text:
AANAPISI Services and Events
Counseling Services:
The AANAPISI Programs offer comprehensive counseling services for AAPI and general student populations at Mission College in a variety of areas from academic to career, and personal counseling. The goal of the programs is to provide students support and guidance while they're in the process of exploring majors, deciding on a major, setting goals, and developing self-growth.
Academic Counseling:
- Exploring educational options and opportunities
- Educational goal-setting
- Providing students with accurate and up-to-date educational information related to their educational goals from obtaining a Certificate, AA/AS degree to transferring
Transfer Counseling:
- Providing information on admissions requirements and policies
- Providing support and guidance, so that students make informed decisions about their transfer options
Career Counseling:
- Clarifying of career and educational goals
- Study of careers and lifestyles
Personal Counseling:
- Providing short-term and referral services for students who may be experiencing difficulties that may interfere with academic work.
The Welcome Center
The Welcome Center is located inside the first floor of the main building. It's an excellent place to begin your visit at Mission College, with services that provide a variety of information to new/continuing students and visitors regarding initial registration, financial aid, admissions, campus tours, class information, and class location and so on. The Welcome Center is equipped with computers and kiosks for these services.
We have friendly staff and student ambassadors to assist the needs of students to ensure their questions are answered or guided or the proper locations.
Please visit our campus and contact us for a campus tour at (408) 855-5083 or email: email@example.com. We look forward to seeing you.
STEM Learning Center
The STEM Learning Center is the central resource hub for students who are interested in pursuing a major in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines at Mission College.
Services currently available to students include tutoring in many STEM subjects from our MESA tutors, four computers for student use, a quiet place for individual and group study, scheduling an appointment with the APASS STEM/Transfer Counselor, MentorNet, internship opportunities with local STEM companies, career advising , and a Pilot Peer Mentor Program to provide additional support for students to successfully complete coursework within the STEM disciplines.
Major funding for the STEM Learning Center comes from the Federal Title III AANAPISI Part F Grant. For more information about the STEM Learning Center, come visit the center on the first floor of the Science Building, room SCI-131, call the AANAPISI Program Office at (408) 855-5261, or visit the Mission College STEM student resource website at http://www.missioncollege.edu/student_services/stem/index.html.
Mission College now provides students with access to online tutoring services from Smarthinking, brought to you by the AANAPISI programs. With Smarthinking, students can chat with a live tutor up to 24 hours a day from ANY internet connection. Tutors are available to work with you in a wide range of subjects including writing (for any course), math (basic math through calc II), accounting , statistics, finance, economics, biology, anatomy & physiology, physics, chemistry, nursing subjects, office application, and Spanish. You can also submit completed drafts of your writing assignments form any course to Smarthinking's Writing Center for a tutor to review. The tutor will provide you with detailed, personalized feedback about your paper, typically within 24 hours.
Now that the link is live and now available on the MC Portal page, I'm asking all of you to test the link out to see if it works.
Follow these steps to connect to a tutor
How to login:
1. Login to
MyMissionPortal: http://mywvm.wvm.edu/mcstudent/
2. Find the Auto Sign-on window above the Student Life OrgSync Link.
3. Click Smarthinking Auto Sign-on.
For more information on Smarthinking and how it works, please refer to the attached student instruction flyer.
AANAPISI Learning Community:
The goal of the AANAPISI Learning Community is to provide AAPI students on campus an opportunity to learn about their cultural backgrounds and identities through community building activities, culturally relevant curricula, and extracurricular activities. The learning community is composed of two classes – English 1A and Counseling 1. Students are enrolled in both classes in a given semester. Students will complete joint assignments, and both courses will highlight the following themes: the celebration of Asian and Asian American cultures, the model minority myth, and leadership in the Asian American community.


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Todd Robertson returns to the podium after serving doping suspension
Submitted by Kris Thompson on
Todd Robertson of the CVC/FRANCO Racing Team returned to the podium at the 2012 Niwot Criterium just weeks after his 15 month suspension for doping was complete. Todd took 2nd at the 2010 race and he placed 1st in the 2012 Niwot Criterium
Todd taking 2nd at Niwot in 2010.
News Item:
52 Comments
We differ here quite
Submitted by Adam (not verified) on
We differ here quite obviously but I'll clarify a few things. First, I didn't say he wasn't eligible to be racing, I said that any team that accepts him doesn't place much of a value on integrity. Agreed we can all find fault with integrity when we take it to extremes and weigh all things equally; but taking PEDs in secret, over and over and using them in competition is repeated dishonesty. Todd never to my knowledge apologized to the racing community. That would go a long way. Otherwise, I just see him as a pariah even if he's a super nice guy and super strong. I do care if he or others break the PED rule cause that has an effect on our sport even at the local level. That's not a matter of making an excuse either. I didn't even bring up personal performance - that was your assumption, emphasized with your own bravado. I'm plenty happy with how I ride and train, along with my results. They may or may not be considerably better than your own, but that's besides the point of the original discussion.
Points: 6
A statement, or a conversation, from Todd would go a long way
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
I agree with Adam, Todd doped, her severed his time, he is allowed to race. But I would like to see some public statement by him to the community. He made us all look bad, he made all of our community sponsors wonder a little bit, etc. I am not deep personal friends with Todd, but I talked to him all the time on training rides, at races, in breaks, and was one of the first ones to walk over and congratulate him on as good result that summer, like Niwot or Dead Dog. I do not think Todd stole any results from me, it is just masters bike racing, I really do not care that much. I liked Todd, I found him to be friendly and a nice guy. He does not owe me anything, or the community, but that is his choice. Conversely it would show some level of class if the guy made a statement, said what he was doing, offered an apology, took some responsibility. I think it would go a long way with the community of racers. I see Todd out riding now, he does not even wave, just keep his head down and stares. Kind of a guilty stare. I am not losing any sleep over it, to me it says a lot about a guy who dopes to beat masters riders like myself. I am no ex pro, my body fat is too high, I work too much, I do not train enough, I have kids. My racing/training problems are mine and mine alone, Todd did not cause any of them, with dope or without.
To the credit of the team involved in the NY Grand Fondo doping case they made a statement right away, removed the guy from the team and made it clear he would never be back. I see Todd's buddy Larry back on the same team as Todd. Like Adam said that makes me wonder about the team's integrity and Larry's. Larry benefited from Todd's doping in many races, including the win he got in Niwot. If any guy on my team was caught doping personally I would never ride on the same team as him again. That is just me and other people have every right to see it differently. You are judged by the company you keep.
Points: 6
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
something like this?:
"Statement from DA
There is no easy way to say this -- I was using ways to improve my performance that were cheating. This was something that I alone did, and I take responsibility for it. My team, coaches and friends had absolutely no knowledge or participation in this.
Two things happened recently that put into prospective just how off the deep end I was. The first was that I tested positive for EPO at the Gran Fondo. A week and a half after that I broke my leg in three places in a racing accident. For the first time in years, I was completely off the bike. These two things gave me the perspective to examine just how insane I was acting. The reality is I became obsessed with racing, and maybe even more, with being a part of something. It took these external forces to literally knock me off the bike and out of the ridiculous place I allowed myself to get into. I don't say this as an excuse; only to say what was going on.
I've really let this community down, and I feel terrible about that. I counted many of you as friends, and you deserved a lot better.
We'll have more soon, I promise that we'll be open and honest. The BH/Comedy Central team apologizes to the community for results unfairly taken, and for not catching this sooner despite the many warning signs that we now recognize in retrospect.
Andy Shen"
Points: -5
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
I could give a rat's a$$ what the political cycling body does/did to sanction this racer; we are a local community of racers that this guy played games with and used unfair methods to get take the easy road for quick advantages.
keep your head down, no need to wave to me, I am not your friend and never will be however "nice" you are off the bike. I forgive you but don't really want you around anymore. Loads of noncompetitive, healthy solo activities in this area.
Points: 4
I'm embarrassed to have
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
I'm embarrassed to have people like you in the local cycling community.
Points: 2
I am in 100% agreement with
Submitted by Bert (not verified) on
I am in 100% agreement with you Adam, and 100% disagreement with Anon. He has polluted the sport, and his presence continues to pollute. Just because USADA makes it a 15 month ban changes nothing. I and many others dont want dopers on teams, in races and especially not on podiums. Why is he not so embarrased that he goes and does gran fondos, why does he have to race against others? It is not a level playing field. Races are going to be filled with people who dont want him there because they dont trust him. Why should they have to trust him? Now he's going back to Masters Nationals to deprive some clean racer of a medal or a jersey, just like he did in 2010.
Points: 1
So we are to assume that Todd
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
So we are to assume that Todd is:
1. Going to race Nationals (guess you can see that from on line reg)
2. Is going to win or medal
3. Is still doping?? Are you joking??
Races are filled with people who don't want him there? I doubt that but do know there are always bound to be a few. I just don't see it as such a number as you are deriving here. I think it is time to let this one go. He is racing, still winning but not always, and none of us can do anything about that. This whole Todd topic has gone way beyond what it should have and we need to all get back to racing and beating him and anyone else you line up against.
Dopers I could care less about. The vile over Todd or the topic of Todd is more sickening to me. This is not a community that we all think if the hatred for a busted rider keeps going and going and going. I choose to race and let the professionals...ie USADA worry about keeping us all clean and on the same level. They seem to be doing a good job.
And for the record, I have spoken to Todd several times now. I personally have no problems with him or him racing. I trust he has his reasons for remaining quiet so to me, that is that. Let's move on!
Points: 2
Or did he?
Submitted by Dan Porter (not verified) on
Or did he?
Points: 3
Did you not realize this site is about local cycling and racing?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
Question to you is...How is this not newsworthy? Did you miss the name of the site: 303 Cycling? I personally appreciate the fact that Kris writes about this. It's relevant to anyone who races a bike in Colorado. Even more so to those of us who race against Todd Robertson. Considering there were more than 50 comments on the story about his doping suspension, I would say you are in the minority in your opinion that nobody cares.
Points: 0
At least Todd was doping to
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
At least Todd was doping to win a bike race:
Maybe he can hit the Grand Fondo circuit now......
Points: 3

subset: commoncrawl


text:
'STOMP' returns to the Arsht Center from December 4-December 7 at 8 p.m. GoldStar is offering a discount to see the show. Regular price: $46-$56. GoldStar price: $24.75-$29.75. I have seen the show and it's truly amazing to see the cast perform with such energy and creativity.
This unique percussion group of eight performers creates rhythmic noise with their bodies and with unconventional instruments — everything from brooms and garbage cans to matchboxes and hubcaps — resulting in a physical theater performance unlike any other.
Since its first performance in the UK in 1991, STOMP has traveled to more than 350 cities worldwide.
STOMP's British origins and worldwide fame earned the troupe a performance spot in the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics.
Adrienne Arsht Center, Ziff Ballet Opera House, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, 33132


text:
Juilliard Quartet's Musical Chairs; Sounding Board for the New, Strings Attached to the Old
By JAMES R. OESTREICH
Published: October 29, 1997
Change a player or two in an orchestra or on a baseball team, and chances are you still have pretty much the same orchestra or baseball team. But change a player or two in a string quartet, and it may not be entirely clear what you have.
''We are a new quartet, so to speak, so we are in the process of learning a new repertory,'' Joel Smirnoff, a violinist in the Juilliard String Quartet, said last month during an open rehearsal by the group in its studio at the Juilliard School.
In conversation a few weeks later, Mr. Smirnoff spoke of ''the process of rebuilding the group, or I should say continuing the group, because it's not really rebuilding.''
''It's a different group, basically,'' Mr. Smirnoff said later in the same conversation.
The Juilliard String Quartet was, of course, substantially changed with the recent departure of the fiery and durable Robert Mann, who had been its first violinist since it was founded in 1946, and since 1969 its only original member. Yet it also remains an august 51-year-old ensemble as it reopens the beautifully renovated Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress in Washington, where it has been the quartet in residence since 1962. There is a private performance this evening; the first public concert is tomorrow.
Mr. Mann retired from the group after a concert in July at the Tanglewood Festival in Lenox, Mass. At the next Juilliard concert, a month later at Tanglewood, Mr. Smirnoff, who had been the second violinist since 1986, replaced Mr. Mann, and Ronald Copes, formerly the violinist of the Dunsmuir and Los Angeles Piano Quartets, replaced Mr. Smirnoff.
This little game of musical chairs, though not without precedent, is just the sort of unconventional response one might expect from the Juilliard Quartet, which has always followed an innovative and independent path.
The Tokyo String Quartet, one of the many younger groups that were coached in their early days by the Juilliard, took what might seem a simpler course last year, when it replaced its departing first violinist, Peter Oundjian, with Mikhail Kopelman, who had been first violinist of the Borodin String Quartet; Mr. Oundjian had, after all, replaced the group's original first violinist, Koichiro Harada, in 1981 with great success.
As it happens, though, the Tokyo solution has proved initially problematic, given the striking stylistic differences between the Soviet-trained Mr. Kopelman and his American-trained counterparts. Technically, he is still slightly at odds with them in matters like vibrato; expressively, his warmth has yet to mesh completely with their heat. Progress has been apparent over the last year, but it has come slowly. (Not surprisingly, after Mr. Kopelman's immersion in Russian music, the Tokyo plans to play more of Shostakovich's music; so does the Juilliard.)
Despite the small scale and cooperative nature of a string quartet, consisting of two violins, viola and cello, the first violinist is generally something of a leader, nowhere more so than in the case of the dynamic Mr. Mann. Except in groups like the Emerson String Quartet (another ensemble given an early boost by the Juilliard), where the two violinists alternate as first and second, quartet violinists are usually strongly identified with one position or the other, and a shift requires relearning the entire repertory from a different perspective.
None of this has been a particular problem for the Juilliard's Mr. Smirnoff, who has been a lifelong fan of string quartet literature and who in effect knows many first-violin parts from having interacted closely with them in an intense collaboration over the last decade.
''The one problem I've been having in performance is that as the second violinist, you're so much involved in the crossfire of the group and you're so much the catalyst, especially in terms of intonation,'' Mr. Smirnoff said. ''You're kind of at a vortex in terms of the upper melody and the lower voices. What's difficult for me is that I'm used to being attentive to the group. It has taken me a while to realize that in some ways I have to show myself to the audience.''
But courting novelty, in approach as well as in repertory, has always been a Juilliard hallmark, and the spirit of the current adventure is part of what links the new Juilliard String Quartet to the old. The group's style and tradition, which seem by now virtually identical with Mr. Mann's character, actually originated in the complex chemistry of four strong-willed musical individuals: in addition to Mr. Mann, Robert Koff, the second violinist; Raphael Hillyer, the violist, and Arthur Winograd, the cellist. Strong wills and musical individuality have remained other hallmarks.
Founded by Mr. Mann in conjunction with the composer William Schuman, then president of the Juilliard School, the quartet quickly established a sterling reputation. In 1962, it was selected to replace the legendary Budapest String Quartet at the Library of Congress. That affiliation has limped a bit since the Coolidge Auditorium closed eight years ago, awaiting renovation as part of a magnificent restoration of the library's Jefferson Building, which houses it, but a full schedule of concerts resumes tomorrow.


text:
Video Industry News Video Company News Technology Industry News Technology Company News Novelty Industry News Novelty Company News Gay Industry News Gay Company News Legal Industry News All Company News
Released: Dec 01st, 1998
Running Time: 85
Director: Blue Karma
Company: Zane Entertainment Group
Cast: Trixie Star, Lexington Steele, Ecstasy, Devlin Weed, Byron Long, Porsha, Jaija, Tony Eveready
Critical Rating: AAA
Genre: All-Sex
Hotter than the tape itself is the superbly designed, action-packed box cover. Extremely alluring, it may even seduce your non-ethnic clientele.
Was more time and energy invested in the, uh, zany setups here than in the sexual payoffs? Sure kinda feels that way.
'Cause white the sisters are fine throughout, only one of the four segments in this almost all-black, anal-free productions really catches fire.
That's the second one, in which jungle warrior queen Champagne sucks and fucks some brother loudly and enthusiastically. Too bad those qualities are in somewhat short supply in the remaining three scenes.
Nowhere is that more egregious than in the opener, where a very foxy piece of poontang (a white cheerleader amusingly "honk da fried" into a black ho) is basically squandered, care of the low-to-medium-voltage-manner in which two woodmen put in to her.
A threeway Oreo featuring lone white boy Dave Hardman sizzles when he's reaming the electrified dark chocolate sister, but cools down considerably when he's inside the more subdued light-skinned one.
And the closer, a spoof of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, is more of a slow grind than a frenetic boogie. Perhaps too slow. At one point, the supposed stud looks like he's about to nod off.


text:
Two suspected armed carjackers caught in National City
A car stolen at gunpoint in the Bay Terraces neighborhood early Tuesday was later recovered in National City, and the two suspected carjackers were taken into custody, a police officer said.
The victim was dropping off a friend at an apartment complex when he was approached by six or seven men shortly after 3 a.m., San Diego police Officer Dino Delimitros said.
Two of the suspects pulled guns and took off in the victim's car, he said.
The car was later found in the vicinity of Euclid Avenue and East Division Street in National City. and the two suspects were arrested, Delimitros said.


text: Sasa Restaurant combines seasonal menu selections, flawless service, and attentive planning to create a truly memorable event. From business luncheons to stunning weddings and formal events, we offer the inspiration, attention to detail, and culinary creativity that will make your moment shine. Planning an event doesn't need to be stressful. Let us help. Our catering team, email@example.com, will take care of all the details that make your day so special.


text: It's the middle of the first week of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. And the competition is getting hotter and hotter! Some new disciplines are introduced to the competition program this time. Do you want to learn a bit more about them as well as to see the history of your favorite sport at the previous Winter Olympics? Then check this new Infographic from InfoGraphic Design Team – 'Sochi 2014. Winter Olympic Competitions Fast Facts'. Let's enjoy this great sport festival together & don't forget to support your team!


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Carnival Cruise Lines will reopen its Puerta Maya pier and cruise center in Cozumel next week -- nearly three years after it was decimated by Hurricane Wilma in October 2005.
Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Ecstasy will be the first ships back when they dock at the reconstructed pier on Thursday, October 16.
The attached cruise center has also reopened, complete with restaurants (Pancho's Backyard, Fat Tuesdays and more), shops (jewelry, crafts, "artwork"), a shore excursions outpost and rental car facilities.
Over the next year, the two-berth pier will see some 550 visits from Carnival Corp. ships (including vessels from Princess, Costa and Holland America, among others). Puerta Maya has been built to withstand a Category Five hurricane (winds of greater than 155 miles per hour).
Carnival Corp. says it has invested over $50 million in the reconstruction project.
For the past few years, the line has been either tendering or sharing docking space with other lines at one of the island's two other piers, the International Pier and Punta Langosta Pier, while Puerta Maya was being rebuilt. Carnival will also continue to use other pier facilities when they have more than two ships in port.
--by Dan Askin, Assistant Editor
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Carnival's Cozumel Pier Reopens Next Week
Carnival's Cozumel Pier Reopens Next Week
October 7, 2008


text:
Pilot story
by Bill Schlichting
Photo courtesy
of Nancy McClelland
Sea Breeze, the Brookings-Harbor High School jazz ensemble, came home from the 30th annual Pleasant Hill Jazz Festival with two first place trophies.
At Saturday's competition, the choir won first place in the small school, individual microphone division. Choir member Jessica Goergen also received a first-place trophy in the vocal solo competition.
A total of 30 schools from throughout Oregon competed. Five choirs were in the same division as Brookings-Harbor. Goergen, a freshman, competed against 16 other soloists, mostly juniors and seniors, said Jerry Moffit, vocal music instructor.
In the preliminary round, the choir sang "Watermelon Man"; "Bein' Green," a Kermit the Frog song; and "Take the A' Train."
A rule states that if a choir makes it into the final round, they may sing one of the songs from the prelimaries but, in addition, must perform a new song, Moffit said.
In the final competition, the choir repeated "Take the A' Train," and added "I Wish You Love."
After each performance, the two judges worked with each school to give them singing and stage presentation tips.
"When the judges came up to work with the choir, one said, Boy, you've got a great rhythm section,' " Moffit said. The Sea Breeze rhythm section consists of Sam Brown on drums, Alyssa McClelland-Bane on bass and Diana Hall on piano.
When the choir arrived for the competition, they had the opportunity to listen to two groups. Moffit said his group thought the choirs on stage were boring. This may have caused the Brookings-Harbor singers to be more motivated when it was their turn.
"I was very proud of the way they performed," Moffit said. "They kicked it up from their performance at the concert (here in Brookings).
"They went over their head and rose above what they usually do."
Goergen sang "I Don't Know Why" and "Fly Me to the Moon." She was accompanied on piano by Moffit.
Following her performance, the judges worked with Goergen on stage presentation.
Last year, Goergen also won first place in a solo competition as an eighth grader at a middle school festival.
Sea Breeze will perform at a spring concert with other high school choirs in the near future. The date will be announced.
The jazz group itself will perform its annual Sea Breeze Revue on Wednesday and Thursday nights, May 25 and 26, at Chetco Playhouse. Advance ticket sales will be announced.


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The process by which former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson has endeavored to become future NFL receiver and special teamer Denard Robinson took a big step forward on the third day of the NFL draft. With the second pick in the fifth round (135th overall), the Jacksonville Jaguars took Robinson, and will work him in as a moveable chess piece. The Jags also took ultra-fast South Carolina receiver Ace Sanders in the fourth round, so they're clearly looking to diversify the ways in which they attack enemy defenses.
Robinson completed 427 passes in 747 attempts over four years for the Wolverines for 6,250 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions. But it was really as a runner that he made his bones in the NCAA. He ran 723 times for 4,495 yards (a 6.2 average), and 42 touchdowns. One wonders if the Jags have some read-option packages in mind -- most certainly, Blaine Gabbert hasn't established that he deserves to be the team's pre-emptive starter at the quarterback position, and we've seen many NFL teams expand what they do in the backfield option game.
At the Senior Bowl, Robinson was still recovering from a hand injury, and he looked raw in receiver and return drills, to say the least.
[Also: Geno Smith faces rough road in New York]
Through the North team practices, Robinson has struggled mightily with the most basic elements of his new proposed position. Recruited as a potential cornerback or receiver by several colleges out of Deerfield Beach High School in Florida, Robinson instead went to Michigan to run Rich Rodriguez's spread offense as a running quarterback and eventually excelled under Brady Hoke as head coach and Al Borges as offensive coordinator. That's what he did before, and the results were spectacular at times. But this week in Mobile, Robinson has also proved when so many receivers new to the NFL have told me through the years -- once to hit NFL-level talent, it's about much, much more than the ability to run fast.
At the scouting combine less than a month later, however, Robinson caught the ball far more consistently, and showed that there's something behind his embryonic efforts to change positions. While not perfect in all aspects, Robinson was able to show a better grasp of the little things that make receivers good at the pro level. His cuts in routes were much more concise, his overall route concepts were far smoother, and he was able to adjust to a couple of overthrown passes. It was a relative triumph for a guy that looked like anything but a real pass-catcher before.
[Also: New Cardinals DB Tyrann Mathieu continues to raise red flags]
"I'm continuing to get better. I just got some X-rays yesterday and some examination. I'll continue to get better, and I've got to come back in April to get a second check-up ... My vision is to try to be the best that I can possibly be when I get to the NFL," he said. "Whatever teams put me at, that's what I'm going to work my tail off to be. Whatever they ask me to do that's what I'm going to do."
He is now one big step closer to that vision.
NFL draft video from Yahoo! Sports:
Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
• Eagles nab Matt Barkley early on Day 3
• Packers announce long-term contract extension for Aaron Rodgers
• Thunder's Russell Westbrook out for season after knee surgery
• The secret of Jon Jones' success
- Sports & Recreation
- American Football
- Denard Robinson
- Jacksonville Jaguars


text:
Units I have yet to find a use for
View Single Post
Join Date
: Aug 2006
: Standing behind you!
: 199
I primarily use the Imperials and I have no problems with any of the units. Haven't you considered the possibility that you simply just don't know how to use the units affectively?
-Dark Trooper phase 3(partially): While I think that the DT3 is an extremly cool and often useful unit, I have found that in most cases an AT-AT (which costs about the same and is available 2 tech grades before the DT3) outperforms him. Yes, the DT3 is far more manouverable and can shoot air units, but the AT-AT's ability to take far more of a beating and spam stormies most often is worth more than being able to jetpack.
Also, the DT3 gets owned by pulse tanks, which it should counter (according to its description)
The Dark Troopers phase 3 is one of the best units in the game. Infantry are easy targets for its long-range laser cannons and it can take quite a beating from plex soldiers. Pulse tanks are easily defeated by DT's phase 3, just switch to rockets and let the slaughter begin. The jet-pack is useful for a quick retreat to a repair station.
-interdictors (Who'd have thought that?
) There is no doubt that the ability to prevent an enemy fleet from fleeing can be useful, however that first requires you to win the battle, at which the interdictor fails. Its combat abilities are close to zero, and most often it isn't worth the pop cap and money to have a ship that can only do what you can achieve anway by destroying the enemy ship's engines.
ATM the interdictor is relatively good against fighters (for a cap ship).I'd find it interesting if the interdictor was improved in that area and could perform as a capital anti-fighter ship, giving the empire a truly unique unit.
Actually, I always bring in an interdictor with my fleet just for the missile-jamming systems. Y-wings, B-wings, MC-30's and Skiprays are rendered useless against an interdictor. They are excellent for guarding star destroyers and space stations against bombers. Just keep them protected with fighters and frigates. Best of all, the jamming system is not a HP and cannot be disabled until the interdictor is completely destroyed.
-TIE scout and TIE phantom: Both of these have only slight advantages over the standard TIE fighter, of which you get dozens and dozens per battle for free, and thus are really not worth the money and pop cap.
My suggestion would be to make the TIE scout (and possibly TIE phantom as well) take no pop cap in tactical battles; Like R2-D2 and C3PO a ship that cannot really fight should not force you to limit other ships that can.
For my idea for the TIE phantom let me quote Wookiepedia:
I'd find it cool if this was implemented in the game, making the TIE phantom able to shoot and cloak automatically right after that, making him a unique craft good for sneak attacks on enemy bombers (the time of cloaking should still be limited though)
I have found a number of uses for both the TIE phantom and the TIE scout.
-TIE scouts are useful for a number of reasons. Scouts can use their sensor ping to foil sneak attacks and identify enemy craft movement. They can be used to find enemies hiding in asteroid fields and can find enemy structures as well (turrets for example). Scouts are basically mobile sensor nodes.
-TIE phantoms are useful as well. The cloaking ability can be used to sneak behind enemy lines and hyperspace in an entire fleet thereby catching the enemy by surprise. Try hyperspacing in the Executor next to the enemy space station, I use this strategy many times and my victory is contributed directly to the humble TIE phantom. Phamtoms are blindingly fast, making them excellent dogfighters.
"You will pay the price for your lack of vision!" - Palpatine
Last edited by Valter; 11-18-2006 at
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Aug 21, 2006 9:20 AM
Let's face it, parents have obvious bragging rights, so the next time you visit relatives, instead of whipping out the usual school pics, why not try FlipClips. FlipClips are unique individual crafted books that are created using your own digital videos. Simple to use, you just go to flipclips.com, upload a favorite clip, choose a title and cover design, and your customized book is delivered to your home in about two weeks. Besides the small FlipBook ($9), two other styles are also available including a Greeting Card, designed for mailing ($11), and larger,
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PRE-ORDER: Allborgarrätten: The Right to the City as a Swedish Tradition
'Allborgarrätten' is a newly coined concept that promises to be the urban equivalent of the rural, traditional Swedish 'allemansrätten' – everyman's right to roam freely in nature. The rural right is one most Swedes know by heart, even though they now live in cities. Through the Nordic lens, Rydén explores themes like the right to the city, national identity and connects it to a larger global discourse. Along with this verbal exploration Jan Rydén has created a series of pictograms, a pictorial grammar of sorts, which follows its own poetic logic. The book is set to be launched in September 2016, in both English and Swedish.
'Allborgarrätten' är den nya urbana motsvarigheten till allemansrätten. Ordet är skapat av den svenske konstnären Jan Rydén. I essäboken Allemansrätten: Rätten till staden som en svensk tradition undersöker han idén och knyter an till en internationell diskussion om rätten till staden. Parallellt med texten har Rydén skapat en serie piktogram som följer en egen poetisk logik. Boken publiceras på både svenska och engelska.
SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE: €25 (€30 original price)
300 pages
Pre-order you copy at info[a]arvinius.se
Letter to my dear wins a Silver Egg!
Brev till mitt kära/Letter to my dear has won a coveted Silver Egg in the category of Identity Design by Guldägget award 2016! Huge congrats to Lennart Grebelius, Björn Engström and Anders Eklind as well!
Watch the presentation of the book with reading by the author and check out the official winner's page here.
As always, you can pick up this title and others through the order page.
See the Light Talk at Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair
Svante Pettersson, "the lighting evangelist" and author of See the Light, is on the cover of Hemljus! You can order this inspirational book today or pick up a copy at Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair.
Don't forget to check out his lecture during the fair on 12 February and get the book signed!
New Release! Contemporary Danish Illustration
We are excited to announce the launch of Contemporary Danish Illustration! Initiated by We are all in this together (WAAITT), 32 of the most talented illustrators active in Denmark today are represented through interviews and beautifully colourful spreads of their work.
Come and celebrate this new book on 19 November at DANSK. For videos and the complete list of the featured illustrators, visit http://www.danishillustration.dk/.
Join our editorial team!
Arvinius + Orfeus 2015/16 Catalogue
Dorte Mandrup released in September
New Release! Jonas Lindvall: Architecture and Form
Explore Swedish designer and architect Jonas Lindvall's impressive back catalogue and sneak a peek at projects in the pipeline. Among Lindvall's most iconic designs are his Oak and Papa chairs – simple, beautiful concepts with a nod to the Scandinavian modern style. In addition to design and residential projects, Lindvall also takes on commercial architecture and interior design – from offices toretail schemes – with memorable results.
Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter Release at DAC
The Nerdrum School is Reprinted
For those of you looking for a copy of The Nerdrum School: The Master and his Students, this seminal book on Odd Nerdrum's legacy is now being reprinted. We estimate the book's arrival in mid-October, but feel free to pre-order the book here.
UPCOMING RELEASE: The Home and Art of Carl Milles
Photo: Yanan Li
The Home and Art of Carl Milles, a comprehensive book on Millesgården, is set to launch on 30 June in conjunction with a photo exhibition by photographer Yanan Li.
Stockholm's Millesgården is one of the most exciting artist's homes in the world. Building began in 1906 after Carl Milles, one of Sweden's most prominent sculptors, and his wife Olga commissioned a home with studios on Herserud Cliff on the island of Lidingö. In 1936, the Milles couple donated their home to the Swedish people, and it has since turned into a renowned museum, boasting of a sculpture park by the water with meandering walkways, terraces and fountains. The award-winning addition of the art gallery in 1999 completed the artist's grand vision and his lasting legacy. The rich history of the artist's home is presented with contemporary photographs by Yanan Li, illustrating one of the jewels of Sweden.
New Release! Omforma - nya strukturer för designbranschen
We are pleased to announce the arrival of a new book with an investigative look into the industry of design, releasing in parallel to Stockholm Design Week! Please join us for the launch at Nationalmuseum Design Kulturhuset Stadsteatern on 10 February from 5-7pm.
Initiated by a group of designers, Omforma uses questionnaires, interviews, statistics, focus groups and workshops to reveal a picture of a sector marked by gender segregation, regimentation, and a power-elites. Issues of gender, ethnicity, age and class are sensitive to all parts of the industry that were examined: product designers, industrial designers, textile designers and furniture designers. The project and the book Omforma - nya strukturer för designbranschen caters to the entire design industry and all those affected by how the industry works by extension. In a world where design permeates our everyday experience, its framework has an impact on all our lives.
New Release! Letter to My Dear, by Lennert Grebelius
In this beautifully designed book, Lennart Grebelius, a philanthropist/businessman/artist, uses art to turn abstract ideas into tangible objects. With Letter to my dear, Grebelius takes on eternity. He asks a simple question that sheds light on a very real and very moral dilemma: What can we demand of our children? And of their children? Pre-order your copy here.
The book will be presented in an exhibition at Wetterling Gallery in Stockholm from 6-11 November.
Find us at the Frankfurt Book Fair
New Release! Contemporary Danish Illustration
32 top Danish illustrators, curated by WAITT (We are all in this together)
In today's digital world, where the computer has taken over so many aspects of the artist's earlier role in visual communication, there has been a growing movement among talented young Danish illustrators who are working at the intersection of art and illustration. This book presents a documentary snapshot of contemporary Danish illustration today. It is a physical and visual collection of 32 of the most talented and prominent Danish illustrators and their work. The book will launch in Copenhagen on 12 November. Pre-prder your copy here.
New Release! Nathalia Edenmont
Published in collaboration with Wetterling Gallery
Nathalia Edenmont challenges art viewers by touching subjects that are often taboo in western society. With cogent references to historic oil paintings, religious symbols, as well as contemporary art and fashion photography, Nathalia Edenmont's artworks can be viewed as a modern expressions of traditional iconography. With poignant texts by authors Barbara Pollack, Ingela Lind and Jean Wainwright, this beautifully illustrated book provides a retrospective of Nathalia Edenmont's artworks throughout her career as an artist, from the beginning of 2002 up to today. Pre-prder your copy here.
New Release! It's Mine: A Tribute to Art Collectors
Published in collaboration with Wetterling Gallery
It's Mine portrays 33 Swedish and international art collectors and artists who have devoted their lives to art. In intimate interviews and at-home stories they tell what has sparked their interest and what role art plays in their everyday lives. The narratives presented in this richly illustrative book are about initial meetings – about desire, passion, and acquisitiveness. And most of all, about the relationship between works of art and their owners. Pre-prder your copy here.
New Release in June: Built by the Sea – Villas and Small Houses by Lund Hagem
Norway's Lund Hagem Architects is celebrated for their unique relationship with nature. Built by the Sea – Villas and Small Houses by Lund Hagem Architects showcases the firm's villas and holiday homes, in which the interplay between built and unbuilt natural landscape achieves its maximum effect. With texts by Erling Dokk Holm and Jan Olav Jensen, this gorgeous clothbound book presents an intimate portrait of these beautiful private homes, tucked into the Norwegian coastal landscape and rarely seen by the general public. Order the book here.
Prince Eugen's World of Flowers & 100th anniversary of Waldermarsudde flowerpot
A+O Publishing is pleased to announce the English release of Prince Eugen's World of Flowers. The book's arrival coincides with the centenary of the iconic Waldemarsudde flowerpot and will debut at the unveiling of a special edition flowerpot to mark the special anniversary on April 16.
New Release: Contemporary Sami Art and Design
This book is the first international presentation of contemporary artists and designers in the Sápmi region, an area spanning northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northwestern Russia. Sami traditions, both historically and from today, are inspirational sources for these contemporary artists and designers. This book presents works produced by 35 leading artists, both established and emerging – a reference book for anyone with an interest in expressions of contemporary art and design from Sápmi. Pre-order here.
New Release: Anton Alvarez – Thread Wrapping Machine
The book details the artist's development of a machine that spins thousands of metres of brightly coloured thread around pieces of wood and metal to join them, producing solid benches, stools and lamps. Most recently, this process has been expanded to include architectural installations like the kind exhibited at Gustavsbergs Konsthall. Edited by Julie Cirelli and with art direction by Aron Kulander-Östling, this beautiful clothbound limited edition book includes texts by UglyCute founder Andreas Nobel and legendary British artist and curator Richard Wentworth, with photography by Gustav Almestål, James Champion, Katrin Greiling, Paul Plews, Casper Sejersen, Vincent Skoglund and Märta Thisner. Order the book here.


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Learn how the poetry of a lullaby warmed the heart of a child and sparked a very personal journey. This book is about the connection between horses, children and adults, a connection that inspires, makes a difference and through back-to-the-basic life lessons challenges us all to keep our soul forever young.
This is an ageless book with an ageless message because whether you are a horse owner or not, you will discover the joy and satisfaction that comes from connecting to what you love, no matter what that is.
Since 1979, I have owned and directed Sprucelands Equestrian Center and Summer Camp in Java Center, NY. While I am also an elementary school counselor, I enjoy photography, writing, scrapbooking, and keeping up with my camp website and blog. What I love most is working with children. Witnessing their growth as they are handed leadership and responsibility feels much like a privilege. Of course my partners in teaching life lessons are horses. Together we are a great match. The horses both inspire me and give me strength while I teach riders how balance in the saddle is possible and balance on the ground is essential.
Comment posted.
lm14082 says Great book. Pictures are adorable...Loved it the minute I picked it up!
posted at 03:43PM Sep 26 PST
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with the dearth of polaroid could books like this soon be a distant memory?
Comentario publicado.
ISO600 dice
HI! we're leading the 1°Italian Instant festival, in October in Milan. It will be very important and the first in europe to and in the contempoarry art day. we'll have shows, performance, conferences, workshops, the museum of polaroid cameras and also we'll have a space dedicated to publications on the instant photographyt.
If you want to be among the protagonists of this festival with your book. write to: info.polaroiders [at] gmail.com (set subjet: "iso600: pubblication-your name surname") to have more information.
Hope to hear soon from you,
publicado a las 28 de jun. a las 12:19 PST
Inicia sesión o crea una cuenta para publicar un comentario.


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The Style Gallery is a great new way for you to view, love, and share outfit photos. It's meant to showcase
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College Hockey:2003-04 Boston College Season Preview
There's a temptation to look at this loaded Boston College roster and start thinking ahead to the Frozen Four in Boston. Are all the pieces in place to make it two national championships in four years? Will the clanged crossbars and extra-skater goals go the Eagles' way this time? Will they even need those breaks with dominant players like Ben Eaves, his brother Patrick, Tony Voce and J.D. Forrest?
Perchance to dream for BC fans.
Coach Jerry York laughs, however, and says, "October looks hard enough for me right now."
He certainly has a point. Injuries, slumps, and goaltenders who suddenly can't stop a beach ball have felled favorites before. Besides, October's schedule is an eye-opener. Before hosting Notre Dame to close out the month, the Eagles go on the road for games at Vermont (sans an exhibition game tune-up), Minnesota-Duluth, two at North Dakota, and most likely Michigan State (in the Ice Breaker championship game).
If BC emerges from October undefeated, it'll be too late to hop on the bandwagon. All the seats will be taken.
The obvious strength begins up front where the theme is instant offense. Ben Eaves ranks as one of the top three or four players in the country, the proverbial Larry Bird – Wayne Gretzky type of offensive threat who makes everyone around him better. He can finish himself or creatively dish off to goalscorers like his brother Patrick (10 goals in 14 games) or Voce (23 goals). If that trio isn't clicking, then there are juniors Ryan Shannon (38 points) and Dave Spina (37) leading the rest of the pack. To put that in perspective, Spina would be the top returning scorer on all but two other Hockey East teams, but ranks as threat number four or five in the BC offensive arsenal.
"We certainly have some players that produce a lot of offense," York says. "We're creative, we're quick and we're strong on our skates. Those are great combinations to have.
"Ben and Tony [are back]. Patrick Eaves is going to have a sensational year; he's fully recovered [from his neck injury]. Shannon and Spina are going to be two key kids for us. We've got excellent depth in the forward lines."
The blue line features a nice mix of skill and size with Forrest leading the skill department and 6-4, 215-pound Andrew Alberts leading the size.
"We're not quite as deep as I'd like defensively, not like with the forwards," York says. "We have our four key guys. John Adams and Andrew Alberts, our two juniors from Minnesota, [will be one pair]. Peter Harold has had some back spasms, but I thought he had a very good freshman year. He'll team with J.D. Forrest. We're really looking for Brett Peterson and Greg Lauze to step up and help us so we have some depth on the blue line."
Matti Kaltiainen returns as the top goaltender with freshman Joe Pearce taking over the backup role. Kaltiainen is rarely mentioned in discussions of the league's top goalies, but has progressed in his two years and did post the league's best goals against average, 2.20. Still, he'll need to step up his game to answer the postseason questions since BC will be facing netminders who are considered among the league and country's elite.
"Matti is primed and ready," York says. "He's got two years under his belt. The last part of last season he earned a lot of confidence from his teammates and feels better about his game. I think the NCAA experience helps goaltenders, too, so that's a real plus for him. Joe Pearce has the potential to help us down the road, but I think Matti will be our number one guy."
So will the Eagles live up to the lofty expectations set for them?
"I'd rather have high expectations than low expectations because that means you've got good players," York says with a smile. "We take great pride in the fact that three years ago, after we won the championship, we lost three-quarters of our club — a big, big senior class and undergraduates turning pro — but two years later we were in the final eight. We rebuilt really well and this year we have a good chance to reach a lot of goals that we've set for ourselves."
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Ora Karp Gordon, MD, MS
Director, GenRISK Adult Genetics Program
Ora Karp Gordon, MD, MS, is Director of the GenRISK Adult Genetics Program, Co-Director of the Gilda Radner Hereditary Cancer Detection Program and Director of Genetics for the Wasserman Breast Cancer Prevention Program at Cedars Sinai.
A diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Medical Genetics, Dr. Gordon's primary research interests involve characterization of hereditary cancers and the prevention of breast cancer and genetic disorders of connective tissue. She is involved in numerous clinical trials for cancer prevention.
Dr. Gordon is a member of several professional societies, including the American College of Medical Genetics, American Society of Human Genetics and the American Association of Cancer Research. Dr. Gordon has lectured throughout the United States. She has written chapters for multiple textbooks and her research publications have appeared in a wide array of journals from neurosurgical to oncology. She has authored an award winning consumer directed book on navigating and managing breast and ovarian cancer risk.
Dr. Gordon is a summa cum laude graduate of Tulane University and earned her master's and medical degrees from the University of California, Irvine. She completed her internship and residency at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In addition, Dr. Gordon completed her genetics fellowship at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai.


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I have prepared a video DVD (DVD-5) and will be giving it to some of my friends.
However, I wish to disable the right click option for the
VIDEO_TS folder, so no one can copy the folder or the files inside the folder.
I also do not want to allow Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V options to the
.VOB files.
How can I do this?


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MindshaRE: IDA 5.4
- By Cody Pierce
- Thu 29 Jan 2009 15:30pm
- 6891 Views
- 2 Comments
- Link
This morning, much to my delight, Hex-Rays released their highly anticipated IDA 5.4. The new update includes some incredible features that continue to push IDA into ubiquity. Today, on MindshaRE, we will take a quick look at some of the new tech, and get you over to hex-rays.com to read up on the new version.MindshaRE is our weekly look at some simple rever ...
Line Noise
- By Cameron Hotchkies
- Fri 23 Jan 2009 10:09am
- 5874 Views
- 0 Comments
- Link
Well, it's been a while and it's a brand new year so we have a new installment of Line Noise for you boys and girls out keeping the internets real.
MindshaRE: WinDbg Extensions
- By Cody Pierce
- Thu 22 Jan 2009 14:53pm
- 18499 Views
- 0 Comments
- Link
WinDbg may not have the same level of community developed plugins as other debuggers. But for your day to day tasks, like vulnerability analysis, reverse engineering, or exploit development, it provides a plethora of helper functions for digging deep into the happenings of a process or OS. Most of which don't exist ...
Conficker/Downadup Ups the Ante
- By Derek Brown
- Wed 21 Jan 2009 12:30pm
- 9617 Views
- 1 Comments
- Link
The security community is abuzz with reports that the Conficker/Downadup worm, previously observed to propagate via exploitation of the MS08-067 vulnerability, has infected as many as 8 million machines worldwide. It would appear that this particularly nasty piece of malware is spreading throughout vulnera ...
MindshaRE: Displaying Constants
- By Cody Pierce
- Thu 15 Jan 2009 14:14pm
- 6225 Views
- 0 Comments
- Link
Today on MindshaRE we are going to look at a few basic commands for changing the way constants are displayed in your IDA GUI. Knowing how to change the way information appears on your screen can be useful especially when dealing with tokenizers, and parsers.MindshaRE is our weekly look at some simple reverse engineering tips and tricks. The goal is to keep things small and discuss every day aspects of reversing. You can view previous entries here by going through our blog history. ...


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By Ops, for Ops
March 26th, 2013 by John Proctor, Senior Product Manager
When I came into the office this morning, I was greeted by an email requesting some kill points for a competitive product; a product I used to use on a daily basis. You see I was not always a product manager here at ScienceLogic. Before joining ScienceLogic, I ran a Network Operations Center (NOC) for a data center and managed service provider. While running that NOC, I had the opportunity to use and evaluate a lot of IT management tools. And, it just so happens that we replaced many of them with EM7 and it is still running there today.
Writing my reply to that email reminded me of why I bought the product. In a nutshell, ScienceLogic understood my business. They understood my challenges. They understood IT operations. EM7 was written for me, well not really for me, but it was written for people just like me; operations people.
Now this is no surprise when you look at the founders of ScienceLogic; all seasoned veterans of IT operations. But what is surprising is how many other tools out there seemed to miss the mark or better yet they do the job, but require us to deal with some assumption some developer or product manager made along the way that as an operations person I would have never made.
Today during my stroll down memory lane, I was reminded of some of these assumptions. I once used a product for managing Windows servers that required the same username and password be configured on every server. Now in an enterprise environment, this is not a problem. Create a new account, make it a domain administrator and voilà, you are done. Need to change that password because of a staffing change, just change the domain credential and once again voilà, you are done. But imagine the challenges something as simple as this would cause for a managed service provider. There are no domains, or more likely there are hundreds of them. Using the same username and password for multiple customers? Huh? How is that secure?
Another assumption was that no two servers had the same name. Once again in an enterprise on a single domain, this is normal. In fact unique server names are required. But once we obscure the domain boundaries as we often do as service providers, servers with the same name become quite common. If memory serves me correctly, we had a least 7 customers all of which had a web server named www.
The bottom line is this: tools need to make your life easier and eliminate the silos and barriers that exist within organizations and departments. And it just so happens EM7 does exactly that.Tagged with: EM7, IT infrastructure management, IT infrastructure monitoring, IT management tools, Network Operations Center
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Where is home, anyway?
I think the question of 'home' is one of the hardest concepts for any long-term expat. This is a subject I have talked about before, but since its something that I personally think about a lot, especially when I make my annual visit to the states to visit family & friends, why not talk about it again? This time we got to visit Miami & Key West before heading to San Antonio, Texas for my brother's wedding and of course we had a very good time. It was so much fun to explore a new place in the USA {that I will be writing about!} and play tour guide for my Frenchy who has never been to the great state of Texas, where I grew up.
To be honest, the term home for me has always been a little flexible – I used to think that something is wrong with me that I didn't feel a strong attachment to any given place but rather to the people in that place. I think now after meeting so many people who feel that same way, I feel less lonely in this feeling.
Since I am nearing the fun age that is 30, of course I think it's pretty natural to want to put down roots and at this time, Florence Italy is that place for me. It just has so many of the elements that make daily life a pleasure, no need for a car, great food, lots of fun activities that don't cost a lot, easy travel, general buzz of the nearby piazza, cheap flowers, and just so much more. It doesn't feel like I have been here for eight years but that is a good thing. I think like a lot of people, I really want a wonderful work-life balance. I want to love what I do, be in love, and really live the life I dream about – not one day, but rather every single day. To quote Edith Piaf's famous song 'Non, je ne regrette rien' or no regrets.
Coming home means we arrive at the airport bleary-eyed and a bit of a mess, waiting for the luggage to take forever to arrive {how that is possible in such a small airport, I don't know..} and for the drug dog to sniff us down, I always want to pet them but the guy doesn't seem to like the attention. We see all of the ray-bans, leather shoes on display and people chatting on their cell phones or pulling their kids away from the slowest moving luggage belt I have ever seen in my life. In the taxi or over-priced airport bus, we pass by empty streets and garages – some beautiful, some not so much. Finally we enter the center of the city, crossing my bridge {well I wish I owned it, Ponte Santa Trinita} to come home to my tiny street housing a public bathroom, wine shop and several antique stores and hipster shops. Knowing that we can set everything down, change shoes and have a quick walk in the center of Florence in less than 10 minutes to stare at everything familiar is what I love most about this place.
My relationship with the center of this city is complicated, sometimes pushing through crowds of people can be annoying when I'm in a hurry, but at the same time, I see all sorts of amazing things on a daily basis. Not through my computer but just by going outside. The 'clak clak' of someone's heels on the pavement, a street performer posed for happy tourists, a laugh, that random ciao bella, it's a feast for the senses (and not always positive, I've stepped on my fair share of dog poop and general nastiness'). This doesn't mean that I am not up for change and if one day we decide to try something else for a while, that's ok too 'home' can be anywhere as long as I have my Frenchy in tow and some good books ;-).
2013 was a really incredible year of change for this girl and it seems like April has arrived out of nowhere, where did those few months of the year go? Next week is Easter and for residents of Italy, we will enjoy some extra holidays this month with Pasquetta and liberation day on April 25 and May 1. hallelujah! My partner-in-crime's parents are coming to town to visit which means I really need to step up my French, right now my vocabulary borders on the offensive and or colors & numbers. Also for the rest of this year, I am very excited to experience new places and even more excited to write and hopefully take things to a new level, Florence has a way of taking risks seem normal.
For the moment, after sleeping 15 hours for a little post-vacation jet lag, just a short post reflecting on home and where the heart {pasta and wine} is.
As always, I love to hear from you guys and exchange thoughts about what 'home' is and means to you. Wherever that happens to be.
*** Check out this awesome post 'This must be the Place' by great blogger Gillian which touches on the same topic and which includes some pretty awesome music ;-).
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There are 46 commentsAdd yours
cristina cassidy
This is how I feel about Holland! I've never felt more at home and relaxed than I do there. 😉
Florence has a certain power doesn't it? I get why some people would never live here but for me it always felt like the place I should be, even if not forever (but I hope it is!)
Jennifer Avventura
Great post! Sometimes They say 'home' is where the heart is, but what if your heart is in two places? Most times I feel mentally closer to Sardinia than Canada. Canada will always be my birth country but I've never really felt an attachment to it like I do for Sardinia.
I've now re-expatriated (is that even a word) into Canadian society and it was/is very hard to come to terms with Canadian 'culture.' After spending 6 years in a deeply rooted culture in Sardinia I feel as though Canada has lost its culture – we are a huge melting-pot of cultures from all over the world. On the city streets I hear Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Spanish and Italian spoken … it leaves me wondering "Where am I?" It's diverse and strangely confusing for this returning Canadian who just wants to eat homemade pasta, Seadas and drink Cannonau.
First off, thank thank you so much for commenting Jennifer. I was actually really hoping to pick your brain on what it's like to re-expatriate. Perhaps I can interview you about it? It's so fascinating to me, your perspective. I feel the same way about the USA a lot of times. As if the commercial aspects have taken over the culture, we do have a strong Mexican influence in San Antonio (as it should, it was previoously part of Mexico!) and its crazy how fast things change. Where are you guys living in Canada??
Jennifer Avventura
Sure, you can interview me about it. There's a lot to say! 🙂 You hit the nail on the head about commercialism in North America. It's shocking! The second day I was here my mother had some errands to run and we headed to a superstore, I was overwhelmed, anxiety took over, I started to sweat, it was all very surreal and couldn't wait to get out! I mean the shops in my little town in Sardinia are the size of a small apartment! It was a huge adjustment and made me aware that I detest florescent lightening! 🙂
That lighting is the worst.. honestly I love Target and browsing everything but being in those stores for long periods of time makes me crazy. I had such a great time but I now need a food detox and just need to WALK walk and more walking. I feel really bloated after all we ate (of course thats what happens when you visit home lol).
Sharon, Ticket to Travel
I especially enjoyed this post as I could feel your emotion about returning home ( a Firenze). I really appeciate, admire and agree with your attitude about place and friends. It will be good to follow your posts as time moves on in Florence. I am on the other end of the age continuum, and getting ready to leave San Francisco for Italy for 2 months. It's something I do almost every year, thinking someday we might live in Italy (only for a few months at a time). So, for me, my heart leaps at the thought of seeing the Duomo again, finding out where they moved all the market stalls around San Lorenzo, and just seeing the familiar sights. Thanks again for posting.
Thank you Sharon, I do tend to get a bit emotional when I see Florence for the first time after a couple of weeks. Especially when the weather is so gorgeous and inviting (and full of people at the moment). That's awesome that you make Firenze your second home, I think if for some reason we had to move, I would have to do the same to stay sane! :). I will keep you posted on what's going on in Florence from the view of a Texana Toscana! Happy Saturday!
I am very Interested to hear about your visit to Key West, Fl. What you liked about the Island, where you stayed, where you ate, clubs you went to, musicians you heard, if any?
I lived in Key West between 1985-1996. I gave birth to my only child on that tiny US island.
I left Key West because I couldn't stand it anymore! Once a sleepy, artsy, musicians dream of a town, became developers heaven overnight, and within 6 years it was (IMHO) ruined!
My family is originally from Bermuda, and my son, now 25, lives there, whereas I, I am here in Strada in Casentino, Italia!
ciao! I am really excited to write about Key West, we were only there for one night (and I will mention that because I don't think that's enough time to be anywhere NEAR an expert) but I liked it. I could see what you mean about it becoming a developers nightmare, unfortunately you can see where the good meets 'commercial' quite often but the historical bed & breakfasts were amazing. It's a small word, eh??
Yes Indeedy! ;}
Another excellent post from my favorite blogger. You do inspire me to chase after that crazy dream that is mine. But for now I will bloom where I am planted, and the find the ability to steer my life in a everyday happy. My home is that tiny place in my soul that dances of simple pleasures. I do find after each yearly trip to Italy I grasp more and more of this embracing of simple pleasures. To learn to be quiet and just watch life happening all around me. My most treasured moments in Firenze are such simple things. Running to the top of piazza Michelangelo at sunrise, practicing my language with locals–who always (with hilarious exceptions) seem happy to help blunders, and long dinners over great food and wine with our Italiano friends. Those moments I feel that Italy is really my home, even if only for a short while. Until that day my dream comes true–I'll work hard, study language with more discipline than ever, and follow along in your fun adventurers. 🙂
Awww thank you so so much Robyn, you are such a sweetheart! I think finding that happiness at home is the right step. Sometimes it seems like everything is meant to distract you (eating, shopping etc) but it can really be worth it to open your eyes and find out what makes you truly happy, those moments with friends, laughing over something silly. Sounds cheesy but I stand by it. Especially after such a few crazy years.. ps. I am very impressed that you ran up to Piazzale michelangelo at sunrise, I might have to try that sometime myself. In the meantime, keep doing what you are doing and I am sure you are already on your way to becoming una italiana, even outside of Italy 🙂
Georgiana, you must do the run! Meraviglioso!!!! Each year my husband and I run up, and sit and watch the sunrise over Firenze. We talk about the past year, where we are headed, and how incredible (and crazy) our roller coaster life is. 17 years of marriage and being with him is my greatest blessing. We always say as long as we are together that is where home is. Thank you for inspiring me to think a little deeper today. 🙂
I have been following your posts since discovering it last year when I was in Florence. I split my life between California and Italia and return to Florence every summer before heading to my apartment in Monterosso al Mare. I could not imagine being in Italia and not coming to Florence. Being born an Italian American in Hoboken NJ to Italian parents I was never far removed from Italia…so I feel very much at home in Italia. But there are also many things I love about California, maybe because in many ways it reminds me of Italia? But when I am arrive and step off the train in Monterosso I say "I am home." Friends greet me with their ever cheerful CIAO Giovanna ! They welcome me back and soon it is as though I never left. So which is it? Am I coming or leaving home??? Thank you, your post let me know I am not alone in these feelings. Thank you I enjoy your posts because I often entertain the idea of moving to Italia full time.
Ciao Giovanna! Thank you for sharing your perspective, its a real treat to see what an Italian feels like coming home after being so far. Though I agree about Italy and California's similarities (both are great places to live). I think that special feeling of having two homes or even more is a lot better than feeling as if you have none. It's all about perspective really and now I am more aware than ever that this sort of feeling is not unique to me, thankfully! Thanks for stopping by and commenting again!
GHMike (@GHMike)
Home, to me, is a feeling. A feeling of being safe in a place with people you love and whom love you. It's not a plot of land, bricks or mortar or even a specific town. We don't own that stuff we only own ourselves. So if your happy, content and feel safe then you are home. BTW beautiful blog post.
Thank you so much Mike, I always enjoy reading what you write as well. home is where you feel 'right' touche'!
Great post! I wrote a thesis my senior year of college very similar to this "phenomenon" of home. Now that I've settled in Florence I'm fully aware that there is no other country I could ever live in. The US is great (I'm from Iowa), but there is something so entrancing about Italy! It is certainly my home now.
i think I have always been an expat in reverse. . Living in the USA but alive in Italia. From the time I get off the plane, something changes. All the senses are awake! shall be posting an expats view of going home to a foreign country soon on hometoitaly…. will welcome others to comment when it is on line.
That's an interesting perspective Lee, I actually am really intrigued to see how the expat situation in reverse is so please do keep me posted when you publish!
Carol Schroeder
Last year in April and May I rented an apartment for 2 months in Florence. I would love to be able to do that every year or every two years. The biggest issue I have about feeling really at ease there is the language, of course! Florence has so much English and I was never in trouble because I don't know Italian but…I am 67 and have always been bad at learning a language and am not sure I want to spend my more and more precious time learning Italian rather than studying Italian Renaissance art, Dante and Vasari. Any thoughts on how language and the feeling of home relate to each other? Love your blog…Carol
Great question Carol, thanks for bringing the 'language' factor up. It's true that when you learn the language, you start to really understand the culture and the people as there are so many things that cannot easily translate.When I learned Italian, the best part was being able to show my personality better than just a few translated wooden phrases. When I could happily tout slang and make local's laugh, I knew how important language is to a culture. Of course that doesn't mean you have to learn if you are only in Italy for a short time. I recommend taking classes and using the app Duolingo, not only to better comunicate but also its brain exercise,there is no 'negative' to learning Italian :). In boca al lupo!
Cath at Lizzie Rose Jewellery
I've been an expat for 23 years and in the beginning 'home' was always my home town in England, even though I left as soon as I got married, away from family. As the year's went by, 'home' changed to wherever we lived, ad I always made them homely, even the most
Thank you Cath! I can see why you guys chouse Portugal, after visiting for the first time this past year, I fell in love with it myself. The vibe, the people, the food – I could see myself living in lisbon without a doubt even if Florence will still be number one. Good luck on the move!
Cath at Lizzie Rose Jewellery
Thanks! We're very happy to be returning there, and with a renewed vigour after being away for so long. 🙂
Cath at Lizzie Rose Jewellery
awful of rented apartments! Now, we are finally returning 'home' but not to the UK, instead to Portugal as that suits our lifestyle more. Go for wherever you are happiest rather than what people expect you to do!
The Traveling English Muffin
Your post led me to reflect on this a lot so i thank you for that :-). I often find it difficult to comprehend why i feel more at home in America than i ever did in my home country of England. I often think that if i was ever completely on my own here, would i leave? And my answer is no. I knew nothing about America before 2011 and i feel more at home here, embracing every aspect of daily living. As a child, I used to hate leaving any vacation with my family to go back to England. Why? England is a great place. I guess for me, I agree that home is where the heart is and my heart was born to travel. I fall in love with the culture, language, food and lifestyle. I was the same way when i lived in Brussels. I was 20, no family around and yet it was my home versus my home country and i literally had to peel myself off the airplane when i landed back in England. Family is key to me now too, but they better be overseas :-).
Thank you so much for your awesome comment. Growing up, I never really felt at home in Texas but it was still a comforting place for me. I always had that itch to get away, to travel, to find my 'place' as I guess you call it elsewhere. Being in Italy, I sort of feel that I could be happy anywhere but this is the closest to home I have ever felt. Mostly because of a pleasant daily life routine. Plus the proximity to travel is very desirable. Where in America are you based??
The Traveling English Muffin
Im based in Central Florida, half way between Tampa and Orlando in a city called Lakeland. I adore Italy! I've been a couple of times but it's on my bucket list of places to spend a lot of time getting to know the country more.
We were just in Florida (which I loved!), great weather and Miami and Key West were well worth a visit. Italy is a very dynamic place, you absolutely should come for a visit sometime!
Stacy di Anna
A lovely piece as always, Georgette. Very touching. Especially liked "home can be anywhere as long as I have my Frenchy in tow and some good books." Hope you are catching up on rest and enjoying what must be the gorgeousness of Firenze in primavera.
Thank you Stacy! coming home to Florence with such gorgeous weather is such a treat. I have been enjoying long mornings with lots of coffee and just staring at the rooftops outside my window 🙂
What a touchy subject to me especially since I'm coming up to my half way anniversary. 24 years in Toronto and 24 years in Siena. As much as I complain and bitch about my adoptive country….. I'm still here.(It's the food) But I still call Canada my home. Not a good sign.
I think where 'home' is to you can be anywhere you want. I can 100% understand why Italy after such a long time still doesn't feel like home. I think it really depends on a number of cercumstances, persnal life, community interaction, work. I wonder if I would have had the same experience being in another city in Italy, you never know!
I have no idea where home is? I can only say it is where my family is…I have not yet found a county. Good or bad? I'm not sure
Who knows where it might be? It seems like you are not settling for anything less than perfect for you and that's really the right thing to do. I hope you find that nirvana or at least travel as much as you want. You know I will be following (and reading) your journey!
Thank you! I am really hoping the journey continues too…where will we all be ten years from now?? 😉
who knows? but keep us posted!
My home is where my husband and girls are. But, where you are right now is where I've felt more alive than anywhere else. Here, i can't shake the feeling that what i do, where i live, and what i own defines me. Its like I'm in a competition that i never signed up for.
There, i am an individual with tastes, feelings, and opinions. Maybe they judge you by what you are wearing, but my real italian friends don't give a damn about whether i wear Chanel or not as long as I'm real, that's what matters most. That said, i think i am in the right place for this stage of my life. I think that motherhood in Italy right now is very hard, as there is a traditional expectation put on mothers to do so much for their families but the economy is such that a lot of moms have to work crazy hours outside of the home. It just makes me grateful that i can work part time without fear of losing my job and still feel like i have a work life balance.
Ciao Cindy, thanks for commenting and sharing your perspective. You make some valid points and it sounds like you really have a good head on your shoulders at whatever challenges life throws at you. I think that you are 100% correct about motherhood in Italy being tough, the hours are crazy and many people expect you to be perfect in every single way. Though I too have Italian friends that love me for who I am and grazie a dio per quello :).
Living abroad it's a question that is always going to reoccur, to go home or not go home. After four years in Rome, home seems to have become unsettlingly interchangeable. Confusing for myself and everyone else, when I'm in Rome home is usually Bradford where my parents, friends and family live and where I grew up. Yet when I'm there the pull of Rome, now home, is strong. Lovely post, good to hear other people's experiences!
As a future expat, I feel like this is something that I will be able to relate to in the future. I studied abroad for 6 months in Granada, Spain 4 years ago and still not a day goes by that I don't reminisce on my experience there. I left part of myself there and part of Granada will always be with me. In September, I'll be moving back to Spain (not sure where yet), but I believe that this conundrum of where home is will hit me at some point. I'm in my mid-twenties, so the "putting down roots" feeling might hit me sooner than it would for recent college graduates. While this seems like a challenging situation, I look forward to it!
It's one of those things that might not be the biggest 'itch' you need to scratch when you are living abroad but it comes about from time to time. Worst analogy ever, but I think you get the point. If you have already lived abroad once, you probably can relate. Coming home that first time after such an inredible (hopefully) experience and feeling a little lost. Do keep me posted with your adventures, I am always interested to see how fellow expats are fairing!
I will definitely keep you posted on my adventures and will let you know when I'm in Italy!
thanks Mike, looking forward to it!


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Men's Track And Field Places Sixth At Horizon League Indoor Championships
Milwaukee, Wis. - Sophomore Whitney Burns took home a pair of top-three finishes as the University of Illinois at Chicago men's track and field squad placed sixth overall at the Horizon League Championships, hosted by UW-Milwaukee, at the Klotsche Center on Sunday afternoon.
Youngstown State captured the men's title with 116 points, followed by Loyola (99 points), Detroit (91), UW-Milwaukee (85), Butler (72) and UIC (55).
"It was nice to see the good number of personal-records this weekend," UIC head coach Jim Knoedel said. "All in all, we competed much better this year and improved in a majority of the events.
"We'll do even better in the outdoor season," Knoedel continued. "This was a very good meet to end the indoor season."
Burns placed second overall in the 800-meter run with a mark of 1:55.20. Burns was also a member of the third-place 4x400 relay squad of Danny Smith, Wilmer Fernandez and Ramon Arrieta that crossed the finish line in 3:26.43.
Senior jump specialist Jon Smith placed third overall in the triple-jump with a season-best mark of 45'4 ?". Junior Kevin Mitchem, in his first meet of the season, placed third in the high jump with a leap of 6'4 ?".
UIC will be back in action on Saturday, as they will travel to South Bend, Indiana to participate in the Alex Wilson Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame.


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Heading into the final week of January we can look to more abnormally cold temperatures but a mainly dry week. So far the month of January has provided us with a cold start and most recently a cold trend as we head toward the end of the month. Sandwiched in between was a decent period of thawing temperatures which kept the overall mean temperature for the month from being substantially colder than average.
We mentioned the other day systems are moving at a rapid pace. A disturbance in the western Great Lakes at midday Sunday will be positioned near Montreal Monday morning quickly moving into New Brunswick by midnight. With this system moving to our north we will once again develop a strong southwesterly flow later tonight and Monday which in turn drives temperatures into the 30s on Monday. As a matter of fact the temperatures will begin their ascent late tonight as we reach our lows before midnight. A few snow showers are possible during Monday, before another cold front blasts through in the afternoon. Once that happens the temperatures crash overnight and Tuesday morning you are going to wake up with temperatures in the single digits throughout the area.
Tuesday is expected to be similar to what we experienced on Sunday. That is to say another cold and blustery day with a good amount of sunshine. Another very cold night follows.
An ocean storm misses us well to our southeast during mid week. A dominant high pressure area will eat up most of the eastern half of the country through the week keeping us dry and abnormally cold. Very cold air will push all the way into the deep South as well.
Late in the week another cold front approaches. Ahead of the front temperatures begin to moderate back to near seasonal levels by Friday.
72 Hour Outlook:
Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, slight chance of a snow flurry or snow shower late. Very cold early, moderating temperatures later at night. Lows in the mid teens with temperatures climbing into the mid 20s by morning. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph.
Monday: Mostly cloudy, chance of a few snow showers. Highs in the low to mid 30s. Becoming windy. Southwest winds turning west in the afternoon and possibly gusting to near 30 mph.
Monday night: Partly cloudy and turning bitterly cold. Windy. Lows in the single digits. Gusty west winds, diminishing later at night.
Tuesday and Tuesday night: A few clouds, otherwise fair skies and continued quite cold. Highs in the mid teens. Overnight lows close to zero. Less wind from the west at 10 to 15 mph, diminishing at night.
Wednesday and Wednesday night: Mostly clear and continued unseasonably cold. Highs approaching 20 degrees then falling into the single digits overnight.


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The Setting Sun – Japan's Coming Debt Crisis
The increase reflects faith in the reflation strategy of second time Prime Minster Shinzo Abe to increase growth through an additional US$120 billion of public spending and create inflation to reduce the debt to GDP ratio.
In the post war period, Japan enjoyed decades of strong economic growth – around 9.5% per annum between 1955 and 1970 and around 3.8% per annum between1971 and 1990. Since the collapse of the Japanese debt bubble in 1990, Japanese growth has been sluggish, averaging around 0.8% per annum. Nominal gross domestic product ("GDP") has been largely stagnant since 1992. Japan's economy operates far below capacity, with the difference between actual and potential GDP being 5- 7%.
The Japanese stock market is around 70-80% below its highs at the end of 1989. The Nikkei Index fell from its peak of 38,957.44 at the end of 1989 to a low of 7,607.88 in 2003. It now trades around 8,000-12,000. Japanese real estate prices are at the same levels as 1981. Short term interest rates are around zero, under the Bank of Japan's ("BoJ") Zero Interest Rate ("ZIRP"). 10 year Japanese government bonds yield around 1.00% per annum.
Since 1990, public finances have deteriorated significantly. Government spending to stimulate economic activity has outstripped tax revenues, resulting in a sharp increase in government debt. Japan's total tax revenue is at a 24 year low. Corporate tax receipts have fallen to 50 year lows. Japan spends more than 200 Yen for every 100 Yen of tax revenue received.
Japanese government gross debt is now around 240% of GDP. Net debt (which excludes debt held by the government itself for monetary, pension and other reasons) is about 135%. Total gross debt (government, non financial corporation and consumer) is over 450% of GDP.
Japan's large pool of savings, low interest rates and a large current account surplus has allowed the build-up of this large government debt.
Japan has a large pool of savings globally, estimated at around US$19 trillion. In recent years, household savings were complemented by strong corporate savings, around 8% of GDP. Around 90% of all Japanese Government Bonds ("JGBs") are held domestically. Low interest rates make servicing the high levels of debt manageable.
If Japan continues to run large budget deficits, as is likely, then the falling saving rate and reversal in its current account will make it more difficult for the government to borrow, at least at current low rates.
Japanese household savings rates have declined from between 15% and 25% in the 1980s and 1990s to under 3%, reflecting decreasing income and the aging population. As more Japanese retire, inflows into JGBs will decrease making domestic funding of the deficit more difficult. Insurance companies and pension funds are increasingly selling their holdings or reducing purchases to fund the increase in payouts to people eligible for retirement benefits.
Since 2007, the Japanese trade account surplus has fallen sharply, turning into a deficit in 2012 due to an appreciating Yen, slower global growth and higher cost of energy imports. But Japan's large portfolio of foreign assets (US$4 trillion, including US Treasury bonds of US$1 trillion) will cushion the effects for a time. But even if net income from foreign assets stays constant, Japan's overall current account may move into deficit as soon as 2015.
As the drawdown on financial assets to finance retirement accelerates, Japan will initially run down its overseas investments, losing its net foreign asset position. Unless public finances improve, Japan ultimately will be forced to finance its budget deficit by borrowing overseas. Where the marginal buyers of JGBs are foreign investors rather than domestic Japanese investors, interest rates may increase, perhaps significantly.
Even at current low interest rates, Japan spends around 25-30% of its tax revenues on interest payments. At borrowing costs of 2.50% to 3.50% per annum, two to three times current rates, Japan's interest payments will be an unsustainable proportion of tax receipts.
Higher borrowing costs will also trigger problems for Japanese banks, Japanese pension funds and insurance companies, which also have large holdings of JGBs.
To avoid the identified chain of events, Japan must address the core problems. Reductions in the budget deficit are difficult. Spending on social security accounts and interest expense now totals a major part of government spending. An aging population and shrinking workforce will continue to drive slower growth and lower tax revenues. Tax increases are politically unpopular. Reductions in the budget deficit are likely to reduce already weak economic activity, compounding the problems.
Japanese policy makers can maintain its zero rate policy and monetise debt to finance the government. Japan can try to inflate away their debt. But ultimately, Japan may have no option other than a de facto domestic default or restructuring to reduce its debt levels.
Investors and traders have repeatedly bet on a Japanese crisis, usually by short selling JGBs to benefit from higher rates. But the bet has failed each time, giving the strategy its name – the widow maker.
Economist Rudiger Dornbush once observed: "The crisis takes a much longer time coming than you think, and then it happens much faster than you would have thought". Japan's toxic combination of weak economic performance, large budget deficits, high and increasing levels of government debt, declining household savings and looming current account deficits is increasingly unsustainable.
© 2013 Satyajit Das
Satyajit Das is a former banker and author of Extreme Money and Traders Guns & Money


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Submitted by jhoover on Mon, 2013-09-09 09:28
Steppenwolf Theatre: The Wheel
When: (Ended) September 12, 2013 - November 10, 2013
Event Phone Number: 312-335-1650
The Wheel
Event Phone Number: 312-335-1650
Steppenwolf Theatre
1650 North Halsted Street
Chicago IL
Steppenwolf Theatre
1650 North Halsted Street
Chicago IL
Steppenwolf Theatre invites you to The Wheel, a spellbinding new play about what happens to hope and human nature in times of war. Featuring ensemble members Joan Allen, Robert Breuler, Tim Hopper, Ora Jones and Yasen Peyankov.
The Wheel
By Zinnie Harris
Directed by Ensemble member Tina Landau
Learn more about the play and purchase tickets, here!


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Steven M. Duffy, MD
Bon Secours Cancer Institute Medical Oncology at St. Mary's
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Phone: 804-287-7804
Fax: 804-287-7178
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Dr. Duffy attended Rochester Institute of Technology for his undergraduate degree. He received his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University and completed both his internal medicine residency and hematology and medical oncology fellowship from SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dr. Duffy is board certified in hematology and medical oncology.