there! I am Daniel and in this video I am going to show you where to find TM33 which is Reflect in Pokémon Sun & in Pokémon Moon. So right now, I am standing in the middle of Heahea City, which is on Akala Island. And where you want to head off to, is the Pokémon Center! So from here we head inside, then you want to run over to this man. And on the fourth spot here, we got reflect, so there you go! That was it for this video, I hope you found the answer to what you were looking for.
If not, you have the following options : you can check the description for details, have a look in the comments and see if there's a solution to your problem there, or reach out to me! You can do so either by commenting on any of my videos, hit me up on Twitter @NirthPanter or to join our NPC HQ over at Discord. I would like to give a special thanks to A Cloud Called Klaus for letting me use his remixes in my videos. Be sure to check him out, he's a wonderful artist and you will as always find links to his work down below.
If you'd like to see more of my content, you can have a look at the playlist called 'My Best Videos – NirthPanter'. Click on screen, or the 'I' icon in the upper right corner, or in the description! If my content has convinced you to join our community, the NPCs, I hope you will enjoy your stay. With that said, I'll see you again sometime and until then, be your very best..
As found on Youtube


text:
Barbara Black: 'A healthy, vibrant community is enhanced by the arts'
The Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community (RAAC) announces 17 winners of the 2017 Claudia Mitchell Arts Fund Grants for Rappahannock artists and organizations.
In total, $43,500 was awarded. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $5,000.
"It was a very competitive process again this year, with many excellent proposals," commented RAAC Board President Matthew Black.
"In keeping with the vision of the Claudia Mitchell Arts Fund, the grants reward and encourage individual artists of all ages and county organizations who are working to foster the arts in Rappahannock," explains a RAAC news release. "This year's grants include a diversity of educational and performance projects, a variety of media, emerging and established artists, artistic and institutional development, arts programs within community-based organizations, and collaborative projects."
Grant winners include Washington artist Kevin Adams for a public drawing and painting program as part of his residency this month in Shenandoah National Park; 1000 Faces Mask Theater, for creation of a new performance piece and public performance on September 23 in Castleton; Janet Kerig's Arts & Crafts Camp for scholarships for kids at her multimedia camp at Hearthstone School this summer; and many others.
Winners will join the ranks of many other Mitchell Arts Fund Grant recipients.
Since 2011, RAAC and the Mitchell Arts Fund have aimed to support and encourage artists, organizations, and the arts in Rappahannock through building community. Over the years, RAAC has awarded local artists an impressive $160,000.
In an interview with the Rappahannock News, Mitchell Arts Fund chair Barbara Black suggested that the fund was created in response to two separate factors: in 2009, RAAC's annual art tour began to make profits, causing the board to explore the possibility of establishing some type of arts fund; the generosity of long-time RAAC President Claudia Mitchell catalyzed this proposal.
Upon her passing, Mitchell left $10,000 to RAAC, earmarking the money for the support of the arts.
Black calls Mitchell a "ball-of-fire woman" — a woman whose commitment, energy, and devotion to the Rappahannock arts community have made a marked difference on the county.
Since Mitchell's donation, the fund has been replenished through community donations and proceeds from RAAC programs.
As a result, artists can now apply for three types of grants from the Mitchell Fund. Most apply throughout the annual cycle, during which time the Mitchell Arts Fund requests proposals from the community. Others are approached by RAAC and the fund to initiate proposals. Still others apply through what RAAC calls "out of cycle grants" — proposals which, for one reason or another, cannot wait for approval during the regular grant cycle.
Regular cycle applications usually go out at the beginning of December and are due March 15.
This year, RAAC held its first-ever workshop reviewing guidelines for the grant proposal process. Black says that the purpose of the workshop was to increase transparency, help people understand the fund's objectives, and explain how to draft a solid proposal.
In addition, each grantee is assigned a liaison from the committee during the application process. These liaisons help answer questions and forge relationships between the selection board and the potential grantees.
After all applications are submitted, the board selects winners based on creativity and quality of project, capacity to do the work, a need and a passion for the proposal, and residency in Rappahannock County.
All proposals are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but Black says the board often selects those whose work would benefit the community at large. In describing a former grant winner, Black says fondly, "I love seeing how the drum circle brings children and older people together. At a time when we need to find commonality, the arts is a place where we can do that."
On Sunday, June 25, RAAC's board and the Claudia Mitchell Arts Fund Committee will hold its annual Grant Give-Away Party for the 2017 Claudia Mitchell Arts Fund grantees. Black says the event will be a lovely opportunity for the grantees to form a community amongst themselves and for all to be inspired by the thriving arts community in Rappahannock county.
She emphasizes, "The arts are not elitist — everybody can be involved in the arts . . . I think a healthy, vibrant community is enhanced by the arts."
1000 Faces Mask Theater for a public performance at Castleton
Kevin Adams for a public drawing and painting program in Shenandoah National Park
Janet Kerig's Hearthstone School Arts and Crafts Camp scholarships
Ann Baumgardner for continuing watercolor painting of county scenes
Veronika Benson for research on Portland and Albuquerque for her novel
Kevin Bosch for the Rappahannock Writing Retreat
Patty Brennan for stained glass work focused on Rappahannock
CCLC for multi-arts programming
Goodlife Theater for a new educational puppet production
Barbara Heile for "spontaneous painting" classes
Kid Pan Alley for 3-day songwriting and singing workshops
Sheila Lamb for a 2-week writer's residency at Porches Writing Retreat
Mountainside Dance Center for scholarships for young dancers and a June showcase
Rappahannock High School Band Booster's for scholarships for individual instrumental music instruction
Will Sands for a photojournalism project on Rappahannock County
Wendi Sirat for 3 community drum circle series at RAAC Theater
Stone Hill Theatrical Foundation for supporting citizen theater


text:
- Introduction
- How to map objects to relational databases
- Mapping attributes to columns
- Implementing inheritance in a relational database
- Mapping classes to tables
- Comparing the mapping strategies
- Mapping associations, aggregation, and composition
- The difference between association, aggregation, and composition
- Implementing relationships in relational databases
- Implementing many-to-many associations
- Summary
- Downloadable resources
- Related topics
- Comments
Mapping objects to relational databases
What you need to know and why
Why a paper about mapping objects to relational databases? Because of the "impedance mismatch" between the object paradigm and the relational paradigm. The object paradigm is based on software engineering principles such as coupling, cohesion, and encapsulation, whereas the relational paradigm is based on mathematical principles, particularly those of set theory. The two different theoretical foundations lead to different strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the object paradigm is focused on building applications out of objects that have both data and behavior, whereas the relational paradigm is focused on storing data. The "impedance mismatch" comes into play when you look at the preferred approach to access: with the object paradigm you traverse objects via their relationships, whereas with the relational paradigm you duplicate data to join the rows in tables. This fundamental difference results in a less-than-ideal combination of the two paradigms, but then, a few hitches are to be expected. One of the secrets of success for mapping objects to relational databases is to understand both paradigms and their differences, and then make intelligent trade-offs based on that knowledge.
This paper should alleviate several common misconceptions prevalent in development circles today, presenting a practical look at the issues involved with mapping objects to relational databases. The strategies are based on my development experiences, ranging from small to large projects in the financial, distribution, military, telecommunications, and outsourcing industries. I've applied these principles for applications written in C++, Smalltalk, Visual Basic, and the Java language.
How to map objects to relational databases
In this section I will describe the fundamental techniques required to successfully map objects into relational databases:
- Mapping attributes to columns
- Implementing inheritance in a relational database
- Mapping classes to tables
- Mapping associations, aggregation, and composition
- Implementing relationships
Mapping attributes to columns
A class attribute will map to either zero or a number of columns in a relational database. It
is important to remember that not all attributes are persistent. For example, an
Invoice class may have a
grandTotal attribute that is used by its
instances for calculation purposes, but that is not saved to the database. Furthermore, some
object attributes are objects in their own right; for example, a
Course object has
an instance of
TextBook as an attribute, which maps to several columns in the
database (actually, chances are that the
TextBook class will map to one or more
tables in its own right). The important thing is that this is a recursive definition: at some
point the attribute will be mapped to zero or more columns. It is also possible that several
attributes could map to a single column in a table. For example, a class representing a U.S. zip
code may have three numeric attributes, one representing each of the sections in a full zip
code, whereas the zip code may be stored as a single column in an address table.
Implementing inheritance in a relational database
The concept of inheritance throws in several interesting twists when saving objects into a relational database. (See "Building Object Applications That Work" in Related topics.) The issue basically boils down to figuring out how to organize the inherited attributes within your persistence model. The way in which you resolve this challenge can have a major impact on your system design. There are three fundamental solutions for mapping inheritance into a relational database, and to understand them I will discuss the trade-offs of mapping the class diagram presented in Figure 1. To keep the issues simple, I have not modeled all of the attributes of the classes; nor have I modeled their full signatures or any of the methods of the classes.
Figure 1. A UML class diagram of a simple class hierarchy
Mapping classes to tables
Classes map to tables, although often not directly. Except with very simple databases, you will never have a one-to-one mapping of classes to tables. In the following sections I will discuss three strategies for implementing inheritance structures to a relational database:
- Using one data entity for an entire class hierarchy
- Using one data entity per concrete class
- Using one data entity per class
Using one data entity for an entire class hierarchy
With this approach, you map an entire class hierarchy into one data entity, where all the
attributes of all the classes in the hierarchy are stored. Figure 2 depicts the persistence
model for the class hierarchy of Figure 1 when this approach is taken. Notice that a
personOID column was introduced for the primary key of the table, I will use OIDs
(identifiers with no business meaning, also known as surrogate keys) in all of the solutions,
just to be consistent and to take the best approach that I know of for assigning keys to data
Figure 2. Mapping the class hierarchy to one single data entity
The advantages of this approach are that it is simple, that polymorphism is supported when a
person changes roles, and that ad hoc reporting (reporting performed for the specific purposes
of a small group of users, who commonly write the reports themselves) is also very easy with
this approach because all of the personal data you need is found in one table. The disadvantages
are that every time a new attribute is added anywhere in the class hierarchy a new attribute
must be added to the table. This increases the coupling within the class hierarchy -- if a
mistake is made while adding a single attribute, it could affect all the classes within the
hierarchy in addition to the subclasses of whatever class got the new attribute. It also
potentially wastes a lot of space in the database. I also had to add the
column to indicate whether the row represents a student, a professor, or another type of person.
This works well when someone has a single role, but quickly breaks down if they have multiple
roles (for example, the person is both a student and a professor).
Using one data entity per concrete class
With this approach each data entity includes both the attributes and the inherited attributes
of the class that it represents. Figure 3 depicts the persistence model for the class hierarchy
of Figure 1 when this approach is taken. There are data entities corresponding to both the
Student class and the
Professor class because they are concrete, but
not the
Person class because it is abstract (indicated by the fact that its name is
depicted in italics). Each of the data entities was assigned its own primary key,
studentOID and
professorOID respectively.
Figure 3. Mapping each concrete class to a single data entity
The biggest advantage to this approach is that it is still fairly easy to perform ad hoc
reporting, given that all the data you need about a single class is stored in only one table.
There are several disadvantages, however. One is that when you modify a class you have to modify
its table and the table of any of its subclasses. For example, if you were to add height and
weight to the
Person class, you would need to update both tables, which is a lot of
work. Second, whenever an object changes its role -- perhaps you hire one of your graduating
students to become a professor -- you need to copy the data into the appropriate table and
assign it a new OID. Once again, a lot of work. Third, it is difficult to support multiple roles
and still maintain data integrity. (It is possible; just harder than it should be.) For
instance, where would you store the name of someone who is both a student and a professor?
Using one data entity per class
With this approach you create one table per class, the attributes of which are the OID and
the attributes that are specific to that class. Figure 4 depicts the persistence model for the
class hierarchy of Figure 1 when this approach is taken. Notice that
personOID is
used as the primary key for all three data entities. An interesting feature of Figure 4 is that
personOID column in both
Professor and
Student is
assigned two stereotypes, something that is not allowed in the Unified Modeling Language (UML).
My opinion is that this is an issue that will have to be addressed by the UML persistence
modeling profile and may even necessitate a change in this modeling rule. (See "Towards a UML
Profile for a Relational Persistence Model" in Related topics for more
information about persistence models.)
Figure 4. Mapping each class to its own data entity
The main advantage of this approach is that it conforms best to object-oriented concepts. It supports polymorphism very well as you merely have records in the appropriate tables for each role that an object might have. It is also very easy to modify superclasses and add new subclasses because you merely need to modify or add one table. There are several disadvantages to this approach. First, there are many tables in the database -- one for every class, in fact (plus tables to maintain relationships). Second, it takes longer to read and write data using this technique because you have to access multiple tables. This problem can be alleviated if you organize your database intelligently by putting each table within a class hierarchy on different physical disk-drive platters (this assumes that each of the disk-drive heads operate independently). Third, ad hoc reporting on your database is difficult, unless you add views to simulate the desired tables.
Comparing the mapping strategies
Notice, now, how each mapping strategy results in a different model. To understand the design
trade-offs between the three strategies, consider the simple change to our class hierarchy
presented in Figure 5: a
TenuredProfessor class has been added, which inherits from
Figure 5. Extending the initial class hierarchy
Figure 6 presents the updated persistence model for mapping the entire class hierarchy into one data entity. Notice how very little effort was required to update the model following this strategy, although the obvious problem of wasted space in the database has increased.
Figure 6. Mapping the extended hierarchy to a single data entity
Figure 7 presents the persistence model when each concrete class is mapped to a data entity. With this strategy I only had to add a new table, although the issue of how to handle objects that change their relationship with us (students become professors) has now become more complex because we have added the promotion of professors to tenured professors.
Figure 7. Mapping the concrete classes of the extended hierarchy to data entities
Figure 8 presents the solution for the third mapping strategy -- mapping a single class to a
single data entity. This required me to add a new table that included only the new attributes of
TenuredProfessor class. The disadvantage of this approach is that it requires
several database accesses to work with instances of the new class.
Figure 8. Mapping all classes of the extended hierarchy to data entities
The point to go away with is that none of these approaches is perfect; each has its strengths and weaknesses. They are compared here in Table 1.
Table 1. Comparing the approaches to mapping inheritance
|Factors to Consider
|One table per hierarchy
|One table per concrete class
|One table per class
|Ad hoc reporting
|Ease of implementation
|Ease of data access
|Very high
|Speed of data access
|Support for polymorphism
Mapping associations, aggregation, and composition
Not only must you map objects into the database, you must also map the relationships that the object is involved with so they can be restored at a later date. There are four types of relationships that an object can be involved with: inheritance, association, aggregation, and composition. To map these relationships effectively, we must understand the differences between them, how to implement relationships generally, and how to implement many-to-many relationships specifically.
The difference between association, aggregation, and composition
From a database perspective, the only difference between association and aggregation/composition relationships is how tightly the objects are bound to each other. With aggregation and composition, anything you do to the whole in the database you almost always need to do to the parts, whereas with association that is not the case.
In Figure 9 you see three classes, two of which have a simple association between them and two that share an aggregation relationship (actually, composition would likely have been a more accurate way to model this). (See "Building Object Applications That Work" in Related topics for more information about relationships.) From a database point of view, aggregation/composition and association are different in the fact that with aggregation you usually want to read in the part when you read in the whole, whereas with an association it is not always as obvious what you need to do. The same goes for saving objects to the database and deleting objects from the database. Granted, this is usually specific to the business domain, but this rule of thumb seems to hold up in most circumstances.
Figure 9. The difference between association and aggregation/composition
Implementing relationships in relational databases
Relationships in relational databases are maintained through the use of foreign keys. A foreign key is one or more data attributes that appear in one table that may be part of, or is coincidental with, the key of another table. Foreign keys allow you to relate a row in one table with a row in another. To implement one-to-one and one-to-many relationships you merely have to include the key of one table in the other table.
In Figure 10 you see three tables, their keys (OIDs), and the foreign keys used to implement
the relationships between them. First, there is a one-to-one association between the
Position and
Employee data entities. A one-to-one association is one
in which the maximums of each of its multiplicities are one. To implement this relationship I
used the attribute
positionOID, the key of the
Position data entity,
in the
Employee data entity. I was forced to do it this way because the association
is uni-directional -- employee rows know about their position rows but not the other way around.
Had this been a bi-directional association, I would have had to add a foreign key called
employeeOID in
Position as well. Second, I implemented the
many-to-one association (also referred to as a one-to-many association) between
Employee and
Task using the same sort of approach, the only
difference being that I had to put the foreign key in
Task because it was on the
'many' side of the relationship.
Figure 10. A persistence model for a simple human resources database.
Implementing many-to-many associations
To implement many-to-many relationships, you need the concept of an associative table, a data
entity whose sole purpose is to maintain the association between two or more tables in a
relational database. In Figure 10 you see that there is a many-to-many relationship between
Employee and
Benefit. In Figure 11 you see how to use an associative
table to implement a many-to-many relationship. In relational databases the attributes contained
in an associative table are traditionally the combination of the keys in the tables involved in
the relationship. The name of an associative table is typically either the combination of the
names of the tables that it associates or the name of the association that it implements. In
this case I chose
EmployeeBenefit over
BenefitEmployee and
has because I felt it reflected the nature of the association better.
Figure 11. Implementing a many-to-many relationship in a relational database
Notice the application of multiplicities in Figure 11. The rule is that the multiplicities "cross over" once the associative table is introduced, as indicated in Figure 12. A multiplicity of '1' is always introduced on the outside edges, as you can see in Figures 11 and 12, to preserve the overall multiplicity of the original association. The original association indicated that an employee has one or more benefits and that any given benefit is given to zero or more employees. In Figure 11 you see that this is still true even with the associative table in place to maintain the association.
Figure 12. Introducing an associative table
It is important to note that I choose to apply the stereotype "<<associative table>>" rather than the notation for associative classes -- a dashed line connecting the associative class to the association that it describes -- for two reasons. First, the purpose of an associative table is to implement an association, whereas the purpose of an associative class is to describe an association. Second, the approach taken in Figure 11 reflects the actual implementation strategy that you would need to take using relational technology.
In this paper you discovered the basics of mapping objects to relational databases. It is possible to successfully and easily store objects in relational databases if you follow the steps described in this paper. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at email@example.com, and if you are interested in providing input into a UML profile for a persistence model, please drop by my working page for the development of a UML Persistence Model Profile and get involved.
Downloadable resources
Related topics
- The Process Patterns Resource Page by Scott W. Ambler
- "Enhancing the Unified Process" by Scott W. Ambler


text:
Integrated Billing Solution Available via CentroBill for AdultCentro Publisher Powered Sites
If you are running a paysite on the AdultCentro Publisher platform not only are you capable of integrating processors such as Epoch, CCBill, Zombaio (and many others) to bill your customers, you now have the ability to process directly and almost immediately with seamlessly integrated billing service solution, CentroBill.
CentroBill's integrated billing solution essentially automates the set-up of the billing capabilities of your paysite while offering real-time detailed stats in a single interface.
This billing solution is also compatible with various affiliate systems and allows you to set up with NATS, as well as others, to work both with ACP and CentroBill.
For the German market, integrating the CentroBill solution offers cutting-edge secure payments handling through Sofort and EuroDebit.
Save Time and Enhance Customer Satisfaction!
Now, everything from creating websites to issuing monthly payouts, is simplified as CentroBill as your processing backbone offers a virtually automated paysite lifecycle. Whether your users are creating (or upgrading) website subscriptions, requesting billing support or canceling accounts, CentroBill handles the task automatically, with zero manual effort on your part - just let CentroBill know where to send your earnings.
The easy-to-use self-service interface makes it fast and easy to configure and edit join options making your billing policy more flexible while detailed real-time stats show clients a response just exactly when you need it. The end result? Less overhead, higher revenue, and more satisfied customers.


text: I am looking for fabric with 18 wheeler diesel trucks on it. This will be for an adult so no kids pattern. I haven't been able to find any that even comes close to what I am looking for. I do know that one of you may be able to guide me in the right direction. Blessing to all.


text:
This is "Snowflake" the Warm Fuzzy Friend of Charity and Giving. Snowflake teaches children that everyone can learn to give to make the world a better place no matter how small you are. The package also comes with a Bullying Prevention Card of Snowflake teaching a bullying prevention skill.
The package below comes the following items:
- A Warm Fuzzy Snowflake 10 cm. Round Fuzzy Foam Core Ball (See Above Photo), or Warm Fuzzy Necklace (See Photo Below). This is great to take to your guidance lessons, or to have in the play room.
- A "Snowflake" Brochure with the social story "Snowflake and the Winter Wind" by Dr. Michelle Stangline. This brochure is reproducible for your students and clients. It also has tips for parents to help their child practice and learn charity and and giving.
- A Mini Reproducible Poster of "Snowflake" for your office. I also take this to guidance lessons and make sure the teacher gets a copy for the classroom.
- A Reproducible "Snowflake" Card for your practice or guidance program. I send notes to my clients and students with these friendly cards.
- A "Bullying Prevention Coping Skill Card from "Snowflake". Snowflake teaches children how to handle bullies. I put this card outside my office door for students to read and practice with.
Order Your Package Today for only $19.95 (Plus $5.00 Shipping and Handling Fee). That's a total of only $24.95!
We take Paypal and all Major Credit Cards.
Buy Now Button:
Please allow two to three weeks for delivery.
This is the same package as the above one, except that it comes with a "Snowflake" Necklace (Approximately 4 inches with a 12 inch cord)
You can specify which Warm Fuzzy Friend Item (Fuzzy Ball or Fuzzy Necklace) you would like once you order the package.
You can see the necklace below:
Meet "Amour"! Amour is the light pink Warm Fuzzy Friend of Love and Kindness. She teaches children how to be kind and loving.
This is the Amour Package below. It comes with "Amour" Warm Fuzzy Ball, Amour Social Story Brochure, Amour Mini Poster, Amour Bullying Prevention Card, and Amour Card.
You can substitute the Amour Warm Fuzzy Necklace for the Warm Fuzzy Ball if you prefer. Just order the package and confirm which Warm Fuzzy Friend you want as either a necklace or a fuzzy ball.
Disclaimer: This website and its content is intended for trained licensed mental health professionals and school certified mental health professionals to use for their clients / students at their own discretion.
*If you ignore the disclaimer above are using these techniques on yourself and you feel any discomfort or upset it is highly suggested that you seek out a licensed mental health professional immediately.
"Beyond Art Therapy" is the concept from Dr. Stangline that combines all creative fields in therapy. It is not the traditional "art therapy" but goes beyond to include sand tray therapy, play therapy, mindfulness, meditation, color therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and a vast majority of other therapies.
For any other type of mental health emergency call your local 911 / Police Number immediately.
Dr. Stangline does not offer advice / suggestions to anyone who is not a professional mental health provider, or a student who is studying this field and has questions about mental health programs of study.
Step By Step Therapy:
Learn how to be a more Creative Therapist with the Book that started it all!
- Graduate School Counseling book used by hundreds of graduate counseling students!
- Includes full color reproducible worksheets with most activities.
- Winner of the Counselor Writer of the Year Award, 2011, Georgia Regional Award
Download Your Copy Today Only $39.95:
See Creative Counseling 101 eBook Information Here:
Get your complete set of the Creative Counseling 101.com eBooks by Dr. Michelle Stangline for only $98.95, that's less than $25.00 per eBook (Regular Price is $39.95 for each eBook.).
Your complete set includes:
- Creative Counseling 101
- Creative Group Counseling 101
- Creative Play Therapy 101
- Creative Sand Tray 101
For more information click the link below:
See Complete Set of eBooks For Sale Here:
New!!! "Beyond Art Therapy" 101 eBook
Over 300 pages of Beyond Art Therapy activities and techniques. Learn what I teach graduate counseling students!
See the link below for more information.
Only $39.95
See More Invividual eBooks For Sale:
Sand Tray Therapy 101 eBook:
Learn how to do Sand Tray Therapy or enhance your skills.
Play Therapy 101 eBook
Learn how to do play therapy or enhance your skills.
Small Group Counseling eBook For Sale:
Learn how to do creative group therapy and enhance your skills.
School Counselor Guidance Lesson & Social Stories eBook for sale:
Get a year's worth of school counselor guidance lessons with "Creative Warm & Fuzzy Classroom Guidance Lessons eBook". Introduce your students to the "Warm & Fuzzy Way". Click the link below for more information:
Warm & Fuzzy School Counselor Guidance Lessons eBook


text: Most of us here probably know that charing a model S with 110 volts is slow. I was curious just how slow so I plugged in with 198 miles showing. Came back exactly 4 hours later and the miles were 213. Not quite 4 miles per hour of charge. So Tesla's not kidding when they say 110 is slow.


text:
Excellence in Engagement and Economic Development
Actively engage the university's strengths to support the health, economic, and social development of Indiana, the nation, and the world.
- Translating innovation. Accelerate the transformation of the innovations and intellectual property developed by IU faculty, staff, and students into new products, services, and companies to improve the Indiana economy and national competitiveness.
- Strong communities. Partner with the communities and regions of which IU is a part to provide education, expertise, innovation, and leadership for their advancement.
As a public institution, IU maintains a steadfast commitment to contribute to the economic vitality and cultural enrichment of the state of Indiana, while extending its impact across the nation and around the world. The 20,000-plus students IU graduates each year collectively represent an essential institutional component advancing this objective.
Under the stewardship of the Office of the Vice President for Engagement, IU's Innovate Indiana initiative engages strategic partners to channel and apply the university's vast intellectual resources and expertise, enhancing Indiana's economic growth and quality of life for Hoosiers. Innovate Indiana, a statewide initiative connecting all of IU's eight campuses, encompasses the university's collective outreach efforts dedicated to the advancement of economic development and technology commercialization in Indiana. The IU Research and Technology Corporation (IURTC), a cornerstone of Innovate Indiana, manages the university's technology commercialization enterprise by focusing on translating applied research and discoveries into economic opportunity through licensing to existing firms and supporting new startup ventures.


text:
Short and sweet, I need testers for caustic Remix and more for Caustic Guide.
If you don't know what these apps are but are interested, use my contact form on this site and email me.
Caustic Guide has been tested by about 4 of the forum members and they seem to love it.
Caustic Remix is now working on Android but requires 3.2 beta to load exports.
I have spent about 1.5 years making these two apps and the library framework, things are going good. Now it's time to road test. As of now I would call Remix alpha since there are probably some things that will crop up but Caustic Guide is definitely working well and has many more features I will be adding.
EDIT: The testing is done on my private forum on my site, I need to create accounts for testers before you can access the apks and forum.


text:
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Outer Alliance: Pride Day Post
As a member of the Outer Alliance, I advocate for queer speculative fiction and those who create, publish and support it, whatever their sexual orientation and gender identity. I make sure this is reflected in my actions and my work.
Yup, the first of September is pride day at The Outer Alliance. To celebrate, members will be posting short excerpts of their work. I've decided to post a tiny bit of the novel I'm currently writing. People ask me - "is it SF? Fantasy? Supernatural? Weird?" It's kinda all of those. It has gadgets. It has magic. It has... weird things. Weird people, getting into dark, deep trouble. Alternatively, they sit down and have tea. There are footnotes. It's kind of the global village on a bizarro scale.
Untitled: Excerpt (Novel In Progress)
She found the house on Custard Street without incident. It looked unremarkable. Olivia had expected something gaudier. The zealots must finally have learned the efficacy for flying their cockamamie ideas under the radar. Olivia opened the small white gate and walked up the path. The front door was made of steel; the first sign that those who lived inside had reason to fear for their safety. There was no bell. Olivia banged on the door with her fist.
"We don't want anything!" a voice yelled from inside.
"Open the door."
A hard laugh. "Whatever!"
"I have an appointment."
No answer.
"If you open the door—"
"Who are you?"
"Sarah Smith."
"Lying will get you no further than the porch."
She cursed under her breath. "Olivia Midnight."
Quiet. Olivia waited, already convinced that coming here had been a mistake. The sound of locks being turned held her back. The door opened to reveal a tall, gaunt-looking man in a grey suit. A pink tie set off brightly against his white shirt.
"Whatever brings you here, Harlequin?"
"I told you. I have an appointment with Levin."
The tall man frowned. "I don't see why Levin would want to talk to you." He looked past her, onto the street. The only immediate threat was a small kid on a tricycle. He scowled. "Come in before someone sees you."
The house was old. The fixtures all seemed antique. Not much evidence of computerised control panels. Manual light switches. A sweet smell lingered at the lower level of a more powerful musty odour.
"Stay here," the tall man instructed her gruffly. "And keep your magic in your pockets. None of that Abracadabra bullshit. This place will spike like an irregular heartbeat if anyone's monitoring the area."
He turned and disappeared down a dark hallway. Olivia felt antagonised for having to explain herself. She was used to getting her way easily. And yet… In the past her alliances had always seemed so strong, so clear-cut. When she'd still had a relationship with her father. When there had still been the hope of reconciliation between their differences of opinion. What would he think of her if he knew the things she'd done? Olivia refused to be swayed by her conscience. Not now. She had already risked too much. The idea that all of that had been in vain was unbearable.
While she waited, Olivia noticed the hodgepodge of framed photographs hanging on the yellowed walls. They were old. Most were black and white, a few in colour. Some had been faded by the sun in previous places they had occupied. Olivia wondered if they all belonged to Levin. She knew practically nothing about him. She had accepted his invitation on instinct.
Footsteps approached. The gaunt man paused in the shadows of the darkened hallway. A curious frown creased his forehead. "This way." Olivia followed.
Posted by Lynne Jamneck at 8:08 AM
Labels: GLBT books, lynne jamneck, pride day, the outer alliance
1 comment:
Oooh, looking forward to the rest of this! :-D
- September 1, 2009 at 2:25 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
I hate my hair.
I addition to it being not curly but not straight, gray, and all around annoying, it is so thin on the top front of my head.
It makes me cringe to call attention to it, but take a look…
The thin part on the top of my head is the bane of my existence. I've been trying to do things that will make it better (or at least hide it)… vitamins, different shampoo, styling products, etc. A year or so ago I discovered something that did help quite a bit – highlights. I had resisted highlights for so long because frankly I was cheap, but once I got them I was hooked. So every few months, I grit my teeth and hand over my credit card to the girl at the salon. Expensive? Sure. Worth it? Definitely.
I've come to terms with the expense. Just recently I told my sister that the only way I've found to make my hair situation better is to throw money at it. It was then that I had a revelation – I was getting pricey cuts and color and using high-end hair goo, but I was using cheap hair appliances every day. My hair dryer and straightening iron together probably didn't cost $50, and it seemed entirely possible that better models would produce better results. I started scouring the internet and found folica.com. Not only do they have every hair tool anyone could ever possibly need, the customer reviews are amazing. These people are serious about their hair! Since I was clueless, the reviews were a big help to me.
I reached out to the people at folica and they were nice enough to send me the Sedu Revolution Pro Tourmaline Ionic 4000i (say that 5 times fast) hair dryer for review.
This hair dryer is definitely an investment – the regular price is $200 (although it's on sale for $159.99 right now), but I love it. It is a serious machine – according to the website, the air comes out at 80 mph. It has an on/off button for the ionic generator, which is great when you're going for a smooth, straight look, but not so much when you're looking for volume. It's got 6 different speed/heat settings and a cool blast button as well.
I can seriously tell a difference in my hair when I use this dryer, as compared to my drugstore model. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it leaves my hair more fluffy (in a good way) and full, which is critical for hiding my thin spots! I also love how quickly and thoroughly it dries. Kate has really thick hair (lucky girl) that's below her shoulders, and most of the time she and I lose interest in getting her hair dry when it's about half way there… the Sedu Revolution cuts the time it takes in half, so she is no longer going to bed with a wet head.
I liked this new hair dryer so much that I asked Andy to buy me a professional-grade flat iron as a Christmas present (and by asked I mean sent him a link with a coupon code for $25 off if he ordered it that day. Which he didn't. So I did. He stuck it in a gift bag on Christmas Eve, though, so it was still technically a present). After scouring Folica for the perfect model, I decided on a Sedu 1.5 inch flat iron.
The flat iron came in a set with clips, a heat mat, Sedu Antifrizz Polishing treatment (which I am obsessed with) and a black clutch for travel. It's regularly $244.98 (*gulp*) but thanks to some CRAZY sales they had going on, I managed to score it for about $80. Even that is about 4 times what I've ever spent on one before, but it is worth every penny. It makes my hair so straight and smooth, I feel like I just came out of the salon.
These new toys have made such a difference in how I feel about my hair and about myself as I head out the door every morning. Like I said – Expensive? Sure. Worth it? Definitely.
I'm linking up to Things I Love Thursdays at the Diaper Diaries!


text:
Fred Lisaius is the next artist in the ongoing Inscape Spotlight series. Lisaius is best known for his distinctive depictions of flora and fauna.
|Fred Lisaius in his Inscape studio
Fred's work is currently on display at the Schomburg Gallery in Santa Monica, California through November 29th. A solo exhibition of his newest work will open in January 2012 at the Linda Hodges Gallery in Seattle.
Lisaius had this to say about his method..."Experimenting with ideas and techniques is an important part of my time spent in the studio. I like to apply paint in different ways to see what kind of marks and textures I can achieve with each brush or tool. Sometimes the most beautiful marks are made with the most humble tools."
"ART" OF JUSTICE...On his studio door you'll find a creative reinterpretation of the Department of Justice insignia left behind by the former occupants.
|a pallet of fresh paint sits ready and waiting
|A small work in progress perched in the studio
He will have recent work on display during the Inscape Open Studios Event on November 12th. Still to come...more profiles of the artists who are transforming Inscape.


text:
At one of the dinners in São Tomé, I ate in the house of Dona Hortênsia, a famous cook, who serves both a dinner for two, as was the case, as a feast for 100. For this dinner Dona Hortênsia made a succulent chicken cooked in an absolutely delicious creamy sauce, prepared with coconut milk and peanut butter.
Back in Portugal I tried to know a little more about the dish and in some of the recipes I read were added vegetables, such as sweet potatoes or yams. Dona Hortênsia's dish hadn't any of them but I love sweet potatoes and it seemed to me that it was a very interesting addition to the dish.
This chicken in coconut and peanut sauce is a typical west african dish, with a sweet taste, where the nutty aroma from the peanut butter stands out. It doesn't get too spicy with the amount of cayenne indicated in the recipe, which I undercalculated trying to please all palates. In the end, taste and add a little more if you like. span>
Chicken in coconut and peanut sauce (african recipe)
serves 4
Prep time:
Cook time:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (you may use another vegetable oil)
- 500g chicken, skinless and cut into pieces
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 small can (400 g) peeled tomato
- 400g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 piece of fresh ginger (about 5 cm), peeled
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 125g (1/2 cup) peanut butter
- 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 can (400ml) coconut milk
- 1/4 cup of fresh coriander, chopped
- Sea salt, to taste
- In a pot, heat the coconut oil and brown the chicken. Remove the pieces of chicken and saute the onion in the same oil, not letting it gain color.
- Add the tomatoes and crush them slightly with a wooden spoon. Add the sweet potatoes, ginger, garlic, peanut butter, chicken broth, cayenne pepper, chicken and season lightly with salt. When boiling, cover with the lid and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- In the end, rectify the salt and cayenne pepper and serve with chopped coriander. Accompany with white rice.
For another fragrant and spicy suggestion check these baked sweet potatoes stuffed with a meat and black bean chilli
I would love to hear from you on this article, in particular, or on the blog, in general. You can use the comments box at the end of each post or send me an e-mail through the contact page. You can also follow the blog on Instagram and Pinterest and, if you would like to receive the new articles delivered directly to your inbox, you may subscribe the newsletter at the end of this page.
See you soon.


text:
A gentleman named Lamar Hurd hopes to be the first African American "Bachelor", the Huffington Post reports.
According to the article, show creator Mike Fleiss told Entertainment Weekly that they are always looking to "cast for ethnic diversity" but "for whatever reason, they don't come forward. I wish they would."
Hmm… is this the same as the "maybe no Black people showed up to the audition?" argument? I mean, what does looking to cast for ethnic diversity really mean?
You can read the full article here.
Side note: do yourself a favor and DO NOT read the comments. You have been warned.
[Source: Huffington Post]


text:
We know money can't buy love, but it certainly sounds like everyone tries on Valentine's Day! Sure, February 14 is a day to remind your fabulous fiancé or sweetheart of a spouse just how much you adore them, but apparently most of America hasn't gotten the memo that love doesn't necessarily have to cost a thing. We just got the number on exactly how much Americans are slated to spend this Valentine's Day and the sheer sticker shock will send an arrow right through poor Cupid's heart.
By the looks of it, lovebirds are flying toward bankruptcy this February. The financial website Wallethub estimates that Americans as a whole will be spending $19.7 billion on Valentine's Day this year. Yup, $19.7* billion*. That breaks down to each person planning to celebrate the holiday shelling out $146 for their sweetheart. Flowers and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate really add up, don't they?
Wallethub further broke down the V-Day numbers and found out that couples planning a romantic night-out (candlelit dinner, anyone?) are expected to spend $87 on their meal, adding up to a $4.5 billion restaurant bill. Meanwhile, 18% of twosomes are planning Valentine's Day weekend getaways and are estimated to be spending an average of $286 on their mini-moons — those lucky lovebirds!
See More: 3 Ways to Spend Your First Married Valentine's Day that Won't Break the Bank
As for the old V-Day standbys (flowers and candy are classics for a reason, after all), we're in for some more shocking estimates. Florists are said to be churning out 250 million roses this February, making the half dozen in your bridal bouquet seem like child's play! $1.99 billion will be sent on V-Day blooms and we'll be indulging in $1.76 billion worth of chocolate. Count us in!
And let's not forget about all that bling-bling! $4.45 billion will be our jewelry receipt this year, with some of those baubles having an extra special purpose. 14 million proposals are planned for the uber-romantic holiday. Just think of all the engagement ring selfies come February 15!


text:
New-look for National Service programme from 2016 onwards to include private sector involvement.
The new skills will add value to current modules on patriotism and unity and involve the private sector, he said.
Cabinet approval was sought last week, he said, for the new programme to be included in the 11th Malaysia Plan.
Hishammuddin said the involvement of the private sector would mean that the certificates given out would have more value, and the private sector would not simply reject job applications from former National Service trainees.
He expressed confidence that the new National Service session could begin early next year, after feedback on the new plans had been obtained from all concerned parties next week.
The prime minister, Najib Razak, had announced in his Budget speech in October that the National Service programme would be reviewed and new skills introduced. In January he also announced that this year's programme would be postponed, to save RM400 million in costs, and allow a review.
More than 800,000 youths have undergone National Service training since it was introduced in 2004.


text:
Disaster Recovery, Are You Prepared?
Disaster recovery is one of the most important factors for most businesses, yet it is often overlooked or considered too expensive to implement. Disaster recovery solutions enable a business to continue working in the event of fire, theft, malfunction or terrorism. By preparing for disaster recovery, your business will not lose any valuable data, configurations… continue reading »


text:
Temporary Protected Standing for Haiti Extended for 6 Months
WASHINGTON– Assistant of Homeland Security John F. Kelly has actually extended Temporary Protected Standing(TPS)for eligible nationals of Haiti( and also eligible individuals without citizenship that last repeatedly resided in Haiti)via Jan. 22, 2018. After seeking advice from the proper U.S. federal government companies as well as evaluating nation conditions, Assistant Kelly has established that a restricted, six-month extension is necessitated. Although Haiti has made considerable progression in recovering from the January 2010 earthquake that motivated its designation, problems in Haiti sustaining its designation continuously be met at this time.
Existing beneficiaries of Haiti's TPS classification looking for to expand their TPS must re-register by July 24, 2017. TPS beneficiaries who re-register could ask for a brand-new Employment Permission Document(EAD). Those that re-register and also request a brand-new EAD during the 60-day re-registration duration might receive an automatic expansion of their ending EAD for approximately 180 days from the date their existing EAD runs out. Present EADs will certainly not be immediately prolonged without a brand-new EAD request. If a recipient's EAD request is accepted, they will certainly obtain a new EAD with an expiry day of Jan. 22, 2018. TPS recipients are highly urged to re-register and also file their EAD applications as early as feasible to stay clear of gaps in the documentation of employment consent.
Throughout this six-month extension, recipients are urged to prepare for their go back to Haiti in the event Haiti's classification is not extended once more, consisting of requesting updated traveling documents from the government of Haiti. A minimum of 60 days prior to Jan. 22, 2018, Secretary Kelly will re-evaluate the designation for Haiti as well as will determine whether another extension, a redesignation, or a discontinuation is warranted, completely conformity with the Immigration and also Citizenship Act. The classification of TPS was planned by Congress to be short-term, and also the Secretary will totally re-evaluate the nation conditions to figure out whether Haiti's TPS classification must continue.
To re-register, present TPS recipients need to submit: · Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Standing (Re-registrants do not have to pay the Kind I-821 application cost). · The biometric service charges(or a fee-waiver request)if they are 14 years old or older.
· Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, regardless of whether they desire an EAD.< p style ="margin-top: 0.8 em; margin-bottom: 0.8 em; margin-left: 38.9 pt; font-family: source_sans_pro_regular,"Source Sans Pro", Arial, sans-serif;font-size: 14px;"> · The Form I-765 application cost or a fee-waiver demand, yet just if they desire an EAD. If the re-registrant does not desire an EAD, no Form I-765 application charge is required. Candidates might ask for that USCIS forgo the Form I-765 application
cost and/or biometric services fee based upon an inability to pay. To do so, candidates have to submit< a href ="http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=4c30003cf147c210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=6ca66d26d17df110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD" design="color: rgb(153, 0, 102); "> Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or submit a created request. Fee-waiver demands have to be accompanied by sustaining documents. USCIS will certainly decline the TPS application of any kind of applicant that cannot submit the required declaring costs or a correctly documented fee-waiver demand. Additional details concerning TPS for Haiti, including support on qualification, the application process and also where to submit, is offered online at uscis.gov/ tps. More information concerning this extension of TPS for Haiti, consisting of the application requirements and treatments, show up in a Federal Register discover published today.
We service your area: Florida Miami 33132
13550 SW 88 Street,
St #140, Miami, FL 33186
Tel. 786-347-6474


text:
The future of Montreal?
Le futur de Montréal?
Le futur de Montréal?
All original information and photos on this blog (excluding occasional outside sources) are copyrighted to Vanishing Montreal - JS Davidson. If you want to share any of the info/photos from VM you can by simply linking the original posts to your site but you can't reproduce or copy the original material from this blog to another blog without permission. All rights reserved 2009-2019


text:
Displaying 1 video of 1 matching video containing
David Buckland
Director of Cape Farewell, David Buckland at The Walrus Talks Sustainability. Cape Farewell is an international not-for-profit programme based in the Science Museum's Dana Centre in London and with a North American foundation based at the MaRS centre in Toronto.
Published on Nov 26, 2013
Displaying 1 video of 1 matching video containing
David Buckland
To send a link to:
just complete the fields below. To enter multiple recipients, separate the names and the email addresses with commas. Just be sure to keep them in the correct sequence of name to email address.
EarthSayers.tv does not save any personal information; it is used solely to send the email.


text:
Prato's bike paths: along the Bisenzio river
A relaxing route offering art and history
Departure: Ponte di Rio Buti, in the direction of the Valdarno
Arrival: Gonfienti
Distance: 9.3 km
Duration: 73 minutes
Crossing the hills of the Rio Buti Torrent to the border of the municipal territory: a nature route through small falls and deep woods. In the perpendicular trajectory of the Calvana, the itinerary boasts magnificent views of the city and overlooking olive groves and important villas: Villa Rucellai, a Renaissance villa that has been renovated several times through the centuries, and Villa del Palco, originally a country home of the merchant Datini that was later transformed into a convent. Near the central station, the route travels into the historic centre. Near Gonfienti, the route crosses the area on an ancient settlement.
Starting point: Figline
Destination: Ponte alla Dogana
Distance: 1 km
Duration: 7 min
Type: urban cyclists
From the medieval town of Figline, the track crosses through the protected area of Monteferrato: 600 acres of land with unique geological features and vegetation, entering into the Park Galceti, a beautiful nature reserve with eight acres of pine forest on the slopes of Monteferrato, headquarters of the Centre for Natural Sciences, which you can visit. Every year the Center for Natural Sciences plays an important role in preserving the local wildlife. The Villa Fiorelli, located inside the park, is a magnificent sixteenth century residence, recently restructured and transformed into a hostel and congressional center.
Starting point: Ponte sul Rio Buti in direzione Valdarno
Destination: Gonfienti
Distance: 9,3 km
Duration: 73 min
Type: urban cyclists/bike tourists
Where the Rio Buti stream crosses the hills marks the limit of the municipal border: a nature trail takes you to waterfalls and deep gullies. Moving through the foothills of the of the Calvana trail, you'll come upon a panoramic view of the city, with historic residences among olive groves: Villa Rucellai, a Renaissance structure that has been altered through the ages altered and Villa del Palco, the original country house of the Datini merchant, which was later used as a convent. Near the Central Station, the trail leads into the historic center. Near Gonfienti, the trail passes through an ancient settlement area.
Departure: Ford of Via del Fosso
Destination: Ponte Bailey
Destination: 6,6 km
Duration: 50 min
Type: urban cyclists
This route is urban, taking you through a series of public parks, perfect for a stop or for a place to spend your free time. At the river level, this trail touches all of the city bridges, from the Ponte XX Settembre it leads you to piazza San Marco, to the Castle, to the old prison and other monuments of the historic center. The trail is next to the old fourteenth century city walls, giving you a great view of sixteenth century strongholds.
Departure: Ponte alla Dogana
Destination: Innesto Torrente di Iolo
Distance: 7 km
Duration: 52 min
Type: urban cyclists/bike tourists
This route retraces old, rural paths, and much of it is along a dirt roat, almost entirely along the Bardena creek. The panorama takes you through beautiful cultivated areas of the Pratese countryisde. Once you leave the banks of the Bardena creek, you cross through Tavola, and then the trail leads you to the Cascine Park. The Cascine dates from the second half of the fifteenth century, thanks to work by Lorenzo the Magnificent: he turned swampy terrain into a vast agricultural estate that could meet the demands of the entire city of Florence. Currently the park is the home of Slow Food Arcigola, a prestigious golf course, a horse farm and stables.
If you want to rent a bike, here are the locations:
Central Railway Station, Serraglio station, piazzale Ebensee (hospital), via Toscanini (San Paolo), piazzale Nenni
- flag Sporty More demanding itineraries for highly trained cyclists and those who love a challenge, with the toughest climbs and hardest roads
- nature Scenic bike itineraries In the loveliest of places, immersed in nature, by the sea and through historical old towns
- location_city Urban itineraries Fascinating bike tours around the artistic treasures of Tuscany's major towns and cities
- wc Bike itineraries for tourists and for families Easy itineraries along the coast, in the hills and towns, suitable for families with children


text:
November 9, 2012
Edward Knight
New & Noteworthy
News Archives
"….The sky became black as all the magpies and crows on earth flew off toward the Silvery River. With their wings spread wide, the birds formed a bridge across the river. When Kyonu and Chiknyo realized what the birds had done, they stopped crying and rushed to each other across the feathery bridge. They held […]


text:
The signs are everywhere, and their messages simple. "Thank you, firefighters," reads one, "God bless." "Thank you for saving our town," reads another.
And another, "Thank you, firefighters, police, EMTs, first responders, and volunteers." Then finally, one that is more prevalent than the others, "The love in the air is thicker than the smoke."
I'm in Healdsburg, in the heart of California's wine country, just six weeks after wildfires ravaged Sonoma and Napa Valley. Healdsburg, whose population is about 12,000, is about an hour's drive north of the Golden Gate Bridge, in Sonoma County along the fabled Highway 101. The signs, some with letters haphazardly spray-painted and others neatly blocked off, are freckled around Sonoma as expressions of gratitude for the firefighters and countless others who fought the inferno day and night to save this stunningly picturesque area and especially the lives of its citizens.
As I walk along the paths of the tree-shaded Healdsburg Plaza — think of it as an old-fashioned town square — the air smells of autumn crispness, not of smoke. Not one bit, not even a puff. For a week or two after those fires that began Oct. 8, the news was filled with images of neighborhoods in flames and hilltops ablaze. One well-known news site even reported, "Rivers of wine boil as they leak out of scorched vineyards." With those perceptions, who would want to visit California wine country? Me, that's who.
And you. I don't have on blinders, certainly, and there is no diminishing the number of lives lost and property destroyed. As I drive through Sonoma, there are indeed vestiges of fire that transformed portions of Northern California's wine country into a fiery hell. Some areas look chillingly post-apocalyptic, with the bones of former grand homes and businesses now gray with ash.
But most of what I see is intact. The skies are still blue, the breezes cool, and the sun-dappled vineyards as rolling and beautiful as they were since my first visit nearly 30 years ago. Every turn of the road revealed vast wine estates and stunning vistas reminiscent of the old wine-growing regions of France, Italy and South Africa. It is not, as the news may have led us to believe, all gloom and doom.
Of the hundreds upon hundreds of wineries across the region, just a few burned completely, while others, numbering about a dozen, were heavily damaged or scorched by flames.
"Most of the wine regions were not affected," says Lisa Mattson, who is director of marketing at Healdsburg's Jordan Winery, where I visit for a wine tasting. Vineyards, she says, can be a "natural firebreak" and help to protect the wineries. Jordan Winery, like hundreds of others, was not touched except by layers of smoke that permeated the air.
The fires struck just after grape harvest, a high traffic time for tourists who come to Healdsburg and Sonoma for, among other things, the extravaganza of dazzling fall color of the vineyards.
And therein lies one reason I am in Healdsburg. I love autumn and all that it brings, and I've always wanted to see Sonoma County's vineyards in their glory, having seen them before only in spring and summer.
Naturally I was also concerned that everything in Sonoma County burned — that was the picture painted by news reports, anyway — but a friend who often travels here for work convinced me otherwise, telling me that I have to see it to believe it. Together we visit, flying into San Francisco and then renting a car and driving for endless miles through the Sonoma countryside, with Healdsburg as our home base.
Our all-too-brief three-night stay in Healdsburg was at the Hotel Les Mars, one of those quintessential wine country inns complete with French furnishings including four-poster beds, bright colors and rich antiques. It's just a block from Healdsburg Plaza. It is here we meet Brian Sommer, its very much hands-on and friendly general manager. After several conversations, I also discover that he is chair of the Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District. It's a small town. Almost everyone is connected to tourism and wears many hats.
When I ask Sommer about those boiling "rivers of wine," he laughs and says he hadn't heard of such a thing.
"Ninety-eight percent of the 2017 vintage was already in," he points out, adding that tourism took a direct hit nonetheless because of the perception cast by news reports that Sonoma and Napa were pretty much wiped off the map.
He, along with everyone else even remotely connected to tourism, wants the visitors to come back. While the Hotel Les Mars has always offered personalized service for its guests, he's hoping it will be part of the lure to bring back tourists who might otherwise stay away after the wildfires. A hundred wineries are within a 10-minute drive of his inn, he says, and the hotel partners with Silver Service and Healdsburg Tours to offer tours of the wine country in luxury vehicles including Land Rover, Mercedes and Tesla, with personally crafted itineraries. The thing is, he says, while wine is the megastar of Sonoma, there is so much to do in addition to winetasting and tours, including canoeing or kayaking the Russian River, the softly flowing river that cuts a scenic swath through Sonoma; hot air ballooning; exploring art galleries; meandering the coast near Bodega Bay and Jenner; and dining out. It's all still here, he assures me.
That evening I dine at Valette, a Healdsburg restaurant recommended by Sommer, and partake of a wine-paired tasting menu with courses such as crispy-skin striped bass and an apple-glazed pork porterhouse that sent my taste buds into orbit. For a Sunday night, it's crowded. My waiter says it's mostly locals, but he is confident tourists will return when word gets out that Sonoma hasn't gone up in smoke.
My friend and I set out the next morning to visit Honor Mansion, a charming and very peaceful vineyard inn hidden away on a tree-lined street in Healdsburg. Years before I had stayed at the inn, and owner Steve Fowler welcomes me again with open arms. As he bustles about serving breakfast, I strike up a conversation with a couple named Ron and Jane who are seated in a sunny window booth.
Ron is an energy consultant, and Jane had an embroidery business. They are in their mid-70s, but look much younger. They are evacuees from nearby Santa Rosa, where the worst of the fires, in their words hot enough to melt jewelry and warp cast iron, devastated entire neighborhoods, including their home and Jane's home-based business. Honor Mansion has been their home since.
"We're putting in a bid on a home, and we can start over," Jane says. "Some of our friends who are in their 80s can't and have moved away."
"I think that 30 to 40 percent of those who lost homes will take the money and run," Ron says, adding that some of their neighbors, defeated by fire and insurance issues, have already permanently left for Florida and Texas. But Sonoma County is home for them, and they are staying put.
Later that morning at Jordan Winery, a family wine estate established by Tom and Sally Jordan and set on 1,200 acres of hilltop vineyards, I meet not only Mattson, but also second-generation vintner John Jordan, who's now CEO of the winery and who's also a philanthropist, pilot and Fox News contributor. He had popped over to speak to Mattson but ended up staying a few minutes to talk.
"We are open for business, and it's business as usual," Jordan says as I listen and take a sip of one of the best chardonnays I have ever sampled. "Most of Sonoma County is open for business. You have to understand that 99.9 percent of all visitor experiences are open. You hear burn, burn, burn, but it's not true."
The more my friend and I drive through Sonoma, the more we find that Jordan is absolutely correct. That afternoon, we stop in at the Healdsburg Hotel near Healdsburg Plaza for a glass of wine in the lobby bar before heading over to Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen for dinner. There, we meet and talk to Circe Sher, who we soon learn is president and co-founder of Piazza Hospitality, the company that owns the hotel and restaurant, and Paige Wilcox, a Georgia transplant who manages marketing for the company.
"We had a lot of smoke for a couple of days, and everyone watched the ridges, but the fire didn't get here," says Wilcox. "But we did get a lot of evacuees, as well as helicopter pilots, fire and rescue, and first responders. It was amazing how the community came together during the fire."
After a wave of cancellations from guests who, like many others, were under the wronger-than-wrong impression that Sonoma has slammed shut to visitors, they welcome tourists to come see for themselves.
"This is a tourism town," says Wilcox, "and we need the tourism."
While it will take years to rebuild after the fires, spring will bring green grass to the once-charred hills and the vines will awaken from their winter slumber. The wine is flowing again, not in boiling rivers, but in glasses raised to the future of Healdsburg, Sonoma County and the entire wine-growing region.
Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau at www.healdsburg.com or call 707-433-6935.
Where to Stay
Hotel Les Mars — 27 North St., Healdsburg www.hotellesmars.com 707-433-4211. Champagne is standard upon arrival at this 16-room Old World luxurious French-style four-star Relais and Chateaux inn. Breakfast and wine hour are included. Ask for a room with a fireplace.
Honor Mansion — 891 Grove St., Healdsburg www.honormansion.com 707-433-4277. With only 13 rooms, the inn is one of Healdsburg's most romantic, cozy and luxurious. Amenities include full breakfast, indoor and outdoor spa services, and wine tasting.
Grape Leaf Inn — 539 Johnson St., Healdsburg www.grapeleafinn.com 707-433-8140. An informal yet luxurious wine country inn with a wonderful wraparound porch that's touted as one of the best-kept secrets in wine country. Rates include a full four-course gourmet breakfast and a wine hour.
Hotel Healdsburg — 25 Matheson St., Healdsburg www.hotelhealdsburg.com 707-431-2800. A simple yet elegant 56-room hotel overlooking Healdsburg Plaza that includes a spa with farm-to-spa products, the renowned Dry Creek Kitchen, and the Spirit Bar.