text:
The Necessity of Making Mistakes
By jimgris-Oracle on Jan 13, 2010
Nice article on the brain biology behind how scientists actually create science. Accept Defeat: The Neuroscience of Screwing Up. Recognizing anomalies, making mistakes, being challenged, and engaging in conversation are all critically important elements that make science work. Context and perspective matter greatly as well. Seems all very human to me. I`m not so much interested in the brain chemistry that influences behavior in science (you can see this in partisan politics as well), but what fascinates me more is the notion that with this awareness you can dig yourself out of the natural traps that catch most people, and that can lead to new opportunities that only a few generally see.
From the article:
Modern science is populated by expert insiders, schooled in narrow disciplines. Researchers have all studied the same thick textbooks, which make the world of fact seem settled. This led Kuhn, the philosopher of science, to argue that the only scientists capable of acknowledging the anomalies — and thus shifting paradigms and starting revolutions — are "either very young or very new to the field." In other words, they are classic outsiders, naive and untenured. They aren't inhibited from noticing the failures that point toward new possibilities.
The "acknowledging the anomalies" bit from Thomas Kuhn is
key. It may enable
you to jump
paradigms or start revolutions, which is very cool, but in the process
it also gets you a lot of knives
buried deeply in your back. So acknowledge carefully. More than a few
people have ended up dead challenging paradigms throughout the ages.
Granted, the deaths are at the extreme, but why go through all that if
it`s not necessary. Start small. Pick off what you can. Even though
most people usually can't change the paradigms in which they live, they
can change the small things in their world by recognizing and resolving
anomalies that crop up every day. Then,
hopefully, over time the small changes add up to big changes. And
when you are focusing on this process, you are more apt to spot big
paradigm shifts coming along and you can jump when the opportunity is
So, don`t be afraid to poke around and change your position and screw
up from time to time. Failure
is important. It helps you succeed.


text:
Kinect for Windows Quickstart Series
- 6 parts
This series includes everything you need to get started building applications using the Kinect for Windows SDK. You'll learn how to setup and configure the Kinect SDK using Visual Studio Express, how the Kinect color and depth camera work and how to use skeletal tracking to track joint positions in your application. You'll also learn how to use sound source localization to locate the direction of sound, how to use the Kinect to record audio, and how to use speech recognition to control your application via voice commands.
- In Order
- Recent
- Most Viewed
- Top Rated

subset: commoncrawl


text:
on December 2, 2012 - 1:00 AM
My family took a lot of road trips. Almost everywhere we traveled, we drove. With family in New Jersey and later Connecticut, we frequently beat a path up and down Interstate 95 between Richmond and the Northeast. I was always excited to think about what I'd do with my cousins once we got to their house, but many hours before that, I'd have to make what felt like an equally momentous decision: What would I eat at the Maryland House?
Stopping at the travel plaza near Aberdeen was almost a given on a Krystal family vacation. The only question was who would grab jumbo slices of pizza at Sbarro and who would go for a carton of fried chicken at Roy Rogers. We knew the place so well. We'd shake our heads at the clueless travelers queued up in long lines at the downstairs bathrooms: The ones upstairs had no crowds. I remember the seasonal ice cream shack out front, the somber murals depicting Maryland history, the time in the parking lot when my dad discovered that we had a flat tire.
Considering how fuzzy some of my vacation memories are, I'm surprised at how many details of the numerous highway rest areas I've visited I can still recall. That doesn't shock Joanna Dowling, a historian who created the website www.restareahistory.org.
"I have a very strong memory of a rest area that we would stop at as kids," she said. The Northern California stop in Weed, near Mount Shasta, had interpretive panels explaining the geology of the volcano, she said. Reading them became something of a tradition.
Occasionally maligned as dirty magnets of crime and other illicit behavior (see: "There's Something About Mary"), rest stops have evolved from small, flypaper-plastered restrooms into airy, high-tech travel plazas and welcome centers.
Some are tricked-out enough to become attractions in their own right. Let's detour to just south of Cheyenne, Wyo., where a new $16 million welcome center on Interstate 25 opened to drivers at the end of September.
The 27,000-square-foot building hosts exhibits representing every part of the state. There's a re-creation of a dinosaur dig site, complete with the pinging of metallic tools and audio of researchers talking about their finds.
The replica of Butch Cassidy's jail cell also is popular, said Shannon Stanfill, visitor services manager for the Wyoming Office of Tourism. Road-trippers can test their mettle by trying to escape from the pokey. "Even our retirees that are coming through, they are kids at heart," Stanfill said. "They want to bust out of jail, and they want pictures with Butch Cassidy."
Is it a wonder that travelers ever make it to their destination at all?
The Wyoming welcome center and other 21st century highway rest stops have come a long way since their rustic predecessors. There's some debate about where the first such facility sprang up, but Dowling said that a likely candidate is a roadside picnic area in Michigan. The story goes that in the late 1920s, an engineer dismayed at the sight of families having meals next to the road started building picnic tables to give them a safe place to sit.
In the late 1940s, Dowling said, states began to establish roadside parks. "Very often there were not toilets or running water," she said. The creation of the interstate system in 1956 led to the proliferation of "safety rest areas" in the roads' right-of-way.
Developing the areas, however, was left to the states, which began to see the outposts as opportunities to make a positive, even educational, impression on travelers. Case in point: Florida. The Sunshine State greets road warriors at its welcome centers with a free glass of OJ.
The 48-year-old Maryland House is among those falling to progress. The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) recently entered into an agreement with Areas USA to tear down and rebuild the Maryland House and its nearby sibling, the Chesapeake House in North East, Md. The Delaware Department of Transportation similarly worked with longtime partner HMSHost to rebuild the Delaware Welcome Center Travel Plaza on I-95 near Wilmington. The new facility opened in 2010.
The Maryland House closed in September, with a new building scheduled to open in December 2013, at which time the Chesapeake House, now 36 years old, will close. The new Chesapeake House should debut in September 2014.
Both facilities "had become worn down and somewhat functionally obsolete for some time now," said MDTA executive secretary Harold Bartlett. To my sentimental relief, he said that the MDTA had decided to salvage and preserve the Maryland House's murals, though they won't be back in the new building.
The public-private partnership between Areas and the state calls for the company to build and manage the facilities while sharing revenue with Maryland.
That revenue will come from gas stations and food vendors. At the Maryland House, Bartlett said, travelers can expect to grab food from Wendy's, Dunkin' Donuts, Phillips Seafood, Nathan's Famous, Jerry's Subs & Pizza, Carvel, Auntie Anne's and Currito. Wendy's, Earl of Sandwich, Pizza Hut, KFC, Caribou Coffee and Wetzel's Pretzels will be options at the Chesapeake House.
The right to offer such commercial outlets is the exception rather than the rule. Federal regulations from the early years of the interstate system prohibit commercial activities on the interstate right-of-way. Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland are among the states that have been allowed to get around the rule, because their toll roads and privately run sites predated the law or because they were granted other exemptions.
The commercial ban was intended to prevent monopolies for services and to ensure that travelers didn't feel pressured to buy things, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Efforts to move toward privatization have met with resistance from the National Association of Truck Stop Operators and other business owners who fear that commercialized rest areas on the interstate would draw travelers away from their establishments off the highway exits.
Vending machines don't fall under the commercial ban. Eight sites in Virginia now offer so-called "enhanced vending" with machines doling out items such as sandwiches and fruit, according to Martin Krebs, the Virginia Department of Transportation's program manager for safety rest areas. The Virginia DOT has also equipped all the state's rest areas with cashless beverage vending machines: No need to root under the car seat for change.
On the Pennsylvania Turnpike, options go beyond fast-food and prefab comestibles. From early spring to late fall, farmers' markets operate at the New Stanton, Allentown and Sideling Hill service plazas.
Also in the good-to-know category, states continue to add wireless Internet to rest areas. The new service plazas in Maryland will have free Wi-Fi, joining other states, such as New York, Iowa and North Dakota, in helping travelers stay connected. Additional tech-centric features include real-time traffic displays and touch-screen tourism information kiosks in Virginia. And while Mom and Dad attend to those boring things, kids can burn their energy on playgrounds, far from the germy ball pits of fast-food restaurants.
That's not to say that there aren't amusing diversions for travelers of all ages. As part of its well-known "Virginia is for lovers" campaign, the Virginia Tourism Corp. installed giant signs spelling LOVE at two of the commonwealth's welcome centers.
All this is taking place in more facilities designed to be eco-friendly. Several of the rebuilt Virginia rest stops have earned LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The facility on I-81 north of Winchester has a geothermal heat pump system. The Virginia DOT sourced 50 percent of the building materials from within 500 miles; the welcome center on I-95 south near Fredericksburg boasts a local-materials total of 40 percent. Other rest areas around the country have green roofs. Some in California, Wyoming and Oregon use solar panels, and Missouri has installed two wind turbines at a welcome center on I-44.
The new generation of features and amenities can sound too good to be true, given the economic difficulties many states have encountered over the past few years. Most famously in Virginia, then-Gov. Timothy Kaine ordered 19 highway rest stops closed in 2009. His successor, Robert McDonnell, reopened them the next year.
"Rest stops to the traveling public are a very valuable commodity," said Lon Anderson, the managing director of public and government relations for AAA Mid-Atlantic. The group helped organize opposition to the closings, which made their way into the 2009 gubernatorial campaign.
"I believe that the strong message sent by the public in Virginia was not just heard in Virginia," Anderson said. "I am confident that it was seen by the legislatures and governors' offices in many states."
Still, service reductions persist. Over the past five years, Missouri has converted eight rest areas to trucks-only parking. Colorado has shuttered five in the past three years. Arizona closed several facilities in 2009; it has since reopened all but two with major maintenance or safety problems. New York, among others, shut down a number of rest areas in 2010.
But rest areas aren't on the verge of extinction – yet, anyway. Anderson and Dowling see too much public support.
"This is now an established part of American travel," Dowling said.
How established? Enough so that if you happen to be traveling on the same day as someone you know, you might run into him or her at a rest area. In our years on the road, my family has encountered my grandfather and aunt, our next-door neighbor and my mom's college roommate's husband at various locations. You have to love the serendipity of that.


text:
Open education materials for pre-Kindergarten to high school students
Free and open source education materials for children and teens
I am a community moderator for opensource.com as well as a mother, a librarian, and a former public school teacher. When I began writing for this site over two years ago, it was due to my son's education and how both private and public schools were largely neglecting digital technology, global citizenship, and digital literacy.
What I have discovered since exploring open source materials for children and teens is astonishing. The amount of open source materials is simply breathtaking. Every day more and more open source materials become available and accessible to all.
Open source materials: where?
A. The first step is to explore open source materials for children and teens. How many resources are there? And where are these resources located and how to retrieve them?
Use the key search terms: teacher AND free AND resources
1. For-profit companies from Intel to Scholastic have created free teacher resources, lesson plans, and tools. Companies, such as Raytheon and Verizon, have created foundations and/or partnered with educational organizations to provide free materials.
2. Non-profit organizations from the television Discovery channel to Annenberg's Explore and Nobel Prize have free resources. Some, such as PBS, even have dedicated specialized free educational resources for STEM or certain subjects.
3. Libraries, archives, museums, and cultural institutions have created free educational materials too. Project Gutenberg and the British Museum are just two examples.
4. Governmental agencies, states, teaching organizations, and professional associations have also created free educational materials. There are national councils and standards for every subject and field in education. English, math, social studies, science, and so on have their own dedicated sites today.
5. Numerous universities and colleges have created open source materials for children and teens as well. MIT's Scratch and Radix Endeavor are two better known examples, but there are many others.
Expand your search outside your local area, state, province, or country and the amount of free and open educational materials only increases.
Note the line between what is considered open source and what is not is often gray for non open source purists.
B. Next, try playing around with key search terms: open source AND children or free AND resources. Most likely, you will retrieve many more educational resources or lists of them. Here are some examples (i.e. this is hardly an exhaustive list!):
For more open education resources, read my Guide to free and open education.
Open source materials: Now what?
C. If you take a brief glance, you will notice that there are numerous open educational materials for children from preschoolers through to high school and beyond. And numerous places where these free or open educational materials can be found. Books, videos, films, games, lesson plans, entire libraries or collections are online today. Many freely available and accessible 24/7. At this point, your head might explode with the amount of limitedless options and possibilities. It can be a little overwhelming, but here are some points to remember:
1. Every child is unique. Every child has their own interests, learning styles, attention spans, growth and developmental rates, and preferences. Digital technology presents a wealth of possibilities and options that are not otherwise possible in print or type. What works for one child, may not work for another. A child who learns best visually might have an easier time grasping concepts if the material is presented in video format.
2. Likewise, a reluctant reader may have an easier time with Professor Garfield and/or Blender than with a more traditional English assignment. A math phobe, by comparison, may find something on Good Sites for Kids or from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives that makes learning math less daunting for them and enjoyable too.
3. Gifted, twice exceptional (gifted with special needs) and particular special needs often have sites dedicated to them. A diagnosis or symptoms can be helpful to give you some guidance and/or direction with your search. Hoagies' Gifted Education Page, for instance, is aimed at gifted and twice exceptional students and does have some open educational resources listed.
D. Another way approach to open source is to use a creative model or a project-based learning approach. Find open source tools like Matterhorn or from a site like Web 2.0 Guru or Edjudo that would allow a child to demonstrate what they learn and let them engage more with a subject or topic. Project-based learning lets a child engage in a way emotionally and socially that is not possible with print or type. It can be an empowering way to learn.
E. Evaluate the chaff from the wheat. Use your research and basic library skills digitally. Some sites may be more appropriate than others. Some sites may be more educational or rigorous than others. Assess your needs and go from there. And don't forget to have fun learning too!
10 Comments
Excellent article. No matter how much we learn about open source, it's always the tip of the iceberg. I used GNU/Linux and FLOSS applications in education for a decade and loved it. I loved the freedom: no limits on software on servers or PCs and on networks. I loved the performance: whatever we needed to do there was a way to do it with FLOSS. Many schools do neglect IT but it's mostly because they can't have enough to do a decent job. With GNU/Linux running a local server on the LAN, a lot of data from the web can be cached or kept locally and the load on Internet connections reduced. LTSP on terminal servers makes every application useful on any client PC made in the last decade and cheap thin clients can be bought new or salvaged from dumpsters. The whole world keeps discarding PCs with that other OS and often it's the software that died.
FLOSS is really strong in local search engines, databases, collaborative sites, and file-storage on the LAN. That way, the cumulative effort of the school staff and students becomes a very relevant resource. Install a local copy of Wikipedia that students can edit, or a searchable database of multimedia and annotations. It all works for education and for a minimal cost gives maximum return on investment.
There are also a number of teacher to teacher sites where teachers post materials for others to use.
Nice post and great timing as the OpenEd 2013 Conference is going on this week (http://openedconference.org/2013/). Growth in both the use and creation of open educational resources (OER) has been dramatic. While the current interest (some might argue, "hype") has been fostered by the rise of the Massive Open Online Course, the use of freely available educational courses and learning objects has been around for decades (Indeed this is year 10 of the Open Ed Conference).
As growth and interests increase, I wonder what advise you might have for folks assessing open source materials in terms of modification and redistribution? While Creative Commons has a variety of popular licenses, these often only address use/reuse, but do not touch on community practice, for example, how do those who might be interested in participating (i.e. contributing new material, correcting error, providing enhancements vs. forking a new object) collaborate and influence the direction of the project/material?
I expect most folks to are just discovering open source materials are simply happy to have access to the content, and contributing to the project development might be beyond their current capacity. However as folks do invest more and more, as with any project, they will inevitably discover better methods, think of new ideas, and perhaps then want to make suggestions.
How might users become, "prosumers" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosumer), and do you have any suggestions for what folks might look for within a community (practices, organization, governance), beyond the material itself?
Thanks again,
Patrick Masson wrote, "How might users become, "prosumers""
With the constant plunge of prices for hardware and the treadmill of consumerism, it is very inexpensive to acquire one or more PCs. They can be networked with Ethernet for a few dollars per machine and a 24-port network switch is less than $100, so a network of PCs like a lab can be set up with no access needed to the Internet. Software and data can be imported by CD if no Internet access is available and one machine can be promoted to "server" simply by adding storage. One technique I have used is to take the hard drives from several PCs and install them on the server. Then every GNU/Linux machine that boots PXE over the network from the server can use that resource. The same can be done with RAM. If there are multiple RAM modules in each PC, some of them may be movable to the server. Then everyone runs applications on the server and views them from the other PCs as thin clients. It takes some knowledge but several distributions of Free Software include this "LTSP" (Linux Terminal Server Project) capability. Install on one PC and set all the others to boot PXE in the BIOS. The first time it might take all day to configure this but with practice, it can be done in an hour. e.g. see Part 4 Fun with Debian Creating an LTSP server and booting PXE clients
Once a lab of clients and a GNU/Linux server is set up one can test many different applications on client and server and when ready, open up that server to the whole school/organization. To scale the solution, add more or more powerful servers, faster/larger storage and memory and gigabit/s networking. Surprisingly to newbies, this solution is faster that a regular new PC with a powerful CPU, lots of RAM per user and a local hard drive, because the data does not need to pass over the network, just the screen images, and the server needs only one copy of each file in use in RAM at one time, meaning the second and later users have access to applications and data in RAM rather than hard drives. Thus, the solution works even with fairly old/cheap equipment, solving many problems for schools.
As usual, the key to this is knowledge and the Internet is full of useful sites. For the Debian software, see www.debian.org.
Excellent article.
I am developing a FLOSS typeface family for early learning teaching of reading and writing. In my opinion, teaching tools should be free and freely available to everyone, and at present the only font families specifically designed to aid early learning reading & writing are strictly proprietary, so i hope this typeface family can change that :) It's work in progress at the moment, so any interest, feedback, etc is greatly appreciated.
Details are here ->
source & fonts here -> https://github.com/vernnobile/topmarks
Let me, if I may, suggest another good free educational resource which is good for both - kids and adults. It is meant for people who want to learn to touch type. Hopefully it will be useful for you too. http://www.typingstudy.com


text:
the soft genitals of a lady under her undergarments; cavemen used this for sharpening spears and/or getting hard.
Caveman..."Hey can i sharpen my spear"?
Cavewoman..."Sure, just use my vagina".
Cavewoman..."Sure, just use my vagina".
door craneballz555 30 augustus 2010
What man desire to poke into it
Hubai:ilove vagina
door Vagina Loveer 3 maart 2009
a girls private part
she has a tight vaGINA
door ghjkjhgfvdcfghjkiuy 8 juli 2011
The thing that is man's most favorite thing.
Something men play with on the weekends.
Something men play with on the weekends.
Last Saturday Nicole and I had sex and I licked her vagina.
door Nom Nom babies 16 januari 2011
See pussy. Only pansies and sex-ed teachers use the word "vagina".
Jill: My vagina feels funny.
Joe: ....the fuck is a vagina?
Joe: ....the fuck is a vagina?
door ZeroKaiser 27 december 2010
its not a clown car
Bill:you heard about the octomom?
Ted:geez dont get me started. its a vagina not a clown car.
Ted:geez dont get me started. its a vagina not a clown car.
door WillYum0123 25 mei 2010
The axe wound found on women or an adventure play ground found right next to a sewerage outlet. It can be bald, hairy, a landing strip, trimmed and manicured. It can be smelly - like fish - taste tangy or if you are lucky, be completely neutral and delicious - you'll growl for hours if this is the case. Can also be an ini or an outi - look like a badly packed kebab or a nice sweet freshly cut mango!
Bob was at the local pub and saw a nice looking gal, he said to his mate Phil "I wouldn't mind going the growl on that vagina." meaning touging her out.
door CutUpRough 25 januari 2010


text:
188th supporters set gathering time for Friday morning
A group that supports the 188th Fighter Wing has scheduled a demonstration for people to protest possible program changes on Friday morning.
The gathering is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. The group will meet at the intersection of Phoenix Ave. and Leigh Ave. in Fort Smith. They're hoping to be seen by Gen. Mark A. Welsh, III, Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
The 188th Fighter Wing Steering Committee will save some t-shirts and signs for people who aren't bringing their own.
The military plans to stop the 188th's A-10 fighter plane program, and replace it with drone airplanes, which will be flown by people on the ground, using remote control.
Copyright 2013 by 4029tv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
I am probably one of the most nostalgic people around.
My husband, Stephen, always makes fun of my music because about 70 percent of it is from the 90s – New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Alanis Morissette, Montell Jordan, etc. I could go on for hours.
I'm a musician, so believe me, I know it's not the highest quality music out there, but I love it more because of the nostalgia I feel when I listen to it.
I have a surprisingly good memory when it comes to details of events and people. So when a song comes on, I can most likely tie it to a memory.
In high school, "Blue" by Eiffel 65 seemed to always play when my friends and I piled in someone's car for lunch.
"Never Loved You Anyway" by the Corrs was the break-up anthem used by my roommate, Sarah, and I in college.
It's not just music, though. It's TV shows and movies, too. I was home for lunch the other day and came across "Full House" on ABC Family and then again later on Nick at Night. Seeing favorite TV shows on Nick at Night used to be horrifying because when I was younger that was the old show graveyard. Now, I embrace the opportunity to see some of my favorites again.
What has happened to the shows with good, solid, get-stuck-in-your-head theme songs anyway? To the shows with a lesson learned at the end of every episode (accompanied by dramatic music)?
Remember TGIF on Friday nights? "Family Matters" ("Did I do that?" I know you just said that in the Urkel voice), "Step By Step," "Boy Meets World"… Classic!
"Gilmore Girls" and "Dawson's Creek"?
I own the complete seasons of both.
A few months ago, I watched a little of… OK, a lot of… OK, I recorded… the movie "Casper," the one with Christina Ricci and Devon Sawa as Casper the Boy. Devon Sawa was my hunk of choice through middle school. My best friend and I would have Devon marathons with every movie he ever starred in while we tore his picture out of TeenBeat and all the other teenybopper magazines.
Watching that movie again made me smile at the simplicity of life, back when it revolved around the movie star I was going to marry.
It never fails: Stephen always gives me a loving look of, "You're so pretty," when he comes home and I'm rocking out to something back-in-the-day.
A musician himself, he really doesn't like it when I have Ella listening, too (for the record, my baby does listen to classical, jazz and many other types of music. She will just be very well rounded).
With both of us being musicians, music plays an integral part in our lives and, therefore, in Ella's life as well. Music, moreso than TV or movies, is connected to the majority of my memories.
I want Ella to have an appreciation for her memories. I want her to know it is not events alone that create them; it is your surroundings – sounds, smells, people and images.
Memories, good and bad, help define us. They give us reasons to smile, reasons to think of someone or something, and reasons to change.
It is so easy to get caught up in the seriousness of life and the day-to-day of right now that sometimes I think we all need to take a little trip down memory lane, whether it's through hearing music, watching TV or movies, or talking about products of the past (Walkmans, anyone?).
Hearing the music and watching the shows and movies takes me to my happy place. Don't get me wrong, my happy place really is a beach in the Caribbean. But in the interim (so I don't start planning a vacation with money I don't have), nostalgia is my oasis.
It makes my bad days manageable and puts a smile on my face.
Rest assured, I am that car with my windows down, blaring "Here Comes the Hotstepper" by Ini Kamoze in the summer, and it will be my kid at the school dance who requests the Macarena.
Don't be ashamed. Turn on "The Brady Bunch" and "play that funky music!"
You'll be glad you did.
Jenn Seedorf is married with a daughter. Read her Mondays on Greeley Moms.
Watching that movie again made me smile at the simplicity of life, back when it revolved around the movie star I was going to marry.


text:
Michael Moore and the Mysteries of Causation in the Law
Larry Alexander
University of San Diego School of Law
September 8, 2011
Rutgers Law Journal, Forthcoming
San Diego Legal Studies Paper No. 11-063
Michael Moore believes that causation of harm is central to criminal desert, and he believes that whether or not a criminal defendant has caused a harm is a metaphysical question rather than a matter of policy. I do not believe in the materiality of causation to criminal desert, but in this article I assume that causation is material and asked whether Moore has satisfactorily resolved the stock vexing questions by recourse to metaphysics. I conclude that he has not, and his scalar notion of causation, and his substitution of counterfactual dependence for causation in cases of omissions and prevention, produces counterintuitive results.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 19
Keywords: causation, counterfactual dependence, scalar
JEL Classification: K10
Date posted: September 9, 2011
Suggested Citation
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text:
I don't need or want to like the Commissioner.
Name the last likeable commissioner in any sport. They all suck, and always have. It's the nature of the beast.
The I would prefer one who doesn't lock out the players and cost us hockey games every single CBA negotiation. The dislikes commissioners from other sports have done a better job of that.


text:
Summary of the Novel
My Antonia takes the form of a memoir by the narrator, Jim Burden. In his memoir, Jim recounts the life of his childhood friend Antonia Shimerda, the eldest daughter of an immigrant family of Bohemian farmers living in Black Hawk, Nebraska. Antonia's father commits suicide and she is forced to farm the fields throughout her early teens. Later in her life she goes to work for the Harling family. She remains with the family until Mr. Harling interferes with her social life. Antonia then goes to work for the Cutters until Wick's amorous intentions cause her to leave.
Jim Burden enters a college in Lincoln, Nebraska, and leaves Antonia's side for two years. When he returns to Black Hawk, he learns of her failed relationship with Larry Donovan, the train conductor and ladies man who had promised to marry her. Donovan abandoned Antonia in Colorado, unwed and pregnant, and she returns home to Black Hawk, ashamed. She resumes her hard-working life in Black Hawk and gives birth to a daughter. After Jim goes East to attend law school, Antonia meets and marries Anton Cuzak, a fellow Bohemian, and has a large family with him. Content with family life, Antonia lives the rest of her days toiling and happy on her farm in Nebraska.
Estimated Reading Time
The average student should be able to read My Antonia in its entirety in a total of approximately 12 to 18 hours. It is suggested that the reading of the novel be divided into three blocks: Book I, "The Shimerdas" for the first block, Books II and III for the second block, and Books IV and V for the third block. These blocks divide the novel into the stages of Antonia's life, from her early childhood on the farm, to her life as a hired girl, and finishes with her family life as a mother and wife.
Block One-Book I: The Shimerdas
(Reading Time: 4-6 hours)
Block Two-Book II: The Hired Girls
Book III: Lena Lingard
(Reading Time: 4-6 hours)
Block Three-Book IV: The Pioneer Woman's Story
Book V: Cuzak's Boys
(Reading Time: 4-6 hours)
The Life and Work of Willa Cather
Willa Cather was born in 1873 in rural Virginia. She moved with her family from Virginia to Red Cloud, Nebraska, at age ten. Red Cloud was a small railroad town that had just been founded thirteen years before the Cathers moved there, populated by immigrants from all over Europe. When Cather attended Red Cloud High School, she became enamored with learning the classics. A townswoman, Mrs. Minor, contributed greatly to her love for music, a love that entered many of the characters in her novels. Ms. Cather began to forge friendships with many of the immigrants that had moved to Red Cloud. Her compassion for their struggles again reflected itself in her novels.
Cather graduated high school and tired quickly of small town life. She moved to Lincoln in 1890. She wanted to enter the University of Nebraska, but her poor schooling in Red Cloud prevented her from getting admitted. She spent a year studying to enter college. She was admitted as a medical student, but abandoned that for the study of the classics. During her college years she became a dedicated writer on the classics. One of her literary papers was published, without her knowledge, in the Nebraska State Journal by one of her professors. She was enamored by the sight of her own writing published in a magazine. "What youthful vanity can be unaffected by the sight of itself in print!" she later wrote. The influence of prairie life made her stand out at the University of Nebraska. Many of the students would later remember her as unmannerly, masculine in appearance, and poorly dressed. After graduation, Ms. Cather decided to pursue a career in journalism. She moved to Pittsburgh, getting a job as a newspaper woman but she tired quickly of the hectic newspaper life. She moved to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, to become a high school teacher of English and Latin. She continued to write more consistently, and in 1903, she published April Twilights, her only volume of poetry. Shortly after that, she published The Troll Garden, a collection of short stories.
When she was 32, she moved to New York City and joined the editorial staff of McClure's Magazine. At McClure's, she edited and rewrote hundreds of magazine articles. Cather continued writing and publishing short stories in her spare time, in The Century magazine, Harper's Monthly and McClure's.
While doing research in Boston for a magazine piece, Cather met Sarah Orne Jewett, a sixty-year-old short story writer. Jewett advised Cather to become a novelist. "Your vivid, exciting companionship in the office must not be your audience," Jewett told her. "You must find your own quiet center of life, and write from that to the world."
Though she knew that her chances of becoming a successful fiction writer were slim, Cather resigned from McClure's after seven years. She traveled to the Southwest, where she became inspired to spend her life writing. She published her first novel, Alexander's Bridge, in 1912, and then her second novel, O Pioneers!, in 1913. Willa returned to the Southwest in the summer of 1915, and her third novel, The Song of the Lark, had its setting there in the ancient cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon, Arizona. In 1918, Willa published My Antonia in which she returns to her childhood years in Nebraska.
After My Antonia, Willa continued to write novels set around characters from the prairie. She achieved popular success with One of Ours, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1922. It is the story of a Midwestern farmboy who enlists in the army during World War I and is killed in France. The novel was based on a relative of Cather's, who died in that war. Her next novel, A Lost Lady, deals with the slow moral deterioration of a woman from a small Nebraska town. The Professor's House, published in 1925, is set in a small mid-western college. Of all her novels, she is best remembered for My Antonia.
The characters of Willa Cather's writings stem from the landscape of the prairie and her personal experiences growing up. Her early novels, including My Antonia, are reflections of the courageous immigrants from Europe who settled in the Midwest. Many of these immigrants could speak only their own native languages. They were people so poor they built their homes with almost no money, while braving the harsh prairie winters. Though many of the immigrants became successful farmers, many also lost their ambition and gave up. Willa saw, through their endeavors, what the pioneer spirit was all about.
Willa Cather died in 1947 at the age of seventy-three. Today, she is considered the definitive writer of the plains states, and one of the most acclaimed woman writers in American literature. Her tombstone, in the small town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire, bears a line from My Antonia: "That is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great."


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+ POOL Exhibition Opening at Ace Hotel (and a party for you)
We're super stoked to announce an exhibition at Ace Hotel which looks back on four wild years of research and development of + POOL, all through floor to ceiling... Read more
Float Lab Water Sensors are Now in the River!
2014 is off to an amazing start: Float Lab fabrication is underway, we'll be launching it in in late March, and now we're super excited to announce that we've dropped... Read more
3 Days Left to Make + POOL a Reality for NYC!
In July of 2011, you helped make + POOL real. Because of your pledge, we were able to test the first layer of + POOL's filtration system right there in... Read more
Hope Everyone is OK After Sandy
Hi All,
Just a note amongst the recovery efforts and news surrounding Hurricane Sandy that all of us at + POOL hope that you and your loved ones are all... Read more
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Hi All,
Just a quick note that the incentives have finally started showing up at the office and we'll be shipping them out to ya'lls soon.
Most everyone has... Read more
Brooklyn Flea Williamsburg this Sunday (July 10th)
I think there's something missing.
Just a quick note that we'll be setting up a table at the Brooklyn Flea at Williamsburg's East River Waterfront this coming Sunday, July 10th from 10am... Read more
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As reported in its website, the project development cost had ballooned from RM0.87 billion in 2001 to nearly RM2.43 billion by 2008. The development cost variation of nearly 180 percent was remarkably too high to slip away from the detection of the board of PKA. Surprisingly, most of PKA board members did not come forward to explain how this oversight was possible.
I was told that nearly 15 contracts worth billions were signed by the PKFZ general manager even when it was obvious that the authority was facing a difficulty to meet all its financial obligations. As a result, the ex-ministers of transport (Ling Liong Sik and Chan Kong Choy) had between them endorsed and signed four letters of support to allow the authority to raise corporate bonds.
Another procedural problem had surfaced regarding the validity of these letters. It was obvious that the ministers cannot issue any letter of guarantee on the behalf of the Malaysian government. The only ministry allowed to issue a letter of guarantee was the ministry of finance after procuring an approval from the cabinet.
A remedy for the project must seek to address this procedural flaw to ensure that a strong check-and-balance mechanism is in place to prevent any such flaw from happening again. Members of the administration must be held accountable to the promise of protecting public's interest.
Interesting, by claiming that this project was a national interest, the cabinet approved a soft loan worth RM4.3 billion (at 4% interest) to the PKA to fund the project. It appears that the authority may have some difficulty making the interest payment worth RM2.51 billion by 2036. On top of this, the authority needs to pay the contractor, Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, a total interest of RM1.45 billion by 2017.
Even with the most aggressive projection, the company's cash flow may not be enough to keep this project afloat and viable. The company still need to factor in the maintenance cost which is easily 10% of the total development cost annually.
Another mind boggling inconsistency was its land acquisition cost. It was stated by the cabinet decision that this project was a national interest. The land was purchased by PKA at price of RM1,088 million (that is RM25 psf including Infrastructure Works with land fully reclaimed) instead of through compulsory acquisition which would have cost RM442 million (that is RM10.16 psf for land partly reclaimed and no infrastructure works).
The cabinet made the decision based on the recommendation of Selangor State Government that compulsory acquisition was not possible because PKFZ is not a public interest project; and the Land had been issued with development order in 1995.
This inconsistency was glaring when the cabinet later contradicted itself by offering a soft loan of RM4.3 billion to the company and claimed that it was a national interest. A probe must be done and someone must be made accountable for the irresponsible recommendation.
What's next? The probe must identify all parties and individuals involved in the project. People who were involved in making unscrupulous decisions or acted beyond their official boundaries must be taken to task and reprimanded. Like Minister Ong Tee Keat had promised us, the investigation will not leave any stone unturned.
It was announced yesterday that the government has established three committees to deal with the scandal-plagued Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), including one headed by the country head of global anti-graft body Transparency International (TI).
Datuk Paul Low, president of TI Malaysia, will head an ad-hoc committee of corporate governance which will look into ensuring that weak practices of the past are not repeated.
Ong also announced that a special task force of legal, accounting and project development experts has been appointed to provide Port Klang Authority (PKA) with recommendations on how to recoup some of the RM7.5 billion already sunk into the industrial zone. Heading this team is Vinayak Pradhan, from prominent law firm Skrine, who is a former commissioner with the United Nations Compensation Commission and member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and assisted by two directors of PwC.
A third team, called the executive committee, will take charge of PKFZ's business development.
It is to be co-chaired by PKA chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng and Tan Sri James Alfred, a PKFZ director who is also chairman of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers.
Ong has given the committees and special task force a period of two months to come out with an action plan.
Ong must remember that ultimately the responsibility of fixing this gigantic scandal falls on his shoulder. He must deliver the following:
- Identify the main problems, causes and culprits which had contributed to the financial fiasco of PKFZ and find ways to recover all ill gotten monies
- Identify all procedural flaws and propose a check-and-balance mechanism which can be replicated for all public projects involving public money
- Stop the financial bleed, work on the viability of the project or restructure/reorganise/reinvent the project to ensure it is a viable project which can support the development of Port Klang in the next 50 years
- Review the financial projection to ensure that the project displays all hidden costs
- Review all contracts to ensure that there is no one-sided contract signed by the company on behalf of PKA
- Identify the right people through a merit based system to run and revive the project. Stop all political appointees and replace all board members who did not contribute to the running of the company
- Stop any draw down for the project until it is clear that the fund is going into something purposeful and all legal reviews have been conducted
The tasks above are not exhaustive. A fiasco this size may have more things up its sleeve which are hidden to us.
The public should support Ong to do his best. He should be noted that the outcome of the investigation may possibly implicate a number of people from his party but he must ensure there is no cover up and action must taken against those who are found guilty.
Imagine, more than 5 ministers in the Gordon Brown cabinet had resigned due to some expense claims controversy. The size of PKFZ financial fiasco would have brought down the Labour Party.


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Allison Hays, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Expertise: Cardiology, Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Diseases, Heart Disease, Non-invasive Imaging
Research Interests: Non-invasive imaging of coronary arteries; Magnetic resonance angiography
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Dr. Allison Hays is a general cardiologist at the Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute in the Division of Medicine. She is also an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Hays graduated from Stanford University with degrees in biology and English. She received her medical training at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and did her residency at the New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia. Dr. Hays pursued cardiology fellowships at New York University Medical Center and at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Hays studies ways to use noninvasive imaging to detect cardiovascular disease.
- Assistant Professor of Medicine
Departments / Divisions
- Medicine - Cardiology
- Medicine - Cardiovascular
Centers & Institutes
- MD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (2002)
- New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia / Medicine (2005)
- New York University Medical Center / Cardiology (2007)
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine / Cardiology (2009)
Board Certifications
- American Board of Internal Medicine / Cardiovascular Disease (2008)
Research & Publications
Selected Publications
Sahar Soleimanifard; Matthias Stuber; Allison G Hays; Robert G Weiss; Michael Schär. Robust volume-targeted balanced steady-state free-precession coronary magnetic resonance angiography in a breathhold at 3.0 Tesla: a reproducibility study. Journal of cardiovascular magnetic resonance : official journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance. 2014;16.
Sahar Soleimanifard; Michael Schär; Allison G. Hays; Jerry L. Prince; Robert G. Weiss; Matthias Stuber. Spatially selective implementation of the adiabatic T2prep sequence for magnetic resonance angiography of the coronary arteries Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. 2013;70(1):97-105.
Allison G. Hays; Matthias Stuber; Glenn A. Hirsch; Jing Yu; Michael Schär; Robert G. Weiss; Gary Gerstenblith; Sebastian Kelle. Non-Invasive Detection of Coronary Endothelial Response to Sequential Handgrip Exercise in Coronary Artery Disease Patients and Healthy Adults. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(3).
Srichai MB, Fisch M, Hecht E, Slater J, Rachofsky E, Hays AG, Babb J, Jacobs JE. Dual source computed tomography coronary angiography in new onset cardiomyopathy. World J Radiol. 2012 Jun 28;4(6):258-64.
Allison G. Hays; Sebastian Kelle; Glenn A. Hirsch; Sahar Soleimanifard; Jing Yu; Harsh K. Agarwal; Gary Gerstenblith; Michael Schär; Matthias Stuber; Robert G. Weiss. Regional coronary endothelial function is closely related to local early coronary atherosclerosis in patients with mild coronary artery disease: Pilot study. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. 2012;5(3):341-348.
Sahar Soleimanifard; Michael Schär; Allison G. Hays; Robert G. Weiss; Matthias Stuber; Jerry L. Prince. Vessel centerline tracking and boundary segmentation in coronary MRA with minimal manual interaction. Proceedings - International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging. 2012:1417-1420:[6235834].
Sebastian Kelle; Allison G. Hays; Glenn A. Hirsch; Gary Gerstenblith; Julie M. Miller; Angela M. Steinberg; Michael Schär; John H. Texter; Ernst Wellnhofer; Robert G. Weiss; et al. Coronary artery distensibility assessed by 3.0 Tesla coronary magnetic resonance imaging in subjects with and without coronary artery disease. American Journal of Cardiology. 2011;108(4):491-497.
Allison G. Hays; Glenn A. Hirsch; Sebastian Kelle; Gary Gerstenblith; Robert G. Weiss; Matthias Stuber. Noninvasive visualization of coronary artery endothelial function in healthy subjects and in patients with coronary artery disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2010;56(20):1657-1665.
Allison G. Hays; Michael Schär; Sebastian Kelle. Clinical applications for cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla. Current Cardiology Reviews. 2009;5(3):237-242.
Allison G. Hays; Ralph L. Sacco; Tanja Rundek; Robert R. Sciacca; Zhezhen Jin; Rui Liu; Shunichi Homma; Marco R. Di Tullio. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction and the risk of ischemic stroke in a multiethnic population. Stroke. 2006;37(7):1715-1719.
Videos & Media
Recent News Articles and Media Coverage
A noninvasive method gets to the heart of endothelium function


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on December 2, 2012 - 1:00 AM
By Sherry Sherrill
The Voting Rights Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, is a historic piece of landmark legislation that made voting rights discrimination a federal offense. It contains empowering clauses and stringent remedies to offset tactics meant to thwart the political will, participation and power of this nation's most marginalized populations, including minorities, those with literacy issues, non-English speaking persons, and the poor.
As such, the act is the federal government's and vulnerable communities' chief weapon to combat efforts to disenfranchise, suppress or dilute voters' influence. Specifically, Section 5 of the act has to do with certain designated regions of the country needing to obtain advance clearance from the U.S. Justice Department or the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., before making changes to their voting policies, procedures and practices.
Another clause, Section 4, provides the formula to be used in identifying jurisdictions that offend voting rights and establishes remedies. It also ensures protections for voters with limited English proficiency and provides for discontinuation of Section 5's preclearance requirement when there has been a consistent and uninterrupted pattern of nondiscriminatory conduct on the part of enjoined jurisdictions.
These sections work in conjunction with Section 2, which says that parties alleging voter discrimination need only establish that the said policy, procedure or practice has had or will have a discriminating effect. That clause has an importance that cannot be overstated. That is because proving perpetrators had willful intent to inflict harm is not a prerequisite to bringing or winning an action under Section 2. So, like Sections 5 and 4, Section 2 is a crucial clause whose absolute necessity is not difficult to ascertain and whose role in preserving voting rights in this nation should be perpetuated instead of undermined.
The latter impact, however, is precisely what the current review of Section 5 by Supreme might serve to accomplish. Therein lies the danger. If this particular instance of a jurisdiction having been required to continue adhering to Section 5's preclearance requirements is successfully challenged, and if, in reaching that conclusion, the Supreme Court decides that the jurisdiction in question fell victim to an unconstitutional exercise of federal power, Section 5 will be set upon a course to being abolished altogether.
Moreover, should that occur, it is also academic that copycat jurisdictions will line up to be next at bat to strike a blow for injustice. A degree in constitutional law is not needed to read between the lines for what successful challenges portend for the Voting Rights Act.
Sherry Sherrill belongs to County Every Vote Buffalo, a civic education and empowerment group formed to address the disenfranchisement of minority voters.


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Food, glorious food… it can be the best part of your travels or it can be the worst, particularly if you have specific dietary needs or simply just want to eat healthily.
Can't wait a whole year for your next adventure? There's no need! Travelling at Christmas is becoming increasingly popular and in some parts of the world, it's the best time to visit. So why not get Imaginative, escape the turkey and tinsel this year and jet off on a journey of a lifetime to make this an unforgettable festive season. We've picked out some of the best destinations.
Why not make this year's countdown to Christmas extra special for the whole family by jetting off for the Festive Season on one of our incredible Family Adventures?
It's a bit of a common misconception that a good Indian curry has to be made by using fancy pestle and mortars and fresh spices. The thing I love about this recipe is that it's so simple to make and you can keep most of dried spices in your cupboard. The trick to this curry is to make sure the gravy or 'johl' is as smooth as possible so it's a good idea to blend the tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic first (don't be afraid to cheat and buy puréed garlic and ginger, I have jars of the stuff in my fridge).
Remember, there is no perfect science to this, which is why my curries taste different every time – I always think a slapdash approach is the best, and definitely more fun!
Combine the excitement of adventure travel with the calm of the Suffolk countryside. We are looking for a new sales consultant to join us at Camp Green – our busy UK head office.
You could be helping customers to book anything from a Dragoman overland trip to any of the trips sold through Imaginative Traveller, which could be a cycling trip in Cuba or a group of friends visiting Iran. The work is fast paced and exciting and we are a close knit and collaborative team. Ideally we are looking for someone with travel and sales experience but we value energy, passion and a high level of customer care above anything else.
There are opportunities for travel through our partners and many other benefits to working in one of the most established companies in the travel business. We are ideally located between Norwich and Ipswich (trains to Liverpool Street 1hour 10 mins), and just half an hour to the coast. We have a great social life here or you can enjoy the discounted facilities at the local leisure centre or indulge in a pie and pint at the local pub.
I learnt to make this dish on a recent cookery course in Gili Trawangan off the coast of Lombok, Bali's quieter cousin. Chicken Taliwang is said to have originated from the Sasak people of Lombok and is named after Karang Taliwang in Mataram, the capital of Lombok.
Known as 'Cave of Hands' in English, this amazing cave is filled with 13, 000 year old cave paintings.
If you're in London on the weekend of the February 4th to 7th then then why not come and say hello and meet some of our friendly team?
We take a look at the worl'd most contested and controversial foods..
Often described as a spongy sour pancake this Ethiopian speciality Even the most hardened injera fans may get sick of the sight of it by the end of a trip to Ethiopia!
Active Galapagos with Imaginative Traveller…what can you say; all the usual superlatives describe this trip; holiday of a lifetime, fun, adventurous, amazing, and so much more.
Iran is possibly one of the most misunderstood places on earth; a fascinating mix of culture, history, architecture and people. Mike Marlowe takes us on a visual adventure through this unique and beautiful country.
From tasty salads to gooey, calorific but oh so delicious cheesy breads and tasty aubergine starters, Georgian is a interesting mix of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Central Asian flavours and one of the most unique cuisines out there. Helen Youngman, our resident foodie travelled there this month and went on a mission to hunt out the country's best home cooked delicacies and street food.
The 3 hour drive from Shiraz to visit the Nomad home stay is a winding drive up through the Zagros mountains. The Qashqai tribe (the same name as the Nissan car, of which they are very proud of!) tribe have been nomadic within Iran for thousands of years.
Here is the latest blog post from Jezza and Lesh, the guys behind NOMADasaurus who are on our Dragoman Bishkek to Tashkent overland trip at the moment!
' Meet Fatima and Aibek!
With Helen away this month I've stepped up to the hot-plate and tried my hand at one of my personal favourite cuisines, Mexican. I've stayed away from the classic chilli-com-carne and nachos and tried my hand at some Mexican street food.
The taco is a classic example of this as it is quick and easy to make, satisfies those hunger pangs and you can just use your hands to eat it…no sitting down and no knife and fork required.
An insider's guide by professional travel photographer Mike Marlowe
To become competent at travel photography it's necessary to embrace a number of genres and landscape is an important part of that.
Most people often think of landscape as just picturesque views of natural surroundings but it can also include urban landscapes and any scene that gives a strong impression of the surroundings.
Best of East Meets West
To celebrate the launch of exciting new Europe trips we thought we would take a look at some of our favourite cuisines that really reflect a diversity of cultures, where flavours and culinary customs move beyond borders. Did you know that years of Austrian rule infused Bosnian cuisine with a host of Viennese ingredients, or that Georgian cuisine is heavily influenced by both Ottoman and Persian empires?
Here are our top 5 'East Meets West' cuisines.
Nothing gives a feel or impression of a place more than the people. Capturing the essence of people's looks and character when travelling is a skill that any budding travel photographer should acquire.
There are two primary types of portraits; the first is the formal type portrait that requires a 'sitting'. This concentrates on the person and their connection with the viewer.
You simply cannot beat the spectacle of over a million wildebeest, zebra and antelope trekking from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara – an absolute 'must-see' in the wildlife calendar
Friday June 12th marked a special day for the world... and the Imtrav office; it was the 4th International Falafel Day, a day designed to "bring together countries around the world" through their shared love of the falafel. To me this was the perfect excuse to put on a Middle Eastern Charity lunch! The actual falafel making process turned out to be a bit of a nightmare in all honesty, an art form harder to master than it seems. It was my first attempt at making falafel and I'm not one for following rigid recipes, I'm much more of a slap dash haphazard one pot wonder whiz (no surprises baking is not my forte!) So after sabotaging someone else's kitchen and turning the falafel mix into an oily tempura soup in ten seconds flat…I caved and bought some frozen Lebanese falafels.
Lebanese Falafel
1. Wildlife? Well of course! Madagascar is one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world. Approximately 95 percent of Madagascar's reptiles, 89 percent of its plant life and 92 per cent of its mammals exist nowhere else on earth!
Explore the world on two wheels – 'Four Wheels Good, Two Wheels Better!'
My best ever birthday present was a weekend mountain-biking course in the Lake District. I learnt how correct use of gears helps you up impossibly steep hills, sped down narrow mountain paths with precipitous drops, enjoyed a 'slow race' (where the last person to reach the finishing line wins!) and generally pushed myself far beyond the norm. I absolutely loved it (falls and all), particularly the well earned pints at scenic Cumbrian pubs at the end of a hard day in the hills.
An insiders guide by professional travel photographer Mike Marlowe
Like many things, choosing the best camera equipment for travel is an exercise in compromise and you have to weigh up the pros and cons around your decision.
Turkish cuisine is a rich fusion of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Caucasian and Central Asian flavours, from barbequed octopus and calamari on the Aegean coast to delicately prepared 'Sigara Boregi' cigar pastries, to homemade Anatolian herbed cheese, Turkish is one of the most varied cuisines in the world. It's so good we have a two week foodie tour where you can see the main highlights of Turkey whilst eating and cooking your way around the country!
This month brings us to Ethiopia in our series of articles exploring traditional and contemporary music across many different areas of the world.
Festivals are a thrilling way to experience the culture of a region - from the internationally renowned Pushkar camel fair in India to the wild spectacle of the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival, here's a list of our favourite festivals around the world!
"If Cuba were a book, it would be James Joyce's Ulysses; layered, hard to grasp, serially misunderstood, but – above all – a classic." Is how Lonely Planet describes Cuba…and how true they are!
Ceviche is a refreshing popular seafood dish from the coastal regions of South America. It is made from fresh raw fish cured in lemon or lime juice, and then seasoned with chilli peppers to taste. We've chosen a Cuban inspired recipe to share with you which is made with allspice and red chillies - adding a bit of a kick - this dish is refreshing and great for summer!
This month marks the start of a series of articles exploring traditional and contemporary music across many different areas of the world. We start off with the music of one of our most exciting and beautiful destinations in South America – Colombia.
Cuba keeps hitting the news lately, and as relations between the US and the island continue to improve, we all wonder how long its timeless charm will last.
This week's recipe, Denning-vleis, or Tamarind Lamb Stew is one of the oldest dishes in South Africa and is a Cape Malay favourite.
The vast North American continent has so much for the traveller to discover, from the majestic mountains, glaciers and lakes of Alaska and the Canadian Rockies, to the sun-drenched deserts of California and Arizona, to the rolling prairies of the American Mid-West, to the cosmopolitan cities and picturesque landscapes of New England.
Stepped in ancient traditions and flavours from Afghanistan, Persia and Central Asia, I think heavenly Kashmiri cuisine is one of the most underrated in the world!
The use of cardamom, cloves, mustard oil, saffron, mawal flowers, mint, yogurt and give the dishes a rich, aromatic and unique edge. Here's a delicious Kashmiri paneer recipe to try at home!
Despite being one of the few countries left that still see a limited number of outside visitors, it's popularity continues to grow. It has now hit the top of the list on the most popular trips among Imaginative Traveller customers. It's not surprising considering the depth and variety of new experiences to be found.
Here at Imaginative Traveller HQ we are busy working on our new brochure for 2015-2016. The 2014 brochure will be a hard act to follow but we are aiming for a bumper edition this year to really whet your adventure travel appetites...
The excitement of returning travellers, the anticipation of those heading out on the road, the joy of talking about such exotic places as Buenos Aires, Havana, Kathmandu and Marrakech....Content Manager Helene Cooper realised that working at Imaginative Traveller could be a little like living in Istanbul....
Solo travel can be the most exciting, life-affirming, eye-opening experience for any traveller. However, it can also fill people with trepidation and worry and even put some off travelling altogether. After becoming a widower and an empty-nester in the sameyear, Janice Waugh decided to launch herself on the world - and created her very own blogsite in the process.
Aol Travel is written by a variety of travel writers and bloggers from around the world. Covering a plethora of fun, interesting and informative guides, advice and features, it's the perfect website for helping you put together your own travel bucket list. So how has this community created such a powerful and successful website?
Want to discover the best places to travel to with our informative Imaginative Traveller travel calendar? Check out our suggestions for exciting September destinations and tour ideas.
Want to discover the best places to travel to with our informative Imaginative Traveller travel calendar? Check out our suggestions for exciting August destinations and tour ideas...
On the northeastern coast of Central America, Belize stands out as a top destination for bird and nature lovers, a compact country with an abundance of stunning wildness, where English is the language and the people are laid-back. Max Hartshorne of travel website Gonomad, recently spent some time there....
"The rivers are infested with piranhas but they're generally very pleasant places to swim" - this was our introduction to a four day expedition into the Ecuadorian Amazon.....
Want to discover the best places to travel to with our informative Imaginative Traveller travel calendar? Check out our suggestions for exciting July destinations and tour ideas...
Want to discover the best places to travel to with our informative Imaginative Traveller travel calendar? Check out our suggestions for exciting June destinations and tour ideas...
A walking or cycling holiday is the most rewarding type of activity holiday out there - after all, some of the world's best scenery, wildlife and culture can only be accessed on two feet - or two wheels! An active holiday with Imaginative Traveller offers a totally new perspective on a destination and allows you to truly experience the heart of a country. It's a fantastic way to remind you that this is a beautiful world we live in.
So what did you do last weekend? Our 'gang' in Brazil had an absolute blast at the Rio Carnival. Find out just what you can get up to during a long weekend at the biggest fiesta in the world!
Fancy jumping into a hole in the ground in the middle of the Mexican jungle? One of our travellers decided to delve new depths whilst in Central America and really push the limits of imaginative travel...
Ever had some spare time on an evening in India? Helene Cooper from our Marketing Department enjoyed a 'night at the flicks' Bollywood-style....
Want to discover the best places to travel to with our informative Imaginative Traveller travel calendar? Check out our suggestions for exciting May destinations and tour ideas....
Want to discover the best places to travel to with our informative Imaginative Traveller travel calendar? Check out our suggestions for exciting April destinations and tour ideas....
Want to discover the best places to travel to with our informative Imaginative Traveller travel calendar? Check out our suggestions for exciting March destinations and tour ideas....
Want to discover the best places to travel to with our informative Imaginative Traveller travel calendar? Check out our suggestions for exciting February destinations and tour ideas....
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text:
Serves 7 |
Prep Time 30 minutes |
Cook Time 30 minutes
1 package manicotti shells, about 14 shells
Tofu Ricotta
2 pounds organic extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup water
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeeze out excess water
2 Tbsp Eden Ume Plum Vinegar
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1 tsp Eden Shoyu Soy Sauce
25 ounces Eden No Salt Spaghetti Sauce, 1 jaror Eden Spaghetti Sauce - Salted
2 Tbsp Eden Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
Cook pasta in 2 quarts boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water, and drain again.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the tofu ricotta. Place the tofu, water, ume plum vinegar, scallions and shoyu in a blender. Blend until creamy. Place the tofu ricotta in a medium mixing bowl, add the spinach, and mix well. Stuff each manicotti shell with spoonfuls of tofu cream. Place in an oiled baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°.
To prepare the sauce, heat oil in a medium skillet or saucepan and sauté the garlic for 1 minute. Add the onions and mushrooms, sauté 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce and shoyu. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Pour the sauce over the stuffed manicotti, cover baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
Good/High Protein, Italian, Japanese Food, Main Course, Oils, Tomatoes, Vegan, Vinegars


text:
UNIVERSITY PARK - Throw out the offensive record book at Penn State because many of the old marks don't stand much of a chance as long as Bill O'Brien is head coach.
Matt McGloin is now PSU's career passing TD leader (45). Along with: single-season completions leader (251), season passing yardage leader (3,071), most career 300-yard passing games (6), most 200-yard passing games (17) and most consecutive 200-yard passing games (9).
McGloin set or extended all those records Saturday as he threw for a career-high 395 yards and four TDs.
Article Video
"It's a great honor, and I'm truly blessed to be considered amongst some of the great quarterbacks that have played here," McGloin said of his records. "And to be on the top of the list in some of those things, it's a great honor, and it feels good when your hard work pays off."
Allen Robinson got in on the fun, too, setting PSU's season receptions record (73) while catching 10 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns.
"With the great receivers that came through here, I'd say it definitely means a lot," Robinson said.
Article Photos
Mirror photos by Patrick Waksmunski
Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson smiles after scoring on a 26-yard reception during the Nittany Lions' victory over Indiana at Beaver Stadium.
There was a joke going around the Beaver Stadium press box, relayed from the TV broadcast, about what's the record for most records set in a game.
And this is just the first season for O'Brien's innovative, pass-happy, gambling offense at PSU.
It's guaranteed to be a winning season, too, after the Nittany Lions blistered Indiana, 45-22, before 90,358 fans. Penn State is 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten heading into next week's finale against Wisconsin.
The game took on a somber tone in the first quarter when standout linebacker Michael Mauti, the heart and soul of the PSU team, suffered what appeared to be a major left knee injury. The Lions had a lull shortly after that but played inspired football the rest of the day in crushing Indiana (4-7, 2-5).
McGloin and Robinson didn't just lead the way, they put on a dynamic offensive show.
"It's exciting," McGloin said of the records, "but I like the wins column more. ... Now we're at seven wins, hopefully we'll get one more and make it eight."
McGloin has never shied away from his distaste for being called a former walk-on, but that fact has to be punctuated given how he has emerged as a bona fide stats superstar his senior year.
About the only major PSU record McGloin didn't break Saturday was the single-game passing mark, which belongs to Zack Mills (399 vs. Iowa in 2002). McGloin completed 22-of-32 passes, didn't let his one interception bother him and finished with an incredible passer rating of 207.2.
No one could have imagined McGloin would have the kind of season he's having - 23 TDs, five interceptions, 279 yards per game - although O'Brien knew very quickly after taking over the program that he had a quality guy running the offense.
"I knew right away that we had a competitive kid, and we had a kid that football was very, very important to," O'Brien said. "The way he was on the field, in meetings, the way he took notes, the way he listened - you have to have those traits to be a successful quarterback."
The coach also wants a signal caller with "a brain that can work fast" to run his complex, audible-heavy offense, and he knew early on he had that in McGloin.
O'Brien told a story about how he told McGloin to draw up a play on the board in the spring.
"He drew it up within about three seconds, neatly, and he knew the read, what everyone did," the coach said. "He drew up the front, the coverage, the protection, where it was supposed to go. ... It was gun trips right 64 special H sneak. I'll never forget it, and it was bang. I just knew at that point that we had a kid that was working and wanted to be the starting quarterback."
McGloin has been criticized for many things during his career - from his cocky attitude to taking too many risks - but he has proven this season that he has what it takes mentally to run O'Brien's system.
"He's got a good football IQ, and he likes to learn," quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher said. "That's such a big part of it is you've got to like to learn, and you've got to want to study. And he takes great notes."
No matter how much was expected of McGloin, much less was expected from Robinson before the season. He had only three catches for 29 yards last season, only to emerge as a breakout star this year with 73 catches for 978 yards and 11 TDs.
Robinson hasn't just put up numbers, either. The sophomore has proven time and again to be a dynamite playmaker who can go up and make tough catches in coverage.
O'Brien talked about how Robinson is a great athlete and also a very good basketball player, which he said translates well to the football field for the receiver.
"He has good hand-eye coordination, he can jump, he has the ability to lower his weight and change direction of routes," O'Brien said. "He has just done a really nice job."
McGloin's smarts and Robinson's athletic ability were on display on a fourth-down play in the first quarter. McGloin called an audible at the line of scrimmage when he saw single coverage on Robinson, and he lofted a fade pass down the left sideline that Robinson caught over a defender for a 26-yard TD.
"I saw a lot of single coverage today, and me and Matt were definitely able to hook up a lot," Robinson said.
"There's no doubt he's our best playmaker," McGloin said. "As a quarterback, you have to get him the ball ... you have to put the ball up and let him make his plays. He played one of his best games of his career today, and hopefully he'll finish strong next week and he's going to be one of the best wideouts probably in the nation come next year."
Indiana threw for 454 yards but had no running game (24 yards), while Penn State was able to balance out its offense behind 135 yards from Zach Zwinak. The Lions finished with 546 yards of total offense, their highest total in a Big Ten game since 2008 against Michigan State (557).
Despite the big day, McGloin - as he has all year - said the offense could have been even better.
"It was a good day, but there is always room to improve," he said.


text:
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Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
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Topic: Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight (Read 2023 times)
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Posts: 278
Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
May 04, 2006, 06:14:49 AM »
My first foray into posting on the paperweight forum!
Here is a beautiful weight that I bought from my favourite op shop, it was $20.
It is inscribed on the base Royal Flourish Caithness Scotland 91-250.
I'm assuming that the number refers to it being 91 out of an edition of 250.
I'm curious to find out it's date of manufacture & current value (I'm pretty sure it was a bargain for me!
More glass than class!
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Posts: 12126
Warrington, UK
Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
Reply #1 on:
May 04, 2006, 06:37:07 AM »
As a non paperweight person and not knowing the exchange rate but as a paperweight board reader I'd say you got a bargain. It's lovely. Do they do day trips to your op shop, I'm sure we'd all sign up :lol:
Edit: I've just checked the exchange rate £8.35 !!!!!!!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:
Christine, Uranium Towers
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Posts: 178
Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
Reply #2 on:
May 04, 2006, 09:57:25 AM »
Wow Marinka - you got a real bargain there! :shock:
It was a Willie Manson creation, made in 1989, in a limited edition of 250 although only 99 were made (so it's rare).
The original sale price was £130 and the 2004 valuation was £300.
Because it's 91-99 ever made, then you should put the valuation higher than the £300 in the book. If you have the box and certificate, you should value it about £50 higher.
I can't understand why everyone wanting Caithness goes by the 2004 book value instead of looking at the quality and workmanship and paying today's prices.
Women and cats will do as they please,
and men and dogs should get used to the idea.
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Posts: 10
Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
Reply #3 on:
May 04, 2006, 12:00:11 PM »
Iâm in Australia too but my local OP shop never gets anything as lovely as this and I am forced to buy from overseas, and pay the huge postage costs.
I am very jealous and you are very lucky!
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Posts: 278
Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
Reply #4 on:
May 04, 2006, 01:35:02 PM »
Thanks Simone for the very amazing valuation :!: & info!
And thanks also Christine & Jenny for your compliments!
This op shop is my very favourite, it always has a lot of interesting things,glass or otherwise. The Russian silver salt cellar & Stuart Strathearn vase I have posted in the Glass forum over the last few months have all been from the same place.
I get "feelings" about when to go there-& they almost always pay off.....
Jenny, as you are in Australia, I will reveal the secret- the op shop is St Vincent De Paul store in Mortdale,in southern suburbs of Sydney.
I'm so happy to have found such an excellent weight, it just was so lovely in terms of colour (the purple canes around it are stunning) & the skill in that beautiful lampwork flower.
It is actually my first ever lampwork flower weight!
More glass than class!
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Posts: 178
Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
Reply #5 on:
May 04, 2006, 07:26:22 PM »
Hi Marinka,
The information is in the Charlton catalogue of Caithness paperweights. And I do think that as some of the better ones are such great lampwork, that they should be priced more on a par with some of the American ones.
Enjoy it - and hopefully this will be the start of a very nice beginning to paperweight collecting.
Women and cats will do as they please,
and men and dogs should get used to the idea.
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Posts: 5408
Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
Reply #6 on:
May 04, 2006, 07:59:23 PM »
I agree that, visually, some of the best Caithness (and other Scottish) weights are on a par with work from the USA. But for a proper comparison, and hence thoughts on pricing we should consider the differences in how they are made.
And it would be useful to know whether any of the Scottish work has been made in the "American" way.
In the US, many makers construct the whole of the weight by "torchwork", using billets of clear and coloured glass at every stage. This does not involve the use a furnace, in the way the general Scottish (etc.) "lampworked" items do.
As a very broad generalisation, "lampworked" pieces use pre-formed flattened elements which are added to a shaped gather, then covered wth more clear and finally the extra clear for the dome is gathered and shaped.
But in the Ameican way, because of the standard use of what I'll call "laying on" of the clear glass required, it has become natural to also build up all the coloured elements (of a full 3D flower, for example) by working every individual element of colour and clear until the design is fully constructed. This is a very labour intensive process and it can take several days to make just one weight if it is a complex form.
The "lampworked" method has its labour intensity at the stage of creating the coloured parts, but because most of this work is, as I suggest, more of a 2D form, a weight can be made more quickly.
Speed of construction = cheaper production. Hence the price differential bewteen much of the American and Scottish (etc.) work.
What I have said above is my own understanding of the processes and is straight out of my fingers and onto the keyboard. I have not even checked out books such as Larry Selman's
The Art of The Paperweight
for comfirmation. I therefore accept that there may well be points of error or confusion in what I have said. But I think, in general terms, the labour intesity is the main difference we should be thinking about.
It would be very interesting to learn from Bristish lampworkers, such as Allan Scott, about how the better (and often 3D) elements of "lampwork" are actually formed and how much time and effort is required in comparison to the American method.
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Posts: 252
Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
Reply #7 on:
May 05, 2006, 07:36:39 AM »
I'm sure Allan will correct me if I am wrong, but I think all his pieces are done via the Scottish Method as described pretty accurately by Kev, and his lampwork is incorporated into weight by others. Me and the Mrs did the Willie Manson course a few years ago, and the difference in production methods was discussed as one of the attendees wanted to make paperweights at home using the American method. For Scottish weights, as Kev says, a glass gather is shaped and then this picks up the lampwork/canes etc which can be 3D rather than flat but are still at one level (the molten glass does flow around the lampwork to fill the gaps). Then another gather, then maybe another layer of lampword, and so on. One of Willies big fishes in a jar weight may have 3 or 4 layers. US weights are made using small billets of glass - Willie showed us these, and its all then done with lampwork and melting bits of the billet into the gap. It does mean that no furnace necessary. This is why when looking at a Stankard for example, there are no layers as such. just one 3D design.
So whereas for a good Scottish weight it may take up to an hour to do the lampwork - less for this Caithness, and all in all less than an hour to do all the other bits, the US weights will take days. Watching Willie do lampwork, from nothing to a rose or an insect takes 5 minutes. Its the same with Allan - when you're good its easy.
Also - re Caithness weights - I find that Charlton is generally optimistic on prices - particularly for the more highly valued lampworked weights. Those valued at the £70 mark tend to get close on ebay or at auction. Those at £150 - £200 dont go that much past £100
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Posts: 9396
Glass history
Caithness Royal Flourish paperweight
Reply #8 on:
May 05, 2006, 08:29:46 AM »
There are also cultural differences at play. US collectors generally have a higher disposable income, larger homes and a penchant for LARGE collections. UK collectors seem more price conscious and quicker to run out of space and thus turn over. German collectors are generally more concerned about condition and tend towards larger collections. Dutch collectors do not seem that active but perhaps I do not know that many. One thing is for sure, Amsterdam prices are extremely high and low-end is extremely low end. I have been told that things are cheaper in the South but as I don't have a car... French collectors are delightful, full of love and joy - much more so than any other collectors I have met and France is a wonderland for antique fairs and the like. My little contact with Italian collectors has been very positive but they are the most impatient when waiting for post!
Prices often reflect these factors and the middle to high end of collecting is largely driven by US collectors. There is a noticeable difference in prices realised between similar items, like paperweights, when there is a US collecting base.
Some dealers exploit these cultural differences and do there buying in one country and selling in another. There are many UK firms that buy only for the US market and ship by container - no doubt in other countries too. I knew one Dutch Delft dealer, when I was at Portobello, he would buy all week in Holland and on Friday night drive to London. Every Saturday he always took in excess of 10 thousand pounds and on a good day several times that.
Modern studio glass is more widely collected in Holland than in the UK and such glass appears to be generally pricier than in England where many glass artists seem to be obliged to sell at very low prices.
I could go on... collecting motivation is one of my side interests :?
Frank A.
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This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures.
April 21, 2008
Second Hearing Held on Compassionate Allowances
Social Security Announces Agreement With National Institutes of Health
We Helped Mothers Save On Prescription Drugs - You Can Too!
Multilanguage Gateway Opens Doors
On April 7, the Social Security Administration held the second public hearing on compassionate allowances.
The hearing, held in Boston, featured some of the nation's leading oncology experts presenting testimony and sharing their views about the best ways to determine compassionate allowances for children and adults with cancer.
Compassionate allowances are a way to expedite the processing of disability claims for applicants whose medical conditions are so severe that their conditions obviously meet Social Security standards.
To learn more, read the testimony or view a webcast of the hearing, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.
Social Security Announces Agreement With National Institutes of Health
Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue has announced an agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to assist Social Security in serving people with disabilities.
NIH will help Social Security ensure that elements of the compassionate allowance initiative are based on sound up-to-date medical science.
"The agreement with NIH is very exciting news," Commissioner Astrue said. "It represents an unprecedented level of cooperation between two of the nation's largest institutions serving people with disabilities."
To learn more about the agreement, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/pr/compassionate-allowances-0408-pr.htm
People all over the country are helping their mothers save as much as $3,600 per year on the cost of prescription drugs. You can too!
This Mother's Day, Social Security is again working with faith-based community organizations and other interested third parties to let people know about the extra help available to Medicare beneficiaries with limited incomes and resources. The extra help, which could cover monthly premiums, annual deductibles and prescription co-payment costs, is worth as much as $3,600 each year.
To learn more or to help someone you know apply, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp/mom.htm
The Social Security Board of Trustees has released its annual report on the financial health of the Social Security Trust Funds. Key dates for program costs exceeding tax revenues and Trust Fund exhaustion remain unchanged.
You can read the Trustees Report at the following at www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/TR/TR08/
Multilanguage Gateway Opens Doors
On the Internet, Social Security offers information to the public in 15 languages besides English. At our Multilanguage Gateway, you can find key Social Security publications in the following languages: Arabic; Armenian; Chinese; Farsi; French; Greek; Haitian-Creole; Italian; Korean; Polish; Portuguese; Spanish; Russian; Tagalog; and Vietnamese. Open doors by referring people who speak other languages to our Multilanguage Gateway at www.socialsecurity.gov/multilanguage.
Third Parties, Get The Verification You Need
Social Security is working on a new online service that will allow third parties, such as banks, private employers and financial institutions, to verify Social Security numbers with the consent of the individual.
Social Security is required by law to provide these verifications. However, the current paper-based process is both inefficient and time-consuming because it is done by local Social Security offices on a case-by-case basis.
The online initiative is called CBSV — Consent-Based Social Security Number Verification. Before Social Security would verify a Social Security number, the individual number holder would have to provide consent and the company would have to pay for the access.
CBSV is expected to be up and running by October 2008, but third parties who want to participate need to sign up now. The enrollment period has been extended to June 30.
Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/bso/cbsvMarketing.html for more information.
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