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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62961486274496548122014-10-03T08:51:56.811+01:00A Number of ThingsLaura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-1097478103352787952013-12-30T00:29:00.001Z2013-12-30T00:29:54.897ZEleanor Louise Borneman Henry, 1926-2013

Today we had the memorial service for my grandmother, who died last month. Each of us was asked to read out a piece we had written. This was my contribution:

Those to whom my grandmother gave the most cannot be here today. She always knew that they wouldn't. The people with whom she shared her greatest gift are long dead, and even when they were alive they were unable to thank her. Often they could no longer speak, or remember who she was, or who they were themselves.

 Week after week, my grandmother went into the buildings where these people were kept, and she shared with them the most meaningful gift God had given her: the gift of music. People who barely made an intelligible sound between one of her visits and the next would raise their voices and sing. It was here that my grandmother's voice, too, was most clearly heard.

 In Luke's gospel, Jesus is quoted as saying: "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

 My grandmother always believed in that resurrection. May she have her reward. Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-57534958907226118022013-10-30T11:14:00.003Z2013-10-30T11:19:39.751ZJust askin'Is it my imagination, or has the meaning of "just sayin'" shifted over the years? I could swear it used to mean something like "There are conclusions to be drawn from what I just said, but I'll leave you to draw them":

"Cassie looks so happy. She says she's finally found the love of her life!"
"That's the third love of her life since June. Just sayin'."
 Whereas now it seems to mean something along the lines of "I am a jerk":

"Cassie looks so happy. She says she's finally found the love of her life!"
"Cassie's a dumb slut who doesn't know what she wants. Just sayin'."
Has anyone else noticed this, or have I got it wrong? Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-22513379309834779022013-06-09T10:18:00.000+01:002013-10-30T11:14:48.759ZWestern Haiku: A Collection

Three of my haiku (or should that be haikus?) appear in this new collection from Nottingham-based independent publisher Dagda Publishing. The hard copy is available on lulu.com (yes, that's a self-publishing site, but I didn't self-publish the poems -- someone chose to self-publish them for me. Which is totally different, I guess), and the e-book can be bought from Amazon UK and Smashwords (choose the latter if you're outside Britain or just think Amazon are evil).

I don't get any money from sales, just a sense of satisfaction -- and 50% of proceeds go to Scope, a British charity for disabled people. So give it a try!
Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-34662264449654643012013-01-15T19:11:00.000Z2013-01-15T19:11:16.781ZMy HMV storyIt must have been in April 2001. Chris had asked me to stop in to the big HMV on Oxford Street and buy the new Snow Patrol album (Snow Patrol were still kind of cool back then). Perhaps as I came in, I noticed that the store was a bit busier than usual, but it didn't bother me. I'd only be in there for a moment.

Except that by the time I'd found the CD, the number of people in the shop had at least tripled. Most of the crowd looked to be under 16. The air was filled with shrill cries and the sound of stomping feet. I had no chance of getting near the tills, and the exit wasn't looking too likely either. So I bolted down the stairs and through the swinging glass doors of the classical section.

The well-dressed men behind the sales counter were looking at the ceiling as if doubtful that it would hold.

"What's going on?" I said.

"It's the group from that reality show," one of them replied. "They're giving their first performance today."

I browsed through the classical recordings until the noises from above suggested that the mob was dispersing. It was time to pay, but I felt embarrassed about using the classical counter just to buy a Snow Patrol record. A budget-priced CD caught my eye: The Sofia Recital. That sounded pretty interesting, and it could make my purchase respectable without too much harm to our bank account.

"Excellent choice," said the shop assistant. "A real masterpiece." And he was right.

That's how I accidentally attended Hear'Say's first in-store (a boast now guaranteed to impress precisely no one) and first heard Sviatoslav Richter (an experience that should impress more people than it does).

I won't really miss HMV, the chain. In recent years most of its branches devoted less and less space to music, filling up with DVDs and games instead. And less and less of the music they did stock was outside the mainstream. It's like they tried to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and then discovered that the lowest common denominator preferred to buy its CDs at Tesco.

But if the Oxford Street shop goes, I will miss their classical section and the helpful and knowledgeable staff who worked there. And I wonder where they will find a job that uses their knowledge now. Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-57581423895990317722013-01-08T10:42:00.001Z2013-01-08T10:49:49.034ZNot in your imageHe died with scripture on his lips. For months, seven-year-old Yaseen Ege had been struggling to memorise the Koran. But the words never came smoothly enough to avert his mother's wrath. Even after she beat him with a stick and dumped him on the floor of his bedroom, he kept murmuring his latest passage, trying to get it right -- until his body, already weakened by previous beatings, succumbed to internal injuries. His mother returned in time to see him take his last breath. Then, thinking of her husband and the police, she fetched some barbecue gel and set his body on fire.

At Cardiff Crown Court yesterday, Sara Ege was sentenced to "life" in prison (which is more likely to mean 17 years). Inevitably, comment pages and blogs were invaded by bigots ranting about the inherent evil of Islam and calling for restrictions on Muslim immigration. Some atheists, meanwhile, have used the case to illustrate the dangers of all religion.

While plenty of harm has been done to children in the name of religion, I don't think Islam is the true culprit in this case. Here's a quote from the BBC story. I believe the key to Yaseen's murder can be found in the bolded paragraph:

She and her husband had enrolled Yaseen in advanced classes at their local mosque as they wanted him to become Hafiz - an Islamic term for someone who memorises the Koran.

As a child Sara Ege had taken part in competitions showing her knowledge of Islam and had recited from the Koran. The court heard that she had become increasingly frustrated with her son's inability to learn the passages.
 This was about a frustrated woman wanting to recapture childhood glory by living vicariously through her son. If the family hadn't been religious, she would probably have pushed Yaseen to become a maths prodigy (she has a mathematics degree, but had apparently been a housewife since moving to Britain for her arranged marriage).

You could argue that religion helps explain why no one tried harder to stop Mrs Ege's abuse of her son. Becoming Hafiz is considered highly desirable in Islam. Mrs Ege's eagerness for her son to do it may have been regarded as praiseworthy, even if her methods were excessive. Perhaps if she'd been obsessed with Yaseen learning to do quadratic equations, her behaviour would have struck more people as odd.

Perhaps. But even then, for many people it would have represented the extreme end of an otherwise acceptable spectrum. From the miniature football kits sold to expectant fathers, to the books praising "tiger mothers" who micromanage their children's days, society finds it unremarkable that parents should not just encourage their children to do their best in whatever they pursue, but also try to dictate what those pursuits should be. It is "normal," in short, to try to form your children in your own image. As long as that remains the case, some lunatics like Mrs Ege -- and other parents who are less murderous, but who still damage the children they are determined to form into prodigies -- will slip through the cracks.

Recently, after a court ruled that a mother could not prevent her son from having life-saving cancer treatment, one Internet commenter complained that "your children do not belong to you any more." Perhaps it's time to spread the word that they never did. Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-62681948815750928982013-01-01T18:00:00.001Z2013-01-08T09:50:12.932ZAn open letter to the makers of Aussie hair products

Racist shampoo advert, a photo by Laura A. Brown on Flickr.
(I put this on their Facebook page, but I've a feeling it may get deleted, so here it is for posterity.)

I have a few questions about your most recent Tube advert (picture attached).

1. Which specific people are you identifying as "ancient Aussies"? Do you mean one of the several hundred Aboriginal tribes, or the Torres Strait Islanders? It is estimated that up to 750 indigenous Australian languages have existed at one time or another; which one does "killibinbin" come from?*

2. Referring to the Aborigines and/or Torres Strait Islanders as "ancient Aussies" implies that these people are long gone. Are you aware that this is not the case? Over 500,000 Aboriginal people live and practice their traditions in Australia today, despite the best efforts of white settlers. Even the Tasmanian people were not completely wiped out by genocide until the late 19th century - hardly "ancient."

3. Is your reference to "ancient Aussies" meant to imply some connection between these peoples and your brand, which was founded by a white American and is currently owned by Bristol-Myers-Squibb?

4. Did you consult with any representatives of the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities before approving this ad? In particular, were they happy with the reference to them "killibinbinning around the bush" in wonder at your product, and with your lighthearted attempt to make up a fake Aboriginal word?

5. Out of curiosity, does your company make any products designed for Aboriginal or other non-white hair?

Thank you.
* I did some Googling after writing this, and eventually worked out that it's probably Awabakal.

Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-46069427641484975132012-11-06T22:36:00.000Z2012-11-06T22:37:22.996Z"Family," unfriendlyI suppose I fall somewhere in between the categories of "childless" and "childfree." A medical condition meant that I couldn't conceive normally, but after unsuccessful (and unpleasant) attempts at treatment, my husband and I decided we would rather live without children than continue the ordeal. I don't dislike children, unless they're running a race down an art gallery's corridor while I'm trying to look at an exhibition; and I don't dislike parents, unless they're allowing their children to run a race down an art gallery corridor.* But I've made a happy and fulfilling life for myself without kids and don't feel the lack of them now.
For this reason, I have a kind of semi-detached affinity to the childfree movement. The mere world "childfree" triggers an allergic reaction in many parents and wannabe parents. Many equate the word with child-hating, and having seen the venom spewed on some childfree forums, I can understand where they get the idea. The second objection often raised is: What's the point? If you don't want children, don't have them, but are childless people really so hard done by that they need a movement?
In some ways, yes.
Now don't worry, I'm not going to moan about my taxes being used to pay for schools. If you think universal childhood education only benefits children, then you don't know how society works. Nor am I going to complain about mythical working mothers who disappear from the office to tend to their children on a weekly basis and let their colleagues pick up the slack. In my entire working life, I've known precisely one mother like that -- and while she annoyed her childless colleagues, it was her fellow working mothers who really resented her.
Here, instead, are four reasons why I think people without children need an organised public voice:
1. The "family" business.
Ask an anthropologist to define "family," and she'll tell you that the word can refer to a wide variety of kinship networks, depending on which time and place you're talking about. In our particular time and place, however -- and particularly in the vocabulary of media and marketing -- the word has largely become restricted to mean "a household with young children." Googling "nontraditional families" will bring up numerous variations on the mummy-and-daddy component, but baby is, apparently, still essential. It seems the only "family" people like me can belong to is the "[Company X] family" that we join when we agree to let a shop send us advertising.
In itself, this is not necessarily a big deal. As a dedicated linguistic descriptivist, I'm first to admit that words naturally change their meaning over time. It becomes more troubling, however, when paired with our politicians' growing tendency to appeal to "families" rather than individuals. David Cameron doesn't want to help just any old citizen struggling with energy bills; no, his quickly-abandoned proposal to fix gas prices was born out of a desire to help "hard-pressed, hard-working families." The hard-pressed singletons and the hard-working barren can freeze.
2. The marginalisation of childless women.
Since I became eligible to vote in the UK, every targeted mailing I have received from political parties has focused entirely on the party's policy toward "families." (My husband, by contrast, has received leaflets addressing a far wider range of topics.) Never mind what issues I might care about as an individual: in the eyes of the strategists, I'm a woman in my 30s and can therefore be lumped in with the Mumsnet vote.
Then there's the "mother of two wins Nobel Prize" phenomenon. With the exception of the already-famous, any woman with children who gets into the newspapers is certain to be described on first reference (and preferably in the headline) as a mother or grandmother. This applies no matter what she is in the news for, be it discovering a new planet or committing a mass murder. The salient fact about her, the one that sums up her identity, is the fact that she has reproduced. What does that imply about those of us who haven't?
3. "Think of the children!" syndrome.
Here's one that affects men more than women. In the real world, most abused children are abused by someone they know well. In the popular imagination, however, the main risk to children comes from creepy strangers just looking for a chance to kidnap them or worse. The paranoid drive to "protect our children" does not bode well for childless adults who happen to wander into a public place where children are present -- or, God forbid, to take photographs there. (Though to be fair, fathers suffer too.)
4. The appeal-to-parenthood fallacy.
Dislike the idea of someone going to jail merely for making sick jokes about a child abduction? Think the African hunting dogs at Pittsburgh Zoo shouldn't be destroyed simply because a parent ignored the zoo's safety barriers? It won't be long before you get the ultimate comeback:
"You only think that because you don't have children."
It's frightening how many people seem to believe this is a legitimate argument. It never occurs to them that they are, essentially, implying that all parents are ruled by emotion and incapable of thinking critically about any issue where children are concerned. If this were true (and fortunately, I know it's not) it would actually be a good reason to exclude parents from public decision-making. The intent of people who use this "argument," however, is to deny non-parents the right to have an opinion on any topic affecting children. The trouble is that virtually all issues facing society will ultimately affect children in one way or another, and that many policies created with children in mind will also have an impact on adults.
Thanks to a nauseating combination of sentimentality and cynicism, our leaders and our media often treat "families" (narrowly defined) as if they were the only ones who mattered. It's time to change that -- and time for the notion of "family" itself to be extended.
* Yes, this has happened. More than once.Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-7430141261640782182012-10-08T20:58:00.002+01:002012-10-08T20:58:47.221+01:00Bronze at the Royal AcademyThe Royal Academy's exhibitions tend to vary widely in quality; I've never gone to one, no matter how interested I was in the subject matter, without feeling some reservations beforehand. I went to the most recent show, Bronze, with no particular prior interest -- and yet I found it to be one of the best exhibitions I've seen there.

Bronze is a generously-sized exhibition for the Academy, taking up ten well-filled rooms. The displays come from all over the world and from throughout history, ranging from the earliest known bronze objects from Mesopotamia to a sculpture completed last year by Anish Kapoor. (The exhibition's theme has also been interpreted liberally to allow brass and copper objects.) Rather than arranging the exhibits chronologically or geographically, the Academy has chosen to group them by subject. Thus we have sections devoted to human figures, animals, "groups" (which include fornicating couples), "objects" (for ritual or practical use), reliefs, gods, and finally human heads. Critics have been divided over this method of organisation, but I liked not knowing exactly what I would be looking at next: a 15th-century Nigerian archer or Willem de Kooning's Clam Digger; an ancient Egyptian cat or a giant Louise Bourgeois spider.

The one place where the approach seemed less than effective was the Gods room. This mixed Hindu and Buddhist devotional statues with Renaissance depictions of Greek and Roman gods, which were made for a very different purpose. There were also figures of gods scattered throughout the other parts of the exhibition, which made this particular room seem like "vaguely divine stuff we couldn't fit in anywhere else."

 A flaw of most of the Academy's exhibitions is the stinginess of the interpretation material. I would have liked more information on some of the lesser-known civilisations that were represented, such as ancient Luristan (the crappy Wikipedia article is no help) and the Bronze Age community in Denmark that produced a striking "chariot of the sun." Nonetheless, the fact that I was inspired to look these cultures up when I got home is a testament to the exhibition's power. Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-66105376889958065822012-07-23T19:55:00.000+01:002012-07-23T19:57:36.918+01:00Life in the cheap seatsMy first Prom of the season on Saturday was as good a beginning as I could have wished. I thought that Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra's performance of Beethoven's Fourth Symphony was transcendent, but then they surpassed even that with the Eroica in the second half. Even the modern piece in between (Pierre Boulez's Dialogue de l'ombre double) was listenable, though perhaps not endlessly so. My only complaint was that Barenboim didn't give in to the audience's demand for an encore.

 With its high-profile performers, this Prom was more expensive than usual. I was so eager to hear it that I bought the cheapest tickets, in the upper circle. I usually avoid this area, not because of the restricted view (most orchestras aren't much to look at anyway), but because of the colourful behaviour that tends to be displayed by my fellow cheapskates. Here's a sampling of what happened on Saturday:

The people sitting two rows behind us brought two children under 10, who proceeded to stage-whisper through most of the Fourth. To their credit, the family did leave at the interval.

A man in front of us illegally recorded the first half on his mobile phone, until the woman sitting next to me whacked him on the shoulder and told him to stop.

The man directly behind us stood up at the interval and forgot the chunk of Toblerone in his lap; it hit Chris on the head and then landed at my feet. By the time we turned around the guy had departed for the bar, oblivious to what had happened. The woman who'd been sitting next to him put the chocolate on his seat, and when he returned we heard him exclaiming with wonder about how it had got there.

Even with all this going on, the thing I remembered most was the music. A real credit to Barenboim & co.
Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-15715262056265628222012-03-09T22:33:00.000Z2012-03-09T22:53:01.839ZThe animals come firstHowletts Wild Animal Park, in Bekesbourne, Kent, is a perfect place to visit if you're sincerely interested in animals and willing to engage with them on their own terms. If you're the type who's disappointed when zoo tigers don't roar in your presence, stay away; if you're looking for a glorified adventure playground for your kids, look elsewhere. Howletts makes its priorities clear in a sign at the entrance: THE ANIMALS COME FIRST.

What this means is that the enclosures have been set up for the comfort and well-being of the animals, and not the viewing public. Shy species have their areas set well back from the pathways and protected by a fence. The African elephants (the largest herd in the UK) are given a huge space to roam in, and they may or may not choose to go to the most public areas. All the animals are able to go to their indoor sleeping quarters at any time. In short, you see the animals when they want to be seen, and you can't necessarily get close. During our visit yesterday, I didn't once have to grit my teeth at the sight of an undisciplined child banging on the glass, or of tourists trying to whistle an animal over for a photo.

Fortunately, although some of the animals were keeping to themselves when we visited, many more of them were happy to be in plain view.

Howletts breeds a number of species that don't get much attention elsewhere, such as European bison and capybaras (I wrote a report about the latter in fifth grade, but am not sure I'd ever seen them in life before).

Much more recently I'd written about the Fishing Cat for an animal behaviour class, but I'd definitely never seen one. They're secretive creatures, but I just caught a glimpse. Can you spot it?

Several of the monkey species were new to me, such as Heck's Macaque and the Lion-Tailed Macaque (which looked remarkably like Raymond Smullyan).

My favourites, though, were the Javan Langurs. There were about half a dozen of them, and they were all very absorbed in grooming each other, but a couple did take a moment to check us out.

Seeing such natural behaviour was part of the joy of our visit. The animals all seemed relaxed and happy. In the gorilla enclosure (where, unfortunately, I was unable to get a good picture), some youngsters were chasing each other around, beating their chests in a play fight. And a curious baby was keeping the Black and White Colobus Monkeys busy.

If you have to keep animals in captivity for conservation purposes -- and I believe it's a necessary evil -- then this is the way to do it.

The local wildlife was fun to watch too. An extremely noisy rookery spreads over much of the park, and as we walked along we startled a family of young rabbits. And of course there were blackbirds.

The staff were very friendly, too, and even gave us a lift to the train station to save us the cab fare. It's a shame the local authority doesn't run a bus to the park; it certainly deserves their support.

Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-26014487481435371772012-01-26T20:49:00.002Z2012-01-26T21:06:37.672ZBird-lovers read books differentlyI've just started reading Paul Mariani's Gerard Manley Hopkins: A Life (not before time - I've had it on my shelf for years). I was dubious from the start about Mariani's approach of putting himself inside Hopkins's head, telling us not just what the poet was doing on a particular date (the book is written in a series of entries, diary-style), but what he was thinking and feeling. I've always felt biographers who did this were on shaky ground, and an excellent example of why occurs in the entry for April 1866. During a stroll around Oxford, Mariani assures us, "Hopkins -- that inveterate observer of nature -- notes* the robin's-egg-blue spring sky."

I can tell you with absolute certainty that Hopkins noted no such thing. Not just because he wouldn't have used a stock phrase like "robin's egg blue," but because the European Robin -- the only robin this "inveterate observer of nature" would have been familiar with -- does not lay blue eggs. It is the American Robin (not closely related to the European Robin at all) that lays eggs of this colour, and the phrase "robin's egg blue" is American English. Mariani is American and is presumably no ornithologist; this wouldn't be a problem if he hadn't insisted on inserting his own thoughts into Hopkins's head in this silly manner.

I'll keep reading the book because of my love for its subject. I hope there won't be too many distractions of this kind.

* The book is also written in the present tense, another slight irritant.
Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-16363906816825659352011-12-12T20:58:00.004Z2011-12-12T21:07:11.702ZThe animals' ChristmasFirst of all, I'm still alive. I've enjoyed my first term at Capel Manor very much, but between that and other things, blogging seems to have been pushed off my list of priorities. I'm hoping to change this in future, but I won't promise in case I jinx it.

Anyway, this is the last week before the Christmas holidays, and today I brought in a bag of presents for the small animals I've been working with. Seeing their excitement at getting their toys made this one of the most gratifying gifts I've ever given.

I'd been concerned lately about the degus, who had been chewing the bars of their cage and showing other signs of boredom. I thought adding a bit more enrichment might help, and it looks like I was right.

The photos I took weren't of great quality, partly because the animals were so active, but I think they capture the spirit of the occasion. Here are two of the gerbils playing with a new tunnel (the red glow is a reflection in their tank).

I hope everyone else's season has happy moments like these!
Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-65486163224248156812011-10-26T22:10:00.004+01:002011-10-26T23:23:09.046+01:00The Soapstone Monkey of SilenceThere's currently a fascinating pair of exhibitions on at the Wellcome Collection. Infinitas Gracias is a selection of ex-voto paintings and offerings from Mexico, and I spent a very interesting couple of hours there. But it's the other exhibition, Charmed Life, that inspired this post.

I admit the contemporary art in the show didn't hold much interest for me, but I did like the amulets on display. They were collected by the folklorist Edward Lovett in London in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They consist of a large assortment of objects, from the everyday to the positively bizarre, that were used by Londoners for various magical purposes: to ward off bronchitis, nightmares or poverty, to ensure luck in marriage or gambling, and so forth.

Among them, I found a little statue of a monkey, 2 or 3 centimetres high, sitting in a praying position. The label under it said, "Jade Monkey of Silence." Most of the other objects had further information about where they'd been collected or what they'd been used for, but this one said simply that: "Jade Monkey of Silence."

As soon as I saw this, I knew I had to find out more. Why? Because in my living room at home, I had this:

My monkey isn't jade -- it's probably soapstone -- but otherwise it is very similar in size and style to the one in the exhibition. I bought it in a charity shop about ten years ago for a pound, figuring it was a tourist souvenir. Now it seems it may once have meant more to someone than that.

I asked a staff member at the Wellcome Collection if she could give me any more information about the "monkey of silence" and what powers it was meant to have. She was very friendly and helpful, but couldn't find anything. Looking through reference books didn't help either. Lovett's own book about his collection, Magic in Modern London, has been out of print for years and hasn't been put online; the price for a used copy ranges from £50 to £150.

Eventually I asked MetaFilter, where the consensus has been that the figurine is a "speak-no-evil" monkey that at some point got separated from the other two Wise Monkeys. MeFi users pointed me toward almost identical monkeys being sold on Etsy and eBay, and I found one that had been posted by a visitor to the BBC's History of the World in 100 Objects site. In each case, the owner/seller of the monkey had either found it or inherited it from somewhere; everyone agreed that the monkey was old, but no one seemed sure how old. At least one (the one on Etsy) has a hole in the base like mine; the finder mentions that it was found "strung on a very old silk cord along with an antique Catholic medal," which suggests it was indeed used as a sort of good luck charm.

If anyone has any further information or suggestions (or a cheaper source for Lovett's book), please leave a comment. I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-9969065903575379412011-10-22T18:35:00.003+01:002011-10-22T19:41:00.708+01:00Wildlife Photographer of the YearI've seen a few exhibitions recently that I've been meaning to write about, but I'll start with the biggie. It was a good year for birds at the 2011 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The winning photo, of course, was Daniel Beltrá's heartbreaking image of oiled pelicans at a rescue centre in Louisiana -- part of a set of photographs documenting the BP oil spill that also won Beltrá the Photojournalist of the Year prize.

But most of the other bird pictures were more cheerful. Oystercatchers were the slightly unexpected but welcome star of two category winners. Fourteen-year-old Mateusz Piesiak scooped the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title with his photo of a young American Oystercatcher stealing a tidbit from an adult, while Peter Chadwick won the Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife with a shot of African Black Oystercatchers caught off-guard by a wave.

Ilkka Räsänen, from Finland, won the 10 Years and Under category back in 2009 with his portrait of a greenfinch; this year, he was Highly Commended in the 11-14 Years category for his stunning picture of a tern splashing in a lake. I loved the way the bird's wings and the water droplets caught the golden sunlight. Also using water to great effect was Petr Simon with his Racket-Tail in the Rain. This hummingbird picture was so detailed that you could see a single raindrop on the bird's bill. Bowerbirds have been surprisingly neglected in past competitions, but Tim Laman made up for that with his cheeky photo of a male showing off his greatest treasure: a pink paperclip.

In several cases, perfect composition turned photos of not-particularly-spectacular species into something astonishing. Coots are so commonplace that I don't know if anyone's even bothered to enter a photo of them before, but Andrew George's black-and-white shot of a group walking on ice was a thing of beauty. There was also Henrik Lund's picture of a Horned Lark framed by dead stems in the Finnish snow. And Thomas Hanahoe's Knot Lift-Off seemed almost surreal. I also couldn't go without mentioning Stefano Unterthiner's geometric arrangements of cranes and swans.

Birds were also a big part of Bence Máté's beautiful portfolio, which -- almost inevitably -- won the Eric Hosking Award. I believe this is the last year that Máté is eligible for the award; he first won it in 2002 at age 17, and it's only for photographers under age 27. Perhaps young Mateusz or Ilkka will step up to take his place.

It wasn't all birds, of course. Two invertebrate pictures particularly caught my eye: sixteen-year-old Jack Salzke's painterly close-up of a honeybee visiting a magnolia flower, and Valter Binotto's Apollo at Rest, in which a white butterfly seems almost transparent among its surroundings. Joel Sartore captured a mountain goat in a jitter-inducing pose, while Louis-Marie Préau contributed the first portrait I've seen of a beaver underwater. And of course, no WPY exhibition would be complete without an adorable monkey photo, this time taken by Cyril Ruoso.
Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-3020839321000032972011-09-26T20:05:00.003+01:002011-09-26T20:15:26.197+01:00How did I spend Monday morning?Not long ago, my answer to that question would have included trying not to fall asleep during Powerpoint presentations, or being told off by the boss for not stapling documents to her satisfaction. No more. Here were my bosses for the day:

Jessica in her newly cleaned hutch. Later on she and her mate, Roger, were snuggling happily together.

Tia.

Tia and her friend Nola, recovering from the indignity of being put into pet carriers while we cleaned their room. They rushed out with great relief and were soon settling in among their fresh hay.

This work does have the slight disadvantage of not paying anything (in fact, I'm paying Capel Manor for the privilege), but in another sense it's the most rewarding work I've ever done.

That's all for now. Tomorrow morning my boss will be Aristophanes.

Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-53589138511522943202011-09-17T19:25:00.003+01:002011-09-17T20:08:49.142+01:00From Flash Gordon to Eternal FlameThe building at 440-442 Alexandra Avenue in Rayners Lane has seen a lot. It started life as a beautiful Art Deco cinema in 1936. Altered over the years to suit changing tastes, it finally closed as a cinema in the 1980s, and for a time hosted a horrible theme bar where real aircraft were suspended from the ceilings. It then fell into disrepair entirely for several years, until in 2000 it was bought by the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe and turned into the only European centre for Zoroastrian worship.

The Zoroastrian community have been a lot more conscientious than their predecessors in restoring the listed building to its original design. Today, as part of Open House London, we got to see the results of their work.

Yes, that's a bar. The Zoroastrians have no prohibition against drinking -- in fact, Cobra Beer was founded by a Zoroastrian.

The door in this picture opens on a flight of stairs leading to the old projection room, which now contains the "eternal flame" found in all Zoroastrian temples. We weren't allowed to go up there, but we did hear an interesting talk about the Zoroastrian faith. It seems like a pretty good-hearted religion; its followers focus on good deeds, believe in progress and see all faiths as coming from God. Zoroastrianism also grants women a relatively high level of equality. The speaker even claimed that the story of Portia in The Merchant of Venice was based on a Zoroastrian legend - except that in the original, the woman did not disguise herself as a man to argue in court, because she didn't need to. (I have to say, though, that I haven't found any scholarly confirmation of this theory.)

There are about 200,000 Zoroastrians in the world today, of whom about 5,000 live in Britain. They continue to face severe persecution in Iran and Central Asia.

Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-54348614598326740212011-09-14T16:40:00.002+01:002011-09-14T16:52:09.396+01:00A new directionI've mused from time to time on this blog (most recently here) about what direction I wanted my life and career to take. Should I change jobs? Give up work to write full time? Go back to school?

Well, things have been brewing for a little while, and now I'm finally ready to announce my plans. Next week, I'll begin studying for a Subsidiary Diploma in Animal Management at Capel Manor College. I'll be going there two days a week, and in the evenings I'll also be finishing up my Creative Writing certificate at Birkbeck. (I've also signed up for an advanced Classical Greek class at City Lit, just because I've always wanted to take my Greek further.)

All this, of course, means I'm not working. This won't be a problem during the 15 months of my Capel Manor course, though I do plan to look for part-time work to fit round my studies. More to the point, I hope that once I have an animal care qualification, I'll be able to find a job working with wildlife. To gain some practical experience, I've started volunteering with the Harrow Nature Conservation Forum. We spent yesterday evening cleaning trash out of a pond where a little family of moorhens live.

If I can find a way to make a living out of my two great loves - nature and writing - then I will be very happy. I'm glad I've finally taken the first steps toward doing this, and I'm very excited about the future. I hope to start blogging more often and chronicle my journey.
Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-15254603872413564522011-09-09T19:55:00.002+01:002011-09-09T20:14:22.288+01:00Toulouse-Lautrec and Jane AvrilThis is the 110th anniversary of Toulouse-Lautrec's death, which makes it a good day to write about the Courtauld Gallery's current show devoted to his relationship with the Moulin Rouge dancer Jane Avril. (This is another one you'll have to be quick to see -- it closes on 18 September.)

Toulouse-Lautrec met Avril (real name: Jeanne Beaudon) in the 1880s, when both were in their 20s; she soon became a close friend of the artist and a frequent model. Both had already been through considerable sorrow. Toulouse-Lautrec's problems are well-known. Avril was abused as a child and spent a good part of her adolescence in an insane asylum, being treated for chorea. Some critics suggested that her illness contributed to the development of her eccentric, violent dance style.

Toulouse-Lautrec's portraits of Avril seem to focus on her inner suffering. In his pictures her face inevitably looks weary and prematurely old. Yet the exhibition also includes photographs and depictions by other artists, which show that Avril did not, in fact, look like this; her looks were slightly unconventional, but her face was youthful and pretty, and she is often shown smiling.

Like all the Courtauld exhibitions I've been to, this one was very well-done and thought-provoking. I did find myself wishing that I had a better idea of exactly how Avril had danced. Presumably no film was made of her, and though many pictures catch her in mid-step, I didn't really get a feeling for what the overall routine would look like.
Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-63601067765362992062011-09-06T18:29:00.003+01:002011-09-06T18:41:01.301+01:00Botanical artYou'll have to be quick to see the V & A's free show of botanical illustrations -- it closes on September 24 -- but it's well worth it. Actually, this exhibition has been on since February, but I only recently learned of it. In fact, the main criticism I have of the V & A is that it tends not to publicise its small, free exhibitions very well -- very little outside promotion, and no posters in the museum itself. Most people who have seen this show will probably have stumbled across it.

What they will have found is two rooms of beautiful art, spanning from 16th-century herbals to 20th-century seed packets. The show includes drawings, paintings, photographs and nature prints (in which an impression is made directly from the plant itself). Despite the buzz of museum visitors around me, I found walking through the exhibition very peaceful -- almost as good as visiting an actual garden.

Botanical art has traditionally been looked down upon as "mere" illustration, lacking the loftier goals of true art. And yet it seems to me that creating (and, to a lesser extent, even looking at) a botanical illustration could be viewed as an act of contemplation. Isn't there something profound about paying such close attention to a single fruit of the earth?
Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-82587825535790516682011-09-02T19:49:00.004+01:002011-09-02T22:34:14.425+01:00Prom 61Both the Royal Albert Hall and I have seen some big events since Wednesday night, but I figured you'd still like to hear about Yo-Yo Ma's performance. He and the BBC Symphony Orchestra gave the world premiere of Graham Fitkin's new Cello Concerto. Fitkin composed this piece with Yo-Yo in mind, and it showed. The long, subtle tones of the solos could have become dull in a lesser cellist's hands, but Yo-Yo made them tender and expressive. The orchestra gradually filled the background like mille-fleurs, then became louder and more insistent until it almost seemed to be competing with the cello; then it faded away again, and the piece seemed to return to the beginning.

I enjoyed the piece, but it was the curtain call that really made my night. Fitkin came on stage to get a big hug from Ma, who also presented him with a red yo-yo. The pair managed to knock over a music stand in their excitement.

The second half was Beethoven's Ninth, about which I really don't have anything new to say. The orchestra's performance was not electrifying, but the BBC Symphony Chorus and the Philharmonia Chorus gave the audience what they were waiting for in the Ode to Joy.
Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-35784385974533556532011-08-18T16:46:00.003+01:002011-08-18T19:41:11.548+01:00Prom 44Last year at the Proms, I heard an excellent performance of Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto with Julia Fischer as soloist. Last night's performance by Lisa Batiashvili was, if anything, even better -- her Cadenza enough to bring tears to your eyes. I've rarely heard such fine violin playing in concert, and will certainly be checking out her latest album, which includes this concerto among other works.

Unusually, this was actually the only Prom this season to include Shosty's music. The Philharmonia Orchestra preceded the Concerto with the suite from the Age of Gold. Their performance seemed to lack fire at first, but things perked up in the famous Polka, which had the audience chuckling along. And for her encore, Batiashvili chose the Lyrical Waltz from Seven Dolls' Dances, arranged by her father Tamas.

There was some kerfuffle at the beginning of the second half, when a couple of unpleasant middle-aged women sat in someone else's seats in our row and refused to move (apparently their argument was that someone else had sat in their seats, so they in turn were entitled to steal seats from other people). This meant that the opening bars of Stravinsky's 1946 revision of Petrushka were punctuated with the sounds of managers being called and negotiations being carried out. (Apparently throwing out the impostors was deemed too disruptive, and so the rightful owners of the seats were escorted to more expensive seats further down the Hall.)

I have never much cared for Stravinsky; he seems to be the one composer idolised by people who don't really like or understand modern classical music. I found some support for this idea in the number of people who didn't turn up till the second half, and then left as soon as Petrushka was finished. But the Philharmonia's playing was enough to win me over, and I enjoyed the half hour.

What came next was even better, though -- Tchaikovsky's symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini. This isn't Tchaikovsky's best known work, but I love the way it combines tender love themes with vivid depictions of the swirling winds in the second circle of Hell. Francesca has been treated with some sympathy by most artists (including perhaps Dante himself), and I couldn't help wondering if her story had reminded Tchaikovsky of his own forbidden love -- the homosexuality he was forced to conceal.
Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-24657013402798953662011-08-11T18:33:00.002+01:002011-08-11T19:22:50.770+01:00Prom 36It was the Prom I'd been waiting for all season, and it didn't disappoint. In the year of his 75th birthday, Steve Reich visited the Royal Albert Hall for a performance of three of his best-known works. Despite the late hour (it was the second Prom of the night), the hall was about three-quarters full, and the audience gave him one of the most enthusiastic receptions I've heard.

Reich himself performed on two of the pieces, Clapping Music and Music for 18 Musicians. Clapping Music was probably my favourite performance of the night. When I'd listened to the recording, I'd never really noticed the pitch created by hands striking together -- the piece had seemed purely percussive. In the live version, its musicality was much more obvious. It's a difficult piece to perform, and I noticed that Reich and his fellow clapper Rainer Römer rarely looked at each other, perhaps to avoid being distracted from their individual rhythms. Later, in the break while stage equipment was shifted around, I heard a couple of audience members trying to recreate the piece for themselves.

Reich was also one of the four pianists in Music for 18 Musicians. Though I'd often enjoyed listening to this piece on CD, watching it being performed gave me a whole new appreciation of it. Reich intended the performance of the piece to be a communal experience for the musicians. There was no conductor, and the performers faced each other instead of the audience. The pianists and percussionists sat off to one side until needed, and sometimes moved from one instrument to another. The effect was like watching a workshop or office, with all participants focused on the work they were creating.

In between these two pieces came Electric Counterpoint, played by Mats Bergström. Perhaps because of the less-than-perfect acoustics of the RAH, the recorded backing and Bergström's live guitar seemed to be at the same volume. This made the perforamance less effective than Pat Metheny's famous recording, where Metheny's live guitar is very much to the fore. Nonetheless, it was interesting to see how Bergström interacted with the speaker playing the backing track, sometimes bending toward it as if it were a fellow performer.
Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-36734178947626039642011-07-22T21:21:00.003+01:002011-07-22T22:13:09.475+01:00Prom 9The disappointment I felt at not seeing Martha Argerich in Prom 5 was more than made up for last night, when András Schiff gave a stunning performance of Bartok's Third Piano Concerto. This wasn't a work I was familiar with, despite its being considered one of the more "mainstream" of Bartok's compositions. Bartok was dying of leukaemia when he wrote it, and some suggest that he wanted to compose a crowd-pleaser so that his wife, a pianist, could earn money by playing it after his death.

Be that as it may, it's a wonderful piece. The first movement, based on Hungarian folk themes, has an almost jazzy feel (in fact, it reminded me slightly of George Gershwin). Schiff's playing had a lightness and warmth that suited the music perfectly. His excellent chemistry with the Hallé was shown off especially in the second movement, where piano and orchestra echo each other in a mimicry of nighttime bird and insect calls. In the impassioned third movement he sometimes flung his hands into the air during breaks in the piano part. It seemed inevitable that he would be called back for an encore, and so he was -- the fitting Hungarian Melody by Schubert.

The concert had opened with the Hallé playing Sibelius, a composer I keep meaning to hear more of. Now I'll have to add his charming Scènes historiques to my list of recordings to pick up. This was programme music for which you didn't really need to consult a programme: La Chasse immediately conjured up a wood, Chant d'Amour a romantic meeting, and Près du Pont-Levis a humorous bustle of ships. Afterward came Sibelius's Seventh Symphony, which conductor Mark Elder took at a relaxed pace -- perhaps too relaxed. The concert ended with an old favourite, Janacek's Sinfonietta, in which the brass section did a good job of blasting us out of our seats.
Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-29541188275812811892011-07-21T05:51:00.005+01:002011-07-21T05:51:00.271+01:00Birdwatching at the National GalleryIn his new book Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle, Thor Hanson tells how the craze for feathers in women's fashion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries helped to spur the formation of America's National Audubon Society. (It was also the driving force behind the founding of Britain's RSPB, but Hanson's book is unfortunately quite U.S.-centric.) In 1886, one opponent of the feather trade, Frank Chapman, undertook an unusual birdwatching trip on the streets of New York, identifying more than 40 species in the hats of female passers-by.

Fortunately, feathered hats are long out of fashion (though Hanson's book includes a disturbing interview with one designer, Leah Chalfen, who's determined to bring the cruel practice back). But I was partly inspired by Chapman when I decided to birdwatch in another unlikely spot the other day: among the painted Italian altarpieces in the National Gallery's excellent free exhibition, Devotion by Design.

My final list was:

 Two swallows, found in Carlo Crivelli's Madonna of the Swallow, painted at the turn of the 16th century. One of these perches on top of the Madonna's throne; the other surveys the martyrdom of St Sebastian in the predella. The saint, unusually, also appears fit and unpierced in the main panel.

 One Eurasian Crane, also in the predella of Crivelli's altarpiece, in the scene depicting St Jerome in the wilderness. This scene also contains several other animals, including a couple of bunnies.

 Goldfinch and Coal Tit, on the marble steps at the foot of the Virgin's throne in Benozzo Gozzoli's Virgin and Child Enthroned Among Angels and Saints, painted in 1461. They look quite alert and seem to be getting along.

 An eagle, in Margarito of Arezzo's The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Narrative Scenes, from around 1260. It appears here as a symbol of John the Evangelist, so it may not really count.

 Doves in various paintings, representing the Holy Spirit. These may not count either.

Although I started out looking for birds, I also have to mention fish -- specifically those in Niccolò di Pietro Gerini's Baptism Altarpiece from 1387. They swim unconcernedly in the clear water around Christ's feet. This must have been an imaginative touch on Gerini's part; an altarpiece by Lorenzo Monaco, painted in the same year and depicting the same subject, shows the water as empty.

The Gallery's exhibition is very well put together, and even allows visitors to walk behind some of the altarpieces to see how they were built. I'll probably go again before it closes in October.
Laura Brownhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296148627449654812.post-72099596510556490422011-07-20T05:52:00.003+01:002011-07-20T05:52:00.614+01:00Hungarian photographs at the Royal AcademyIt takes a pretty enticing exhibition to get me into the Royal Academy, but Eyewitness: Hungarian Photography in the 20th Century was just that. To my relief, I wasn't disappointed. Unlike some previous RA exhibitions, this one held a decent amount of material -- and a show consisting of only half these stunning images would have been worth the ticket price.

The exhibition includes photography of all types: scenes of everyday life; photojournalism from the World Wars, the revolutions and the fall of Communism; Surrealist photomontages; fashion and advertising shots. In Tibor Schoen's Ravens (1915), the eponymous birds surround a dead soldier on a snow-covered battlefield. Ravens scavenge flesh, but these particular ravens appear to be just hanging around, perched on bare branches or settled contentedly in the snow: life going on despite human horrors. The wide veils of the nuns in Ernö Vadas's Procession (1934) form an almost abstract geometric pattern: you have to look twice to be sure of what you're seeing. In György Stalter's Tólápa (1982), a Gypsy woman seems to be observing a cheerful gaggle of geese inside an abandoned house, while Sylvia Plachy's tragicomic Fallen Worker (1993) shows a heroic Communist sculpture toppled on the ground.

But two photographers really form the core of this show: Robert Capa and André Kertész. The Capa photographs here span from 1936 (the famous, and possibly staged, Death of a Loyalist Militiaman) to 1950 (Refugees in Front of the Sha'ar Ha'Aliya Refugee Camp, Haifa). Kertész's photos, meanwhile, span his whole career, from tiny prints made in the 1910s (farmers gathered by a cattle trough, a child playing with a cat) to semi-abstract Polaroids taken in New York in the early 1980s.

The Academy has reprinted poems by George Szirtes to accompany some of the photos. Otherwise, it largely sticks to its typical minimalist labelling. This has been a drawback in some previous shows, but it works well here, allowing viewers to form their own response to the images. It was especially effective with the two pictures that stayed with me most: Kertész's Mr & Mrs Rosskam, where the subjects look upward at the camera, seemingly surprised while playing with their cats; and Capa's Woman, Who Had a Child with a German Soldier, Being Marched Through the Street. Apparently a film was made last year in Ireland that tried to trace what had happened to this woman and her child; but I haven't seen it, and I don't know what they found.
Laura Brownhttp://email@example.com


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hudson Valley Holding Corp. To Announce 2013 Third Quarter Results And Host A Conference Call
YONKERS, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hudson Valley Holding Corp. (NYSE: HVB), parent of Hudson Valley Bank, N.A., announced today it will release its earnings for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2013 after market close on Tuesday, October 22, 2013. A copy of the release will be immediately available on the Company's website at www.hudsonvalleybank.com.
The Company also announced that management will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast to review results of its third quarter on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen R. Brown and Chief Financial Officer, Michael J. Indiveri will host the conference call.
All participants should dial in at least ten minutes prior to the call and request the "Hudson Valley - Third Quarter 2013 Earnings Call":
A replay of the call will be available 1 hour from the close of the conference through November 8, 2013 at 9:00 AM ET
Toll Free Call in (Domestic): 1-888-317-6016International Call in: +1-412-317-6016
Participants will be required to state their name and company upon entering call. The Company webcast will be available live at 10:00 AM ET and archived after the call, through its website at www.hudsonvalleybank.com. About Hudson Valley Holding Corp.: Through its Hudson Valley Bank subsidiary, Hudson Valley Holding Corp. (NYSE: HVB) serves small- and mid-sized businesses, professional services firms, not-for-profit organizations and select individuals in metropolitan New York. Headquartered in Yonkers, N.Y., the company provides a full range of banking, trust and investment management services to niche commercial customers and their principals throughout Westchester and Rockland counties, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Hudson Valley is the largest bank headquartered in Westchester County, with $3.0 billion in assets, $2.6 billion in deposits and 28 branches. Its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and is a Russell 3000 ® Index component. More information is available at www.hudsonvalleybank.com. SOURCE Hudson Valley Holding Corp.
Toll Free Call in (Domestic): 1-877-344-7529 Conference #: 10033935International Call In: +1-412-317-0088 Conference #: 10033935
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Merck And Celebrity Chef Art Smith "Cook Up A Recipe" For Better Type 2 Diabetes Management
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced its partnership with celebrity chef Art Smith on Taking Diabetes to Heart, an educational program to help people living with type 2 diabetes better manage the disease. Smith, who lives with type 2 diabetes, will be traveling the country "cooking up" some of his favorite delicious diabetes-friendly recipes, sharing tips for diabetes management, and encouraging people living with type 2 diabetes to work with their health care provider to develop a personalized diabetes-management plan with goals that are right for them. Smith will also be challenging local restaurants and food trucks in select cities to make at least one of their menu items diabetes-friendly.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130507/NY08613LOGO )
Smith, the former personal chef to celebrities and past contestant on the hit shows "Top Chef Masters" and "Iron Chef America," was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2008, when he weighed more than 325 pounds. After his diagnosis, Smith worked with his health care provider to develop a personalized diabetes-management plan and learned simple ways to make some of his favorite dishes more diabetes-friendly. By sticking to this plan, Smith lost more than 100 pounds and now has his diabetes under control.
"As a chef living with type 2 diabetes, I know that managing the way you eat is critical and can be difficult, but it doesn't have to be," Smith explains. "That's why I'm working with Merck on Taking Diabetes to Heart to share my diabetes-friendly recipes that the whole family can enjoy and to work with restaurants and food trucks to make some of their menu items more diabetes-friendly."By challenging restaurants and food trucks in select cities to feature diabetes-friendly dishes, Smith is also helping to show people with diabetes that they can still enjoy eating delicious meals, even while they are dining out with friends and family.
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text:
This afternoon my wife and I took her sisters and a friend to see October Baby which premiered last Friday. I don't frequent film theaters, well, frequently anyway. As a matter of fact, I can still count on my two hands the times I've darkened the doorway of a commercial movie house. I don't believe in giving my hard earned cash to further the sin-sick and sin-hardened Hollywood film production machine.
But this was different. It was unabashedly a Christian film. And I'm glad I went.
October Baby follows the story of a young lady who has grown up unaware of her own birth story and the complicated issues surrounding her entrance to our world. Health problems stemming from her premature birth and other issues she encountered while still in the womb (no spoilers here) cause her to look for answers. The film grabs your attention from the start, pulling you through each emotion-filled moment as she discovers who she really is.
I was genuinely impressed by the raw emotion and true-to-life experiences faced by 'Hannah' who faces the reality of her past, a cruel rejection and the empowering freedom of forgiveness. This is a story that is relevant to our world. The themes in this film could have been taken from any one of the myriads of heart-breaking, living, breathing, walking stories of real people in our cities today.
I laughed and 'throat lumped' (guys don't cry in movies) along with everyone in the theater and found the following quote by the cathedral minister poignant and true. Apparently Hannah was worried he'd reject her too, because she was a 'Baptist' and he was some kind of more traditionalist Christian (perhaps Episcopalian? Maybe someone can clarify in the comments). He just smiled when she clarified her denominational position and sitting down next to her entered a dialog in which he stated:
Because we have been forgiven by God, we should forgive each other. In Christ you are forgiven, and because you are forgiven, you have the power to forgive, to choose to forgive. Let it go. Hatred is a burden you no longer need to carry. Only in forgiveness can you be free, Hannah—forgiveness that is well beyond your grasp, or mine, a forgiveness that you can't find on a trip or even in this cathedral. But if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.
Leaving details to the imagination, I will say that both my wife and I found many correlations to realities near and dear to our hearts. Little pieces of the puzzle like: 1991, Jonathan, and 'failed abortion'. It left a resonating impression in both our minds that we will not soon forget.
Every life is indeed beautiful
Go ahead. See it. And write your opinions and thoughts in the comments below.
Oh, don't be in a hurry to jump up and leave as soon as the credits roll. Powerful back story from the actress, Shari Rigby.
Favorite Quotes from the movie October Baby:
What a piece of junk
It's vintage class
It's vintage junk
This is your cousins?
What does he look like?
Not nearly as good as the car.
It's now or never!
Come on!
Who's that?
Sir, this is a library.
Who are you?
Bmac, his cousin.
Dude, what's that guy's problem, man?
It's your beard, you look like the unibomber.
I wouldn't go ten feet in that thing, if I were you.
She can HEAR YOU!
You should go on one of those reality shows
Nah, I don't think so, those things are rigged I think
Tow Truck!
Sir, step away from the vehicle.
He's the owner and the driver
Who came up with the idea to take a bean and turn it into something that tastes like a hamburger… REMOTELY!
This is literally the worst hotel I've ever seen
It looked better on the internet
Where? At normanbates.com?
You can just go to New Orleans with everyone else and your posse.
Look, I'm leaving… don't follow me!
Dude, her dad's going to kill you man, he's scary man.
I don't need your charity, Jason.
Ya, you do.
I wasn't hitchhiking, I was walking
Right, and that's equally smart
The cheapest we have is 110, unless you are triple A
Oh, we are. We have all three a's
Well, this is awkward
Ya…. definitely only one bed…
Are you asleep?
I literally just layed down
Are you ok down there?
Well, I usually prefer the king sized floor but this is all they had
I can feel you down there judging me
Like I'm some kind of Christian home-schooled freak or something
I have a wild side… you've seen me play scrabble… I'm WILD!
There's no refund… no matter where you umm… sleep
I can't believe you just broke in.
I didn't break in, the door was open
It was the back door! And you PRIED it open…
My dad's gonna kill me…
Oh… my dad's gonna kill me…
He's gonna kill you too!
My wife has this thing she says To be Human is to be
beautifully flawed
Life isn't always black and white… so, hate the
crime, not the criminal…
I'm the one who took her in the back and prepped her
for the procedure…
The abortion?
Yes… the abortion
For some of the girls, I was their only friend
I didn't see non-viable tissue… I saw the face of a
I'm gonna go… sleep in the ice machine or something
Hate is a burden you don't need to carry
do you believe in bridges
I was born October 7th, 1991 at Mobile General
Hospital… I gues I came here because I thought that
meant something to you…
Oh, I'm sorry, uh, who's this?
I uh, I have no idea… I don't know
I'm Hannah…
Hi Hannah
I don't know where you got your information from… I
don't know what you're referring to…
Perhaps Raymond down the hall can help you with your
civil dispute… I'm sorry.
You have no idea how I feel about this and you can't
know until you have a daughter of your own
You know, if you had been here I wouldn't have had the
audacity to drink something called … hand grenade
I don't remember anything… nothing… not the
argument.. not the fight… not this guy… this
little shiner… oh, and look it comes with a court
date… for free… disorderly conduct
I have a criminal record Jason… I want to go home
I'm actually… a Baptist… I guess you should know that.
I need to know what your intentions are towards my daughter
I love her
You need to call her
What? A date? Like… me and you?
What about my dad?
I dressed for dinner… five times actually
October Baby Music Playlist – iTunes is the exclusive seller of these tracks
- "Hesitate"—Steve Moakler
- "Oh My Stars"—Andrew Belle
- "Always on My Mind"—Mandi Mapes
- "All the Faint Lights"—Steve Moakler
- "Hold My Heart"—Tenth Avenue North
- "Life is Beautiful"—The Afters
- "My Oldest Friend"—Andrew Belle
- "Where You Are"—Mandi Mapes
- "Make It Without You"—Andrew Belle
- "Broken (Beautiful)"—Chris Sligh
- "Now More than Ever"—Brandon Heath
- "Ocean Floor"—Gianna Jessen
- "One"—Chris Sligh
- "When a Heart Breaks"—Ben Rector
- "Willow Tree"—Chris Sligh
Posted on March 26th, 2012 by Josh Champagne
Filed under: Audio / Video


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Publication detail
|IEC 62075 ed2.0 withdrawn corrigendum
> preview
|Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment - Environmentally conscious design
|Publication date
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(Swiss francs)
and language
|IEC 62075:2012 applies to all audio/video, information and communication technology equipment marketed as final products, hereafter referred to as products. Although this standard does not explicitly apply to individual components and subassemblies to be incorporated into final products, component manufacturers also should consider this standard, to enable manufacturers using such components to meet the requirements herein. Only the intended use of products as defined by the manufacturer is within the scope of this standard. This standard specifies requirements and recommendations for the design of environmentally sound products regarding:
- life cycle thinking aspects,
- material efficiency,
- energy efficiency,
- consumables and batteries,
- chemical and noise emissions,
- end of life,
- hazardous substances/preparations,
- and product packaging. This standard covers only criteria directly related to the environmental performance of the product. Criteria such as safety, ergonomics and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) are outside the scope of this standard and covered by other standards. This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2008. It is primarily an editorial revision that adds information related to the modifications noted in certain definitions and updating of regulation references. Keywords: Audio/Video, Environmental Aspects, Life Cycle
|Technical Committee
|100 - Audio, video and multimedia systems and equipment
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ruthika is an Indian actress who appears in bollywood movies. In today's glamerous world of 'bold is beautiful' ruthika with her traditional Indian looks and outlook provides a refreshing change from all the controversy hungry starlets we usually get to see in the media. She is trained in Carnatic music and also she can speaks English, Hindi amd Tamil. She made her debut as a mode actress.
Actress ruthika bio-data:
Name: ruthika
Likes: Indian classical music
Nationality: Indian
Mother Tongue: Hindi
Awards: –
Working Malayalam films: –
For latest news about ruthika's working, please watch this page for news or
this page for spicy stills.
Contact Details: –
To get ruthika movie news, ruthika gossipss, ruthika pics, images, pictures, ruthika photo gallery and ruthika news, bookmark this page or subscribe to our rss feed or sms service for mobile phones.


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Implementing Security Measures
December 2014
Implementation Stage
The implementation stage consists in rolling out the methods and mechanisms designed to make the information system secure as well as applying the rules defined in the security policy.
The main mechanisms used to secure a network against intrusions are firewall systems. Nevertheless, this type of mechanism does not protect the confidentiality of the data on the network.
Therefore, most of the time cryptographic algorithms, which guarantee exchange confidentiality, must be used.
Setting up a secure virtual private network (VPN) can provide additional securisation because all communication is encrypted.
For unlimited offline reading, you can download this article for free in PDF format:
See also
- Implementing Security Measures
- Why are security measures implemented
- Special security measures when implementing network system
- New security measures for Apple's iTunes » News
- Yahoo Expands Security Measures, Promises Encryption » News
- Introduction to IT Security » Articles
- Cm security » Download - Antivirus
- K7 total security free download » Download - Antivirus
Knowledge communities.
Cómo implementar medidas de seguridad
Umsetzung von Absicherungsmitteln
Mise en oeuvre de moyens de sécurisation
Realizzazione dei mezzi di sicurizzazione
Instalação de meios de segurança


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The Home 100 American Building Product Awards
For most of us, our homes are works in progress-places we build or rebuild, rearrange, modify, or redecorate as our lives evolve. To help you, we've dug into our Rolodexes and come up with our list of 100 hot tips, trade secrets, private finds, and hidden
By John Loecke
61. Franmar Chemical
For 18 years, Franmar Chemical has developed environmentally friendly home-cleaning solutions. Among our favorites is Soy-Gel, a soybean-based liquid that helps peel away paint, varnish, and urethane with little mess and no odor. P.O. BOX 97, Normal, IL 61761, 800-538-5069; franmar.com
Period Appliances
62. Elmira Stove Works
Ranges, wall ovens, and refrigerators with classic cookstove styling and modern 21st-century conveniences can be found here. 232 Arthur St. S., Elmira, ON, Canada N3B 2P2, 800-295-8498; elmirastoveworks.com
63. Heartland Appliances
This company makes antique-inspired professional-style ranges, cooktops, and refrigerators. 1050 Fountain St., Cambridge, ON; Canada N3H 4R7, 800-361-1517; heartlandapp.com
64. Dave Erickson's Antique Stoves
A great resource for renovated period cookstoves. Erickson also manufactures custom ventilation systems to keep these classic cookers running smoothly. 2 Taylor St., P.O. Box 2275, Littleton, MA 01460, (978) 486-3589
65. Good Time Stove Company
Genuine 19th- and early 20th-century parlor stoves and cookstoves are restored to their original condition. Route 112, P.O. Box 306, Goshen, MA 01032, 888-282-7506; goodtimestove.com
66. George Taylor Specialties
A small treasure-house of out-of-production plumbing parts. If they don't have what you are looking for, they will find it or fabricate a substitute. 76 Franklin St., New York, NY 10013, (212) 274-9487
67. Lefroy Brooks
A complete range of British bathroom fixtures has been retooled for the American market. 16 Crosby St., New York, NY 10013; (212) 226-2242, lefroybrooks.com
68. Waterworks
You'll find a carefully edited and beautifully crafted selection of everything from spigots to soap at this definitive shopping source. 60 Backus Ave., Danbury, CT, 800-998-2284; waterworks.com
69. Ginger
More than 20 lines of high-quality lighting, bathroom accessories, mirrors, and decorative hardware are hand finished for a luxurious look. 460-N Greenway Industrial Dr., Fort Mill, SC 29708, 888-469-6511; gingerco.com
70. Soho Corp.
This sources supplies luxury bath products, furnishings, fixtures, decorative plumbing fittings, accessories, and bath furnishings from England and Italy. P.O. Box 1353, Watermill, NY 11976, 800-969-7646; sohocorp1.com


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Tip: Use an asterisk (*) to fill in parts of a word (e.g. "harry potter az*" to find Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban).
Library service to the Long Lake community in western Hennepin County began in 1913, when the library was housed out of the Long Lake Bank Building. For several decades, the library operated out of various locations in the community, until it settled in a commercial storefront space in the Long Lake Town Center Mall in 1995.
1865 Wayzata Blvd. W.
Long Lake, MN 55356
Residents are invited to apply to fill two vacancies on the Library Board. Applications will be accepted through Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Hennepin County Library readers now have access to more new and popular adult, teen and children's eBooks through the 3M Cloud Library.
Join these volunteers who work closely with library staff to raise awareness of library services, raise funds, and plan programs and events.


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Casa Bella Villa Playa Dominical
Official Contact Details - Casa Bella
Dominical Beach Villa. Great Ocean Views! Very Romantic 2 brd/ 2 bth. Everything you need to be happy and comfortable. Just out of town and 75 yards to the beach. Perched at the base of the mountain.
- Price from 200 USD / Day
- Capacity up to 6 people
- 2 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms
Last updated: 04/04/2006
This is your property ?
Best location and ocean views. Just 2 miles outside of Dominical. Far enough away for peace and quiet yet a 5 min drive to restaurants/bars/shops/spa/tours. 5 min WALK to the beach, it's 75 yards feet down and across the street.
House is very secure. Romantic design and furnishings. Master has ocean view, king bed, private bath, A/C, Satellite TV, phone jack and balcony leading to pool patio, yard and up to main balcony.
Furnished ocean view living room with large screen TV w/ satellite, retractable glass doors to a large balcony the width of the room leading to the small 'plunge' or dipping pool.
Fully appointed kitchen. Stainless steel fridge (water purifier and ice maker) and oven. Microwave, coffe maker, pots pans, everything.
Second bedroom has 2 double beds and ocean view balcony.
2 car covered carport. Maid service. Fenced in yard for kids/dogs. Washer/Dryer
Prices & deals
- Lowest Daily Price:
- Highest Daily Price:
- Lowest Weekly Price:
- Highest Weekly Price:
- Cleaning fee:
- Charging Method:
- Payment Types:
- Cash
- Credit Card
- Cheque
- Travellers cheque
- Paypal
- Wire Transfer
Location & area
Playa Dominical. 45 min drive south from Quepos/Manuel Antonio. On the way to the Osa Peninsula and Golfito. Right off the Coastal Highway. Dominical is a small beach town. Mountains meet the ocean - think northern California, but hot! Great water activities - surfing, boating, fishing, snorkling and diving. White water rafting. Rain forest activities as well. Canopy tour nearby, huge Nauyaca waterfall, caves, horseback riding. Hiking, bird/wildlife watching. Nearby spa/shopping and several great restaurants and bars. Small town, laid back feel with tons of outdoor adventures
- Address:
- Calle Mang, 100 meters south 50 east of Hotel Roca Verde, Coastal Highway, xxxxx, Playa Dominical, Costa Rica
- Accommodation located in:
- coastal, near restaurants & bars, soooo close to the beach, village!
Amenities & services
Master has 1 kind, second bedroom 2 double beds. Maid service 2/wk, gardener, pool service.
# of Units: 1... and each unit includes:
- Bedrooms: 2
- Bathrooms: 2
- Single beds: 0
- Double beds: 3
- Baby cots: 0
- Single sofa beds: 0
- Double sofa beds: 0
- Bath:
- Hair Drier:
- Shower:
- Towels:
- Washing Machine:
- Work Desk:
- Bed Sheets:
- Bikes:
- Cable/Satelite TV:
- Internet Broadband:
- Internet Dial Up:
- Ironing Board:
- Stereo/Radio System:
- Library:
- Telephone:
- DVD Player:
- Fax:
- Butler Service:
- House Chef:
- Local Guides:
- Local Transportation:
- 24h Concierge:
- Tours & Excursions:
- Fridge & Freezer:
- Crockery & Utensils:
- Dish Washer:
- Microwave:
- Oven:
- American Kitchen:
Living room
- Fireplace:
- Sofa Bed:
- Table & Chairs:
- Private Beach:
- Barbecue:
- Sauna:
- Garden:
- Shared Bathroom:
- Spa / Jacuzzi:
- Swimming Pool:
- Lift / Elevator:
- Disabled Facilities:
- Tennis Court:
- Terrace:
- Parking:
- Pets Welcome:
- Safe:
- Sea View:
- Central Heating:
- City View:
- Daily Cleaning:
- Air Conditioning:
- DVD/Music Collection:
- Ensuite Bathroom:
- Balcony:
Review - Casa Bella
Casa Bella - Contact the owner
Important Notice : Avoiding Fraud
It's rare, but some helpful hints to watch out for with regards to fraud:
- It is important to NEVER wire funds or use/employ other fund transfer mechanisms such as western union: Always use a credit card to protect yourself against fraud. If owners pressure you into providing a deposit or refuse to accept credit cards, there is a high probability that this is a scam.
- If at all suspicious of fraud, ask to see their website, or any other literature they can provide or send to you. Ask them for contact details for guests who have previously stayed on their property insisting on telephone numbers. Be suspicious of emails that originate from free email services (yahoo, hotmail, gmail, etc)
- Research the property thoroughly on the internet to see if there is any history or mention of scams associated with the property.


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Countryside events this July
Solomon's Temple
A range of exciting countryside events are taking place in Derbyshire this July.
Whether you fancy being entertained 1,440 feet above sea level, visiting WWII airplane wrecks on the moors of Kinder Scout, or simply want a different activity to do every week during the school holidays, we organise a host of activities that are available throughout the year, with about half of them free.
Activities this month:
Saturdays in July
Solomon's Temple, anytime between 12pm-2pm.
The flag will be flying every Saturday this month so put on your boots and head for the tower 1,440 feet above sea level!
Saturday 6 July:
Kevin the Farmer recounts sad, happy and hilarious tales about farming at Grin Low.
Saturday 13 July:
Bring an instrument and join in or just come and listen to the band Blues Party and Friends play acoustic music.
Saturday 20 July:
Tell a story, recite a poem, perform a comedy sketch or just come along to be entertained at our Spoken Word event.
Meet: Solomon's Temple, Grin Low Country Park, near Buxton.
Cost: Free.
Saturday 6 July, 7am − 10am
Bird ringing − come and meet the Chesterfield Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and find out what 'ringing' is. Licensed ringers will show you how and why it's done.
Meet: Ranger's Base, Linacre Reservoirs, Cutthorpe, off the B6050.
Cost: Adults £3, children/concessions £1.50. Booking essential.
Contact: 01246 551035.
Sunday 7 July, anytime between 12pm − 4pmDiscover the rich wildlife of Kirk Hallam Lake at our Lakeside Festival.
Meet: Kirk Hallam Lake, off Godfrey Drive, Kirk Hallam, Ilkeston.
Cost: Free
Contact: 01773 719961
Saturday 13 July, 10am − 1pmCan you tell your Grizzled from your Dingy? Take a walk with members of the Pleasely Pit Nature Study Group and see how many of the British Butterfly family you can spot.
Meet: Colliery car park, Pit Lane, Pleasley.
Cost: Free in partnership with Pleasley Pit Nature Study Group. Booking essential.
Contact: 01629 533020
Sunday 14 July, 9:15am − 3:30pmBack by popular demand: Visit the wrecks of several aircraft on the moors with a local historian and learn how Kinder Scout was involved in World War II
Meet: Hayfield Countryside Centre, Station Road, Hayfield.
Cost: Adults £3, children/concessions £1.50. Booking essential.
Contact: 01663 746222.
Sunday 21 July, anytime between 11am − 4:30pmpARTicipate in 'Love Parks' week at Shipley Country Park. Follow a mini trail to discover a range of arts and crafts activities. There's something for everyone!
Meet: Shipley Country Park Visitor Centre.
Cost: Free, but charges may apply for some activities.
Contact: 01773 719961.
Wednesday 24 July, 11am − 2pmBring your teddy bear and a picnic to Elvaston Castle and join us for family fun as part of our 'Love Parks' week. There will be games, crafts and a Teddy Bear Parade at 1pm.
Meet: Lawn terraces in front of Elvaston Castle.
Cost: Free, some activities may have a small cost.
Contact: 01629 533870.
Saturday 27 July to Sunday 1 September, 10am − 5pmCome and enter the treasure hunt to discover lots of interesting facts about High Peak Junction. Every correctly completed sheet will be entered into a prize draw.
Meet: High Peak Junction Visitor Centre (follow brown tourist signs from Cromford)
Cost: £1.50 per sheet.
Contact: 01629 823204.
Saturday 27 July to Tuesday 3 September, anytime between 11am − 3:30pmBe a nature detective and discover local wildlife − successful sleuths will receive a certificate. There's a different trail every week during the school summer holidays.
Meet: Shipley Country Park Visitor Centre.
Cost: 50p per child.
Contact: 01773 719961.
Sunday 28 July, anytime between 1pm − 3:30pm
A rare opportunity to visit Elvaston Castle's Gothic Hall. Originally named the Hall of Fair Star, it was built in 1831 by the Earl of Harrington as a token of his love for his wife, the actress Maria Foote.
Meet: Entrance to the Gothic Hall, Elvaston Castle.
Cost: Adults £1, Under 16s free (must be accompanied by an adult).
Contact: 01629 533870
You can also find out about events in the latest countryside events booklet which is available from any library, tourist information centre or countryside centre, or on our countryside pages


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With the NBA Draft Lottery the topic of choice right now among NBA fans, including Raptors fans, Scott, Oliver and I caught up with draft guru Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Archive for the 'Draft Lottery' Category
RaptorBlog Radio with Jonathan Givony of Draft Express
Posted by Joseph Casciaro under Draft Lottery, Jonas Valanciunas, NBA Draft, Raptorblog Radio on May 31, 2012
Fixing A Broken NBA Draft Lottery
Posted by Joseph Casciaro under Draft Lottery on May 31, 2012
In the aftermath of the NBA Draft Lottery, there is bound to be more disappointment and bitterness than anything else, save for mostly just one team.
Raptors Post-Lottery Chatter
Posted by Joseph Casciaro under Bryan Colangelo, Draft Lottery, NBA Draft on May 31, 2012
This the last year we gon be in that lottery thing
— Ed Davis (@eddavis32) May 31, 2012
I posted my immediate reaction to the Raptors staying put at No. 8 earlier on Wednesday night, but in the hours since, some interesting Bryan Colangelo quotes (he held a conference call after the Lottery) have emerged and a couple of guys with reputable draft knowledge have already updated their mock drafts.
Raptors Land the No. 8 Pick
Posted by Joseph Casciaro under Draft Lottery, NBA Draft on May 30, 2012
Well, it's official. The 2012 NBA Draft Lottery came and went tonight, and your Toronto Raptors landed exactly where they were slotted to land, with the No. 8 selection in the upcoming Draft.
While I was trying to remain calm and without any expectations, I won't lie, I was feeling the nerves as Adam Silver revealed the No. 8 selection, knowing that if the Raptors logo wasn't in the envelope, a top-three pick was guaranteed.
Nonetheless, this is what we all should have expected, and now the focus shifts to which young prospects will both be available at No. 8 and will fit into what Bryan Colangelo, Dwane Casey and company are building in Toronto.
RaptorBlog's Draft Lottery Primer
Posted by Joseph Casciaro under Draft Lottery, NBA Draft on May 28, 2012
Since the Raptors' season ended on April 26, we've gone over a month without any real, tangible news.
Sure, there have been some tantalizing and juicy rumours and reports (hello, Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin), some decent headlines (DeRozan joining U.S. Select Team), and other minor tidbits.
But in terms of things actually happening and real results, Wednesday night's NBA Draft Lottery will mark the unofficial beginning of what should be a very intriguing off-season for Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors.
On Friday, Raptors Community Manager Jay Satur broke down the lottery itself and the Raptors' chances in it.
Now we bring you our RaptorBlog Lottery Primer, with a quick look at who you should be keeping an eye on depending on what transpires Wednesday night.


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- Marion County Sheriff's deputies are still searching for Patrick Dennis Smith, who has been missing since 1 a.m. Wednesday. Smith, who left a note indicating he no longer wanted to live, is nearly blind and has been diagnosed as bipolar.
- Ashley Eucker, a fifth-grade teacher at Plantation Oaks Elementary School, was arrested after investigators said someone found cocaine in her purse.
- An Emerson College student created a T-shirt with the words "Boston Strong" written on them following the Boston Marathon bombings. More than 35,000 shirts have been sold and he's raised more than $500,000.
- Human remains were found at the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport by TSA agents.
Hourly News Update


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- Jul 7, 2008
Is Tesla using Dodge Magnum body shells for White Star mules?
An attentive Tesla fan happened to be driving past the site of the future Tesla store in Menlo Park, CA recently and took a photo while sitting a traffic light. Closer inspection revealed an unusual Dodge Magnum sitting at the site. Now a Magnum with a steel wheel might not draw much attention on it's own. However, closer inspection of the image also revealed an absent tailpipe and license plate. Since development is going hot and heavy on the new Model S sedan, the photographer realized he might have stumbled across something interesting. I checked with Darryl Siry (Tesla's Marketing VP) and he confirmed that the Magnum in Question is indeed one of several different car platforms being used as mules for the WhiteStar/Model S program. As is typically the case, car makers use other existing vehicles that are similar in size and weight for various early hardware tests. In this case, the Magnum is being used for powertrain development. The Magnum body shouldn't be taken as any kind of indicator of the shape of the Model S. However, there are other clues. The Magnum has a 120 inch wheelbase and weighs in at 3,800lbs. Strip out the existing power train and other hardware and replace it with a battery pack and motor and you might be in similar range for the Model S. Since a Roadster weighs over 2,700 lbs with a carbon fiber body, the aluminum-bodied Model S is likely to be somewhere close to 4,000lbs with a battery pack in place. More hints as they become available.
[Source: Tesla Motors Club]


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Enter Your ZIP Code
Kelley Blue Book provides values and other information specific to your location.
Aspen Limited, 4WD, 3rd row seats: bench, 8 Speakers, AM/FM/CD/DVD/HDD/MP3, CRUISE CONTROL, DUAL HEATED SEATS, Entertainment system, and SERVICE RECORDS AVAILABLE. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how many words is this spotless 2009 Chrysler Aspen worth? Don't get stuck in the mudholes of life. 4WD power delivery means you get traction whenever you need it. All prices are plus tax, tags, $299 Dealer processing fee and $1,250 State Inspection fee.Disclaimer Price excludes dealer processing charge and freight charge.
We're a 56 year old family run building with over 150 employees that are here for one important reason, to make sure that your driving experence is a pleasant one. From helping your family choose the right pre-owned vehicles to maintaining it down the road, We Sherwood like to earn your business!


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New York Philharmonic
Upper West Side
Tue Apr 22
- $$
Photograph: Chris Lee
Time Out says
Posted: Thu Apr 4 2013
Alan Gilbert mounts the Avery Fisher Hall podium for a program that plays to two of the Phil's many strengths, "A Night with Gershwin and Bernstein." You'll hear the former's Rhapsody in Blue (with renowned jazzer Makoto Ozone at the piano) and An American in Paris, alongside the latter's Candide Overture and Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.
ReviewsAdd +


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Most Recent Articles In Fashion Scoops
Latest Fashion Scoops Articles
- Donna Karan Opening Urban Zen Pop-up in Aspen
- Burberry Sales Associates to Respond to Inquiries via Twitter
- Diane von Furstenberg Touching Down in Los Angeles
More Articles By
BY THE MANUAL: Ermenegildo Zegna is the latest major fashion house to up the ante on social media, with a new Google+ page called "Zegna: the Modern Man's Manual," created with lifestyle Web site Valetmag.com. Zegna is marketing the page as an editorial calendar and style guide for today's sartorially inclined gentlemen.
Paul Surridge, creative director of Zegna's contemporary Z Zegna line, will be an active contributor to the page and will partake in a series of virtual encounters with fans and guest bloggers. The first such meeting took place Thursday with the participation of fashion bloggers Matthew Zorpas of The Gentleman Blogger, Denni Elias of The Chic Muse and Lougè Delcy of Dapper Lou, as well as journalist Simone Marchetti of D Repubblica.it as the discussion moderator.


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The Hotel Alux Cancun is ideal for the independent traveler who wants to maximize his budget. Hotel Alux Cancun provides you with clean affordable rooms in a well established hotel. The location, of only one block from the main bus station, provides the traveler with unending opportunities for local and abroad travels.
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Big 12 Champion Texas A&M soccer team takes its only road trip of the spring season this weekend, heading to Farmers Branch, Texas, Saturday to face reigning Sun Belt Champion North Texas in a friendly match.
The Aggies and Mean Green will face off at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ross Stewart Soccer Complex. Fans in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are encouraged to attend the FREE match to see the two conference champions in action.
"I know a lot of our out-of-town fans are circling the date for our match vs. the University of North Texas up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area over Easter weekend," head coach G Guerrieri said. "This exhibition is being hosted by the Dallas International Girls Cup, which is run in coordination with the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup, one of the most prestigious international youth tournaments in the world.
"UNT is coming off a great 2011 season, where they won the Sun Belt Conference Championship," Guerrieri said. "Their coach, John Hedlund, is an old friend and former teammate from way back when we were kids growing up in the north Dallas area. And, as an added bonus, the site of the match in Farmers Branch is named after an Aggie and one of the greatest ambassadors of youth soccer in the United States in the 1970s, 80s and 90s - Mr. Ross Stewart.
"That UNT match will be our only road exhibition match of the spring season, so we are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase our team and great players outside of Aggieland."
UNT won its fourth-ever Sun Belt Regular Season Title in 2011 with a 1-0 win over Denver. Junior defender Kelsey Hodges scored the game-winning goal from beyond midfield on a free kick. The Mean Green finished the season in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals with a 14-4-3 record and an 8-1-1 conference mark. Michelle Young led the team offensively in 2011, netting 13 goals, four of them game winners, and contributing three assists for 29 points. Jackie Kerestine spent 1785:30 in goal, grabbing 72 saves for 11 shutouts while giving up 14 goals.
The No. 21 (NSCAA Final) Aggies made their 17th straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011 after winning a 12th-and-final Big 12 title at the conference tournament. The team ended 2011 in the NCAA Second Round with a 16-6-2 record.
This spring, A&M is 2-0. All of the Aggies' spring matches are FREE to the public. To learn more about Texas A&M soccer, log on to AggieAthletics.com or follow @AggieSoccer on Twitter.
Ross Stewart Soccer Complex
1777 Keenan Bridge Rd.
Farmers Branch, TX 75234