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Step 1: Find the materials
You'll also need scissors and a screwdriver.
Step 2: Making the "aquarium"!
First I made two holes in one bottle, to glue the two another bottles in the same body. And next I glued another small bottle to one of the large bottles.
Make you sure that the joints don't leak!
Another think to keep an eye on is to make sure that your shabby fish tank is a minium stable. You can have a flood!
Note: I only use it two hours, inside the tank, my fish was hysteric and scared. The tank I made wasn't good, because I did it very fast and grotty.
But if you do it puting in more emphasys it can be very cute, cool and a litle nerd!
Unfortunately there's a be nice policy so i cant SAY NOTHING HERE!, but why dont you shoot me your email address so i can tell you what i really think about your, well whatever it is. (grotiest????) I truly hope you didn't put fish in this ...well whatever it is, even for a short amount of time cause if i seen you do this id probably (OH BOY BE NICE DARRELL) um.. try to put you in it! uh yeah my email address is radbro71 @yahoo.com. Decide carefully if you really want to send me your email cause im NOT gonna be anything nice dude! oh and hope you dont live in the seattle area cause ill find ya. You need to find a new hobby and leave the little fishy's alone pal!
This was only a test, if I have time, this summer I'll make a similar and more evoluted one fishbowl assembly project
Thanks for the tip!
I was veeeery bored and I made it, then I put my fish inside, only to use the tank one time at least, until throw it away. The fish didn't suffered, probably they had fun for a while!
and I repeat I only put my fish inside for a minutes to use the fish tank one time. After that I threw it away.
PS: the fish isn't still living...


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04-19-12 — Mrs. Judy Ann Williams Barker, 51, of Ky. Route 174, Olive Hill, passed away Saturday morning, November 24, 2012, in St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead.
She was born June 16, 1961, in New Castle, Ind., a daughter of the late Richard and Mae Godfrey Williams.
Judy attended Mills Branch Apostolic Church. Judy worked for Carhart's, Ashland Sales and many other sewing factories in her life. She enjoyed 4-wheeling and spending time with her family and friends, especially her children.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four brothers, Billy Williams, Tommy Williams, Junior Godfrey and Charles Williams; and one sister, Betty Hicks.
Judy is survived by her husband of 33 years, Michael Ray Barker; two sons, Christopher Eugene Barker and Jeffery Dale Barker, both of Olive Hill; four sisters and two brothers-in-law, Mary and Paul Conn and Carol Martt, all of Olive Hill, Janet and Jackie Knipp of Morehead, and Shirley Corbin of Corydon, Ind.; and two brothers, Terry Williams and Alvin Williams, both of Morehead. She also leaves many other family members, church family, and friends who will sadly miss her.
Funeral services were at 2 p.m. Monday, November 26, 2012, at Mills Branch Apostolic Church in Olive Hill with Pastor Larry Joe Ruley officiating. Burial was in the Conn Cemetery on Ky. Route 174 in Olive Hill.
Friends visited from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, November 26, 2012, at Mills Branch Apostolic Church.
Jackie Knipp, Bryan Conn, Paul Conn, Gary Barker, Dustin Brewster and Billy Dailey served as pallbearers.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Enjoy a break and enjoy a special kind of magical togetherness at the Dorint Seehotel & Resort Bitburg / Eifel. Short trips associated with relaxing spa weekend in the Eifel mountains offer the perfect setting for this. Discover here our arrangements ...
Our Arrangement:
2 nights' accommodation including vital breakfast buffet
1 welcome sparkling wine
2 x dinner arrangement
1 Cleopatra bath and 1 vital partial body massage
Free admission to the "Aqua Mares" and the "Aqua Therme"
Free admission to the fitness room
Travel time & prices:
01.01.2014 - 20.12.2014 | from 241,- € per person / doubble room "Erle"
Bookable from: 3 days and 2 nightsfor: 1-2 Persons


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To the editor:
Back in 1988, I was working with Vincent Ferrini editing his autobiography, "Hermit of the Clouds," and getting it ready for publication.
He was fun to visit. To paraphrase Annie Thomas, we'd start out talking about poetry, and wind up talking about everything.
Then one day I got a letter from him, which was odd, since he could have called me, and since I was going to see him that afternoon anyway.
But it wasn't a letter – or maybe it was a letter, but it was also a poem. It was Vincent, talking to me, through a poem, in the very specialized, condensed, and passionate language that only a poem delivers.
Vincent sent many poems to local friends and colleagues. These were inspired by events of the moment. They came from Vincent's heart, and off the top of his head.
Usually a poem is a formal one-way address to the world. Vincent's occasional poems were personal and immediate, and part of a dialogue he was having with each specific person who received one. They are unique because they document a poet's roots in a place.
We'd like to publish a collection of these poems to local residents in honor of Vincent's 100th Anniversary, in June 2013.
So we're putting out the call to everyone on Cape Ann who might have received a poem from Vincent. Please send us a copy, along with a little bit about yourself and the occasion of the poem.
You can send copies to Greg Gibson, Gloucester Writers Center, 126 East Main St, Gloucester MA 01930.


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About the Author
Dan Parr
Associate editor
Recent posts by Dan Parr
Related Stories
Some Buccaneers observers are saying that OLT Donald Penn is outperforming most of his teammates on the offensive line this season. While that's been true at certain points, we hear that some inside the organization don't think he's played his best yet. Tampa Bay's entire offensive line has struggled at times this season, particularly when it comes to clearing holes for running backs. He certainly hasn't been the Bucs' worst blocker, but Penn, who went undrafted in 2006, is dealing with more scrutiny than ever before after he signed a six-year, $43 million deal just before training camp. One of the main concerns about Penn heading into the season was whether he would avoid putting on weight during the season after having gotten in hot water with the team for doing so last year. His conditioning hasn't drawn any public complaints this season, though, and observers say he hasn't taken his poor performances lightly. We hear they've clearly bothered him.


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Dorkiest Catch
So we are back from our first crabbing trip on the boat. It was a great time.
We left late Friday, and had smooth waters out to the Locks. It was getting dark as we went, but we made it through the locks and to Shilshole by sundown. With just Yulia, Sasha, and myself on our boat, we had Sasha man the bow line. We were lucky to get sent through the small locks, and she was able to follow the instructions of the lockmaster with no problems.
Once we were at the guest dock in Shilshole it was late. We made a bite of food and just sacked out.
In the morning we made breakfast and were joined by PJ, who brought along bait and a third trap. He also had his fishing gear, as we planned to drop pots, anchor while they soaked, then see if we caught anything. We weren't making big plans for catching much, but really just wanted to get out and see what we could find.
We headed just a bit north around the marina and looked for an area that wasn't too crowded. We found a nice spot in a bit of a bay, and dropped our pots where we saw a few other folks dropping. Our first pot got it's line tangled, and we lost it to the bottom. That sucked. The next two were fine, so we moved away and dropped anchor.
We set out some food, relaxed, and PJ started fishing. He was hitting flounder right away. We kept a big bunch of flounder, hit a few dogfish, and kept trying for salmon, with no luck. After a couple of hours we went back and pulled up the pots.
The first pot was full of crab! Everyone was excited, we went through the pot, and as expected most were too small or female. We had one keeper, and two males that were very close, but just under, so they went back too. The next pot had just a few crabs and no keepers. Even with one keeper it was fun, and Yulia was more thrilled about the flounder. We decided to head back, drop pots near the marina, and have some dinner.
We drove back to the marina, and found several traps set out there. We dropped our first pot, and got blown over the float. The line caught under the boat, and after a bit of wrestling, PJ drew the short straw, and dove under the boat. He found the line on the rudder, and once he was back onboard we gave him a shot of Rum and started the engines again. We dropped both pots without hassle, and went in for dinner.
Yulia set about getting the flounder ready. PJ cleaned the fish, Yulia prepped the pans, and I got the BBQ ready with vegetables (Roasted Portobello and peppers). Gena came over with Ribs and threw those on the BBQ as well.
The fish was great. Lots of bones, but fantastic tasting. PJ had to run after dinner, so Gena and I took his boat out to grab the pots from in front of the marina. The traps had a few starfish and some Red Rock Crab, but all small. One did pinch my thumb, but couldn't get a grip through my glove. Still hurt like hell. I think he skipped across the water at least three times. We just headed back to have some drinks before calling it a night.
I boiled up the day's catch as a late evening snack. That was some tasty crab. You can't beat fresh from the sea.
On Sunday we packed up and headed back. We just missed the small locks, so had to tie up against the wooden railings out by the railroad bridge. It was low tide so we were crunching through mussels to find the tie downs on the wall. After about a half hour, we got the green light and motored into the locks.
It really amazes me how bad most people are at handling their boat. I'm not that great, but we watch folks spin around, go reverse by mistake, and pretty much everything else. Now I know why the state is starting mandatory licensing soon. Wow.
We made a slow cruise back through the Cut and Lake Union to Lake Washington. On the way back to our marina we anchored in Meydenbauer bay for a few hours to make a late lunch and swim. It's a nice anchorage but the whole east channel was filled with waterskiers and tubers, so the chop kept drifting into the bay and knocking us about. Eventually we were too hot and tired to continue. We packed up and headed home.
Right near our dock we found a small boat ( a Cobalt – very expensive!) full of college kids, waving us down. We pulled along side, and they told us that the couldn't start their engine, and needed Jumper Cables.
To my knowledge, they do not make 40-foot Marine Jumper Cables, but we tried to help, and their engine was cranking fine, but wouldnt start up. They said that they just filled up, so I figured that they had an ignition fuse or kill switch hit somewhere. The girl who was driving finally called her dad to help. We made sure that they were able to drift to a nearby dock for safety, as they had no anchor. (sigh) And no tow insurance (double sigh).
It was a great weekend overall.
That's a wrap!
Our last day on the cruise was mostly a day at sea. We slept in as best we could, then spent the day by the pool relaxing and talking to people. We met a nice couple who were the parents of one of the girls that Sasha met on the trip. They were from Orange County, and were loving the cruise. They also hoped to see a little of Seattle before they flew home, so we gave them some tips on what they could see. They planned on trying to see Pike Place market, and they thought the idea of seeing the first Starbucks there was pretty cool.
We did little else but rest until we hit our final destination, Victoria BC. We docked at the main cruise terminal, which is a bit outside the center of downtown. We decided to walk, instead of taking the shuttle bus. We had a nice walk through a residential center. Apparently one of the residents really hates the cruise ships, and sprayed graffiti all over the place complaining about the ships. There was also graffiti from another neighbor complaining about the first.
Perhaps, this is not the best way to present your city.
But for us we had been to Victoria several times, and enjoyed the walk into town. At the legislature building we caught a horse carriage to take us up Government street. The girl driving our carriage gave us the quick tour. She was super enthusiastic, and didn't stop talking until she dropped us off. In fact, I think she spoke in a single sentence the whole time. She dropped us at the back of Bastion Square, and we started walking back to and down Government street looking for a nice place to eat.
We ended up finding a really nice French Restaurant, and had a terrific dinner, a nice break from the ship's food. After some food, wine, and espresso, we were tired. We had a few more hors in town, but since we had been here so many times before, we opted to just take a few photos and head back early. We grabbed a cab to the dock and got back on board.
We already had our departure time set. Yulia had a film the next day, so we opted for expedited departure and were going to be up at 7:15 to carry our own luggage off. We had a great trip, but were ready to get home.
Alaska was amazing. We will certainly go back.
Ketch us if you Kan
Ketchikan was the only day where I had to set an alarm. We had originally not bought a tour, since we only had a half day here, but Yulia talked to someone who highly recommend the "Deadliest Catch Tour". This was a tour about commercial fishing, and was held onboard the Aleutian Ballad, a retired fishing vessel that was featured in the Deadliest Catch show. It was famous because it was filmed when it got hit by a 50 foot rough wave, which tore the ship up a bit, but fortunately didn't sink it.
Now the ship just gives tours, and everyone we asked said this was not to miss. But the tour started at 7:45am, so we had to get up and off the boat early. We ate quick and ran down the pier, getting there just in time. Naturally, everyone else was late for the tour, but we got better seats.
The working deck of the ship was now an amphitheater with a view of the launchers and coilers on the other side of the deck. The ship was run by local fisherman, some who had been on Deadliest Catch, and others who liked to make fun of the show a bit, since it only shows vessels where something is going wrong (in their opinion). As they said, not being on the show is a badge of honor, since you hadn't done anything wrong yet.
As we pulled out they crew explained that they had a deal with a local tribe to fish in their waters, which allowed them to show us how all the equipment works, without being in season. Without this agreement they wouldn't be able show us anything. As we drove out to the waters, we had dolphins chasing the wake of the ship on one side. After a but, we had Orcas chasing us on the other side. We tried to get pictures of both.
The crew demonstrated long line fishing, two types of commercial crab pots, prawn pots, and gave us details of what is involved from a financial and safety standpoint for them as fishermen. I remembered so many guys when I went to college who wanted to fly up and fish for a summer to make money, and then came back saying that they would never do that again. PRetty much for most of the men involved you can make a lot fast with a good haul, or go broke or get killed if things go wrong. Very high-risk high-return.
We got to handle several types of sea life as the pulled up the traps and handed things around. They even showed off a local octopus and wolf eel, but those were too dangerous to handle for the visitors. About halfway through the tour they pulled alongside an island, and fed some Bald Eagles. We had spent half the trip trying to get pictures of eagles from afar, and now they were swooping at us a few feet off the boat.
It was a great tour. We saw pretty much every kind of sea life they had, and we had a great time talking to the crew on the way back to the dock. I ended up getting a Captian's Jacket from the boat as a souvenir, since it was very cool looking and perfect to use on our own boat.
We had just a few minutes to walk around town after the tour before we had to get back on the ship. It was unfortunate that we only had a half day here, as this town was much bigger than either Sitka or Juneau, but we had no time to explore.
The cruise south was getting hotter. We were definitely leaving Alaskan weather behind. We headed back up the the Lido deck for lunch and a few drinks. After a short time it was apparent that after all the touring, after all the walking, and photos and everything, we were ready to relax. I took a short nap in my chair. Sasha swam and Yulia walked a bit. Then they both went to the room to nap and I read. It is good when your brain finally can relax and forces you to slow down.
We had a great dinner that evening at the Pinnacle Grill, and for the third time brought our own wine to the restaurant. The reaction to our wine from the waitstaff each time has been amazement, and it was pretty clear that we were bringing wine on board that was much better than what they sold for the guests.
After dinner Yulia played some Blackjack, and won, as usual. Sasha had a dance with the cruise director in the Ocean View bar (she was the better dancer). Then we all went to the Piano Bar for Beatles night, Yulia left early to sleep, and Sasha and I stayed late to close them out.
I can see Russia from my Verandah
It was an odd feeling waking up. Odd because the boat wasn't rocking.
We looked out the window to fog. I looked down. The water was smooth as glass. We were anchored at Sitka. It was nice to be in calm water. I checked and our. Tour wasn't until 12:30, so we were in no rush.
We had a leisurely breakfast, packed up my backpack with rain gear and the camera, and went down to the launch to get on the tender to the marina. The ride was easy, and since these tenders were also our lifeboats, I was impressed to see how well built they were. They looked more like military landing craft, very solid and well built. If something went wrong it was good to know that emergencies were planned for.
Once at the marina, we walked towards the closest street. We had two hours to kill so we thought we might see what was around. There were a couple of shops on the street, nothing too special, just small tourist shops and a few local business. But we were just really happy at that point that it wasn't raining. This was really our first dry day for the trip, and we were glad to have it.
We stopped in a tourist shop so I could pick up a pair of cheap sunglasses, and Yulia asked the girl behind the counter where the main street was. She told us "you're on it"
I leaned out the door of the shop and could see both ends of the street. The girl unfolded a map across the counter and pointed out the street. I swear the map was 1:1 scale. We thanked her and walked a bit further. Ahead of us was the St Michael's Orthodox church. This was on our tour later in the day, but we wanted to take a look inside before the crowds showed up. The tourist signs pointing out the church were already in front, letting us know that it was $2 each donation to tour the church. We went inside and found an elderly woman next to the donation box smiling and directing folks in. She looked a lot like my grandmother (on the Russian side of the family). We paid and asked her if they sold candles.
For those who aren't Russian Orthodox; when you go to an Orthodox church, you burn candles at the various icons for prayer. We are Orthodox, so whenever we visit an Orthodox church we make sure to purchase and burn a few candles.
The Church was fairly large for an orthodox church (which is still small) but the icons were beautiful and very old. Some of the oldest and most historical Russian Orthodox icons are located in America, because so many in Russia were destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1917. We looked about and found the box to buy candles in the corner of the church. We bought a few and went about lighting and placing them in the small spaces in front of the respective icons. I had put mine in place under the main central icon, then turned around and was surprised to see the elderly woman from the front standing right next to me.
I was startled for a bit. She was looking at me with wide eyes, and asked, "Are you Orthodox?"
It took me a second to process her question. "Uh, yes." I replied. "My whole family is." I pointed over to Yulia and Sasha.
She smiled and said, "I'm so glad you are here." She reached up and kissed me on both cheeks, Russian style. She then walked over to Yulia and sash and did the same. Apparently we were the only tourists in a long time who were actually Russian Orthodox. "Which church do you go to?" she asked.
I told her that we go to St. Nicholas' in Seattle, and she was excited since she knew our church and had been there. We talked with her for a bit and told her that Yulia was from Russia and that my family was Russian on one side. As we left, she gave each of us a souvenir pin of the church, and told us to visit when we came back to Sitka.
It was honestly a moving experience to connect with someone at random like that.
We felt good as we walked up the street, we stopped when we hit the other marina on the opposite end of the main street. Sitka was not short on marinas. We were just below the hill where Russia sold Alaska to the US. Russians usually comment that they sold Alaska, "for a knife," meaning that they got a raw deal. It turns out that it was a 7.2 million dollar knife, and the czar was tired of shipping everything so far back to Russia, so it wasn't such a bad deal. Hell, considering we ended up with Sarah Palin, the Russians made out like bandits.
We grabbed a quick snack at a book shop with an Espresso stand in back, and made our way back to the dock to meet our tour. We were set for a tour of the Church, some sightseeing around town, and a visit to the Raptor Center, which is basically rehab for eagles. (ah, how nature imitates the music industry….)
We learned that the original downtown burned down, and that the town had about 20 minutes warning before the fire reached the church. So everyone ran into the church and started bringing out all the icons and religious items. They saved about 95% of everything there, and once it was all over, they got the original church plans from the Smithsonian Institution and rebuilt everything.
The loop of the town was beautiful, and you could really get a feel for how isolated Sitka is from the mainland. Even the airport for the city was on a separate island originally, with no connecting bridge. You had to take a boat from the terminal in town over to the runway. Your luggage took a separate boat.
The raptor center was a volunteer organization and had been in operation for something like 30 years. It was critical when Bald Eagles were endangered, but now the Eagles have fully recovered and are not endangered, and the center works with all kinds of raptors. We got some close photos and saw how they took care of the huge birds, some of whom never recover and stay there permanently.
We also got to see a local dance group that performs traditional Russian Dances. Yulia was impressed, for a group of amateurs, they knew the dances well. These folk dances were common years ago in Russia, but are pretty unheard of know, so seeing them here is more common than seeing them in Russia.
After the tour, we caught the last tender back to the boat. The sun was out now, and you could see all the small islands in the Sitka Sound, dotted with homes and private docks. As we made out way out of the harbor, we met another fog bank on open water. The seas were not bad, but after an hour os so we turned back to the inside passage toward Ketchikan, and lost the fog and waves.
The sun went down over the islands giving us a beautiful sunset for the first time this trip. We took a few photos and headed down to the piano bar to close out the night.
Ice, Ice Baby
We woke up to howling wind and snow. Apparently we didn't fully lock the exterior door to the balcony, so the whole place started howling once the winds got up. We took a look at the TV channel that showed the front of the ship, and the foredeck was covered in snow. This meant it was an excellent chance to ignore everything and go back to bed.
That worked for a while, but eventually the howling and rocking got the best of us, and we dressed and headed to the Book Cafe to get some espresso and watch the sea. Yulia was not liking the storm, but as before the Cafe saw the least amount of motion on the ship, and had good espresso and pastries, so it was a great hiding place. We lasted there until we got actually hungry, then headed up for some breakfast.
The Lido deck was pretty busy. We grabbed food, and sat out by the pool. The pool has a closing roof, so it was all sealed up, and pretty steamy. At least it was warm, with two hot tubs providing the heat and steam. We looked out and could see nothing but fog around us. The snow had stopped, and the foghorn was blowing.
Yulia and I went down a few decks to watch a fruit carving demonstration while Sasha stayed above to hang out and listen to her iPod. The fruit carving was a pretty good way to kill time. We were due at the glacier at 1:00, and we were really just trying to keep busy until then.
We went back up to meet Sasha, and she was scanning the windows looking for ice. As soon as we turned into the fjord of the glacier, Sasha saw ice floating and started taking pictures. The icebergs weren't that large, and were pretty dirty, but they were amazing to see. We went back to the cabin to get some warm clothes and raingear on, so we could watch from the lower deck and foredeck.
As we moved into the fjord, park rangers began explaining the area around. There were two glaciers in this fjord, Hubbard Glacier, which was very large, and really clean ice, and a second glacier to the side which was really dirty, and I don't remember the name. As chunks of ice broke off, seals and their pups would swim up on the ice and hide from Orca whales. We looked out and sure enough you could see seals on the ice surrounding the boat.
One of the Rangers was a native who explained the cultural significance of the glacier by relaying the creation myth of The Birth Of Raven. This was an amazing, moving story that really gave one the feel of the importance of the area. To everyone but me, of course, since I had found the booze cart at this time and was half a glass of cognac down at this point. I tried to ignore the talking on the loudspeaker since the learning was really harshing my buzz, and focused on trying to get some photos of Orcas eating the baby seals, but no one was cooperating.
I did get some great views of the ice. The size was amazing. Once the ship stopped and turned near the ice, we went back to our room since our balcony was in the perfect spot for photos. It was quieter in our room as well, and you could hear the massive ice crack, then see little landslides flow down the face of the glacier. In this case, "little" means "size of my house".
The ship left after a few hours, and started heading South again. This was as far North as we would go. We spent the rest of the evening playing around the ship. Sasha got to meet the club DJ and he gave her a tour of his booth and equipment, I won a trivia contest in the pub by knowing 9 out of 10 Game Show theme songs (I wasn't sure if i was proud or ashamed), we caught a comedian playing in the theater (utterly shaming the broadway creatures they normally have there) and we capped off the night in the piano bar where it was "Elton John Tribute Night".
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
We awoke to much smoother seas. We were done with open ocean for a bit, and were navigating within the islands of northern Canada/Southern Alaska. The weather was good so we had great views of the islands on our way in to dock in Juneau. As we entered the harbor we could see the beach across from the Marina, which had a bright yellow color in the sand. This was all apparently a man-made beach, crushed rock pulled out of the Gold mines that honeycomb the hills here. The excess rock was dumped, making a sandy beach that wasn't there before.
Once we docked we had a good 3 hours before our main tour, so we left the ship and walked around the town. It was a really funky old town. With surprisingly little development despite having a population of 30,000 and 20,000 tourists visiting on a busy day. There was one shopping street, and my mission was to find a couple of simple windbreakers for Yulia and Sasha. They had enough warm fleece with them, but nothing that I thought was good enough if it started to rain.
We found the Alaska Brewery shop, which I was excited to see. I don't drink that much beer anymore, but I love Alaskan Amber. Yulia hates beer, but even she likes their beer. We looked about and I figured that I would hold off and get something from them online later.
All the shops were cool, and prices were touristy, but not unreasonable. Eventually we found a place that had some nice jackets and I managed to convince Yulia and Sasha to pick one out. I also got myself a oilskin rain hat, just in case.
We found a Russian shop a ways down the street. Half the place was filled with the traditional Dolls, Boxes, crystal and crap. The other half was Post-Soviet junk, KGB shirts, CCCP caps, etc. It was all the crap you usually bought in Moscow, but cheaper.
Sasha looked across the street and saw the Gondola Ride that took you to the top of the mountain. It was a cheap ticket, and we still had two hours, so we figured that it would be fun to take some photos from the top of the mountain. It was a quick ride up to the top, and the view was fantastic.
They had a Bald Eagle up top that was in permanent care after being shot by some hunter. She looked pretty worse for wear, but it was nice to see folks taking care of her. Hopefully the hunter gets some creeping jock itch or other karmic punishment. Fucker.
Inside the mountain center we ran into a local selling a healing balm made from local plants. He was in the middle of tables of typical necklaces, hats, and touristic crap. He was motioning everyone over to try some. I read the ingredients and saw that the active plant was a local arctic Wormwood. This was cool since Wormwood is the active herb in Absinthe, which was originally part of WW1 medkits. Yulia tried it, and it was smelly but helped her sore back. I got two jars for fun.
We sat down at the restaurant for lunch. They had great crab, and fish and a chips. I got the special that included Alaskan Amber beer. While we waited, I checked out my phone and found an open wifi network. I joined and opened Facetime on the phone to see who was on. We ended up calling Roger and Anya and talked with them with video, and even got to see Oscar.
We looked about for a bit, then headed back down to our ship to catch the ride to our gold panning tour. It was raining now, not too heavy, but enough to make the jackets and hat pretty valuable. Our tour bus drove us through town and to the river on the far side of the mountain. This was a historical district and in addition to the tourists, several locals were panning there as well.
We were shown how to pan, washing the lighter dirt away and leaving the heavy gold (and iron) in the bottom. We were able to get the gold out of our starter pans, and Yulia was good enough to scoop dirt straight from the river and find a few more flakes. It was fun, but cold and rainy. We were getting pretty chilled by the time we were done. We all packed up and the bus drove us out to the Salmon Bake.
The food at the salmon bake was excellent. But we were getting cold. We stayed for a short while, took some photos, and got back on the bus. We were tired, and wet. Once we got back to the boat, we were beat.
Sea you on the 4th
The Fourth of July onboard was a bit rough. We were on the ocean side of Vancouver Island, and looking at some 6 foot swells at times. We ordered breakfast into our room, and after eating and getting dressed, I had to run the the Reservations desk at the main restaurant to get us reservations for the Formal Dinner this evening. Things filled up fast, but I was able to get us a 5:30 reservation.
This formal night was the "Captain's Toast" night, with a presentation by the captain after the dinner in the theater. We were just exacted to get a change to dress up. I had brought my tux and two sets of ties/cummerbuns, and both Yulia and Sasha had beautiful evening dresses ready.
This is one of those times when I like to point out my personal taste for actual bow ties. I don't like pre-tied ties. I think they have this awful, cheap feel to them, and really betray the fact that you are wearing a seriously expensive tux when you have something that looks like it should spin and shoot water around your neck. The only problem is that it is a pain in the ass to tie a bow tie. I actually have a PDF of how to do it saved on my iPad that I have to reference. But I think the look is worth it. That, and I get to untie it at the end of the evening in the bar and it hangs down with that cool "untied bow tie" look. Goes great with a martini.
With the reservations out of the way, we headed up to the pool. On the way out of port, the pool was pretty calm, tilting a bit as the ship turned and navigated out of the Sound. But now, it looked like an insane wave pool. Which it basically was, driven by the rolling of the ship. Kids were tossed about in the pool and were having an insane time. Sasha let into the pool right away and was going nuts. She hit it off right away with a few kids and was much more relaxed.
We hung out at the pool through lunch. After lunch I had made reservations for a poker tournament in the casino. I figured this would be fun, since I'm not much for other casino games but I always like a good poker game. Sadly, this was nothing like a good poker game, for me at least. It was setup fairly short stacked, we started with 1500 in chips, and blinds at 100/50. Blinds also were raised every 10 minutes, which was less than a full round. That, and the dealer spoke very bad english. It was a weird setup, but everyone at the table was pretty cool, so that really made up for the odd play. The one thing we all agreed on was that the boat was rocking more. It really felt like playing with a few extra drinks.
I didn't hit a single card the whole round, and got wiped out once the blinds went up. Which with the game structure didn't take that long. I took solace that I went out 6th out of ten, which is a lot better than first strike.
With a humiliating poker beating out of the way, we retired back to the Book Cafe, grabbed some coffee, and rode out the waves. The advantage to the Book Cafe was that it was in the center of the ship. It didn't get so much of the wave action that we were seeing around the rest of the ship. Some folks on board were getting ill, but we were doing fine.
By the time dinner rolled around, we were pretty excited. I got my tux on, decided on the Yellow-spotted tie, Sasha put her new dress on, Black with Green accents, and Yulia had a smashing Red dress. I picked out a 1998 Bordeaux from our wine case, and we headed to the Forward Restaurant, La Fontaine.
It is pretty neat to see the whole ship dressed up, though most folks think "Formal" means "cheap tie", but hey, at least there were no baseball caps. Without a doubt, Yulia was the best looking woman in the restaurant. She literally was stared at while we were escorted to our table. We called the Sommelier over and asked him to decant our wine. He had to run over the the culinary center to fetch a decanter, since no one else was bringing any wine worth decanting. He approved of the 98 Bordeaux, and left us for a great meal.
Dinner was fantastic, we have felt really fortunate with the food on this cruise. The desert was cool as well, Sasha got little pastries that looked like swans, Yulia had a nice tort, and I had a Baked Alaska variant.
After dinner we went back the the theatre to hear the Captain's toast and introduction to the crew. It was fun up until the point where the show started again with the Broadway rejects, and we ran from the theater screaming with our ears bleeding. We again took refuge in the Piano Bar
Not bad for a full day at sea. Juneau is next.
Anchors Away!
We are finally back in our room after a busy first day boarding the ship. The ship left port at 4pm, but we had go be in line to get through registration by noon. Our last cruise experience taught us that if you aren't early, you are seriously late. There is no "just on time".
I had pre-registered us for the trip online before we left. All our bags had the pre-printed tags, all the Passport information was entered, I had even written in to confirm that we could bring our own wine on the trip. I had looked over the ship's wine list and it was fairly middle range stuff, at high range prices. Walking through the checkin carrying a wooden wine box tied up with rope as a handle got me noticed.
Our only hangup was Yulia's Passport, which has a typed date extension that the computers never pick up. Once we had them hand enter that date, we were good to go.
Our room was aftward on the port side, we had a fantastic verandah with a view of the marina as we left. The room was big for on a ship (which is to say small but with smart use of space). We were two decks below the main buffet. We went up to grab lunch and found that the crew was handing food to people from the buffet, instead of self serve. They explained that they did this for the first two days to prevent the spread of any GI illness that someone might bring onboard.
Made sense. It also keep people from pigging out and wasting so much food.
We toured the ship, finding the pools, sports decks, kids deck, spa, showroom, and main office. It's a pretty big ship but not gigantic. At the dock we were moored next to the Princess Line ship, which was much larger, but we were recommended against that line and suggested Holland America instead. Since Holland America allowed us to bring wine and prices did not, that was going to pay for itself quick. And our ship was a lot less crowded.
For Departure they had a big BBQ on the Lido deck, with a band, food, and drinks specials. Mixed drinks were a pretty good price so we sat with a few mojitos, listened to the music, and watched the ship pull out. It was smooth cruising out of Seattle, and up Puget Sound out to the Straight of Juan De Fuca. We were really happy with the ship.
We signed Sasha up for the Kids section. This place had some xBoxes, games, and was kind of a mixer so the kids could meet. Sasha hung out a bit, but wasn't in the mood to hang out. We all went down and found a piano bar, with the guy at the piano playing Billy Joel requests.
Epic Win.
We grabbed a couple glasses of champagne, and sang along for a bit. Naturally, I requested "Piano Man" and he challenged us to "fill in the blank" on the words. Of course, no one but me spoke up, however, I knew all the words. It was good. After that we checked out the opening night show. Apparently, overacting broadway wash-ups are the new black. We managed to last 5 minutes before we had to leave the theater.
After that we spent the remainder of the evening in the book lounge, watching the waves outside.
This should be a fun trip.
Yellow Sky-ball Strikes!
Oh thank God we finally got a clear day. After the torrential crapstorm that has been plaguing us, I was getting ready for frogs and locusts. Of course, clear weather means big allergies, but that will die down after a few days so I will take it.
Looks lie we get a whole week of this nice sky madness. too bad we couldn't get it when I was cycling for the Livestrong thing, but maybe if we get this for a few weeks I can start getting some longer rides in. I actually mapped out a full 100 mile route, it lops Lake washington, Mercer Island, and Lake Sammamish. It is a pretty sweet route, but I will need to work up to it.
I am really looking forward to longer and longer rides. after the last three rides, 45 miles is in my comfort zone. I think a 65 mile ride may be next. I have been doing heavy squats to build up my legs for the hills. Really, You can go forever on a flat run, but you get destroyed by the hills.
In any case. I'm glad to see the sun.


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Fawley on move - after 78 years (From Daily Echo)
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Fawley on move - after 78 years
6:00am Friday 28th March 2014 in Rugby
Fawley RFC are upping rugby sticks to move to a new headquarters after 78 years on their current ground.
The Snows Group Hampshire 2 side have decided on taking the massive step to a new part of the parish after years of contemplation, writes Clive Downton.
Fawley have been playing rugby at the Waterside Sports & Social Club since 1936 – for most of that time it was known as Esso Fawley Club.
But members have decided they want their destiny to be in their own hands and that means eventually building a clubhouse of their own and renting pitches from the parish council.
Last Saturday the club's first XV registered a 34-14 over regular adversaries Ventnor and walked off their 'home' pitch for the last time.
Stalwart and coach co-ordinator, Les Jones, said plenty of thought had been put into the move.
He said: "The Fawley rugby club, from seniors right through to the Under 7s, are 100 per cent behind moving towards exciting times where their destiny is completely in their own hands."
The new home will be opposite nearby Gang Warily and will be known as Newlands Park.
Plans are to submit planning permission and get work started on their own clubhouse within two years. Until then, they will share changing room and social facilities with reigning Sydenhams Wessex Premier Football League champions Blackfield & Langley.
"After 78 years it was odd to be standing in the Cadland Bar with no beer and the walls recently cleared of memorabilia, but as usual fun was at the core of the club," added Jones.
Fawley's remaining Hamp-shire games will all be played away with the hope of kicking off 2014/15 at Newlands Park.
"We think we are moving forward," said Jones. "The pitch is being levelled and seeded and we hope it will soon be ready for heavy rugby players to play on, but it could be October before it is ready."
More rugby in today's Daily Echo
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Okay..I am trying out ToonBoom Animate Pro 2.Just some questions:
When u add an effect module why doesn't the effect show on the camera view(not perspective).It has to be rendered out with Toon play.
Is there a way you can delete the stroke tool lines or pencil tool lines with 0 size after filling with the paint tool?Cause when I use the select tool and I try to double click the lines like flash and every line gets selected,doesn't work that way in Toonboom.the fill colours get selected too.
How can this be done?
Last edited by melviso; May 6th, 2011 at 01:52 PM.
Flip book for traditional 2D animation.
And of course flash!
I have found success with a synergy of Photoshop and Flash. (for highly animated assets - characters etc.) Then composed, effects, putting it all together in After Effects and Premiere.
does anyone know what software that disney uses in their motion pictures as their standard?
السلام عليكم في اسم يسوع المسيح+
+Assalamu'alaikum fi'i YESHUA ALMASIH
Peace be upon you in the name of JESUS CHRIST
All of these are very helpful! Thank goodness for this thread! Even though my emphasis is in character design, visual development and storyboard.. its always a plus to have some traditional animation in the portfolio.. I've played with it a lot in the past but I'm eager to jump back into bringing my work to life again :3
Talent and Creativity are yours to use and keep
Photoshop CS2 and beyond is a perfectly functional platform for producing traditional frame work. It's not designed for it, but it's very versatile... size your frames to 1920x1080 and build each cut as a separate PSD. Build your own Actions for onionskinning. Organize by cut, and try to keep your framecounts in the low 100's at most.
In the end, it's not about the software, it's about your techniques. Traditional technique is well established, and almost all the usual tricks translate to digital drawing (layering, cycling, looping, staggering, etc). Don't get hung up on making the computer do the job for you, just treat it as another drawing platform and do the hard work.
So I dont want to be "that guy", that bumps up threads, but since we are on the subject of animating in Photoshop, I do have a few questions, and they probably have simple solutions, but I'm an idiot so...
1. What's a good way to make an onion-skin? I was turning on the last frame and lowering the opacity, but I dont know if there's a more efficient way to work with that.
2. How big does the file size get? In Flash if you keep adding more layers/frames, eventually your file size gets huge. But since the layers are frames in PS, and each frame is not that saturated with stuff, would it save me more space or would it be bigger than a Flash file?
1. Create an Action that duplicates your current frame, changes the color to blue or red or whatever you prefer, and lowers the opacity. Bind the Action to a hotkey for easy use (I like f10 or f11). This creates a duplicate frame you can use as your onionskin Layer and dispose of after you don't need it.
2. They can get pretty big. Separate your animation by cuts, and assemble the final composition in AfterEffects or something like it.
One of the better applications of traditional animation + After Effects assistance:
My Sketchbook ---- Blog ---- deviantArt
BTW for those wanting to do flash like animations here's a link to a free program (also imports pngs with transparencies I think) - Giotto
He has awesome tutorials for animating in Photoshop.
The file size gets really large especially when you add effects like blur,glow e.t.c.Its advisable to do a camera cut scene per file or export movie and view the animation.What I loved bout Photoshop is the freedom especially drawing and graphics capabilities.
Yeahh..Photoshop is good graphicswise though but it isn't meant for animation.If they could just include the timeline and symbols like it is in Flash,it would be sweet.
My video stuff here http://kylesmotion.blogspot.com
Sketchbook http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=224790
Starting something in 3d..Hopefully the animation turns out well.I am gonna do a Dead Fantasy fan animation.
Done with Maya(modeling) and Photoshop for texturing.
Okay..questions about ToonBoom.
Is anyone having lag issues when using the bucket tool?Also,my animation doesn't play smoothly after I finished painting a background with opacity brushes.It is worse than flash when it comes to filling colors and the color palette becomes too many especially when painting a background.
I am thinking of going back to Photoshop.It is the best graphicwise and the effects you can create is awesome and repeated use of this software improves your drawing and painting skills.Just hoping they add Flash timeline,pegging from ToonBoom,and scale tweening in Photoshop CS6.
Flash is cool but in terms of coloring and painting,effects,not so good.
Anyone here used Reitas Pro?
Trying out the demo of Retas Pro.This software is awesome.
Whenever I try to use the Ram preview in CoreRetas HD.I get this":
"the amount of storage is not enough to process this command"
What is wrong?BTW,is Photoshop CS6 out yet?
Realtime antialiasis might also be enabled. You can disable it in Edit > Preferences > Real-time Antialiasis.
Other than that I'd say it's a hardware/memory issue
Thanks for the reply but I am no longer using ToonBoom,switched to Retas.
97GB left on my disk space which is more than enough.I did some research and found out its a windows problem,not the software.
I think the best animation software is one that has a relatively low learning curve, thus increasing how fast you become comfortable with the program; gives you the results you want with zero to little headache. For me, that program is ToonBoom Animate Pro 2. It's built with an animator in mind. All art created in the program is vector (every line, every painted fill in), making it easy to manipulate your drawing and to adjust your project resolution on the fly. Once you've painted with a color, if you choose to change that color, you don't have to repaint everything; just change your color and every drawing that was painted using that color will automatically update. Animated FX; e.g., glow; motion blur; transparency. That's just a little of what the program has to offer. It's great to draw directly in the program with cintiq; the brush options are powerful; you can rotate the scene with a hotkey so you don't have to rotate your monitor. For me, ToonBoom Animate is a joy using!
charles tinney
I agree ToonBoom has its advantages like the 3d camera,pegging and the network panel for effects.I think Flash is better than ToonBoom in some respects.You can paint your backgrounds with the paint tool and it doesn't lag and you can select your colors with the eyedropper tool,pick a different shade and paint away.The color pallete in ToonBoom has its advantage and disadvantage.It is useful when coloring a character but when creating backgrounds its a chore as your color pallete builds up very quickly and a lot of artist who paint backgrounds are not used to creating a different shade of color on a pallete digitally,they select the color,chose a darker/brighter one and paint and TB has this you must flatten or else u can't fill color.Then if you use the brush tool too much for painting,the view is gonna drag.I think it is more like illustrator where you work with lines and fill with the bucket tool.It takes more time to render out videos even for preview.
If u take a look at Adam Philips work,you will notice since he switched to ToonBoom,the level of details in his backgrounds has reduced compared to his previous flash animations.
I am not saying TB is bad,it has its flaws and so does Flash.
Okay..I take what I said about ToonBoom Animate Pro back.Every bit of it.I tried what DanHarolds said and it works fine now.I kinda torn between TB and Retas at the moment.ToonBoom has a lot of powerful effects like the morphing tool,you have the option of using Timeline like Flash or the xsheet,awesome effects with the network panel,its resolution independent yet looks like raster graphics.It has been used for animations like Lion King,Fantastic Four.
Retas,popularly used in Japan for animes like Bleach,Naruto,High school of the dead.Its heavily limited to tradigital animation(Xsheet only,no timeline like Flash).Has an awesome stylo pen that makes lines very smooth and precise.It has more effects than toonboom.Can work in raster or vector format.Using the Xsheet in CoreRetas for compositing is kinda timeconsuming but the effects are powerful.
Which do you think is better?
I fixed the problem in Retas,all I had to do was increase the virtual memory allocation in the preferences.
Help guys..
I am currently familiarizing myself with the Morphing tool properties in ToonBoom Animate Pro.Whenever I create a new layer in the morphing tool properties window,and input numbers in the From and To section and click on those numbers,in the camera view/window,only the number 1 and 2 shows for the main layer,the numbers for the new layer doesn't show unless I go to the Drawing window,thats where the numbers say 11 and 12 for the new layer shows.Why are they not showing on the lower tab in the camera view/window?or one can't make new drawings in the camera view when using the morphing tool properties?
Hi guys,
FlipBook is the only 2D animation software that was designed completely from scratch to do 2D animation the way professional animators are used to. That's why the professional animators at every major animation studio and the teachers of the best animation schools demand FlipBook. Other programs may be fine if you want to do is ink & paint but animators use FlipBook.
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I've been using Flash, along with Photoshop and Illustrator, to animate for many years. I'm about to jump ship for Toon Boom Animate, as I've become increasingly dissatisfied with the direction Adobe has taken Flash. I also find myself increasingly limited by some of the quirks of the software in regards to exporting to video.
If I were interesting in making stuff for the web, Flash would be adequate. For online gaming, it would be a must. But for video, it is limiting: you cannot make use of many features, because they can only be applied to movie clips, and movie clips cannot be exported to video. It cannot seem to tween a large bitmap (like a background) without stuttering, and it exports that same stutter to video. It has grown increasingly unreliable as it has evolved into bloatware (a fate also suffered by its predecessor, Director, which eventually became so buggy they put it down). Overall, it is a tool intended for developers, not artists. I would rather have a tool dedicated to animators, so I'm making the move to Toon Boom.
I am sure that I will continue to use Flash for some time, but I am looking forward to using a more artist-centric tool, as well as distancing myself from Adobe a little bit. I don't like the future they are trying to build.
I used After Effects for this animation,
but will be doing a lot more in the coming months so would like to know if anyone recommends using Flash more. Are there any obvious benefits in doing this?
A wise man is one who knows that he does not know.
it depends on what you want your work to look like. after effects fits perfectly for puppet animation for exemple, flash is usually used for vector animation, etc.
i use "Motion" in the moment, i think it could be good for you after having watched your animations, it's like After Effects, with less possibilities (i bielieve), but the basics and the camera movements are easy to understand. you can buy it at a low price but i think it works only on macs -_-
if you want to make frame by frame in animation...I think flash adobe is a good way...You can do some small part with smooth movement and combine it in after effect
After trying a variety of softwares,I have to say flash is the best for now.The timeline,symbols are very good.Toonboom is still vector and crashes more often.Kinda unstable for me,the last time I used it.For backgrounds and soft brushes,effects,photoshop could be used.Just wished photoshop had flash's timeline as animation window instead of the frame by frame one.
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A St. Charles County man faces criminal charges after police said he had sexual contact with a 5-year-old girl, according to court documents.
Thomas Louis Watkins, 30, of the 4100 block of Chisholm Trail in St. Charles County just east of St. Peters, was charged Tuesday with three counts of first-degree statutory sodomy.
St. Charles Police said Watkins was babysitting children for a family between February 2008 and November 2008 and had sexual contact with the girl on three occasions.
Watkins admitted to police that he watched a pornographic video during the sexual contact. The father later discovered the pornographic DVD in his DVD player after the last incident, but he was not aware of the sexual contact, police said.
The girl did not tell anyone in her family about the incidents until about a month ago, police said in a report.
Watkins is being held in St. Charles County jail in lieu of a $75,000, cash only bond.
For more crime information on St. Peters Patch, see the following articles:
- St. Charles County Man Indicted on 11 Sex Crime Charges
- Tee Kay Babysitters Charged with Molesting Children


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"Unbalanced Schedules" never determine who wins the conference. A discussion of SEC scheduling, particularly UGA vs SC
Note: If you find this boring, then I apologize in advance. The six degrees of separation is a theoretical concept that says, "everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of ...
It's come to the attention of Bulldog Nation that some of you, particularly those of the Gamecock persuasion, are a little bit miffed at how the SEC reshuffled its 2012 football schedules to...
The meme has taken hold that the Georgia Bulldogs have the easiest path to the SEC Championship Game in the 2012 college football season. Dawg Sports delves more deeply into the pros and cons of...
After many delays, the SEC finally released the 2012 college football schedule, and Georgia Bulldogs fans generally are pleased. Though Mark Richt's defending Eastern Division champions lost their...
The first 14-team SEC schedule has finally been released. What does it say about the conference in 2012?
2012 #SEC football conference schedule will be released tomorrow (Wed.) at 9 am CT (10 am ET). Catch it on www.secdigitalnetwork.com.The SEC will announce the 2012 football schedule at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. Could this take a little longer? Go 'Dawgs!
It is all but official, based on talking to someone with knowledge of the schedule talks, that Georgia will not play Alabama next year. A trip to Missouri early in the season (probably Sept. 8, the second week) will replace the previously-scheduled trip to South Carolina, which will be moved to midseason (probably Oct. 5, the sixth week). And it's not expected that much if anything will change with the rest of Georgia's original 2012 schedule. The four non-conference games are expected to stay where they were.Seth Emerson brings us the very latest. Go 'Dawgs!
Several Georgia fans were incensed by G&BA's suggestion that the Bulldogs have received preferential treatment in scheduling. A couple suggested our claims that South Carolina would lose a return trip from Mississippi State and pick up an away game at LSU were nothing but paranoid internet rumors. We can either add ESPN's Chris Low to the conspiracy bandwagon, or admit that South Carolina has been treated horribly in this process. Everything that follows assumes that the multiple credible reports regarding Carolina's and Georgia's 2012 West opponents are true. I am extremely unhappy with our AD, Eric Hyman, for not getting a fairer result for our program. His job is to look out for our best interests, and he failed miserably in a very high profile opportunity to perform that duty. I am absolutely furious that this was allowed to occur at the SEC level. One of the things many SEC fans and administrators have prided themselves on, and even used as a recruiting tool in the expansion wooing process, is the league's supposed equality. Conference fans root for SEC rivals in OOC games largely because of a perception that the SEC is a conference of equals where no program or cadre of programs is the favored son(s) of the league office. The 2012 scheduling process has exposed that notion as a lie. Go Michigan State.
I don't know how the rest of y'all feel, but this constant immature obsessive unfounded hyperbolic silly cheap-shot artistry is starting to annoy me. If we'd wanted this in a conference rival, we'd have let Georgia Tech back into the league. Go 'Dawgs!
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While Lake Kinneret's water levels continued to surge, violent winds and heavy precipitation battered Israelis all over the country on Wednesday, in the fifth consecutive day of stormy weather.
By Wednesday evening, the rainfall for the duration of the storm thus far had accumulated to between 150 and 250 millimeters in the country's North and Center, with some areas even receiving up to 300 millimeters, said Dr. Amos Porat, director of the Climate Department at Israel Meteorological Services (IMS). The southern parts of the country also received some rainfall, with totals amounting to between 20 and 50 millimeters. Meanwhile, strong winds continued to pound the entire country. and snow continued to fall in the northern and central mountain peaks – including in Jerusalem.
In perhaps one of the most encouraging aspects of the week's pouring rains, Lake Kinneret's water level stood at 211.34 meters below sea level on Wednesday morning, a 16-centimeter rise from the previous morning and just 2.50 meters from being filled to capacity. By evening, the basin had risen another 7 centimeters, reaching 211.27 meters below sea level and bringing the total rise for this storm period up to 60 centimeters, the Water Authority said.
Snow in Moshav Keshet in the Golan Heights.
Stormy weather at the Dead Sea.
ZAKA unite volunteers rescue people stranded in the floods.
African migrants enjoy their first snow.
A student makes a snow-angel in Safed.
Snow-covered trees in Safed.
Snow settles in children's playground in Gilo.
Hail in Sacher Park, Jerusalem.
Snow falls in Jerusalem's Old City at the Western Wall.
A double rainbow over Tel Aviv University.
A boy makes a print of his hand on a car windscreen during snowy weather in the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights.
First snow on Har Hotzvim, Jerusalem, January 9, 2013.
Droplets of rain on Derech Hebron in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat visits municipal sanitation site ahead of possible snow on January 8, 2013.
Ayalon River overflows onto the Highway, causing closure.
During a briefing on the storm at the Israel Police national traffic control center in Beit Dagan on Wednesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he was pleased to see that everything was under control and that all the country's infrastructural bodies and emergency response teams were working together to abate problems.
"The systems are working well," Netanyahu said. "I have instructed Public Security Ministry Director-General Rotem Peleg to consider compensation for those who have been hurt as a result of the weather."
Netanyahu thanked all the emergency and rescue forces working to save lives in cold temperatures and strong winds around the clock – "on behalf of all Israelis."
"One month after Operation Pillar of Defense, the rescue forces are again proving that the Israeli home front can rely on them," Netanyahu said. "In the stormy weather, their sole concern is to help Israeli citizens, and they have been very successful."
Roads continued to close down due to flooding throughout the day – particularly Road 90 near Beit Shean in the North as well as near the Dead Sea in the South, Road 40 near Nahal Paran in the South, Road 834 near Nahal Hilazon in the North and the Tse'elom Bridge on Road 234 in the South. A flooded Road 889 led to an accident in which 11 children were lightly hurt, and Road 866 was closed after several cars lost their grip on the road – but without injuries.
The bodies of a Palestinian women and a Samarian woman washed up on a river bank near Tulkarm on Wednesday, after the car they were traveling in the night before got swept into a creek bed by rising flood waters, police said.
The trains fared much better than the roads on Wednesday, with all the rail stations were operating essentially as normal. While Israel Railways warned passengers that there would still be some delays due to the weather conditions, there were no closed stations or rerouted paths like the day before.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday, a flooded electricity substation at Hadera Paper initially caused 20,000 clients to lose power overnight, which dozens of IEC employees resolved entirely by 11 a.m. Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau and IEC Chairman Yiftah Ron Tal visited the site with Hadera Mayor Haim Avitan later that day to assess the situation.
"I thank the residents for their patience and endurance, and the IEC employees for their dedication that treated the problem here, and all other locations throughout the country, over the course of this storm," Landau said. "Since we are in the midst of hectic days, I request that the public remain aware and patient. We are all making an effort to handle the problems and to resume regular electricity supplies for all residents of the state."
Ron Tal, meanwhile, reminded the public that a "power supply is not a given," particularly referring to the days and weeks of power losses in the northeaster US during the Sandy hurricane.
"We have seen in the United States, in Canada and other developed countries around the world that there are power failure events lasting for days," Ron Tal said. "Our events are few and have at most lasted several hours."
Also between Tuesday and Wednesday, IEC divers plunged into the sea to clean up litter that had flowed to and was clogging up the cooling systems at Reading and Ashkelon power plants, company CEO Eli Glickman said.
As of Wednesday evening, collapsing trees and other mishaps had caused localized power outages in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nazaerth, Ashkelon, Rishon LeZion, Herzliya, Afula and Bat Hefer, the company added.
Particularly looking at the situation in Bat Hefer, Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich criticized the government for allowing a "tsunami of sewage and rainwater to hit the town due to continuous neglect of infrastructure." Despite repeated appeals from the Emek Hefer Regional Council chairman to the government to repair their systems, nothing was done to help the residents, Yachimovich said. Because there is no existing legislation regarding compensation to families affected by natural disasters, these people will not be able to expedite the rebuilding of their homes, she added.
Moving southward to Tel Aviv, whose main Ayalon Highway artery had been deluged by floods on Tuesday, experienced much fewer storm-related issues on Wednesday than the day before. Between 7 a.m. and 2:20 p.m. the Tel Aviv municipality reported handling 149 storm-related incidents, as opposed to the 293 the day before. Most prominent among Wednesday's issues were 53 fallen trees or branches and 20 fallen traffic lights and signs, according to the municipality.
Going into Thursday, rain and isolated storms will likely persist in the Center and the South, with snow continuing to fall over the central and northern mountain peaks, including those of Jerusalem, the IMS said. By the afternoon, both rain and snow should weaken, but the risk of flash floods as well as particularly cold temperatures will continue.
On Friday there will likely be partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies with isolated showers, predominantly in the North, according to the IMS. Temperatures throughout the country will remain unseasonably cold, though warmer than those of Thursday. By Saturday, most of the country will experience partly cloudy skies and an additional rise in temperature, though still remaining colder than usual, the IMS said.
Ben Hartman and JPost.com staff contributed to this report.


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Article by: Harvey Finkel, MD - Our blood vessels are not simply passive conduits, but are actively engaged in self-preserving defenses against the stresses they must put up with every millisecond. This is particularly true of arteries, vital carriers of blood laden with oxygen and nutrients to our tissues under high pressure and often amid punishing turbulence. As defenses inevitably will eventually falter, determined by genetic and lifestyle factors, atherosclerosis develops, risking heart attack, stroke and other complications, the by-far most [...] Read More »
MARCO de BARTOLI: A REMEMBRANCE
Article by: Bill Nesto, MW - Marco de Bartoli was one of the key protagonists in the development of a quality Sicilian wine industry. Without the support of the Marsala wine trade, he proposed a version of Marsala that harked back to its historic roots and made no compromises to quality. He awakened Italy to the luscious dessert wines of Pantelleria. He brought attention to the two key vine varieties that composed his version of Marsala and the genre of Passito [...] Read More »
Article by: Harvey Finkel - Through an informative recent visit, I have had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with a winery previously unfamiliar to me, Niner Wine Estates. Located in Paso Robles, it again confirms that each of California's Central Coast winegrowing areas is distinctive.Paso Robles, about half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco, lies near the inland, southeastern end of the Salinas Valley, too far from Monterey to be cooled much by the Pacific marine air [...] Read More »
Showing 5 to 7 of 7 Featured Articles: First Page Prevous Page


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Watch How Shades of Emerald Can Make Your Eyes and Nails Pop
See Celebrity Manicurist Jin Soon Choi's New Polish Shades For Spring
MAC Brings New Meaning to Haunting Beauty For Fall
Get Anne Hathaway's Oscars Look Straight From Her Makeup Artist
Tom Ford Gives Us the Ultimate Spring Lipstick Collection: Watch It Now
What to Pack in Your Makeup Bag For Any Occasion
The Top 7 Expert Beauty Tips We Learned Backstage at New York Fashion Week
The Top Makeup Trends From NYFW: Get Ready For Color and Cat Eyes!
Braids, Ponytails, and More! Watch the Top Hair Trends From New York Fashion Week
See the Top Nail Trends From New York Fashion Week
Theyskens' Theory Gives You the Skin of the Future For Fall 2013
Anna Sui's '60s Makeup Makes Us Want to Bat Our Lashes!
Backstage at Michael Kors: The New Smoky Eye (and Racy Ponytails)
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CENTRAL TEXAS FELINE RESCUE INC Overview
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We have noticed some feral cats roaming our neighborhood. After some research, I came across Central TX Feline Rescue online and found they had a lot of resources and tips. I emailed Elizabeth, the founder, and she let me know that not only would they be able to get the cats neutered and spayed, but... more »
I became involved with CTFR when I'd taken on a litter of 5 kittens. Elizabeth Brumbaugh, the founder of CTFR, sponsored all 5 kittens to be spayed/neutered AND set up an intake appointment for them at the Austin Humane Society, so that they could be placed through AHS's adoption ... more »
For several years now I have been helping Central Texas Feline Rescue Trap Spay or Neuter Release and Manage Feral cat colonies in Round Rock and North Austin. This group is such a wonderful asset to the community. With consistant TNR we have reduced the number of feral cats in Round Rock, had sick ... more »
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A body was found in a creek Saturday around 9:30 a.m. That is according to a press release from the Raleigh County Sheriff's Department.
The body of a white male was found near Stanaford Mine Road by a worker with the North Beckley Public Service District, who immediately notified 911.
Detectives say there are no obvious signs of foul play.
The body has been sent to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy.
The identity of the body will not be released until family members are notified.
The investigation continues.


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Women's LAX Sweeps Preseason Awards
Related Links
Follow @JUWomensLAX
MACON, Ga. – The Jacksonville University women's lacrosse team heads into the 2014 season with high expectations. For the second year in a row, the Fins have been unanimously chosen as the Atlantic Sun favorite in the preseason coaches' poll with two players tabbed as players of the year.
A perfect 6-for-6 in first-place votes, the Dolphins are predicted to finish in the No. 1 spot in the A-Sun. After sweeping conference play last year with a 4-0 record, the Fins are excited to improve upon a memorable 2013 that saw the team earn a NCAA Tournament bid.
Six upperclassmen garnered a spot on the All-Conference Team including Taylor McCord and Kaylee Quint who respectively earned Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
McCord spearheaded JU's high-powered offense. Starting in 14 games with 18 appearances on the year, she recorded 32 goals including two game winners and a team-high 28 assists (ranked No.1 in A-Sun) for 60 points. Unanimously chosen for the conference team, Quint started in all 19 games last season and was key to the Fin's transition game. She recorded 30 groundballs, 10 draw controls and caused 13 turnovers.
With half of the preseason roster coming from the Green and Gold, attackers Morgan Derner and Ali Hoffman and middies Brit Orashen and Chelsea Watts also received accolades.
Derner was also instrumental in directing Jacksonville's offense. She finished second on the team and sixth in the conference in goals with 34 goals. Highly accurate on free position shots, she scored on 11-of-13 opportunities given.
Hoffman tallied 21 goals and 23 assists (ranked second in the A-Sun) for 44 points. Second on the team in scooped groundballs, she collected 38 for the Fins.
Leading the team in groundballs and placing second in draw controls, Orashen collected 47 and 45, respectively. Solid on defense, she also finished second on the team in caused turnovers with 26 (ranked fourth in the A-Sun).
Watts played in all 19 games last year to record three goals and an assist. Another vital JU defender, she ranked first on the team and second in the league in caused turnovers with 29.
New to the JU roster are senior midfielder Ali Brennan and freshman attacker Danielle Della Rocca who were selected for the A-Sun's Newcomer Watch List.
JU kicks off the season against No. 3 ranked Syracuse on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The Orange will pay a visit to Southern Oak Stadium for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
Preseason All-Conference Team
*A Cynithia Smalls Howard Sr.*D Kaylee Quint Jacksonville Sr.
A Erin Campbell Detroit Sr.
A Morgan Derner Jacksonville Jr.
A Ali Hoffman Jacksonville Sr.
A Taylor McCord Jacksonville Jr.
M Jaymie Cox Howard Jr.
M Brit Orashen Jacksonville Jr.
M Chelsea Watts Jacksonville Sr.
D Amanda Guthrie Detroit Jr.
D Amanda Parker Stetson So.
GK Lexie McCormick Detroit Jr.
* Unanimous Choice
Watch List
A Annie Mendoza Detroit Jr.
M Molly Garrigan Elon Fr.
M Sydney Hesselnein Elon Fr.
A Tianna Clark Howard Fr.
M Taylor Spencer Howard Fr.
M Ali Brennan Jacksonville Sr.
A Danielle Della Rocca Jacksonville Fr.
A Olivia Hokanson Kennesaw State Fr.
M Taylor McGhee Kennesaw State Fr.
D Erin Busch Stetson Fr.
M Lindsay Summers Stetson Fr.
2014Preseason Lacrosse Coaches Poll
1. Jacksonville (6) 362. Detroit 28
3. Stetson 25
4. Kennesaw State 14
5. Elon 13
6. Howard 10


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Colloquium with Michael Sakamoto, UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures
Tuesday, November 04, 20081:00 PM - 2:30 PM10383 Bunche HallUCLA CampusLos Angeles, CA 90095
Lanna (Northern Thai) culture is largely Animist in origin. Belief systems and rituals that go back many centuries and refer to humans' relationship with and dependence on spirits of the dead are found in various forms throughout the region. Chief among these is the Chiang Mai region, including the cities and surrounding areas of Chiang Mai, Lamphun, and Lampang. Each year in the late Spring and early Summer months leading up to the Buddhist Lent, dozens of trance dance ceremonies take place that pay homage to royal, working class, and hero spirits within family, clan, and social lineages.
Like the majority of Thai culture, Lanna mediumship was traditionally a matriarchal practice, dominated by familial and clan females. However, with social strictures loosening in the middle to late 20th-century Thailand, fewer females have chosen to fulfill their traditional roles or, consequently, become mediums as well, opting instead for more modern vocational roles. Additionally, homosexuality, especially among men, has become generally accepted in mainstream Thai society, opening up their involvement in mediumship. Krathoey, or "ladyboys" as they are generally referred to in English, are gay males of all ages who typically engage in cross-dressing and transvestism.
The Lanna medium population that participates in annual trance dance ceremonies now contains a high percentage of elderly females and young males, the latter of which are primarily gay. While being gay is never a simple and easy social issue, despite greater social acceptance, mediums also have a tenuous relationship within their roles with the mainstream Thai population, many of whom consider mediumship as at best, mysterious and odd, and at worst, a deviant and false religion. Being a male and/or gay medium thus represents a nexus of competing social tensions that are simultaneously resolving themselves via the very nature of their masculine and feminine status.
This paper and audio-visual presentation begins an examination of this nexus and many of the socio-cultural-historical factors that contribute to it through the social-interactive lens of Lanna trance dance rituals, which are generally loud, day-long spectacles that take place in homes and small gathering areas. The presentation content is largely based on fieldwork and interviews conducted by the author in Summer 2008 in Northern Thailand with generous funding from a University of California Pacific Rim Research Program mini-grant.
Michael Sakamoto is currently an MFA student in dance/choreography in the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures. He has been performing worldwide since 1992, and has lectured or done guest performances at the California Institute of the Arts, Chiang Mai University (Thailand), the Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Department, Arizona State University, UC Irvine, and UC Riverside, among others.
Cost : Free and open to the public.
Sponsor(s): Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Gender Studies


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"Tears were flowing like the Potomac River," Sergeant William "Ken" Miller said when he was called to the podium during a luncheon given for participants in the inaugural Central Valley Honor Flight.
At the podium, Miller was presented with a 12X20-inch reproduction of a painting depicting the WWII battle on Saipan. That painting shows Miller, a young Marine, in the midst of the fighting.
Miller had first seen a picture of the painting, "Saipan, Bonzai Charge" when he was presented with a book, "The Last Great Bonzai," written by Bradley M. Gates (Lt. Col., USMC, Ret.). The book, now out of print, gives the account of that battle on Saipan.
Miller feels that book and the painting recognize the sacrifices made by so many men in that battle on July 7, 1944. "Recognition for that battle that those men didn't die in vain," is what the book and painting symbolize for Miller.
Congressman Jim Costa presented the picture at a luncheon in the Library of Congress in front of about 300, including veterans, their guardians, and other dignitaries. Larry Smith, Miller's grandson-in-law and his guardian on the trip, was asked to bring Miller to the podium for the presentation.
Miller could not pick out one favorite monument that he saw on the three-day tour in Washington, D.C.
"All of them were made by man under the guidance of God," he said. "You got a feeling that came from the ground up. It swelled you up until you think you are going to burst," Miller said of the solemn changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Mail call on the return flight to Fresno caught Miller by surprise. Veteran's names were called out just as they had been while these men were in the service some 70 years ago. The mail they received were cards and letters from family and friends thanking the veterans for their service to this country.
"Papa Ken, I cannot imagine what life would be like right now if you had not sacrificed everything for us in order to protect our freedom," said a letter from Miller's great granddaughter, Jessica Fullmer Koenen, her husband, Peter, and their son, Josiah. "Life could be so different for us right now, had you not made a selfless decision to protect our country."
Soon after mail call, the plane landed in Fresno where Miller and the other veterans were welcomed as heroes.
Plans are being made for the next Central Valley Honor Flight. Veterans who wish to participate in that flight can apply online at cvhonorflight.org. Volunteers and guardians may also apply through this link.
Priority is given to WWII veterans and veterans of other wars who are terminally ill.
Tax deductible donations to the program can be made by check payable to: Fresno Regional Foundation. Write Central Valley Honor Flight on the memo line and mail to: Fresno Regional Foundation, 5250 N. Palm Ave. #424, Fresno, Calif., 93704.
Donations can also be made online at cvhonorflight.org/donate.html. Funds raised are used to charter planes that send veterans to Washington D.C. in commemoration of their sacrifice, and in honor of their service to this country.
A family friend in Mariposa whose own father was a bomber pilot in WWII and died without coming to grips with his wartime experiences learned of Miller's desire to see the painting of the battle on Saipan.
After he contacted a curator at the Naval Historical Center where the U.S. Navy art collection is housed, the painting was finally located in storage in Springfield, Mass.
Through efforts of the curator and staff in Congressman Costa's office, a reproduction of the painting, originally thought to be titled "The Counterattack of 'H' Battery," but actually titled "Saipan, Bonzai Charge," was created and framed within a number of days so that it could be presented to Miller during his Honor Flight tour in Washington, D.C.


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PLATTSBURGH — Don Papson loves butternut squash, and this year, by chance, he has gargantuan ones to adore.
"It's my favorite squash," said Papson, who lives with his wife, Vivian, in Plattsburgh.
"We eat a lot of butternut squash in the wintertime. This amazing plant grew out of the compost. I had one several years ago that did very well and this year, I just let this one go. It is like 'Jack and the Beanstalk.' It's just unbelievable."
He dubs 2013 the Year of the Squash.
"Every year is different," he said. "One year it's the Year of the Tomato. We haven't a Year of the Squash for about four years. It's just an amazing plant. It's a marvel. The leaves are 15 inches across. They (squash) are huge. They're way bigger than you find in the store."
Papson is a retired educator, historian, founder and former director of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association, which operates the North Star Museum at Ausable Chasm.
In his native California, he was raised on a farm.
"My father had a garden. One year, he had an amazing garden. He had tomatoes that he staked up, and they were two times as high as a person. They were just huge. I grew flowers. When I lived in Chicago, I started growing food on vacant lots. And the problem with that was people would steal the food."
With three friends, he purchased a six-flat building.
"There was a vacant lot next door where there had been an apartment building. There had been a lot of arson for profit so that building had been intentionally burned down for insurance. I started growing food on the lot. One day a guy came down the alley and said, 'You can't grow anything in there.' But I did it anyway."


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Product Recall: Voluntary recall of 260 cases of Velveeta Original Pasteurized Recipe Cheese Products. Click Here.
HEAT oven to 350°F.
MIX soup and sour cream in large bowl. Stir in potatoes and cheese.
SPOON into 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix cracker crumbs and margarine; sprinkle over potato mixture.
BAKE 50 min. or until heated through.


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Welcome Home!
Ames Apartments - Ames Iowa --
Mission Statement: "Haverkamp Properties is committed to providing quality housing communities where our team serves the customer with integrity and efficiency."
Welcome home to Haverkamp Properties apartments and townhomes! We are a locally owned and managed company, serving over 1000 apartments in the Ames IA and Des Moines, IA, area. We offer a wide selection of floor plans, with amenities and prices to meet your needs.
Searching for an apartment or townhome has never been easier. Just click on "Our Communities" and browse through our property information pages. You will find prices, floor plans, photos and locations for all of our rental units. You can even arrange furniture in your future apartment. Have fun as you search for your new home!
Most of our Ames Iowa Apartment properties come with video, internet and Ames Racquet & Fitness Club membership included. Haverkamp Properties has designated pet friendly apartments and all of our apartments are non-smoking.
Typical lease terms are for one year (August through July), but short-term and custom leases are also available. At our West Towne location we offer nightly, weekly, and monthly agreements on our studio efficiency units and ground-entry one bedrooms.