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December 4, 2014
Suada Kolovic
In October 2012, the University of Chicago launched UChicago Promise, an initiative aimed at helping high school students in the city of Chicago gain admission, pay for and succeed in college. The cornerstone of the program is the commitment from the university to eliminate loans from financial aid packages of students from Chicago who are admitted.
Recently, the University released a report on the first year of UChicago Promise that shows hundreds of students, parents and high school guidance counselors have benefitted from the initiative. Check out some of the highlights below:
To read more on the first year-in-review report, click here. Share your thoughts on the University of Chicago's local financial aid initiative. Do you think more universities should follow this trend? Do you know of any that already do? Let us know. And don't forget that affordable college tuition can be expensive. Try to fund your education with as much free money as possible – a great place to start is by creating a free profile on Scholarships.com!
December 2, 2014
How much you end up spending on room and board will vary greatly depending on the school you attend and how flexible you are in terms of your choice of housing. And with the average cost for room and board for the 2014-2015 school year hovering around $10,000, considering schools with more affordable options may be essential to managing your college budget. Check out the list below from U.S. News and World Report for the top 10 schools with the least expensive room and board below:
Did your prospective college make the list? Would you consider a school based on room and board affordability? Share your thoughts in the comments sections. And don't forget to try and fund your education with as much free money as possible – a great place to start is by creating a free profile on Scholarships.com, where you'll get matched with financial aid that is unique to you!
December 1, 2014
Looking for a way to pay for your college education that includes free money? Well, you're in luck! Here at Scholarships.com, we provide users with the most relevant scholarships and educational information out there.
By registering at Scholarships.com, you'll have access to more than 2.7 million local, state and national college scholarships and grants worth $1.9 billion...and did we mention that you'll be eligible to win $500 automatically just for registering? That's right: Filling out a complete profile will enter you into our monthly drawing for $500. No lengthy essay or massive application packet required – it doesn't get any easier than that. Complete your profile, get entered to win $500 and start exploring additional scholarship options today!
For more information and official rules, please click here. For more information on finding money for college and how to properly fund your college education, check out Scholarships.com Financial Aid section and conduct a free scholarship search today!
November 24, 2014
The Girls Impact the World Film Festival, presented by the Harvard College Social Innovation Collaborative (SIC) and Connecther, is a film festival and scholarship program in which high school and undergraduate college students submit 3-5 minute short films that focus on a variety of global women's issues, including maternal health, microfinance initiatives, child-marriage, sex-trafficking, poverty alleviation, etc.
Winners will receive a monetary prize, film distribution channels via SIC, Connecther and Creative Visions networks, as well as an internship opportunity at Creative Visions in Los Angeles. An official screening and red carpet will take place at the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, MA on February 22. The film festival has marketing partners in college campuses across the nation.
For more information on this scholarship and other scholarship opportunities, conduct a free scholarship search today!Our scholarship search allows you to search more than 2.7 million college scholarships and grants worth more than $1.9 billion!
November 18, 2014
With the holiday season almost upon us and winter break just weeks away, you might want to start considering how you'll spend your free time. And while working and internships are ideal, winter break also provides you with the opportunity to read for pleasure. There are a range of benefits gained from non-required reading that are not confined to just reading ability: Leisure reading has shown to help students be more articulate, develop a higher order reasoning and think more critically. Not sure what to read? Check out the titles from some of your favorite celebrities below for some book-spiration:
Are there any books that you're currently reading that you'd like to add? Please share them in our comments section. And as always, don't forget to create a free profile Scholarships.com to get matched with awards that reflect your unique interests and attributes.
November 17, 2014
The Young Patriots Essay Contest is designed to challenge high school students to creatively solve problems in the realm of public policy through the art of writing. Controversial topics are assigned each year and only three winners will be chosen. The topic of this year's essay contest is: "According to the four required readings. What policy changes should the government pursue in order to best foster economic prosperity?"
This year, they're introducing an interactive reading and education component to ensure you, as students, gain valuable insight on the NCPA's perspective and message. Please read the four following pieces as you consider the above topic. Your submission will be graded in part according to how carefully and thoughtfully you engage with these four challenging articles. They are:
As always, to learn more about this and other scholarship opportunities, conduct a free Scholarships.com scholarship search today! By creating a Scholarships.com profile, you'll be matched with funding opportunities that are unique to you.
November 11, 2014
For the budget-conscious high school senior, it seems like a no-brainer to apply to the local state school for the best shot at affordable tuition. But that's not always the case: Depending on where you live, an out-of-state college may be even cheaper than your home state university. Don't believe us? Check out the list below from U.S. News and World Report for the top 10 public colleges with the lowest tuition for out-of-state students:
Did your prospective college make the list and does this information alter your interest in the school? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And don't forget that even affordable college tuition can still be expensive! Try and fund your education with as much free money as possible – a great place to start is by creating a free profile on Scholarships.com, where you'll get matched with financial aid that is unique to you!
November 10, 2014
The AXA Achievement Scholarship awards $670,000 annually. Fifty-two students – one from each state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico – receive scholarships of $10,000. Of those 52 students, 10 students are chosen as national winners and receive an additional $15,000 scholarship award and an internship opportunity with AXA Equitable.
Scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate ambition and drive, determination to set and reach goals and the ability to succeed in college. If that sounds like you, visit AXA's website to apply before the December 15th deadline. As always, to learn more about this and other scholarship opportunities, conduct a free Scholarships.com scholarship search today!
November 7, 2014
With this year's midterm elections behind us, have you ever wonder: "Man, I could do a better job than [insert disappointing political official's name here]"? Only to realize almost immediately that crushing sense of defeat given the fact that you're too young and inexperienced to run… or are you?
Saira Blair, an 18-year-old West Virginia University freshman, won a seat on the West Virginia House of Delegates after defeating her Democratic opponent 63 percent to 30 percent. Doing the majority of her campaigning out of her dorm room, Saira will be the youngest state lawmaker in the nation. She campaigned on a pledge to work to reduce certain taxes on businesses and holds anti-abortion and pro-gun positions. "When I made the decision to run for public office, I did so because I firmly believe that my generation's voice, fresh perspective and innovative ideas can help solve some of our state's most challenging issues," she said. Studying economics and Spanish, Blair will defer her next semester so that she can attend the legislature's 60-day session in the spring and will resume her coursework in the fall. (For more on this story, click here.)
What do you think of an 18 year old becoming the youngest state lawmaker in the country? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And as always, don't forget to create a free profile Scholarships.com to get matched with awards that reflect your interests and attributes.
November 4, 2014
In an effort to help talented low-income high school students get into and succeed in college, Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a new initiative to do just that.
According to The New York Times, the effort will involve hiring 130 full-time college counselors and enlisting 4,000 college students as part-time advisers. Using video chat, email, telephone and text, they will mimic the support network — composed of guidance counselors, teachers, parents and friends — that more affluent high school students take for granted. "Many of America's brightest students don't apply to college simply because they lack access to the right information and guidance, particularly students from low- and middle-income families who want to go to competitive colleges but don't think they can afford it. That limits their opportunities and contradicts what we stand for as a society – and it holds us back as a nation because it prevents so many smart young people from contributing to the best of their abilities," said Michael R. Bloomberg. This new initiative aims to directly help as many as 65,000 students a year! (For more on this story, click here.)
Share your thoughts on Bloomberg Philanthropies new initiative in the comments section. And don't forget to try and fund your college education with as much free money as possible; a great place to start is by creating a free profile on Scholarships.com, as our scholarship search allows you to search more than 2.7 million college scholarships and grants worth more than $1.9 billion!
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GSP are not maintained as a standalone module. But it has been forked and reintegrated in Grails.
GSP means GroovyServer Pages, which is similar to JSP (JavaServer Pages).
GSP Module Project has started originally by Troy Heninger.
The original sources of GSP module 1.1 can be found at Groovy's SVN repository.
There is also a new GSP project page: https://gsp.dev.java.net/

subset: commoncrawl


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Zionism and Truth
by Alan Hart
If Zionism could have been honest it would have said, in public, after the Nazi holocaust and Israel's unilateral declaration of independence in 1948, something like the following… Jews can never again trust Gentiles. We take it as a given that Jews will always be hated and that the monster of anti-Semitism will go on the rampage again. The Zionist state exists to be the refuge of last resort for Jews everywhere and is thus an insurance policy to guarantee the survival of the Jewish people. We will do whatever it takes to maintain this guarantee, and if what we do causes our state to be regarded as a pariah by the rest of the world, well, the rest of the world can go to hell.
This truth could not be told because telling it would have been to admit, even to proclaim, that Zionism had no time or need for, and was estranged from, the moral principles and teachings of Judaism.
Unable to tell the truth, Zionism had to tell a lie to justify its actions. The lie was that Israel - a Zionist state NOT a Jewish state - was in constant danger of annihilation. Except in Arab rhetoric, it never was. Not in 1948. Not in 1967. And not in 1973.
According to the first and still existing draft of Judeo-Christian history, Israel went to war in 1967 either because the Arabs attacked first or were intending to attack. The truth is that this was a war of Israeli aggression, not self-defense. Avi Shlaim was both right and wrong when he wrote in The Iron Wall that Israel did not go to war to take territory. The government of Israel headed by Prime Minister Eshkol with Rabin as chief of staff, did NOT; but Defense Minister Dayan, imposed upon Eshkol at the last minute in something close to a military coup, DID. The truth is that Dayan set a trap for Nasser and, for reasons of face, he was daft enough to walk into it. For Dayan the war of 1967 was about the creation of Greater Israel, Zionism's unfinished business of 1948.
Part of the untold truth (revealed in my book) is that the Arab regimes and elites secretly shared the hope of Zionism and the major powers - that there would not be a regeneration of Palestinian nationalism after the Palestine file had been closed by Israel's victory on the battlefield in 1948. The Palestine file was supposed to have remained closed for ever because, if it was re-opened, there would at some point have to be a confrontation with Zionism - i.e. if the major powers were not to have to admit that there was nothing they would or could do to right the terrible wrong done to the Palestinians; and if the Arab regimes were not to be exposed as all the things they are - impotent and incompetent on account of their divisions, and corrupt and repressive.
So far as Zionism, the major powers and Arab regimes and elites were concerned but could never say, Arafat's real crime was that he caused the Palestine file to be re-opened.
As some courageous anti-Zionist Jews and Israelis have said, mainstream diaspora Jewish silence on the matter of the Zionist state's behaviour is, effectively, "complicity" in its crimes and its preference for land without peace. So why the silence?
As noted in the updated Acknowledgments of my book, the main reason is fear of the future and thus the perceived need, perhaps, one day, for Israel as a refuge of last resort. I write that, because of the past, mainstream diaspora Jews are so fearful of the future - unspeakably terrified not just frightened - that they are frozen in silence, unable more than unwilling to criticise Israel. They fear that if they do, they could undermine the wellbeing and security of Israel as their insurance policy. Effectively, silence on the matter of the Zionist state's behaviour is the diaspora's contribution (at least as important as the money) to the maintenance of the insurance policy.
The tragedy is that the Zionist state's behaviour has re-awakened the sleeping giant of anti-Semitism, and by their silence and complicity mainstream diaspora Jews are assisting Zionism to become a self-fulfilling prophesy of doom. They are also standing idly by while Zionism demolishes the moral foundations of Judaism.
Is there a way to encourage mainstream diaspora Jews to end their silence? (And play their necessary and essential part in persuading Israel to make peace on the basis of a genuine two-state solution, a proposition almost all Palestinians and most other Arabs accepted many years ago, mainly because of Arafat's pragmatism and courage). The only possible way I can see is with the assistance of a NEW COVENANT, not between the Jews and their God but between the Jews and the Gentiles. I call for this in the Epilogue of my book which is titled The Jews as the Light Unto Nations.
Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews (video)


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Marysville woman unites with family she didn't know about
Photo courtesy of Marie Lawson
Marie Lawson (center) at her Marysville area home with her newly found grandson Steve Ellis and his 13-year-old daughter Hannah.
Photo courtesy of Marie Lawson
Norman Ellis with his mother, Marie, at his Army boot camp graduation at Fort Lewis in 1970. After serving in Vietnam, Norman Ellis, 24, was killed in a car accident in Kentucky in 1977.
Norman Ellis, Lawson's son, was 24. An Army veteran, he had survived the Vietnam War. He had moved from the Seattle area to Kentucky, where his mother was raised and still had family. Relatives helped him get a job there.
And then came that terrible call.
Although she was newly remarried, her grief was overwhelming.
"It was so devastating. I just wanted to die for a long time," said Lawson, 79, who lives in Marysville with her husband Wayne Lawson.
In June, she received other news that would change her life. This time, it was a letter. And it was a blessing.
The June 12 letter was signed by a man with a familiar name. The writer was the son of a friend Norman Ellis had known from his days at Seattle's Nathan Hale High School. "I am working on a project for a good friend in need. Sadly, he knows very little about his family," the letter said. It asked if Lawson is "the mother of Norman K. Ellis (1953-1977)."
"If I am correct about your connection, and you have no interest in knowing this family member -- I completely understand," the letter said.
What family member? "We immediately thought there was a child someplace," Wayne Lawson said.
Marie Lawson had to find out, even as she and her husband wondered if they were victims of a scam. She called the letter writer, who lives in Oak Harbor, and said "I'm who you're looking for."
There are still unknowns in this complex tale, but Marie Lawson has no doubt about her new role -- as a grandmother and great-grandmother.
The Lawsons have learned that more than two years before Norman was killed, a woman in the Seattle area was pregnant with his child. They don't have a clue whether he knew about the baby, or what his relationship with the mother was like.
"I always thought he told me just about everything, but it's almost impossible to fill in that gap," Marie Lawson said. She doesn't think her son would have left had he known about a child.
Steve Ellis was born in August 1974. "She did give Steve his legal name," Marie Lawson said. Before his death in 1977, Norman Ellis had married a young woman in Kentucky. He and his wife had no children, and she died last year.
Marie and Wayne Lawson recently met Steve Ellis, 38, who in pictures looks remarkably like his grandmother. In short order, they delighted in getting to know his daughter Hannah, 13.
"He looks more like me. Hannah looks like my son," Marie Lawson said. "We've met twice. Hannah melted right into the family."
Steve Ellis lives in Lynnwood. Marie Lawson said he had no objections to her sharing the story, but chose not to comment. Steve Ellis has told the Lawsons his mother wants no involvement with his new-found family. "I haven't talked with her," Marie Lawson said.
How they were brought together again is a little complicated.
It turns out that Steve Ellis' fiance's sister is married to the man who wrote the letter, the son of Norm Ellis' high school buddy.
"His fiance was trying to help him find his roots," said Marie Lawson, who is putting together an album with photos of her son so Steve can learn more about his father.
There are two sides, especially in matters of the heart. They may never know what happened in the 1970s between Norman Ellis and Steve's mother. "There are lots of questions we haven't asked," Marie Lawson said.
What's undeniable is her joy at having a grandson and a great-granddaughter.
"It's hard to explain what this did to my life," she said. Living far from loved ones in Kentucky, "I always felt alone after my son passed. This has brought a whole new happiness into my life."
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Book your room at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner
Two Doubles Accessible RoomMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Standard 2 DoublesMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Standard KingMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
2 Doubles Executive Corner RoomMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
King Executive Corner RoomMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Executive Level One King Bed with BathtubMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
One King, Executive FloorMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Two Doubles, Executive FloorMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Executive, One King Bed, AccessibleMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Executive Two Double Beds Accessible with BathtubMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Executive, One King Bed, CornerMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Atrium-style hotel with free weekend shuttle to Metro
Collect 200 points
Simply enter your Nectar card number when prompted. Your points will be credited 30 days after you return from your trip.*Offers may apply
Suburban lodging
This hotel is half a mile (0.9 km) from the Tysons Corner shopping malls, with 350 stores and restaurants including Saks and Nordstrom. Downtown Washington, DC is 15 miles (24 km) away.
Lap pool & fitness
The Hilton McLean Tysons Corner offers free area shuttle service and has an indoor lap pool and fitness room, as well as 27,000 square feet of meeting space plus a business center.
In-room convenience
Guestrooms at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner include marble-top cabinets and vanities, large desks with ergonomic chairs, and Hilton Serenity Beds featuring 250-thread-count linens.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
The Hilton McLean Tysons Corner has an indoor lap pool overlooking a sundeck and a complimentary 24-hour fitness center with treadmills, elliptical machines, bicycles, weight machines, and free weights.
Guests can take complimentary scheduled shuttles within a 3-mile radius of the hotel. The hotel has 27,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ballroom, 67-seat amphitheater, and 12 conference rooms. Guests can stay connected with wireless Internet access (surcharge) in the 24-hour self-service business center.
- Number of floors - 9
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Conference space
- Number of meeting rooms - 12
- Free area shuttle
- Indoor pool
- Fitness facilities
- Coffee shop or café
- Restaurant
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Bar/lounge
- Multilingual staff
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- 24-hour front desk
- Porter/bellhop
- Express check-out
- ATM/banking
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Laundry facilities
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Elevator/lift
- Total number of rooms - 458
- Wedding services
- Free shopping center shuttle
- Wired (high-speed) Internet access - surcharge
- WiFi (surcharge)
- Shopping on site
- Valet parking (surcharge)
- 24-hour business center
- Free self parking
Family Friendly Amenities
- Indoor pool
- Area shuttle (complimentary)
- Laundry facilities
- Refrigerator (on request)
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
Available in all rooms: Wireless internet access ( 12.95 USD per 24-hour period )
Available in some public areas: WiFi (surcharge) , Wired (high-speed) Internet access - surcharge
Free self parking, Valet parking (surcharge)
Room Amenities
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Free cribs/infant beds
- WiFi (surcharge)
- Pay movies
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Premium bedding
- Room service (limited hours)
- Air conditioning
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Climate control
- Free weekday newspaper
- Phone
- Coffee/tea maker
- Refrigerator (on request)
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- Daily housekeeping
- Cable TV service
- Desk
- Pillowtop mattress
- In-room safe
Where to Eat
Harth - American comfort foods are made from locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant features a wood-burning oven and a contemporary dining area. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is buffet-style with hot items.
Harth Bar - Cocktails, local beers and wines accompany a menu of flatbreads, charcuterie and small plates. Coffee and pastries are served in the morning. Open late morning until late night.
Nearby Things to Do
The hotel's fitness center overlooks an indoor lap pool.
Golfers can tee off at the 18-hole Reston National Golf Course 9 miles west, or hit the driving range, miniature golf course, and basketball court at Woody's Golf Range, 10 miles away.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on-site or near the hotel; fees may apply.
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible bathroom
- Roll-in shower
- Accessible parking
- In-room accessibility
- Accessibility equipment for the deaf
- Braille or raised signage
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- Breakfast fee: USD 23 per person (approximately)
- Fee for in-room wireless Internet: USD 12.95 per 24-hour period (rates may vary)
- Valet parking fee: USD 13 per day
We should mention
Children 18 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation.


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TRENTON — Former Jones Senior High School principal Pascal Mubenga said changing the "culture" of the school was how he brought it out of a turnaround status a few years ago.
He made a triumphant return to campus Wednesday with 12 North Carolina principals to brainstorm developmental strategies for education. Jones Senior is one of nine schools to be toured by the group.
In 2006, the state was ready to clean house at Jones Senior because it was designated a priority school based on low end-of-course composite scores.
Mubenga was principal for four years, starting in 2007.
At 50.9 percent when he started, Jones Senior's scores are now in the high 80s — dubbing it a school of distinction.
"You have to make sure that you have good people surrounding you," Mubenga said, who is now a school transformation coach with the state's Department of Public Instruction. "You hire the best and you raise expectations for students and staff and get that community buy in from parents as well. That's how we were able to do it."
He toured campus impressed with how current principal Chris Meadows — who worked as Mubenga's assistant principal for two years — has sustained and increased the school's success.
"He's doing a fabulous job," Mubenga said of Meadows. "When a principal leaves, the school pretty much goes down at a lot of places across the state."
The two leaders said they worked well together because they shared the same educational philosophies.
"We're both pretty relaxed, we both have a similar leadership style," Meadows said. "From Day 1, we hit it off."
They've been having frequent discussions to prepare for the principals' gathering. Mubenga visited a month ago to plan which strategies would be highlighted.
He was most impressed with the technology initiative that provided each staff member and student with Apple MacBook laptops.
"Based on the stories I'm hearing, they're doing really well," he said. "The kids are taking the laptops home and protecting them like their own."
Senior D'Amba Fulmore said she loves going to Jones Senior.
"I like the teachers and my awesome principal, assistant principal, guidance counselor and administrative staff," she said.
Spanish teacher Crystal Taylor-Simon said she saw the school at its lowest point before Mubenga took over.
"He really changed the climate of school," she said. "I think (Meadows and Mubenga) have done a phenomenal job in motivating the staff."


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This Adult's Beer Garden Girl Deluxe Costume combines every guy's two favorite things: beautiful women and beer. Wear it to bring your guy to his knees. You'll find the petticoat, dress, choker, and apron enclosed in this set. The bust and sleeves of the dress resemble a puffy white peasant shirt. A corseted vest goes over this part, and a red skirt with white petticoat fills out the bottom. We use a pattern similar to the designs you see on traditional German folk outfits on the vest and on the bottom of the skirt. To complete the look, we've attached a small white apron to the top of the skirt. Your beer garden girl costume for women will be just as fun to wear on Oktoberfest as it is to wear on Halloween.
Our Price: $29.97
Our Price: $4.97
Our Price: $18.97
Our Price: $34.97


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Today (May 8, 2014) at 2 PM Harjant Gill will lead the fourth installment of AAA's Webinar Wednesday (mixing it up on THURSDAY). Harjant Gill is an assistant professor of anthropology at Towson University, Maryland. He received his PhD from American University in 2012. His research examines the intersections of masculinity, modernity and migration in India. Gill is also an award-winning filmmaker and has made several films that have screened at film festivals and academic conferences worldwide. His latest documentary, Roots of Love explores the changing significance of hair and turban among Sikhs and is currently being screened on BBC World News, BBC America, Doordarshan (Indian National TV) and on PBS channels nationwide. Dr. Gill is currently co-directing the Society for Visual Anthropology (SVA) Film & Media Festival. His website is www.TilotamaProductions.com
Filed under: Association Business, Career/Funding/Awards, Events and Exhibits, Resources, Webinar, Webinar | Tagged: #AAA2014, American University alumni, anthropology and film, BBC America, BBC World News, Doordarshan, Dr. Harjant Gill, ethnography, PBS, Roots of Love, Society for Visual Anthropology, Society for Visual Anthropology Film & Media Festival, Tilotama Productions, Towson University | 1 Comment »


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park is best known for its fascinating rock formations, primarily
St. Peter sandstone, laid down in a huge shallow inland sea more
than 425 million years ago and later brought to the surface.
While the areas along the river and its tributaries still are predominantly
forested, much of the area is a flat, gently rolling plain. The
upland prairies were created during an intensive warming period
several thousand years after the melting of the glaciers. The Illinois
River Valley in the Starved Rock area is a major contrast to the
flatland. The valley was formed by a series of floods as glacial
meltwater broke through moraines, sending torrents of water surging
across the land and deeply eroding the sandstone and other sedimentary
early spring, when the end of winter thaw is occurring and rains
are frequent, sparkling waterfalls are found at the heads of all
18 canyons, and vertical walls of moss-covered stone create a setting
of natural geologic beauty uncommon in Illinois. Some of the longer-lasting
waterfalls are found in French, LaSalle and St. Louis canyons.
rivers and streams can undercut a cliff, creating overhangs in the
sandstone, like Council Overhang at the east end of the park. Other
sights can be seen from the bluffs themselves, which provide vantage
points for enjoying spectacular vistas. The porous sandstone bluffs
allow water to soak quickly through, only to collect in greater
quantities on the slopes below. The resulting lush vegetation supports
an abundant wildlife and bird population, including woodchucks,
moles, vireos and catbirds. Wood ducks that nest in hollow trees
occasionally can be seen paddling along the rivers edge. Evidence
of beavers and muskrats can be seen as you walk along the River
oak, red cedar and white oak, as well as white pine and white cedar,
grow on the drier, sandy bluff tops. Yellowbellied sapsuckers drill
parallel rows of small holes on cedar trees and return to feed on
sap and small insects. Serviceberry and northern honeysuckle--shrubs
that prefer a well-drained area--attract scarlet tangers and cedar
away from the bluffs, red oaks and hickories predominate in deeper
soils. Typical plants characteristic of the forest floor include
the American witch hazel, black huckleberry and bracken fern. Nuthatches
and chickadees feed on nuts, seeds and insects found in the bark
of trees. Raccoons and flying squirrels spend many hours searching
for and gathering berries and nuts.
the forest edge, bright blue indigo buntings flit through the wild
crab apple and plum trees that skirt the former glacial till prairie,
while cottontail rabbits scamper through the bluestem and Indian
grasses. In the sandy prairie soil, prickly pear cactus grows alongside
lead plant, compass plant and rattlesnake master. White-tailed deer
come to munch on the sumac, and red-tailed hawks soar overhead in
search of voles and field mice.
spring and summer, wildflowers are as plentiful and varied as they
are beautiful. Included in the floral array are colorful lichens
and mosses, marsh marigolds, wild iris, trillium and Dutchmans
breeches, plus purple-flowered spiderworts, nodding or orange columbine
and the magenta blooms of shooting star.
poison ivy plant is found in all areas of the park. Its greenish-white
berries provide an important food source for birds.
Rock State Park is host to a number of enjoyable annual events,
including the Winter Wilderness Weekend and Eagle Watch Weekend in January, the Cross-Country
Ski Weekend in February, the Annual Wildflower Pilgrimage in May,
and the Fall Colors Weekend
in October.
visitor center offers displays and exhibits explaining the parks
cultural and natural history. A weekly schedule of activities is
posted. Hours are 9 a.m - 4 p.m. daily (Closed Thanksgiving Day and
Christmas Day). Schools and other organized groups
may arrange reservations for programs by contacting the center at
(815) 667-4906 or writing to Program Coordinator, Starved Rock State
Park, PO Box 509, Utica, IL 61373.
CENTER HOURS, and SPECIAL EVENTS
View the below videos to learn more about Starved Rock and Mattheissen State Parks. There is also an "Audio Only" option if you would like to just listen.
Audio Only Format
on a high bluff just southwest of the rock itself is the stone and
log lodge built in part by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the
1930s. The lodge has been refurbished, but still reflects the peaceful
atmosphere of yesteryear. A new hotel wing has been added and features
a registration lobby, an indoor swimming pool,
whirlpool, saunas and an outdoor sunning patio.
The lodge offers 72 luxury hotel rooms and 22 comfortable cabin
rooms. The Great Room is centered around a massive stone fireplace.
restaurant is open seven days a week and offers many house specialties.
It can accommodate up to 250 people for banquets. The lodges
conference area can accommodate up to 200 with four smaller meeting
rooms also available.
lodge reservations, call 1-800-868-ROCK (7625) or (815) 667-4211,
or visit the lodge website at Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center or by mail: Starved
Rock Lodge and Conference Center, PO Box 570, Utica,
area has been home to humans from as early as 8000 B.C. Hopewellian,
Woodland and Mississippian Native American cultures thrived here.
The most recent and probably the most numerous group of Native Americans
to live here was the Illiniwek, from the 1500s to the 1700s. Approximately
5,000 to 7,000 Kaskaskias, a subtribe of the Illiniwek, had a village
extending along the bank of the Illinois River across from the current
1673, French explorers Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette
passed through here on their way up the Illinois from the Mississippi.
Known as Pere, the French word for Father,
Marquette returned two years later to found the Mission of the Immaculate
Conception-Illinois first Christian mission-at the Kaskaskia
Indian village.
the French claimed the region (and, indeed, the entire Mississippi
Valley), they built Fort St. Louis atop Starved Rock in the winter
of 1682-83 because of its commanding strategic position above the
last rapids on the Illinois River. Pressured from small war parties
of Iroquois in the French and Indian wars, the French abandoned
the fort by the early 1700s and retreated to what is now Peoria,
where they established Fort Pimitoui. Fort St. Louis became a haven
for traders and trappers, but by 1720 all remains of the fort had
Rock State Park derives its name from a Native American legend of
injustice and retribution. In the 1760s, Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa
tribe upriver from here, was slain by an Illiniwek while attending
a tribal council in southern Illinois. According to the legend,
during one of the battles that subsequently occurred to avenge his
killing, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi
(allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone
butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their
ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation- giving rise
to the name Starved Rock.
Illinois State Parks Commission was initially headquartered in Starved
Rock State Park after the park was purchased in 1911.
the majestic bluffs and canyons is the parks primary attraction,
and there are 13 miles of well-marked trails to help you enjoy them.
trails are open all year, but hikers are urged to exercise extreme
caution and to stay on official trails. To keep you oriented, trail
maps are located at all trail access points, intersections and points
of interest. There are colored posts along the trails, corresponding
to colors on the maps, and letter symbols on the trail brochure
to further assist you. Finally, yellow dots on posts indicate
that you are moving away from the lodge or visitor center, and white
dots mean you are returning.
to the parks fragile ecosystem, camping is prohibited in unauthorized
areas and all rock climbing, rappelling or scrambling off trails
is prohibited. Biking is not allowed on the hiking trails. For
your own safety, you must be off the trails by dark. Alcohol is
prohibited on all trails.
note that there are no washrooms or drinking water areas on the
and Boating
may be launched from the west end of the park. Also, paddlewheel
boat rides are available.
are not allowed within 600 feet of the dam, as strong currents and
powerful undertows can be dangerous.
bullhead, white bass, sauger, walleye, carp and crappie may be caught
in the Illinois River.
no circumstances should you attempt to wade or swim in the river,
canyons or from any park shoreline.
Fact Sheets:
skiing can be enjoyed at nearby Matthiessen State Park. Cross-country
ski rentals are available at Matthiessen Dells Area on weekends
December through March. Snowmobiling is not allowed anywhere at
Starved Rock, but is allowed at the I & M Canal one mile to
the north in Utica.
Eagle viewing is a popular winter activity enjoyed by many. Two
places to see the eagles are the top of Starved Rock and the Illinois
Waterway Visitor Center.
| Campground Map
Starved Rock's campground has 129 Class-A Premium campsites. All sites are available for reservation. Reservations are made on-line at reserveamerica.com
Reservations for regular campsites and youth group sites require a $5.00 non-refundable reservation fee and payment of the full camping and utility fees at the time the reservation is made. The camping fee for a regular campsite is $25.00 per night unless it is a holiday at which time the campsite fee is $35.00.
Payment of the entire camping and utility fee amount will guarantee that the reservation will be held for the entire length of the stay. Campsites can be reserved for a maximum of 14 nights per 30-day period
Reservations must be made at least three days before the campsite is needed. Reservations for Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends require a three-night minimum stay reservation..
Reservations must be cancelled 3 days in advance to receive the entire camping fee. If cancelled after the 3 days, the first night's camping fee will not be refunded. Remember the $5.00 reservation fee will NOT be refunded .
Each campsite has electricity and a grill pit for your campfire and grilling enjoyment. There is a shower and flush toilet building in each loop of the campground; and a separate youth group camping area.
Alcohol is ALWAYS prohibited in the campground. There is a camp store in the campground that operates seasonally (Usually May 1st to Oct. 31st) that sells firewood, ice, soda and other camping supplies.
During firearm deer seasons, the campground will be closed. The campground gates are opened from 8:30 am until 10:00 pm.
Surrounding Area
To find local attractions and restaurants, please visit the LaSalle County Visitors Bureau
southbound: South to I-80 east (exit #59). Go 2 miles
to exit #81 (Rt. 178, Utica). Go south (right) 3 miles on Rt.
178 and follow the signs into the Park.
northbound: North to Exit #48 (Tonica exit). Go east
(right) for approximately 5 miles to the T-intersection, which
is Rt. 178. Go north (left) for approximately 5 miles and follow
the signs into the Park.
Eastbound and Westbound: Get off at exit #81 (Rt.178,
Utica). Go south 3 miles on Rt. 178 and follow the signs into
the Park.
the Chicago area: Take I-294 or I-355 south to I-55.
Take I-55 south to I-80. Go west on I-80, 45 miles to Exit #81
(Rt. 178, Utica). Go south (left) 3 miles on Rt. 178 and follow
the signs into the Park.


text:
Prim to Swim at Pfeiffer
July 22, 2009
Story and Photo Courtesy of:
Eric Lusk
Sports Editor - Elkin Tribune
When Julianna Prim first started swimming with the Elkin Wet Lightning as a youngster, shed be a nervous wreck getting ready for her events.
Sometimes Id have to tap her in, her mom, Valerie Prim, said. Everybody was saying, What a bad mama. But then theyd see her crawl out on the other side and she would just be beaming.
Julianna, now a Starmount High School graduate, still beams when shes in the pool. And now its everyone else who gets nervous about stepping up to the blocks to compete against her.
Over the past decade, Prim has developed into one of the Tri-County areas most dominant female swimmers. She won four high school state championships from 2007-09 and also has captured gold in national-level YMCA races.
This fall and winter, Prim will be going after NCAA Division II elite status while swimming for Pfeiffer University. She signed a letter of intent to join the Falcons program last month, ending a lengthy recruiting process which saw her make a verbal commitment to another school only to change her mind.
Prim will follow in the footsteps of her older sister, Joy Prim, who was Pfeiffers team MVP this past season as a senior.
(Pfeiffer) is not where I thought Id go, but now I feel like its where God wants me to be and that I belong there, Julianna said. The coach there is great. The people that I know on the team are very nice and I think it will be a good fit.
As Prim moved up to high school age, her times in events like the butterfly and individual medley put her on the radar of several major college programs.
She got a call from NC State coach Brooks Teal and others on the first day that contact was allowed with rising senior athletes last July 1. She ended up visiting the Wolfpack as well as Florida State and Maryland.
Prim also was heavily recruited by Gardner-Webb, where her dad and long-time coach, Oz Prim, used to teach. Former Elkin High swim standout Steven Caudill a friend of the Prims for many years will be a junior in Gardner-Webbs program in 2009-10.
As the process played out, the two programs closest to her Yadkinville home, emerged as her leaders. Prim initially made a non-binding verbal commitment to swim for Gardner-Webb. But after thinking through her decision some more, she opted to sign with Pfeiffer. The final decision was made right before the Prims headed off to their annual visit to Michigans summer swim camp.
Julianna felt a large weight come off her shoulders when she finally put pen to paper.
Pfeiffers coach (Eric Anderson) is very personable, very caring, Valerie Prim said. He gave up his teaching job last year to start working on that program full time. We were very impressed with that. And on his own, he would come and watch her basketball games. He would sit up there in the stands. That just shows you how much he wanted her. Not that the other coaches didnt want her.
It was a very hard process for her.
Had Ann Arbor, Mich. been a lot closer, Julianna likely would have ended up wearing the Maize and Blue of Michigan. Their coach and Oz Prim are dear, dear, very close friends, Oz said. The Prims are long-time friends with NC States Brooks Teal as well, but Julianna wasnt drawn to the Raleigh campus like she thought she might be after her official visit last fall.
I know she would have gone to Wake in a heartbeat if they would have had a swim team, Valerie Prim said. I started working on them four years ago.
Prim is not sure yet what she wants to study in college. The Starmount valedictorian for 2009 still likes everything, she said.
In the pool shes aiming for All-America status as a collegian a strong possibility and getting another shot at making the U.S. Olympic Trials for 2012. Prim barely missed making the 08 Olympic Trial cuts in butterfly, literally by tenths of a second.
Thats still a goal, she said. Im going to work hard. I have good times now, but you have to get the times in the same year (as the Olympics).
While staying devoted to swimming, Prim certainly got the most out of her senior year of high school in other areas. She decided to play varsity basketball for the Rams for the first time, earning first-team all-conference status and getting consideration for Mountain Valley 2A Player of the Year.
She also tried track and field for the first time in the spring and excelled in events like the shot put, discus and 800 meters.
I can tell you that I really enjoyed the basketball team, said Oz Prim, who has been Juliannas swim coach her entire career. There was less pressure for me. I just enjoyed being a parent. I loved it. And Kyle (Hutchens, Starmounts girls basketball coach) was a great coach. It made for a great senior year.
Julianna said that basketball was still a possibility for her at Pfeiffer, another appealing aspect of going there. That door would be closed at bigger schools like NC State, Maryland and Michigan.
I definitely would like to practice with them because I still enjoy playing, she said. I dont know about the games and stuff. But the option is there.
While helping lead Starmount to one of its most successful girls basketball campaigns in years, Prim also successfully defended her state title in the 100 butterfly and finished second in the 50 freestyle in Februarys 1A/2A championships, being out-touched in the free by a friendly rival from Elkin High, Lakenn Reynolds.
Prim won two state titles in 2008, acing the 50 freestyle (edging Elkins Sarah Neaves for first) and 100 fly. She also was state champ in the 100 fly in 2007.
This summer, Julianna is continuing to swim for both of the areas recreational teams, the Wet Lightning (coached by Oz Prim and Sybil Myers) and Yadkin Stingrays (coached by her older sister). Shes also competing in meets for the year-round North Piedmont Aquatic Club.
While watching a recent Elkin summer meet where Julianna again won all of her individual events, Valerie Prim started reminiscing about the early days of her youngest daughters swim career.
I saw these four little girls together and I had this flashback of Julianna, Emily and Erin Welborn and Sarah Neaves, Valerie Prim said. The four of them, they were just such good competitors and yet at that age, such good friends. I still have pictures of them with their trophies at the end of that season. Their trophies were about as big as they were.
Its neat to see what goes around, comes around. All four of them went on to compete against each other in high school.
Joy and Valerie Prim both love to tell the story of how Joy was able to con Julianna out of some of her very first blue ribbons.
She didnt quite realize for awhile that blue meant first, Joy said. So shed trade with me to get different colors Then she got old enough to realize what I was doing.
But never too old to lose her beaming look whenever shes around the water.


text:
Gallery: PHOTOS: Constance Hockaday's Boggsville Boatel Turns Defunct B...
"Let's first get one thing straight: we are not a real hotel. This is an adventure at best, art project at worst." – Constance Hockaday
The "Boggsville Boatel" installation is located within Marina 59, a working class marina, home to fisherman who have been living on the water for over 20 years. The sense of community is strong, and neighboring boat owners aren't shy to wave a hand or to shout out from their deck. While much of the landscape remains raw and the atmosphere calm, there are certainly markers to remind you that you are just an hour from Manhattan. A depot of yellow school buses sits visible in the distance, the east of the water is flanked by housing projects, and just about every 10 minutes you can see a plane fresh from JFK sweep low above-head – the airport sits just 3 miles north of the marina. There is something at once serene, modest, and bittersweet about the experience – enjoy it, but just don't get too comfortable because eventually you'll have to go back to the bustle of the city.
To call the Boatel no frills would be an understatement; visitors are required to bring their own bedding and food, and not one of the boats has electricity, a functioning kitchen or bathroom. The marina does however host a sleek modern bathroom, complete with showers, and grills are provided for guests dockside along with a box-full of bug spray.
The crowd you'll meet here will probably look much like your neighbors – most guests come from the lower boroughs of Manhattan – but it does represent an unlikely faction of the city pulled together in the name of fun and adventure. Guests to the Boatel work in everything from theater to finance to fitness. Hipsters can check their pretension at the gate because social status is zero to none.
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text:
Councilmember Bernard C. Parks honored the 2009 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers with a congratulatory resolution during the team's Championship Day Parade held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
"This is a great day to be in the world-famous Coliseum, this is a great day for the city of Los Angeles, and this is a great day to be a Laker's fan!" Councilmember Bernard C. Parks said as he addressed the capacity crowd who were enjoying the festivities with-in the Coliseum. "On behalf of the Los Angeles City Council, I would like to present this resolution honoring the Lakers organization, the players, Phil Jackson and his fantastic coaching staff and also Dr. Jerry Buss and the Buss Family for their incredible accomplishment."
The resolution honoring the Lakers was signed by all 15 members of the City council including the City Clerk, City Attorney and the Mayor.
Councilmember Bernard C. Parks represents the 8th Council District, which is home to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.


text:
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from third-party sources, some info may be slightly out-of-date. You should
confirm all information before relying on it. Allnutri makes no representations
regarding either products or any information. read our full Disclaimer


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Women's anniversary rings come in a range of styles, widths and metal types. Most women try to match their anniversary rings to their engagement and wedding rings.
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text:
- Home
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Gresta H. Stafford
Gresta H. Stafford, 81, passed away, January 21, 2011, at North Mississippi Medical Center in West Point. Mrs. Gresta was born August 4, 1929, in Marietta, Mississippi to the late Earline Hester and Vinny Hopper.
Mrs. Gresta was a Registered Nurse, retiring after 30 years with the Mississippi State Board of Health where she served as a District Supervisor. She was a member of Siloam Baptist Church. Mrs. Gresta married William Edwin Stafford May
8, 1952, and he predeceased her on December 27, 1997.
Funeral services will be Monday, January 24, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. from Calvert Funeral Home Chapel with the Reverend
Payton Myers officiating. Burial will follow in McPherson Cemetery near West Point. Calvert Funeral Home of West
Point is in charge of arrangements.
Survivors include daughter, Shirley Stafford Bock (Eddie) of Cedar Bluff; sister, Ann Phillips of Biggersville and Several
Nieces and Nephews. Mrs. Stafford was also predeceased by her brother, Vance Hopper.
Pallbearers will be Russ Allen, Billy Allen, Phillip Hopper, Ernest Cothran, Winfred Wills, Bud Cartee, and Wilbur Rish.
Honorary Pallbearers will be Bera Blake Sunday School Class at Siloam Baptist Church and her special friend, Jane Byrd.
Memorials may be made to McPherson Cemetery Fund, c/o Mrs. Rose Dean, 837 Yellow Blossom Road, Cedar Bluff, MS 39741.
Visitation will be Monday 12:00-2:00 P.M. at Calvert Funeral Home.
Friends may leave a Memory Message at www.calvertfuneralhome.com


text:
My favorite New Year's celebration:
|6788 votes / 42%
|786 votes / 4%
|180 votes / 1%
|268 votes / 1%
|650 votes / 4%
|448 votes / 2%
|495 votes / 3%
|6303 votes / 39%
[ Voting Booth | Other Polls | Back Home ]
- Don't complain about lack of options. You've got to pick a few when you do multiple choice. Those are the breaks.
- Feel free to suggest poll ideas if you're feeling creative. I'd strongly suggest reading the past polls first.
- This whole thing is wildly inaccurate. Rounding errors, ballot stuffers, dynamic IPs, firewalls. If you're using these numbers to do anything important, you're insane.
My favorite New Year's celebration:
Whatever day it is (Score:5, Funny)by Freddybear (1805256) on Sunday December 30, 2012 @10:43AM (#42425953)
When I remember to write "2013" on my checks. Of course I don't write many checks any more, so it could be a long time after Jan 1.
When I remember to write "2013" on my checks. Of course I don't write many checks any more, so it could be a long time after Jan 1.
Back before online bill pay, I used to remember the new year right away. But, oddly, along about March or April I'd relapse for some reason and start writing the previous year again. The only thing I can figure is that was when I stopped having to explicitly think about the year anymore.
I have heard that the risk of an airplane crash as a function of the pilots total flying hours have a maximum somewhere in the hundredes of hours. In his first hundred flying hours, the pilot is explicitely remembering all the thing he should, and with enough training, he is instinctively remembering them. But between these two points there is no mechanism for remembering them.
@93 - making the assumption you are in the U.S. - it's probably because you were dealing with the previous year's taxes (federal, state, local) which shifted the mindset from "it's the new year" to "previous year".
Favorite =/= Celebrated in my case. (Score:5, Insightful)by Nationless (2123580) on Sunday December 30, 2012 @11:03AM (#42426021)
I celebrate the Gregorian first, but I enjoy the Chinese New Year celebrations more and try to drop by the local Chinatown for the dragons.
What city? I lived for a year on the edge of Philadelphia's Chinatown, and one of the best things that happened that year is when I (without thinking anything about it) had lunch a restaurant there on Chinese New Year. Everything seemed normal enough -- maybe slightly more crowded than usual -- until a dragon and tens of thousands of firecrackers appeared
I've changed cities 3 times in the same number of years, but London was my favorite so far.
Chinatown is so 19th Century. If you want real Chinese New Year celebrations, move to an area that has enough Chinese people to take over whole cities [wikipedia.org] instead of being ghettoized into a Chinatown. Having a serious range of authentic Chinese regional restaurants is a major bonus, too.
Personally, I love the Thai New Year (in April).
You gotta love a New Year Celebration that involves an entire country in a Water Fight for a week. Everyone is fair game. I once saw a police sergeant on a motocycle, covered from head-to-toe in white powder and drenched in water. His service revolver and radio were encased in zip-lock plastic bags. As he rode past, everyone was throwing water at him.
Last year was the celebration of the dragon (water dragon to be specific). Actually, we are still in the year of the dragon as the Chinese new year for 2013 doesn't start until February 10th. Which BTW is year of the snake.
Winter solstice (Score:5, Insightful)by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 30, 2012 @11:20AM (#42426071)
The winter solstice (December 21/22) makes the most sense to me. It's only dependent on the Earth's position on its orbit and its tilt, so it should be very predictable and stable, and is easily observable from having the shortest day of the year on that day. (Of course, in the southern hemisphere they get the longest day of the year.)
Off the poll options, the southward equinox comes closest, being a quarter of an orbit off.
Re:Winter solstice (Score:5, Interesting)
For me, new years eve comes halfway through the Yule celebrations, which start at Winter solstice and lasts for 20 days. It's a good time for a another party within the bigger party.
That New Yerars Eve falls within the winter holiday celebrations is normal even in mainstream - in Sweden, for example, Jul starts at December 24th and ends on January 6th.
It's pretty much only the US and followers who ends their Christmas and toss the tree out at boxing day. But to compensate, they have stretched a non-celebrating version of the holidays in the other direction, and where a traditionalist European wouldn't light the tree until Christmas eve, an American might have had it lit since late November. But 13 or 20 days of festivities with special food, relatives and singing carols, no, they miss out on that. I don't think there's any American holday that lasts for more than one day, or four if counting three days off next to it.
Another missing option is Samhain. Many neo-pagans, and particularly Wiccans reckon that the new year starts when the god dies and is reborn at (hardcore) the second moon holiday (esbat) after fall equinox or (mainstream) at Hallowe'en.
If I were to choose when new years should start, I would shift the calendar a couple of days to coincide with perihelion. And rename the months so that sept- oct- nov- and dec- would fall on the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th months instead of the mess we have now.
...start at Winter solstice and lasts for 20 days.
Ignignokt: Here on the moon our new years are so advanced, they last all year long.
start at Winter solstice and lasts for 20 days.
Ignignokt: Here on the moon our new years are so advanced, they last all year long.
You answered facetious because you thought celebrating Yule for 20 days [wikipedia.org] was a fabrication to be dismissed by another fabrication?
Have a continued happy yule, merry christmas or other holiday greeting of choice. I'm off to have a few glasses of holiday cheer, and put some more decorations on the tree!
No, it was a joke. Hopefully your celebrations will put you in a less defensive mood.
I never understood why the calendar did not start on the solstice. A lunar calendar may not be interested in the solstices and equinoxes, but a solar calendar, based on the sun, should be very much in line with the most significant solar events. Just as lunar calendars are lined up with the phases of the moon, the first of every January, April, July, and October would be lined up with the solstices and equinoxes.
The move from Julian to Gregorian happened before, I don't see why it couldn't happen again. It
This year I half joked with friends that I was celebrating the New Year at the Winter Solstice for to me, getting back light means a lot more then some arbitrary Gregorian Calendar date based on some religious act. Calendars come and Calendars go, but the Sun is basically eternal. A New Year makes sense when the Earth passes the point in orbit where the days become longer (at one end) and shorter at the other. With the Winter Solstice being the beginning I'd revamp the calendar around the four primary So
Your post has intrigued me and I'd like to subscribe to you newsletter.
In the US, Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving. That's when you start buying the presents, and when stores swap music to Christmas carols.
Off the poll options, the southward equinox comes closest, being a quarter of an orbit off.
The joke choice is supposed to be last. Trust the polls to get that right!
I would think that the equinox would be a better baseline for the year, if the ease of determining which day is the 1st is the key metric. You can determine whether today is an equinox based on the place the sun rises, rather than having to wait until sunset the following day to determine that a solstice was the longest/shortest day.
>and is easily observable from having the shortest day of the year on that day
Sure but how do you observe it in advance? I mean, we have to plan this party, you can't just show up a month later and say "yeah it's looking like dec 21 was the shortest day, but lets measure some more to be extra careful"
Same. The longest night, the longest day are good days to note. The rest seem (more) arbitrary.
Of course people closer to the equator I suspect don't find it as notable.
Unconcerned (Score:3, Funny)
Back in 1999 i found the new-years so boring that i went to sleep. Woke up in another millennium .
Re:Unconcerned (Score:5, Funny)by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 30, 2012 @11:37AM (#42426127)
So you slept for over a year? Did it leave any brain dama... oh, the question answered itself.
Sticking to the standard [wikipedia.org] is braindamaged now? I hope you don't develop any software that needs to implement any form of exchange data format.
here we go again...
well, kinda... if you agree with what you say, because and ISO is not static and is changeable.
can you ask yourself, if you are x years old - in which year of life are you living?
People are mixing 2 different conceptions - number of current year and counting system of years:
1. Before your birthday of 1st year, you were 0 years *old*.
2. Before your birthday of 1st year, you were enjoying your 1st *year* - not 0 year.
You don't tell me anything new. Birthday number x marks the end of year number x of your life. The same applies to years: new year 2000 marks the end of year 2000. If you begin counting at zero (like with birthdays), of course, as the ISO standard does. If you prefer the gregorian calender, then new year 2000 is actually the beginning of year number 2000. Because there's no year zero in this calendar.
There was no year zero. The VERY FIRST DAY is year one.
With a birth, year one is 365 days+- later.
If you can't understand that, then you should not be doing anything technical with dates.
IT's a product of a retroactive dating system. You don't think people ACTUALLY lived dear a year called year zero, do you?
they year 2000 was the last full year of a millennium.
This was well covered and explained 14 year ago.
Sure there was a year zero. It's just that we traditionally call it 1 BC, instead of 0 AD. (or, less traditionally, 1 BCE instead of 0 CE)
Nice Portal reference. Not sure what these other guys are on about.
I like to think that there were two millenniums– the People's Millennium and the Pedants' Millennium (either name can be adjusted to be kinder or more scathing). The People's Millennium was more exciting to the average person, and also contained the threat of the Y2K bug. By the time the Pedants' Millennium arrived, people were over the whole thing.
I had a fun Pedants' Millennium myself, organizing a pub crawl that was so successful that only my friend and me made it to
There is the correct one, and the incorrect one. This allowing inaccuracies to be around becasue the 'common person' think it's correct just feeds into the the balance fallacy. The belief that all opinions carry the same weight.
I (and many others here) spent the turn of the millennium in a data center, prepared to deal with The End of Everything.
Ironically at the time, most geeks were better sheltered than todays preppers.
Could have easily lasted months from the bounty of the vending machines alone.
And hordes of looters are just more clothing for you to choose from after a few minutes in the pure halon atmosphere we could provide on demand.
Which millennium, delivery boy?
Mayday! Mayday! (Score:4, Interesting)by mfnickster (182520) on Sunday December 30, 2012 @11:46AM (#42426171)
Why, that's the Russian New Year! We'll have a big parade, and serve hot hors d'oeuvres...
Whichever serves the best booze!!
By those standards, why pick just one? Let's celebrate 'em all until we get vashnigyered!
Party on, Wayne!
Yes. It is celebrated by one sixth population of the world . It is based on Hindu calender. Look it up at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_Calender [wikipedia.org]. Very interesting way of tracking time.
Although the celebration is not very pronounced as the 1st January.
I think you mean Hogmanay [wikipedia.org]. Much more important than that other holiday, what's it called... Christmas:
Christmas in Scotland was traditionally observed very quietly, because the Church of Scotland – a Presbyterian church – for various reasons never placed much emphasis on the Christmas festival.
Christmas Day only became a public holiday in 1958, and Boxing Day in 1974.
(ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Scotland [wikipedia.org])
Aye, you're damn right we've got our priorities straight: boozing > presents, every damn time. Now, why do I have this pain in my liver..?
Winter's coming!
Any excuse for a party.
quit like a good Catholic new year
In western culture, the vernal equinox. To the Persians, New Year! Also, the name of a fantastic IPA made by one of my friends. The headlong rush of brighter, greener days, and a beer to boot. What's not to like?
Lunar New Year, you insensitive clod! It's celebrated by more cultures than the Chinese, after all.
Lunar New Year, you insensitive clod! It's celebrated by more cultures than the Chinese, after all.
Chinese New Year is very distinct: there's a week of nonstop fireworks. And yes, I do mean nonstop. People shoot off rockets 24/7 for a week. The smoke from the metals that make the colors is so thick you'd think you were in a London fog. It's the worst possible New Year celebration for anyone even vaguely concerned with health.
by techno-vampire (666512) on Sunday December 30, 2012 @06:31PM (#42428401) HomepageAll of them! That includes, mind you Tu Bishvat (the Jewish New Year of the Trees) and whatever other ones you can come up with. The more celebrations, the better!
Good-old Gregorian January 1st
Especially when celebrated in Luna Park under the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
It doesn't get any better than that -- and it's warm there too on Jan 1.
Luna Park? But that's in Seattle...or at least it was...100 years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_Park,_Seattle [wikipedia.org]
The winter solstice on the 21st June (approximately).
I prefer to celebrate the winter solstice of Mars (northern hemisphere). If we make some progress in space exploration, maybe I can celebrate on Olympus Mons someday.
gonna be awhile before that's possible. perhaps you might get lucky with a celebration on mons pubis before then.
Halloween is one of the greatest of the New Year celebrations. Ghosts and ghouls were supposed to be able to come out at the juncture between the old and new year. The tradition of dressing up in costume was to scare away or confuse the real ghosts and ghouls. Of course, nowadays, it is about candy which is what fuels many a programmer
by Anonymous Coward
We have apple in honey, pomegranate, fish and many other fun things to eat.
Up here in the arse end of Finland, they're having a fireworks display - at 9pm, ostensibly so the kids can see it without having to stay up too late. (Actually so the adults can get them tucked away and get well and truly plastered before midnight.)
To be honest, I don't know why they don't make it even earlier. It'll be dark by 3 anyway...
I, for one, am looking forward to the 64-bit epoch. Grab some popcorn while the world explodes....
What, the earth has gone around the sun ONE MORE TIME? Tell me what's new!
I celebrate the new year by attending Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
This isn't really "Good-old Gregorian January 1st". When Gregory XIII introduced the new calendar in the 16th century, new year's day was the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, and that's the way the calendar was until the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council restored the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God to the 1st, which is when it had been celebrated in ancient times since the early councils established the dogma of Theotokos.
So, I think I'd rather say I celebrate the New-Fangled Gregorian January 1st.
celebrated in ancient times since the early councils established the dogma of Theotokos.
Well don't blame me, I voted for Kodos.
The world ended earlier this month. Have you fotgotten allready?
Why "Good-old Gregorian" when it's actually the newest of the specific options?
Since that's usually the time I start writing the right year on checks without thinking about it.
Which is also the day of the southward equinox.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Republican_Calendar [wikipedia.org] for those of you who didn't take a course in French History ^^ )
Obviously the right New Year in the 1st of March. It makes September the seventh month, October the eights, November the ninth which makes much more sense, since they are named after these numbers. It as some crazy honk who changed New Year to January.
The Romans celebrated Natalis Solis Invicti at the time of the solstice, shortest day of the year. I skip the morning half and focus solely on the evening part.
There is a day that marks my personal start of the yearly cycle, and it has everything to do with the earliest sunset of the year [wikipedia.org], around December 5 or 6.
By the time December 31 comes around, sunsets are already 10 minutes later than three weeks before. The later the sunset, the better.
During November, I remind myself that "Analemma" is just around
The Gaelic/Celtic Calendar's new year's eve is still celebrated in many parts of the world although you now know it as Halloween. You can find out more on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_calendar [wikipedia.org]
The day after the last day of Eternal September [wikipedia.org].
With USENET dying a slow death, this day may be within sight at last.
On this eve of happy new year, I have celebrate this day with my friends and enjoy all days..
The winter/spring cross-quarter day is the halfway point between the winter soltice and spring equinox. Apart from any astrological or other significance it might have, it is a good marker for when the days start getting longer FAST.
I think the start of spring makes a good New Years, so call me an April Fool...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools'_Day [wikipedia.org]
It's just a made up thing that we use to mark time.


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GasBuddy Blog
The Energy Information Administration released its weekly report on the status of petroleum inventories in the United States today.Here are some highlights:CRUDE INVENTORIES:Crude oil inventories increased by 2.6 million barrels to a total of 371.7 million barrels. At 371.7 million barrels, inventories are 32.3 million barrels above last year (3.1%) and are above the upper limit of the average range.GASOLINE INVENTORIES:Gasoline inventories increased by 1.7 million barrels to 234.0 million barrels. At 234 million barrels, inventories are up 2.3 million barrels, or 1% higher than last year. Here's how individual regions and their gasoline inventory fared last week: East Coast (+2.9mb); Midwest...
Read the Full Article


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A Guide for Patients
Adoption is an important family-building option to consider as an alternative to infertility therapy. Some couples explore adoption only after infertility treatment has proven unsuccessful. Others couples choose to forego treatment in favor of adoption. Still others have both adopted and biological children.
Before pursuing adoption, it is important to recognize and deal with the psychological aspects of infertility, including the loss of individual genetic continuity and the pregnancy/birth experience. Adoption cannot replace all of these losses, but it does provide you with the opportunity to become a parent and to experience the challenges and rewards of loving and raising a child. Because there may be age restrictions for some types of adoptions, especially infant adoption, it is helpful to collect information on adoption early in the course of the fertility evaluation and treatment.
It is estimated that 2% to 4% of the U.S. population has been adopted. Approximately 50,000 domestic infant adoptions, 15,000 international adoptions, and 10,000 domestic special needs adoptions occur in the United States each year.
Each state has different adoption laws. You may find an attorney's assistance valuable in any type of adoption. Just as specially trained physicians are best able to help individuals with infertility problems, specially trained attorneys can help with adoption issues.
There are several methods of adoption. Some couples utilize state-licensed public or private agencies that find homes for children in need. Adoption agencies can provide counseling, support services, and follow-up; they have varying age limits for potential parents, from very strict to very liberal. Some agencies serve only married heterosexual couples while some place children with singles and same-sex couples. Some agencies have strict health standards for prospective adopters while others are more lenient. Some may require that adoptive parents be active members of a particular religion. In addition, adoption agency costs vary widely.
Independent or private adoptions frequently have more liberal policies and shorter waiting periods. In an independent adoption, an adoptive couple or a professional on their behalf typically locates either a "birth mother" (a pregnant woman considering planning an adoption for her child) or, less frequently, an infant or child in need of an adoptive home. An attorney is usually necessary for this type of adoption, to advise and coordinate both the legal aspects of the adoption and the medical and social services needed by most birth parents. The cost of an independent adoption varies widely and is dependent on the number of hours billed by attorneys and counselors, and the medical expenses of the birth mother and child not covered by insurance. The cost may include some support for a birth mother's living expenses during her pregnancy, although not all states' laws allow this.
Some agencies will assist independent or private adoptions by providing counseling and support services. Agencies may coordinate prenatal medical care for a birth mother who was located by prospective adoptive couples and provide services to the adoptive couple as well. This type of agency-assisted or identified adoption allows the prospective adoptive parents to independently locate a birth parent or child and receive an agency's assistance in coordinating and finalizing the adoption. An attorney can also provide general information on the adoption laws in the individual states. Whatever form of adoption is pursued, careful legal oversight of the termination of birth parents' parental rights must be scrupulously followed to provide a secure adoption. Although fears that a birth parent will "come back" for "her child" are common among pre-adoptive couples, this fear is seldom realized. If all potential birth parents' rights are promptly and properly addressed and terminated, there should be little reason for concern.
A table showing a side-by-side comparison of agency and independent adoption is often helpful to couples considering adoption (Table 1). Utilize this table and fill in the appropriate information for each option investigated.
Adoption may be open or confidential. In the past, confidential adoptions were standard, meaning the birth parents and the adoptive parents had little or no knowledge about each other. Agencies and state laws made every effort to keep the adoption records sealed to everyone, including the adoptive parents, the birth parents, and the adopted children regardless of their age. Most agencies believed that the separation of the adoptive parents from the birth parents was necessary for the adoptive family to feel secure.
In recent years, openness in adoption has gained increasing acceptance. Today, most adoptions take place with some information being exchanged between biological and adoptive parents. In terms of confidentiality and openness, adoption currently has many variations, from the exchange of only non-identifying information to the exchange of unlimited information and ongoing contact between the two families. Many agencies present nonidentifying information on several prospective adoptive couples to the birth parents. This information allows the birth parents to help select the adoptive parents. The primary purpose of a more open adoption process is to consider the life-long needs of the child and to help both the birth family and adoptive family feel comfortable over time with their choice.
Some adoption agencies adhere to a parental age limit. Most couples seek newborn adoption; however, some couples choose to adopt older infants or children over the age of two. International adoptions usually involve infants who are at least six months old. Agencies often encourage older couples to adopt older infants and young children.
In domestic adoption, the child and the adoptive parents are citizens of the country where the adoption will take place. In international adoption, the child is a citizen of a country other than that of the adoptive parents. International adoptions may be performed through specialized agencies or privately arranged. In addition to completing a home study, couples adopting internationally must satisfy U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service regulations, including a federal security check. Internationally adopted children usually become citizens of their adoptive parents' country through a naturalization process that is independent of the adoption and typically occurs after the adoption has been finalized. The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 allows the child to automatically become a U.S. citizen if at least one parent is a U.S. citizen. Nearly all international adoptions involve children of underdeveloped or politically fragile countries, so access and availability changes frequently.
Prospective parents may choose to adopt a child of a different race. Interracial adoption has become more widespread in recent years, especially in international adoption, but potential difficulties may still develop with family, friends, and community. The child's point of view should also be considered. Couples contemplating interracial adoption must have a realistic perspective of what it means to be an interracial family. There are many ways to gather this information, including books, conferences, and parent groups in every state. Agency policies dealing with interracial adoption vary widely.
Some couples adopt a child with special needs. Special needs may refer to emotional, learning, or physical difficulties; age of the child; race; or the fact that he/she is part of a sibling group. Adopting a child with special needs can require substantial commitment. Prospective parents must have a thorough understanding of such a child's history, difficulties, and prospects of becoming an independent adult. Many parents believe the experience is extremely gratifying, and some go on to adopt more children with special needs. Couples interested in special needs adoption should contact a parental support group and talk with parents who have chosen special needs adoption.
Each adoption agency has different requirements concerning age, religion, race, etc. Most adoption agencies offer introductory sessions to explain the requirements and average waiting time for placement. After considering the requirements, interested couples then fill out an application. An agency social worker performs a home study evaluation and parental preparation process. Couples not accepted at one agency may be accepted at another, depending upon the eligibility requirements. Most states require this evaluation for all adoptionsagency or independent. Couples may be asked to supply references from relatives, employers, and friends, as well as physician statements certifying that each partner is in good physical and mental health. Frequently, as part of this process, groups of prospective adopters are brought together to explore their feelings and learn more about parenting issues unique to adoption.
If everything is satisfactory and the home study evaluation is completed, the agency helps the couple identify a child who is available for adoption either immediately or in the near future. This may happen in a variety of ways. The agency may have shared the couple's profile with a birth mother who has selected the couple, or the agency may do the matching. The couple may, with their worker, look through photo-listing books and ask for additional information on one or more waiting children. In international adoption, an agency or orphanage in another country may receive a couple's profile and refer a specific child's information to them. If the couple chooses to adopt the child, the child joins the family and a supervisory period goes into effect. During this time, the couple assumes responsibility for the child, but a social worker stays in contact. After a specified time period that varies with agency policy, state law, and other country regulations, the child is legally adopted by the new parents.
As mentioned before, agency adoption costs vary widely. Most agencies charge fees, payable in one lump sum or in installments during the adoption process. Ask to see a copy of the fee schedule in advance. Be certain to find out if medical expenses can be paid conditionally upon the adoption going forward and if other adoption fees will be refunded and arrangements made to adopt another child if the planned adoption is not completed. It is recommended that all payments be facilitated through a third party, such as a lawyer or agency. Adoptions may fail if either the birth mother or father changes her or his mind or if the child is born with unanticipated medical problems that the adoptive couple is not prepared to handle.
Couples who pursue independent or identified adoptions generally retain an attorney or an agency to facilitate the process. Costs vary with each independent adoption arrangement. Couples adopting a newborn often pay the prenatal and delivery medical bills of the birth mother and infant, including any costs of medical complications. Some or all of these costs may be covered by health insurance. Other expenses may include travel and living expenses for both birth parents, counseling, telephone calls, and legal fees for both adopters and birth parents. In an adoption across state lines, it may be necessary or advisable for attorneys in both states to work together. Again, be certain to find out if medical expenses can be paid conditionally upon the adoption going forward and if other adoption fees will be refunded and arrangements made to adopt another child if the planned adoption is not completed. It is recommended that all payments are facilitated through a third party, such as a lawyer or agency.
Adoption is a life-long process. In many ways, families created by adoption are similar to families created by birth. Adoptive parents are legally responsible for the well being of their children. Parents and children, whether adopted or not, express unconditional love, have disputes, and make compromises in their daily lives.
Parents need to talk openly with their child about the adoption and acknowledge the child's losses and grief if necessary. They need to disclose information and address questions in an age-appropriate manner. Parents need to examine their feelings about the role of the biological or birth parents in their child's life. It is a good idea for adoptive parents to explore these feelings with a trained counselor before proceeding with adoption.
Some prospective parents fear that an adopted child won't "measure up to family standards." Partners may disagree with each other about adopting, based on their individual life experiences. Denying disappointment about infertility, persistent fantasies about what life might have been like with biological children, and a desire to keep the adoption a secret may be signs that adoption is inappropriate at the present time. Prospective adoptive parents having doubts about adoption should consult a counselor or therapist who specializes in infertility and adoption, a knowledgeable member of the clergy, and/or other adoptive parents.
Many myths and misconceptions surround adoption and are listed below.
Agency-assisted or identified adoption. An adoption where the prospective adoptive parents locate a child or birth parents and utilize the services of an agency to assist with and finalize the adoption.
Biological children. Children produced by the union of the birth parents' sperm and egg.
Biological or birth parents. The parents who supply a child with his or her genetic heritage through the union of their sperm and egg.
Home study. Usually part of the adoption process, either public or private, in which an agency or independent adoption social worker visits the prospective adoptive parents' home, evaluates and prepares a written report on a couple's suitability and readiness to become adoptive parents, and helps prepare them for adoptive parenthood. The currently used term for this part of the adoption process is "parent preparation."
Independent or private adoption. An adoption that takes place outside an agency. It is often facilitated by a lawyer, minister, physician, or consultant, who serves as an intermediary between the birth parents and the adoptive parents.
Interracial adoption. Adoption of a child of a different race than that of the adoptive parents.
Special needs adoption. Adoption of a child with emotional, physical, or learning difficulties, who is beyond infancy, is part of a sibling group, or has other special needs.
Adoption Legislationhttp://www.adoptionhelp.org/
American Fertility Association (AFA)http://www.theafa.org/
American Pregnancy Association (APA)http://www.americanpregnancy.org/adoption/
FamilyNet -- A project of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for and about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families.http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Parenting
Healthfinder -- the National Health Information Centerhttp://www.healthfinder.gov/
MEDLINEplus - the National Library of Medicinehttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/adoption.html
National Adoption Information Clearinghouse -- part of the Department of Health and Human Serviceshttp://naic.acf.hhs.gov/
National Council For Adoptionhttps://www.adoptioncouncil.org/
North American Council on Adoptable Childrenhttp://www.nacac.org/
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Associationhttp://www.pcosupport.org/living/adopt
Members are allowed to have direct input in shaping policies and protocols in their area of expertise through ASRM affiliated societies, professional groups, and special interest groups.
Affiliates: SART | SMRU | SREI | SRBT | SRS
Professional Groups: ARM | LPG | MHPG | NPG
Special Interest Groups: AESIG | CAMSIG | ChSIG | CSIG | EndoSIG | EPSIG | ERSIG | FPSIG | FSIG | HDSIG | GCSIG | IRMSIG | MSIG | NutriSIG | PAGSIG | PGDSIG | RISIG | RMSCBSIG | TSIG | WC
©1996 - 2015 ASRM, American Society for Reproductive Medicine. All Rights Reserved.


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Hamburg is found on the south of the Jutland Peninsula, where the Continental Europe is found on the south, Scandinavia in the north, the North Sea to the west, and the Baltic to the north east. The city is divided into 7 boroughs with 104 quarters. It experiences an oceanic climate to due its proximity to the coast.
How to Reach (Transport)
- By Plane - The Airport Hamburg-Fuhlsbuttel is the 5th largest international airport in Germany. It has plenty of connections to other European capitals, but only a small number of intercontinental direct flight services.
- By Train - There are 5 major train stations in Hamburg: Altona, Dammtor, Bergedorf, Harburg, and the main station Hauptbahnhof. The ICE or Inter City Express provides high speed trains to major cities such as Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, and to international cities of Zurich and Basel. Direct services are also offered to and from Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Aarhus, Copenhagen, and Bratislava.
- By U-Bahn and S-Bahn - The easiest and fastest way to commute in and around the city is through the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn. The U-Bhan is the underground rail, with destinations around the city; while the S-Bahn is the overground rail, with services to the suburbs.
- By Bus - The central bus station offers services to regional, national, and European destinations. The Nachtbus, which means night bus, offers trips around the city center and to outlying districts.
- By Boat - There are 6 ferry lines in the port of Hamburg, with frequent trips offered to Denmark and Sweden. Occasional long trips to Finland, Lithuania, and Russia are also available. Tourist boats are also available at the Lubeck port.
- By Taxi - There's a good supply of taxi cabs in the city, available 24/7. You can wait for a cab on the streets under a green box on a post, or you can call one to pick you up.
The best time to visit Hamburg is from May to September, when weather is at its warmest. These are also the months when flights are packed and room rates are high. For a less crowded season to visit, fall is the best alternative option. Room rates are lower and streets are less crowded but the weather can get a bit chilly.
Culture (Fairs and Festivals) and Traditions
- Harbour Birthday or Hafengeburtstag - Held annually every year in May, an estimated 1 million people from all around the country and overseas flock to the biggest harbor party in the world. Dozens of stands and stages are set up, creating a party atmosphere by the side of the ocean.
- Hamburg Pride Christopher Street Day - This annual LGBT celebration is flocked by tens of thousands of people every year. A list of events occur in its one week celebration, where concerts, bazaars, a street festival, parties, and a parade as the highlight celebrate the city's gay community.
- Dockville Music and Art Festival - This is the biggest river island music festival in the world. Held in Wilhemsburg on the island of Elbe, it's a 3-day event of independent music and visual arts. A kids camp and a teenage music and arts festival take place days before the actual event, all packed with workshops and performances for kids and by kids. The actual festival draws in tens of thousands of people who gather together to watch live music and create art.
- Hamburg Rathaus - The city's original town hall built in the 1800's, it is still being used today for the very same purpose. It has a total of 647 rooms, with its lobby open to the public for concerts and exhibitions.
- St. Micheal's Church - The city's most important architectural landmark, this 18th century cathedral is one of the best examples of Hanseatic Protestant baroque churches in Europe.
- The Ruins of St. Nicholas Church - It was once the tallest building in the world from 1874-1876. This Gothic Revival architectural landmark is a sight to see amidst modern buildings that have sprawled around it. The ruins include the tower, the spine, and the crypt, with the tower being the city's 2nd tallest building today.
There are plenty of options for accommodation in Hamburg, with its equal number of budget places to stay and luxury hotels. For the more adventurous traveler, the city offers a good number of camping accommodation, as well as youth hostels for the backpacker.
Important Places in Hamburg :
- Ahrensburg
- Hoisdorf
- Siek
- Hasltenbak
- Schene-feld
- Grobensee
- Braak
- Stapel-feld
- Bars-buttel
- Witzhave
- Glinde
- Eads Airbus
- Oststeinbek
- Reinbek
- Wohltorf
- Wentorf
- Brensen
- Escheburg
- Buxtehude
- Neu Wulmstorf
- Seeve
- Drage
- Nennedorf
- Rosengarten
- Stelle
- Winsen/Luhe.
- Ellerhoop
- Quickborn
- Tangstedt
- Jersbek
- Tremsbuttel
- Kummer-feld
- Tornesch
- Prisdorf
- Borstel Hohenraden
- Hasloh
- Tangstedt
- Prisdorf
- Bonningstedt
- Ellerbek
- Appen
- Pinneberg
- Rellingen
- Norder-stedt
- Tangstedt
- Jersbek
- Tremsbuttel
- Bargte-heide
- Hammoor
- Delingsdorf
- Ammersbek
Last Updated : October 16, 2014
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From the epic, modern-day battles between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to storied rivalries of old, tennis memorabilia is a great way to capture the time-honored tradition of the sport that is tennis. While it might not be considered a mainstream sport within the United States, especially when compared to the likes of such sports as football and basketball, tennis has an international appeal, which helps make autographed tennis memorabilia incredibly valuable. Tennis autographs and other collectibles can be marketed to a wider demographic of collectors, leaving many eager buyers for a collector who decides to cash in on his or her investment.
The sport certainly has not a shortage of colorful stars both from the past and present. Autographed tennis photos of American greats like Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras are certainly valuable collectibles that will both preserve, and even gain value as time elapses. This common form of signed tennis memorabilia can also capture memorable matches on some of the game's biggest stages, such as Wimbledon or the U.S. Open.
Autographed tennis photos commemorating the sport's Grand Slam tournaments carry more value and a broader appeal. Wimbledon photos featuring such past champions as Roger Federer or Maria Sharapova are not only suitable for a fan of these players, but also collectors of memorabilia from the infamous tournament. Wimbledon makes for one of the strongest traditions in all of sports, allowing collectors of all memorabilia to find value in items tied to the tournament.
Tennis balls are another popular form of autographed tennis memorabilia, and are a refreshing change of pace from signed baseballs, football and even footballs. These eye-catching, bright colored balls are best displayed in acrylic or glass tennis ball display cases, which help to preserve the condition of all autographed tennis balls from any player or big tournament.
Signed tennis memorabilia can also come in the form of autographed tennis racquets, hats and even tennis shoes. Any piece of merchandise themed to this history-rich sport can carry a star's signature and therefore become a valuable item.
ItsAlreadySigned4U.com offers a wide variety of signed tennis photos and autographed tennis balls. All tennis autographs in ItsAlreadySigned4U.com's trove of collectibles has, as always, been deemed authentic by a third party.


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A pretty sugar skull in silver foil adds a little glamour to this poppy red burnout tee. We've put a sexy spin on the classic T-shirt with a back keyhole cutout, a low scoop neckline and a banded bottom.
- Size 1 measures 29" from shoulder
- Polyester/rayon
- Wash cold; dry low
- Imported