text:
Alvin Ho: Allergic to the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, and Other Tourist Attractions by Lenore Look
Illustrations by LeUyen Pham
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Release Date: August 5, 2014
Alvin Ho is traveling with his family to China. However, when you are the kind of kid who fears everything, China can seem like a very scary place. First there is the 16-hour plane ride, then there's things like eating lunch food for breakfast, kung-fu lessons, acupuncture, the Great Wall of China, and a lost passport.
Apparently, this is the sixth book in the Alvin Ho series and I simply cannot believe I have not read them before. Alvin is a little boy with a lot of fears. He is terrified of almost everything, and although sometimes I wished the parents would be a little more understanding of their son who clearly has some OCD tendencies and needs a lot of reassuring, I found he and his family to be rather cute and endearing. Alvin is not afraid to voice his fears and his family is very patient with him.
This is one of those books that I was a little curious about the intended target audience. Alvin is seven-years-old. The obvious reading level is definitely above second grade, which means that the children reading this story are already older than the main character. When I worked at a bookstore, we called these kind of books "bridger books". Books that were right in-between chapter books and middle grade. Easier than Harry Potter and harder than Junie B. Jones. There are a couple of series like this: Clementine, Ramona Quimby, Judy Moody. The key to defining these books really is narrative voice and Alvin nestles itself firmly into the middle-grade categorization despite the youth of the main protagonist. Seeing as there are plenty of illustrations, I would say that this one would be good to read aloud to that second grader who might not be ready to read the series on their own.
And of course we must talk about the fact that this is a story about an Asian American boy and his family. Not to mention his multi-ethnic cousins who are part white and part Asian. This is a rarity among rarities in the middle-grade world, not to mention literature in general. I don't want to make it sound like they don't exist, but they are so few and far between. For parents, teachers, and librarians who are looking for more books featuring Asian-Americans kids then this it it. Ethnicity aside, I think many kids will enjoy this book, although I do recommend starting with book one. I am pretty sure it makes more sense that way.
Alvin Ho:Allergic to the Great Wall by Lenore Look
Posted by
on Monday, September 8, 2014
intermediate book review


text:
The Angel Problem has been Solved! (Maybe)
Firstly, what is the problem? Wikipdia has a succinct write up. But here's a quick summary anyway:
The game of Angels and Devils, invented by John Conway (the same Conway as in the Game of Life, the Monstrous Moonshine conjectures, the proof that subatomic particles have free will and so on), is played on an infinite chessboard. Fix some constant k. One player plays the Angel. The other plays the Devil. On the Devil's turn, he may eat one square on the chessboard. (The devil doesn't actually have a piece, he just eats whatever square he wants.). On the Angel's turn she jumps to a square (distinct from the current one) up to k king's moves away. The Devil wins if the Angel has no legal move. The Angel wins if she has a strategy that guarantees always to have a legal move. For each k, who wins? Until recently it was unknown if the Angel could win even for arbitrarily large k. This may seem like a surprise, after all, if the angel can move 1,000 king's moves, surely she can easily evade the jaws of the devil who can only chomp one square at a time. But surprisingly, the obvious Angel strategies that come to mind can be countered.
What's nice about this problem is that it's so easy to state, and yet has stumped some of the smartest people who like to think about these problems.
Two papers with possible solutions are Máthé's and Kloster's. I don't think either of them have formally been published yet so I don't know if the peer review is complete.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dare Greatly. Be Whole-hearted.
I'm been steadily unravelling here for the last two weeks. Who would have thought that good things happening – winning some money, GETTING A JOB – Â would unleash the ocean of emotion I've been drowning in ever since.
For the last week it has ebbed and and then hurtled back knocking me for absolute six over and over again. I am constantly anxious – the pit in the stomach, the clenching of the jaw, the hard set shoulders, the internal monologue of keep it together man. The spontaneous bursting into tears. OH MY GOD the tears.
I have also been deeply pre-menstrual which is a whole "hello fire, I'm petrol" kinda thing.
And while the keep it together mantra has been the clanging cymbal, there's been a whole percussive set going on underneath:
you're not worthy
who do you think you are
you can't do that
you're not good enough
As IF you're going to be able to pull this off
Do you know how exhausting that is? I can not even imagine what it is to live with. Chef's bed shark is not even circling, that creature has found some secluded cave and is just hiding out until the crazy lady calms the fuck down.
Today Grover refused to get dressed. I begged, I cajoled, I used parental tones and eventually I just sobbed. Yep. SOBBED.
This morning I sobbed at last night's Dr Who episode on iView. I've sobbed all day today actually. Stupid big heaving sobs that come from nowhere.
Except it's not nowhere, it's the core of my being. It's my pure and utter fear of being vulnerable.
I'd seen these following two Ted lectures doing the rounds on FB and Twitter but never paid much heed as I don't have time to sit and watch whole talks for goodness sake.
And then, today a friend – a friend I haven't seen in years although she lives a few suburbs away, we used to work together a lifetime ago – sent them to me. She said, 'you put everything out there but don't see how courageous that makes you.' She said, 'maybe you should watch the shame one first'. She's a smart cookie.
So I'm going to say this and quit rolling your eyes. FIND the two lots of 20 minutes you're going to need to watch these. FIND IT.
Key points that really resonated for me:
Vulnerability is not weakness.
Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity, innovation and change.
I didn't learn about vulnerability and courage and creativity and innovation from studying vulnerability, I learnt it from studying shame.
Be in the arena.
Dare greatly.
Shame is the gremlin which says you're not good enough and who do you think you are.
Shame is not guilt. Shame is a focus on self, guilt is a focus on behaviour. Shame is I am bad, guilt is I did something bad
Shame is highly correlated with addiction, depression, violence, aggression, bullying, suicide, eating disorders
Guilt is inversely correlated with those things
Shame is do it all, do it perfectly and never let them see you sweat.
Shame for women is the swag of unobtainable, conflicting and competing expectations on who we are meant to be.
For men it's about being weak.
Empathy is the antidote to shame
Secrecy, silence and judgement grow shame
The whole-hearted – those with a sense of worthiness, a strong sense of love and belonging  believe they're worthy of love and belonging.
A sense of courage (is not bravery) its original definition meant to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.
The whole-hearted have the courage to be imperfect.
The whole-hearted have compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others. We can't practice compassion with others if we don't treat ourselves kindly.
Connection as a result of authenticity. They were willing let go of who they thought they should be for who they are.
They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful. It's not comfortable or excruciating, they just talked about it being necessary. About saying I love you first. To do something where there are no guarantees. To not control or predict.
Vulnerability is the core of shame, fear and struggle for worthiness but it's also the birthplace of joy, creativity, belonging and love.
Our job as parents is to look at our kids and say you know what, you're imperfect and you're wired for struggle, but you're worthy of love and belonging. That is our job.
Love with your whole heart even when there are no guarantees
I am enough.


text:
After starting her career as a Florida-based Bang Bros contract girl in 2010, Alexis Fawx began shooting scenes for some of the industry's other major studios within a couple of years.
Alexis grew up in a small Pennsylvania town and often made road trips to party down in DC. She was a self-professed wild child back then, but she joined the US Air Force after high school. Her nearly four-year stint in the service was cut short due to family emergency.
Ogle that fantastic body as Alexis steals the show in I Love My Mom's Big Tits 2 (Digital Sin), Suck Balls 5 (Evil Angel/Darkko Productions), and more than 100 other flicks that'll drain your balls. Don't miss Alexis, her showcase title from Hard X that includes her first anal scene, girl/girl anal, interracial anal, and double penetration all in one essential title!


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'Worse than "Perfect Storm" - Chance of Monster Storm at 70% to hit US East Coast next week, Scientists Fear
The collision of Hurricane Sandy
& an arctic blast over the
East Coast could be far worse
than 1991's "Perfect Storm"
WASHINGTON (AP) — Much of the U.S. East Coast has a good chance of getting blasted by gale-force winds, flooding, heavy rain and maybe even snow early next week by an unusual hybrid of hurricane and winter storm, federal and private forecasters say.
Though still projecting several days ahead of Halloween week, the computer models are spooking meteorologists. Government scientists said Wednesday the storm has a 70 percent chance of smacking the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
Hurricane Sandy in the Caribbean, an early winter storm in the West, and a blast of arctic air from the North are predicted to collide, sloshing and parking over the country's most populous coastal corridor starting Sunday. The worst of it should peak early Tuesday, but it will stretch into midweek, forecasters say.
"It'll be a rough couple days from Hatteras up to Cape Cod," said forecaster Jim Cisco of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration prediction center in College Park, Md. "We don't have many modern precedents for what the models are suggesting."
It is likely to hit during a full moon when tides are near their highest, increasing coastal flooding potential, NOAA forecasts warn. And with some trees still leafy and the potential for snow, power outages could last to Election Day, some meteorologists fear. They say it has all the earmarks of a billion-dollar storm.
Some have compared it to the so-called Perfect Storm that struck off the coast of New England in 1991, but Cisco said that one didn't hit as populated an area and is not comparable to what the East Coast may be facing. Nor is it like last year's Halloween storm, which was merely an early snowstorm in the Northeast.
This has much more mess potential because it is a combination of different storm types that could produce a real whopper of weather problems, meteorologists say.
"The Perfect Storm only did $200 million of damage and I'm thinking a billion," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private service Weather Underground. "Yeah, it will be worse."
But this is several days in advance, when weather forecasts are far less accurate. The National Hurricane Center only predicts five days in advance, and on Wednesday their forecasts had what's left of Sandy off the North Carolina coast on Monday. But the hurricane center's chief hurricane specialist, James Franklin, said the threat keeps increasing for "a major impact in the Northeast, New York area. In fact it would be such a big storm that it would affect all of the Northeast."
The forecasts keep getting gloomier and more convincing with every day, several experts said.
Cisco said the chance of the storm smacking the East jumped from 60 percent to 70 percent on Wednesday. Masters was somewhat skeptical on Tuesday, giving the storm scenario just a 40 percent likelihood, but on Wednesday he also upped that to 70 percent. The remaining computer models that previously hadn't shown the merger and mega-storm formation now predict a similar scenario.
The biggest question mark is snow, and that depends on where the remnants of Sandy turn inland. The computer model that has been leading the pack in predicting the hybrid storm has it hitting around Delaware. But another model has the storm hitting closer to Maine. If it hits Delaware, the chances of snow increase in that region. If it hits farther north, chances for snow in the mid-Atlantic and even up to New York are lessened, Masters said.
NOAA's Cisco said he could see the equivalent of several inches of snow or rain in the mid-Atlantic, depending on where the storm ends up. In the mountains, snow may be measured in feet instead of inches.
Associated Press writer Tony Winton contributed to this report from Miami.
NOAA's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center: http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/index.shtml
National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Frankenstorm 2012
Perfect Storm 2?


text:
Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 21st Century Table: The kitchen journal of a vegan food writer.. I'm on Facebook and Twitter (see links in sidebar at right).
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Crabapples are tart and tangy, and beautiful to look at. Their red or pink skins turn any product you make with them a gorgeous hot pink, too! They also grow well in my area (Western BC, Canada). Unfortunately, you need to have a tree growing in your yard, or know someone who does, because they are an old-fashioned fruit and you can't find them in stores. I sincerely hope that they come into fashion again, because I see lots of possibilities for this fruit beyond jelly and spiced or pickled crabapples-- chutney, pies, sauce, fillings, juice....
The trees evidently do well even when stressed for water. It's hard to find information about the nutritional and/or medicinal benefits of crabapple, but I was sure there would be some. After all, they contain pectin, which is excellent for helping clear arteries, and fiber, and that pink color must be a source of antioxidants! Apples are one of the best sources of antioxidants, so it stands to reason that crabapples would be, too.
Brazilian researchers place apple second only to cranberries in phenolic content and antioxidant activity, so crabapples would also fall into that category. In other research, when several fruits were tested 'in vitro' on human liver-cancer cells, apple rated third in antiproliferation activity. They concluded that "dietary cancer prevention is proposed to provide a new alternative biomarker for future epidemiological studies in dietary cancer prevention and health promotion."
'Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of common fruits.' Sun J, et al. Dept. of Food Science, Cornell Uv., Ithaca, New York, USA. J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Dec 4; 50(25):7449-54.
That tartness in crabapples indicates lots of vitamin C, as well.
A friend gave me a big bag of crabapples last week, and I finally got around to using them. I don't like making jelly and I was short on time, so I just picked through them and cooked them all, whole, in two large pots with some water until they started to burst. Then I ran them through my trusty food mill and ended up with a 20 cups of hot pink pulp! (Unfortunately, I didn't weigh the bag before I cooked them!)
I decided to use 12 cups to make a batch of crabapple butter in my slow-cooker, 2 cups to make a sorbet, and I froze the remainder for later. Both experiments turned out very well! So, if you can find someone who wants some crabapples taken off their hands, take them up on it!
Printable Recipe
Yield: 12 cups/ 6 pints
This is the most beautiful, tangy, mahogany-colored fruit butter! It would be delicious as a change from cranberry sauce with seitan roasts and cutlets, or on sandwiches and wraps. It's east to make in a slow-cooker because it doesn't require much attention and it will not scorch. I go easy on the spices because they can get too strong after long cooking.
12 cups raw crabapple pulp (see text above)
5 cups sugar
2 medium organic oranges, grated zest and juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/8 teaspoon ground fresh nutmeg
3/8 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
Combine all of the ingredients in a 6 qt. slow cooker and turn to HIGH. Cook with the lid off for 8-10 hours, or until the mixture thickens and cooks down by half.
Stir the mixture throughout the cooking, every hour or so.
When done, the mixture should mound gently in a spoon, and when you place a spoonful of it on a plate, no liquid should exude from it. The mixture will be shiny and mahogany-colored.
You can water-bath can the butter for 15 minutes in half-pint or pint jars.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 2 Tablespoons): 55.6 calories; 0% calories from fat; 0.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 0.7mg sodium; 29.8mg potassium; 14.4g carbohydrates; 0.5g fiber; 10.4g sugar; 13.9g net carbs; 0.1g protein; 1.0 points.
Sparkling Crabapple-Cider Sorbet and fresh green grapes from my stepson's garden, sprinkled with rosewater |
Printable Recipe
Servings: 8
Yield: 1 qt.
This is super-easy to make and not only beautiful, but tangy and delicious, too!
2 cups raw crabapple pulp (see text above)
12 oz (341 mL) dry (alcoholic) or sweet (non-alcoholic) sparkling apple, peach or pear cider
2/3 to 1 cup sugar (light organic granulated) (amount depends on how tangy you like it!)
Optional: 2 teaspoons Instant Clear Jel OR 1/4 teaspoon Xanthan gum or Guar gum (See this post about Instant Clear Jel.)
Blend all of the ingredients in the blender until smooth. If the mixture is not cold, refrigerate it until it is. Process in your ice cream maker according to the directions in your manual. Scoop it out of the machine and place in a covered container. Freeze until firm before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving): 112.9 calories; 0% calories from fat; 0.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 2.6mg sodium; 101.4mg potassium; 29.1g carbohydrates; 0.8g fiber; 16.7g sugar; 28.3g net carbs; 0.1g protein; 2.1 points.
17 comments:
- Veronica said...
I miss crabapples and regret that we never saw as much potential in them! As a kid we had a neighbor with a crabapple tree that dropped fruit in abundance, but that tree was chopped down years ago.
- Sat Aug 30, 10:12:00 AM PDT
- Speedwell said...
I think I'm going to drop dead of craving before the book comes out (whine, moan, pout). That meatloaf looks gooo-oood. I've been feeling deprived lately--kale has yet another good month to go here in Texas, and I can't find Field Roast anywhere, and Whole Foods promises I can buy Field Roast by the case and then forgets to order it for me. Poooooor me.
Thanks for your hard work, Bryanna. Wish I could help out. - Sat Aug 30, 03:29:00 PM PDT
- Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...
My maternal grandparents had a crapabble tree in their backyard when I was growing up. I have fond memories of picking and eating them and they are something I miss. I have seen them occasionally in the grocery stores here in Los Angeles, but I've never purchased them.
- Sat Aug 30, 03:53:00 PM PDT
- aTxVegn said...
I've never ever seen a crabapple and imagine I never will. The sorbet is an amazing color.
- Tue Sep 02, 05:10:00 PM PDT
- Carrie™ said...
First off, the meatloaf looks killer! Is Field Roast available in Canada? I enquired a couple of years ago, but was told it wasn't being sold here. I've only ever heard good things and am very curious.
I love what you did with the crabapples. Apples are one of my favorite fruits and I eat one every day. When I was a kid, there were some trees that neighbours had that grew very small apples that we called crabapples, but I don't know if they actually were. We were always told not to eat them so I assumed they weren't good for you. You've set me straight. Now I must source some out because that sorbet has my name all over it! - Wed Sep 03, 11:08:00 PM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
Carrie, field Roast is NOT available in Canada-- yet! I think David is going to try to find a Canadian manufacturer eventually. He just got through moving his Seattle production plant, then we have to wrap up the book, so I guess we will have to make our own until that happens!
- Thu Sep 04, 01:20:00 PM PDT
- JohnP said...
The crabapples are so beautiful! One of my favorite fruits!
- Thu Sep 04, 01:27:00 PM PDT
Now I have more recipes to go with my crabapple pie recipe. Thanks so much.
- Wed Sep 10, 09:21:00 AM PDT
I have a crab apple tree which is currently loaded with fruit! I can't face making more jelly so I'm really excited by the sorbet! Thank you for providing a recipe that's not a jelly!
- Sun Aug 28, 09:10:00 AM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
I hope you like it, Mrs S!
- Wed Aug 31, 11:32:00 AM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
I hope you like it, Mrs S!
- Wed Aug 31, 11:32:00 AM PDT
- KitteeBee said...
I just learned we have a crabapple tree, on the side of our house. I have no idea how to know when they're ripe, but I am on it!
kittee - Fri Oct 07, 09:55:00 PM PDT
- Bryanna Clark Grogan said...
They should be ripe now, Kittee!
- Fri Oct 07, 10:02:00 PM PDT
- Nadya said...
~ 8 years ago I got a *mystery* crab apple (label had fallen off) very inexpensive at a local nursery - at first I was disappointed that it had clusters of blueberry size fruit (I was hoping for plum size, that I'd tasted down the street) - now I love them! They are ripe now, & 'hold' on the tree for quite awhile -
This morning I plucked a small handful & add to musli - coconut milk kefir w/ grated apple, & a handful of crab apple 'berries' - plus a few Red Rowan berries to top it off (sweeter than the standard orange Sorbus, this one is a cross between Mt Ash & Hawthorne) - http://www.onegreenworld.com//product_info.php?cPath=1_39&products_id=649
Thanks for speaking up for the humble Crab! - Wed Oct 19, 09:41:00 AM PDT
- Unknown said...
Thanks for posting the crabapple butter recipe. I recently found abandoned crab apple trees in a parking lot and picked a large bagful and made spiced crabapples from an old Maine cookbook. They're wonderful! But last night I found another abandoned tree at the edge of a mall parking lot and the fruit were large and plentiful so I want to go back to pick a bagful tonight -- and now I have a new recipe to use! While I love the spiced crabapples, and they go wonderfully with cheese, there are really only so many you can eat. Having another use, like crabapple butter, will bring them to my table for another occasion. And what a nice holiday gift they'd be! I love to find abandonded fruit and nut trees in my community and use the fruit to make something special. Thanks for sharing!
- Tue Oct 08, 07:41:00 AM PDT
- Unknown said...
We have 2 crab apple trees in our yard that we planted from twigs, not knowing what they were. One has thorns and one does not. They appear to set fruit in alternate years. I miss munching on crab apples, as we did as children (under the dire warnings of "poisoning" from our parents), so I look forward to enjoying these bitter fruits once again!
- Sat Aug 08, 08:03:00 AM PDT
- Jeremy said...
The tree with thorns is probably a hawthorne, and the fruits are actually called "haws" (not crabapples). You can use the same recipes though, let us know how your haw-recipes taste!
- Mon Sep 21, 09:18:00 PM PDT


text:
Wellington Cable Car
The Wellington Cable Car is a tourist attraction consisting of two cars connected in a funicular standing design, where the weight of one car is used to launch the other car up the hill. The cars are propelled by manual labour with the assistance of a motor the size of a microwave oven. An old microwave oven at that, the sort with dials, and comes with a cook book showing all the wonderful things that can be cooked, such as small animals, by harnessing the gentle power of radiation.
The Cable Car is not a tram.
Wellington, New Zealand is the capital city of the country and its main claim to fame is the resemblances it has to San Francisco. It has lots of steep hills covered with houses and regular earthquakes. The city considered the addition of structures to improve the resemblance. The construction of a large orange bridge proved to be too expensive, and the country did not have enough criminals to justify construction of a maximum security prison in the middle of the bay. A cable car seemed to be the best option due to the economic feasibility at the time.
The next stage of the construction was to determine the best location to place the new attraction. The Lambton Quay was chosen to be one of the locations due to the large amount of traffic caused by the nearby McDonalds. The Cable Car would then be able to take advantage of the large numbers of American tourists who visited the area.
The upper terminal was located at Kelburne, as this allowed tourists and Happy Meal toting small children to go up and visit the Botanical Gardens. The original Cable Car was opened in 1902 and consisted of two trams running along two rail tracks. The current Cable Car is not a tram.
The ride[edit]
To make the ride more special for tourists and small children with their Happy Meals, three tunnels were added to the route. These were lovingly constructed by convict labour, with bricks handmade at the Terrace Gaol. One such worker was bricked into the wall, and to this day his ghost can be seen waiting at Clifton station for a ride home and a Happy Meal. In addition, the ride has its own soundtrack and an on-ride photo section where visitors can take home a souvenir of their Cable Car experience. The Kelburn terminal has a gift shop to make even more money off of tourists. Visitors can purchase "I rode the Cable Car" T-shirts and "The Cable Car is not a tram" bumper stickers.
The original carriages were open to the invigorating Wellington breezes. This enabled young and old to kick against the tunnel sides, and alight from the tram before it had come to a stop. This resulted in broken limbs every couple of trips and the occasional death. No one minded this, because in those days people were not soft, pinko namby-pambys, and they enjoyed their fun.
The Gauntlet[edit]
The Cable Car includes a section of track known as a Gauntlet Track. At this point, riders from opposing trams can slap hands with riders on the other side. Some riders have even taken to jumping from one tram to the other. At each end of the gauntlet track is a frog who directs the trams to the correct track. Sometimes the frogs can get spooked and the Cable Car has to be closed down to prevent collisions from occurring. Should a frog get run over, go missing, or get stolen by an American tourist, a Cable Car employee has to climb up the hill to the nearby Botanical Gardens to find another one.
Animal rights activists oppose this system of using frogs to control the gauntlet track. They cite the fact that the frogs do not receive compensation for the dangerous work.
The increasing numbers of American tourists caused problems for the cable car, as it was unable to withstand the increased weight put on the system. In 1973, the brakes on one of the trams failed, and the tram slid down the hill, running over a Ministry of Works worker. As a result, the weight of the trams was reduced by removing the trailers and American tourists were no longer allowed to ride the system. This resulted in fewer fares, and the future of the system seemed to be uncertain.
Of course, the Cable Car is not a tram.
The Present System[edit]
In 1978, construction began on a new Cable Car, more powerful than the first. Now fully enclosed, it is impervious to water balloons, flour bombs, fruit, American tourists, and most other conventional student weapons. Naturally, admission prices were raised.
Now, the majority of passengers on the Cable Car are dirty students and loud-mouthed American tourists with video cameras who, by the time they get to the Tanny Gardens realise that the cable car is really not that great and that the Wellington tourist board is obviously really struggling if they think that tourists will like it. In fact, the cable car isn't even a cable car. Politicians are currently amidst discussions of making the ride more thrilling to visitors. One proposed system concerns the transformation of the current system into a high speed roller coaster with several inversions, including four loops, a cobra roll, and a pretzel loop. Another proposal includes the addition of more routes and extending the existing track.
The Cable Car is definitely not a tram.


text:
GBH Openvault
Romagnolis' Table; Salute From Central Italy
License Clip
This program cannot be made available on Open Vault.
More material may be available from this program at the GBH Archives. If you would like research access to the collection at GBH, please email email@example.com.
- Series
- Romagnolis' Table
- Program
- Salute From Central Italy
- Program Number
- Series Description
Premiered September 4, 1973 with 4 programs. Full 13 show season premiered January 3, 1974 and incorporated the original 4 programs from September. Second season premiered October 20, 1974. First national broadcasts began January 19, 1975 with repeat of the first local season. Program numbers and broadcast dates reflect the first local broadcast, starting with the January 1974 first full season.
Franco and Margaret Romagnoli demonstrate and prepare classic Italian cuisine, which should not be confused with "Italian-American" food. For one thing, say the Romagnolis, most Italian-American dishes have much more spice and garlic than is the rule for most of Italy. It is in the countryside that the Romagnolis have discovered the essentials of each dish, the things that can be done simply, on a daily basis, by people who don't have the time to cook all day.
See Prime Time program guides September 1973 and January 1974 for cover stories. Series release date: 9/4/1973
- Program Description
Abbacchio brodettato: lamb stew with marjoram and lemon, a Roman favorite.
- Asset Type
Broadcast program
- Media Type
- Genres
- Instructional
- Topics
- Cooking
- Citation
- Chicago: "Romagnolis' Table; Salute From Central Italy," GBH Archives, accessed February 26, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_EE6127FFB33E44B2A0BC35FB22832825.
- MLA: "Romagnolis' Table; Salute From Central Italy." GBH Archives. Web. February 26, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_EE6127FFB33E44B2A0BC35FB22832825>.
- APA: Romagnolis' Table; Salute From Central Italy. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_EE6127FFB33E44B2A0BC35FB22832825


text:
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Here is a list of the various permit fees:
Personal property in Liberty County is assessed at 40% of the property's fair market value.
If you have any questions about personal property, please call the Liberty County Board of Assessors at 912-876-2823.
In order to address the Board, you must first request to be placed on the agenda for the respective meeting. Potential agenda topics are evaluated to ensure their appropriateness for presentation to the Board. Cut-off dates for submission of items is noon on the last Wednesday of the month. In the case of special called meetings, agenda cut-off dates will be established.
To find out who your Commissioner is, call the Elections Office at 912-876-3310. An electronic search will be available on this website soon.
Regular meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 6 pm in the Commissioners' Board Room, second floor of the Courthouse Annex.
Our Hinesville Office is located inside the Liberty County Courthouse (the older courthouse building) on the second floor. Stepping out of the elevator, our office is around the corner to the right. Please come in and have a seat in the reception area until we may assist you.
Currently, you do not need a permit to replace shingles; however, if you are altering any structural member of the roof a permit may be required.
Please contact the Georgia Department of Revenue. Their phone number is 404-417-4490 or visit the Georgia Department of Revenue Alcohol page.
Child safety seat inspection stations include the Hinesville Fire Department at 912-876-4143 and the County Health Department at 912-876-2173. Or, for more information, visit Georgia Highway Safety.
Regular meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 6 pm in the Commissioners' Board Room, second floor of the Courthouse Annex. See more information about the Board of Commissioners.
Certain businesses will be required to show proof that they are licensed by the state before a local business license is issued.
Here is a list of a few trades that will be required to show proof and a number for that state department:
View an explanation on how to log in to submit Information Technology requests.
Contact the Atlantic Judicial Circuit Public Defender's Office at 912-369-6338.
If you wish to file an appeal of your property appraisal, you must do so in writing no later than 45 days after the date on your assessment notice. If you do not file an appeal by the printed deadline, your right to file an appeal will be lost.
The Liberty County 2008 Millage Rates are as follows:
If you have a question about, or need help understanding your property assessment, please call the Liberty County Assessors Office at 912-876-2823.
If you have questions about your taxes, tax bill, or tax payments, please call the Liberty County Tax Commissioner's Office at 912-876-3389.
The Planning and Zoning Office is now called the Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission. They are located at:205 E Court StreetHinesville, GA 31313
Their phone number is 912-408-2030.
Contact the local Georgia Forestry Office at 912-884-3331.
Contact the Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission; they are a reference to any Land Clearing or Site Work operations. Their number is 912-408-2030.
You may not apply for a Public Defender for someone else (except a parent applying for a Juvenile). Contact the Atlantic Judicial District Public Defender's Office at 912-369-6338.
The Commission makes appointments to several Boards and solicits candidates for representation as terms expire on those respective boards. The County solicits potential candidates through advertisement in the local legal organ. Persons with questions on a specific board should contact the Commission Office at 912-876-2164.
Depending on the type of information you need, please see the following list of agencies, and contact them directly.
Liberty County Board of Education200 Bradwell StreetHinesville, GA 31313Phone: 912-876-2161
Liberty County Clerk of CourtsP. O. Box 50Hinesville, GA 31310-0050Phone: 912-876-3625
Hinesville Police Department123 East MLK Jr. DriveHinesville, GA 31313Phone: 912-368-8211
Midway Police DepartmentP. O. Box 915Midway, GA 31320-0915Phone: 912-880-1000
Liberty County Sheriff's DepartmentP. O. Box 439Hinesville, GA 31310-0439Phone: 912-876-2131
Liberty County Probate CourtP. O. Box 28Hinesville, GA 31310-0028Phone: 912-876-3635
Liberty County Tax CommissionerP. O. Box 587Hinesville, GA 31310-0587
Liberty County Tax AssessorsPhone: 912-876-3568
Social Security Office - Savannah, GeorgiaPhone: 912-353-7059
Social Security AdministrationOffice of Public Inquiries6401 Security BoulevardWindsor Park BuildingBaltimore, MD 21235Phone: 800-772-1213
This is obtained from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Call 866-816-2065 or visit the IRS website.
This comes from the Georgia Department of Revenue. Call 404-417-4490 or visit the Georgia Department of Revenue website.
Liberty County E-Verify Identification Number is 62576. The Liberty County E-Verify Authorization date is October 18, 2007.
A listing of all the current County bids and request for proposals can be found by visiting the County Bid Center.


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Congrats to Giselle, who won Knitter in His Natural Habitat (Knitting #4) by Amy Lane! Knitter in His Natural Habitat is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.
Mayhem update: Back to the vet yesterday for subcutaneous fluids, antibiotics, and some "critical care" cat food, which she's actually been eating. Whew! Keep us in your thoughts. Thanks.
Oh, and when life gets this crazy for me, don't worry if I don't reply to your comments, 'k? As long as you can see your comments (after they've been approved, if necessary), you're entered in the contest.
Many thanks to RJ Scott for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming m/m holiday romance, Journal of Sanctuary One (Sanctuary #6), for a lucky commenter to win! Journal of Sanctuary One will be released by Silver Publishing on November 24.
Jake spends every Christmas at Sanctuary 1. From a small child the cabin was home for his family in the special season, and with the third anniversary of his dad's death approaching he arranges for Kayden, Beckett and himself to meet at the cabin a few days before Christmas. When a snowstorm means Kayden is blocked in NY with Beckett, Jake ends up in the cabin on his own.
Sean is being hunted and the only place he can run to is somewhere mentioned in an old journal – the original Sanctuary Cabin. The cabin is no longer in official use but it would be a good place to heal and take stock of just what the fuck is going on with his life.
Neither man is prepared for being stuck together for an entire week, nor for the secrets that threaten to get them both killed.
Other Books by RJ
- Complete list
- In the Shadow of the Wolf (with Diane Adams): Shattered Secrets, Broken Memories, Splintered Lies
- The Art of Words (with Meredith Russell)
- A Better Man (with Jaime Reese)
- Texas: The Heart of Texas and Texas Winter
- Sanctuary:Â Guarding Morgan, The Only Easy Day, Face Value, Still Waters, Full Circle
About RJ
RJ Scott lives in the Chiltern hills just outside London, England. She loves reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror; however, her first real love will always be the world of romance. Her goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and more than a hint of happily ever after.
RJ writes across all the genres, but if pushed she says she enjoys writing contemporary romance over the rest. You can find out more about RJ and her books at her website, on Facebook, and via Twitter.
Contest Rules
- To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Friday, November 23.
- By entering the contest, you're confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- If you haven't commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn't show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
- If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
- Winners will be selected by random number.
- You must leave a valid email address in the "Email†portion of the comment form.
- Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
- If a winner doesn't respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
- If you win, please respect the author's intellectual property and don't make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
- This contest is open worldwide!
Flashback to May in my suitcase after I got home from New Mexico…
"Now Mom can't go away again! It's the perfect plan." -Mayhem


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Every day a new SEO myth is born; unfortunately, not every day does an old SEO myth die off. The net result is a growing population of myths. These are nearly impossible to squash because the snake-oil salesmen of our industry keep perpetuating them — bringing them back from the brink, even. You can talk at conferences till your blue in the face. You can develop SEO checklists like this one, or even author a book. You'll still get asked how to write good meta keywords.
You can even pre-empt myths before they take hold, as Matt Cutts attempted in his recent post, Google Incorporating Site Speed in Search Rankings. Despite Matt's best efforts, I am sure this won't be the last time we hear (or read) the myths "site speed is a major new factor in determining Google rankings" and "the site speed signal will help big sites who can pay more for hosting."
Sometimes the myths get debunked, only to end up coming back with a vengeance. Take the meta keywords tag for instance. Google never did support this worthless tag. But apparently, Yahoo had been "supporting" the tag for some time. Remember when Yahoo went on the record (at the SMX East 2009 conference) to say they were no longer giving any credence to the meta keyword tag? Then, within days Danny Sullivan published his findings from some of his own tests. Turned out Yahoo's assertion on the meta keywords tag was wrong. In Yahoo it apparently still is a signal (albeit an incredibly minor one.) Oops.
I, for one, hate misinformation and disinformation, and our industry, unfortunately, is rife with it. I'm going to do my part in fighting this menace and spreading the truth — by exposing some of the more insidious myths in this very article. I think this is only fitting, considering Covario's oft-stated goal is to be "the source of truth" for our clients on the performance of their SEO and SEM.
And now, without any further ado, the list…
- Our SEO firm is endorsed/approved by Google. The following comes from an actual email a friend of mine received from an SEO firm last year:
We are…Google Approved, a partner with Google, they endorse us as an optimizer, and their list includes very few partners, and we are one of them!. To find us on their list please go to: http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer/woac.html and select region: United States; scroll to the middle of the page and find National Positions."
Hmm…. you won't find them listed there anymore.
- Don't use Google Analytics because Google will spy on you and use the information against you. This one comes straight from the conspiracy theorists. Google has made numerous assurances that they aren't using your traffic or conversion data to profile you as a spammer.
- Your PageRank score, as reported by Google's toolbar server, is highly correlated to your Google rankings. If only this were true, our jobs as SEOs would be so much easier! It doesn't take many searches with SEO for Firefox running to see that low-PageRank URLs outrank high-PR ones all the time. It would be naive to assume that the PageRank reported by the Toolbar Server is the same as what Google uses internally for their ranking algorithm.
- Having an XML Sitemap will boost your Google rankings. I just heard this one from a fellow panelist in an SEO session at a conference I presented at within the last month (I won't mention who, or which show.) This made me cringe, but I bit my lip rather than embarrass and contradict them in front of the audience. Should I have spoken up? Did I do the audience a disservice by leaving this myth unchallenged? I struggled with that. In any event, Google will use your sitemaps file for discovery and potentially as a canonicalization hint if you have duplicate content. It won't give a URL any more "juice" just because you include it in your sitemaps.xml, even if you assign a high priority level to it.
- Since the advent of personalization, there is no such thing as being ranked #1 anymore because everyone sees different results. Although it is true that Google personalizes search results based on the user's search history (and now you don't even have to be logged in to Google for this personalization to take place), the differences between personalized results and non-personalized results are relatively minor. Check for yourself. Get in the habit of re-running your queries — the second time adding &pws=0 to the end of Google SERP URL — and observing how much (or how little) everything shifts around.
- Meta tags will boost your rankings. I'm so sick of hearing about meta tags. Optimizing your meta keywords is a complete waste of time. Period. They have been so abused by spammers that the engines haven't put any stock in them for years and years. What about other meta tags — such as meta description, meta author, and meta robots — you ask? None of the various meta tags are given any real weight in the rankings algorithm.
- It's good practice to include a meta robots tag specifying index, follow. This is a corollary to the myth immediately preceding. It's totally unnecessary. The engines all assume they are allowed to index and follow unless you specify otherwise.
- It's helpful if your targeted keywords are tucked away in HTML comment tags and title attributes (of IMG and A HREF tags.) Since when have comment tags or title attributes been given any weight?
- Having country-specific sites creates "duplicate content" issues in Google. Google is smart enough to present your .com.au site to Google Australia users and your .co.nz site to Google New Zealand users. Not using a ccTLD? Then set the geographic target setting in Google Webmaster Tools; that's what it's there for. Where's the problem here?
- You can keep search engines from indexing pages linked-to with Javascript links. There are many documented cases of Google following JavaScript-based links. Google engineers have stated that they are crawling JavaScript links more-and-more. Of course, don't rely on Google parsing your JavaScript links, but don't assume it will choke on them either.
- Googlebot doesn't read CSS. You'd better believe Google scans CSS for spam tactics like hidden divs.
- You should end your URLs in .html. Since when has that made a difference?
- You can boost the Google rankings of your home page for a targeted term by including that term in the anchor text of internal links. Testing done by SEOmoz found that the anchor text of your "Home" links is largely ignored. Use the anchor text "Home" or "San Diego real estate" — it's of no consequence either way.
- It's important for your rankings that you update your home page frequently (e.g. daily.) This is another fallacy spread by the same aforementioned fellow panelist. Plenty of stale home pages rank just fine, thank you very much.
- Trading links helps boost PageRank and rankings. Particularly if done on a massive scale with totally irrelevant sites, right? Umm, no. Reciprocal links are of dubious value: they are easy for an algorithm to catch and to discount. Having your own version of the Yahoo directory on your site isn't helping your users, nor is it helping your SEO.
- Linking out (such as to Google.com) helps rankings. Not true. Unless perhaps you're hoarding all your PageRank by not linking out at all — in which case, that just looks unnatural. It's the other way around, i.e. getting links to your site — that's what makes the difference.
- It's considered "cloaking" — and is thus taboo and risky — to clean up the URLs in your links selectively and only for spiders. If your intentions are honorable, then you have nothing to fear. All the major search engines have said as much. You are helping the engines by removing session IDs, tracking parameters and other superfluous parameters from the URLs across your site — whether it's done by user-agent detection, cookie detection or otherwise. After all, if it were bad, would Yahoo be doing it? Check it for yourself: visit the Yahoo.com home page with the Googlebot user agent string (e.g. with Firefox using the User Agent Switcher extension). You'll notice the "ylt" parameter has been stripped from all the links.
- If you define a meta description, Google uses it in the snippet. We already learned from my last column ("Anatomy of a Google Snippet") that this is oftentimes not the case.
- The bolding of words in a Google listing signifies that they were considered in the rankings determination. Also discussed in my last column, this phenomenon — known as "KWiC" in Information Retrieval circles — is there purely for usability purposes.
- H1 tags are a crucial element for SEO. Research by SEOmoz shows little correlation between the presence of H1 tags and rankings. Still, you should write good H1 headings, but do it primarily for usability and accessibility, not so much for SEO.
- There are some unique ranking signals for Google Mobile Search, and they include the markup being "XHTML Mobile". Google Mobile Search results mirror those of Google Web Search. By all means, create a mobile-friendly version of your site; but do it for your users, not for SEO.
- SEO is a black art. And it's done, usually in a dark room, by some rogue SEO consultant, without requiring the involvement of the client / rest of the company. If SEO were like that, our lives would read like spy novels.
- The Disallow directive in robots.txt can get pages de-indexed from Google. As I explained in my article "A Deeper Look at Robots.txt", disallows can lead to snippet-less, title-less Google listings. Not a good look. To keep pages out of the index, use the Noindex robots.txt directive or the meta robots noindex tag — NOT a Disallow directive.
- SEO is a one-time activity you complete and are then done with. How many times have you heard someone say "We actually just finished SEOing our site"? It makes me want to scream "No!" with every fiber of my being. SEO is ongoing. Just like one's website is never "finished," neither is one's SEO. Catalog marketers get this better than anyone else: they are used to optimizing every square inch of their printed catalog. There is always more performance to be wrung out. The "set it and forget it" misconception is particularly prevalent among IT workers — they tend to treat everything like a project so that they can get through assignments, close the "ticket" and move on, and thus maintain their sanity. I can't say I blame them.
- Automated SEO is black-hat or spammy. There is nothing wrong with or inappropriate in using automation. Indeed, it signals a level of maturity in the marketplace when industrial-strength tools and technologies for large-scale automation are available. Without automation, it would be difficult to impossible for the enterprise company to scale their SEO efforts across the mass of content they have published on the Web. Chris Smith paints a compelling picture for SEO automation in this classic post.
- A site map isn't for people. A good (HTML, not XML) site map is designed as much for human consumption as it is for spiders. Any time you create pages/copy/links solely for a search engine, hoping they won't be seen by humans, you're asking for trouble.
- There's no need to link to all your pages for the spiders to see them. Just list all URLs in the XML Sitemap. Orphan pages rarely rank for anything but the most esoteric of search terms. If your web page isn't good enough for even you to want to link to it, what conclusion do you think the engines will come to about the quality and worthiness of this page to rank?
- Google will not index pages that are only accessible by a site's search form. This used to be the case, but Google has been able to fill out forms and crawl the results since at least 2008. Note this doesn't give you permission to deliberately neglect your site's accessibility to spiders, as you'd probably be disappointed with the results.
- Placing links in teeny-tiny size font at the bottom of your homepage is an effective tactic to raise the rankings of deep pages in your site. Better yet, make the links the same color as the page background, and/or use CSS to push the links way out to the side so they won't detract from the homepage's visual appearance! (I am being facetious here, don't actually do this.)
- Using a service that promises to register your site with "hundreds of search engines" is good for your site's rankings. If you believe that, then you may also be aware that there is a Nigerian prince who desperately needs your help to get a large sum of money smuggled out of his country, for which you will be richly rewarded.
- Home page PageRank on a domain means something. As in: "I have a PageRank 6 site." In actuality it means nothing. As I already stated, toolbar PageRank is misleading at best, completely bogus at worst. Furthermore, a high PageRank on one's home page doesn't necessarily equate to high PageRank on internal pages. That's a function of the site's internal linking structure.
- Outsourcing link building to a far-away, hourly contractor with no knowledge of your business is a good link acquisition solution. And a sound business decision… NOT! As it is, the blogosphere is already clogged enough with useless, spammy comments in broken English from third-world link builders. No need to make it worse by hiring them to "promote" your site too.
- The clickthrough rate on the SERPs matters. If this were true then those same third-world link builders would also be clicking away on search results all day long.
- Keyword density is da bomb. Ok, no one says "da bomb" anymore, but you get the drift. Monitoring keyword density values is pure folly.
- Hyphenated domain names are best for SEO. As in: san-diego-real-estate-for-fun-and-profit.com. Separate keywords with hyphens in the rest of the URL after the .com, but not in the domain itself.
- Great Content = Great Rankings. Just like great policies equals successful politicians, right?
The following mythbusters contributed to the above list: Chris Smith, Rand Fishkin, and Eric Enge. (Thanks guys!)
Now it's up to you, dear reader, to do your part in spreading the truth. Whenever possible, stand with your SEO brothers and sisters united against this damaging SEO mythology. Let's all be SEO mythbusters.
Which SEO myths are you most sick of? What did I miss in my list? Talk back in the comments.
Postscript: Be sure to read the follow-up column to this, 36 More SEO Myths That Won't Die But Need To.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


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we borrow it from our children.
our earth lovers craft...
as the grasses are stilled with light. Earth teach me suffering as old stones suffer with memory. Earth teach me humility as blossoms are humble with beginning. Earth Teach me caring as the mother who secures her young. Earth teach me courage as the tree which stands alone. Earth teach me limitation as the ant which crawls on the ground. Earth teach me freedom as the eagle which soars in the sky. Earth teach me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall. Earth teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring. Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me to remember kindness as dry fields weep in the rain. |
Leave nothing but footprints.
Kill nothing but time.
~Motto of the Baltimore Grotto
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Khalil Gibran
Here's to celebrating our earth
and all the practical ways we can help preserve her gifts.
What ways do you teach and celebrate Earth
Day with the children in your life?
With Love
~ Shanti~
P.S. in honor of digital detox week (taking place right now all over the globe!) and Easter we shall be signing off for a couple of weeks.
See you again soon!
Shanti & Maureen


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Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge Becomes a Reality
Illinois and Wisconsin Sierra Club activists celebrated last month when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar visited Illinois to announce the establishment of the new 11,200-acre Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge. Straddling the Illinois-Wisconsin border, Hackmatack is roughly equidistant from Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison, Wisconsin.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Salazar, pictured above with Illinois Sierra Club activist Cindy Skrukrud, was joined at the August 15 announcement in the new refuge by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, who was instrumental in getting Hackmatack established.
Durbin, a Democrat, thanked fellow Illinois Senator Mark Kirk, a Republican, for his support leading to the designation of the refuge. "When it comes to Hackmatack, it's bipartisan," Durbin said.
That's Durbin, below at left, with Salazar and Ed Collins, natural resource manager for the McHenry County, Illinois, Conservation District. Collins was part of the core group that sought national wildlife refuge designation for Hackmatack.
"The Midwest doesn't have mountains and it doesn't have geysers and it doesn't have giant redwoods," Collins told the Elgin Courier-News. "It's a very, very slow magic and it sometimes takes a lifetime to appreciate it. But some of the rarest living things on the planet, they live in Northeastern Illinois and Southeastern Wisconsin."
Photo by Ray Mathis
Collins, who grew up in Chicago, got hooked on the outdoors during boyhood summers canoeing on the Fox River, which rises just west of Milwaukee and flows south into Illinois, where it empties into the Illinois River about 75 miles southwest of Chicago.
"The native communities [in Hackmatack] have a national significance," he said, "and the national wildlife refuge is a designation that means something outside of the region."
Photo courtesy of Ray Mathis
The Sierra Club was a key player in the Friends of Hackmatack partnership, which has been working since 2004 to make the new wildlife refuge a reality. "The Hackmatack Refuge is a testament to the power of ordinary citizens to protect the landscapes they love," said Jack Darin, Illinois Chapter Director.
Skrukrud, a staffer for the Sierra Club Water Sentinels, was among the activists spearheading the grassroots effort to establish the refuge. "My husband Tom von Geldern and I are members of the Friends of Hackmatack steering committee, which hatched this idea about eight years ago," she said.
"The Club's Illinois and Wisconsin chapters, Openlands, and the Trust for Public Land really stepped up when we asked for help. More than 2,500 citizens weighed in supporting the refuge in response to a Sierra Club alert. We had to apologize for crashing the Fish & Wildlife Service's server!"
Photo by Ray Mathis
The new refuge will be made up of several contiguous parcels of land, roughly in the shape of a donut with a large pocket of farmland in the center (see map, below). The area is home to 109 species of concern, including 49 birds, five fish species, two reptiles, one amphibian, five mussels, and 47 types of plants. The refuge will be used for conservation, hunting, fishing, environmental education, and recreational activities.
"Friends of Hackmatack presented the case that the glacial landscape along the Illinois-Wisconsin border is a very special place," Skrukrud said. "Now the scenic beauty and wildlife habitat of our oak savannas, rare tallgrass prairie, and the pristine, high-quality Nippersink Creek have been recognized on the countrywide stage."
Photo by Ray Mathis
Nippersink Creek, above, which weaves back and forth across the Illinois-Wisconsin border, will serve as the corridor connecting the four core areas of the new refuge. Hackmatack becomes the first refuge for the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas, home to nearly 11 million people, and is expected to attract more than 200,000 visitors per year. The next-closest refuge to Chicago is 150 miles away.
"Having a refuge so close to Chicago is a boon to our efforts to get urban kids out to enjoy and learn about nature," said Donna Hriljac, a volunteer leader with the Sierra Club's Inner City Outings program in Chicago. That's Hriljac below with Skrukrud, holding up a poster announcing an ICO trip to Hackmatack the day of Secretary Salazar's visit. The two are also pictured in the photo atop this post, flanking the trip participants.
Hriljac worked with the Friends of Hackmatack to sponsor activities in the Hackmatack area for teens from Chicago, who canoed on Wisconsin's Geneva Lake, collected aquatic insects and mussels from Nippersink Creek, and cut invasive buckthorn at their campsite at Big Foot Beach State Park near Lake Geneva.
At the end of their trip, all the participants wrote letters to the Fish & Wildlife Service in support of the refuge. One of them wrote:
"Making this area a refuge is very important to me because there isn't another refuge around my house or in the whole Chicago area. I am glad this place may become a refuge for my children and their children to see for life."
Photo by Ray Mathis
In addition to Hriljac, Skrukrud gives special kudos to Illinois Chapter volunteer Evan Craig, chair of the Woods & Wetlands Group, and John Muir (Wisconsin) Chapter volunteers L.D. Rockwell and Southeast Gateway Group Chair Melissa Warner.
To see a gallery of photos of the Hackmatack area by Illinois photographer Ray Mathis, click on any of the images in this post attributed to him.


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As the Windows 2000 beta wore down in late 1999 (see my Windows 2000 Road to Gold for details), one glaring fact was clear: Microsoft would never again take three years between Windows versions. Customers expected features to be delivered more quickly than that, and markets simply change too quickly to keep a product in development for that long.
And of course, Windows XP changed all that. Finally, with Windows XP, Microsoft developed an OS that met key customer needs while adhering to a reasonable schedule. It's an amazing story, one detailed here in the Road to Gold...
Neptune: The Windows that wasn't
Before Windows XP was a reality, Microsoft originally designed
a consumer
Windows follow-up to Millennium called Neptune. It would feature an
HTML-based user interface code-named Forms+, Universal
Plug and Play (UPnP) connectivity, Bill Gate's WinTone
vision, and the NT kernel used in Windows 2000 (since
renamed as the Windows Engine).
A purported Neptune user interface study was revealed by
John C. Dvorak in February 1999. Dvorak said that he had
received a slew of screenshots--actually PowerPoint
slides--from a Microsoft developer which supposedly
showed off the interface for the next consumer Windows.
Not Neptune, but an interesting Activity Center
design study
Microsoft finally admitted that the images did come from
within the company but that they were never intended to
be the final UI. Instead, it was just a study to see
what a task-based Windows interface might look like.
"There are hundreds of these types of plans that go
around Microsoft every day," Microsoft Windows Group
Product Manager Rob Bennett said that February. "Nothing
has been decided for the next major consumer version of
Windows based on NT. The thing is more of a disservice
to customers at this point because it doesn't represent
something they can realize the benefits of today."
In April 1999, Millennium was formally announced as the
final product in the 9x family, and Neptune was slated
for release after that, in 2001 or 2002, as the first
NT-based consumer Windows offering.
One Neptune build did make it to testers, 5111. This
build showed off some early work on the new logon screen
("Welcome" in Windows XP") and an activity center-based
User Accounts control panel. But Neptune was never meant
to be: Clashes over previously promised features and a
desire to do something new with the product eventually
doomed this project.
Build 5111 was the only build of Neptune to make it
out to testers
What really killed Neptune, of course, is what killed so
many other Microsoft projects: It had inherited all of
the then-unready baggage from previous OSes--Windows
2000 and Millennium--and didn't have a clear purpose of
its own, aside from collecting all of the features that
didn't make it in previous releases. Microsoft had
originally intended for Millennium to be at the center
of its aborted "EasyPC" initiative, but that 9x-based OS
wasn't up to the task. So Neptune's primary
feature-set--a task-based UI with deep digital media
integration--was in jeopardy.
Instead of trying to make it all work, Microsoft
regrouped. And in late December 1999, they cancelled
Neptune and its business oriented cousin, code-named
Odyssey, and set about to make things right. I was the
first person to reveal this change to the public, though
Microsoft employees returning to work after Christmas
break were told of the plan changes in an internal memo.
The memo outlines an even more basic plan as well, where
products would be developed more quickly, with fewer
features, rather than in massive three-year development
cycles. Not coincidentally, I recommended this very
change to Microsoft when I concluded that the
development of Windows 2000--which stretched from
mid-1996 to late 1999--proves that long-term, monolithic
software development was a thing of the past.
Change of Plans: Enter
My blurb about the Neptune cancellation occupied
just a small paragraph at the top of WinInfo Short Takes on Friday,
January 21, 2000. But the ramifications would be felt for months
Microsoft has cancelled the
previously separate "Neptune" and "Odyssey" projects, I wrote,
melding the
two into a cohesive strategy for the future of Windows 2000.
"Neptune," as you may know, was to be the next consumer version of
Windows after Millennium, and the first to be based on Windows 2000.
And "Odyssey" was the previous codename for the next version of
Windows 2000 for businesses. My sources tell me that the consumer
version of Neptune became a black hole when all the features that
were cut from Millennium (Windows 98 Third Edition, due this summer)
were simply re-tagged as Neptune features. And since Neptune and
Odyssey would be based on the same code-base anyway, it made sense
to combine them into a single project, in the same way that Windows
2000 Professional and Server were tested together. What's the
codename for this revamped next-generation version of Windows 2000
that will come in business and consumer flavors, you ask? It's
called "Whistler." You heard it here
Whistler Build 2211
Immediately, every major computer news outlet on the planet
picked up the story. I received calls and emails from around the globe,
and spoke about the move on CNET Radio. Microsoft had made sweeping
product changes before, of course, but this was the first one in the
always-on, wired Internet age, and the world wanted to know more. Three
days later, I summed up the changed in an analysis piece called Future
Windows still in flux.
"Sources close to Microsoft expressed their amazement that I had even
found out about the plans to drop Neptune and Odyssey as the internal
communications about replacing these projects with 'Whistler' are marked
as 'Extreme Microsoft Internal,' normally reserved for the company's most
sensitive information," I wrote. "Well, now that the cat's out of the
bag, so to speak, it's time to take a look at where Windows will be
headed now that Microsoft has finally shipped Windows 2000."
At around this time, Microsoft quietly uploaded a related job posting to
its Web site. The company was looking for a software engineer that
[could] design and develop a new "basic [user interface] framework for
[Windows 2000 that will] provide modern UI features." This new user
interface [would] be the foundation for the "next-generation Window
Manager [a.k.a. USER], which will allow easily extensible UI look, feel
and behavior." Additionally, this new UI manager [would] allow for
different user interfaces to be plugged into Windows 2000, interfaces
that are designed separately from the OS. That next-generation user
interface was later incorporated into Whistler under the code-name
In February 2000, ZDNET incorrectly reported that Whistler would ship in
March 2001. But ZDNET did reveal that a future major release of Windows,
code-named "Blackcomb," would follow Whistler a few years later
(Blackcomb was later pushed back for another post-XP interim release
code-named "Longhorn"). I reported that Blackcomb was designed to be
quicker than Windows 2000, as NT 3.5 was when compared to version 3.1. It
would feature a new relational database-based file system dubbed Storage+
and natural language processing. And the basic engine, or kernel, would
be much changed in Blackcomb, though the basic set of functions it
performs would not. Improvements to Active Directory were in the works
for Blackcomb as well.
In early April 2000, Microsoft announced a bizarre corporate
reorganization that saw vice presidents Paul Maritz and Jim Allchin
co-leading a group charged at developing Microsoft's Next Generation
Windows Services (NGWS, soon to be renamed .NET, "Dot Net"). The reorg
was destined to fail, and soon did, but not before Allchin and Maritz
butted heads over strategy. Maritz left the company less than a year
later, with Allchin taking sole control of Windows.
In late April, Microsoft gave its first public preview of Whistler at its
WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference). The company said that
Whistler would feature a componentized architecture that would allow
systems makers to strip away various layers of the operating system so
that it would work well on even the smallest handheld devices. That week,
previewed Whistler for the first time on the SuperSite for Windows.
Whistler build 2223.1
Whistler build 2223.1
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates revealed a few interesting features in
Whistler at the WinHEC show. "In Whistler we've added support for CD-R
and CD-RW into the operating system so you can drag files over to a CDR,
just like you would any floppy, and burn them for your friends," he said.
"We added
the capability of logging off without quitting all your applications. So
when you log off your applications can still be in the background running
exactly where you left them, and someone else can log on. This allows
people to simultaneously use the same computer."
Gates also talked up the digital media features in Windows XP, noting
that the Scanner and Camera Wizard from Windows Me was being updated
significantly in this new release. A new version of Windows Media Player
was shown off, as was a speech interface.
Windows general manager Carl Stork discussed the Windows roadmap at
WinHEC. "The road map for the following year is that we're actively at
work on a product release, which is code-named Whistler, or Windows
Whistler," Stork said. "And the development work that we're doing on
Windows Whistler is going to yield at least two client operating system
products, one which is optimized for business users, businesses of all
sizes, and you can think of this as logically the successor to Windows
2000 Professional, and a second release that's optimized for the needs of
consumers and entry level users. Both of these products will be built
from the same code base, they'll use the same device drivers; they'll
have the same kinds of application compatibility. This, we think, is an
enormous step forward for the industry, as it lets us all focus our
development investments, our testing investments, our investments in
quality and features in one environment to address both those market
"As a blanket statement," he continued, "you could say that Windows
Whistler by and large will represent a superset of what's in the Windows
Millennium Edition, and in that sense is a logical progression for
users." He also previewed the notion that the Whistler UI would change
dramatically. "We
do recognize both that a new look appeals to users, and we can make the
system warmer and more friendly. This represents design concepts that
we're working on right now, as to what the user interface of the Whistler
product may look like."
Shortly after WinHEC, I revealed
Microsoft's plans to end "DLL Hell" in Whistler using a technology called
Fusion and the company's work with
Activity Centers.
On May 24, 2000, Microsoft sent out the first Whistler beta invites, as I
exclusively revealed in WinInfo. "We have a very high bar of
participation for this program," the invitation read. "Our primary
audience is targeted at key FirstWave ISV and IHV developers for improved
application and hardware compatibility-many of which ship in the box, OEM
partners, JDP accounts, committed IT Pros and other corporate deployment
test beds. Given the importance of the consumer market to the Whistler
release, this program also introduces "Whistler Personal" intended for
focused, key consumer testers. We expect everyone in the Technical Beta
to really focus their development and/or testing efforts in a partnership
with us to meet program objectives in a very aggressive timeframe. This
is not an evaluation-based program." Microsoft noted that there were four
beta kits, Whistler Personal (home/consumer focused testing), Whistler32
Tech Beta (Personal, Professional, Server and Advanced Server),
Whistler32 Developer Tech Beta (developers and ISVs only), and Whistler64
for 64-bit Itanium users.
In June, Microsoft was caught up in excitement over its .NET initiative,
which was the new name of NGWS. The company held a late June meeting with
industry analysts to unveil the technology, and noted that future
versions of Windows would be called Windows .NET. Eventually, the company
said, .NET, and not Windows, would be its primary platform. In the
meantime, however, the Whistler beta began with a promise to ship the
first milestone release--Beta 1--later that year. An anonymous tip from
Microsoft revealed that Whistler would feature "an 'awesome' XML/XSL-based
skinning capabilities that far surpass any customizing features in
then-current Windows versions."
At the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in Florida in mid-July,
Microsoft revealed for the first time that Whistler would ship in the
second half of 2001 (a six month delay from the previously announced
April 2001 release date). The company also released its first build to
testers, build 2250, on July 13. Whistler build 2250 closely resembled
Windows 2000 and Windows Me and didn't appear to offer many new features,
but it did offer the first glimpse at the new UI technology, which went
through a lot of names before its final release. In build 2250, it was
called "Visual Styles," and this build featured what would have been the
"Professional" (later "Watercolor") theme, which was dropped in January
2001. It also featured a task-based Control Panel.
previewed Whistler build 2250 on the SuperSite for Windows.
Whistler build
2250 introduced Visual Styles
One of the more intriguing things about Whistler build 2250, however, was
hidden from most users. Microsoft was quietly working on a new Start
Panel that would replace the Start Menu that had been in place since
Windows 95 was released in 1995. In build 2250, this feature was hidden,
I revealed its existence to the world on July 20, 2001. "In the
Whistler Preview, the hidden Start Panel is approximately twice as wide
as the Start menu and features two columns of options with 'Log Off' and
'Turn off computer' choices at the top," I wrote. "The first column
features large icons for Internet Explorer and the configured email
application, followed by a list of the most recently accessed
applications. A More Programs option opens a standard Start menu. In the
second column, called My Places, Microsoft has created links for common
system locations and utilities. The first section includes My Documents,
My Pictures, and My Music, while the second one contains My Computer, My
Network Places, and Network and Dial-up Connections. At the bottom of the
second column are Control Panel, Help + Support, Search, and Run. The
Active Desktop Start Page includes similar options, with prominent
buttons for the Internet, Email, and Search. A toolbar along the bottom
provides options for logging off, turning off the computer, and
frequently-accessed locations on the system."
In late July, Microsoft revealed that it had pushed back the first beta
release of Whistler from September to October, but that this would not
effect the final release. "We are really now driving to a single code
base across our entire Windows product line," said Microsoft senior vice
president Brian Valentine, who became responsible for the development of
Windows 2000 in late 1998. Valentine noted that unifying the two
previously-separate Windows projects will save Microsoft money and
development time. "It cost us a lot to have those two code bases in the
company," he said. "By driving to a single core technology, it just makes
the whole industry more efficient." Valentine's comments came at a yearly
financial analysts meeting.
After a month of inactivity, the Whistler beta heated up again in August
with the release of build 2257. This build included the new Start Panel
in the UI, and it was the first to feature the results of Microsoft's
"clean desktop" initiative. Also, the Professional Visual Style was
tweaked with new colors; it look quite spiffy.
Build 2257 was the first to include Microsoft's personal firewall. "The
personal firewall (or stateful packet filter) is designed to offer very
basic protection to home users with no configuration," Kyle Krum of the
Home Networking Team told testers. "By default we are in a 'Deny All'
state once we figure out what your Internet connection is (via the Home
Networking Wizard, for the most part). We are continually working on
adding more configuration functionality to the feature, but we are just
adding simple things like a check box and screen to allow different ICMP
packets to flow through. As for punching holes in the firewall, you will
not have the option to allow/deny subnets or IP ranges, but can instead
just say, "open port 80 to everybody". The firewall is not designed to
compete at all in the normal firewall market, but instead offer basic
protection to customers who are just putting their PC's on the edge of
the network."
In 2257, the IE version number was listed as 5.6. This was later changed
to 6.0.
Whistler build
In September, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reiterated that .NET, and not
Windows, was the future. But he noted that the full ".NET User
Experience" was still 2-3 years away. ".NET is the future for Microsoft,"
he said. "Windows doesn't go away, the PC doesn't go away. But we needed
a platform to reflect the reality of the Internet. [.NET] is a big change
for us, and it is a lot of work, a lot of effort." Ballmer, who addressed
a crowd at the European IT Forum 2000 in Monaco via a satellite link from
Redmond, said that Microsoft was working as quickly as it could to
deliver a version of Windows that fully supports its new .NET
technologies, but that this would have to be phased in over the next two
In late September, I revealed that Whistler Beta 1 would slip two weeks
from October 11 or October 25. And then the company released another
interim build on October 3rd. Whistler build 2267 offered small
improvements to the previous alpha build, but no major new features. But
2267 finally allowed the user to modify the look and feel of the system
with a fully fleshed-out Display Properties dialog, making it as
functional as Windows 2000 in this regard. Whistler 2267 also introduced
a Compatibility Center, which would eventually allow users to research
whether particular hardware devices are compatible with this OS.
Compatibility Center was designed to be used to search for compatible
products before purchasing or troubleshoot compatibility issues with
existing products. Like Help and Support itself, Microsoft intended to
open Compatibility Center to hardware makers so that users can gain
access to support information from these companies in a single place; the
feature was later melded into Help and Support.
Whistler build
Less than two weeks later, Microsoft issued the final pre-Beta 1 release,
build 2287. This build featured a redesigned Setup routine (the previous
one was based on the version in Windows Me), a redesigned Help & Support
(again, the previous version was lifted from Windows Me), and some UI
tweaks. It was also the first build to use Dynamic Updates, a new Setup
Whistler build
The week of October 27, 2000 brought with it incredible news: Microsoft's
internal network had been hacked and, according to early reports, the
hackers had made away with the source code to future versions of Windows
and Office. Microsoft contacted the FBI and though the culprit was never
caught, the company now claims that its source code was never in
jeopardy. Amazingly, the furor over this event died down quickly, and
Microsoft has yet to detail the attack. But one thing remains: A t-shirt
with the slogan, I hacked Microsoft's network and all I got was this
lousy source code.
Continued in Part Two...


text:
jabbot 0.3.1
Jabbot is a Ruby micro-framework for creating Jabber/MUC bots, heavily inspired by Sinatra and Twibot. I modified the code of Twibot to fit my needs. The original Twibot code is located at: http://github.com/cjohansen/twibot/tree/master A big thank you to Christian Johansen, who wrote the code for Twibot. Jabbot is heavily based on his code. It's as easy as definig a small message handler: message do |message, params| post message.text end


text:
Linear Technology Corporation introduces the LTM2883, a 6-channel SPI/Digital or I² C digital µModule® isolator with triple rail regulated power for 3.3 and 5 V systems. In industrial systems applications, ground potentials can vary widely, often exceeding the tolerable range, which can interrupt communications or even destroy components.
The LTM2883 breaks ground loops by electrically separating communications signals, isolating the logic level interface on each side of an internal inductive isolation barrier that withstands a very large common-mode voltage range up to 2,500VRMS.
The LTM2883's low EMI isolated DC-DC converter powers the communications interface and provides adjustable 5V, +12.5V, and -12.5V supply outputs, ideal for powering data converters in data acquisition systems. With 2,500VRMS of galvanic isolation, onboard secondary power and a communications interface operating at up to 20Mbps, the LTM2883 requires no external components and provides a simple µModule solution for isolated data communications.
The LTM2883 is available in two communications interface versions. The LTM2883-I is I²C compliant at up to 400kHz with bidirectional serial data (SDA) plus clock (SCL) and three additional isolated CMOS logic signals that operate at up to 20Mbps. The LTM2883-S is SPI compliant and offers a total of six CMOS digital isolator communication channels. All channels operate at up to 20Mbps and include three forward direction signals (/CS, SCK and SDI) and three reverse direction signals (SDO, DO1 and DO2). When configured for SPI communications, the maximum clock rate is 8MHz for unidirectional communication or 4MHz for round-trip bidirectional operation.
An onboard 2MHz DC-DC converter powers the LTM2883 and allows each of the three isolated power supply outputs to source up to 20mA over the full operating temperature range. A logic supply pin provides direct interfacing with low voltage microcontrollers down to 1.62V, and an ON pin enables the LTM2883 to be shut down using less than 10µA. Additional features include uninterrupted communications for common mode transients greater than 30kV/µs and rugged ±10kV ESD HBM across the isolation barrier.
The LTM2883 is available in 3.3V or 5V supply voltage versions. The LTM2883 is offered in a 15 mm x 11.25 mm surface mount BGA package; all integrated circuits and passive components are housed in this RoHS-compliant µModule package. Pricing starts at $11.95 each in 1,000 piece quantities.
Summary of Features: LTM2883:
- UL Rated Six Channel Logic Isolator: 2500VRMS
- UL Recognized File #E151738
Isolated Adjustable DC Power:
- 3V to 5V at Up to 30mA
- ±12.5V at Up to 20mA
- No External Components Required
- High Common-Mode Transient Immunity: 30kV/µs
High Speed Operation:
- 10MHz Digital Isolation (LTM2883-S)
- 8MHz/4MHz SPI Isolation (LTM2883-S)
- 400kHz I²C compliant Isolation (LTM2883-I)
- 3.3V (LTM2883-3) or 5V (LTM2883-5) Operation
- 1.62V to 5.5V Logic Supply for Flexible Digital Interfacing
- ±10kV ESD HBM Across the Isolation Barrier
- 15mm x 11.25mm x 3.42mm BGA Package
See more from us in our Buyers Guide directory listing.


text:
Frank Sinatra Enterprises has announced the development of Sinatra The Musical, a new Frank Sinatra bio-show featuring the music of the legendary singer and actor. Emmy winner Danny Strong (Empire, Game Change), who is also at work on a movie remake of Oliver!, has been enlisted to write a book for the Sinatra musical, which is aiming to hit the stage in early 2020.
"It is an honor to get to write a musical about one of the biggest icons of the twentieth century," said Strong. "Sinatra is one of the great talents of all time and his fascinating and powerful story will make for a terrific stage musical. I'm deeply honored to get this opportunity."
Throughout his nine-decade career, Frank Sinatra performed on more than 1,400 recordings. He received nine Grammy Awards as well as three Academy Awards and three Golden Globes. Sinatra also appeared in more than 60 films, including the 1957 film adaptation of Pal Joey, and produced eight motion pictures. The many songs for which Sinatra is known include "My Way," "Fly Me to the Moon," "You Make Me Feel So Young," "The Lady Is a Tramp" and the iconic anthem "New York, New York."
Sinatra appeared on the Broadway stage in 1975 during the 16-performance concert engagement Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie. The 2010 balletic musical Come Fly Away featured Tony-nominated choreography by Twyla Tharp danced to the soundtrack of Sinatra classics.
Further information about Sinatra The Musical, including debut venue, dates and casting, will be announced at a later time.


text:
Photo: Andrew Odom
Which is noisier: the SunChips compostable bag or the snacklash from chip-eaters who prefer their chips to crunch more loudly than the packaging?
For SunChips' owner Frito-Lay, the answer is obvious: consumers trump composters. All SunChips flavors except for the original (and best-selling) one will bag the 100 percent compostable and apparently 99 percent annoying baggage for the landfill-loving packaging. But Frito-Lay isn't totally trashing the idea and says it's "actively pursuing" the next generation of compostable bags (read: not so loud).
It looks like we'll have to get used to this sight again.
And to the more than 46,000 Facebook members who can't hear me over the sound of this SunChips bag: Sorry, but I can't see you over this floating garbage patch twice the size of Texas.
Like what you see? Sign up to receive The Grist List, our email roundup of weird, offbeat, and/or just plain funny green news, sent out every Friday.


text:
When Mel Snow meets Toby Warring in a dusty roadside bar, she is instantly drawn to the brilliant magician who can pull roses from thin air and conjure castles out of desert sands. They marry two days later, and begin a life together in the shadow of Las Vegas, where Toby hopes to make it big. Mel knows that magicians are a dime a dozen, but Toby is different―his magic is real.
But as Toby's renown grows and Mel falls more and more in love with his wonderments, she starts to realize that Toby's powers are as unstable as they are dazzling. She learns that he once made his assistant disappear completely, and couldn't bring her back. And soon she begins to wonder if the love they share is genuine or merely a fantasy, conjured up by a lost magician looking to save himself from being alone.
Ivy Pochoda's spellbinding and cinematic storytelling seamlessly fuses timeless magic to modern-day passion. Haunting and beautiful, The Art of Disappearing is an imaginative and captivating love story destined to enchant readers for years to come.


text:
SAN FRANCISCO » Google is asking the Obama administration for permission to disclose more details about the U.S. government's demands for email and other personal information transmitted online in an effort to distance itself from an Internet dragnet.
In a show of unity, Google rivals Microsoft Corp. and Facebook Inc. also supported the attempt to pressure the U.S. Justice Department to loosen the legal muzzle that limits disclosures about government surveillance authorized by courts to protect national security.
Google made its plea in letter Tuesday to Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller. Google is trying to debunk media reports that the company has created a way for the National Security Agency to gain access to large amounts of its users' online communications as part of a secret program code-named "PRISM."
The reports surfaced last week after a government contractor leaked confidential documents revealing the NSA has been tapping into the computers of Google Inc. and many other Internet services to retrieve information about foreigners living outside the U.S. The other companies linked to PRISM are: Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo Inc., Apple Inc., AOL Inc., Paltalk, Google's YouTube and Microsoft's Skype.
All the companies and services have denied giving the U.S. government unfettered access to user data. The companies say they only turn over user data under legally binding orders, and try to regularly resist orders considered to be too broad.
Minimizing the appearance of their involvement in PRISM is important to the technology companies. The companies don't want Web surfers to become paranoid about sharing personal information on their services or, worse yet, avoiding their websites altogether. Attracting big audiences helps the companies sell more advertising. Those ads command higher prices and run more frequently when the companies are able to decipher personal data and determine which parts of the audience are most likely to be interested in certain products.
The stakes are particularly high for Google, which sold $44 billion in digital advertising last year alone.
James Clapper, the director of national intelligence for the Obama administration, last week confirmed PRISM had been approved by a judge and is being conducted in accordance with U.S. law. He hasn't listed the companies cooperating. Those identifications came from the PRISM documents leaked to The Washington Post and The Guardian, a British newspaper.
Even while acknowledging PRISM's existence, Clapper has insisted the scope of its surveillance has been more limited than depicted in published reports.
Google also portrayed itself as an unwitting participant in the program. Executives at the Mountain View, Calif., company maintain that they didn't know about PRISM until reading about it for the first time last week. Google insists it hasn't been handing over user data on a broad scale, something the company believes it can prove if it receives clearance to disclose the number of requests that have been submitted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.
Federal law currently prohibits recipients of FISA requests from revealing information about them.
"Google's numbers would clearly show that our compliance with these requests falls far short of the claims being made," David Drummond,Google's chief legal officer, wrote to Holder and Mueller. "Google has nothing to hide."
In its own statement, Microsoft said it also wants to be more forthcoming if the Justice Department would allow it.
"Permitting greater transparency on the aggregate volume and scope of national security requests, including FISA orders, would help the community understand and debate these important issues," the Redmond, Wash. company said.
Ted Ullyot, Facebook's general counsel, said the social networking leader wants to provide "a complete picture of the government requests we receive, and how we respond."


text:
So Bob grabs Alice's secret key when she isn't looking and her encrypted files, doesn't he need to know her passphrase to read her files?
What I am reading is that no he does not need it but as far as I understand GPG, it would still ask for a passphrase to decrypt a document. Please explain why Bob would not need to know Alice's passphrase to read her documents in a step by step example.


text:
This item contains all the scales, arpeggios and studies required forTrinity
College London's Viola Examsfor Initial to Grade 8, valid from 2016. Newly
commissioned studies are also included for Grades 1-5 which may be used as an
alternative to scales and arpeggios.
Selected pieces forTrinity College London Violin Examsfor 2016-2019,
expertly graded and edited by leading music educators. This item contains only
the Violin part.