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10/19/2007, Pago Pago, American Samoa
We've been in Pago Pago a little over two weeks now, and hope to leave early next week if all the things we have ordered arrive. First priority when we arrived was to get checked out at the hospital. The bottom line is that I did suffer a stroke, but apparently fairly minor as there was never any affect on my speech or motion, only a 5 hour memory loss. My blood pressure is too high, and so I'm taking some new meds. If I can keep it under control, I should be just fine my doctor in Michigan reports after hearing the results.
My experiences dealing with the health care system are a story in themselves. The only way to get into the medical system here seems to be through the ER. This involved waiting outside the emergency room (could have waited inside in the air conditioning, but as there's a lot of flu around, the outside benches seemed a healthier choice) for 6 hours before seeing a doctor. The wait was fairly typical from what I heard. Finally saw a nice young Filipina doctor who ordered a CT scan and labwork for the next morning. Seeing her cost $10. In the morning the labwork and CT scan (total cost - $200) went very quickly and efficiently, with results sent well within an hour to the Medical Clinic, where I then waited for 4 hours to see a doc. He was a very nice older Samoan man, but didn't impress me as a very up-to-date doc. He did confirm I'd had a stroke (actually, I think he agreed with my guess that I'd had a TIA when my doc at home says it was a stroke, not a TIA, if it showed up on the CT scan), and prescribed a new blood pressure med - 30 days worth. I asked if it would be possible to get more, as we'd be sailing off through really isolated islands over the next few months where the likelihood of getting any drugs was unlikely. He agreed, then went ahead and wrote the script for 30 and said to ask the pharmacist. The pharmacist said their policy is to only dispense 30 days at a time, but she finally relented and gave me 90 days worth after I "proved" I was on a boat (by showing our business card). The hospital pharmacy is the only one on the island, and apparently suffers many of the financial woes I've seen in other island medical systems. I later read that a shipment of their meds was held up in Hawaii, because the airline was running a smaller airplane on the route. Whether it was that, or just never having a sizeable stock of meds on-island, I'm not sure.
The doc said there were no blood pressure monitors available on-island (mine had ceased working several months ago), and suggested I have someone send one from home. Not wanting to bother my family with the chore, I spent a few days trying to order one on-line from a company that sent me one very quickly last year in Michigan. The only way they would send it was UPS surface, which would probably take a month or more, so we scratched that idea, and made the call to the family, also asking them to get a prescription for some extra medication from my doc in Michigan as she had said I might need to increase the dosage in a few weeks if my BP didn't decrease enough on the low dose they gave me here. My Dad got right on it, but when he tried to mail it, the Post Office told him that only doctors or pharmacies can mail medicine, even over-the-counter ones. I swear our government is regulating us til we die! At any rate, it's supposed to be on its way now, and hopefully will come in time for us to leave early next week to start heading north.
This week we went back to the hospital to get a flu shot for me (Bryan doesn't believe in them) and pills for filiariasis, a mosquito-born worm that causes elephantiasis, a nasty condition that makes one's extremities resemble the limbs of an elephant - not something we'd like to get. My blood pressure was down significantly, so it looks like the new med is helping.
Just added: three albums of pictures from Suwarrow, one of John and Veronica and their 4 boys, another of the various wildlife that abounds at Suwarrow, and a third of a variety of other pictures of scenery, Bryan''s Birthday party, sunsets, and friends.
Find them on the last page of the photo gallery.
Suwarrow Atoll, National Park in the Cook Islands, Sept. 17-29, 2007, in which we had several idyllic days on a remote atoll, made several new friends, caught several fish, and Judy had a small stroke.
Suwarrow Atoll (formerly Suvorov after the Russian explorer who found it) was one of the highlights of our trip to date. It is a national park of the Cook Islands, inhabited only 6 months of the year by a delightful caretaker family, John and Veronica Samuela and their 4 boys Jeremiah, Jonathon, Giovanni (Vanni) and Augustino (Tino), the last two 6 year old twins. Four other yachts were anchored there during our 12 day stay, plus a few other boats that popped in for only a day or two. There were several beach potlucks at the small thatched beach shelter which was built by cruisers including our friends Gwen and Don of Tackless II who were there a few years ago. John and Veronica supplied many varieties and styles of fish, lots of drinking coconuts, and island treats such as coconut pancakes, breadfruit chips, and fritters, while the cruisers provided an amazing assortment of favorite dishes including more styles of fish, salads, pasta, puddings, chili, and more. We had grouper, tuna, wrasse, trevally, and others, cooked many different ways: barbecued, raw in lime juice and coconut milk, fried, pickled, baked. One of the potlucks was a birthday party for Bryan's 64th, when I contributed a cake as well as a pasta salad. Our last night, John brought out his guitar and he and Veronica entertained us with a variety of songs that we knew, as well as some from the Cook Islands. Memories of sitting around a big coconut bonfire, eating fish, drinking rum in coconut water and listening to John and Veronica's delightful voices will stay with us a long time.
John and Veronica and family took us all on a few tours to some of the other small islands in the atoll. Gull Island, a ways down the reef on the other side of the pass, was full of nesting sooty terns and chicks, adorable frigate chicks sitting in the trees, booby birds, tropic birds and others. As we walked ashore, thousands of birds took to the air, and the noise was raucous. John takes very seriously his mandate to protect the wildlife of the atoll, and showed us how to observe the various birds without damaging the eggs or spooking any of the birds. Many of the eggs just lie on the ground, so there were only certain areas safe to walk. If you get too close to a very young frigate chick, the parents may throw it away, so we all stayed at safe distances. Another day, they took us to Turtle Island, at the very northern tip of the atoll. While we didn't see any turtles (the island gets its name from its appearance, although some turtles do nest there as well as elsewhere). Here we found miles of reef to walk along the ocean side, where one of the German cruisers had been given permission to search for lobster which he did without success. Jeremiah took us into a damp, swampy area where coconut crabs abounded, and caught several to let us see. We were not allowed to take any, although later John presented us with a cooked one for Bryan's birthday. We stopped at a fantastic spot for snorkeling on the return trip, with huge coral heads towering almost to the surface from 30-40' of water. Other days we snorkeled on the reefs around the boat and along Anchorage Island, and saw an amazing variety of fish, plus a turtle and an eagle ray, but alas still not a manta ray although they were reported to be around. There were some sharks around, but we rarely saw them while snorkeling - mostly we just saw 4' black-tipped reef sharks circling the boat during the day.
John has lots of rules the cruisers need to abide by. One is not cleaning fish on the boat or throwing fish parts in the water of the anchorage, to discourage sharks from associating yachts with bloody fish. A good rule! In the pass there are many more sharks, including white-tips and grays, and sometimes hammerheads. Spearfishing used to be allowed, but no longer, since someone had a serious run-in with a shark while spearfishing. John still tells the story of Don and Gwen (whom he refers to as the 'wonder couple') when Don was in the water spearfishing while Gwen was in the dinghy above. He was approached aggressively by a shark, and raised his speargun to bop it on the head. Gwen, seeing the speargun lifted out of the water, thought Don was passing it up to her and took it from his hands before he had a chance to bop the shark. We've seen Don since and he still has all his appendages, so I guess the shark's intentions were honorable. John used to be much looser with the rules, he told us, but too many cruisers, especially those who had been there before, wanted to hunt and take as much as they could possibly catch. If he didn't keep some kind of control over them, they'd disregard the rules and recklessly take under-sized crabs and lobsters, as well as otherwise being disrespectful of the environment.
We added an old but very colorful flag from the Virgin Islands Charteryacht League to the collection adorning the rafters around the open-air dining area beneath the family's sleeping quarters. Flags of many nations and many boats flutter gaily in the breeze around the big dining table where everyone gathers, and remind visitors of the many who have enjoyed Suwarrow before them. This year they've had a few over 100 yachts visit, with over 20 at one time. We were happy to share the island with only 4 or 5 other yachts at a time - it must be very crowded with 20.
Suwarrow was inhabited for periods totaling 16 years by a lone hermit from New Zealand named Tom Neale, who welcomed cruisers to his paradise. He wrote a book about his experiences entitled "An Island to Oneself". After he died of cancer in 1978, the Cook Islands sent caretakers to preserve the atoll as a park and nature preserve. John and his family love it so much here they would love to stay year round.
The pass into the lagoon is said by the cruising guides to be accessible only in good weather and calm seas, but we entered it easily in 20-25 knots of wind with large swells from the east. We had the nerve to try it in these conditions after having read other yachts' accounts of their entries on the internet. It is truly amazing what a difference modern technology has made to our cruising!
One of the unusual aspects of Suwarrow is that there is no ciguatera, the fish toxin which is found commonly at inhabited coral islands all around the world. All through French Polynesia we would see huge beautiful grouper while snorkeling, who I swear would laugh at us, saying "Ha Ha, you'd love to catch and eat me but I'd probably poison you!" The toxin is thought to thrive on reef which has been damaged by blasting, development or bad storms. It was prevalent in both the Virgins and the Marshalls, the two tropical islands I have lived on the longest, so I had many years ago come to view reef fish as inedible. You can't tell if a fish has it; it doesn't hurt the fish in any way; but if a human gets it in too great a concentration, he can become very sick. However, being so remote it doesn't exist at Suwarrow, so we had a great time trolling with the dinghy in the lagoon here, and caught 3 large fish while there: a grouper, an emperor wrasse and a red snapper, all 2-3 feet long and quite meaty, and all delicious. I caught a big parrot fish head on a hand-line from the big boat at anchor - a shark got the rest.
Yachts are only able to anchor at the main island, Anchorage Island, just inside the pass. With scattered coral heads on the bottom, it was a bit of a challenge, and having a few buoys on the anchor chain helped avoid wrapping the chain around the coral heads. We only had one to begin with, but after a few wind shifts our chain was close to getting into trouble, so the morning after Bryan's birthday bash we picked much of it up with me in the water directing and occasionally pushing the boat by the chain to move it around obstacles. Our goal was to add some additional floats to it, so it wouldn't touch any coral at all. After about 30 minutes working on it, Bryan finally picked the anchor up, moved to a slightly better spot and dropped it again with an additional float.
Before we could proceed to set it properly, I suddenly could not recognize any of the other boats or people on them, and told Bryan I was disoriented. He watched carefully while I swam to the back of the boat, climbed aboard, showered and changed to dry clothes, all the time still very confused about where I was and who was around us. I did know Bryan and our boat, but nothing else. Bryan called over another crew, and they went to get Antje, a nurse on one of the German boats nearby. For the next 5 hours I apparently repeatedly asked the same questions, never absorbing the answers: Who are you? What happened? Did I have a stroke? Did I get out of the water by myself? There were no motor problems or slurring of speech, only confusion and loss of memory. Antje administered 3 saline IVs (dehydration was thought to be a possible factor), a few doses of something like valium (to lower my BP I think), and finally some aspirin and my blood pressure med, while regularly monitoring my blood pressure and pulse, both of which were high. She called a doc in Germany for some advice. While Norbert and Simon re-set our anchor firmly, Bryan, with help from Allison on the yacht Roxi spent much of the time on the single sideband radio and the sat phone talking to Hawaii Coast Guard, New Zealand Rescue, my family and various other places, investigating the possibility of medical evacuation should it prove necessary. New Zealand was the most helpful, as they were coordinating with officials in Raratonga, the capital of the Cook Islands. The US Coast Guard was not very helpful at all. Suwarrow is very isolated, hundreds of miles from anywhere, with no airstrip. There were no government or navy ships near the area. Fortunately, as it turned out, I did not need evacuation at all. After about 5 hours (shortly after the aspirin I believe) I could remember everyone, and when I again asked all the same questions, the answers stayed with me. My memories of the previous week which had been lost to me during my "memory out" came back, and all that is missing now is memory of those 5 hours.
We later heard various inaccurate reports on the radio and in emails from friends that we'd put out a mayday, that we were 500 miles away on another island, and various other non-truths. Another rumor floating around that week was that another yacht had put out a mayday, sunk and been rescued by a freighter, when in fact the only problem they'd suffered was a problem with their radio. I was quick the next morning to get on to the radio net myself to reassure everyone I was functioning fine, after I heard one boat talking about my head injury and notification of the authorities at Palmerston, another isolated island hundreds of miles from us where apparently someone thought we were.
I had not been taking my meds for awhile, and learned the hard way how important it is to take them regularly. While on passage some weeks before I had gotten out of the habit of taking them, and somehow just never started up again. My blood pressure monitor had conked out several months ago, so I had gone to a clinic in the Tuamotus to have my BP checked and it was fine then. I hate taking meds, and I guess I subconsciously decided that since my BP was OK that one day, I didn't need to take the BP med anymore, or the aspirin I had also been taking. The day after the incident I had a lingering headache, but was otherwise fine. After taking it easy for a day, I was back snorkeling and doing my regular chores, while Bryan was tearing the boat apart trying to find out why the water pump was running so often - our water heater had sprung a leak and needs replacing. After a few days more of relaxing and enjoying Suwarrow and a last farewell beach potluck, we upped anchor and motored out the pass about 2 p.m. for the 440 mile passage to Pago Pago, American Samoa. John and the whole family came out in their boat to say good-bye and wish us well. We would have loved to stay for another week or two, there were still several things we hadn't done. But I needed to get a medical evaluation and American Samoa was the closest place we could do it. We also need to keep moving so we can get north before cyclone season.
Passage from Bora Bora to Suwarrow, Sept. 12-17, 2007, in which we had rolly, uncomfortable seas ,strong gusts, two accidental jibes, a little spill, and no traffic at all.
On Wednesday September 12, after using up the last of our wi-fi minutes with Ioranet, doing last minute checks for email and weather, and lots of last minute stowing of items that scatter themselves around the boat so quickly while we're safely at anchor, we picked up our anchor at 10:30 a.m. and headed for the pass out of Bora Bora to begin the 675 miles to Suwarrow Atoll. Just after exiting the pass, we saw our friends on Zazoo just arriving. Sadly, we wouldn't have any time to visit with them, but it was very nice to see them again, however briefly, and to know that all was well with them. The last we'd seen them was in Fakarava in the Tuamotus, when they had been talking of going back to the Marquesas for the cyclone season. (It was Ben who free dove 50+ feet to free our anchor in Fakarava so we could leave.) They had since decided to continue on to New Zealand, where Ben can safely leave the boat while he looks for work as a professional diver in Singapore for a bit to boost the cruising kitty. Once we passed them, we did not see another boat until we arrived at Suwarrow 5 days later!
This may have been our most uncomfortable passage yet, but nothing the boat (and its intrepid crew) couldn't handle easily. After a very easy first day, the winds and seas increased, with one day mid-passage of nasty squally skies, gusts to 30 and 40 knots, and building boxy seas. The last few days the winds came down, but the seas stayed up, making for very rolly motion as we slewed through the mountainous peaks of the sea. Occasionally the seas would cascade over the cockpit coaming, dousing anyone sitting there. Amazingly, the huge following seas behind us would almost always just slide under the boat, only once or twice sending a stream of water in under our "back door" to briefly wet the cockpit floor. Of course, every time the sea slid under the stern, the aft end of the boat rose and slewed from side to side, occasionally throwing something or someone out of place. I had one nasty slide - the cushion I was sitting on suddenly slid to the floor with me on it, causing severe pain in my shoulder, elbow and various other spots. I remember sitting there, stunned, wondering if I'd broken anything. In a few minutes I moved everything and realized nothing was broken. Bryan was very helpful, rushing to get me ice packs for my shoulder and elbow, and some aspirin. It was sore for a few days, but the ice seemed to help a lot and I was cranking winches again the next day.
Lizzie, our windvane, steered beautifully in the beginning, but as the seas became more confused we had two accidental jibes of the mainsail the second night out. On one, the preventer worked nicely and prevented the boom from crashing to the other side as the wind passed across our stern. On the second, the preventer pulled right off the cleat and the boom went banging to the other side, fortunately without any apparent damage but a jolt to our nerves. The entire passage we had the wind almost directly behind us, which meant having either the main or the genoa all the way out (with the seas and winds we were reluctant to use our sickly whisker pole so couldn't sail with both sails unless we altered course to a broad reach). Sailing dead downwind with just the main all the way out made it easy for a big sea to momentarily knock the wind out of the sail, sending the boom from one side to the other unless held firmly in place with the preventer, a line from the end of the boom to the rail which prevents the boom from swinging. If we sailed downwind with just the genoa, unpoled, it would pull nicely for a bit, then collapse as the seas rolled the boat and knocked the wind out of the sail. This worked OK occasionally during daylight hours, giving us slightly better speed than the main alone, but was intolerable in the dark when the noise of the collapses and jerks made sleeping difficult. As a result, we did most of the passage under mainsail alone, with 1-3 reefs in it depending on the wind, averaging 5-7 knots most of the way.
After the accidental jibes, we used the electric auto pilot for steering, not trusting Lizzie with the big seas. This uses a lot of power, and our continuing low voltage problems meant we had to run the engine a bit more than usual to stay topped up. When the auto pilot is on, the single sideband radio starts acting up. This radio is our link to other boats through various "nets" that we check in with daily on passage and for receiving weather information. So every time one of us got on the radio for a net, the other would have to hand steer. Fortunately, having the sat phone gives us good back up for obtaining weather info and email when the radio decides to be uncooperative. One day when Bryan turned the radio on while the auto pilot was steering, the radio wouldn't transmit again for 24 hours, then mysteriously started working again.
We had surprisingly little rain, given that nasty clouds often filled the horizon in all directions. We were both feeling a bit bummed and bored toward the end of the passage, tired of the big boxy seas coming from all directions tossing us around, so it's good we didn't have a lot of rain to make things worse. The winds were lighter the last few days, occasionally under 10 knots, so we motor sailed the last night to insure getting to Suwarrow by mid-day on Monday. We first saw land about 10 a.m., and were in through the pass and anchored by 12:30, with 4 other yachts as neighbors.
BORA BORA, August 30-September 12, 2007, in which we spend lots of money, finally see sea turtles, make some new friends, crunch a reef, and see how the rich and famous live.
Bora Bora is the most upscale of all the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an exotically beautiful island with jagged volcanic peaks set against crystal clear jewel-colored waters in just about every hue of blue and green imaginable. Most of the Societies have beautiful jagged peaks and aquamarine lagoons surrounding them, but Bora Bora's are especially nice. During World War II the Americans had a large base here, leaving the island with its first (and for many years only) international airport, set on a small motu at the northern end of the lagoon. The main island has several enticing peaks which brought my camera out again and again to capture their many faces. Many of the 20-plus resorts (most with thatched, over-the-water bungalows at exhorbitant prices) are on the motus near to or part of the fringing reef, where they offer excellent views of Bora Bora's dramatic beauty. We were dumbfounded at how many thatched bungalow resorts there are, with even more new ones under construction. One motu appears to be lined for miles with them.
The pro-independence faction seems to have a lot of support on this island, largely because of opposition to the rampant tourism development which is gobbling up their lands and damaging their marine resources. Many would like to see the French OUT, but not quite enough to make a majority. Politics has been rather tense while we've been here, not that most of the tourists have a clue. I listen to Radio Australia and Radio New Zealand, and read Pacific Islands Report's daily news bulletins on the internet when I can, so know that there has been a vote of no-confidence last week, with the pro-France, pro-development president ousted. There was supposed to be a vote for a new president yesterday in the Legislative Assembly, but they postponed it pending a ruling from France on whether an absolute majority of the 57 members would be required to elect a new president - because they don't believe any of the three candidates can get an absolute majority. While the newspapers here are full of all the political intrigue, few tourists read French, so go along their merry ways oblivious. Another vote is scheduled for later this week, when they hope to have a ruling from France that the highest vote-getter wins. Then they may actually be able to have a new president.
Although the waters are lovely to look at, somehow even more magical than many of the other islands we have visited, there was far less to see underwater - small areas of healthy coral amongst large areas of dead or sickly coral, and far fewer fish than we've seen elsewhere. Much of the dead coral is attributed to a bad El Nino they had a few years ago, but much is also blamed on development.
We had a lovely sail to Bora Bora from Raiatea with 20-plus knots of wind most of the way, making for speeds of 7-8 knots much of the time. We actually did over 10 knots through the water a few times! The seas were quite pleasant as long as we were in the lee of Raiatea, but when we hit the fortunately fairly short exposed gap between the islands the 2-1/2 meter swells made for a very rolly ride. Once inside the pass at Bora Bora we headed for Bloody Mary's, a well-known watering hole and cruisers' hangout, where they offered free moorings if you eat dinner, and also have a wi-fi antenna. Of course the moorings were all taken (they seem only to have two!) and we had to anchor in 75' of water. Throughout the afternoon and night and for much of the next few days the winds here were horribly gusty, seeming to swing every minute or so between 10-15 knots and 25 knots or more. This caused the boat to skate around dramatically on its anchor, far more than normal in these conditions because we had almost 300' of chain out making for lots of swinging room. We didn't even bother trying to launch the dinghy the first day, it would have been too much fun in all that wind.
The next morning the wind subsided a bit so we launched the dinghy and went in to check out Bloody Mary's for lunch. Two large boards out front listed all the famous people who have stopped here, including, Brad Pitt, Mia Farrow, and many other top stars and athletes. It is a large beautiful establishment, huge thatched roof over a well-run dining room with sand covered floor, tables and stools made from local woods heavily epoxied or varnished. Our cheeseburger and fries lunch was very good and reasonably priced. Yet, I can't help but think I would have enjoyed what I imagine the old Bloody Mary's was like much better, when it was truly a yachties' hangout and not an almost plastic Disneyland-like caricature of native tradition. Unlike many of the thatched establishments we've seen where the rafters were all made from local trees, and you could imagine the native women hand-weaving all the thatch, here there were lots of 2x4s and 4x8s and much more precision and perfect symmetry holding the thatch together. Instead of a lot of yachties sitting around discussing rough passages and remote anchorages, the place was frequented more by the high end tourists who flock to Bora Bora, mainly Japanese honeymooners. One nice feature I'd never seen before was a place inside the door to check your shoes if you preferred bare feet in the sand as you ate. We went back in for dinner of appetizers and drinks and dessert, not wanting to spend the big bucks that a full dinner cost, and saw only a few other cruisers among the hundred or so patrons.
At least the wi-fi worked here, so after a hiatus of a few weeks without internet access we were finally able to check email on-line.
After a few days, we moved over to anchor off the Hotel Bora Bora. Our old cruising guides showed the reef and shallow areas around here as great snorkeling, but we found mostly dead coral and thousands upon thousands of black spiny sea urchins. We did find one spot of fairly healthy coral, but a fairly small population of fish. We dinghied quite away around to the southern tip and discovered more jet skis than good snorkel spots.
On Sunday we moved over to the Bora Bora Yacht Club, another supposed gathering place of yachties with free moorings if you ate ashore and internet access. Again, at least the internet worked. While there were a few moorings empty, they were so close to anchored boats that they were unusable, so we had to anchor in 90' of water. The Yacht Club itself is not really a yacht club at all, but a small restaurant and bar with a current owner who would rather not have yachties around at all, but he'll probably be out of business soon anyway. Maybe the next restaurant owner will be more welcoming. It is located on a slightly larger piece of property which includes a few bungalows and a very nice Polynesian man named Rapa who loves yachties, and offers laundry and other services. He seems to be the true yacht club at this point.
It being our sixth wedding anniversary, we decided to celebrate with dinner at the Yacht Club, but were surprised upon going ashore that it seemed to be closed on Sundays. Finally about 6 p.m. it showed signs of life, so we went in. We were later to learn that the restaurant owner can't be bothered to open during the day, and does very little to encourage boaters coming in to drink. There are maybe 10 tables under the open-air thatched roof of the restaurant, without enough chairs to go around (but the chairs they have are quite nice) and the two small tables outside have maybe 2 or 3 chairs total, somedays none, unless you take them from an inside table. When you arrive for sunset cocktails, all the inside tables are set for dinner, suggesting that they only want a few people to stop in for drinks, because that's all the chairs available unless you steal from a dinner table. Needless to say, they don't get much business.
When we arrived for dinner, there was only one couple seated for dinner. They were American honeymooners. We got to talking, and soon the four of us were sharing a table for dinner. Angela and Charles Grannum, from Brooklyn, NY, like us they married fairly late in life (in their 30's and 40's). He's a dentist, she's in guest relations at a Manhattan hotel catering to Asians. Both had ancestors who came from Barbados, so we shared a Caribbean connection. Fortunately they were great company, because my dinner left a lot to be desired. I ordered rack of lamb, was presented rib-eye steak, and when I complained, the waitress took it back and returned with a stingy serving of rack of lamb with the same sauce the steak had (which hid the taste of the lamb) rather than the mint sauce promised on the menu. It didn't taste very good at all. In retrospect, I probably should have graciously accepted the steak in the first place - I think the chef was trying to tell me something by sending it rather than the lamb.
Charles and Angela were staying at the Le Meridien, a bungalow resort on one of the motus, where we visited them the next night for cocktails and appetizers and a tour of the resort. The architecture was very striking and the grounds beautiful. They had an inner lagoon of sorts, closed off by grill-type fences, where they had a turtle sanctuary and guests could snorkel with turtles, rays and a fair abundance of fish. They raise the turtles for about 3 years before setting them loose to the wild. In all our months in French Polynesia I think I'd only seen one turtle before this, on our first island, Fatu Hiva, so it was a joy that a serious attempt was being made to rebuild the turtle population. In the Virgins we regularly saw turtles while swimming, so it was quite a surprise to see so few here. Between eating the eggs and the turtle meat, they seem to have greatly reduced the numbers. The Grannums showed us their bungalow out over the water, with large slabs of glass set in the floor to view fish in the spotlit water beneath, except there were almost no fish, and none of any interest. Their room was quite nice, with very upscale amenities. It was even air-conditioned (every night when they returned to the room they would find someone had cranked the AC colder) which didn't seem necessary given the constant pleasant breezes across the water.
Taking the boat over to the eastern side of the lagoon where Le Meridien is located was quite an adventure winding our way through coral and shallow spots. The channel is fairly well marked (something the French seem to do very well is navigational markers) but we still found ourselves in the shallowest water we'd seen in awhile. A few days later moving around on that side we smacked hard into a coral head after misreading a channel marker. I immediately put the boat hard in reverse and we didn't budge. Bryan jumped in the dinghy and pulled from the stern while I again went into reverse and we managed to pull free, with a little gelcoat missing from the keel and several scratches. We knew that sooner or later we'd hit the bottom, and were fortunate that it caused only minor damage, but I hope we don't have it happen too often.
While on the eastern side we ran into Ruth and Angus from Do It who were just about ready to head out for the Cook Islands. We had them over for lunch and caught up on our various travels and those of mutual friends. We then had a couple of very rainy squally days so didn't want to risk navigating the channel down to the southern point or back to the western side and elected to just stay put. We caught lots of water, worked on blog entries and pictures, and read a lot.
By Friday the weather was nicer so we moved back around to the Yacht Club and went ashore for sundowners with the crews of Do It, Gammel Dansker, Bess, and Antje, most of them leaving within a day or two for the Cooks. Only Antje is heading for Suwarrow in the northern Cooks then on to Samoa, which is our intended track. The others are all headed to the southern Cooks, then Tonga and New Zealand, so this was our last chance to say goodbye. Hopefully we'll see some of them again next year when they come north to Fiji and Samoa and we come south from the Marshalls.
When we arrived for sundowners at the YC there were only 2 chairs available at the outside drinking table, and as the others arrived they had to take chairs from inside - and were told this was OK but they had to leave by 7 so the chairs would be available for dinner guests. Some hospitality!
On Saturday we dropped off 5 bags of laundry with Rapa, then moved over to the western side of Motu Toopua for the weekend. The first night we spent off its southern tip by the Bora Bora Nui Resort and Spa, alone in a large lovely anchorage with only a megayacht, Gran Finale, for company during the day, and delightfully all by ourselves for the night. Anchored in 35' of water on a nice sandy bottom, with protection all around from the seas, and far enough off-shore that we still got some wind, it was a wonderful anchorage and we couldn't figure out why more boats weren't there. We went for a long dinghy exploration, futilely trying to find the place out on the shallow flats where we'd seen several tour boats gather from time to time, then going around the southern tip to investigate a raft full of birds sitting in the midst of the shallows. Almost back to the boat again, we saw tour boats once again out on the flats, so went out to join them. They were feeding stingrays, so we donned masks, fins and snorkels and hopped in. A very nice older gentleman, a guide on one of the boats, came over to us and advised we take our fins off, stand up in the shoulder-height water, and not move and the rays would come to us. He then gave us some chopped up fish to use to encourage their approach. We had several large rays swim up to us, allowing us to pet their soft silky bodies and look them in the eyes. It's still hard to believe that one of these gentle creatures did in Steve Irwin.
Sunday we moved to the northwestern anchorage off Toopua, another fairly shallow, very comfortable spot. We snorkeled and saw some very nice coral and fish.
Monday morning it was back to the big city (or should I say small village) to anchor off the Yacht Club and begin the process of checking out of French Polynesia. I headed for the store while Bryan went to the bank to get our $2700 bond back, only to be told he had to go to the Gendarme first, then come back. Of course the bank was closed for the 2 hour lunch period by the time he could get back. In the meantime he joined me at the store, where we spend a few hundred dollars and wondered how we would get it all back to the dinghy a half mile away, when the cashier asked if we needed a ride and arranged a free ride for us back to the quay.. Back to the bank in the afternoon, we got back $2500 (the rest had gone for fees to change the money in and out of local currency), and proceeded on to the other big grocery store where we dropped another $150. Back at the boat we went in to the YC to pick up our laundry only to find Rapa gone and not due back for awhile.
Tuesday morning Bryan ran in at 7:30 to make sure he found Rapa and our laundry - after all, we've already checked out of the country and really do have to leave soon. Then a dinghy ride back around to the gas station where one jerry jug of diesel, and two large and one small jerry jugs of gasoline cost us $115, and on to find a pay phone to call home and use up the remaining time on our French Polynesia phone cards. Had a nice chat with Mom and Dad and Baide, but couldn't reach anyone else in the family. Either got busy signals or machines, so finally gave the phone cards with a bit of time remaining to the gas station man who had given us a huge breadfruit on our earlier visit. Now I'm just finally bringing the blog up to date, and will try to use the last of our remaining wi-fi time getting it all posted.
Tomorrow we head off on a five-day passage for Suwarrow, also known as Suvarov, a small atoll in the northern Cook Islands which is a national park. It is inhabited for 6 months of the year only by one caretaker family of parents and 4 small boys (about the same ages as my brother John's kids when they circumnavigated, including the two youngest being twins), and all the reports we've read of other yachts which have visited indicate that it's a wonderful experience. We'll probably spend a week or so there, then on to American Samoa, another few days away.


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May 30, 2016
The Meridian Community College baseball team has announced that it has postponed its scheduled home game today with East Central Community College due to the potential of severe weather. The game has not yet been rescheduled and MCC will return to action Tuesday night at Scaggs Field against Shelton State Community College beginning at 6 p.m.
The Eagles are currently 23-21 after splitting a doubleheader on the road Saturday at Wallace-Hanceville. MCC dropped a 4-3 decision to Central Alabama on Saturday, but bounced back to defeat Wallace-Hanceville in the night cap by a final count of 3-0. MCC freshman pitcher Goose Yates tossed a complete game shutout in Game Two to propel MCC to the win.
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subset: commoncrawl


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1979 murder, A former Chicago store owner who fled the U.S. in 1979 after being accused of killing a shoplifter was arrested at O'Hare International Airport while trying to return to the country to attend a graduation ceremony, authorities said Saturday.
Demertzis said she did not know where the graduation was to take place, but that authorities were told El Ammouri had a connecting flight to Tennessee. It's not clear which city.
El Ammouri was charged with murder but posted $100,000 bail and disappeared. He received additional charges for jumping bail in November 1979 after he failed to show up for court proceedings.
Authorities believed at the time that he had fled to avoid prosecution.
El Ammouri was brought to bond court Saturday and ordered held without bond. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. His next court date was set for Monday.
The operation to track and arrest him also involved the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Embassy in Jordan.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said the man's arrest after 34 years "should send a message that the simple passage of time does not eradicate our commitment to bringing fugitives to justice."
1979 murder news via news.yahoo


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Lot 250 View Catalog
Group of eight Mickey Mouse the magician items. Including two decks of cards (one by Tenyo), one souvenir plate (from an edition of 5000, with COA), two figurines (one porcelain, the other plastic), one Magician Mickey Paint Box in pressed metal with original paints and brush (Page London), one ribbon release magic trick by Tenyo, and one jigsaw puzzle by Tenyo mint in box. 1950s 2000s. Condition generally good.
|$200 – $250
|Starting Bid
Your maximum bid will remain private.


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It may be disappointing to some but there are tons of celebs out there who actually look pretty much just like the rest of us. There are definitely some celebs who shouldn't be caught dead without their faces on, but here are a few surprisingly still good looking stars even without pro makeup.
Jessica Biel: Is it just me or does this woman actually still look gorgeous? Yes, makeup enhances and evens skin tone and she definitely looks better on the red carpet than here, but she doesn't look terrible. Makes me hate her a little bit.
Kim Kardashian: I have recently become a Kardashian Reality TV addict. I find myself watching every episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami and Kourtney & Kim Take New York on an almost daily basis. (It's insane, I know.) I love to see Kim's great makeup on the show and her fabulous outfits. When the cameras are off and she's just walking the streets of LA without the help of a makeup artist, she looks a little more like this. I can't say she looks awful. When I saw this photo, it actually made me feel better. I'm not the only one who has a few flaws on my face. And flaws don't necessarily mean she looks bad. Less glam, yes, but not ugly. I think she still looks purty. Stars are people, too and they have the same issues we do. If they can walk the streets looking "normal" so can we.
Cameron Diaz: I am a huge Cameron Diaz fan. I think she's a fantastic actress. However, without makeup, she doesn't look her best. Then again, most of us don't. I'm actually happy that she looks normal because it shows everyone that even Hollywood's most beautiful people are just people. It also reminds me that makeup is a life-saver so naturally, that makes my blog an essential tool for women everywhere 😉


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Over the Garden Fence - Gardening Forums
Hybrid Poplar - Where to buy??
Pull up a chair and grab a cup of Java for a cozy chat about what's on your mind and what's happening in your neck of the woods. This is a strictly for fun non-gardening topics.
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Hybrid Poplar - Where to buy??
Hi all. Can someone out there tell me where I can get even one Hybrid Poplar here in Canada that will ship? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Japanese fans have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on Avril Lavigne's new song 'Hello Kitty' and the music video which accompanies it.
Reactions from fans in Japan have been quite positive, with many questioning critics who have labelled the Japan-inspired clip as 'racist'.
Avril Lavigne's new music video
One fan has praised the singer for using the country as her inspiration, writing in a blog post: "It's a pleasure that she loves Japan and takes in Japanese culture into her song!"
Their sentiments are shared by a number of Twitter users, including one who suggests that Avril has actually been inspired by the Japanese singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.
"Avril is inspired by "KYARY PAMYU PAMYU", isn't it? I don't understand why she is racist at all," their tweet reads.
Another fan has addressed the issue of whether the promo is clip is racist, stating: "The thinking of "this song is discriminatory" generates real racial discrimination".
The video was shared on Avril's YouTube channel on Tuesday 22 April, before being removed a day later.
The video has since been posted again and Avril has hit out at critics via Twitter.
"RACIST??? LOLOLOL!!! I love Japanese culture and I spend half of my time in Japan. I flew to Tokyo to shoot this video," she wrote.
With thanks to our Huffington Post Japan team for their translations.
Watch the video here...
Singer Avril Lavigne performs on stage during KIIS FM's Jingle Ball Concert at the Arrowhead Pond on December 19, 2002 in Anaheim, California.
Singer Avril Lavigne arrives at P. Diddy's MTV Video Music Awards after-party at Show August 28, 2003 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Singer Avril Lavigne arrives at the AMC Theater for the screening of 'Avril Lavigne My World' DVD launch in New York City.
Singer Avril Lavigne arrives at the 2004 World Music Awards at the Thomas and Mack Center on September 15, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The World Music Awards are presented annually to the world?s top selling recording-artists in the various music categories and to the best-selling recording artist of the year from each of the major record-buying countries.
NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 8: Singer Avril Lavigne attends the Fashion Rocks Concert on September 8, 2004 at Radio City Music Hall to celebrate the relationship between Fashion and Music hosted by Conde Nast, in New York City.
Canadian singer Avril Lavigne performs on the 'Wetten Dass...?' television entertainment show at the Messehalle on February 19, 2005 in Erfurt, Germany.
Recording artist Avril Lavigne attends the Los Angeles premiere of 20th Century Fox's 'Fast Food Nation' at the Egyptian Theater on November 10, 2006 in Hollywood, California.
Canadian singer / actress Avril Lavigne attends the 'Over The Hedge' premiere at the Palais during the 59th International Cannes Film Festival May 21, 2006 in Cannes, France.
Canadian singer Avril Lavigne poses as she arrives to attend the World Music Awards, 04 November 2007 in Monte-Carlo.
Avril Lavigne arrives at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007 at the Olympiahalle on November 1, 2007 in Munich, Germany.
Singer Avril Lavigne (C) poses with RCMP on the red carpet at the 2008 Juno Awards on April 6, 2008 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary Canada.
Singer Avril Lavigne attends Abbey Dawn by Avril Lavigne showcasing its fall/holiday 2009 collection, available exclusively at Kohl's, at 'STYLE360 at Metropolitan Pavilion North' on September 14, 2009 in New York City.
Singer Avril Lavigne arrives at the 16th Annual Race to Erase MS event themed 'Rock To Erase MS' co-chaired by Nancy Davis and Tommy Hilfiger at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on May 8, 2009 in Century City, California.
Singer Avril Lavigne arrives at the 2010 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 21, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
Musician Avril Lavigne arrives at the 17th Annual Race to Erase MS event co-chaired by Nancy Davis and Tommy Hilfiger at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on May 7, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
In this Aug. 7, 2011 file photo, Avril Lavigne arrives at the Teen Choice Awards in Universal City, Calif. A spokeswoman for Lavigne confirmed a Tues., Aug. 21, 2012 report from People.com that Lavigne and Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger were engaged earlier this month after a six-month courtship.
Avril Lavigne attends the release party for Avril Lavigne's new album 'Goodbye Lullaby' at SL Lounge on March 8, 2011 in New York City.
Avril Lavigne is seen at the Abbey Dawn After Party presented by Vodio, on Monday, Sept. 10, 2012 at Catch, in New York.
Singer Avril Lavigne and her husband Chad Kroeger arrive at the 10th Huading Awards ceremony in Macau Monday, Oct. 7, 2013.
Singer Avril Lavigne performs onstage during the iheartRadio Music Festival Village on September 21, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chad Kroeger and Avril Lavigne arrive on the red carpet at the 2013 MuchMusic Video Awards at Bell Media Headquarters on June 16, 2013 in Toronto, Canada.


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Remember when Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens were the sweet girls on the Disney channel? Well that's exactly the image they're both trying to shake in their new movie, Spring Breakers. Selena, Vanessa and their co-stars from the movie, including Ashley Benson and James Franco, hit the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival for the Spring Breakers photocall.
Selena looked quite lovely in a gold and black dress, looking much more sophisticated here than on the set of her new film where her ass fell out of her shorts. Even Vanessa looked rather lovely. Thank god her boyfriend wasn't there or else they'd just be making out during the photocall. And no, Ashley didn't try grabbing her own boobs again. That was a one time thing.
For those who are unaware, Spring Breakers tells the story of 4 college girls who head to Florida for spring break only to get caught up in drugs, alcohol, sex–all that jazz. . So how does Selena feel about breaking her good-girl image?
She told reporters at the Venice Film Festival, "Obviously I know that coming from Disney Channel gives you kind of a brand in a way. People do put a label on you. I know that I have younger fans, and this is an opportunity for myself to kind of grow. It is a little shocking, I think, for the younger audiences … but I think it was right for me."
And Selena is even playing the most tame character! Well, this should definitely be an interesting movie. Launch the gallery to check out all the stars of the film looking rather fabulous on the red carpet. How do you feel about the image shedding? Sound off in the comments!


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As part of the Port Mann Highway 1 (PMH1) Improvement Project, important environmental and habitat work is taking place on‐and off‐corridor to deliver the project to the highest environmental standards. This work has four main components: Enhancement, Compensation, Construction timing, Protection/Restoration.
In Surrey, work is underway to create an enhanced stream channel at Hjorth Creek.
In June 2009, work began to create additional habitat at Hjorth Creek, a tributary of the Serpentine River. Planting continues in 2010, and once complete, this area will feature about 12,000 m2 of new aquatic habitat and about 21,000 m2 of new stream‐side habitat, including placement of large woody debris and in‐stream boulders for cover.
Installation of new culverts will improve fish and wildlife passage under Highway 1, and the existing creek flow will be diverted to the new and improved channel.
This additional channel will benefit young Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout, amphibians, small mammals and native wildlife.
Suite 210–1500 Woolridge Street Coquitlam BC V3K 0B8 | Fax: 778-783-1201


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Preview By: Andrew Joy
|Bizarre Creations
|Rating Pending
|# Of Players:
|Online Play:
|Estimated Release:
Updated 10/23/05: We've added 12 gorgeous new screenshots of Project Gotham Racing 3 in action. Check them out using the links to the right.
As the Xbox 360 prepares to be the first of the next-generation systems out of the starting gate, Microsoft is making sure it is going to be backed by its software every step of the way. One such game, Project Gotham Racing 3, being helmed by independent developer Bizarre Creations, looks to forever change the way people look at games...literally. Taking full advantage of everything the XBOX 360 has to offer, the latest installment in the PGR series has it all. From high-definition viewing to online modes galore, it is taking a no-man-left-behind approach to functionality.
The high-def compatibility is really nothing new; it has been a term tossed around ever since the last generation of consoles was released. However, the way in which PGR3 aims to utilize it still makes it worth the mentioning. Working with the hardware capabilities of the Xbox 360, PGR3 will allow players to race through the lush and digitally-rendered streets of New York, Tokyo and many more behind the wheel of over 80 licensed cars - including the ever popular Lamborghinis and Ferraris - also brought to life with startling clarity. And, as you vie for position, motion-captured crowds will watch on from the sidelines and stands, hoping to break away from the stilted audiences that plague most sport games.
In addition to HDTV, PGR3 will also support Dolby 5.1. Set to wow players with its attention to detail, the effects include individually recorded engine sounds and the ambient noise that can bring a game to life. To add to the aural delight, PGR3 will also feature over 90 licensed tracks spread across nine different genres.
In racing as in any sport, the players are nothing without fans, a fact the PGR series has well understood. Returning for PGR3, the Kudos system makes a revamped appearance, allowing players with all the right moves to get as far as their skills can take them. Players will earn points for not only placement and skill, but also for style, rewarded for a power slide, 360 and getting your car in the air or on two wheels. Once again you will know just how good you are, but now your skills can translate into real-life, living, breathing fans.
That's right, GothamTV, a feature new to the series, allows Xbox Live players to watch fellow racers from around the world and get an update when a friend breaks a record. You can now challenge almost anyone, at anytime, making for an unprecedented level of interaction between gamers. Of course, Xbox Live wouldn't be complete without clans, so expect to create the ultimate racing team and take the PGR world by storm.
Perhaps the best part of this is that everything, from the tracks to the cars, is available to you from the moment you turn on the game. Go anywhere, race anything, the choice is yours now and the ability to forego those hours of grueling racing in order to unlock it all means that even the most casual of gamers should be able to pick up and play PGR3 and have fun!
Built around the idea of attracting and pleasing a more varied audience, taking you around the world for your racing events and giving you the keys to some the most desired and fastest vehicles, one could easily say that Project Gotham Racing 3 is the driving force behind the launch of the Xbox 360.
Posted: 2005-09-30 21:23:40PST


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Battle Of The Hod Bods: Elle MacPherson Versus Heidi Klum (Photos)Joanna Mazewski
When it comes to having the best mom bod, we can't decide on who looks better, Heidi Klum or Elle MacPherson.
If you recall (I'm sure you don't), a few years ago Elle got all supermodel-like and thru a nineties-style hissy fit when Heidi Klum proclaimed herself "The Body," with Elle having to remind everybody that she is the original supermodel with "The Body" and no one can claim that title over her.
Well, Heidi responded with her usual "chirp chirp" and the score really never got settled between these two. So, as it is the New Year and we need new things to talk about, let's take a look at some recent Elle vs. Heidi photos and let's take a poll as to who you think deserves "The Body" title.
I honestly can't decide as these two women look so much alike, you'd think they were sisters. Plus, while they might be super moms, they really aren't supermodels anymore, right? Unless you are a Brazilian passport holder, you really aren't a supermodel, now are you?
Side note: don't get too jealous over Elle's surfing pictures. She's Australian, so surfing to them is the equivalent to walking.
Heidi Klum 1 of 12Heidi Klum leaves Radio City Music Hall after watching a performance of "Zarkana" by Cirque Du Soleil with her family.
Summer Casual 2 of 12Supermodel Heidi Klum draws admiring glances from both sexes as she leaves the Bar Pitti restaurant in New York City.
Elle McPherson 3 of 12Supermodel Elle MacPherson launches the new Invisible Zinc range at Myers Sydney.
She takes the hot body contests seriously, apparently. 4 of 12Heidi Klum dresses as a corpse as she hosts a Halloween party at TAO in Las Vegas. The supermodel made quite the entrance, being rolled in on a gurney by 2 men dressed as doctors before they pulled back the sheets, revealing her elaborate costume.
Oh La La! 5 of 12Elle Macpherson leaves Claridges Hotel in London after the Harpers Bazaar Women of the Year 2011 Awards.
Hollywood Mom 6 of 12Former supermodel Heidi Klum is spotted filming a commercial outside of a store in Hollywood.
A Spot of Shopping 7 of 12Victoria's Secret model Heidi Klum makes an appearance at The Grove in Los Angeles for an interview with Maria Menounos on "Extra!" Klum is currently promoting her new line of jewelry.
Working Mom 8 of 12"Project Runway" host Heidi Klum leaves Walgreen's pharmacy in Times Square in New York City after promoting her new fragrance Shine.
In The Surf 9 of 12Elle Macpherson catches some waves as she goes surfing in Bryon Bay, Brisbane, Australia.
Hot Bod! 10 of 12The supermodel could be seen rocking a bikini and sporting a cut on her lip as she changed after the surf session.
Surfer Mom 11 of 12How hot does she look?
Envy! 12 of 12We must say, Elle might win this one by a long shot.
Photos via PacificCoastNews.com


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Know Indiana: Morton '10 Learned at Repertory Theatre
Anthony Morton '10 - I could not ask for a better internship than what I just experienced. For the last eight weeks I had the opportunity to work at the Indiana Repertory Theatre downtown Indianapolis provided by a grant through Know Indiana. For the first four weeks of my internship I worked with various administrative departments, mainly the Youth Audience Development Department and the Development Department.
One project I completed for the Youth Audience was compiling demographic research about what schools attended what productions last season. More importantly, however, was finding schools the IRT hasn't been able to get to the theatre. Then I learned about IRT's mission: to produce top-quality, professional theatre and related activities, providing experiences that engage, surprise, challenge and entertain people throughout their lifetimes, thereby helping to build a vital and vibrant community. Getting students to the theatre is absolutely one of their main priorities and I was more than happy to aid them in learning about what schools they could possibly reach out to whether it's through underwriting ticket sales for student matinees or providing means for transportation to get students to the IRT.
When working for the Development Department I had the opportunity to learn about grant writing and grant proposal research, a subject I always thought was dull and loathsome, but as I dived into my research, I actually enjoyed the research I was doing and was able to find a number of foundations the IRT could send a request to whether it be for interests concerning culture, youth, or education. I was so fascinated because while the IRT is a non-profit organization, funding is so important because they need large sums of funding to produce the fully professional shows they put on stage.
When my first four weeks ended, I supervised a group of students interested in technical theatre during the IRT's Summer Conservatory for Youth for the last four weeks. I had a group of ten students between the ages of fourteen and eighteen and we covered everything involved with the technical side of theatre including directing, stage management, playwriting, props, costumes, and set, sound, and light design. I was so fortunate to work with such a bright group of students. We covered so much in so little time that I was amazed to see them take it all in.
After learning about these different aspects of technical theatre, each student designed costume renderings and a set with a lighting plot for Shakespeare's MacBeth, which the IRT is actually producing this fall. Each student also wrote a ten-minute play under the guidance of Jeff Casazza, a professional playwright, and Richard Roberts, the IRT's dramaturge. Their plays then received a staged reading by professional actors such as Rob Johansen, Priscilla Lindsay, Milicent Wright, Robert Neal, Constance Macy, and Ryan Artzberger. The purpose of this reading was not to see how the actors displayed the characters, but for the playwrights to actually see and hear their work on stage and determine if they were satisfied with what they wrote or if they would like to continue making changes to perfect their play.
Fortunately for me, I did not take a back seat and merely supervise the students, but I participated in everything they did, which has actually thrown me into a loop of creativity have I have never experienced before. I am currently writing three short plays and want to learn more and more about technical theatre. From the moment I arrived, the IRT staff greeted me warmly. I was introduced to many new people and made many great friends. The friendly and family-like atmosphere was almost too much to bear as I parted with hugs, tears, and bittersweet good-byes. If you are ever in Indianapolis, be sure to visit the IRT for they surely have the ability to challenge minds, move hearts and inspire creativity.


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Science and Technology Adviser
Innovation depends on the creativity and motivation of individuals to turn new ideas into commercial assets. Nearly every country recognizes that innovation through science and technology is one of the most important engines of economic growth in modern economies. Innovation through science and technology is essential to improving the living standards for all of our citizens.
In this era of globalization, competition comes from smart people everywhere. Global scientific engagement is essential for any country to stay at the forefront and cutting edge in science and technology. Science and technology professionals speak a common language that facilitates their being able to work together and to learn from each other.
This conference focuses on challenges and opportunities for innovation in modern economies. The innovation systems in several countries are being examined. All of us can benefit from learning more about each other's systems and seeking ways of making our innovation systems more efficient and effective.
Science and technology are also instruments for national security, tools for helping to solve national, regional and global problems, and assets for protecting the environment, ensuring public health, achieving food security, and developing new energy options. Being able to find solutions for many of the challenges facing the world will require countries working together.
The 2006 Report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" by the U.S. National Academies highlighted the importance to the U.S. of strengthening our educational system in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at all levels from kindergarten to graduate school, increasing funding for research and development , and improving our innovation system for transferring new ideas and technologies into the marketplace.
Factors that spur innovation include: efficient markets , a facilitative business environment, strong research universities, government and private sector investment in research and development, venture capital investment, foreign direct investment, protection of intellectual property rights, and trade. It is also important to identify barriers to innovation in a country and to target specific policies to overcome these barriers.
On September 16, President Obama signed important new legislation revising the U.S. patent system. The America Invents Act was passed with President Obama's strong leadership after nearly a decade of effort to reform the Nation's outdated patent laws. It will help companies and inventors avoid costly delays and unnecessary litigation, and let them focus instead on innovation and job creation. Many key industries in which the United States leads, such as biotechnology, medical devices, telecommunications, the Internet, and advanced manufacturing, depend on a strong and healthy system to protect intellectual property.
Secretary Clinton has placed a high value and priority on the integration of innovation into our foreign policy. The role of the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary is to serve as an advocate for science-based policy at State, to help identify and evaluate emerging scientific and technical issues that affect U.S. strategic interests and international relations, to help bring scientific expertise to the department by increasing science-trained professional staff and increasing access to outside experts, to promote science and technology capacity-building and science-based policy-making internationally, and to serve as a strong proponent of global scientific engagement for mutual benefit as being in the U.S. strategic interest.
One example of how Colombia and the U.S. are working together to promote innovation is the Colombia-Purdue Institute for Advanced Scientific Research (CPIASR) which is enhancing the visibility and innovation management skills of Colombian scientists, connecting the Colombian scientific community with the rest of the world via Purdue's nanoHUB cyber infrastructure tool, and developing an academic advanced research infrastructure in Colombia with tailored Ph.D. training at Purdue University for Colombian students in strategic technical areas.
Another example arose from the May 31 High Level Partnership Dialogue between Colombia and the U.S. The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is learning about the experiences of the Colombian Technology Innovation Centers and their biomass pyrolysis projects from the GOC Institute for Planning and Promotion of Energy Solution (IPSE). In addition, NREL is collaborating with Ecopetrol and Cenipalma on a biomass and biodiesel project.
Since President Santos has made innovation one of his five pillars for economic and social development, this conference presents a timely opportunity to discuss innovation issues. Each country can learn from the experiences of others.
I look forward to learning more about the innovation system in Colombia and hearing about the results of this important conference as all countries seek to utilize science and technology to improve the lives of our citizens and to solve the urgent problems that face the world.
Short URL: http://m.state.gov/md187888.htm


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Gilles Barthe, David Pointcheval, and Santiago Zanella-Béguelin
Verified security provides a firm foundation for cryptographic proofs by means of rigorous programming language techniques and verification methods. EasyCrypt is a framework that realizes the verified security paradigm and supports the machine-checked construction and verification of cryptographic proofs using state-of-the-art SMT solvers, automated theorem provers and interactive proof assistants. Previous experiments have shown that EasyCrypt is effective for a posteriori validation of cryptographic systems. In this paper, we report on the first application of verified security to a novel cryptographic construction, with strong security properties and interesting practical features. Specifically, we use EasyCrypt to prove in the Random Oracle Model the IND-CCA security of a redundancy-free public-key encryption scheme based on trapdoor one-way permutations. Somewhat surprisingly, we show that even with a zero-length redundancy, Boneh's SAEP scheme (an OAEP-like construction with a single-round Feistel network rather than two) converts a trapdoor one-way permutation into an IND-CCA-secure scheme, provided the permutation satisfies two additional properties. We then prove that the Rabin function and RSA with short exponent enjoy these properties, and thus can be used to instantiate the construction we propose to obtain efficient encryption schemes. The reduction that justifies the security of our construction is tight enough to achieve practical security with reasonable key sizes.
|Publication type
|Published in
|19th ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, CCS 2012


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Alrighty, this post probably has zero value when it comes to doing any game development (well, I suppose some browser MMO's could find this useful on how not to handle a forgot password system), but it could be relatively useful for some folks.
I had created a Flickr account and for some unknown reason I hadn't typed the username and password for the account. Well, certainly I would be able to get my password back – all these systems offer the "forgot password" option, right?
Well, here's what happened
I tried logging in to Flickr and realized that I didn't remember the account info. I knew that username was probably "gameproducer" (since I could access to my gameproducer page) and tried using the "forgot password" option.
- I clicked it, typed my username and wrote the spam prevention security code and clicked next.
- I expected to get password sent to the email address that's tied to my username, but heck I was wrong.
- I saw this screen: "please provide your alternative email"
- I was like: "O_o"
I mean, how hard can it be to (1) "let people tell their username OR email" and (2) send their password.
Okay, I bravely continued:
- I chose "I can't access any of the above" and clicked next
- I was asked "Where did you [security question]?"
- I typed several answers trying to figure out the letters but no luck.
- I tried clicking yahoo id forgot password but there I couldn't remember the yahoo id. I tried using the system again guessing my alternative email but no luck.
- I started thinking: maybe I should just register a new account. That might be tons of faster.
- I though I'd contact Flickr support and see what happens.
Here's the Flickr support email discussion in a nutshell:
- Juuso: "I don't remember my email, here's my account info URL & username"
- Flick support person #1: "please tell Date of birth and Postal Code & Country"
- Juuso: "here you go… [birthday + postal code]"
At this point, somebody else contacted me:
- Flickr support person #2: "Where did you [security question 1]" and "Where did you [security question 2]?"
- Juuso: "uh… probably these: [my answers]"
Now, at this point I got a third person to reply me (isn't that sweet):
- Flickr support person #3: "To log in, you need yahoo username [which is *this*]. If you are having trouble logging in, you can use the "Forgot
your ID or password" link, on the sign in page".
- At that point I was like: "O_o"
Now I was thinking of using crossbow to shoot somebody in the knee, and seriously thought that "I should have just created a new account right in the first place", but then I thought that writing a blog post about shooting somebody in the knee would be less illegal.
So, I decided to take the last final attempt and see if I could get my password. I went to that page mentioned… and following took place. First I saw the "forgot password" link:
- I clicked it, typed my username and wrote the security code and clicked next.
- I was slightly expecting to perhapsget password sent to the email address that's tied to my username, but heck I was wrong.
- I saw this screen: "please provide your alternative email"
- I was like: "O_o"
Talk about deja vu. I realized I was right in the place where I started.
I'd have a totally 100% free tip for Yahoo / Filckr
I mean seriously. Their forgot password system uses something like this:
- Ask people to type their username and security code
- If they succeed, ask them for alternative email
- When they fail, ask them to provide birthday and shit
- When they succeed, raise the challenge, and ask some mysterious questions that will be certain to go wrong.
- Have evil laughter after checking the stats of "another poor bastard who cannot login"
What if they would have like this:
- Ask people to type their username (or email – either one would be accepted) and a spam prevention security code
- Send the password to the email that's tied in the username
Bonus tip:
Oh, and you are wrong when you say to me: "Looks like you had trouble reading the security code (9100)". To me it looks like you guys are having trouble giving readable security codes. What if you'd think this that way? 9101.
Or what if I just type down my login info and shut up.
Oh, and since shooting crossbow arrows to knee is illegal in some countries, I just might use a large trout slap instead.


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Hospitals fight for millions in Medicaid underpayments
More hospitals are claiming reimbursement miscalculations. This time, two Houston hospitals are asking Texas to change the Medicaid reimbursement rates 14 hospitals received for fiscal years 2008 and 2009, the Houston Business Journal reported.
The 14 hospitals, including HCA-owned Conroe Regional Medical Center and East Houston Medical, claim the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) failed to comply with a state Supreme Court injunction issued in 2008 to update the reimbursement rates, the article noted.
While the HHSC did recalculate reimbursements in 2010, it continued to base the hospitals' Medicaid payments on the old formula for 2008 and 2009, leading to millions in underpayments, according to attorney Marie Yeate's oral argument in front of the Supreme Court of Texas on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, more than 100 hospitals will see their Medicaid disproportionate share hospitals (DSH) payments recalculated by the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, FierceHealthcare previously reported. The HHS's decision to exclude Medicare Advantage patient days from the Medicaid fraction of DSH calculations prior to Oct. 1, 2004, violated the rule against retroactive rulemaking, according to a January order from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
However, 18 hospitals recently faced a legal blow when the Supreme Court sided with HHS and refused to allow extensions for Medicare reimbursement appeals beyond the usual 180 days or three years for good cause. With the ruling, the hospitals will miss out on Medicare underpayments worth millions of dollars.
To learn more:
- read the Houston Business Journal article
- listen to the oral argument (.pdf)
Related Articles:
Supreme Court dismisses hospitals' Medicare lawsuit
Ineligible hospitals receive $100M in DSH payments
Doc groups blast $320B Medicare, Medicaid cuts in 2013
Court: HHS miscalculated hospital DSH payments


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The CEO of Climax Studios has confirmed that the company has two PlayStation 4 titles in development.
Speaking with the latest issue of MCV, Simon Gardener said that the Silent Hill: Shattered Memories developer has begun working with next-generation systems, stating, "we have two PS4 games and one Xbox One title in development for our clients."
"We have been working closely with Sony on the social app capabilities of PS4," he added, "and I think we are one of the most experienced developers in this on console."
Climax's involvement with Konami's psychological horror franchise also extends to the PlayStation Portable title Silent Hill: Origins (aka Silent Hill: Zero in Japan). In addition, it also worked on the PC version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.
Whether or not Climax's next-generation projects pertain to any Konami-owned series remains unknown, but it is certainly a possibility.
We'll be sure to keep you posted.
PS4 games in development at Silent Hill: Shattered Memories dev
The CEO of Climax Studios has confirmed that the company has two PlayStation 4 titles in development.


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Aero Space Museum
Explore, discover, reflect, share
An artifact itself, the museum was originally used as a drill hall for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during WW2. At Aero Space School teachers and students begin to feel the connection to the past, explore the developments in aviation and wonder about future possibilities.
Ideas for inspiration could include:
- Understanding how the past has influenced the present
- Uncovering their story by discovering their heroic qualities, thinking about how their actions impact others and can make a difference
- Becoming the bearers of the stories of the past
What They're Saying
"This week was the best week of my life. I wish the whole school year would be like this. I thought I knew quite a lot about airplanes, but I found out that I still have a lot to learn. We spent the whole week studying airplanes and helicopters. The Aerospace Museum isn't all that fancy, but it has many historical planes such as the Lancaster and great flight simulators. There is much to learn about history from pictures and videos. We were also very fortunate to meet a man (Ivan Anderson) who is a survivor of the Great Escape POW camp in Germany."
- Student


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UK Traffic Law
Ask an UK Traffic Law Question, Get an Answer ASAP!
Hi Jo
In short, I did, but she could have jumped out at the red lights ahead if she had not had the bag, which necessitated me stopping in a designated place.
This wasn't an instance of trying it on & hoping to get away with it, it was my believing, based on what I knew, that I was OK to stop & unload my niece's bag in a particular signposted place.
Hence why I am a bit aggrieved if this is not the case as there clearly isn't any clear guidance as to what constitutes unloading on any official site and a general member of the public was using reasonable logic in applying the rules that he was aware of.
You say "alight", which I'm guessing is going to be covered by some regulation or case law someplace, but it is not obvious anywhere. In this respect, a Red Route is discriminatory if it does not allow for a member of the public to stop to drop someone & their bag off, yet allows a delivery vehicle to stop, unload a small box into a nearby shop, then depart.
Thank you
Sprake Vs Tester is alluded to here http://keycases.parkingandtrafficappeals.gov.uk/docs/LOADADJ.pdf
along with a number of other instances, such as Richards Vs McKnight. I don't think this judgement backs up the fact that an item has to be "too bulky" and indeed this instance says that "
It seems
to me that had the draftsman who was applying his mind at this point to the meaning of goods and what goods
should be covered intended to limit the definition of the word "goods" to heavy or bulky goods he would have
said so at this very point - or at least left the word to stand without further qualification". Being within the courier industry, I know that an item for delivery can sometimes be a small envelope, so there is no restriction as to size for someone delivering/collecting.
So I see that she had goods, which needed to unloaded and there's no limit to minimum size of load based on that adjudication. Also nothing to preclude a private vehicle from loading/unloading.
I will certainly request a de minimis breach as well as at 20:00 on a Sunday evening, there was not a great deal of traffic and certainly no other un-loading going on and I am aware that Gov guidelines allow/dictate for discretion at any point of the PCN process, though I won't hold my breath.
Not trying to be antsy, I just want to explore my options prior to going to PATAS and using the tools/information that I can find, none of which would appear to define loading/unloading contrary to my circumstances.
Thanks again.
DISCLAIMER: Answers from Experts on JustAnswer are not substitutes for the advice of an attorney. JustAnswer is a public forum and questions and responses are not private or confidential or protected by the attorney-client privilege. The Expert above is not your attorney, and the response above is not legal advice. You should not read this response to propose specific action or address specific circumstances, but only to give you a sense of general principles of law that might affect the situation you describe. Application of these general principles to particular circumstances must be done by a lawyer who has spoken with you in confidence, learned all relevant information, and explored various options. Before acting on these general principles, you should hire a lawyer licensed to practice law in the jurisdiction to which your question pertains.
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Edited by Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman, MSW, MAJCS, BCC
6 x 9, 528 pp, Paperback
Large Print edition also available from ReadHowYouWant.com
The first comprehensive resource for pastoral care in the Jewish tradition—and a vital resource for counselors and caregivers of other faith traditions.
The essential reference for rabbis, cantors, and laypeople who are called to spiritually accompany those encountering joy, sorrow, and change—now in paperback. This groundbreaking volume draws upon both Jewish tradition and the classical foundations of pastoral care to provide invaluable guidance.
Offering insight on pastoral care technique, theory, and theological implications, the contributors to Jewish Pastoral Care are innovators in their fields, and represent all four contemporary Jewish movements.
This comprehensive resource provides you with the latest theological perspectives and tools, along with basic theory and skills for assisting the ill and those who care for them, the aging and dying, those with dementia and other mental disorders, engaged couples, and others, and for responding to issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse, and disasters.
Contributors: Barbara Eve Breitman, MSW, LSW • Anne Brener, MAJCS, MA, LCSW • Rabbi Amy Eilberg, MSW • Rabbi Nancy Flam, MA • Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman, MSW, MAJCS, BCC • Gus Kaufman, Jr., PhD • Rabbi Myriam Klotz, MA • Rabbi Yaacov Kravitz, EdD • Rabbi Ellen Jay Lewis, NCPsyA • Wendy Lipshutz, LMSW • Rabbi Sheldon Marder • Rabbi Joseph S. Ozarowski, DMin • Simcha Paull Raphael, PhD • Rabbi Stephen Roberts, BCC • Rabbi Rochelle Robins • Rabbi Drorah Setel, MTS • Rabbi Jeffery M. Silberman, DMin • Marcia Cohn Spiegel, MAJCS • Rabbi Karen Sussan • Rabbi Bonita E. Taylor, MA, BCC • Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, CSW • Rabbi David J. Zucker, PhD, BCC
"A defining volume … to which one can return again and again for guidance and insight. For those who are called to the profession of Jewish pastoral care, and for those who are ever called to 'be there' for another human being—be it a loved one, a friend, or a stranger—this book is a precious resource."
—The Reconstructionist
"Very impressive and vital volume … help[s] Jewish caregivers understand and act upon the Jewish dimension of their roles.… Offers conceptual and practical tools … belongs not only in the synagogue library, but also in the hands of the Jewish caregiver as a useful and accessible resource."
—CCAR Journal
Hardcover: $5.00
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Quality Paperback: $19.99
Hardcover: $3.00
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More free birth videos: http://freebirthvideos.net/
Members only (only $19.99/6 months!):http://freebirthvideos.net/signup.html
What happens when you go to use the bathroom and you feel your baby start crowning as you sit on the toilet? This mom was only in labor for a short time and fully intended to go to the hospital, but she had to go to the bathroom first. (Often feeling like you need to take a BM is really the baby's head!) Sure enough, instead of a BM she looked down to see the baby starting to come out as she pushed on toilet. No time to go to the hospital, so she stayed calm, stayed where she was, and gently pushed her baby's head out and then the rest of the body on the toilet with her husband's help.
Views: 50500
Thank you Rachel, yes they did! And their daughter!
Fantastic! You and your hubby did great!
Je pense personnellement qu'il ne faut pas mettre un bébé sur un tee-shirt ou autre.Déjà pour le réchauffer,sur Maman il sera mieux,et le tissue question bactérie......
What happens if you have a baby at home because you were unable to make it to the hospital like this? Like how do you do the birth certificate and shots and all?
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Exploratory Studies Newsletter
The Exploratory Studies Newsletter was a monthly publication highlighting important University and Exploratory Studies events and opportunities. As of August 2013, no new issues of The Exploratory Studies Newsletter were being created. Archived issues are available by request from firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Right Track: An Exploratory Studies Blog
Current Exploratory Studies news, opportunities, and deadlines are now available on our new blog, The Right Track, with content echoed on our Facebook Page and Twitter Feed. The Right Track posts can be fed directly into your e-mail by signing up for the RSS feed.
Other Purdue Newsletters
A number of Purdue colleges, schools, departments, and offices publish their own newsletter. For information about other newsletters and e-mail lists, contact the college, school, or department you are interested in, or an academic advisor in that college, school, or department.
Here are some that are popular with our students:
- Purdue Athletics (Boilermaker Update)
- Housing and Food Service (Hallways Express Newsletters)
- First-Year Engineering Program (The First-Year Engineer)
- International Students & Scholars (ISS Insider)
- Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) (Purdue Owl News)
- The College of Education sponsors a student e-mail list called TeachEd for all students interested in teacher education at Purdue. Directions on how to sign up are available.


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Local: News
Weapons Charge for Convicted Felon
There is one less gun on the streets of Springfield
Illinois Marketplace to be Called "Get Covered Illinois"
Illinois officials have decided on a brand name for the new health insurance marketplace set to open Tuesday.
Data Shows Decreased Smoking in Illinois
Judging by state tax receipts, smoking appears to be down in Illinois – but it's hard to say by how much.
Springfield Proposes $2 Million More on Infrastructure Repairs
The city of Springfield wants to spend an extra $2 million in dedicated money on infrastructure repair, but Ward 7 Alderman Joe McMenamin says it's inappropriate.
Bomb Threat Found on Commuter Plane with Springfield Origin
An American Eagle plane originating in Springfield landed at a Louisiana airport after a note about a bomb threat was…
Chatham Trustee: Despite Complaints, Few Attend Council Meetings
Despite what some say are broken promises, it appears that Chatham residents are giving a collective shrug
AG Madigan Calling on FDA to Ban Sale of E-Cigs to Teens
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is urging the FDA to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to teens. The battery…
Williamsville Looking Forward While Looking Back
With an eye on the future, the villaqge of Williamsville is still keeping an eye on its past
Sec. of State White Highlights Veterans' Stories
Because the secretary of state is also the state librarian and archivist, Jesse White can appreciate a good story
Illinois Crop Harvest Slow
The progress of the Illinois corn crop is slow.


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Transit Visa (C-1)
Transit Visa (C-1)
In general, travelers in transit through the United States require valid C-1 visas, unless they are eligible to transit the United States visa free under the Visa Waiver Program, or they are a national of a country which has an agreement with the United States allowing their citizens to travel to the United States without a visa.
If you are not eligible to transit the United States under the VWP, or are not a national of a country where visa requirements are waived, you will be required to apply for a transit (C-1) visa before traveling.
For complete information please visit the Transit Visa section of the Travel.State.gov website.
Applying for the Visa
Please review the following FOUR STEPS below before beginning your visa application.
Step 1: Follow this link to find out How to Apply
Step 2: Complete the online DS-160 (72 hours before the appointment)
Step 3: Gather additional required documents
Step 4: If you have ever been arrested and/or have a criminal conviction, have a medical ineligibility, or have been denied entry into or deported from the United States, you will be required to furnish documents relating to your situation in support of your application.
We always recommend that individuals apply for visas well in advance of their proposed date of travel. No assurances regarding the issuance of visas can be given in advance. Therefore, final travel plans or the purchase of non-refundable tickets should not be made until a visa has been issued and you have received your passport via DHL.


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Sandi Toksvig on Hannah Snell
Born in 1958 in Copenhagen, Sandi Toksvig is a comedian, TV and radio presenter, and the author of almost 20 books, including the children's novel 'Hitler's Canary' and travel memoir 'Gladys Reunited'. She will replace Simon Hoggart as chair of Radio 4's 'The News Quiz' in September.
'Hannah Snell: The Secret Life of a Female Marine, 1723-1792' By Matthew Stephens. Published by Ship Street Press
I've been wandering the streets of Wapping looking for a woman. It's a historic thing to do. That old rogue Samuel Pepys often popped down to London's oldest riverside tavern, the Prospect of Whitby, to look for a lass himself. Now before you think that I've taken on a new and possibly risqué method of finding friends, the woman I seek is long dead, but she did once have a pub of her own in the area. Indeed, it is said that it was in a London pub on June 2 1750 that the extraordinary story of Hannah Snell first came to the public's attention. A group of soldiers back from the front were having a drink when a lad, known as 'Hearty Jimmy', announced that 'he' was actually a 'she'.
Following Hannah Snell's life around London opens the doors on a splendid little window of the capital's eighteenth-century history. She was born in Worcester but came to London when she was 21 where she promptly married and fell pregnant to a wrong-un called James Summs. Summs pushed off and the baby died, but Hannah was not to be abandoned. Legend has it that she borrowed a suit from her brother-in-law, James Gray, in order to pursue the reluctant spouse. A victim of her own success, she soon found herself press-ganged into service as a royal marine in General Guise's Regiment of Foot. Here the story becomes a bit Boy's Own as she sails to India, braves great storms, is injured in battle and generally has four-and-a-half years of rufty-tufty life.
It is on her return to London that we begin to be able to follow in her footsteps. Apparently amused by her revelation, her fellow soldiers encouraged her to claim a pension from the then head of the English army, the Duke of Cumberland. She did this, but she didn't do it quietly. On June 16 1750 the Duke was reviewing troops in St James's Park when he was confronted by this curious figure making her petition. It didn't take long for the press to get wind of it, and before many months Hannah was a sensation on the London stage.
This next incarnation of her life takes us to Rosoman Street in Clerkenwell. It is hard to imagine now that this area in the eighteenth century was a spa. The street takes its name from Thomas Rosoman, the founder of Sadler's Wells, and a man who brought entertainment to the area. The New Wells Theatre was built here in 1737 and at one time you might have seen Mr Rosoman himself in pantomime, as well as Mr Dominque, who could jump over the heads of 24 men with drawn swords followed by Madame Kerman dancing on stilts on a tightrope.
- Add your comment to this feature


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Authors: A-Z
Biographies and images of all Random House Australia authors, published by Random House Australia, can be found here. Browse the alphabetical list of all profiles, or search for a specific author by name.
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Featured AuthorMore on the Author
Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before turning her hand to fiction.
Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. The Girl on the Train is her first thriller. it has been published in over forty languages and has been a No.1 bestseller around the world. It has been optioned for film by Dreamworks.


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Our energy management program is 18 credit hours for all undergraduate students. Incorporating required coursework in business, geoscience, law and petroleum engineering.
During the summer session, we will supplement the curriculum with experiential learning through guest speakers from industry and energy site visits. The diagram below illustrates required coursework to complete the program.
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Hi guys,
I'm 1 week away from my move to Italy but I still think about posting a map about a project Im currently working on. Mapping is definitely intoxicating ^^
I wonder whether I'll add color, we'll see along the way. It's just the beggining anyway
It's a kind of new style for me to try, despite being quite common for you guys.
Hope you'll like how it starts ^^


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Thanks Upper Cut Woodworks!
OK, I don't like to toot our own Eagle America horn too much on the blog but when someone else does I have no problem sharing it with you! The folks at Upper Cut Woodworks posted about our Eagle America brand roundover router bits. The name of their post is "Great Roundover Bits from Eagle America", you can't make this stuff up!
Click over and read their post for yourself but here's the jist of it:
"I ordered the four piece set (100-5625) which includes radius sizes 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″ and 3/4" with 1/2" shanks. Thick carbide, great bearings, and they include a smaller bearing (3/8") to convert these into beading bits. I like that these bits are made in the USA. They were packaged well and the cutters were coated in clear peel-away goo to protect them during shipping. These are very smooth cutting and my Porter Cable 7518 didn't skip a beat as the bit cut through the trim."
That's an endorsement from a professional woodworker, and we are very grateful for their kind words. We are "The World's Router Bit & Woodworking Source" and take great pride in offering you the largest selection of professional grade, American-made router bits in the industry. Click over today and try some for yourself. If you are interested in the set that Upper Cut Woodworks purchased (100-5625) you can see it by clicking here.