text:
Coming Real Soon
February 28, 2014 § 9 Comments
This morning I found myself stomping repeatedly on the overturned rubberized pig trough, like an oversized child throwing a tantrum, trying to dislodge the frozen remnants of last evening's milky slop. It was hard work, lemme tell you: Over and over I jumped, stepping down every so often so I could snatch up the bowl with my hands and thwack it against the ground, and by the time I had the trough cleaned out and the new piglets were snout deep in breakfast, I was sweating good and proper. Not a bad feeling, really, to be sweating in below-zero weather. If nothing else, it's a symptom of proper labor, and I've always felt that proper labor is, in-and-of-itself, a symptom of proper living. Or it is for me, anyway.
I cannot recall a winter of such consistent cold. I wouldn't be surprised if the number of below-zero mornings we've had over just the past three months surpasses the number of below-zero mornings over the previous three years combined, and it looks as though there are still a few more to come. "Cold enough, huh?" said Jimmy when I picked up two full buckets of waste milk this morning, and I had to agree. It's cold enough.
With the exception of that one memorable day, I have not minded the cold. This is not to say I do not welcome the impending arrival of warmer days, only that I know my appreciation of these days does not stand on its own. It demands that I endure something, and in that sense, the enduring itself becomes part of the anticipation of that first 50-degree in March, when the sun will be high and almost harsh, and the sap in the trees will awaken, plinking drop by drop into the buckets we hung the day before. I thought about that this morning, when I was bopping up and down on that confounded pig trough. Sugaring. Hauling sap. More sweat. Proper living.
The boys, however, aren't down with enduring. Over the past couple weeks, their enthusiasm for winter and all its charms has steadily deflated. They still go outside every day, usually on snowshoes down into the woods to track one hapless creature or another, but they return home sooner than they used to, and have taken to spending long hours indoors reading and swinging (does not everyone have a rope swing hanging in their living room? No? Well, they should. Heck, even Penny and I like to see if we can kiss the ceiling with our feet) and wrestling. This is all fine and dandy until their energy becomes too big for the house and things invariably devolve into an argument of some sort or another, often triggered by an act of treachery that from the hot center of the conflict cannot even be recalled.
Ah, well. So be it. They are children, after all. To them, the immediate is everything. They cannot understand how quickly things change, how soon it will be spring and sap will be running and the snow will be melting and we'll be trudging across the field pulling 120-pounds of sap – enough to make maybe three pints of syrup – in a sled back from Melvin's big maples. They can't grasp that someday, they'll not wish for time to accelerate, but would instead give just about anything if only it'd slow down for a bit, even if that meant another week or two of below-zero mornings. Another week or two of stomping the pig trough until sweat beaded on their brows.
They can't fathom these changes, both those external and those internal. But they're coming. They're coming real soon.
Winter Reading
February 27, 2014 § 26 Comments
One of my favorite magazines to write for is Yankee. I love writing for Yankee because of their focus on a region (and the people of that region) that's important to me. And I love writing for Yankee because I have a great editor who gives me almost complete autonomy over my stories. Finally, I love writing for them because there are not a whole lot of periodicals that run 5,000-word feature stories anymore (oh, sure, The New Yorker, but I have about as much chance of snagging an assignment from them as I do of getting trampled by a marauding elephant in our woodlot).
Anyhow. If you're interested, I have a couple of stories in recent issues of Yankee. The first is about the proposed Northeast Kingdom Development Initiative, which is basically a mammoth economic development project in Vermont's least financially prosperous county, funding largely by foreign investors who, through a program known as EB-5, can essentially "buy" a green card. I find rural economic development stories fascinating and nuanced, and this one was no different.
The second, which is not yet online, but is probably at your local newsstand, is about our friends and neighbors, Jimmy and Sara Ackermann and their efforts to make a life for themselves and their new baby daughter Allie Rae on the same dairy farm Jimmy's grandparents farmed. Jimmy and Sara milk about 50 cows, have a 2500-tap sugaring operation, plow driveways, sell about 50-cords of firewood each year, and hire out for various logging and landscaping tasks. I love this story because it's about people I care about, but also because it's about people who, outside their immediate community, work in almost total anonymity (or who did work in almost total anonymity, until I wrote about them). Since it's not online, I figured I'd give you a short teaser, in hopes you'll all rush out to your nearest newsstand and pick up a copy or 10.
When James "Jimmy" Ackermann was 19, in the fall after he graduated from Cabot High School, in Cabot, Vermont, he drove forty-five minutes due west from the town in which he'd grown up. His destination was Johnson State College, where it was assumed that Jimmy would lead the Johnson State Badgers basketball team to glory on the court. It wasn't a flawed assumption: In high school, Jimmy had been one of the Cabot Huskies' star players, racking up more than 1,000-points, once scoring 35 points in a single game. He wasn't tall, but he was tough and strong, and despite his muscular frame, exceptionally nimble. Obviously, he could score. Yeah, he was good.
"I wanted to play ball something bad," he told me. We were driving in his big GMC pickup, floating down a rural Vermont road on a halcyon September morning. The truck's radio was tuned to Froggy 100.9; a male singer was drawlin' about fast trucks and slow women. Or maybe it was slow trucks and fast women. Jimmy was dressed in a grey tee shirt tucked into shorts of a heavy canvas weave. He wore a pair of tattered work boots on his feet. His dirty blonde hair protruded from his head in an unruly fashion that looked as though perhaps he'd stuck his head out the open window of a moving vehicle.
But Jimmy didn't play much ball in college because, as it turned out, Jimmy didn't much like college. Oh, sure, he'd drunk his first beer at JSC, and that was kind of fun. And there were pretty girls everywhere, and that was pretty cool. But when it came right down to it, Jimmy had to admit that college was, well, a little too slow for him. "The thing I didn't like about college was it wasn't busy enough," he told me. "I'd wake up at six and I didn't have class until ten, and everyone's walking around in sweatpants hanging off their ass. I mean, what the hell was I supposed to do?" He offered a little sideways grin, as if to acknowledge the absurdity of the whole situation.
So what he decided to do, after two of the most physically lazy and interminable weeks of his young life, weeks which he largely spent gazing jealously through classroom windows at the men mowing the college's expansive grounds atop shiny John Deere machinery, was leave school to the ass-hanging sweatpants-wearers. And get to work.
But it wasn't so much the sheer volume of work that intrigued me as the simple fact that, beyond a small circle of customers, family, and friends, they toil in anonymity. Although they produce food (milk and maple syrup), they have not ridden the wave of recognition bestowed by the local/artisanal/sustainable food movements upon many of the region's producers. They do not sell their products at farmer's markets; they do not tweet or blog about their farm and its offerings; you cannot "Like" the Ackermann Farm on Facebook, because the Ackermann Farm is not on Facebook. In fact, the scope of their marketing efforts can be summed up in that "Pure Vermont Maple Syrup" sign flapping in the breeze at the edge of the barnyard.
In a sense, Jimmy and Sara Ackermann are throwbacks. I do not mean this in a derogatory sense, but rather with the understanding that their lives exemplify a deeply historical New England work ethic that seems to be evolving inexorably away from the land to align itself with our nation's cultural embrace of digitized technology. It is not that Jimmy and Sara are dismissive of technology, and they own both a computer and cell phones. But if these items were to suddenly disappear from their lives, very little would change for them, and their work would be essentially unaffected. I'm struck by how rare this is.
It may be obvious by now, but in Jimmy and Sara I see something both humbling and hopeful. I am humbled by the sheer scope of their commitment to their work and the good-naturedness with which they go about it and I am I hopeful because I cannot help but wonder how many other young New Englanders are leading lives of similarly quiet, purposeful intent. There are times it seems to me as if it cannot be many, but then I remember that the very nature of Jimmy and Sara's relative anonymity suggests there could be an awful lot.
And yet, it must be said there are times when I see in them a certain naïveté. It's not merely their youth (although that might be part of it), and I suppose it is best explained by their assumption that if only they work diligently and conduct themselves with integrity, they will be afforded the life they dream of. In short, that hard work is all it takes. Can this be true? I want it to be so, not just for Jimmy and Sara, but also for myself and for my children, if only because I wish for my sons to inhabit a world in which the honest integrity of hard work is justly rewarded. In this sense, the story of Jimmy and Sara Ackermann is not merely the story of a young couple eking a living from the land. In this sense, it is the story of us all.
On and On it Goes
February 26, 2014 § 19 Comments
Every so often, I have some notion of what I'm going to write here, but most mornings I fly by the seat of my pants. If I happen to be wearing any pants, because as you know, I work at home, and thus the impetus to wear anything more than a pair of woolen long johns adorned with flecks of dried egg yolk is at a minimum. Too much information, perhaps, but hey. This is my party and I'll admit to working in yolk-flecked long johns if I bloody well want to.
I am appreciative of the many thoughtful comments relating to my last post. The subject of our children's education is fraught with hope, expectations, assumptions, fear, pressure and probably a few other things I'm not thinking of at the moment, and sometimes I get a little panicked to remember I'm about to launch a book that calls to question many aspects of our culture's common understanding regarding what education can and should be. Of course, the book is about much more than my sons' education, as it must be, since my sons' education truly cannot be segregated from our life on this currently-frozen and windswept hill. Still, the how and why of their learning – and not just their learning, but also Penny's and mine – is arguably the most prevalent thread holding the whole shootin' match together.
I don't mind people disagreeing with me. I have found, as Robin commented on Friday, that outside of a core group of friends and family who already know all my quirks and contradictions well enough that their opinion is unlikely to change unless I do something truly egregious, the older I get the less I care what others think of me. This is one of the benefits of maturing, I suppose, and it's nearly enough to offset the fact that I no longer seem able to get a bite of egg to my mouth with dribbling a skosh of it on my woolies. I have been aided in this regard (the caring less, not the egg dribbling) by having my work be a matter of public record. I'm learning that the only way to please everyone is to say nothing at all or, at the very least, to say nothing of any real value, which strikes me as essentially the same thing. I'm not opposed to small talk – I do it pretty well, actually – but the written equivalent is not really what I want to put out into the world.
There's little question that my forthcoming book is both the most personal of any I've written and maybe the most provocative. Or maybe not, because of course "provocative" is in the eye of the beholder. Certainly, it's not as provocative as at least one other book on education I can think of (which, if you haven't read, you darn well ought), but it's also far more personal, and as such, I feel a certain vulnerability when I consider it becoming fodder for disagreement and criticism.
Still, here's the other thing I'm learning: You can spend an entire life trying to avoid being perceived as vulnerable. Indeed, an awful lot of people do, and there are many aspects of our social and economic structures that both support and depend on this desired avoidance.
But of course no one can ever truly avoid it. We are all, on one level or another, and probably on many levels, vulnerable. And the sooner we acknowledge that, the sooner we say screw it, this is who I am and this is what I believe, the sooner we can get on with living life exactly the way we want.
Nothing Precluded
February 21, 2014 § 34 Comments
Over the past couple weeks, I've interviewed a passel of adults who were unschooled, on top of the handful I interviewed a bunch of months back for an upcoming feature story in Outside magazine (September, I think; I'll be sure to let ya'll know when it comes out).
I conducted these interviews because it seemed the most honest way to answer the questions I often field from other parents, which generally revolve around my sons' future educational "opportunities". To be perfectly frank, Penny and I have absolutely no agenda regarding Fin's and Rye's path toward and through higher education. If they want to go to college, and can figure out the finances, good on 'em. But we do not view college as being anything more than one of many options, and to be perfectly frank again, I am rather bemused by our culture's obsession with college-level learning, which is rooted in the rarely-questioned assumption that higher education is a fundamentally good thing, an assumption that is itself based (at least in large part) in economic self-interest. How many times do we hear soaring tuitions justified by presumed future earnings? How often do we hear that college is the gateway to prosperity? The answers to these questions are, of course, many and often.
What if they want to go to college, these parents ask me, and I'm fine with it; I understand how deeply the assumptions underlying this question are rooted, right down into the compacted subsoil of what it means to be successful. In some ways, what it means to be American. What's sort of interesting to me, though, is that no one asks the parents of conventionally schooled children what if they want to be free? What if they want to learn things they'll never learn in school? Because as I've pointed out many times before, children only have so much time and energy. There's only so much they can learn and do.
Still and all, I thought it'd be interesting to talk to some adult unschoolers, in part to see what had become of them, but also to learn what hindsight reveals about their atypical educations. And lurking unflatteringly in the back of my mind was the notion that perhaps these fine, upstanding people would provide fodder for my replies to the questions I field about my children's possible futures.
Briefly, here's what I found: The majority of unschoolers I spoke with attended college (8 of 9). Furthermore, every single one I interviewed who had attended college (some earning master's degrees) felt as if being unschooled had actually advantaged them. The common refrain? "I wasn't burned out on school like all my classmates." I'd have to go through my notes to be sure, but I'm almost certain that every single one of them said something to that effect.
All of those who went to college found it remarkably easy to gain acceptance, although a few did have to take classes at their local community colleges before being accepted into their schools of choice (a brief sampling: UVM, St Lawrence University, University of South Carolina Law School, College of the Atlantic). Math seemed to be a particular weak spot.
Every single one of those I spoke with feels gratitude for their unconventional paths. Not a single one expressed regret, or wishes their learning had been different. They all feel as if the freedom to learn at their own pace, and of their own design, has imbued them with a love of learning they don't see in many of their peers. Those with children said they plan to offer their kids similar opportunities, with the exception of one mother who told me her husband just wasn't having it.
All of the unschooled adults I spoke with are gainfully employed, still in college, or parenting full time. Jobs ranged from political pundit, to carpenter, to farmer, to analyst for the federal government. None felt as if being unschooled had limited their employment opportunities.
Clearly, this was a pretty small sample. There's no scientific rigor, here, and I'm not pretending otherwise. For all I know, for every unschooled adult I interviewed, there's another dozen doing five-to-ten for mugging little old ladies. But it at least illuminates the truth that an unschooled childhood does not preclude a satisfying career, or meaningful personal relationships. Obviously, it does not preclude college.
In fact, after talking to something like a half-dozen consecutive unschoolers who'd attended college, I was somewhat relieved to find one who didn't pursue higher education. Therefore, I can confidently say that unschooling does not preclude not going to college, either, and thank goodness for that: I'd sure hate to think Penny and I are limiting our children's options.
Round and Round Forever
February 20, 2014 § 13 Comments
I can honestly say that yesterday was the first time this winter got under my skin. I'm in the midst of smoking our latest batch of hams and bacons, a task that necessitates a nearly-uncountable quantity of trips to the smoke pit, maintaining the smoldering, almost-out fire essential to the task. I bet I walked that walk two dozen times yesterday, slipping and sliding and tripping on the boot-packed path, whipped by a relentless wind that drove a graupel-y snow against my sweet, tender cheeks. Yesterday was the warmest it's been in weeks, and between the smoking and feeding the cows a round bale, which turned into its own particular clusterf**k, thanks to deep snow and spinning tractor tires, I was the coldest I've been all winter.
By 5-ish, still damp and chilled to my sorry bones, I was well and cracked. I don't get in bad moods very often; I'm almost always able to maintain the perspective that a bad mood isn't so much a mood, as a reaction. The circumstances that give rise to that mood are merely the way things are, and it is my choice how to respond. (By-the-by, I'm fully aware there are plenty of folks who, for reasons beyond my capacity to fully understand, are not so readily able to "choose" their mood. I'm speaking only for myself, here, which you probably knew, but still).
Anyhow. Around 7, I sat down to read to the boys. We read every evening, and by "we" I pretty much mean Penny and the fellas. But I sneak in a few chapters here and there, and I particularly sneak in a few chapters when we're reading a book like True North, which is as fine a piece of writing about experiencing the natural world as I've read since The Earth is Enough.
The copy of True North we have must be borrowed, and I'm guessing from Nate; there are various underlined or highlighted passages throughout, though the book is so damn good it's hard to find standout passages. Really, it's the sort of book that could make a lesser writer throw up his hands in either supplication or defeat. Elliot Merrick tells his tale with the sort of effortless rhythm most of us so-called writers spend a lifetime straining our beat-deaf ears to hear.
Anyhow again. I was still in a foul mood, but sunk into our couch with a book in my hand and a boy on either side of me, I could feel the foulness slowing draining away, like an infection leaving the body. True North, as some of you likely know, is about Merrick's decision to leave behind a cushy urban 1920's existence and travel to Labrador and furthermore to follow a couple of trappers deep into the winter wilderness. It is also about his evolving awareness of what makes for a good life, where the magic and goodness of simply being alive is found, where the very marrow of his own humanity resides.
Since I still have my smoky ham n' bacon fire to tend, I will lazily leave you with two passages to ponder. But really, you owe it to yourself to read the whole book.
Arch wanted me to tell him of life in the States, and asked me posers about all "outside." What is the Russian Revolution? It turned out to be a good bit of a puzzle when I was done with it, and Arch summed it all up with a thoughtful "m-m" and went on to something simple, such as, how do people get so rich. And then we tangled ourselves all up in business and companies and interest and banks – not sand banks or clay banks, banks that people put money in. All very strange indeed, and I commenced to believe, myself, that I was telling some Alice-in-Wonderland fantasy. He had never tasted honey and asked me how big a bee was and if it could make a pound of honey in a morning. How fast can an airplane go and what does it look like, and have you ever been in a railroad train honest? What do people in the States do for meat if they can't shoot partridges and the rabbits and deer are all killed up? He was much impressed that most people get two weeks' vacation with pay each year.
"Who pays 'em?"
"The people they work for."
"Oh my, I can't work for anybody else, but I can work like old fun for myself."
He could not get used to the fact that people in cities walk right by each other and never speak. That amazes everyone in this country. Like John, he looks at me with awe when I say that I have walked by ten thousand people in one morning and not spoken to one of them.
And (this is one that Nate, or whomever had the book before, had highlighted):
Truly man must suffer. It is an old doctrine but few believe it. We must hit ourselves on the heads with a hammer because it feels so good when we stop. Yes, truly we must. We are so constructed. If we don't, we get soft and bored; we are shoved off onto one tiny island of experience where we go round and round forever.
For me and thousands like me, it is necessary to learn that meals are not three inevitable formalities per day, clothes a bother and a house a real estate venture with a certain amount of frontage. It keeps one out of touch with the world to have too much food, too many clothes, too many ways of transportation, too much house.
What was a pair of socks to me in the old days but another possession, something to find room for in a drawer. How differently I look at them now. I've never really seen them before. How deliciously warm and soft they are. How many, many painstaking stitches they contain. I wonder who raised the sheep, who dipped them, who sheared them, who carded and spun the wool. They'll keep my feet warn, actually keep them from freezing. Why, that's what they're for!
February 18, 2014 § 30 Comments
This is a dangerous time of year 'round these parts, what with Penny hunched over a stack of tree and shrub-crop catalogs like an earthbound vulture at a meat lover's buffet. This morning I made the mistake of perusing her "wish list" and I could feel the cold beads of sweat gathering on my forehead just thinking 'bout all the holes to be dug, compost to be carried, and amendments to be spread. Ho boy. It's coming. It's coming in a big way.
Actually, it's already begun. Earlier this winter, I cleared the small copse of spruce that stood between house and barn to make room for all those holes we'll be digging soon as the ground thaws, which means we'll probably be able to take up our shovels somewhere 'round the second week of July. I dropped maybe a dozen mature trees, and another dozen or so youngsters. The better specimens await the mill; those too crooked or lacking in sawable girth went over the bank at the back side of the farm road. I might've saved them toward a load of pulpwood, but we do not send clean biomass off this farm. Those trees are my son's soil. And not just my sons, but my sons' sons. And daughters, if such is to be their fate, because of course daughters need soil, too.
Just below where I'm dumping the soil-to-be, there's stand of mostly balsam fir, and they're next to go. I don't feel too bad about it, since the majority of them suffer from advanced heart rot. Indeed, many have already succumbed to the condition, having long ago tipped to lean heavily on their neighbors. Can't blame 'em, really; heck, if I suffered from advanced heart rot, I'd probably do the same darn thing. Still and all, I have no qualms about expediting their return to the soil.
All this clearing is part of a long-term plan to transition the land nearest the house toward perennial food production, which is itself part of a long-term plan to ensure our future on this smallholding. Penny and I are 45 and 42, respectively, which means that half of you are getting all misty-eyed trying to remember what it was like to be that young and thinking "whippersnappers!" while the other half of you are thinking, "crikey, why bother? It's almost over, anyway."
It's not almost over, of course, despite that clichéd way the days and seasons have of passing ever faster as if, having arrived at the presumed midpoint of our lives, we're now barreling down the backstretch, picking up steam on our way toward the finish line. Still, just recently I read about an old fella who stuck it out on his family's homestead until the age of 98, and right then and there, I decided it's 98 for me. Not a year less or more. 98.
I'm joking, of course. Who knows? Who would want to know? Talk about hubris. Still, I can't help this image I have of Penny and I shuffling out our door 40 years from now and down to the trees we planted back when we were just whippersnappers. There'll be fruit on those trees by then, and maybe even some nuts, the roots fed by all the decomposing pulpwood we didn't sell back when we had the chance, and we'll reach our old, gnarled hands up into the branches and pick us a couple of real sweet apples.
We won't be able to eat those apples, of course: You need teeth for that. But while I take my morning nap (splayed on the couch, snoring in time with the dog), Penny'll make 'em into a dandy sauce. And come lunch we'll gum that sauce down like the happy old fools we are, and Penny'll say something like "now aren't you glad we dug all them holes and planted all them trees when we was whippersnappers?" And I'll just smile (dribble of sauce running down my chin) and say "Yup."
In Deep
February 17, 2014 § 13 Comments
The storm was excellent. I got out early on Friday morning to plow – first our 1/4 mile drive, then the lot of our mechanic, a small return on his repeated prior investments of selflessly loaning us tools (it's a rare thing, a mechanic that loans tools, and one that is never to be taken for granted) – and on the drive into town, the snow was barreling down in the dark, the truck's headlights illuminating only a dim patch of whitewashed road, and it felt as if I were driving into a future that ended just beyond the high beam's reach. Which, in one way or another, I suppose I was.
I love plowing; it's ridiculous, I know, and I probably shouldn't admit to it, but there's something inordinately pleasing about pushing aside walls of snow from within the truck's heated cab, a travel mug of coffee wedged into my crotch, classic rock crackling through the Ford's old speakers. Used to be the boys always came with me, but their interest is waning, and besides, they've started sleeping in a bit and I like plowing in the dark.
All the snow slows things down considerable like. There's too much snow for me to be in the woods with the tractor, so my firewood gathering efforts have been curtailed. Fortunately, the day before the storm, I'd hauled a dozen or so logs, scurrying to skid them out of the woods before dark so they wouldn't be buried. We have too many paths to shovel, so we just push our way through our daily routines, and now you can see our habits written into the snow. The path to the barn, with a detour to the water hydrant. Path to the chicken coop, then onto the pig house. Path to the solar panels, to sweep the accumulated snow from their surface. Not much sticks in my craw like a bank of panels covered by snow, the sun beating on them futilely.
And, after the weekend, the willy-nilly paths left by our skis, on our way to or from a slog in the fields and forest. The snow's so deep that the ungroomed cross country skiing isn't actually that good; the effort required to break trail is immense. After we spent an hour-and-a-half trudging and sweating our way through the woods on Saturday, Penny and I hired the boys to track us a loop around the field. For a buck each, they circled the pasture on snowshoes, leaving a nice, glide-ready track, which we then circled three times, over-sized hamsters dressed in wool. Pathetic, I know, but hey. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that.
There's not much winter left. Certainly not enough to get done everything we'd hoped to get done this winter. My office is still unpainted. The onion drying racks remain unfixed, though we made do with them last fall, and we'll probably make do with them this fall, too. The basement did not get organized, at least not to the extent I imagined back in November, when it seemed as if winter would last just about forever. I sure didn't get much lumber milled, and now there's a whole 'nuther pile of sawlogs begging attention. It'll be a busy summer. It always is.
In a couple weeks, we'll be hauling sap and seeding, and there is no surer harbinger of spring than the first gather, or those early flats of seedlings and the particular smell of sun-warmed potting soil. You can feel the sun getting higher in the sky; you can feel the days getting longer, being stretched at each end like silly putty. It's a good and even great feeling, made possible only because not so long ago, you could actually feel the days contract. The thing is, at the time it was the contraction that felt good, the settling into the darkness and all the restive moments it promised.
Funny how that works, isn't it? It's almost as if it was designed that way.


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Entrepreneurship Chair Named Businesswoman of the Year
Published: Aug 25, 2010
Rebecca J. White, professor of management and the James W. Walter Distinguished Chair of Entrepreneurship at The University of Tampa, was recently named 2010 BusinessWoman of the Year in the education category by the
Tampa Bay Business Journal
White was one of three finalists in the education category and was chosen for the designation by an independent panel of judges.
"This is a major accomplishment for Professor White and illustrates her immediate mark on the Tampa business community," said Frank Ghannadian, dean of UT's Sykes College of Business. "Rebecca has worked hard supporting students in her first year at The University of Tampa, and the award is well deserved."
White joined UT last August. In the last year she has revised the entrepreneurship curriculum, started a series that brings successful entrepreneurs and advisors to campus and partnered with Emerge Tampa Bay, the young professionals group of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.
Prior to coming to UT, White served as professor of management and director of the Fifth Third Bank Entrepreneurship Institute at Northern Kentucky University, where she built a program that was rated among the nation's top 50 by the
Princeton Review
magazine. She also founded a business in 2006 that focuses on risk management.
Last February White was awarded the President's Distinguished Service Award by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE).
TBBJ has recognized outstanding businesswomen in the Tampa Bay area since 2004.
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Tampa, FL 33606-1490
(813) 253-3333
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Below is the poem entitled A Soul With Dreams which was written by poet
Kearley. Please feel free to comment on this poem. However, please remember, PoetrySoup is a place of encouragement and growth.
Read Poems by
Dan Kearley
I would like to show you something
That your eyes can not see
It will give you a sense of feeling
Allowing your thoughts to run free
I want you to look within yourself
Only as a simple earthly being
Look into your heart for passion
Where destiny fulfills your dreams
We are here to gain enlightenment
That we may pass onto others
Not to fill this world with hate
Nor to judge one another
Through this forever endless search
Of needless earthly things
We can choose faith,hope and love
To surpass all earthly dreams
It matters not the type of pillow
You may lay your head upon
A gift of love was given to all
That shall forever carry on
Never worship those who enlighten you
Only the true creator of all things
For with his gift of a soul within us
He communicates through our dreams
Dan Kearley:2-21-13


text:
As of Saturday, December 1, 2012
© Copyright 2015 Newton Citizen
OXFORD -- The Oxford College Chorale will present its holiday concert this week.
The concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday in the Oxford College chapel.
The chorale, composed of Oxford students, will be accompanied by the Oxford Chamber Ensembles. The director of the Oxford Chorale and String Ensembles is Maria Archetto, associate professor of music.
The program will feature traditional Christmas carols and other seasonal pieces, including music by J.S. Bach, Dietrich Buxtehude, W.A. Mozart, Jean-Joseph Mouret and Felix Mendelssohn.
Tickets are free and will be available at the Oxford Student Center beginning on Monday.
For those attending the concert or others interested later, a special opportunity to support the Oxford Chorale and Oxford music program is being introduced during the holiday season. Those donating $10 or more will receive a copy of the CD "Giacomo Carissimi: Two Early Baroque Oratorios, Jonas and Jephte," featuring the Oxford Chorale with Atlanta's New Trinity Baroque soloists.
More like this story
- Concert features Italian Madrigals ( November 1, 2007 )
- A passion for performance
Baroque music comes to Oxford ( February 20, 2008 )
- Laude Musicam performs on period instruments for Covington concert ( February 1, 2013 )
- Jazz, spirituals on tap for free concert at First Presbyterian ( May 22, 2014 )
- Time Flies spring concert set for Sunday ( May 17, 2012 )


text:
The United States is facing an economic crisis unrivaled in its history—a catastrophe that has little to do with Wall Street and more with the poor health decisions that a growing number of Americans are making every year.
Nearly 20 percent of American children are obese. Taken as a whole, the nation's growing girth will cost American taxpayers upwards of $147 million this year alone. That's nine percent of the total amount of money Americans spend annually on medical care.
Helping people make better lifestyle choices may be the key to lifting our country from this predicament, suggests Chad Meyerhoefer, and assistant professor of economics and an expert on health economics and policy.
His new studies on obesity and diabetes lend credence to that theory. Reducing the cost of low-carbohydrate foods for the 23 million Americans with diabetes, for example, could significantly reduce medical costs by $6.3 billion, his research shows.
"We found that subsidizing the cost of low-carbohydrate foods through vouchers or coupons could help improve the health of people with diabetes and reduce their expenditures on medical care," says Meyerhoefer.
"This is a new way to think about using food prices as a mechanism to improve health."


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Nicolas Cage wasn't able to make it to the AFI Film Festival screening of Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans in LA yesterday, but his female co-stars brought plenty of crazy in his absence. Eva Mendes wore a dress entirely made out of old gum…sorry, sequins…and Fairuza Balk's black leather gown took us all back to The Craft. But sometimes less is more, as proven by Spice Girl Melanie Brown, whose decision to attend sans pants caught plenty of eyes. It was like something out of a Werner Herzog movie…oh wait, this is one!
[Photos: Getty Images]
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Blog — What's New
Hey Penguins!
As you know, we just released the very first Club Penguin album. So we decided that it's time to have a little celebration online!
Every week, I log on with a few friends for a little event we call #FieldFriday. Here are the details for this week's special Album Release Party...
Join us on the server Cold Snap tomorrow (Friday, February 15) at 11am Penguin Standard Time. Make sure you wear your Bling-Bling Necklace and get ready to dance!
Until then... Waddle On!
-Club Penguin Team
I have it and I dancing is great!
umm i saw penguins wearing bling-bling necklaces
i dident
i missed it!!!
O well at least i get the CD!
me too ,i love to dance but some time ,i love to sings.
Aww man! I don't have the album quite yet though. I'll get it on Saturday. I'll still come to the party though! See you there! :)
Anyone else have school during this time? :(
Me :(
I do too!Blue5747 that's why I missed the party because I was at school at that time.Bummer! I just wish clubpenguin could host it later!
Me : )
not me
sadly yes DX
I had school.....boo. :(
yes we had school me and my sis : (
Me 4:(
Yep :(
I won't be able to go. Super sorry!!
If you didn't pre-order the album would you still get the bling bling necklace?
OMG that's so cool the cool penguins party JUST KIDDING we are all cool! Thank goodness it's a pro-d at my school I can't wait to meet you guys by the way I saw Buisness Moose once!
polo field and busines moose and cadence get online today oh yea what is the code for the bling bling neckle i have the cd the party starts now but it dont show the code
This is awesome. Club Penguin has been making some awesome songs lately. Waddle on! ~kjkc
man you guys just keep making cp better by the way you should check out my iggy.
Awesome, first comment! :)
That is an AWESOME IDEA!! I am so exited!
First! :D I Can't come. :(
I can't wait to go to this party! I get home from school 10 minutes after the party starts, but hopefully I'll be able to get into some rooms that will more than likely be full. I recently purchased the Party Starts Now CD, and I'm waiting for it to arrive in the mail. The tracks look AWESOME, and I hope lots of people buy the album so they don't miss out!! Waddle on CP :D
I know right.i'm going to be lateto the party too and i hope i can break out some hippop and get there on time.
sorry. i wish i could very go, but i have to go to school. o why 11 o clock?! why cant it be in the evening???
How much is pst time to real time? Cuz if not much kids are going to be in school and miss the event!
Every time I get a item I have to click yes a lot of times and ok whats is it like that.
Wow, Im going to asist! Its going to be supercool!
ok, THIS IS AWESOME I LOVE CP!!!!!!!!!!. club penguin can u plz tell cadence thanks for adding me!! thanks
Awesome! I can't wait! But it stinks in don't have the Bling-Bling Necklace yet. :(
I will be there! No matter what!!
Why is it so early can you please set it to another time because i have to be at school by 7:00.
What happens if you don't have the Bling-Bling but ill still go on the the party. I hope every penguin there will have a great time. And also Waddle on Club penguin!!! :)
Wish I could go. Have school.
Waddle on!
Cool i will be there
I have school! That's right around the time we are doing math! So sorry Polo and Moose! I can't go to either Field Friday or Moose Monday!
I REALLY want to meet u guys .By any chance can one of u add me at the party my penguin name is aa99000.
can you move the time i wont be able to make it i mean i haven't met you guys .if not then thats ok waddle on!
how do we visit you when we are at school
can you guys mave the time i won't make it i havent even met you guys.anyway if not then thats ok rock on club penguin!
Wow this is amazing I am very moved adore all the songs
I love club penguin
Wow!! Im really looking forward to listen to this!!!YOU'RE AWSOME CP!!!!!!!!!!!
im glad to be the first one also...
I WILL BE THERE!!! cool!!!
Im Gonna Be There ^__^
I Think I Will Come Because Polo Field And Businesmoose Are My Friends Since 28 Oct 2011
i am so coming at first comment cool
I wish i could attent but i have to go to school:( either way it would be fun. also is cadence coming to the Hollywood party???
will FieldFriday be on next week or only this week?
i dont think penguins are going to get online because we kids have school nd are in scholl in 11 am :(
Wow, i hope i can make it, before it's full!
Awesome I downloaded justs one song does that count to get a bling bling neckless
Hi! :) I should be there if I set my alarm to 5:30! :)
Oh, and I MIGHT have my bling bling necklace. (MIGHT!)
:( Awwwwww man!! I can't go because i need to go to school! :(
Cool, I wish I could join you but I have school tomorrow.
Yay first comment! Will Polo Field and Buisnesmoose be there?
I missed it :( but i bet it was very fun!
good news polo field I just hered I will get to be at the event with u guys I hope u guyz will add me
wow awesome and which penguin is around for this party
can you make it 2pm pst please cp team.
Awesome, I can't wait to download it on iTunes! I love listening and dancing to music, it will rock to listen to club penguin songs. Waddle around club penguin!
Will we be able to meet Polo Field and Businesmoose?
how will be the party
I'd love to meet you there! Thanks!
YAY! I'm so excited and I loooooove the Bling-Bling Necklace! Can't wait to get the album!
Waddle on!
I Would be loved by joining Polo Field and Businesmoose's Party :)
Whoa! I"ll be there!
Sorry CP I cant make It!
But Just wanna wish All Commenters A GOOD LUCK TO meet polo and Moose :)
WOW this is EPIC! Witch location shall we meet in How about the limo?
See you there!
Waddle on
Oh man! I will still be in school for another hour! Can you cancel it until 3:15? Please!
I hope that I will be at the party :)
is it penguin time.
please reply in time
Awwww, I won't be able to attend! Well, I hope you have fun :) I really love the album on itunes, and I'm eager for that receit to email to you guys! Thanks, so much! My new favorite song is Gotta Have a Wingman! LOVE IT! ROCK ON!!
Awesome!!!But one thing,I don't have the bling-bling item because I never bought the Club Penguin Album.
But is it still ok if I can go?Plese respond,also.....BE MY FRIEND!!!!UR AWESOME!!!
Waddle On!!!
Hey Polo Field and Businesmoose! I am ecxited to meet you guys again!!!! Do you remember me? I WILL BE THERE!
thats awesome!! polo but i can't make it because i have to go to school
FIRST COMMENT! The party is actually EPIC! SO FUN! HAVING A LOTS OF FUN! I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE LIMO RIDE! WHAT A GOOD RIDE! IT IS SO FUN! SO FUN! I only knew about that cool emote. I did not knew about the Cheese emote and the Action emote. MY PENGUIN NAME IS Astha13! OK! Goodbye!
We would love to come But what about school Then i cant come on!!
Excited but I'll be at school :-(
Can't Wait!!! Hey, where do you find the camara and stuff? I can't find them anywhere! See ya tonight at seven!!!
:( ill be at school when the party is. most likley people will be at school :(
i wanted the cd so badly because im a big fan of cadence and the penguin band but i couldnt get it cause the places i ent to didnt have it yet
awww i can't go. :( school is still not over for me yet.
COOL! I don't have the bling-bling necklace. But it's cool anyway!!!!!!! Have fun dancing people!
Im On... Im Waiting for You... :)
Is it at the Snowforts or the Town? (:
I just sent you an email with my iTunes receipt!! I hope you send the code before the party so I can wear it! I also asked for another because my sister, Hav04, doesn't think it's fair if I get it and she doesn't (it's my money). If you don't send one, it's perfectly fine :)
I will be their
come lets dance
Aww I'll be at school :(
Wow, that is a cool name for an album. Also, I like all of those outfits on those penguins. Well, all I can say is,
that is really cool ill probably be there wohoo first comment
p.s. plz post ive never been posted before
awesome. ill be there cant wait to meet you guys
first comment
Wow! I can't WAIT to meet you, Polo! See you there! :D
Wouldn't most of the players be at school?
Cool! Are businessMoose and Polo Field going to be there?
im on now guys! im peggy45565 add me!
Aww! I can't go I have school :( I'm sad
Sounds like fun! I'll try to go on then!
Really that's! EPIC I cant wait will you do friend request? BECAUSE I REALLY WANT TO FRIEND YOU PLEEAASSEE
waddle on cp
wow thats kool with a capital k .
Cool. Waddle on CP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm on the server early before it gets crowded... what room do we meet in?
I'll be there!!!!
(sorry i dont have a necklace!)
I don't have one either!
Me agian I'M COMING TODAY
darn it i missed it i was at school xd!
hi mosse and polo
COOOLL but sorry every time i log into cold snap its said internet lost :(
Cool! But there is only one problem... Me AND my brother would like to meet you but, there are TWO of us and only ONE computer. Are there any other times you will be on so that me AND my brother can meet you? Thank you! WADDLE ON!
Are you guys going to the Snow Forts? My friend is waiting there but I have school :(
I am going to the party but I don't have a bling bling necklace so can I wear something like the bling bling necklace? Please write back
~the penguin Oliv06
Hey Club Penguin Team!, I love the new limo.My opinion,it should go all the way around Club Penguin! Even the iceberg :) Please,please,PLEASE make it happen !
~Ally Light
Im totally coming! I can't wait!
cool can you remind me when it starts?
I can't find the camera that other penguins have where is it PLEASE
first commet!!!
polo moose there are kids and i are stuck in the limo arfter snow forts can you go into a limo please?
:) :) :) Yahoo!
I'm so excited because i've never met Polo field or Buisness Moose before! I'm waiting there now! Don't be too long, the crowds going wild! XD
Congagulations you guys I can't wait to hear the songs awesome!
Sorry I could not make it :(
plz go to the ice berg instead of the forts PLZ
Is Cadence coming?
ski hill
Aww can you please go to a diff server after? Like Apline? Because i can't get in because Cold snap is full :(.
where are you i cant get to the snow forts of the plaza or the town, im in the forest please come
I can't wait! But, since it's today, I don't have the album yet. Can we still come if we don't have the Bling Bling Necklace? I really want to meet you guys :D Thanks for letting us know in the blog, too!
AWWWW... I missed it! :'(
I saw Polo Field and BusinesMoose! I'm so happy :D Thanks!!! I hope everyone else could see them and meet them too!
Thank you for inviting us! It was a good time! I loved dancing with you Polo! Waddle on!
I was there! (: It's over now
WOW! The party ended 2 minutes ago and it was awesome! I wasn't able to add any moderators, but I still talked to them! That was fun! I look forward to next time!
I went onto Cold Snap and met Businesmoose! It was so much fun but rooms were always full and it was hard to see as people crowded around him! :D Glad I got there early! :)
I went and it was SOOOOO much fun! I hope you guys had fun too. YOU ROCK!
Waddle on guys!
I missed it; I was waiting for my sister's bus.
Aw man! I just missed them. :( But on the bright side, I'm planning to get the new CP album!
well it seems u have alot of fans.anyway if ur happy im happy. : )
The Album Release Party was Epic!! Thanks to Businesmoose for liking my igloo and stayed to talk to me a short while on our own. Even though the server was full and everyone wanted to see him. I was so happy. CLUB PENGUINS ROCKS!!! (my penguin is called Pingu15cool).
Can you please show us how to get the graduation hat thx!
Sorry Polo Field and Business Moose that I could not go to the album release party because I was at SCHOOL that time at 11 am
this all seems sooo cool i love club penguin, i always wanted to meet candence and all of them but i was at school, but im glad everyone that went had fun, hey candence and all do you think you can add me? please, thanks you guys and remember WADDLE ON EVERYONE!
by fionna rose
I just bought it and I LOVE the new song, Puffle Party ( Gotta have a wingman) !
AWW i miss it is there going to be in author party when they will plz plz plz tell me!!!!!????
: ( I Dident Found You : ((( And Waiting For Card Jitsu Snow!
Congratulation clubpenguin,nice work! I've met with Polo Field in Field Friday!:)
Waddle on!
Omg I missed the party I'm so sad
blah blah blah
I Really Wish I Could Come But I Have School On That Day In The Morning :( But I Hope Everyone That Goes There Will Have A Good Time!
I forgot the server
just got that whole albem on itunes! its great i love it listening to it now COOL COOL COOL, COOL IN THE COLD WHOAA FUN FUN FUN EVERY TIME YES COME ITS THE TIME OF YEAR C'MON C'MON C'MON YEA ITS COOL IN THE COLD I LOVE CP ADD HAPPY77 PLZ! THX! :)
NO GOOD I MISSED THE PARTY CAUSE I WAS BUSY THAT DAY! P.S. i am sooooo sad :(
hey I was off of school that day and i knew about it its thatthe forts were full and i couldnt get in
Awww!I missed that!:(
i missed it :(
Dang it I missed it I was eating breakfast I wish they would do it again . Any way , if you went there to the party tell me about it!! Bye penguins and WADDLE ON!
Hey Vampiregiirl, you're in luck! Field Friday and Moose Monday happen every week, so be sure to check the blog for specific times.
Speaking of parties, I am going to throw a party!!! Everybody is invited!!! It's a paparazzi party. You must bring a camera.
Monday, Feb. 25th. Four thirty PM. Server, Mukluk.
which mascot is coming?????
The Album Release Party was Awesome! LOL
i was sick that day so i was lucky but when i went online no one was there :(
aw i missed the album release party
I'm in school every friday.
Dear Polo Field, Please tell me whats the code!
From, Rerewegi4
I came to the party and lots of penguins were disipounted that plouto field didn't make friends with anyone.
0h didnt get to go to the party (SAD)
Dang! I have school


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|Newegg Daily Deals
|Thread Tools
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 56,623
Inner Geek: The Collector's Edition
I hate to throw stuff out, especially computer parts. Some things I keep for 'sentimental' reasons, like my old graphics cards (that's what I tell my wife and I'm sticking to it). In fact, I believe I still have most every graphics card I ever bought or got for 'evaluation.' I also have a number of old motherboards, CPUs, disk drives, even a 5.25in floppy drive. This does not make my wife happy, but I try to keep it out of sight.
Not all the old components are in my hands, however, I often have often had to pass along older graphics cards and motherboards to my kids when building their PCs. Rest assured I reclaim them later, when they get the next upgrade. Oh, I should explain ' I have never bought a desktop PC, I have always built them; and then rebuilt them. So I have gone through a lot of motherboards, adapters, CPUs, and DRAM...the list goes on.
The first serious 3D graphics card I owned was a Canopus Pure3D card with a 3DFx Voodoo (1) 3D accelerator I purchased back in 1997 (before NVIDIA shipped the TNT family). The original Voodoo cards only did the 3D game - you still needed a 2D (VGA) card for regular graphics and text. I delayed getting my 3Dfx card until the Canopus card shipped because it had 6MB of RAM instead of the regular 4MB and it had S-Video output that could connect to a TV (something I did maybe once or twice).
Here's a Tom's Hardware article when there was a real Tom (Pabst) writing for it. This card was the best card for playing Quake at the time using a stripped-down and proprietary version of OpenGL called GLide. While Doom was the first game that really got me into first person shooter (FPS) PC games, it was Quake that got me involved in LAN parties, which then led to online gaming. Unfortunately, I came a bit late to FPS games, so in the early days of the LAN parties, I got killed pretty fast. Embracing my n00b predisposition of becoming 'dead meat' I and made 'Meatman' my game handle. If you can't beat 'em...
But it all started with the Voodoo card and Quake. Oh, and did I mention, I have a lot of my original game disks? Hmmm, are there still any Tribes servers around?
My name is Kevin and I'm a gamer and a geek.
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|Product #: SDL9781602912311I_TQ
Adventure Teacher's Guide (Enhanced eBook) (Resource Book Only) eBookGrade 9|Grade 10|Grade 11|Grade 12
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Adventure Teacher's Resource Guide includes: A Horse Called Courage, Planet Doom, The Terrible Orchid Sky, Up Rattler Mountain, Who Has Seen the Beast? The Teacher's Resource Guides contain 48-pages. Reproducible exercises including pre-reading activities to introduce story themes and vocabulary; crossword and hidden word puzzles; language arts extension; traditional comprehension questions; and a book report.
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XYMOGEN offers a line of more than 200 different dietary supplement formulas in a full range of wellness categories, including adrenal, thyroid, gastrointestinal, men's, and women's health.
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The Springbok Sevens will face Dubai winners Samoa, France and Australia in Pool A in a very competitive race for the two group qualification spots on offer and passage to the Cup quarterfinals.
New Zealand, the defending South Africa tournament champions who lost to Samoa in the Dubai final, are the top-ranked side in Pool B which also include Fiji, Scotland England.
Kenya head Pool C and were drawn alongside Wales, Argentina and Spain. Dubai surprise package Portugal, Canada, the United States and Zimbabwe complete the final grouping in Pool D.
New Zealand currently lead the World Series standings on 38 points after two rounds, followed by Fiji, Kenya, Samoa (all on 32), France (27) and South Africa (24).
The first few teams will arrive today at approximately 9.20pm in Port Elizabeth from Johannesburg while the second group, including home team South Africa, are expected to land at 10.20pm in the Friendly City.
The confirmed pools for the Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens are:
Pool A: Samoa, France, South Africa, Australia
Pool B: New Zealand, Fiji, Scotland, England
Pool C: Kenya, Wales, Argentina, Spain
Pool D: Portugal, Canada, United Stated, Zimbabwe
The HSBC Sevens World Series Standings after two rounds are:
1. New Zealand (38), Fiji (32), Kenya (32), Samoa (32), France (27), South Africa (24), Argentina (21), Wales (18), Canada (17), Australia (11), Portugal (11), England (10), Spain (10).


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Wednesday, October 15, 2014
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) today selected men's soccer junior Matthew Kiernan (Pittsburgh, PA / Upper St. Clair) as its Titan Athlete of the Week for the week of October 13.
Monday, October 13, 2014
High Fives are the Top-5 performances by Westminster athletes during the previous week as selected by the Titan Sports Blogger.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
LATROBE, Pa. - Junior Matthew Kiernan (Pittsburgh, PA / Upper St. Clair) scored both Titan goals in the Westminster College men's soccer team's 2-1 overtime win at Saint Vincent College on Saturday.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
BETHANY, W. Va. - The Westminster College men's soccer team (6-6-1, 2-0 PAC) put on one of its best performances in conference play as the Titans won, 6-0, against host Bethany College (1-10,0-2 PAC) on Wednesday.
Displaying 1-4 of 8 total records


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Kuff's World
A reader blog about politics and current events with Charles Kuffner
Posts filtered on Tag
Interview with Rita Lucido
We come now to legislative interviews. While I've done a lot of these in years past, my schedule this year just didn't allow for that. I've only got two interviews with legislative candidates to share with you, but both are top-notch contenders who are also people I've known for a long time and consider friends. […] [Read More]
January campaign finance reports for Harris County legislative candidates
This could take awhile, and that's with me limiting myself to contested races. First, the Senate. SD04 Brandon Creighton Steven Toth SD07 Paul Bettencourt James Wilson Jim Davis SD15 John Whitmire Damian LaCroix Ron Hale SD17 Joan Huffman Derek Anthony Rita Lucido Here's a summary chart. For the record, Davis, Whitmire, LaCroix, and Lucido are […] [Read More]


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The Cordless Lighted Salt or Pepper Mill dispenses freshly ground black pepper (or sea salt) with the push of a button. A built-in LED illuminates your dish, and an adjustable dial lets you change the size of the grounds dispensed. It's easy to fill and easy to use — a one-handed seasoning solution for busy chefs and backyard grillmasters. Includes mess-free lid.
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Item # 202426
The Cordless Lighted Salt or Pepper Mill is the easy way to grind fresh peppercorn or sea salt. Just push a button to grind… a handy LED even illuminates your dish!
• Cordless and portable
• Grinds peppercorns or sea salt
• Easy to fill and use
• Clear pepper container
• One-button operation
• Durable ceramic grinder
• Built-in LED light
• Numeric dial adjusts the coarseness of grounds
• Includes mess-free lid
• Requires 6 AA batteries
Length: 2.75
Width: 2.75
Height: 7.48
Weight: 1 Lbs
Our Price: $49.99
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And so the season begins...nice to return from vacation to warm weather and spring blooms. Like the rest of you the first thing I do is examine the garden.
Happy to see the Hostas,Tiger lilies and Sedums popping up plus some new blooms etc.
All my seedlings were started a week before we went on vacation...wasn't sure if I watered them to survive for 10 days but it looks like I did it just right, in fact many need to be divided.
Unfortunately the tree man did not come and remove the fallen tree on our fence...he'll hear from me tomorrow.
Here's a sample of some spring color and even more color from the Caribbean.
Eating,shows,tanning,shopping,bingo,the amazing blue sea and the gardens !!
Forgot to mention...NO work !


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FEATURED: "Our First Kiss Sucked!" — 3 (Quick) Ways to Recover
How to Ask Lesbian Women Out
|Kara Pound • 10/06/12
Discuss This!
Let me tell you about my friend — we'll call her Jessica — who came out as a lesbian after we graduated college. She's confided in me that she has a really difficult time asking women out.
There are a few reasons Jess is shy. First, it's downright nerve-racking to ask someone on a date (what if they say no?), and second, she's not always 100 percent confident that the woman she wants to ask out is, in fact, a lesbian.
I try to be there for her and give any words of wisdom I think might help ease her mind, but the truth is, whether you're a lesbian or straight, dating is tough.
1. Pick the right place.
If you're looking to go cold-calling and ask out a woman you've never met, then make sure you're at a place that's conducive to doing just that.
Stay away from hunting clubs, chain restaurants and country concerts. Do go to lesbian bars, the gay and lesbian center in your town, join a local all-female sports team, or pick up your city's gay newspaper and read the events page.
2. Compliment.
Now that you've found a woman you're interested in, it's time to strike up conversation. Starting with a compliment never hurts. Tell her you like her sweater, bracelet, hat, hairstyle, etc. And then follow up with an open-ended question like, "How long have you lived in town? Do you like it here?"
3. Fake it till you make it.
Even if you're nervous, try you're best to appear confident. Confidence is one of the sexiest qualities about a woman. Make eye contact with her and smile — women respond to this much better than just staring.
4. Don't be pushy.
So the evening's winding down, last call has been indicated and you and this gorgeous potential mate have been talking for well over an hour? There's nothing left to do but ask her out.
Don't be pushy. Nonchalantly give her your number and say, "I've really enjoyed hanging out with you. I'd love to get your number. If you'd prefer to call me, here's my card. Let's get together."


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Hot sexy massage by our very own Fratmen Payne & Kumar.
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Not bad, but could have been better with some jackikng and sucking. Payne is so hot.


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1 of 25
The gay pride parade on Sunday, June 29 started out as a beautiful day. Thousands of people lined up along the parade route on South Grand Boulevard.
St. Louis' version of PrideFest was held again this year in the Tower Grove Park / South Grand neighborhood. Photos by Kristan Lieb of this parade.


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Top universities offering the PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) courses:
University of Cambridge
- The Faculty of Education offers PGCE courses to individuals wishing to train to teach in early years and primary, or secondary schools.
- The first year of the Cambridge PGCE can count as the first year of the part-time Master of Education (MEd) at Cambridge.
- The Faculty is a Category A provider in Primary and Secondary education and has been rated as the best teacher training provider by the Good Teacher Training Guide.
University of Exeter
- The Graduate School of Education is rated as 'outstanding' for its provision of both Primary and Secondary Initial Teacher Education (ITE). This rating by the 'Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills' (Ofsted) is the highest possible inspection grade and maintains the School's position as a flagship provider of teacher training.
- The strength of the PGCE Programmes is due in a large part to the School's ongoing research activities. The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008 ranked the School 5th in the UK for world leading and internationally excellent research.
University of Oxford
- The PGCE at Oxford is assessed as an M level course (in line with the National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education). For entry to the PGCE course applicants must have a degree awarded by a UK university or other institution empowered to make such awards, or recognised equivalent qualifications.
- Oxford PGCE was awarded the highest grades in all categories for every subject and for management and quality assurance in the OFSTED inspection.
King's College London
- The King's PGCE programme is the initial teacher education route to becoming a qualified teacher in secondary schools.
- Ofsted have graded the KCL Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with a Grade 1 'outstanding'.
- KCL has outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the RAE 2008, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities. The College is in the top 7 UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million.
* Suggested Reading:
Top Schools for Special Education
American Best Education Programs
Distance Learning Education Degree


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Directions to Urban Nomad Hostel
- Info
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- Rates
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- Map & Directions
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- Reviews
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- Facilities
Map & Directions
The property is in the city center, close to Keleti railway station.
How U can find us?
From the Keleti Trainstation: by walk just 5 minutes. Forward to the Blaha Lujza Square until You notice the overpass bridge turn right side, and You arrive to the Rottenbiller street
From the Nyugati PU. start to walking forward to the Oktogon. At the first pedestrian crossing look into right side. This is Podmaniczky street where U can take the 74 trolley bus until the Rottenbiller street stop.
From the D�li Trainstation: Take the red metro until Keleti Trainstation and from there by walk just 5 minutes.
From N�pliget Bus Station:take the 1A or 1 number of tram until Zugl� Train station, and take the bus number(5, 7, 173) until Husz�r street stop. And back until the overpass bridge and turn into left side, this is Rottenbiller street.
From the Airport: take a bus(200) until the final stop:Kőb�nya - Kispest and take the metro until the Nyugati Trainstation and the same way from there.
If you are coming by car from Buda side, cross the river in Erzsebet bridge, after 2 km in front is the Keleti railway station. There turn left to Rottenbiller street.


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Sentencing law prompts delays, praise
The vast majority of Ohioans have probably never heard of Andrew Foster, a Licking County man who was sentenced to a total prison term of nine years for breaking and entering, safecracking, grand theft, and other charges.
Likewise, few people outside the Toledo area probably know of Daniel Cole, who was sent to prison for 26 years for sexually assaulting two 12-year-old girls he abducted from a West Toledo shopping center in 2004.
But a recent state Supreme Court ruling that voided the sentences imposed on Foster, Cole, and hundreds of other convicted felons statewide is costing taxpayers unknown thousands of dollars in transportation and related costs. That's because defendants whose old sentences are affected by the ruling have to be brought back from prisons across Ohio for resentencing in the counties where they were convicted.
The time lost by court officials and judges statewide on rescheduling and resentencing the defendants, as well as the delays that result for other court matters, is virtually incalculable.
And the end result appears to be an exercise in futility.
Cole's trip from the Lebanon Correctional Institution in southwest Ohio, for example, resulted in the same 26-year sentence that he received seven months earlier in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.
So why go through all this trouble for what appears to be a waste of time and money?
Though lower-court judges won't comment on the justices' rulings, prosecutors are offering high praise for the Ohio Supreme Court's decision in State vs. Foster - yes, that Andrew Foster, one of four defendants involved in the court's ruling. The prosecutors say the ruling means that judges' sentences will remain intact, and they will no longer be burdened with giving detailed explanations for imposing maximum, consecutive, or more than minimum sentences.
"The decision has helped prosecutors and judges. It is a lot easier to sentence defendants now," Wood County Prosecutor Ray Fischer said.
The decision struck down portions of the state's decade-old sentencing law, which was intended to provide guidance to judges in meting out punishment for crimes and give consistency in sentencing, setting in motion a ripple effect in the review of sentences for those inmates who appealed their punishment.
The decision, released in late February, was written by Justice Judith Lanzinger of Toledo and unanimously approved by the court.
In overturning the sentences imposed on Foster and others, the court freed judges from making certain findings during the sentencing phase of criminal proceedings.
Previously, common pleas judges had to make specific findings of fact to justify giving harsh sentences or imposing consecutive sentences.
The ruling also brought the state sentencing law in line with U.S. Supreme Court rulings issued in 2004 and 2005 that addressed the criminal sentencing authority of federal judges.
One of the cases, U.S. vs. Booker, restored the discretion of federal judges to stray outside mandated sentencing guidelines.
In the other case, Blakely vs. Washington, the nation's highest court struck down a law similar to Ohio's sentencing law in Washington state that barred sentencing judges from considering evidence unless it is admitted by a defendant or found by a jury.
So far, the state Supreme Court decision has been applied to about 250 defendants whose sentences were appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, as well as hundreds of other cases pending in the state's 12 appellate districts.
Cole, 38, whose sentence was imposed by Judge Ruth Ann Franks, was among dozens of appeals remanded by the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals in Toledo to lower courts.
Frances King, administrative assistant at the appellate court, couldn't provide figures on cases remanded to the common pleas courts in its eight-county jurisdiction, which includes Erie, Fulton, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Williams, and Wood counties.
But complying with the decision is being done at taxpayer expense.
The costs for transporting inmates from the 32 correctional facilities throughout the state to the courts and the money paid to court-appointed attorneys who represent them was not available from state or county officials, but it will likely run into the thousands of dollars.
Jeffrey Gamso, a Toledo defense attorney who is the legal director of the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the state Supreme Court, in throwing out sections of the sentencing law, has rewritten legislation that was designed to bring consistency and fairness.
However, Mr. Gamso believes that overall, the defendants who appealed will receive close to or the same sentence.
"The overall numbers will not change that much. Judges were pretty much giving the sentences they wanted to give, and just making the findings to justify them," he said.
"The overwhelming number of inmates are getting exactly the same sentence that they got before."
That is what happened in the case for a Toledo man who was convicted last year in Ottawa County for a chain-reaction accident that killed six people.
Ottawa County Common Pleas Judge Paul Moon sentenced Brian Woody to 19 years in prison for six counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one count of aggravated vehicular assault.
When it was sent back to Judge Moon for resentencing, Woody, 30, was given the same sentence, and returned to the Mansfield Correctional Institution.
Ottawa County Prosecutor Mark Mulligan said about six other cases have been remanded on the same issue. While it may seem like a waste of public funds, he said the court must comply with the ruling of the state's justices.
"The alternative is to not resentence the defendants and let them go. This is certainly not an option," he said.
The state justices anticipated the extra costs and efforts when they made the ruling.
"The new sentencing hearings will impose significant time and resource demands on the trial courts within the counties, causing disruption while cases are pending appeal," wrote Justice Lanzinger, who is a former Lucas County Common Pleas and Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals judge.
Justice Lanzinger stressed that she and the other justices did not act "lightly" in striking down portions of the state's criminal sentencing laws, setting in motion the rehearing of hundreds of sentences currently on appeal.
Defense attorneys and the American Civil Liberties Union believe the ruling could allow judges to impose whatever sentence they want, while stripping defendants of potential avenues to appeal their punishment.
"This was not what we had hoped from the state Supreme Court. It essentially has allowed the courts to give harsher sentences," said Lorin Zaner, a Toledo criminal defense attorney.
Fearing the outcome would be more severe, Mr. Zaner said he would likely advise his clients in future cases against appealing sentences.
"I don't want clients to go through that," he said.
The 1996 Ohio statute that was overturned, often called the "truth-in-sentencing" law for imposing definite prison terms, was crafted by the state Supreme Court's Sentencing Commission, a 31-member panel of judges, lawyers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, lawmakers, and residents.
Judge Lanzinger was a member of the committee that wrote the law that was approved the General Assembly.
Although key aspects were struck down, Scott Anderson, a staff attorney for the commission, said the law remains functional.
"It has been gutted. But what it has done is take away what may have been special about Ohio sentencing guidelines, such as allowing harsh sentences for first-time offenders if the crime was deemed the worst form of the offense," he said.
The Booker decision in federal court that said guidelines were discretionary and not mandatory caused a similar review of sentences in courts throughout the country.
David Bauer, the assistant U.S. Attorney in charge of the Toledo office, said the inmates remanded to the federal court in Toledo received essentially the same sentences.
"I would say that in a great majority of the cases, the same sentence was imposed," Mr. Bauer said.
Contact Mark Reiter at: email@example.com or 419-213-2134.


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Col. City softball beats Bishop Luers
COLUMBIA CITY — Columbia City's softball team pummelled Bishop Luers Thursday, 17-3.
The Lady Eagles improved their record to 4-3 after scoring 17 runs in the last two innings to beat the Lady Knights with the 10-run-rule.
Luers scored two runs in the first inning while Columbia City stayed scoreless until the third, when the Lady Eagles racked up eight runs. They carried the momentum through the fourth, scoring nine to end the game early.
Allie Vodde had a singe, double and triple for four RBIs.
HUNTINGTON — Columbia City's girls track team defeated Huntington North Thursday, 73-59.
Lady Eagle Head Coach Bob Fahl is happy with the team's performance in the last week.
"This has been the third quality meet in six days for the girls," Fahl said. "Each meet has gotten better. There were many personal bests and season bests. "To be able to beat Huntington by 14 points says so much for the efforts and fortitude these girls are showing right now."
COLUMBIA CITY — Though Columbia City's golf team faced its fourth loss of the season, the Eagles recorded their best overall score of the season Thursday night at Eagle Glen against Canterbury.
Columbia City lost 160-172 to the Cavaliers, but the score of 172 was encouraging, according to Eagle Head Coach Andrew Thompson.
The season-best score came amidst three Eagle linksters shooting over eight strokes on the ninth hole.
FORT WAYNE — Col-umbia City's baseball team lost its second game in a row Wednesday night in a shortened game at Northrop High School.
The game ended after the fifth inning due to the 10-run-rule, with the scoreboard showing the Northrop Bruins ahead 16-2.
The loss gives the Eagles a 5-2 record on the season.
The Eagles had four hits, three walks and three strikeouts in 20 plate appearances after five frames, and were unable to knock Bruins pitcher Tyler Huth out of the game.
Whitko loses to C. Noble
SOUTH WHITLEY —Whitko's softball team traveled to Central Noble Wednesday night and lost, 4-2.
Though the Lady Cougars recorded the win, they went five scoreless innings.
After the first four batters of the game scored, Whitko held Central Noble to no runs for the rest of the game.
The Lady Wildcats attempted a sixth-inning rally, scoring two runs in the final frame.
Indian Springs golf beats 'Cats
On Tuesday, the Indian Springs and Whitko Middle School golf teams competed at Eagle Glen.
ISMS won by a score of 218-336.
ROCHESTER — Whitko's girls tennis team picked up its first win of the season Wednesday night at Rochester.
The Lady Wildcats won by a close 3-2 margin.
No. 3 singles player Laura Hippensteel is undefeated after three matches. Hippensteel defeated her Rochester opponent 6-4,6-3.
Abby Marshall won in a three-game match over Lady Zebra Makayla Stockberger in No. 1 singles. She won the first game 6-3, lost the second 6-3 and won the third 6-1.
In No. 2 singles, Aressa Tackwell also won in three games. Tackwell won the first 6-4, lost the second game 6-2 and won the third game 6-4.
SOUTH WHITLEY — Whitko's baseball team scored seven runs in the second inning en route to an 8-2 win over Peru Wednesday evening in South Whitley.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a passed ball by the catcher. The Wildcats' bats caught fire in the second.
Whitko's Ryan Weigold and Austin Mort got on base first. Teammate Alex Stoddard grabbed two RBIs with a double, getting the Wildcats on the board and taking the lead.
CHURUBUSCO — Columbia City's baseball team continued its winning ways Monday night against county-rival Churubusco, defeating the Eagles 11-3.
Columbia City tallied 12 hits, including a home run by Connor Slavich, triples by Slavich and Derek Lamle and a double by Jordan Bickle.
Columbia City got a 2-0 lead in the first inning and built it to a 6-0 advantage by the top of the third. 'Busco got its first run in the fifth inning, but Columbia City retaliated with five more runs to make the score 11-1 going into the bottom of the fifth.
FORT WAYNE — Columbia City and Whitko competed at the Northrop golf invitational Saturday, against strong Huntington North and East Noble teams.
Out of six teams, the Eagles placed fourth and Whitko came in sixth. Huntington North and East Noble pulled away from the pack with sub 330 scores.
Northrop had a 142, six strokes under Columbia City (348). Wawasee was close behind shooting a 350, and Whitko rounded off the match with a 377.
Huntington North also had the medalist, Jordan Sweet, who shot a 75 on the 18-hole par 71 Colonial Oaks course.
WARSAW — The Columbia City Lady Eagles softball team traveled to Warsaw Saturday and came up short in the rain, losing 12-2.
In the bottom of the third, things began to get ugly for the Lady Eagles.
VanHouten walked the first runner. The second bunted for an out but advanced the runner to second.
She struck out the next batter. She then threw an errant pitch which advanced the runner from second to third base.
A second straight offline pitch got the runner home to give Warsaw a 1-0 lead.


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CHARLESTON Neighborhood and conservation groups are appealing state regulators permit for a $35 million cruise passenger terminal in Charleston.
The Post and Courier reports the groups want the Department of Health and Environmental Control to rescind the permit issued last month that allows pilings to be drilled into the Cooper River for the terminal planned for an old warehouse.
The controversy over the terminal has already sparked lawsuits in state and federal court.
If the permit is not rescinded, the neighborhood groups want the State Ports Authority to consider other terminal locations or require that cruise ships use power from the shore instead of running their engines when in port.
The authority said its reviewing the appeal. The DHEC board has two months to consider the issue.
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educational institution in Austin, Texas,
teaching Interaction Design and Social Entrepreneurship.
Characteristics of Wicked Problems
Horst Rittel, one of the first to research wicked problems, references ten characteristics that describe this sort of complicated societal issue:
- Wicked problems have no definitive formulation
- Wicked problems have no stopping rule, or criteria upon which to determine "solving"
- Solutions to wicked problems are not true or false; they can only be good or bad
- There are no complete list of applicable "moves" for a solution to a wicked problem
- There are always more than one explanation for a wicked problem, with the appropriateness of the explanation depending greatly on the individual perspective of the designer
- Every wicked problem is a symptom of another problem
- No solution of a wicked problem has a definitive, scientific test
- Solving a wicked problem frequently is a "one shot" design effort, as a significant solution changes the design space enough to minimize the ability for trial and error
- Every wicked problem is unique
- A designer attempting to solve a wicked problem must be fully responsible for their actions
Clearly, not all problems are wicked; in fact, a problem can be incredibly difficult to solve, but cannot be characterized as wicked until it has an indeterminacy of scope and scale. The majority of social problems are, by their very nature, wicked.
A Business and Design Backdrop
Austin Center for Design strives to formalize the process by which design is connected with the public sector. In the last decade, there has been a significant shift in the attitude of corporations and consultancies with regard to strategic innovation. Companies who spent much of the late 1980s and early 1990s emphasizing cheaper products and increased quarterly profits are now evolving to understand the necessity for continual innovation, as the push towards offshore development and commoditization has encroached on nearly all profit-focused industries. Many of these companies have turned to creativity and design thinking to aid typical R&D approaches to technology incubation.
Consultancies like frog design, IDEO and Adaptive Path are now hired to apply design methods and thinking not just in pursuit of product development, but also in pursuit of innovative corporate strategies, and in the design of complicated systems and services. These creative methods of design thinking are characterized as being divergent, abductive, playful, and extremely agile.
Yet this strategic work can be seen as meaningless by designers, when considered in the broader landscape of the human condition. Several years into a career, a designer may begin to feel a sense of misappropriation of their talent – that their creative efforts are misguided, and the hard work and energy they are putting into product development is lacking integrity or honesty. There have been several successful, but small, efforts in formally bringing creativity and design thinking to the public sector.
For example, project H, a charitable organization focused on humanitarian projects, has applied methods of ethnographic research, design synthesis, ideation, and rapid prototyping to issues of international aid and assistance. These projects, however, depend on the generosity of their volunteers, as the majority of the work is performed for free or for only a nominal fee. In many cases, designers that choose to work on projects like this still have a "day job" – their primary work is as professional designers producing mass produced products, and the more humanitarian work is relegated to the status of a "hobby".
Academic institutions offering masters work in design and innovation instruct and encourage students to explore problems that have a social component. Students may investigate issues of sustainability, or a class project may provide pro-bono design services to a local agency or humanitarian group. Additionally, students pursuing a PhD in a design discipline may investigate, in great depth, more complicated social issues such as homelessness or hunger. And, in Europe and Asia, Cumulus – the International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media – has been successful in exploring topics of equality and ethics and in driving ethics and humanitarian design education research.Yet only five US-based schools participate in Cumulus (of well over 100 total member schools), and there is also a strong tendency for design schools in the United States to embrace the financial allure of business, and to offer projects sponsored by large corporations. These projects act as capstones for "professional degrees", where non-novice designers come to advance their skills (and, often, "decompress" from the feelings of dishonesty described above).
There is a gap in understanding how to successfully apply the creative, intellectual methods of design thinking – that have been so successful in generating profit for financially-driven companies – in support of humanitarian causes. This gap exists at a theoretical level, as the existing body of design literature does not focus on the research approaches necessary to investigate these difficult and multilayered problems. This gap also exists at a tactical level, as the existing curricula of most design schools prepare masters students explicitly for professional work in less supportive or impactful causes.
The long-term goal of The Center is to investigate and drive a positive relationship between design thinking and the large "wicked" problems facing the public sector. These problems broadly include issues of poverty, hunger, education, health and wellness, sustainability, and equality; while these issues are typically explored and addressed through policy and politics, little has been done to understand how creativity and less linear thinking can provide assistance.
More Readings
- Buchanan, Richard. Wicked Problems in Design Thinking, in The Idea of Design. ISBN 978-0262631662
- Kolko, Jon. Wicked Problems: Problems Worth Solving. ISBN 978-0615593159
- Rittel, Horst, and Melvin Webber; Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning, pp. 155-169, Policy Sciences, Vol. 4, Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Inc., Amsterdam, 1973.


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I made these for my brother's engagement party last weekend. Soooo goood. Though most of you know that I am a sucker for coffee and chocolate. How can you go wrong?
So rich, so good, and so excited for my brother!
- 16 oz dark chocolate (chopped)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 shots freshly pulled espresso
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- cocoa powder (for finishing)
Heat cream to a simmer. Pour chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Pour (heated) cream, espresso, and vanilla over chocolate, let sit a couple minutes. Stir to completely combine and silky. Pour into into a 8×8 pan, chill for 2 hours or until hard.
Roll chilled chocolate into teaspoon sized balls. Roll in cocoa powder. Keep chilled until ready to serve.