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The relentless rise of gasoline prices has readers asking about a variety of solutions to the problem -- including alternative energy sources. Michael in Virginia thinks it's time for a crash program to convert to a "hydrogen economy." Marian in Arkansas thinks tax breaks for hybrids will help. And Jerry in Washington says it's time to start pumping some of those U.S. oil reserves onto the market.
For more on alternative energy, check our series: After Oil.
You and others continue to say the replacement fuels (e.g., hydrogen) are "decades" away due to costs. Is it not worth it to subsidize the start-up costs of, say, a hydrogen economy, given the price of the alternative? Maybe not, but that is the debate we should be having... Kennedy, after all, spent on the order of $100 billion to beat the Soviets to the moon. Where was the economic incentive there?
Michael A. – Fairfax, Va.
The economic incentive for going to the moon was to develop all manner of technologies that would produce new materials, processes and products would help give the U.S. economy a shot in the arm. But economics weren't the main reason the U.S. space program got off the ground. In the midst of the Cold War, it was a hugely popular thing to do politically. Among other things, it was designed to scare the Bejeezus out of the Kremlin -- and any other regime that might have harbored a desire to challenge the U.S. militarily.
Times have changed. Today, every politician alive remembers what happened to Jimmy Carter when he put on a sweater, sat by the fire, and told Americans to turn down the thermostat. In the recent political climate, proposing that people conserve fossil fuels -- let alone consider alternatives -- has largely been a non-starter. (If gas prices keep rising, that may change.)
So far, the best our Congress can come up with is a $14.5 billion energy bill that lavishes tax breaks on oil companies that are already drowning in so much cash they don't know what to do with it . And then there's the $286 billion transportation bill, which never met a road project it didn't like -– including a quarter-billion-dollar bridge from Ketchikan, Alaska, (pop. 8,000) to Gravina Island (pop. 50) that will be longer than the Golden Gate Bridge and higher than the Brooklyn Bridge.
But, okay, let's assume that the money is there to jump start a hydrogen economy, and you were crowned King of America. You fund a Manhattan Project to develop an economically viable process for making hydrogen and the transportation technology needed to replace petroleum. (We're assuming you've already solved the problem of generating the massive amounts of electricity needed to make the hydrogen and figured out how to make a hydrogen airplane.)
Now: how long do you suppose it would take to build an entire fleet of hydrogen-driven cars, trucks and commercial airplanes? Let's assume you already have them: you still need to build a hydrogen distribution system to fuel them -- a project on the order of, say, the U.S. Interstate highway system. With a lot of political support and no significant new technology required, construction of that road network took more than two decades (and counting: see aforementioned Transportation Bill.) So even if the U.S. government could afford it -- on top of the multi-trillion-dollar spending that be required over the coming decades to pay for Social Security and Medicare -- it would still take at least as long to build a hydrogen distribution system.
Even more modest networks have required huge amounts of money, materials, and labor -- all of which takes time. Look at cable television: a "utility" that most American families can no longer do without. It took cable companies 20 years to build out a network to where they could offer universal service. And that involved stringing wires on poles. Same with the mobile phone networks. And they didn't even need to string wires.
Now think in terms of burying tens of thousands of miles of pipeline underground. Or outfitting over 100,000 gas stations and convenience stores with the tanks and pumping facilities needed to top off your hydrogen car -- which isn't even being manufactured yet by the auto industry.
That's why some people working on the problem think that even "decades" may be an optimistic forecast for the arrival of a hydrogen economy.
I wonder if the President or Congress will offer a tax break for the purchase of hybrid cars?
Marian P. -- Little Rock, Ark.
You're in luck, Marian. The $14.5 billion energy bill just passed by Congress and signed by the White House – the Energy Policy Act of 2005 – is mostly made up of tax breaks for oil and gas companies to spur them to produce more oil and gas. (With the industry reporting record profits, it's not clear why they need these billions in tax breaks. And an amendment to require car makers to sell more efficient vehicles – which would cut gas consumption and price – got shot down.)
Still, the package did include a few crumbs for consumers, including a tax credit of several thousands dollars for people who buy hybrids -- the new technology that companies gasoline and electric motors to save fuel.
One problem with hybrids is that car makers are using the electric motor to give these cars more power and pickup, so many owners have been disappointed by the mileage improvement they were expecting.
And there's another catch. Only the first 60,000 hybrids sold by each car maker qualify for the credit. Since there are something like 17 million cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. every year, that's not going to go very far. So if you want to get the tax credit, you'd better head down to the hybrid dealer soon.
Why do we not use gas from the national reserves to ease the rise in gas prices?
Jerry -- Bellingham, Wash.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is basically a bunch of large holes in the ground in Texas and Louisiana filled with oil. It's now holding about 700 million barrels of oil, which is just about topped off.
It's been used in the past to try to push oil prices lower, but President Bush has said he doesn't want to do that. He says it's there in case we have actual shortages of oil, and so far that hasn't happened.
In any case, there's just not enough oil to make a difference. American consumers would burn through that 700 million barrels of oil in about two months. So trying to flood the market with oil from the SPR might send prices lower for a few weeks, but they'd start rising again once the reserves were used up.
And then we'd have nothing to fall back on if our supplies of imported oil ever do get cut off.
How likely do you think it is that we are sitting on top of peak oil production right now? And independent of when that is going to happen, what do you think will happen to the US Dollar in the face of the long run energy (underlying driver of the economy) supply crisis peaking would provide.
David H. --Palo Alto, CA
Our personal opinion is that the answer is unknowable. The size of oil reserves are notoriously difficult to estimate. And the governments of oil producing nations guard those numbers very closely.
But those who believe that "peak oil" is near point to the level of daily oil production. The price behavior of oil seems to confirm the peak theory, but a lot could happen to extend the peak forward – among them sharply greater efforts at conservation. (Oil consumption actually fell in the early 80s as greater efficiency kicked in.)
For example, if you doubled the gasoline mileage of the U.S. fleet of cars and light trucks, you would cut gasoline consumption dramatically. And that would almost certainly lower prices and extend the lifespan of gasoline as a transportation fuel.
As for the dollar, it's hard to separate the impact of energy prices from a number of other influences on its value. Trade imbalances, federal budget deficits, the strength of competing economies all play a role. But there's no question that the rising price of dollar-denominated oil erodes the global purchasing power of US currency.
Of the million barrels of oil the U.S. consumes daily, how much is burned in trains, planes and autos (non stationary) versus in homes, industry, power plants etc. (stationary energy consumption) that could be hooked to a power line and use electricity produced by other means?
Of the roughly 16 million barrels a day of crude oil consumed in the U.S., about two-thirds of it ends up being used as a transportation fuel. And until we can figure out a way to run cars on electricity, or make the cars and trucks we drive go further on less fuel, we'll have a hard time weaning ourselves from oil.
That's why alternate energy sources like wind and solar – which are used to make electricity – aren't replacing nearly enough oil fast enough to kick our addiction to crude.
© 2013 msnbc.com Reprints


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There is no experience quite like watching a Huskies Hockey game from a private suite at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Located on the Suite level, suite rentals are ideal for companies, groups or individuals who wish to provide the best in sports and entertainment hospitality to their clients, employees, family and friends. Book your suite today and start looking forward to a memorable occasion for you and your guests. Included in the price are the following:
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subset: commoncrawl


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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
License to invest in just 10 days in Nepal
The Nepali Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai says:
Dr. Bhattarai also promised to facilitate the entry of new investment into Nepal by immediately activating the Investment Board, which has the prime minister as chairman and the finance minister as vice chairman.
"We will endorse large-scale projects and issue licenses within 10 days through the board," he said, adding that the government was very keen on welcoming large-scale infrastructure projects in Nepal.
What a good news! But, the Maoists have a big mouth-- they hardly implement what they say!!
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A screenshot of the live map in action. Image: Kaspersky
This rather captivating map shows cyberattacks occurring around the globe in real time—well, at least when they're detected by security software.
Built by Russian security company Kaspersky Lab, the map shows different malware attacks zooming across the world in multicolours as they're picked up. You can explore the globe with your mouse (go slow to avoid motion sickness-inducing spinning) and find out more information about the numbers and types of attacks picked up in different countries.
Screenshot of the flat view of the map. Image: Kaspersky
When I took a tour at the time of writing, Russia held the top ranking in "most infected," with most attacks (over 760,000 since the counter set at 12am GMT) picked up by web anti-virus software. The US was fourth, after India and Vietnam, and the UK was tenth.
Curiously, where the US also saw most attacks fall in the "web anti-virus" bracket (over 295,000 since the morning), the largest amount of British attacks were picked up by "Intrusion Detection System," which the company explains "scans individual packets and triggers when new objects appear in the network stack (TCP/UDP/IP packets.)"
Looking at the live graph, that was the second most detected threat worldwide at that moment (the pink line), after those picked up by anti-virus program scans (green).
Screenshot of the live graph. Image: Kaspersky
Of course, the whole point is likely to show off Kaspersky's products and emphasise the need for them—seeing malware in the form of scarily frequent glowing beacons is a very visual reminder of the number of cyber risks out there. But it's nevertheless a fun little tool to contrast and compare different countries, and play a kind of spectator game of digital cyberwars.
As Kaspersky writes on its blog, "Which country gets more spam in the morning: Germany or USA? Who more readily clicks on malicious links: Russians or Japanese? Which country leads in terms of malware infection rates? (Hint: the answer depends on the time of the day)."
I imagine we'll see a progression from East to West throughout the day according to time zones, but you'll have to check the map later to get the stats.


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Whether you're selling – or even giving away – your books to friends and family, selling them directly to readers, or distributing them via bookstores and specialty shops, give your promotions a boost with these fun and simple items that you can customize with your own book covers, promotional 'copy' and personal information.
From tee-shirts and postcards, to business cards and bookmarks, browse the products at the Show Off Your Books! store or use our designs as a starting point for custom creations of your own. New designs are being added on a regular basis, so if you don't see one you like today, come back again later, or contact us with your ideas or special requests.
Business cards:
A must for anyone with a book to promote is a business card showing the cover of your book, details about the book, and your contact information. We have designed a one-sided card as well as a two-sided card.
Writer's business card, one-sided by ShowOffYourBooks
The best business card printing is on zazzle
Visit the Show Off Your Books! store for more book promotion ideas and check back for new ideas in the coming weeks.


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From dressing up like a justice fighter to becoming a real-life one: Meet Cara Nicole Trujillo, a.k.a. "Az Powergirl," who has announced she's officially running for polticial office. This November, the local celebrity with more than 45,000 fans on Facebook, will vie for one of Arizona's House of Representatives spots as a Green Party candidate.
Talking to the Phoenix New Times (via Kotaku), the indie comic-book publisher says she has become increasingly more involved with local politics and, in particular, has been lobbying to change laws for divorced parents getting equal time with their children. Speaking out her decision to run Green, she explained:
"I am serious about this. I felt it was a good time to run. I'm glad people are deciding they want to get more involved, and I want to give people the opportunity to choose something more outside the red-and-blue party system."
Spoken like a true hero tbh.
Trujillo adds that she campaigned at Phoenix Comicon and, yes, she was in costume. "This is my job, people will try to use it against me," she expalined, adding "If I dress up in a suit, people would say I'm a fraud. When I go to the Capitol to talk about bills, I'm respectful—I wear appropriate clothing."
I guess the only question left is whether she'll run her campaign loud and ferocious like Wonder Woman or go a more subtle route like Rogue? Hopefully she's doesn't pull a Harley Quinn on us. She has dressed up as all three characters...
Watch the best cosplayers from PAX East 2016 explain their costumes in our video series below:


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iPopper iPhone Case Opens All The Bottles You Want To
People need to open up their bottle drinks more often than you think. I say that because there are a lot of gadgets out there that incorporate a bottle opener into a lot of common stuff you might…
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Gresso's Lady Blanche Is A $30,000 Bejeweled Version Of The White iPhone 4
Got $30,000 to spare? Want an iPhone 4? Got your eye on the white version, but don't want to own one that millions of other people all over the world probably already have? Then your perfect…


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I love corsets. I love the look they give and have always wanted one. Throughout history they have been used to create the then fashionable shape and this shape has changed through time.
I made these little corsets to show 5 different eras and fashions. They are about 5 x 3 inches or 13 x 8 cm.
In Queen Elizabeth I's time, the popular shape was for high breasts, narrow waist and hips hidden beneath farthingales. Women also wore stomachers which started out as pieces of wood which were inserted down the front of the corset as a stiffener to give the fashionable flat front. Tabs at the waist helped to hold the weight of the farthingale. The tabs on this piece are wired to hold their shape.
By the 18th Century the stomacher had become a decorative part of the clothing and was displayed, held in place by the gown's lacings. The silhouette still had high breasts and small waists, but the circular farthingale had been replaced by panniers, which had great width side-to-side, but were flatter front-to-back.
The Regency period of Jane Austen's time brought in a whole new style, with women's clothing suddenly losing most of its mass and becoming narrower and sleeker. High waists, just under the bust, and a slim figure became the ideal. Columnar was the idea, taking after discoveries in Greece of ancient architecture.
By the 1840's, however, width was creeping back in style. In this time period, women wore large sleeves which hung off their sloping shoulders and a bell-shaped skirt was the fashion. This embroidered corset is mounted on a box, unlike the others which are all mounted for framing.
During the Gay Nineties and the entire late Victorian period a tiny waist was the ultimate goal for women's fashion. Bustles were types of undergarments worn under the skirt which extended the back of the skirt. They changed in size and shape throughout the last quarter of the 19th century and by enlarging the hip area made the waist look smaller. By the 1890's they were smaller than earlier. A corset of this period closed in the front with a busk and was laced up from behind.
Another change in shape happened in the Edwardian period after the death of Queen Victoria. The Gibson Girl silhouette had been becoming popular for a number of years now with her pushed forward breasts and her pushed backwards rear. Corsets changed as well, to mold women into the new shape. This corset has ribbon and lace trim as well as garters which were needed to hold up stockings.
All these little corsets have been put up on Etsy, so that someone else who's always wanted one, now can.


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our plan is a medical office with 20 employees
The best answer, as already mentioned, is to determine a level of risk you are comfortable with. Nobody knows for certain where the market is heading. You can control the risk of the portfolio, the amount you invest and fees/expenses - focus on this and not the unpredictability of market returns.
There are many factors that impact the return an investor can expect to receive on their portfolio.
First, is the general direction of the overall economy, both here in the US and overseas. When economies are doing well businesses tend to do well, resulting in rising stock prices.
At a personal level there are several factors that will impact your returns over an above the markets in general.
The first factor is what do you expect of your portfolio? Are you in the wealth accumulation stage of your life with a fairly long timeline before you expect to access your holdings? Are you looking to access your investments for retirement or even some other life event fairly soon?
What is your risk tolerance? Generally speaking the greater the risk the higher the returns. However, you also face a greater chance sustaining significant losses. If you are a conservative investor you have to expect lower returns as your risk tolerance is lower.
These factors determine your portfolio's composition. Based on your goals, timeline, risk tolerance, etc. you would look at the various asset classes (i.e. stocks, bonds) and sub asset classes (i.e. growth stocks, value stocks, treasury bonds corporate bonds). From here you would construct the appropriate portfolio for you.
Studies have shown that over time the greatest factor in determining portfolio return is asset class selection.
I recommend that you find an advisor you are comfortable with, discuss your goals and expectations to ensure your plan has an appropriate portfolio to fit you.
J.P. Morgan Asset Management publishes their Long-term Capital Market Return Assumptions each year around this time. You can access their September 30, 2012, outlook for the 10-15 year period beyond 2013 via this link:
Their publication includes a wide range of fixed income, equity, and alternative asset classes, including correlations (if you're into that sort of thing).
Obviously these are assumptions, and neither J.P. Morgan nor I can offer any real assurance that these assumptions will actually play out.
But it may provide you with another data point in terms of what at least one major financial institution is assuming going forward.
Good luck with your own crystal ball!
Every large wire house firm and many other similar firms publish their Capital Market Return Assumptions. From my experience, what I have found, these are too generic to be useful. However, they do serve as broad guidelines when looking to build portfolios for the long term. When looking at a shorter time horizon like less than 10 years, it is more challenging to be accurate. One can also look at the Secular backdrop i.e. are we in a longer term secular and/or cyclical bear or bull market. There is always a point of entry risk when entering the market, that can mitigated to some extent by dollar cost averaging and broader asset allocation.
In a 401(k) plan each person should have an asset allocation that reflects their individual risk tolerance and years to retirement. In order to evaluate a portfolio's return, one has to figure out a valid benchmark. Benchmarks will differ based on the portfolio holdings. Evaluating a portfolio has gotten easier with returns based analysis tools and platforms like Morningstar. Anyone can use Morningstar to look at mutual funds individually and look at a portfolio of mutual funds to glean some of the information you seek.
That said, there are some very gross (as opposed to fine) methods of estimating expected return, which we have found useful. Over thirty years ago, I was introduced to a book called "Stocks, Bonds, Bills, and Inflation", Ibbotson. They publish a yearbook annually, updating the information. I would recommend going to the library and spending some time with it. You will see that returns for the various markets over the longer-term are relatively consistent, but there can be tremendous short term volatility, especially in stocks. You will also see that there are many rolling 5 and some rolling 10 year periods when certain areas of the markets were down. Recognizing that taking on more risk should bring you higher long-term returns, the downside risk is also increased. If you have a diversified portfolio and hang on for the ride though, the risk you take should pay off long-term.
If you start with the basic asset allocation assumptions, based on almost 90 years of data from the book, large stocks indices (S&P 500 for example) have returned about 10% annualized. Small stocks (like the Russell 2000 index) have returned a few percent points more. For purposed of this example, let's say bonds have returned 5% annualized.
For a portfolio that is 50% large stocks and 50% bonds, then: 0.5 (1/2) x 10% (large cap stock returns) plus 0.5 x 5% (bond returns) = 5% + 2.5% = 7.5%.
This rule of thumb model can be further refined using international stocks, emerging markets, cash, high-yield bonds and so on. Multiply the percentage of the asset class in in the portfolio times the expected return of each asset class, then add them up.
Another book to check out is, "The Investment Answer", by Goldie and Murray. They attempt to help people learn how to understand the investment process; this book is compact but crammed full of important information.
Based on the initial question I assumed this was a trustee-directed plan and each employee did not have their own individual account...Different fiduciary standards apply in regards to investment allocation, I'm sure.
What you are asking is a very difficult question, as you know it requires making a prediction and as Yogi Berra said, Prediction is very hard, especially about the future!!!
Anyway, with that caveat, I follow many market gurus who do this routinely. One of them is Jeremy Grantham of GMO who puts out a seven year asset class real return forecast. I have posted this chart on our blog at:
As you can see, he is predicting the highest returns from Emerging Market Equities and Timber. Overall, it is a outlier forecast, given that US stocks and other Developed Market stocks have gone up double digits this year and are reaching new highs. Bonds are expected to produce flat to negative returns at best.
Jeremy has a pretty good track record and is a very successful money manager. There are many others I follow as well. If you would like to discuss further, feel free to give us a call.
Hope this helps.
Prateek Mehrotra Chief Investment Officer Endowment Wealth Management, Inc. www.EndowmentWM.com
There have been many answers to your question and I have not bothered to take the time to read them all, so if I am repeating anything forgive me. However, the good news I have for you is that making successful investment choices based on crystal ball gazing and predictions which may or may not come to fruition are unnecessary if attaining your personal financial goals is your ultimate desire. An independent financial plan that guarantees, or at least gets you closer to guarantees on the future income needs and legacy outcomes you desire is your first step. Fortunately, there are tools to do that available for you.
But to have a little fun and prognosticate despite that fact, if you have a 5-7 year outlook and assuming all investment possibilities are open game, here you go: FDIC principal insured structured notes that are tied to domestic, international, and emerging market equities, high yield corporate / emerging market bonds, global real estate, commodities, precious metals and natural resources, with the ability to get conservative when volatility calls for it (by the managers - not your call), would be high on my recommendation list. Within the structure of the CD you will find the specific areas I feel have more upside than downside risk, without the principal guarantee of the SN, should also answer your question. Obviously, I would not make any recommendation without understanding your detailed financial situation, liquidity needs, tolerance for fluctuation, and long term goals. And, as said in my prior post, there are other products that may get you to your goal in an even better way, but this is Brightscope, not my office chair (which is quite comfortable, I might add). And yes, I did leave out a few other 5-7 year investments I feel are compelling - quite compelling, in fact. Can't give it ALL away. Hope this helps.
Oops - never gave a bottom line expectation for return: If done this way, I believe you could be looking at 5-6% net minimum, with above average predictability; if using the FDIC insured note that would include a principal guarantee, with no upside limits. Without the principal guarantee I find the mixture providing a return potential that is attractive compared to a more typical and traditional Stocks / US Govt Bonds / Cash approach.


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Homemade tortillas were on our eat-from-the-pantry menu and Chris (from Joybilee Farms) asked if I'd share the recipe. Before doing so, I simply had to weigh in on the should-you-make-your-own-tortillas debate.
As you can see, it's worth it for me.
Now, it's time for the recipe.
My happy helpers. Will rinsed the beans for half an hour and had SO much fun! (And no, they're not always quite so happy!)
Whole Wheat Tortilla Recipe
Makes about 10 tortillas
- 2 cups flour (can use any combination of white or wheat flour.)
- 1/4 cup butter (or coconut oil, lard, etc.)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- up to 3/4 cup water, very warm (the dough should be moist but not "soggy" unless you're using a heated tortilla press. Then it needs to be very moist.)
- Mix flour and salt in large bowl
- Cut in butter (or oil)
- Add warm water and stir. Dough should be nice and moist. (At this point, you can let sit for up to 4 hours, covered, if desired.)
- Heat frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Divide dough into 8-12 balls.
- Roll thin on floured surface.
- Bake tortillas for 30-45 seconds on each side or until just barely golden.
- Stuff with desired toppings and serve warm. Or, bake til extra crunchy for a yummy snack for the little helpers. Unused tortillas keep for a couple days on the counter or in the fridge.
*Three years ago, my in-laws gave me a tortilla press for Christmas. Though I made my own before then, the tortilla press has made it SO much faster. If you love the taste of homemade tortillas, it makes for a very fun and practical gift.
What about you? Do you make your own tortillas?
Linked up at Tasty Tuesday, Living Green, Healthy 2Day Wednesdays, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Natural Living Link Up, Simple Lives Thursday, Hearth and Soul, Feasting in Fellowship, 21st Century Housewives & Grocery Cart Challenge


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Moving people from their current point of trade to a different point or to just nowhere can be termed as eviction. It is done legally or illegally, but in most cases, the persons who face the eviction do not deserve it. It may be done to business premises or also to private personnel.
Victims who face deportation may in most cases not understand the circumstances provided for removal. A legal practitioner in this case essential to help their clients in laws dealing with the case. It is vital to have an eviction lawyer involved in the case to achieve the required success.
An eviction lawyer is a significant person who will help in seeing to it that eviction burdens are made lighter and that the stressful moment that comes with eviction is handled in a much simpler way. They can give some sense of confidence to their clients since they show them that all is not lost and someone else has got their back. This ensures that they do not go through too much of a hard time during this period.
With the training that the Los Angeles lawyers have gone through they are in a position to negotiate for the best deals for their clients.
They end up having won since they will be able to get the court to see the deserving side which in this case is the victim who happens to be their client. This ensures that they now can and will have their case dealt with in the best way possible. They work to get the court to understand their point of argument and have the case dealt with at the best it could.
The experience that the Los Angeles lawyers have is enough to get them to a position whereby they can achieve the best for their clients. They know for sure what sort of compensation their clients stands for since there are cases in which they could get their land back and for others they only stand for compensation elsewhere. The eviction lawyers have knowledge on the terms upon which the land was taken away hence know best on what grounds to stand upon. It is unlikely to have a client having this information hence the use of an eviction lawyer is important.
Eviction lawyers from Los Angeles are well informed in this line as required. Despite this fact they do not ask for too much from their clients which means that they give quality services at affordable charges. They are vital to their clients since they charge fair prices for the best service.


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I've been an active, noisy patron of WAND, the Women's Action Network Dorset, since 2011 and have spoken out many times about the plight of those affected by domestic abuse at public events, on the radio and in the press.
In 2014, I had the honourable task of chairing the multi-agency No Excuse for Abuse Conference as part of Domestic Abuse Awareness Week, which was jointly funded and co–hosted by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner in Dorset, and WAND. I met some incredible ladies there including the amazing soul responsible for Eve's Law; read more here.
I have met lots of women with terrifying domestic violence stories during my time serving WAND and it's no surprise to learn I'm a strong supporter of the Dorset Women's Refuge. I do what I can to raise awareness and funds for this vital resource, hence this post.
It's a sad state of affairs when you learn these vital organisations needs to raise their own funds in order to survive. The government should quite simply fund all safe refuges, countrywide, for women, men and the LGBT community (you wouldn't believe how scarce these refuges are) allowing any monies the individual organisations manage to raise, to pay for gratefully welcomed treats for the souls who need to use the service.
There are many reasons behind my passion for helping WAND and they are fuelled by a report I read back in 2014 stating that Dorset police had dealt with a case of domestic violence, every hour of the day. Officers received around 700 reports of domestic abuse each month across the county and dealt with more than 36,000 incidents of domestic violence between 2010/14 – that's crazy.


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Martin Kuppinger commented on both John and my posts on this topic. Martin, as usual, added some pretty good meat to the discussion. There's a couple of points I wanted to emphasize that I thought were particularly important:
- We also know that user acceptance is key to success
This is possibly the #1 issue to security in general. It has to be easy for the user. Ever forget your car keys somewhere? Have to go downstairs to get your wallet so you can get your credit card number to complete an order on a machine upstairs? That type of inconvenience is difficult to overcome around security. I am not convinced that NFC is the panacea here either. I'm sure it'll be awesome if you happen to have your NFC device at-hand, charged and ready to go.
- Trust frameworks will be dealing with the complexity of having many IdPs
Hmmm, communication between multiple IdPs? Maybe we'll need to have a master IdP in each country responsible for "chaining" these transactions to lower-level IdPs and communicating between country-level IdPs? Might we need referrals between these IdPs? What about caching? Shades of X.500!
Yes, I remember how successful X.500 was: At the Interop conference in Atlanta in 1995 an attendee came up to me at the Zoomit booth and said: "How do you speed up things 500 times?" That's when I knew it was time to move on.
Yes, this will be complicated…


text:
Selective Service television commercials tell the American people that draft registration is "no big deal." But on Dec. 6, 1984, three FBI agents entered my home uninvited, arrested me and took me away in handcuffs.
My "crime"—if one calls it a crime—is refusing to sign my name on a draft-registration form. Unlike Selective Service, the FBI seemed to think registration was a very big deal. I agree. Draft registration is a big deal and a bad deal for young men and for America.
The draft has no place in America's tradition of individual freedom. Daniel Webster, who saw the draft as involuntary servitude, said, "The question is nothing less than whether the most essential rights of personal liberty shall be surrendered and despotism embraced in its worst form."
In a 1980 letter to Sen. Mark Hatfield, Ronald Reagan said, "The draft or draft registration destroys the very values our society is committed to defending." These "values" have since been abandoned by Reagan, but not by the thousands who continue to resist.
Not only is the draft repugnant to the very freedom for which thousands have flocked to this country, but registration is an insult to young people. The draft implies that we are too cowardly or too unpatriotic to defend our homes unless threatened with prison sentences.
When have the young ever failed to defend this country? Young men in the past volunteered to sacrifice life and limb in World War I, World War II, Korea and even Vietnam.
The draft, on the other hand, is a way to drag young men to foreign military interventions that they may have no stake in, nor any cause to fight. In my lifetime, thousands were forced from homes and families and sent to kill or be killed on the other side of the world.
The freedom of choice to say no to unjust wars is an important check on the politician's ability to involve us in such conflicts and, in fact, is what makes a mere stretch of dirt precious and therefore worth defending.
I cannot in good conscience register with such an unjust, un-American, unnecessary and extremely dangerous institution as the draft. My signature on a draft form would be a sign of approval and I do not approve. By resisting this law I am, in my sincere belief, defending my country.
Like a million others, I refused to comply with draft registration. Only 17 men have been prosecuted for draft resistance; all spoke out publicly against the draft. It is indicative of the injustice of forced military service that for such a program to succeed the government feels it necessary to trample on free speech.
Unable to enforce compliance; the government is trying to enforce silence.
In 1981, when threatened with prosecution. I left Arkansas and went "underground." I did not want to be imprisoned or to be a martyr.
For two years I lived as a fugitive. But I came home. Every human being has the freedom, by right, to be with loved ones. I could no longer do without this freedom even if it caused me to risk arrest.
It might have been legally easier for me if I had turned myself in, but the day never came that would have been better spent in government halls with federal agents than at home with my wife and our infant daughter. I simply wanted to live as a free man at least until the time that freedom was forcibly taken from me. On Dec. 6, 1984, that day came.
Why would I risk five years in prison to fight against what the Selective Service would have us believe is "just registration"? Simply put, it isn't just registration; it's registration for the draft. Registration is the essential first step toward sending draft notices. Moreover, it is an important political test to determine if the public will stand for a draft.
I see no reason to wait for Selective Service to begin forcing your men into the Army before taking action. All of us have a duty to stand up for what we believe is right and against what is wrong. The draft is wrong and I will not be any part of it.
The Soviet Union has a military draft. Poland, Czechoslovakia and Libya do. Chile is drafting both men and women. South Africa has a draft, as do Nicaragua and the Philippines. Iran makes use of the draft.
These are the kinds of governments that draft their citizens. I want America to be different.
Paul Jacob, May 17, 1985
This op-ed first appeared in The Orange County Register


text:
Apart from the aforementioned work on my new fabbo Toyota, I have the usual staycation plans for this time of year:
- See a movie a day - yesterday it was The Ides of March - not bad - all about integrity, my favourite ethical value. I went to the premium cinema. Nice.
- Read - I've just finished A Christmas Carol by Dickens (no, I hadn't actually read it before, have you?) and Bereft by Chris Womersley. I can highly recommend both. Bereft depicts a hot NSW summer (I wish), young man returned from the war, strange young girl in the bush, not quite knowing what is real. Currently reading We need to talk about Kevin and Daphne du Maurier short horror stories.
- Sew - I'm going to get the FBA on Sorbetto sorted once and for all.
- Knit and watch Miranda series 1 on DVD


text:
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The Dreamer
Send a link to a friend
The bible tells several life
stories. Only a few are told with as much details as
that of Joseph from the Old Testament. There must be
a reason God wanted us to know so much about this
impressive young man's life.
Maybe it was so we would have
an example of someone who actually did what Jesus
would tell his followers to do. "Love your enemies;
do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse
you; pray for those who treat you spitefully. When a
man hits you on the cheek, offer him the other
cheek, too; when a man takes your coat, let him have
your shirt as well." (Luke 6:28-29)
This is a hard scripture. It
defies common sense. Enemies are to be hated, not
loved. Those who hate you should face pay-back time.
A curse given should prompt a curse returned; and
which of us really prays for are those who treat us
What we need is a picture of
someone who did it. So, God provided one.
The story of Joseph was one of
the first Bible stories I remember from my
childhood. It is a story of a coat of many colors,
going off to Egypt with a slave caravan, the
unfairness of being wrongfully jailed, the wonder of
being able to interpret dreams, and being promoted
to second in command under Pharaoh. The story has
everything a child could want.
For adults,
however, it's a deeper story of forgiveness,
reconciliation and restoration. But before we get to
the forgiveness, we need to know what to forgive:
dysfunctional family
2. A significant trauma
3. An unfair moment
dysfunctional family
2. A significant trauma
3. An unfair moment
Joseph does
exactly that. Joseph concluded, "You meant to do me
harm, but God meant to bring good out of it."
Can you imagine
going up to someone who is suffering great pain -
perhaps a child has had an accident, or their
marriage has ended or their parent has died, and
saying, "God means this for good?" That would be
cruel and insensitive. Imagine if it had been the
brothers saying, "we meant to do you harm, but God
meant to bring good out of it." Now it sounds
self-serving, excusing their bad behavior. No, the
only one who could come to this conclusion was
Joseph. It was something that ONLY Joseph could say.
If you or I are the person enduring difficult times, harsh people,
or traumatic events, it is an act of great courage to ask God to use
the situation for good. In suffering, we do our selves the best when
we're able to turn one's predicament into a human achievement. When
we are no longer able to change a situation...we are challenged to
change ourselves. I never loved my unavoidable traumatic moments,
sufferings, or trials. But I love who I have become having endured
Upcoming Sermon Series
In this series, we walk through Genesis 37-50 as we explore the ups
and downs of Joseph's life. If you have ever wondered where God was
in the midst of your hardships, this series is for you.
Sept 8 Family: The ties that bind…and gag Genesis 37:1-11
Sept 15 If God is in control, what am I doing in this pit?
Genesis 37:12-36
Sept 22 Living in an X-rated world Genesis 39
Sept 29 Life can be unfair Genesis 40
[Ron Otto, Lincoln Christian Church]
Recent articles
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text: Craig Boddington - March 07, 2014 Boddington: Hunting Water Buffalo in Australia On the first afternoon, we came to a broad floodplain stretching away into heat waves and mirage. Somewhere beyond lay the northern sea; across that€¦Indonesia. It was still hot, and the floodplain was seemingly empty save for one scraggly tree that persisted in the center and a few lumpy bushes.We bumped slowly along the hard-baked, corrugated ground, and the haze retreated northward. The tree was real enough and served as a major landmark. But as we drew near, the dark bushes turned into buffalo, very tall buffalo stretched into the horizon by mirage.These were water buffalo, introduced from across that hidden sea in the 19th century, and they do not congregate in large herds like African buffalo. So there was no concentration on that floodplain, but rather a scattering of family groups and singles, grazing peacefully in clumps and drifting aside grudgingly as we approached. At one vista I lost count in the 90s, but as we rolled northward and left buffalo behind, more and still more appeared out of the retreating haze.In the last 20 years, I've made several trips to remote corners of Australia's Outback in search of these buffalo. I've always found plenty€¦but I've never seen so many water buffalo in one place. A Different Problem We were hunting on aboriginal lands just inland from the village of Elcho Island, on the northern coast of Australia's Northern Territory. The country is huge, and although we flew into Elcho Island, which was quick and simple, I drove back to Darwin, a tough ten hours, mostly on gravel roads.I was hunting with Greg Pennicott, and for the first several hours of that drive back, we were in his hunting area, millions of acres of the trackless scrub forest that composes so much of the Outback.Buffalo are scattered throughout, and there are some big ones, but in recent seasons Pennicott has focused his buffalo hunting on a series of floodplains in the far north€¦obviously because the buffalo are concentrated there.Although I've seen a lot of water buffalo on both coastal and riverine floodplains, most of the hunting I've done for them has been stalking in the bush, pretty much as all African buffalo are hunted. Here, in this wide-open country, it was a different deal. If they were pronghorns, they could be gently stalked and sniped at longer range. But these are not antelope. Removed from predators for the better part of two centuries, my experience is that they are not as wary as African buffalo€¦but they are a lot bigger and just as tough. In this country, it's unlikely to stalk within 50 yards. This can also be the case in Africa, but the maximum remains about the same: 100 yards, possibly 125 yards — and you need to hit them well with a fairly large caliber.Donna and I were joined on this hunt by Kansas City friends Mike and Susan Hagen and our friend and frequent cameraman Conrad Evarts. The plan was for Mike and Donna to take trophy buffalo, while Conrad and I, switching off on the camera, would look for older cull bulls. That completed, we'd move northwest to hunt banteng (more about that later). In the meantime, we'd have plenty of opportunity to stalk these floodplain buffalo.Aside from the open country, the other problem was the sheer number of buffs, which made isolating one for a stalk a bit tricky. On previous trips, I looked high and low for big horns. I saw a lot of nice bulls, but only once did I find the kind of buffalo I was really looking for. In this area, they were right there. A lot of people want bulls with wide, flat horns — what the Aussies call "sweepers." More common are horns that curve up and back, which produces more inches. In this area, most of the buffalo had well-curved horns with massive bases measuring 18 inches and more.On every outing we saw bulls that were hard to pass, so it was sort of a matter of getting the wind right and making an approach without spooking the bull and losing him in the dense forests and mangrove swamps that lined the plain. Mike had never taken one of these buffalo, so we insisted that he shoot first.Although well intentioned, this wasn't a good deal. I had no idea we would see so many buffalo — and so many good ones — and on that first afternoon we found a bull that, well, just couldn't be passed.He was with a couple of lesser bulls, but he was closest to us, and we had a good breeze in our faces. Greg led us on a slow, angling stalk that, over the course of several hundred yards, brought us gradually closer. I figured we'd eventually have to do some crawling, but we stayed close together to confuse our profile and eventually landed behind some slightly higher grass at about 125 yards. Mike shot him well with his Dakota .375, and he had a fantastic water buffalo with no incident whatsoever.A Buff for DonnaThat seemed just a wee bit too easy, but it doesn't always go that way. It was properly Donna's turn next, but we saw a magnificent old bull with a broken horn tip, so Greg and I made a long, circuitous stalk. We were almost there when some cows beyond him spotted us and started to run. He followed, leaving a cloud of dust all the way to the mangrove swamps. That day we saw plenty of buffalo, but none that Greg wanted for Donna.Another day, on another part of that vast floodplain, we had looked over and passed a lot of bulls when we glassed a lone bull feeding very close to a treeline. At distance he looked pretty good, but judging these buffalo is subtle, and between heat waves and mirage, you have to get fairly close. So Greg took us on a perfect stalk along the edge of the trees, and the closer we got the bigger this bull looked.At about 70 yards Donna hit him hard, and the shot looked really good.And then he was in the trees. Now we had quite a different situation as we followed up in a heavy eucalyptus forest. As the trees closed around us, I found no comfort in the belief that these buffalo don't seem as wary as African buffalo. Once you open the ball game, I don't think there's much difference!Fortunately, she had hit him well and he didn't go far — but he also didn't want to go down. We danced with him for several minutes, just black feet with the body hidden in foliage. She hit him again, just a black spot in green leaves, and almost inexplicably, he turned back into the open and stood for the finisher.I've never seen this before, but my guess is these buffalo (or at least this buffalo) find open country, where they can see, to be just as safe as the thick stuff. In any case, this was an awesome buffalo, bigger than any I have taken.Craig and ConradWater buffalo are believed to have been introduced at the mouth of the Mary River, not far from Darwin, in the 1830s. It's said to have been a very small release, and in those days of sailing ships, I'd imagine the animals were extremely happy to get on dry land. From there, increasing slowly, they spread primarily eastward along the major river systems, and at one time were found across much of Australia's Top End.In fairly recent years, because of concerns over bovine diseases, they were nearly eradicated in the accessible areas by both helicopter gunning and market hunting for the pet food industry. Neither option is economically viable today, so my sense is they're increasing on private lands northeast of Darwin and Alice Springs — but the largest populations are unquestionably on aboriginal lands in the vast Outback wilderness of Arnhem Land. Here, in order to ensure sustainable quality, Pennicott operates on a self-imposed quota of trophy bulls.Conrad and I didn't need monsters, so we were looking for nasty old bulls with worn or broken horns, sort of the Australian equivalent of an African "dagga bull." Based on my experience with all kinds of buffalo, this sounded pretty simple€¦but in this area was not.Life on the floodplain must be fairly easy, because we saw lots of trophy bulls, but very few of the old "downhill" bulls we were looking for. In fact, the bull that gave me the slip was the only bull we saw — out of dozens and dozens — that had a broken horn.The alternative was to find mature bulls that weren't quite there but, based on apparent age and body condition, weren't likely to grow much bigger. This also wasn't easy. On the second day, we saw a magnificent old bull, heavy in the base with wide horns and worn tips, and he was perfect€¦but we were in that golden period in late afternoon, and it was still Donna's turn, so we kept looking.A few days later, when it was officially my turn, we found the same bull again€¦but instead of being near the treeline and wonderfully stalkable, he was miles out in wide-open floodplain.Donna used the Zeiss-scoped Blaser R8 in .375 H&H, a perfect choice for these open-country buffalo. Mike had his Dakota — also well-scoped, also in .375 H&H — and Pennicott had a Blaser R93, still again in .375, and also with a Zeiss scope. I could have borrowed any of these, but being stubborn, I wanted to use our Heym double in .450/.400 3-inch.This is not double rifle country and, moreover, is not country for open sights. But I was committed, and as I looked across the floodplain at that buffalo — with absolutely no cover whatsoever — I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out.I got lucky. We closed to about 110 yards, and although the front sight covered an awful lot of buffalo at that distance, the 400-grain Hornady DGX caught him in the center of the shoulder. As he turned to run, I managed a solid in his bum, and he made it about 50 yards and fell over, no drama.Now it was Conrad's turn. After a lot of looking, he had the best stalk of all. The floodplain looks dead flat and mostly is, but there are little watercourses and depressions that form mudholes, and the buffalo love these.We saw a group of cows and calves with one bull that looked suitable, and as we watched, they disappeared into one of these low spots. Perfect! So I took the TV camera, not my arm of choice. Conrad took Greg's .375 — he's much better with a rifle than I am with a camera — and we started to creep and crawl.We were just within possible range when the buffalo moved out, headed toward the treeline a few hundred yards to our right. We set up, but the bull wasn't in the group. OK, so he must still be in the mud. We duckwalked a bit more, and finally saw horns above the grass. Just the horns; the rest of the buffalo was immersed in soft black mud.We ran out of cover a few yards later, but now we were in easy range so we set up. Smelling a rat, the bull launched, throwing mud everywhere, and then stood on the far bank. It was Conrad's first buffalo of any kind, and he shot him very well.I'm no biologist, so I get really confused between the terms "buffalo," "bison," and "wild ox." Australia's other wild bovine is the banteng. The genus and species is Bos javanicus and the water buffalo is Bos bubalus, so they're related but quite a lot different.The banteng is native to Java, Borneo, Bali, and the Southeast Asia mainland. The original release was made in the mid-19th century at the Dutch settlement on Cobourg Peninsula. The references say the banteng can get up to 2,000 pounds, but not these. The Australian variety, probably from Java, is much smaller; the ones I've seen are more like 700 to 800 pounds for a big bull.They're a colorful animal, with the females tawny but the mature males very dark, ranging from dark brown to black with white underparts. Horns are round, straight, or slightly curved and extremely sharp at the tips. In the wild, they're a jungle animal, so Australia's population has stayed in the dense bush of the Cobourg Peninsula and its southern approaches, sort of a micro-system that is much thicker than the buffalo country to the south and southeast.Local hunters consider them aggressive; I can't confirm that, but in the thick bush where they live, encounters tend to be much closer than with water buffalo. I do know this: The closer you have to be to any of the wild bovines, the more likely you are to get into trouble.To me it makes a perfect Outback adventure to hunt both banteng and buffalo. However, banteng permits are much more limited and thus costlier than buffalo. I'd hunted them before and didn't see the need to take another, so the two available banteng permits went to Donna and Mike.Mike's was a single bull, stalked along a treeline and flattened with his .375. His was the kind of banteng I still covet, coal black and absolutely gorgeous. Donna's bull had a little extra horn, but hers was dark brown. We hunted south of Cobourg proper, where the banteng seem to be increasing and spreading. Donna's was in a herd of about 20, a big herd for banteng. They maneuvered into position with the herd feeding toward them in really thick stuff.The biggest bull was in the back of the herd, so before they could take the shot, they had cows and calves within ten yards. Given the banteng's truculent reputation, those were tense moments, but when the bull stepped clear, she dropped him with a clean shoulder shot, and the rest of the group scattered without incident.I think a big water buffalo is really cool. They are noticeably bigger than Cape buffalo and, if not as wary, just as hardy — and the horns on a good bull are spectacular. But the banteng, Australia's "other buffalo," though much less known, is a magnificent creature. Both on the same hunt — now that's an awesome Outback adventure!We were looking for nasty old bulls with worn or broken horns, sort of the Australian equivalent of an African 'dagga bull. ' Based on my experience with all kinds of buffalo, this sounded pretty simple€¦but in this area was not. Life on the floodplain must be fairly easy, because we saw lots of trophy bulls, but very few of the old 'downhill ' bulls we were looking for. Mike Hagen with his excellent water buffalo, taken on the first day. a bull of this quality is just too good to pass.Donna Boddington with her superb water buffalo, taken with the Blaser R8 in .375 using 300-grain Hornady DGX.Craig Boddington and his party got a chance to see a buffalo face-off in the wide-open plains of the Outback.Conrad Evarts & Greg Pennicott with Conrad's buffalo. Although the shape is perfect and the size is OK, it was considered a cull because it's below the average quality Pennicott's area produces.Greg Pennicott & Donna Boddington approach Donna's banteng.Greg Pennicott & Donna Boddington approach Donna's banteng. Although much smaller than water buffalo, the banteng prefers much heavier cover and has a reputation for being more aggressive. GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing. Sign Me Up


text:
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text:
I did shoot down some USB related PR's today. We have now support for more devices in uscanner, umodem and one new PDA in uvisor. Additionally all people which use the controller of a XBOX 360 will now notice that the LEDs on them stop blinking, when the uhid driver attaches to it (like on the XBOX 360).
This affects -current and -stable.


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text:
James Gillis (1798-1835) Papers
|1 of 2
Collection Summary
|The Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum 132 Essex Street Salem, MA 01970 Phone: 978-745-9500 Fax: 978-531-1516
|Gillis, James Dunlap, 1798-1835
|James Gillis (1798-1835) Papers
|1 linear foot (2 boxes)
|This collection contains shipping, business, and personal papers that relate to ships of which James D. Gillis was Master.
|Collection Number:
Series ListSERIES I. Shipping Papers
SERIES II. Business Papers
SERIES III. Personal Papers
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains shipping, business, and personal papers that relate to ships of which James D. Gillis was Master. The material originally contained in MSS 90 included shipping, business and personal papers and was combined with material in MH 106, which contained shipping papers and household accounts. The collection has been organized into three series. Most materials are in English, some are in Italian and Dutch.
Series I. Shipping Papers comprise the bulk of the collection. The ships' papers document the shipping activities and concerns of a shipmaster, and include manifests, letters of instruction, provision lists, and crew lists. Of particular interest in this series is a protest for the ship Endeavor, which ran aground in the Straits of Magellan in October, 1824. A significant amount of information regarding the Sumatran pepper and opium trade, is included in this series. The shipping account book contains entries for all but one of the vessels Gillis mastered, the ship Equator, and includes some correspondence. There is also a listing of vessels departing for India in 1835.
Series II. Business Papers include accounts, invoices, and business correspondence relating to the consignment of Gillis' own merchandise on the vessels he mastered. Included are reports written by and for Captain Gillis regarding tradable materials. Also included is a document titled "Remarks on Mocha," which discusses the port of Mocha in what is now Yemen. This report includes information on the state of Mocha at the time and the tradable materials (mostly coffee) from this port.
Series III. Personal Papers consist mainly of personal and household accounts of James Gillis and his wife, Lydia. Of interest is a bill from Charles Osgood for painting a portrait of James Gillis. It also includes correspondence from Gillis to his brother-in-law George D. Richardson, which provide a detailed description of his life at sea, his various personal shipping ventures, (including his investments on the ship Senator) and family news. Military papers include James' commission and promotion while in the United States Army during the War of 1812.
Biographical Sketch
James Dunlap Gillis, Salem shipmaster, was born in Boston near Park Square in 1798 of Scotch-Irish parentage. By the age of 25, Gillis was serving on the Crowninshield privateer, America, as a gunner's yeoman and had a partial share in the vessel. In 1818 he had command of the ship Endeavor owned by the Salem merchant firm Stone Silsbee & Pickman. Other vessels mastered by Gillis, and owned by Stone Silsbee & Pickman, include Arnold Welles, Borneo, Delphos, Equator, Franklin, and Malay. Gillis also commanded the ship William, owned by Stephen White and Gideon Barstow. His vessels traded cargoes of Sumatran peppers, opium, East Indian coffee, tortoise shells, indigo, and hemp in European and New England ports.
During his 13-year career as a shipmaster, Gillis established a reputation as a skilled navigator and supercargo with particular knowledge of the East Indian and Sumatran markets. He prepared a navigational chart and sailing directions from the pepper ports of western Sumatra, which were published in Salem in 1834. Gillis became a member of the East India Marine Society in 1823.
By 1835, Gillis had grown tired of life at sea and hoped to form a merchant house in Portland, Maine with his brother-in-law, George D. Richardson. These plans were never realized for Gillis died on board the ship Equator on December 10, 1835.
In 1826 Gillis married Lydia D. Richardson (1800-1875), the daughter of Jesse Richardson, a merchant in the East Indies trade, and Eunice (Dodge) Richardson. They had three children: James Andrew (b. 1827); George Putnam Gillis (b. 1831); and Elizabeth Richardson Gillis (b. 1834).
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in Philcat. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Restrictions on Access
This collection is open for research use.
Administrative Information
Requests for permission to publish material from the collection must be submitted in writing to the Manuscript Librarian in the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum.
Preferred Citation
James Gillis (1798-1835) Papers, MSS 90, Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Mass.
Three folders of William (Ship) and Endeavor (Ship) papers were purchased in October 1982. The remainder of the collection is from an unknown source. In October 2013, papers from the MH 106 James Gillis Papers, 1821-1833 were combined with MSS 90 James Gillis Papers, 1822-1864 to form this comprehensive collection.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Caroline Preston, February 1983 and Catherine Robertson, October 2013.
Related Material
Gillis, James D. Chart of the West Coast of Sumatra, between Rigas and Diah. Salem: John M. Ives, 1834.
Gillis, John D. Sailing Directions for the Pepper Ports of the West Coast of Sumatra, North of Analaboo, to Accompany a Chart of that Coast. Salem, 1834.
Historical Collections of the Essex Institute, v. 57. Salem, 1921, 281.
Historical Collections of the Essex Institute, v. 73. Salem, 1937, 367-368.
Vinton, John A. The Richardson Memorial. Portland: Brown Thurstan & Co, 1876. 577-178, 628-32, 691-692.
Arnold Welles (Ship) Logbook, 1833-1834, Log 325
Borneo (Ship) Logbook, 1831-1832, Log 287
Delphos (Ship) Logbook, 1830-1832, Log 1453
John Nichols Papers, 1822-1841, MSS 98
Richardson Family Papers, MSS 167
Stone Silsbee & Pickman Papers, MSS 63
Appendix I
Appendix II


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This week is all about product pricing, recipe costing and all that math I left behind in high school! Oh well it's haunting me back even in culinary school. I will not bore you with the food equations that we are learning now, so I am presenting you a very delicious recipe… Raw cookie recipe!
In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients. In your blender, blend thoroughly your wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix by hand. Add flax meal if it is too sticky. Make cookie shapes and leave in the fridge for an hour and than transfer them in a dehydrator for about two to three hours.


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Visit Our Sites
Jicama is a sweet, nutty tuber with a distinct crunch and lots of health benefits, too!
Timaree Hagenburger is a registered dietitian with a master's degree in public health. She is also a nutrition professor at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento and a food lover who likes sharing tips and tricks on how to enjoy fresh California fruits and vegetables—including crunchy, delicious jicama!
Jicama is low in calories, but high in a few vital nutrients and provides one-quarter of what's needed daily in fiber per serving. It is also an excellent source of vitamin C (44 percent of the daily value per serving) and a powerful antioxidant that zaps free radicals to protect against cancer, inflammation, viral cough, cold and infections.
For more recipes and tips, visit www.thenutritionprofessor.com.


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Today I want to share with you a Miami staple–Cuban pastries! You can find a Spanish bakery on nearly every corner in South Florida. There's nothing like starting your day with a cafecito and a baked good to remind you that you're on vacation.
My personal favorites are the empanadas. I actually make them at home, though not as large. And I would be remiss if I didn't pay tribute to the croqueta.
You may be asking, what's a croqueta? They're small, bite-sized snacks of ground ham that have been coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried to perfection. It's one of the most delectable ham concoctions known to man, and you can't leave Miami without trying at least one. It's a savory snack common in Hispanic households and easy to afford when you're on vacation, coming in at $1 or less each.
Forget Pringles–you can never eat just one croqueta.
If you want to get your hands on some of the best baked goods in Miami, here are 5 places to start:
1) Karla Bakery
If you're driving around Little Havana and looking for a place to get good Cuban pastries, look no further than Karla Bakery. Located right off Flagler Street, they're affordable, authentic, and sooooo yummy. I cannot stress that last part enough.
I relish the whole experience, from finding the place (I always get lost) to taking my time with selecting my treat(s). There are many pastry options available, from cakes to meat pies, so feel free to take a box to-go!
2) Versailles Restaurant
Another popular place for tourists to visit is Versailles Restaurant. You can order from the ventanita (outside window) and sip a Cuban coffee while you watch life unfold on adjacent and iconic 8th Street.
3) Isla Canarias
Locals endorse croquetas from Isla Canarias, with just a hint of lemon or lime. The croquetas at Isla Canarias are fatter than most, perfect if you have a voracious appetite. What's more, at roughly a dollar a piece, they won't break the bank.
4) Sergio's Restaurant
Another popular option is Sergio's. They have every filling you can imagine, from the typical meat and chicken options to guava or spinach pastries. They also have a window so you can order to go, or sit inside for a more expansive dinner menu. Sergio's is a South Florida staple; so much so that they have a cafe in Fort Lauderdale Airport.
5) Vicky Bakery
Finally, if you're looking for a quality bakery with locations all throughout the South Florida area, head to Vicky Bakery. Their pastries are affordable and authentic. If you walk into party with a platter of mixed goods from Vicky's, you'll be the most popular person there.
So there you have it folks, and introduction to all that is Cuban pasteles, or as I call them, pastelitos! Make sure to grab a few if you're ever in Miami.
Till next time, safe travels!
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From crab apples to cider!
Fruit Share had the pleasure of hosting an apple and crabapple pick last week. We picked the trees bare and then pressed the fruit into cider right away!
We reached as high as we could with the ladder but it wasn't quite tall enough, so one of the volunteers happily climbed up and shook the branches for us!
We rescued 380 lbs of fruit!
We rescued 380 lbs of fruit!
We had a lovely evening with all the volunteers who came out! Enjoy your cider!
Big thanks to Jim and Rebecca for allowing us to pick and press your fruit!!


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A Message from Andrea Salina Fleming
November 10, 2016
When I hear the phrase "rebuilding year", I often think of sports teams and the negative connotations associated with being in that position. But from a community development agency perspective, it translates into a positive time to step back and think about the path we are traveling above focusing solely on the destination. The Partnership has taken the majority of 2016 to do just that. We have reflected a bit on our past and mapped out ways to navigate the future. With a solid team in place, the Fairmont Community Development Partnership is well-positioned to make positive changes in the arena of neighborhood revitalization in tandem with impacting economic growth in the Fairmont area through small business incubation and acceleration.
The collaborations the Partnership has built over the past year are both necessary and invaluable to promoting both community and business development in and around our targeted areas. As we seek new areas for development, we continue our efforts to make improvements in a strategic, block by block approach that is both more feasible and tangible to the agency and community members. We have partnered with others who share our mission and have clear plans for implementing proposed projects. We are actively engaging with community members so that they have a stake in seeing our vision become a reality.
The Partnership has been and will continue to be a catalyst for community revitalization in Fairmont. The natural progression of growth in Marion County is inevitable. No better time exists to seize the opportunity to re-energize and reinvigorate one of the best areas in the state!
We are armed with all the tools in our toolbox to turn our "rebuilding year" into many years of successes going forward.
Andrea Salina Fleming
Executive Director


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Monthly Archives: July 2013
Freyberg Place – CBD – Auckland
Quay Street – CBD – Auckland
Queen Street – CBD – Auckland
Queen Street (back) – CBD – Auckland
Ben Sombogaart – Bride Flight (2011)
Bride Flight is a lavish romantic drama that charts the lives of three women who escape the gloom of post-WWII Holland for what they hope will be a better life in New Zealand. Ada, the shy but sensual farm girl, Marjorie, who dreams of a big family, and Esther, a Holocaust survivor who aspires to be a fashion designer, become fast friends during the long flight taking them to their waiting husbands, who have already settled in Christchurch.
Source: Musicbox Films
Jane Campion – The Piano (1993)
Set in 1851, a mute Scottish woman arrives in colonial New Zealand for an arranged marriage, with her precocious young daughter and beloved piano in tow. Her practical new husband refuses to transport the piano to their home and makes a deal with his neighbor, George Baines to take the piano off his hands. Attracted to Ada, Baines agrees to return the piano in exchange for a series of piano lessons that become a series of increasingly charged sexual encounters. As pent-up emotions of rage and desire swirl around all three characters, the savage wilderness begins to consume the tiny European enclave.
Source: Miramax Film


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Generally, dealing with a complaint is a straightforward process, but in a few cases people pursue their complaints in a way which can either slow down the investigation of their complaint or can have significant resource issues for us. These actions can occur either while their complaint is being investigated, or once we have concluded the investigation.
This policy is aimed at staff to help them deal with unreasonable and unreasonably persistent complainants fairly. It sets out clearly what is expected of them, what they can do, and who can authorise these actions.
It will help us assess and monitor how we deal with and respond to unreasonable and unreasonably persistent complainants.
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Council's Responding to Compliments, Comments and Complaints Policy.
Telephone 01202 265253
Address Policy and Performance team BCP CouncilCivic CentrePooleBH15 2RU
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Council budgets and spending
Council decision making
Elections and voting
Find your councillor
Mayor, Sheriff and Deputy Mayor
Statistics, data and census
Strategies, plans and policies


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Teen actors rarely get the credit they deserve. While many young artists possess a deep emotional life, often times the business and the people around them - even the well-meaning people - can stand in the way of their unique artistry. A purely results-oriented approach to their training and their career often teaches them to be nothing more than cute and precocious. And that's tragic. They have so much more to offer but the business, our education system and society as a whole can perpetuate an environment in which kids search for the right answer rather than simply engage in the exploration of their own unique experience. And, of course, there is no right answer in acting. There is only the expression of a young artist's unique, unmitigated emotional experience within the circumstances of the scene. How cool is that? That exploration is what's important and that's the pursuit they must engage in. And as it turns out that fearless exploration leads to career success.
Here are five ways that you can help your Teen actor be successful.
1. Don't Force Feed. In "Jordan To The Max," Michael Jordan describes how he is constantly being asked what parents can do to get their kids into the NBA. He always responds the same way: "Leave them alone. Don't push them." His answer applies to young actors as well. In order to endure the blood, sweat and tears required to be a working actor (or a professional athlete) a kid has to absolutely love acting for its own sake, and love it fully. You have to give your kids space to fall in love with it. If they're doing it for you, or the money or the validation, etc, it won't be worth the time. Go on and encourage them. Give them opportunities to train in a fun, challenging environment, and if they fall in love for real, then ride that wave with them. If not, their unique destiny lies elsewhere. And that's great, too! Let them guide you.
2. Give Them Permission To Feel. Like all of us, most kids learn that to be happy is good and to be anything but is bad. Often times we're taught that if someone you care about gets sad, you should try to change them because you love them and want them to be happy. But that can also teach kids to suppress their sadness, anger, frustration, etc. All the good stuff! They can learn to avoid sadness and anger and not trust it. Pretty soon the totality of a kid's dynamic emotional life is stunted. Kids then learn to "push" or over-act and manipulate an audience rather than sharing their full, truthful emotional life with them. And often folks think the business is interested in kids only so long as they're young and cute. But when they become young adults and the business requires deeper emotional expression from them, they won't have the skills to achieve their career goals if they're not exploring the depths of their emotional from a young age. All of a sudden the agent stops calling and the door to the industry shuts. This means that from an early age they must do the work of discovering and expressing how they feel, whatever that feeling is.
3. Get A Life. Acting is a craft and a profession that is best served by having a full life. If an actor's mandate is to reflect the fullness of the world around her so that others may understand it, then it turns out that baseball practice, chess club and volunteering at the local shelter are prime opportunities for growth as an actor. Volunteering, in particular is great for young actors. Helping others- being of service for its own genuine reward- will feed them as artists and human beings for the rest of their lives. Plus, the more one can do to take pressure off the auditions, the better. One does that by spreading the focus and pursuing a variety of activities that give a kid a full life. That doesn't mean adding to a teen's already immense stress level by packing their schedule with more lessons and clubs. It's all about balance. The more full and rich their lives are, the better they'll do and the happier they'll be. And it'll get them off the electronics!
4. Broaden The Scope. Left unchecked, a teen actor's sense of what acting is can go no further than the latest Teen TV drama or romantic vampire tale. Encourage your teens to study theatre, film and TV, and investigate every tradition of acting. So many teenagers have never seen a Bette Davis movie or know Truffaut, Chekov, Meisner, or Sondheim. Introduce them to the theatre. Go all the time. Show them years of classic movies instead as a real alternative to surfing the Internet. Give them books on acting, on the history and culture of the profession they love. Don't wait for College. Make it a part of their full acting education now!
5. Create, Every Day. Great creative actors live great creative lives. Some of your teens will be actors, others not. But for all of them acting is the first stop in the pursuit of a creative life. And there are many other artistic pursuits they'll excel at and fall in love with which will satisfy them in and of themselves. Those pursuits will also serve their acting. Encourage them to write, make music, shoot films and videos, experience every possible way to explore their artistry every day. Doing so is imperative to each young person finding her or his artistic voice. And hey, Spielberg's parents gave him his dad's 8mm camera when he was 8, and that worked out OK!
Your teenager has chosen to do something brave and consistently challenging. It's a road full of disappointment, frustration, and a lot of really hard work. It's vital that you support your teenager in her courageous venture to pursue her passion. Make sure that you and she understand that this is a life-long exploration. Your teen will struggle but that struggle must be embraced as the motor of her artistry. Being an artist is both a fragile and muscular endeavor. Your role as a parent is to appreciate your teenager's artistic pursuit for its own sake, take the pressure off, and allow these stunning young actors to find their own way in their own time.
Risa Bramon Garcia (acclaimed Casting Director, Director, Producer and Teacher) and Steve Braun (Actor, Coach, & Teacher) are partnered in a revolutionary Studio for Actors, The Bramon Garcia Braun Studio, dedicated to actors' whole journey, connecting craft with career. New career changing classes start now! For more go to: www.bramongarciabraun.com
We offer ongoing Teen Classes at The Bramon Garcia Braun Studio. This summer, we're offering week-long summer workshops for teems. For more information, visit: Teen Actors ages 10-13, Teen Actors ages 14-17.


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Today on the blog I decided that I want to step away from the usual fashion and beauty posts and just put the spotlight on the heartbeat of this blog… Cape Town. I have a certain level of appreciation for everything Cape Town and it was what ultimately nudged the idea and name behind the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Adventures of a city girl
Seeing that I am now officially back into my blogging routine, I thought that I should slow down for just a few seconds. I kind of just got back into the swing of things and didn't even do a full explanation of what's been happening on my end of things. I am just going to … Continue reading
Cape Town International Kite Festival 2017 #RightToFly
This Saturday I decided to take a break from the books and head out to Muizenberg to support Cape Mental Health at the 23rd Cape Town International Kite Festival. Attending the #CTKiteFest every year has become such a tradition and I am always so grateful when I get invited to the festival. This year was … Continue reading
What to do in Cape Town this summer.
Summer in the Mother City is fast approaching and having your calendar fill up with fun things to do should be at the top of everyone's list. Even though the weather doesn't dictate the start of the warmer weather today, summer in Cape Town always sees an influx of tourists both locally and abroad. If … Continue reading
{Staycation} Checking in at Sunstays Lagoon Beach with Afristay.com
Over the past six years of me having my little corner on the internet, my readers have always enjoyed my travel posts. Be it internationally, locally or even weekend staycations in my own city at fancy hotels or luxury apartments, I always receive great feedback. A few weeks back I got to "test drive" the … Continue reading
{Event} Amazi store launch #ManicureMonday
Today's Manicure Monday has a bit of a twist to it, there's always twists and turns on this blog! Anyway… Last week Team City Girl Vibe got invited to the Amazi Nail and Beauty Bar in Maynard Mall to come and experience some of the amazing treatments that they have to offer. Of course we … Continue reading
Cape Town Wanderings: The Scratch Patch
This post is so so so long overdue but I wanted to blog about my new fave place. Last week I mentioned that I visited the Scratch Patch and shared a picture of my beautiful gems but today I thought that I would do a bit more of an in-depth post. A few weekends back when … Continue reading


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The home of father-friendly news, thoughts and creative insights from FNS and our guest bloggers. Let us know what you think – and if you've got an idea for a blog post you'd like to write for us, get in touch with FNS!
Is Year of the Dad good news for Women?
As International Men's Day rouses both support and controversy, NICK THORPE appeals for men and women to work together for gender equality.
ISN'T every day already International Men's Day?
That's the gist of the criticism levelled by some at today's attempt to "make a difference for men and boys". How can you have an awareness-raising day for a group that already wields disproportionate power? It simply reinforces the inequality of women.
It's an important perspective for anyone who recognises (as FNS does) the historical truth of male privilege in society, but it fails to recognise that the particular problems facing men – higher suicide levels, lower life expectancy, underperformance in school, higher prison population, to name a few – are #biggerissues at least partly because we don't talk about them.Read more >>
How Paternity Leave prepared me for the parenting rollercoaster!
Being a great parent is hard enough without stingy employers. As Year of the Dad approaches, DOUGLAS GUEST, father-of-three & head of programmes for FNS, explains why generous paternity should be standard.
NOTHING prepares you for parenthood and the vulnerability you will feel. The first weeks and hours are tough – the first years are tough! It is an emotional rollercoaster and employers that understand this are the ones who will ultimately be valued in society.
I am lucky: for most of my adult life, I've worked in the public and third sectors, which tend to have decent work-life balance policies. For my first child I worked for a national charity and had a week paid paternity and a week standard paternity leave. I took additional holidays.Read more >>
News from David Drysdale
Fathers Network Scotland co-founder and CEO DAVID DRYSDALE sends an update from hospital with exciting news about both family and FNS changes...
Thanks to all of you for your best wishes over the past 7 months as I've undergone treatment for cancer. I'm now entering the rehab phase to work with my paralysis, and you may not have heard, but I'm also preparing for the birth of my second child (a daughter!) in a few weeks' time!Read more >>
Year of the Dad - it's coming!
The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in… and the Year of the Dad is fast approaching! Here at Fathers Network Scotland we're delighted to discover how many of you share our excitement around this celebration of fatherhood and the huge importance of dads in in child development and parenting.
Outdoor instructor Pete Airlie of My Adventure is only the latest to give the thumbs up: a dad at 15 who defied stereotypes by being anything but "deadbeat", his inspiring wee interview a decade later has had more than 1000 viewings since we put it online last week. The message is clearly spreading: dads are unequivocally an asset and deserve to be celebrated!
So what else has been happening? Fasten your seatbelts...Read more >>
JOB VACANCY: Work for FNS
We're looking for a part time Charter Co-ordinator to work on Year of the Dad - could it be you?
Are you passionate about making a difference to Scottish children, families and communities? Would you like a flexible, part-time role within a family-friendly organisation? Would you like to help build a father-friendly world?
If you answered YES to the above and are an adept influencer with an established private sector HR network, then download the full job spec HERE.Read more >>
Why I love my messy work-family life!
Flexible working is at the heart of the Fathers Network Scotland mission – so in National Work Life Balance Week we decided to examine how we walk the talk in practice. Here SAM PRINGLE, FNS head of research, shares a revelation which brought less stress and more fulfilment to her working week…
A FEW years ago I had the opportunity to meet a Professor Ellen Kossek, author of The CEO of Me and an expert on work-life balance. On a visit from the US she spoke with such enthusiasm and knowledge that I went home feeling determined and empowered to improve how I manage my work and family lives.
On her suggestion, I logged into the Center for Creative Leadership and completed their online Worklife Indicator questionnaire – with surprising results.Read more >>
Why this high-flying dad chose to work part-time
Everyone knows that high-flying professional men can't expect to work flexibly, right? Wrong! At the start of National Work Life Week, SIMON WATKINS, Committee Clerk at the Scottish Parliament explains how he prioritised his family.
When I was a young boy my dad left for work before I got up and got home after I had gone to bed. He regrets it today. Sometimes my family seemed to be me, my sister and my mum. I didn't want that for my son. Or me.Read more >>
Year of the Dad
Sign up here to join Year of the Dad, as NICK THORPE captures the spirit of the 2016 celebration of fatherhood with help from forward-thinking parents and employers.
WANT to know what Year of the Dad is all about? Look no further than John and Nikki Duncan, examplars of the kind of culture change we want to celebrate.Read more >>
Join our Board!
Do you want to help build a father friendly world?
Fathers Network Scotland (FNS) is seeking new Board Directors to join our passionate team as we take this dynamic organisation to the next stage of its development.
Click here for printable pdf version.Read more >>
Seize the Daddy
It's not perfect legislation, but men now have the chance to take Shared Parental Leave and spend quality time with their children. GIDEON BURROWS challenges dads to embrace the opportunity, and change culture for good.
Back in 2012, when Shared Parental Leave legislation was just about still twinkle in Nick Clegg's eye, I wrote a book called Men Can Do It.Read more >>


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Fire safety seminar aimed at adapting to new building materials
Related Story
COLUMBIA- Tech Electronics hosted a fire safety seminar Wednesday to educate members of the fire safety and construction community on how lightweight building materials affect the burn rate of fires.
The lightweight materials are more green, cheaper, and quicker to build with, but Rich Walke, an engineer for underwriters laboratories said there are major problems with structures made with the materials.
"There's a lot of upsides, but the downsides are that the fires can burn within 5 minutes instead of 30 minutes. They're more petroleum-based."
Tech Electronics said its goal is to alert fire safety professionals in order for them to have a better understanding of the fires they're putting out.
Jim Pasley, the assistant fire marshal in Columbia, said the information is something crews always need to have with them at the scene.
"We need to have that time clock in the back of our head with these different materials. If they meet the code that's fine, we just need to be aware of how the materials speed up the fire."
Pasley said, however, firefighters can't be sure if lightweight materials were used until they enter the fire.
"Sometimes we can get an idea from the smoke progression before we enter, but once we get inside we can use our tools to figure out how sound the materials are."
Chris Wilhelm, the executive director of construction for Tech Electronics said more construction companies are becoming aware of the risks.
"Slowly the word is getting out that there are risks with these materials," he said.
Wilhelm said, although there are considerable risks with lightweight materials, the green movement will take priority over concerns about potential hazards.
"They're here to stay," he said.


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We desired to have a school of high academic and Christian standards, so with the encouragement of the Lord, the step of faith was taken to begin our school. The first day of school began in the den of our home. Since then the Lord has greatly increased our facilities, staff, and students. The Lord Jesus has truly blessed us and He is truly our Provider. Please take a moment to browse our website and discover what a wonderful atmosphere and experience we can provide for your children.
In His service,
David and Rita James
ECS is a Bible-based institution. Our classes range from first grade through the twelfth grade. We are located in a rural setting in Lee County, Alabama on twenty-two acres of land. Our average enrollment is under one hundred students. Many of our gifted students are involved in a dual-enrollment program at Southern Union Community College. All students are required to pass the Alabama graduation exam before receiving their high school diploma. ECS welcomes and accepts students of any race, color, nationality, and ethnic origin.