text:
Things to see and do - Rio de Janeiro
Leaving for Brazil
Rio de Janeiro :
Unmissable tourist sites
Where to sleep?
Rio de Janeiro Hotel tips
Downtown Santana Hotel from126 BRLBook
Parque Hotel from120 BRLBook
Saionara Hotel from200 BRLBook
Rio de Janeiro Leisure tips
Rio de Janeiro Soccer Match and Stadium Tour
- 96.0 €
- Book
Corcovado Mountain, Christ Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain Day Tour
- 137.0 €
- Book
Corcovado Mountain and Christ Redeemer Statue Half-Day Tour
- 62.0 €
- Book
Rio de Janeiro today
Rio de Janeiro today
Capital of Rio de Janeiro state, the city of Rio is a cosmopolitan metropolis full of joie de vivre; a huge Garden of Eden of awe-inspiring natural beauty with a mixture of forested, curvaceous hills and miles of sunlit beaches; and a cultural center with a history influenced by Europe, South America, and Africa alike.
- Evolution of the City
- Economy
- Government
- People and Population
- Urban landscape
- Religion
- Food and Drink
Evolution of the City
The establishment of Rio de Janeiro by Estácio de Sá on 20 January 1565 was primarily a strategic act. The Bay of Guanabara was the best natural harbor between Bahia and the Rio de la Plata and, given the number of successful French incursions, the main preoccupation of successive Rio governors was defense. They built a fortified castle on the Morro do Castelo and the city grew around it, constrained by the undulating landscape and clinging to the fortress like a medieval town.
Although Rio de Janeiro went through three major makeover periods—once when it became the sole capital of Brazil after 1767, a second time with the arrival of the Portuguese royal family in 1808, and finally during the first part of Dom Pedro II's reign in the 1850s and 1860s —its colonial aspect did not significantly change until the beginning of the 20C. In 1902–1906 mayor Pereira Passos began to carry through the biggest urban transformation of the city. At the time, Rio de Janeiro had about 500,000 inhabitants, concentrated around the primitive nucleus of Morro do Castelo that had hardly changed in 300 years.
Pereira Passos and his health secretary Oswaldo Cruz started a program of fumigation, slum clearance, and compulsory vaccination against smallpox (which was misinterpreted by the poor and led to prolonged riots in November 1904). Passos adopted the Haussmann model in fin-de-siècle Paris by opening up big boulevards: two great diagonal avenues, the Avenida Central (currently Avenida Rio Branco) and the Avenida Mem de Sá, cut through the colonial grid of the Centro; the Avenida Beira Mar ran parallel to the coastline and served as the basis for the development of the Zona Sul; and the magnificent Avenida Atlântica was inaugurated in 1906. Finally, in 1920, the Morro do Castelo was excavated, providing space for the reconstruction of the city center. The hill was used for landfill that joined the coast to the island of Villegaignon where the Santos Dumont Airport stands today.
In 1938, work began to relieve the congested city center. In order to link the North and South zones, and to ensure free movement of traffic, the tunnels that are now characteristic of the Rio road system, were constructed.
The designs were executed in two phases. The first was carried out under Enrique Dodsworth from 1942–1943, and consisted of the opening of the Avenida Presidente Vargas, the greatest artery of the city that still absorbs the bulk of the traffic between the center and the North Zone. The second phase was completed during the administration of the governor Carlos Lacerda (1960–1965) with the opening of two large tunnels that bind the North and South Zones: Santa Bárbara and Rebouças. The park of Flamengo, a masterpiece of urban design by Robert Burle Marx, was inaugurated in 1961, completing Rio's facelift.
The final growth of the city westward was conceived in the late sixties and early seventies by Lúcio Costa. This was a staged urbanization which, unlike previous attempts, sought to preserve the natural lagoons and the shape of the coast. It proposed the creation of urban nuclei throughout the long Avenida das Americas, separated from each other by large, open spaces. At the same time industrial zones were designed-in rather than be left to grow unchecked. Although it has not been strictly followed, this pilot plan has guided, in general, the urban middle-class expansion into Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepaguá.
After the Federal District and São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro state has the third-highest per capita income in Brazil, standing at US$13,500 per person and contributing 12 percent to the country's GDP. Roughly two-thirds of the economy is based around services. Tourism is the obvious cash generator, especially during Carnival when Rio de Janeiro welcomes around 400,000 foreign revelers for a week, but it is not its sole source of income.
The desirability of living in the city has turned it into a major financial, commercial, and media center, being among others the headquarters of O Globo, South America's biggest media conglomerate; Petrobras, the country's state oil monopoly; and Vale do Rio Doce, Brazil's largest energy and mining company. It is one of the world's major textile manufacturing centers with many US and European houses outsourcing their clothing production to Petrópolis, Nova Friburgo, or Valença; and with its many institutes, colleges, and universities, Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's second-largest research center, corresponding to 17 percent of the country's research output.
Surprisingly for a state that accumulated its wealth from coffee, it owes only just over one percent of its GDP to agriculture: around 30 percent of Rio de Janeiro's income today comes from the industry sector. The state is the second-most industrialized in Brazil after São Paulo, with the country's largest petrochemical complex at Macaé, north of Rio de Janeiro; South America's largest steelworks in Volta Redonda; and shipbuilding works in the south that account for 90 percent of Brazil's naval output.
Finally, ever since the 18C, the city of Rio de Janeiro has been prominent in the trade and manufacture of jewels, precious rocks, and metals stemming from the interior of Minas Gerais; one can still trace this tradition to the modern jewelry shops of Copacabana and Ipanema.
Rio de Janeiro has had a long connection with sports, having been the host of the PanAmerican Games in 2007. In 2009 the economy was strong enough to see Rio de Janeiro selected as one of the final four possible hosts for the 2016 Olympic Games. The city is also expected to host Brazil's 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Rio de Janeiro was the sole capital of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1763 onward and the capital of independent Brazil from 1822 to 1960. In 1892 it formed the city-state of Guanabara. In 1976 the surrounding state of Rio de Janeiro was merged with the state of Guanabara for administrative purposes, forming today's state of Rio de Janeiro with the city itself as its capital.
Brazil's federal state system resembles closely that of the USA. The state of Rio de Janeiro is administered by a directly elected governor for four years; it sends three senators to the Federal Senate in Brasília, as well as 46 federal deputies to the House of Representatives. The current governor, Sérgio de Oliveira Cabral Santos Filho, is keen to emulate the "zero tolerance" crime policies of former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
The city of Rio de Janeiro is governed by a mayor who serves a four-year term. The term of the current mayor, Eduardo da Costa Paes, ends in December 2012.
People and Population
The population of Rio de Janeiro state is 15.4 million of which 6.1 million live within the greater metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro (estimated 2007), the second largest in Brazil after São Paulo. The population increase varies between 0.8 and 1.4 percent per annum, much of it due to immigration from Europe, mainly from Portugal, and from the northeast of Brazil. Yet all of them are affectionately called "Cariocas."
The "Carioca"
The appellation "Carioca" indicates not only a person who was born in the city, but also, more inclusively, those who have adopted Rio de Janeiro as their home. Its origin is still being debated, but the prevalent consensus is that the word is of Tupi origin and means the "white house," an allusion to the first dwellings of the Portuguese. Some writers even pinpoint which white house it refers to: an old hovel left behind in 1503 on Flamengo beach by Gonçalo Coelho.
The typical characteristics of the Cariocas are their warm natures, their extrovert temperaments, and their disarming spontaneity. Like all Brazilians they are very demonstrative, using physical contact through embracing or kissing, not only within the family but also in greetings between friends. They are immensely proud of Rio de Janeiro and its beauty. The rapport with their bodies is very different from that of Western Europeans and North Americans. No one is scandalized when a woman appears on the beach in the tightest pair of shorts or a "dental floss" tanga swimsuit and no one bats an eyelid or even notices the groups of youths who walk around bare-chested and barefoot.
Dress is also informal. Men would only wear a tie to work in some offices in the city center: jeans and T-shirts are the norm in most places. Bermuda shorts are common for men and women, and the universal footwear is sandals or flip-flops, even at night. Due to the heat, cleanliness and personal hygiene are of great importance—this is the land, after all, where European sailors learned to have baths in order not to offend the native peoples.
Cariocas are a blend of three main races: the native Indians, Europeans, especially the Portuguese, and black Africans who arrived as slaves for the exploitation of sugar in the 17C, gold in the 18C, and coffee in the 19C. Every race contributed to the constitution of the Cariocas, be it through their physical features, the elements of their cultures, the language, the cooking, the religion, or their general attitude.
Indigenous Population
The original Amerindians who lived on the coast of Rio de Janeiro were the Tupi. Extensive ethnographic material comes from the Franciscan friar André Thevet and the Calvinist priest Jean de Léry who lived among them in the 1550s. We know that they moved about "as naked as they came out of the womb," and that they were extremely hospitable to these strangers who were considered allies. Unfortunately the native Indians disappear from history around the beginning of the 17C, having been decimated by the Portuguese in combat, or through imported diseases against which they had no immunity. What survives from the Tupinambá, however, are the local toponyms: from the Bay of Guanabara ("Bay That Looks Like the Sea") to the beach of Ipanema ("Bad Water," i.e. not good for fishing because of the surf) and the national park of Tijuca ("Marsh"), the places the Amerindians named so long ago still define contemporary Rio de Janeiro.
African Ancestry
About four million slaves reached Brazil over the 300-odd years of the slave trade. Aside from influencing the language—many Brazilian children's terms are of African origin—their religious traditions, which amalgamated with Christianity, created today's syncretic religions of Candomblé and, especially in Rio de Janeiro, Umbanda. The slaves also brought with them their cooking —a heavy influence in traditional cuisine—their dances, and their strongly percussive music which mutated into samba and today dominates the city's airwaves.
During the late 20C the immense contribution the African and mixed-race population has made to the life and culture of Rio de Janeiro has been recognized and celebrated as something that makes the city unique and special.
The Portuguese were the victors against the Indians and the French. As such it comes as no surprise that it is their culture that prevailed: their Christian Catholic religion; their Portuguese language, albeit mixed with Tupi and African terms; and their art which was founded on European principles. In the state of Rio de Janeiro other European groups are also prevalent, such as the Finns in Penedo and the Germans in the mountain region of Petrópolis and Freiburg.
The racial breakdown in the metropolitan area (2000 census) is 53 percent white, 35 percent mixed race (pardo), 10.5 percent black, and of the rest only 0.3 percent identify as indigenous.
It is worth noting, though, that this racial predominance is a fairly recent phenomenon. By 1600 Rio de Janeiro had a population of some 2,000 souls (with almost no European women), by 1700 it had reached 10,000, and by 1800 the city numbered close to 45,000 people composed mostly of African slaves and free citizens of mixed heritage. It was only through a late 19C and early 20C immigration strategy to attract Europeans to work in the city—and the country—that the current proportions came about.
Urban landscape
Every visitor will immediately notice the huge social differences found within the city's landscape. The usual problems associated with economically challenged neighborhoods exist here. Government programs are improving the services and the basic infrastructure for the approximately two million people living in the poorest neighborhoods and slums. The majority of the residents of the favelas are hardworking and law-abiding citizens; the areas should however, only be visited by organized tours.
For the second-largest city in the most populous Catholic country in the world, Rio de Janeiro is surprisingly religiously diverse: in the 2000 census only 54 percent identified as Roman Catholic. The historically prevalent religion in whose name the country was colonized has long been in retreat. Equally surprising is the percentage that identify as atheist (16.7 percent), a proportion twice as large as in the rest of Brazil.
Evangelical churches have been growing fast in the last two decades. Twenty-two percent of Cariocas belong to one
of the many variations of evangelical churches established in the city with a large majority (14 percent) favoring the Pentecostal variety.
Finally, around 5 percent believe in one of the African religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda, or belong to one of the minor spirit churches—whose congregation believe in immortality of the soul and reincarnation and have no relation with the African religions.
Both Candomblé and Umbanda are characterized by a syncretism of Christianity and African beliefs whereby Catholic saints and their images are fused with deities of the African continent, called orixás, such as Xangô, the god of thunder and lightning; Oxóssi, the god of forests; Ogum, the god of war; Yemanjá the goddess of the sea; and Exu, the devil. Although these African religions have been persecuted down to recent times, not only did they survive, but they are also responsible for Rio's second most spectacular participatory festival after Carnival. On the night of 31 December, it seems that the whole population of the city descends on Copacabana Beach to launch candlelit paper boats into the sea in honor of Yemanjá.
Food and Drink
The cosmopolitan character of Rio cuisine is evident in the great variety of dishes from all over Brazil that are served in thousands of restaurants in the city. You can easily find moquecas (fish stews) and vatapás (mash made out of bread, shrimp, coconut milk, and palm oil), traditional dishes of the north and the northeast with African and Indian ingredients and seasonings, churrascos (barbecues) typical of the south of the country, and cozidos (stews) of Portuguese and Spanish influence. As becomes the frenetic pace of a big city, however, quick meals are also popular, usually accompanied by tropical fruit juices or soft drinks, eaten standing at the counters of lanchonetes, snack-bars that have multiplied at least as quickly as the big international fast food franchises.
The feijoada is the most characteristic dish of Rio de Janeiro. It is traditionally eaten on Saturdays; a distant echo of the times when a pig was slaughtered on the plantations. The cheap cuts were left for the slaves who cooked them in a black bean stew. Today, the feijoada still contains cuts that range from cutlets, sausages, and belly to trotters and even ears, cooked in a stew with oil, garlic, onion, and bay leaves. The indispensable accompaniment is white rice, couve (sautéed collard greens) with crackling, and farofa (manioc flour cooked golden in butter) with some drops of appetizing pepper sauce. Similar to the feijoada, the cozido is a Carioca institution: a large pot with different kinds of meats (beef, chicken, pork, and sausage) and vegetables (pumpkins, carrots, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, and onions) is allowed to cook very slowly for up to eight hours, the various ingredients being added at set intervals depending on cooking time.
Plates of Portuguese origin are common in Rio de Janeiro, location of the Lisbon court after 1808. As a first course one may try caldo verde, a soup made with greens, paio (a type of dried pork sausage), and potatoes. As dessert, one can sample several sweet dishes of Portuguese origin. Some have a base of egg yolk (quindim de côco), as well as fruit compote. Tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, watermelon, for example) and even European fruit acclimatized to Brazil are enjoyed as dessert.
Because of the climate, Cariocas are not as tempted by wine. Beer rules—and the locals like their beer icy cold: you will often see them carry bottles and cans in foam coverings so that the heat does not warm up their drink as they sit back and enjoy it. You can ask for beer in two ways: as chopp, when you get it on tap and as a cerveja, when you get a bottle or a can.
Caipirinha, the archetypal Brazilian cocktail, consists of white rum (cachaça), sugar, and mashed limes mixed over crushed ice. Its popularity has led to a variety of combinations made with different spirits such as vodka and saki and also cocktails called batidas which are mixtures of fruit juices, cachaça, and sugar. There is an enormous range of flavors: passion fruit, coconut, caju (which is not the nut but the green, bitter cashew fruit), peach, banana, and pineapple to name but a few.


text:
Today Lee and I went to the Over 50's show being held in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos in Estepona, Spain. Although neither of us are over 50! we wanted to once again take the opportunity to meet with some local businesses and see some of the great services available to the local community on the Costa del Sol. We also wanted to show our support for one of clients and fellow BNI'ers, Bodyworks, who had a stand there. It was great to see Bob and Estelle doing what they do best and of course it goes without saying it was also rewarding to see the exhibition banners we had designed for them being put to such good use.
Today Lee and I went to the Style n' Beauty Show being held in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos in Estepona. We have 2 clients with stands at the show and we wanted to go along to support them, as well as meet with some local businesses. It was really interesting and we meet some great people that we hope to work with in the future.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dockside Ch. 02byAdrian Leverkuhn©
Within that last night on the Bay of Biscay, as storm clouds gathered along horizons unknown and distant, I dreamt of two paths in the woods. Perhaps only an affirmation of Frost's "two roads diverged in a yellow wood," this was -- I knew within my dream -- where my life stood now; but 'perhaps not' always lingered -- just out of reach. In this dream I saw two unrecognizable women standing in a wood, each standing silently, waiting, watching me. At first the woods were still, dreadfully so; warm, close air, almost stifling, and time slowed. Heat, unbearable heat gathered all around me, and yet, in the distance, these women stood in cool splendor, their gauzy gowns drifting on unseen breezes, braids of gossamer lace floating on currents born of other days, each alluring, beckoning, and relentlessly commanding my attention -- yet in the softest imaginable way.
I came to see that I was, as time drifted so lazily by, inside the eye of a hurricane. Just outside the woods, in raging winds, amid thunderous destruction, the world I had known was being torn asunder by furies recognizable -- yet subtly transformed. People I had known in my life, and loved, were embedded within the raging storm, their faces full of twisting black malevolence -- and they were the very essence of this storm. Their words lashed the landscape, anger tore homes from their foundations and scattered them as dust, hatred and betrayal spilled from wounded eyes -- yet still the two women stood in silent majesty, watching me, waiting, just in silence.
If I made as to move toward one woman the furies rose and screamed, winds ate away at the edge of my wood, howls of anguish filled the air and tore at my mind with nauseating power; if I stepped toward the other, from the very heart of the wood I could feel a desolate, wounded moan rise from the very earth upon which I stood, leaves on trees began to wilt and curl, petals fell from dying flowers, the grass beneath my feet turned brown and hard.
There was a choice to be made, yet it seemed so obvious. Why was it so hard to choose? Would the rising storm tear into these woods, would vanquished fury leave a world unrecognizable and in pain, be a world worth living in? Would the trees and the grass and the blooming flowers take root again, and grow -- in the desolate emptiness after the storm's final retreat?
I woke to the sounds of wind driven rain lashing ancient windows and growing thunder. Lightning lit the room and frenzied shadows danced across out bed. A tree bent to the storm, naked branches scraped against glass.
I rose, walked to the window and looked into the clouds for the faces of people I had once known.
Michelle flew back to London, I returned to Honfleur and my boat. A day later I sailed north across the channel, back up the Thames and locked-up into the marina. The next morning as I was waking, I felt the boat move and knew someone had boarded. I put on some clothes and walked to the galley and looked through a port-light into the cockpit.
Ted Sunderland was sitting there, a long cigarette dripping from his hand.
I slid the companionway hatch back and stuck my head up. "Coffee?" I asked.
"Please. Yes."
I opened up the boat and let some fresh air in, got coffee going, and Ted stuck his head down and looked around. "Make yourself at home," I said, and he clambered down the steps.
"Cozy," he said.
"Cream or sugar?"
"Black, please."
"Well, what's on your mind Ted, beside the obvious."
He smiled. "I've done a little checking up on you. While you were away."
"That was decent of you. How am I doing?"
"You were considered a pretty fair architect. Why did you ditch it all and leave?"
"You want to talk about my . . . architecture?"
"Why not? I'd like to know more about . . ."
"About what you're up against?"
"No, not at all. You might think me a hypocrite, and I may well be, but I think we both know the outraged husband routine has little pertinence here." He took some coffee, looked around the boat again. "Yes, I quite like it down here. I can see the attraction."
"No, well, I could understand, as an architect, if you'd been an abject failure, why you might choose to drop it all. I assume your marriage is over, was over, but you really do seem very highly regarded, and in a city well known for good architecture. It seems strange. A conundrum. I wanted to know, that's all. Thought I might get a handle on where things stand."
I couldn't decide what to do, what to say. Was he on the level? What was his angle?
"So," he continued, "you graduated from Northwestern, then the University of Chicago. Take it from there."
"Alright, Ted, I'll give you the condensed version."
"I like condensed. Fire away."
"I got out, worked for a large firm a few years . . ."
"Yes, yes, I know all that, man. Get on with it, to the meat of the matter!"
"Well, once upon a time I considered myself principled. I know that must sound rather bland and boring to you, but there you have it. I always identified with Howard Roark, Ayn Rand's architect in The Fountainhead. Familiar with it?"
"No. Never my thing, reading fiction."
"Of course. Well, I used to think Frank Lloyd Wright was the unshelled nuts, uh, the very thing I longed to be as an architect, and I drew fanciful homes and buildings, and all very true to Wright's vision. Critics soon labeled me Frank Lloyd Wrong, peers thought my work dull and pretentious, yet I continued, true to my ideas, true to what I thought most important as a designer. I made a living; not a great one, but there were enough people around wanting some connection to Wright's style . . . and well, anyway, I managed to keep us in clothes."
"Ah, you were married then?"
"Right after graduating from Northwestern. Before architecture school. I met Claire at Northwestern, in the library of all things. She was very studious, quite bright. . ."
"I know. We've talked. Claire and I."
I felt a chill of cold anger run down my back.
"Oh do go on, Jones. The excitement is killing me."
I think I may have been angry at this point; I know I was red-faced and staring at him. Ted looked at me, hastily turned away, and seemed genuinely upset.
"I'm sorry, Jones. Please. Finish."
"Yeah. Well, I guess after a time I got tired of all the Frank Lloyd Wrong stuff, sometimes the out and out scorn of my fellows around Chicago. I went out on my own then, too; started my own firm. Anyway, a client came to me, oh, about ten years ago, and asked me to design a new office building for his company up in Madison. Wisconsin. I listened to this man, a moron, really, to his ideas about design, life, all of it, and I hated myself but took the commission. I vowed to myself that I was going to design the most hideous, atrocious building man had ever laid eyes on, and of course he loved it.
It was built, and critics labeled the design a work of genius. Somehow I wasn't shocked. We live in a world that accepts mediocrity as the norm, so why shouldn't that be the case, right? But this design was conceived as a blatant affront to everything I loved about design, and people loved it. New clients came, quietly at first, then in a rush. Some begged, threw obscene numbers my way, offered any amount of money, and I forced myself to design the ugliest houses, the most terrifyingly gaudy structures I could imagine, and each new design was praised as the work of an inspired uber-architect. Kids fresh out of school came to me, wanted to join me, wanted to become a disciple to this new movement I had come to represent, hell, that I had created. The New Prairie School, they called it. I called it Fugly.
"I see. And what of Claire?"
"She went to work for a large brokerage firm after law school, corporate mergers principally, but you already know that, right?"
He nodded.
"She got pregnant once, miscarried, and that was the end of that. Got her tubes tied. A few years later, well, I'm not sure when, really, but I began to hear rumors she was sleeping around. A lot."
"Curious. Do you think she was sleeping around before you abandoned your principles?"
His words hit me like a hammer blow.
"I mean, Jones, did she fall out of love with you about the same time you fell out of love with yourself? When you abandoned the ideas she had always known you stood for? The ideas you had embraced as your own when the two of you met, when the two of you fell in love?"
"I don't know."
"You should ask your wife that question some day. Really, you might do that. Well, good coffee and all, but I must dash."
"Is that what she told you?" I felt hollow inside, like I had betrayed a friend.
"Sorry. Must go. Appointments and all that." He put his cup on the counter and held out his hand.
I took it. His skin was cool, dry, alien.
"I'm sure you'll do the right thing, old boy. You always have, haven't you?"
He climbed up into the gray morning, and left me standing in a pool of doubt.
Michelle came that evening. She looked unnerved, her eyes were lined with dark circles and seemed dull, lifeless.
"How have you been," I asked. I doubted I looked any better.
"Difficult. Ted is being difficult. Playing the reformed, possessive, all attentive husband. And you? I wanted to come earlier, but could not."
"He came by this morning. Ted did. We talked."
"I think he's taking a different tack on me. Trying to appeal to my sense of obligation, to my wife, to Claire. He wants to say, or implies, I think, that she still loves me."
"How on earth would he know that?"
"Well, it seems he's talked with her, so perhaps he thinks he's done his homework."
"Mon dieu."
"So, what would you like to do? What would make you happy?"
"Me? Now? If I could do anything, anything at all, to be happy again?"
"Ah, well, there is a lane, a road, in the hills outside Avignon. I would walk with you down this lane, to my grandfather's house. He is very old, my grandfather, but I would talk to him, with you. And I would listen to what he had to say."
"That sounds like a good thing."
"Yes. He is a wise old man. And a smart-ass. You would love him."
"Ah, well. Shall we go?"
"What? Now?"
"Is it always so easy?"
"Isn't that what the old man said? In the dining room?"
"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore?"
"Don't you?"
She was crying now, and I held her.
"Is there one thing you know? Do you love me?"
"Yes," she said. "Always."
"Does anything else matter?"
"Then we'll go. To Avignon. Now, tonight."
It was a simple choice, to walk down a country lane in France. To be with the woman I loved, to hold her in my arms.
So simple. Such an easy choice.
And so we went.
(c)2008, Adrian Leverkuhn
kjohns2001, sqheadgerman favorited this story!
- Recent
- by rightbank11/02/15
Ted is good at giving advice
how well does he take it?
I love the imagery.
Show more comments or
Read All 5 User Comments or
Click here to leave your own comment on this submission!
- Add a
- Send
Send private anonymous feedback to the author (click here to post a public comment instead).


text:
Glenn Beck Condemns Hersheypark's Transgender Bathroom Policy: Next Stop Is Pedophilia
Hersheypark: Guests, Employees May Use Restrooms With Which They Gender-Identify
Raven-Symone Says She Was Pressured By Hollywood To Remain Closeted
Demi Lovato Promotes Transgender Rights During Billboard Music Awards
Adam Lambert 'Inspired' By Freddie Mercury's Performances
Joe Biden Calls Gay West Point Class President 'Courageous'
PBS will air the British sitcom
'Vicious' starting in July.
According to Deadline
Hollywood, the first episode will air on Sunday, July 6 at 10:30
Vicious, originally titled
Vicious Old Queens, looks at the lives of elderly gay couple
Freddie (played by Ian McKellen), a retired actor, and Stuart (Derek
Jacobi), a former barman.
Jacobi and McKellen are gay in real
The 6 30-minute episode series is
written by Gary Janetti, a former writer and executive producer of
the Fox animated series Family Guy and
NBC's Will & Grace.
In a teaser clip
from the show released by British network ITV, Stuart and Freddie are
sitting on a couch sipping tea.
"So who were you
squawking at on the phone just now?" Freddie asks.
"My mother,"
Stuart answers.
"Did you finally
tell her about us?"
"I'm waiting for
the right time."
"It's been 48
years," Freddie responds. (The video is embedded on this page.
our video library for more videos.)
On Top Magazine


text:
Related Articles
- Janet Yellen takes case for Fed's easy money policies to the publicWorld stocks at record high, gold price holds gains as dollar dipsTaking an aggressive directional call on gold looks difficult at this point of timeJanet Yellen says US job market still in recovery, calls for 'pragmatic' policy
The US Federal Reserve should move cautiously in deciding when to raise interest rates given the US labour market remains bruised from the Great Recession, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said on Friday amid calls from policy hawks for a near-term rate hike.
In a speech at the Feds annual central bank conference, Yellen laid out in detail why she feels the unemployment rate alone is inadequate to evaluate the strength of the jobs market and why the central bank needs to step gingerly.
Her remarks were followed by a speech by the head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, who said the ECB was ready to use all the tools at its disposal to lift euro zone inflation if it continued to drop. He said, however, that most factors that had weighed on prices appeared temporary.
Together, the comments from Yellen and Draghi underscored how both central banks were wrestling with the complexities of labour markets still-wracked by the 2007-2009 financial crisis.
Yellen stood by her view that significant slack remains in the US economy, even as she nodded to the counter-arguments of some of her colleagues who feel labour markets are tighter than she believes and inflation a risk.
There is no simple recipe for appropriate policy, she said, arguing for a pragmatic approach that focuses on incoming data without committing to a preset policy path.
Ahead of her comments, a number of top Fed officials pressed their case for an early hike in benchmark rates, which the US central bank has held near zero since December 2008.


text:
Sam Green Social
Sam Green is a musician born in Australia who worked in some degree in sweat shops and assembly line for little return through hard conditions gain his rights to entry in the music industry in by working behind others as in street poets and community services and broadcasts.
Currently based in the South Eastern area Victoria in Australia. He is known for being creative in voice and song, have performed in voice and song from a young age.
More than a passion, a way of life or light Sam does find to himself giving to charities sometimes. By giving that to charities a percentage of the payment given thus balance for as to give and receive a gift to charity in both, a helping hands.
Bookings book direct 0412564404. Make a better world for yours mine and us. Let it be in peace, let it be in harmony, as in relaxation or point of reflection to know thy self in healing as be a good spirit soul to which the heart light creates. let it be in time, to make a better world. The mathematics of the music one gives is to give the light of freedom health and well-being, this is the point of view and to freedom as art. I am no saint but I am no demon too. It is that I perform, record, practice my art and
as I am an artist will you join us? And support, but only up to a point. Come if you can.
My life has been from darkness coming to light. As everyone must. We try, who we are again. Currently the best is to find in me in the markets in Melbourne if I am there. All transaction legal above board with work ethics and work permit.


text:
Wednesday marks six months until the next provincial election. Candidates are likely to emphasize family values, and some will claim they put "families first." But after canvassing the websites and recent press releases of the Liberal, NDP, Conservative and Green … Continue reading
subsidized childcare RSS
Paul Kershaw: Government should help out young Canadians
There is a generational imbalance in Canada's policy priorities. While Canadians under 45 face a precipitous drop in their standard of living, government spending prioritizes Canadians over 55 — the very generations that benefited the most from a national economy … Continue reading


text:
Haftarah: 1 Kings 7:40-50
The Major Testimonies: Hebrews 9:1-14
(Our deepest apologies the video version was accidentally deleted from the iPad we use to record the video version and so this week it is only an audio teaching)
Vayakhel וַיַּקְהֵל
Chumash: Exodus 35:1-38:20
Haftarah: 1 Kings 7:40-50
The Major Testimonies: Hebrews 9:1-14
(Our deepest apologies the video version was accidentally deleted from the iPad we use to record the video version and so this week it is only an audio teaching)
2/20/2014 23:27:47
You are our holy anointed Rabbi with which YHVH is pleased. I loved this teaching. I didn't know the ark cover and cherubim were so fascinating kuddos Hosanna in the Highest Rabbi Fredrickson. Thank you for blessing us so with your knowledge and wisdom that only comes from our Abba.
2/22/2014 16:17:24
you're demonic the son of satan.
Melanie Bowden
2/22/2014 19:20:49
This show is on repeat on my droid. It's calked full of important information and I can't write my notes fast enough to get it all down on paper. I'm a fan. Thank you for taking the time to do this show,
2/23/2014 11:30:42
this guy is illuminati. who are the illuminati? catholics jews freemasons and hollywood. chris was a catholic he said he used to play music and if you look up frederickson you'll see that's a name well known in the freemason lodges. now he says he is a jew? ask his ex girlfriend christina about him she'll tell you. http://Facebook.com/users/christinaxchuba2
2/23/2014 12:07:02
Funny thing Riley. That profile was started yesterday. When I messaged the profile the location showed Massachusetts. Christina is in South Carolina in Greenville. I'm reporting the profile to Facebook. Blessings,
Belinda Jefferies
2/24/2014 22:10:10
Zander Riley is only an agent of Satan to attack Yah's anointed. Pay him no mind. Chris' mishpocha know his deeds are just. I'm learning from Chris going on three Hebrew years. He's the best and has the strongest anointing I've ever felt. So naturally agents of Satan come against Chris Yah's anointed son.
Christopher Fredrickson
2/25/2014 06:46:11
Thank you for the very kind words, Belinda, Zander, Melonie and Melissa. There are people out there who have set out to attack me because of what I do in ministry. People wishing to make a name for themselves, I am rather sure I know who Riley is. Also considering the IP of the profile he used here is from Mass as well as Zander pointed out the profile that messaged him was from Mass as well it makes sense. But I am not gonna bash Riley who has been dishonest and coused a lot of problems for a lot of people because of the spirits that control him. Instead I choose to say I was like that when I was young and I pray one day he grows up and becomes a person who sees the error of his ways. I know I had to when I acted like he did. And man am I glad I did. So be in prayer for him, he is a baby in his walk and considering he is a baby the lashon Hara comes with the territory as well as the Yetzer Hara. We have all been through this and some of you may say, "well not as bad as Riley" well I did I was just as bed as him. And now as you all know I am not anymore and it was because I had good people around me that I didn't even know who helped me by showing me chesed. That is the key.
Christopher Fredrickson
2/25/2014 07:03:47
It is important to always try and put yourself into the other person's shoes. Mr Riley is a sick man and it is apparent. Now I know somewhat what that is like cause I have been in the hospital for 2 days for diabetes. Though his issues are psychological and spiritual, it is important to draw those parallels and I can say from my personal experience when a person lacks in a area that is not good he compensates. This is scientific actually, I remember one time blood sugar (I'm a diabetic) got low and my brain automatically turned on another part not often used and I came up with this crazy mathematical formula showing the mathematical system we are on is incorrect. Now I suck at math, but my brain compensated when I lost slight vision and slight motor function. So there is a lesson to be learned in that. Also I have been in a hospital bed for two days, I have been without many things that make me comfortable at my home also I have tubes in my arms and I have to adjust. Being one with Aspergers it is hard when I have a flood of nurses in my room every few minutes, it is stressful so I have had to make adjustments. My cigarettes are my coping mechanism and I have not been able to have them or more than 8 oz of coffee. This is hard for me and I had to make adjustments. Riley is going through the same thing. When a person lacks in an area of life that they want from another person they compensate and over compensate to try and be more like that person in the area they are lacking and at times the person does not go about it the right way. Everyone has a place in the body and a gift, my gift is to teach. Not everyone has that gift and,any have other gifts more-so and equally important. Many try and will their gift from the Ruach Hakodesh and say "I want that gift" and they destroy others to get it. I've seen it often. I have been around long enough to know where my place is in the world and in ministry and what my focus is Hashem has given me. Some have not found it yet, if they spend lots of time in prayer they will. They may not like what Hashem has for them but they will be shown. It took me a while to come into my own. And to be comfortable with the calling Hashem has given me. And it seems Mr Riley has the same issue, of compensation.
2/25/2014 07:18:30
Christopher Fredrickson
2/25/2014 07:33:19
No worries Zander, I enjoy teaching and it is a blessing to me that Hashem has allowed me to teach. Yeah I reported the profile too and I had people on my email list do the same cause that was not her. She had been off of Fscebook for a few weeks and that was not her profile.
2/25/2014 11:19:05
Rabbi I see all you deal with. I've seen the Fscebook statuses from people about you I've seen the comments on here and other places and I've felt the unclean spirit with these people. I don't know how you stay sane. I would have lost it by now. But you must have the love of Yahweh in you that guides you. If you ever need to quit we understand.
2/25/2014 22:08:50
Hello, this is Christina. I don't like nasty comments up on a teaching. These comments above, in no way edify. We are never to call someone, Satan. I don't come on here and read the comments, until it was brought to my attention. I also must add, I have no Facebook page, I think Riley, you need to pray. I'd never sit here and bash Christopher, as a fellow member of the body of Messiah. I pray for the spirit to overflow with rivers of love. Please, don't bring my name into things.
2/26/2014 06:50:06
Yes Chrintina. That's what I said. Chris has helped me more times than anybody. When I was struggling Chris never condemned me instead he said call me and gave me his phone number. None of the rabbis I've tried to get advice from would do that. And Chris checks up on me and he's always around for me and others. Chris is one of YHVH's watchmen. We need to lift our blessed rabbi up to guard him from attacks. He's a blessing. Z
Christopher Fredrickson
2/26/2014 08:15:25
Sorry guys I was in bed early last night and I was up late today. And I think the email alerts are getting to me late unless the time marks are west coast time. Here is the deal, when you have a collective audience of the two shows of 100,000 people there are going to be people out there who's sole intention is to destroy and bring you down. There was one guy who for 7 months claimed that I denied Messiah and would come on here and comment and say so infaticslly that I denied Messiah which you all know is not true. I had another one who has claimed for 3 years I am gay. Again 150% not true. And I get harassing emails all the time and it comes with the territory. And when they really try and take you down they make up crazy stuff as opposed to taking I the thing they disagree with or being honest. Obviously this guy (and I know who it is and Riley is his last name) has made several fake accounts as Zander and others who had messaged me have said when they clicked onto the fake account he made on Facebook and saw things didn't mesh. There were several messages this guy sent me on Facebook from two accounts and on his vimeo account after he was blocked that didn't mesh and these people are bullies. Simply that they are bullies. And given that fact that I volunteer every year with the special Olympics and I love those kids, each of them deal with bullies and I really do not like bullies. But I have remained silent, except for a few private messages to this guy here and there cause he knows what buttons to push. But the fact is. And I should have learned my lesson with the others who were so adimant about "taking me down" that the best thing to do is just ignore these people. I know that sounds very PC, but when I stopped responding to the others the harassment stopped. They got bored because they found out they were not having am effect. They realized they were wasting their time. And guys you need to know Mr Riley comes on here to ruffle feathers, he does it to cause division remember Romans 16:17? Some of you remember last year, I almost quit the shows because I saw this kind of stuff was gonna happen. Cause when I saw what our audience had jumped to around this time of last year. I got overwhelming anxiety and stress and I knew from my days in political radio thus kind of stuff happens. When you reach a certain point there is like a threshold that after you reach X amount of listeners one under you are safe one over is a different story just wait cause the crazies come out. This guy is the only one who has successfully affected my personal life in devastating ways he has succeeded in his goal of division. And I think the reason he has succeeded is because of the fact I responded when I usually do not. I should have just ignored this guy. So we must allow this to be a lesson to all of us. And hopefully we all learn from it. But on the same token I think another sad thing is there are only a few comments here about the actual episode. Most are people defending me and Mr Riley attacking me. And this does not look good when people click on this episode. People in secular media thrive on controversy us however as believers in Yeshua don't, and we shouldn't. For the book of Isaiah tells us to stray from controversies about one another, Romans 16 tells us to stay away from it, Yeshua said in Matthew "blessed are the peace makers" and Matthew 18 shows how certain things need to be handled and the fact is.....we all failed in terms of this. Myself included. We got drawn into what this guy was saying and many of you felt I needed to be defended. I think the best defense is to not give a single word of power to those who wish to cause division. What many of us have done is given Mr Riley power. And we fueled his Yetzer Hara and he thinks this is fun. Let us not do this anymore let us follow the commandments and let us respond like it says in Galatians 5:22-23. Be a light to the world be the mussar (wisdom) to the world, wisdom is not within words it is within action. If we spend our times defending and attacking people then we have stolen time away from God. That is the last I am gonna say about this.
2/26/2014 15:31:33
Chris isn't a believer in YahushuWah he's an new ager!! All you sheep who invite him to speak and listen to him on this website are being led by a new age wolf!! He won't even use the name of Yahuwahuwah instead he says God the deity of fortune. Don't be mislead this man will lead you into the pits of hell to burn for eternity.
3/4/2014 15:57:44
since your on drugs illegal drugs I guess you can't make these anymore not that anyone is complaining
Leave a Reply.
PaRDeS Radio Torah Portions
Each week Christopher Fredrickson presents the week's Torah Portion
June 2014


text:
Alabama will open the 2014 season ranked No. 21 in the nation by Baseball America, as announced on Monday morning with its preseason top 25 poll. The Crimson Tide opens the season on Friday, Feb. 14 against Saint Louis in game one of a three-game series from Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
Click here for the original story.
Welcome to SECTalk.com
|Welcome to SECTalk.com -- The Home of 6 Straight National Titles!
You are currently accessing our site as a guest which means you can't access all of our features such as social groups, sports betting, and many more. By joining our free community you will have access to all of these great features as well as to participating in our forums, contacting other members, and much more. Registration only takes a minute and SECTalk.com is absolutely free, so please join today!
If you have any problems registering or signing in, please contact us.
Latest Topics
Latest News
Top Bettors
Top High Fived
Baseball Ranked No. 21 in Baseball America Preseason Poll
Started by Tider27, Jan 27 2014 09:13 AM
Posted 27 January 2014 - 09:13 AM
Posted 27 January 2014 - 11:14 AM
Woo hooooooooo
Reporter: "38-0. Teams just don't do that in a playoff semifinal."
Jonathan Allen: "Alabama does."
Posted 27 January 2014 - 11:21 AM
make a liar outta me...please
"Whenever I see those crimson jerseys and crimson helmets, I feel humbled to have played football for Alabama. Other players in the NFL talk to me about their schools and their traditions. I just smile knowing the immense love Alabama fans have for our school and its football program. I'm proud to be a part of that Crimson Tide heritage."
-- Derrick Thomas
-- Derrick Thomas
Similar Topics
|Started By
|Last Post Info
2016 SEC Baseball
Started by GoldenRebel, 10 Dec 2015 In: SEC Sports → SEC Baseball & Minor Sports Talk
- Hot 1,291 replies
- 25,029 views
Baseball Set for Tournament Semifinal
Started by SECTalk.com, 27 May 2016 In: The West → LSU Sports → LSU News
- 0 replies
- 49 views
Baseball Beats State, Advances to SEC Semifinal
Started by SECTalk.com, 27 May 2016 In: The West → LSU Sports → LSU News
- 0 replies
- 56 views
Baseball Falls in Back-and-Forth Battle with Fourth-Ranked Florida, 5-4
Started by Tider27, 26 May 2016 In: The West → Alabama Sports → Alabama News
- 0 replies
- 63 views
Baseball Eliminated At SEC Tournament In 4-1 Loss To Texas A&M
Started by GAMECOCK_FAN, 26 May 2016 In: The East → South Carolina Sports → South Carolina News
- 0 replies
- 50 views


text:
Advertising (remove)
The Mighty Macs
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Carla Gugino, David Boreanaz, Marley Shelton, Tony Luke Jr., Jodie Lynne McClintock, Malachy McCourt, Erin Mosher, Jean Orlando, John Peakes and others
In the early 70s, Cathy Rush becomes the head basketball coach at a tiny, all-girls Catholic college. Though her team has no gym and no uniforms -- and the school itself is in danger of being sold -- Coach Rush looks to steer her girls to their first national championship.
Available in versions: DVDRip
mighty macs results 1-10 from 10
Search for "mighty macs" on Torrentz.eu


text:
One of these players is not like the others, yet that one, Getz, is the only one of the four to start each of the last 2 games. One of the reasons Ned Yost used in justifying Kila's demotion was that, being in contention, they needed more production out of his position. Okay fair enough, what's done is done, Eric Hosmer is off to a great start (.944 OPS) and looks like he's going to provide that bump in production (for more of my thoughts on Hosmer/Kila, check out this piece I wrote for the St. Joseph News Press). But that explanation raised a couple questions.......
My first question is, why isn't the contention argument being applied to Getz? And my second question is, if he was acquired by Allard Baird would he still be on the roster?
Seriously, there's absolutely no reason why he should be starting with Aviles and Betemit swinging the bat so well. None. Yost is intentionally making the offense weaker for reasons that I can't quite comprehend. Replacing Getz's bat doesn't even require a roster move, sure it makes the bench worse, but that's hardly a reason to start him. This year isn't an anomaly either, Aviles and Betemit are just better major league hitters and their numbers prove it.
- Getz - .249/.314/.315 (793 PAs)
- Aviles - .295/.325/.432 (1120 PAs)
- Betemit - .268/.336/..448 (1697 PAs)
- Lorenzo Cain - He had two doubles and a sensational diving catch in center field. I can see why people use Mike Cameron as a comp. His doubles weren't bloopers down the line, they were line drives that one hopped the wall in left-center field. I can't wait to watch this guy in Kansas City.
- Mike Moustakas - Moustakas was hit by a pitch, walked, and hammered a pitch down the line that banged off the right field foul pole for a home run. He also flied out to deep center field. I've seen him play before but this was the first time I got to see the Moustakas I've read about. It was fun to watch.
- Clint Robinson - The clamoring for Robinson has subsided since the Hosmer promotion and last nights performance possibly showed why he didn't get a look first in Kansas City. I've never seen a player have a worse game in my life. He went 0/4 with 4 strikeouts, 3 swinging on pitches out of the strike zone and the 4th one standing. He looked absolutely lost. Now one game is, of course, a terrible sample size but there's a reason the free Clint movement never picked up any steam, he's just not as as good as his numbers suggest. When a player is largely dismissed by his organization and the stathead elite (I use that term affectionately, don't hate) he doesn't stand a chance.


text:
What's Going On In The End Credits Of Thor: The Dark World?
One of the hallmarks of Marvel Studios films is that they typically have a little extra tease thats thrown on to the screen either in the middle of or after the end credits. These scenes have been used both for comedic effect (such as the one in Shane Blacks Iron Man 3) and to tease future films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These sequences are fun for fans who read the comics and keep up to date with comic book films, but casual movie-goers are sometimes left scratching their heads wondering what they just saw. Were here to help.
Thor: The Dark World, which has already been released in many countries around the world and will be arriving in theaters in the United States this weekend, actually has two different post-credits sequences that were going to discuss in detail, but first
WARNING: The following paragraphs will completely spoil the end credits scenes of Thor: The Dark World. If you wish to not know what happens in the movie until you see it for yourself, please click here.
Still with us? Here we go!
Directed by Guardians of the Galaxys James Gunn, the scene begins as we see Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) touring through an odd museum like space, being led by an alien woman. The stranger then introduces the man that the Asgardians are there to see: Taneleer Tivan, also known as The Collector (Benicio Del Toro). Sif then presents the Elder of the Universe with the container holding the aether, the powerful element that Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) was pursuing for the entire film. She explains that with the Tesseract already in Odin's Trophy Room that it would be unwise and unsafe to keep two infinity stones in the same place, and that she wishes for The Collector to keep the artifact safe. The mysterious man agrees and seems helpful, but as the Asgardians leave The Collector whispers in a sinister voice, "One down, five to go."
We first learned that The Collector was going to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Del Toro landed the role this past summer, but all this time we assumed that we wouldnt see his character until Guardians of the Galaxy. By taking the aether into his collection he makes his first appearance in a live-action film and also immediately becomes a huge part of Marvel Studios future plans.
But what exactly is going on? Sif and Volstagg presumably see The Collector as either a neutral associate or a friendly ally, but the last line of the scene suggests otherwise. Bringing together all of the Infinity Stones and attaching them to whats called the Infinity Gauntlet gives the wearer of the gauntlet complete power over absolutely everything in the universe and the ability to do anything the mind can come up with. In the comics, acquiring all of the Infinity Stones and the Infinity Gauntlet is the main mission of the Mad Titan known as Thanos, who is known to Marvel Movie fans as the big purple villain who rears his ugly mug at the end of The Avengers. The post-credits scene in Thor: The Dark World suggests that The Collector could be in league with Thanos, which means that hes neither neutral nor a friend he is definitely an enemy. (And did I mention that you can actually see the Infinity Gauntlet in Kenneth Branagh's Thor?)
Details on the other post-credit scene on the next page!
Back to top


text:
Herbs Alive!™ Fertilizer
For vigorous herbs with lots of flavor!
Email Subscriber Special:Save $25 When You Buy $50 Or More!
Product Details
Everyone loves the robust flavor that fresh herbs bring to a home-cooked meal. Growing your own herbs is a rewarding experience, and will be even more so when you use Herbs Alive! Fertilizer! You'll grow the most vigorous herbs and get higher yields than ever before with just two applications.
Herbs Alive!:
Overly rich fertilizers often reduce the amount of aromatic oil in herb leaves and cause scraggly, leggy plants. Grow your best herbs yet with Herbs Alive!, only from Gardens Alive!®. Scratch 1 tablespoon per plant into soil surface after transplanting or when seedlings emerge. Then make a second application of 1 tablespoon per plant midseason.
- has just the right balance of nutrients for lush, full foliage growth without sacrificing robust flavor. It is specially designed for herbs, whether they're potted or in the garden.
- has been proven to produce significant yield increases over those fed with vegetable fertilizer. It's great for parsley, chives, dill, cilantro and more.
- is all-natural and non-toxic.
Customer Reviews


text:
Purchase Tickets Online Today!
Click here to learn more about Public Events • Click here to learn more about On The Water Adevntures
General Admission & Family Package Admission
Visit all the museum's historic ships, and exhibits for ONE low price.*
- Adult 18+ $16.00
- Senior 62+, Military w/ID, Students 13-17 years $13.00
- Child 3-12 years $8.00
- Family Package Admission Special $43.00 (Admission for Two Adults and Two Children 3 – 12)
What can I see at the Maritime Museum of San Diego?
Ships at the Maritime Museum**
Exhibits at the Maritime Museum
Events at the Museum
Hours 9am to 8pm. Your ticket is good for all day, you can leave for lunch and come back to keep exploring.
**At times one or more ships may be off exhibit due to maintenance or special events. You may want to call ahead if there is a particular ship you wanted to explore.
Pirate Days
Pirate Days – Special Event Admission
"BOARDED! A New Pirate Adventure!" aboard Californian
Online sales for BOARDED! A New Pirate Adventure! have ended. Plenty of walk-up tickets are available till sold out. Also ask about other on the water activities.
Pirate Days Admission. May 21 or 22.*
- Adult 18+ $17.00
- Senior 62+, Military w/ID, Students 13-17 years $14.00
- Child 12-3 years $9.00
- Child 2 & under FREE
New this year, BOARDED! A New Pirate Adventure! aboard Californian.
This hilarious interactive show puts you right in the middle of the pirate action. After you are sworn in as part of the crew you will be trained how to navigate, sword fight, bail water from a sinking ship, escape from the Kings Jail, swab the deck and other pirate skills. But beware…there be mutiny afoot, a lost crew and cursed treasure.
BOARDED Ticket includes Pirate Days Admission PLUS the show BOARDED aboard the tall ship Californian. Show times: 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 Ticket price range: $37.00 to $18.00
Pirate Days May 21 & 22 – click here to learn more.
Special Event Activities end at 4pm.
Museum Hours 9am to 8pm daily. Your ticket is good for all day, you can leave for lunch and come back to keep exploring.
Tall Ship Adventure Sail
Tall Ship Adventure aboard Californian*
June 18 & 19, 2016 is the Fathers Day Sail.
Tall Ship Adventure Sail is a three-hour adventure history sail aboard the schooner Californian.
Join the crew in sailing a traditionally rigged tall ship. Passengers will be invited to haul a line, man the helm and end their day with a cannon salute.
Tickets range from $60.00 to $44.00
- Check-in ends at 11:30am
- Sail is 3 hours and returns to the museum at 3pm
- You can check-in as early as 9am, enjoy the Museum before and/or after your sail. Ticket includes general admission.
- Schedule is subject to change. Any new times will be noted on ticket.
- On the water adventure page.
Fathers Day Sail aboard Californian
Sail June 18 or 19, 2016
Make Fathers Day a special one-of-a-kind adventure! The Maritime Museum of San Diego invites you to a Fathers Day celebration aboard the State official tall ship Californian.
The sail begins with a souvenir photo of all in your party. Each adult receives a delicious bratwurst sandwich, chips and a cold beer prior to sailing. Hot dogs and soft drinks are available for the kids.
Tickets range from $70.00 to $48.00
- Choose either June 18 or 19, 2016.
- Photos and food: 10:00am to 11:30am
- Boarding Check-in ends: 11:30pm
- Sail is 3 hours and returns to the museum at 3pm
- This adventure is better suited for kids 6 and older
- You can check-in as early as 9am, enjoy the Museum before and/or after your sail. Ticket includes general admission.
- For more info, click here.
4th of July Picnic Dinner
Picnic Dinner aboard Berkeley
The observation deck of the museum's historic 1898 steam ferry Berkeley provides a spectacular view of the fireworks show over San Diego Bay and is reserved for guests participating in our delicious catered picnic dinner.
Tickets range from $35.00 to $18.00
- Dinner is $35 for adults and $18 for children 3-12
- Two seatings to choose from, first seating 5pm-6:30pm second seating 7pm to 8:30pm
- Independence Day Picnic Dinner aboard the Berkeley features, BBQ chicken, burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, ice cold watermelon & double fudge brownies for dessert!
- For more info, click here.
Partner adventure tickets
Maritime Museum Combo Packages
Want to visit more that one attraction in San Diego? Discount packages are available for many popular attractions in San Diego when visiting the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
The Hausmann Quartet
The Hausmann Quartet and the Maritime Museum of San Diego are excited to partner to present the launch of Haydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime, a quarterly concert series aboard Berkeley – an 1898 steam ferryboat that operated for 60 years on San Francisco Bay.


text:
CORNELIUS – Staff at Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries didn't have to go all the way to Sochi to earn the bronze, silver and gold.
Recently, both the Davidson and Cornelius libraries earned the bronze certification through the system-wide Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's WorkSmart initiative. While all 20 branches met the goal by the end of December, Cornelius was the first neighborhood branch to receive the distinction.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Associate Director of Access and Organization Initiatives Linda Raymond said the framework for WorkSmart is for libraries to identify and implement best practices or innovations to improve inefficiencies. Branches that met and sustained goals received a plaque.
Ellen Giduz, who manages both the Cornelius and Davidson branches, said they have been able to improve individual locations, plus gotten ideas from other libraries.
"The results have been good and have shown best practices for what to do," she said. "It holds us very accountable. When you get busy, sometimes things slide, but this keeps us from sliding."
A main Cornelius goal was to improve staff's ability to answer questions, such as library information, reference queries, book recommendations and technology issues.
Giduz said staff kept track of questions they were asked and brainstormed some of their own, which were then distributed for staff to resolve.
Davidson workers made a better effort to maintain a reasonable number of books on the shelves and made needed replacements. Because residents can return items at any of the branches, Giduz said people return more than they check out at the Davidson Library, so they sometimes have too many books. The staff worked to make sure the shelves stayed neat and that they had a steady collection.
For a collaborative effort, staff at both the Davidson and Cornelius libraries spent a day in the others' shoes. Each was tasked at working at the other branch to be familiar with structure and logistics and get ideas for improvements.
Davidson staff incorporated a new way of arranging magazines and Cornelius emulated Davidson's idea of dating books on the book sale to keep better track.
Now staff is interchangeable between the branches in case of an emergency where they need to fill in.
"Everyone has found it beneficial," Giduz said of the WorkSmart initiative. "It's extra stuff we wouldn't normally have to do, but we have gotten better in reference, and we are learning the tricks of the trade."
The next step is for branches to find new goals and improvements to apply for the silver and then gold distinctions.
"The biggest thing and most important thing so far is the pride and the feeling of accomplishment that the branches have during this project," Raymond said. "They work as a team to make it happen. It's a way to make a difference in how they are doing their job. Before there was no way to see what others did and benefit from what they learned. With this, their efforts are acknowledged."
In addition to the certifications, the North Carolina Library Association named Cornelius Children's Specialist George Peterson one of the Paraprofessionals of the Year last fall.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library also gave the Directors Service Excellence Award to Peterson and Angela Arnold for their work with second-graders from Woodlawn School.
Both said it was unexpected, but they were grateful for the award and love working with the kids.


text:
Below is a clip of Darren Aronofsky introducing "Black Swan" and its cast members at the film's New York premiere last night. Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey and, yes, Winona Ryder were all in tow, and they all showed face at the film's swanky St. Regis Hotel after party.
Thanks to some quick moves care of my colleague and friend Anne Thompson (who I am forever indebted to now), I finally achieved my boyhood dream of meeting Ryder herself at the party. I'd come this close at the Gotham Awards the night before but chickened out, but after basically following Ryder around the party for an hour, Anne took matters into her own hands and made it happen.
It was sadly underwhelming. I wish I had some amazing story or a photo of us embracing, but it basically went something this (though I'll admit it's all a bit of a blur):
Anne: I'd like you to meet my colleague, Peter Knegt, who works for indieWIRE
Winona: Hi, Peter. Nice Meet You.
Peter: [Stares awkwardly in Winona's eyes, wondering if she'd noticed him stalking her for the past hour, and struggles to come up with anything to say and then finally just goes with a squeaky noise].
Winona: I wouldn't know indieWIRE I don't use the internet.
Peter: Never?
Winona: Never. I read a lot.
Someone else: What have you been reading?
Winona: I really love Philip Roth, I was just re-reading American Pastoral.
Peter: [Realizing he's read American Pastoral tries to come up with something clever to say but instead just mumbles something incoherently.]
Winona: I also just read Patti Smith's memoir about her relationship with the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
Peter: [Wishes he'd actually read the book, which was on his nightstand for two months after he borrowed it from a friend]. I've heard it's amazing.
Winona: You should read it. [Her handlers or friends then motion that its time to move through the room, then Winona's bulging eyes suggest to me our conversation is done].
Peter: Well.... it was very nice to meet you.
[We cheers glasses, she takes off, I immediately think of 10,000 better things I could have said]
At least now the ice has been broken for our next meeting's certain evolution into a lifelong friendship. And here's the clip of Aronofsky introducing the film:


text:
School Supplies Supplied by Federated
Every August members of the Federated congregation collect and pack school supplies in backpacks for more than 200 DeKalb County kids who could not afford the tools they need to learn.
The Board of Mission and Society and Sharon McKee, a teacher in the DeKalb School District and a church member, gather the backpacks and the donated supplies and distribute them to Hope Haven, Safe Passage and the Salvation Army.
"This has become one of the most important missions of our church," said Charles Sigwart, a longtime participant and leader in the program. "These kids depend on us and we never want to let them down."
Feed My Sheep
On the first Sunday of every month, we collect nonperishable items for our local food pantry. The items can be placed in the grocery cart in Dutton Hall. Suggestions are 100 percent fruit juice, peanut butter, jelly, tuna, macaroni and cheese or other items you would enjoy on your own table.
We act as God's hands when we reach out to help those in our community.
HELP WANTED: Seeking volunteer to deliver groceries to the Food Pantry on a regular basis. Call Liz at 815-895-2706 or Charles Sigwart at 815-756-3028.
Learn To Be a Caregiver to Others
If you regularly take time to help a loved one with errands, personal care, living arrangements, financial and legal concerns or other activities, you are a caregiver. Care giving can be stressful—physically, emotionally and financially.
Powerful Tools for Caregivers is an educational program designed to provide you—the caregiver—with the tools needed to take care of yourself. You will learn how to:
- Reduce Stress
- Improve Self Confidence
- Better communicate your feelings
- Balance your life
- Increase ability to make tough decisions
- Learn to locate helpful resources
Classes consist of six, 1 ½ hour sessions held once a week. Two experienced class leaders will conduct each session. Interactive lessons, discussions and brainstorming will help you take the tools you choose and put them into action in your life.
For more information www.DeKalbCountyHospice.org


text:
February 2008
Truck to Spring Training
The truck to Spring Training arrived at our temporary front offices by 8 a.m., and by 10 a.m., it was loaded up and headed off to the stadium to pick up the remainder of boxes, bags, baseballs, bats, etc. Then, it is off to Surprise, Ariz….
Just a reminder…
We've already mentioned a few times that Manager Hillman (Did you catch his radio interview on 810 Sports this morning?), the coaching staff and several players have been in Surprise for more than a week participating in early camp. Next week, all the pitchers and catchers will report, while the remainder of the squad starts full workouts on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Greinke and Teahen Ink One-Year Deals
Our Media Relations department just announced that all of the arbitration-eligible guys on the team are now under contract. Here's the release…
Kansas City, MO (Feb. 7, 2008) – The Kansas City Royals have signed right-handed pitcher Zack Greinke and outfielder Mark Teahen to one-year contracts for the 2008 season. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. With the signings, all of the Royals arbitration-eligible players are now under contract for 2008.
Greinke, 24, went 7-7 with a 3.69 ERA in 52 appearances, including 14 starts, in 2007. His 2.42 ERA following the All-Star break was third-best among all Major League pitchers with a minimum of 50 innings pitched.
Teahen, 26, hit .285 with 31 doubles, eight triples, seven homers, 60 RBI and 78 runs scored in 2007. The left-handed hitter made a successful transition from third base to the outfield, equaling Jermaine Dye's franchise record with 17 outfield assists.
Dayton Moore Sightings
Before joining Manager Hillman and the players in Surprise, Ariz., General Manager Dayton Moore spent this past week in snowy Kansas City making the rounds around town – a final tour before leaving for Spring Training next week! Here's the rundown of GMDM's week of "hellos" around KC…
Tuesday Afternoon: Dayton spoke to the KC Metro Area Coaches Association at the Stadium Club at Kauffman Stadium, discussing how high school players can put themselves in a position to succeed both on and off the field.
Tuesday Evening: He then headed to Lucky Brewgrille in Mission, Kan., to speak with K-State athletic director Tim Weiser about college baseball and the pros.
Wednesday: After spending the day in the office, Moore dropped by 38 The Spot for a little Spring Training talk with host Jack Harry.
Thursday: Today, bright and early with coffee in hand, GMDM found himself at the Intercontinental Hotel on the Plaza, visiting with the influential Plaza Breakfast Club about the upcoming season.
Friday: And that brings us to tomorrow – when Dayton caps his week of speaking engagements with a return to the Stadium Club at The K to speak with advertisers from the KC Star. Then, it's off to Arizona for Dayton (and most of his staff) as another offseason in Kansas City ends and a new season begins!
Getting Opening Day Tickets…
Here in the front office, nothing makes us crave the Royals home opener more than waking up to snow…again! We have a hunch that you feel the same way…so, as the snow continues to build up outside, we are giving you a chance to focus on Opening Day at Kauffman Stadium.
We just announced an Opening Day ticket opportunity, encouraging fans to register online for chances to secure tickets for our home opener on Tuesday, April 8. If you haven't heard, we are hosting the Yankees to open the home schedule, which makes an already-popular Opening Day ticket even more desirable.
To be eligible for this new ticket opportunity, you can start registering today on royals.com and on Thursday, Feb. 28, a random drawing will take place to select the winners. The winners will then have the chance to purchase a pair of tickets to the home opener. If you register but aren't an Opening Day lottery winner, you will still have the opportunity to purchase tickets to any other 2008 Royals home game through a special presale, which will run March 5 and 6 on royals.com. Pretty easy, right?
Of course, there are other ways to secure a ticket to the home opener. You can purchase a 21-game season ticket plan, which starts at just $168 per seat and are available now (psst…check it out!). Or, you can try and get in on the limited supply of Opening Day tickets that go on sale Saturday, March 8 at 9 a.m. However, that means you might need to be one of these Kauffman Stadium campers this year…and it was cold last year without snow on the ground.
So…bottom line: it doesn't hurt to register online…right now! After all, there is snow on the ground in Kansas City, pitchers and catchers report to Surprise, Ariz., in a week, 610 Sports broadcasts the first Spring Training game on Feb. 29 and the 2008 season is getting closer each day…
Royals Celebrate Black History Month
In celebration of Black History Month, the Royals are pleased to honor the newest members of the Black Achievers Society of Greater Kansas City. Throughout this month, the honorees will be featured on the team's official website, royals.com.
The Royals are proud to partner with the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to recognize local African American leaders in business and industry.
The mission of the Black Achievers Society is to actively respond to the educational, social, and economic needs of the community by providing role models for blacks and minority youth, and to share knowledge gained through academic and corporate experience. Originally formed in 1974, more than 400 recipients have joined this distinguished group.
The newest members of the Black Achievers Society include:
- Dr. Andrea Hendricks, UMB Bank
- Dr. Bonnie Barclay, Fort Dodge Animal Health
- Marshaun Butler, MHSA, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
- Shirley Cooper, Hallmark Cards
- Donna Crosswhite, Sprint
- Kevin Cullen, Sprint
- Jairo De Jesus, Farmland Foods
- Luevina Huskey, YRC Worldwide
- William A. Johnson, Board of Public Utilities
- Yolanda Marlow, YRC Worldwide
- Carlton H. May, Honeywell, FM&T
- Callie Merritt, Embarq
- Carles Miller, Burns & McDonnell
- C. Pete Peoples, YRC Worldwide
- Derrick Robinson, Embarq
- Patricia A. Thomas, M.D., M.A., FCAP, Kansas University Medical Center
Read individual bios for each new member here.
Quick Royals Notes: Upcoming Events
Sure, we might still be on the heels of FanFest, but this past week, we were busy nailing down dates for some other events you'll be interested in…
ROYALS RELAY CHAT: Vice president-baseball operations/assistant general manager Dean Taylor is the next guest in the Royals Relay chat series – this Tuesday (Feb. 5) at 3 p.m. (CT). Taylor, who rejoined the Royals in June 2006, started his Major League career in the Royals' front office and has a 1985 championship ring to prove it! Taylor – the sixth participant of the Royals Relay chat series – will discuss the upcoming season and what to expect from the 2008 club. Remember…to participate in the online chat, you neet to register here.
WELCOME HOME, ROYALS: Planning for the annual Welcome Home Luncheon is in full swing! Look for extended details soon, but for now, mark the popular luncheon down on your calendar for Wednesday, April 9.
BASEBALL 'N BLUES: Royals Charities is bringing back the Baseball 'N Blues gala this season – Thursday, June 26. This year's event, which is scheduled to take place on the field at The K, will feature a live band, drinks, appetizers and more with all proceeds benefiting The Dream Factory. More details coming soon!
RC GOLF TOURNEY: Here's just a mention of a new event that Royals Charities will also host this season: the Kansas City Royals Celebrity Golf Tournament at The National on Thursday, Aug. 7. We'll have more information as we get closer to the date, but if you are an avid golfer and want to test your skills with current and former Royals, you might want to pencil in this date.
AND…SPRING TRAINING: We load the bus to Surprise, Ariz., at the end of this week. Spring Training is less than a month away…are you ready?


text:
A few facts about Earthquakes to start off your week.
- The largest recorded earthquake in the United States was a magnitude 9.2 that struck Prince William Sound, Alaska on Good Friday, March 28, 1964 UTC.
- The largest recorded earthquake in the world was a magnitude 9.5 (Mw) in Chile on May 22, 1960.
- The Wasatch Range, with its outstanding ski areas, runs North-South through Utah, and like all mountain ranges it was produced by a series of earthquakes. The 386 km (240-mile)-long Wasatch Fault is made up of several segments, each capable of producing up to a M7.5 earthquake. During the past 6000 years, there has been a M6.5+ about once every 350 years, and it has been 150 years since the last powerful earthquake.
- From 1975-1995 there were only four states that did not have any earthquakes. They were: Florida, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
- Florida and North Dakota have the smallest number of earthquakes in the United States.
- Alaska is the most earthquake-prone state and one of the most seismically active regions in the world. Alaska experiences a magnitude 7 earthquake almost every year, and a magnitude 8 or greater earthquake on average every 14 years.
From USGS Earthquake Facts.
You can see the latest Earthquakes in the US and the World, the answer to the question: "Are Earthquakes Really on the Increase?" and Earthquake facts and statistics about the frequency of Earthquakes.


text:
Anderson Man Arrested For Criminal Deviate Conduct and Child Molestation
Police arrest Martin "Skip" Ockomon
Anderson, Indiana – Today an Anderson man was arrested on felony charges alleging sexually oriented crimes against juvenile victims. The charges stem from a lengthy investigation conducted by Indiana State Police Investigators, and a review of that investigation by Special Prosecutor Tami Napier (appointed in 2011) and a Madison County Grand Jury that convened in late August.
Arrested was Martin "Skip" Ockomon, age 46, of Anderson. He was charged with Two Counts of Class "B" Felony Criminal Deviate Conduct, victim Compelled by Force or Imminent Threat of Force; Class "B" Felony Sexual Misconduct with a Minor; Class "C" Felony Child Molesting; Class "C" Felony Criminal Confinement and Two Counts of Child Molesting, Class "D" Felony.
Ockomon was lodged in the Madison County Jail. The charges stem from victims coming forward to report the incidents that allegedly occurred in the 1990's.
Also arrested this morning in connection with this case was Rodger Ockomon, age 60, of Anderson. He is the brother of Martin "Skip" Ockomon, and he was arrested on a warrant for Official Misconduct, Class "D" Felony, and Assisting a Criminal, Class "A" Misdemeanor.
Update: Late this afternoon, a third arrest was made in this case. Renee Brewster, age 48, was arrested on a Class "D" Felony charge of Neglect of a Dependent, Put in a Situation Endangering Dependents Life or Health. Brewster is the former wife of Martin "Skip" Okomon. She was lodged in the Madison County Jail.
Source: Indiana State Police


text:
Despite not living up to box-office expectations this weekend, Tyler Perry keeps on truckin'! On his recent appearance to promote Madea's Big Happy Family on the Conan show with Conan O'brien, he announced his latest tv project in the works titled For Better or Worse. It's based on his blockbuster film Why Did I Get Married? and is currently shooting now.
No further details were given except it will be based on couples from that movie. If you recall, the film featured Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Sharon Leal and Tasha Smith playing characters all in stages of unrest in their marriages.
This will add to Perry's growing television empire which includes House of Payne and Meet the Browns. I guess it's only a matter of time before he gets his own network!
Source: AceShowBiz


text:
July 11, 2008
Keith Brannon
Phone: (504) 862-8789
Waistlines are expanding at such an alarming rate across the globe that, if trends hold, almost 58 percent of the world's population will be overweight or obese by 2030, according to researchers at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
Almost one-third of the world is already considered overweight or obese, according to 2005 data examined in "Global Burden of Obesity in 2005 and Projections to 2030," published in the latest issue of International Journal of Obesity.
The research is significant because it is the first to pool systematically peer-reviewed data from over 100 countries into one comprehensive global estimate for obesity. Researchers compiled results from population-based studies that were published in peer-reviewed journals from January 1990 through August 2007. Overall, the researchers employed 72 national, 22 multi-site and 14 regional studies from 106 countries, covering approximately 88 percent of the world's population.
The study found that, as of 2005, approximately 23.2 percent of the world's adult population was overweight and 9.8 percent was obese. Roughly 937 million adults were overweight and 396 million were obese. If current trends continue, the number of overweight individuals will more than double to 2.16 billion by 2030; the number of obese adults will grow to 1.12 billion during the same time period.
The estimates highlight the need for the World Health Organization and governments to support programs that target maintaining a healthy weight. "Epidemiologic studies indicate that overweight and obesity are important risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and premature death," say the authors. "The high prevalence of overweight and obesity, combined with their concomitant health risks makes it a particularly relevant worldwide public health challenge."
Public health initiatives to reduce the rates of obesity and its complications have been launched in some economically developed countries, according to the researchers. Unfortunately, such programs are scarce in developing countries, where most overweight and obese individuals will reside.
"Primary prevention of these conditions is a better alternative to the treatment of obesity, especially in areas where healthcare resources are limited," say the authors.
The research was supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The leading author is Tanika. Kelly, a doctoral candidate at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Co-authors included faculty and staff from Tulane's Department of Epidemiology, including Wenjie Yang, a post-doctoral fellow; Carol Chen, biostatistician; Kristi Reynolds, assistant professor, and Jiang He, Joseph S. Copes Chair and Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine.
The article is available online at: http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/ijo2008102a.pdf
Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118 504-865-5000 email@example.com


text:
UK Property Law
Ask an UK Property Law Question, Get an Answer ASAP!
Do you know if the property is registered?
When and how did they acquire the property?
If the property is registered, what "deeds" are you referring to?
Kind regards,
If the property is registered and the field is included in the registered title by way of being in the area edged red on the filed plan to the title then there are no relevant deeds.
The Land Registry Official Copies of the registered title are evidence of your ownership and are what have replaced old style deeds from when an unregistered system of land ownership was in placed. Upon registration the old deeds would have been sent to the LR, who would create the registered title and then destroy the old deeds after noting the relevant entries from them.
You can check by downloading a copy of the register for the property from the Land Registry by paying a £4.00 fee:-
If you cannot find the land in the above way then you will have to submit Form SIM to the LR (available for download from the LR website) showing the land on a map. THey will then tell you if it is registered.
If the property is not registered then you will have take action to get the deeds, first by a solicitor writing to the sibling and then by applying to Court if necessary.
If this has been useful please kindly click accept so that I may be rewarded for my time. It will be gratefully received and you will be free to ask follow up questions.
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.
The responses above are from individual Experts, not JustAnswer. The site and services are provided "as is". To view the verified credential of an Expert, click on the "Verified" symbol in the Expert's profile. This site is not for emergency questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals. Please carefully read the Terms of Service (last updated February 8, 2012).


text:
Golf course restaurants offer salads at least at par
Marshall V. King
Dining A La King
There's a lot to be said for eating a salad as you look out over a bright green golf course.
There's also a lot to be said for a salad that has more flavor than I do talent in hitting a little dimpled golf ball.
Two golf courses in Elkhart have restaurants open to the public. But because they're on golf courses that have members, they don't always get the same consideration from the general public.
But Christiana Creek Country Club and Bent Oak Golf Club both have restaurants open to the public.
Christiana Creek is open to the public at lunch and Bent Oak at lunch and dinner.
The restaurants don't have the feel of a bustling casual dining chain. And the clientele can tend to be older than some other restaurants. But these aren't bad things.
And they offer menus that have steaks, chicken and seafood. And last week, I went there for the salads.
Chef Brian Steinway at Christiana Creek works hard to offer good quality and be a bit inventive. "I really like to focus on flavor," he said.
Christiana Creek, 116 W. Bristol St., is also known as the Elks in Elkhart. It's been there for a long time. And Steinway is making food to offer to members or the general public for a reasonable price.
At $15.95, the Surf 'N' Turf Cobb Salad is one of the most expensive salads I've seen on the search for the best salad you can buy in Elkhart County. But it does have jumbo lump crab meat and beef tenderloin on a bed of greens with other Cobb salad fixings. And it's a tasty salad, particularly with the feta dressing made in-house.
The Asian chop salad has a nice mix of grilled chicken and a bunch of crunchy vegetables and nuts with a ginger soy vinaigrette for $11.95.
I got a broiled salmon salad to take home and even later the salmon had plenty of flavor and indicated it'd been handled well and cooked properly.
I liked the salads. I liked talking with Steinway, a good chef and genuinely nice guy. He's gearing up for Elkhart Dining Days starting Oct. 4 and that's a good chance to sample his food at dinner.
What kept these salads from being finalists? The balance was just off. Green onions made the flavor a little pungent on two of them and the surf 'n' turf needed more greens. I almost couldn't believe it, but I wanted more bunny food in the salad under a pile of great toppings. And the dressings didn't have quite as much pop as some of the other entrants in Salad Quest.
They're solid salads. But not quite at the level of the finalists. (Four out of five stars)
Bent Oak, 3610 Bent Oak Trail, has a bright dining room overlooking the golf course on the south side of Elkhart.
And the menu has a dozen salads. All for $8.25 or less.
The most popular is the California Grilled Chicken Salad, according to Andrea Shanholt, who makes most of the salads.
That salad is $6.95 with grilled chicken over iceberg lettuce with candied pecans, craisins, red onion, tomato and bleu cheese crumbles.
I didn't order it. Maybe I should have. But I ventured out to the blackened tuna and blackened salmon salads ($8.25 each).
The avocado ranch dressing that came with the salmon salad was nice. The hot bacon dressing with the tuna salad probably canceled out the health value but all the dressings come on the side.
I was happy to have a small piece of lean fish on each salad. They weren't perfectly cooked. They could have been a bit more tender and moist — or cooked a bit less. But I'm guessing that most of the diners at Bent Oak don't want tuna or salmon that's medium or medium-rare.
My biggest complaint about the salads was the amount of shredded cheese put on the salads. It just threw off the balance and overwhelmed the other ingredients.
But I was impressed with the range of salads and if I wanted a less-than-healthy salad I'd go back and order the cajun chicken salad that came with battered chicken on top for $8.25 — with that hot bacon dressing.
These are good but not great salads, but the price is right. (Three out of five stars)
Salad Quest is winding down. I plan on eating at two more places and telling you about them in the next week or two. And then I'll pick a winner while you vote on your favorite.
I'm hungry. Let's eat.
Marshall V. King is managing editor and food columnist for The Elkhart Truth. You can reach him at 574-296-5805, email@example.com, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.


text:
ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech students, worried about their safety, wonder when -- not if -- armed robbers will strike again and hold-up another one of them, on campus or off campus.
It is because of the recent string of armed robberies that many students want to carry their own guns on campus.
In the past month, the crimes against Tech students have renewed interest in groups like Georgia Tech Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.
Two of the leaders of Georgia Tech Students for Concealed Carry on Campus are Robert Eagar and Kyle Wilkins.
"Over the last couple of weeks, we've seen an increase in online activity," Eagar said Tuesday. "People have approached us through our Facebook page, offering support. We've received offers of support from people who have children here at Tech."
Since last year, the group has been conducting petition drives and trying to change state law to authorize people 21 and older to carry concealed weapons on campus, just like they can off campus.
"One foot away from campus they're perfectly responsible in the eyes of the state law," Eagar said. "But the second they step onto campus boundaries, they're no longer capable of maintaining their gun safety?"
"Criminals know that students are unarmed, carrying $1,000 laptops, cell phones, text books," Wilkins said. "They know that they don't have the ability to fight back legally."
It's not that any Georgia Tech students want to shoot it out with an armed robber over a watch or a laptop (unless they believe their lives are in immediate danger).
But some say they just want the criminals to think that students might be carrying their own guns on campus, believing that would be a deterrent.
"If it's known that they can have weapons, then they're not as vulnerable if they're alone," said Kellie Fair, a first year student. "If not firearms, then at least Tasers, because as of right now, we're not allowed to carry Tasers or any firearms. But I think that, definitely in terms of safety, it's a good idea."
Other students want police to crack down more on armed criminals on and near campus. They want Tech to remain a gun-free zone.
"For a person that might snap one day, who can carry a gun on campus if it's allowed, I'd be scared for my life, honestly," said Edward Kong, a fourth year student. "I mean, for the most part, I really think people could carry guns on campus if they have the proper training. But there's always that one person that you just don't know about that could just surprise you any one day, like what happened at Virginia Tech a couple years ago."
"Well I guess if someone's going to snap, they would bring a gun anyway," said Ben McBurnett, a third year student. "Why would it matter whether or not they're allowed to? So I don't have a problem with students carrying guns on campus."
"In the past six years of allowing concealed carry on Utah's state schools campuses, not a single student who has a concealed weapons permit who has been carrying his gun legally on campus has done anything inappropriate or illegal with his gun during that time period," Eagar said.
"If I'm packing, and then the criminals are packing, then, guess what? Now who's going to shoot who?" said Damon Johnson last December when he went to one of the petition drives the advocates were conducting, and he engaged them in debate. "We have enough cops. And if they can't solve the problem, then carrying guns is not going to solve the problems. It's just going to encourage more crime, it's going to encourage more problems."
The debate will only intensify in the next six to nine months as the legislature is sure to reconsider legalizing guns on college campuses in Georgia.


text:
Left Masthead
May 26, 2016
Global Recession Has 'Led to 10,000 Suicides'
Posted on Jun 12, 2014
U.K. researchers report that the economic crisis in Europe and North America has contributed to the suicides of more than 10,000 people.
The suicides, studied by the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, were in addition to the rate of suicide observed in 24 EU countries, the U.S. and Canada before the recession.
The BBC reports:
Read more here.
—Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Square, Site wide
New and Improved Comments
If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.


text: 10-year-old Miracle Redden is getting to know the instrument she'll be playing in the Glenburn School's fifth grade band. By Miracle's second trombone lesson, she already has a handle on what she's good at and what she needs to work on."It's hard to go from one note to another," said Miracle.She has this trombone to practice with, thanks to a local non-profit organization called The Gifts of Music. Miracle knew she wanted to play the trombone, but her family just didn't have the money to buy one."We didn't have a lot of money because my mom is the only one working and my dad's going to school. My mom wanted me to be able to play an instrument without having to buy it," said Miracle.The Glenburn School has a limited number of instruments for students to use during the year, which didn't include an extra trombone for Miracle."I didn't think we were going to find another trombone because I'd asked other schools and I'd asked just out in the community, 'Is there anything?' and so when I came on this opportunity, I felt very blessed," said Sarah WilliamsThe Gifts of Music had a trombone and through donations, the non-profit was able to pay to have it fixed, so it could be given to the school."From now until Miracle goes through the 8th grade, she will have that opportunity to play trombone if that's what she'd like to continue to do and then hopefully we'll be able to help more kids as they come up through our program," said Williams.It's success stories like this one that the founder of the Gifts of Music, Susan Patten, hopes will inspire others to donate.Patten said, "If you have an old instrument hanging out in your closet that hasn't been used for a while, we'd love to have it and we'd love to have community support in terms of donations to get those instruments fixed."So other students who think they won't be able to play in their school band, could experience their own little "miracle."If you'd like more information or would like to donate, visit TheGiftsofMusic.org.