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Matt Mendenhall, Editor
Matt has been editing magazines and websites since 1994. He joined the staff of BirdWatching (formerly Birder's World) in 2000 and has worn many hats over the years: reporter, story wrangler, photo editor, managing editor, and now editor. Originally from Omaha, he lives with his wife and two daughters in Milwaukee and holds a Bachelor's in journalism from Marquette University. You can reach Matt at (617) 706-9098 and [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @mdmendenhall.
Lee Mergner, Editorial Consultant
As a consultant at Madavor Media, Lee works closely with two magazines: BirdWatching and JazzTimes. Lee also contributes reviews, columns, news features, and profiles to JazzTimes, and he's the host of JazzTimes Spins & Riffs, a weekly podcast available from iTunes. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Lee obtained his BA in psychology and math from Dickinson College and an MBA in marketing from Temple University. You can reach him at (617) 315-9154 and [email protected].
Scott Luksh, Media Solutions Director
Scott has been a member of the New York chapter of the Audubon Society for over 20 years. In addition to this longtime relationship, he's been active in fundraising efforts with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and other nature and conservation causes. He has enjoyed a long career in publishing, having served in various sales capacities, most notably the last 15 years with Outdoor Photographer. You can reach Scott at (718) 399-0004 and [email protected].
Bob Meth, Senior Media Solutions Manager
Bob is an avid photographer of nature, landscapes, sports, and animals. He has been successful in helping clients achieve their marketing and advertising goals using various platforms such as print and digital. Bob was born in New York City and moved to Los Angeles at a young age. He continues to live there with his wife, and his daughter is currently attending the University of California-Santa Cruz studying marine biology. You can reach Bob at (310) 663-6853 and [email protected].
Alexandra Piccirilli, Senior Media Solutions Manager
Alexandra enjoys the outdoors and nature — especially on the seashores of New England. She has worked with Outdoor Photographer and The Writer for two years and has over 15 years of publishing and tradeshow experience. Her specialty is working with small businesses and helping them to achieve their marketing goals. Born and raised in New England, she still lives there with her family. You can reach Alexandra at (617) 279-0213 and [email protected].
Contributing Editors
Our contributing editors aren't just columnists. They're bestselling authors, popular public speakers, tour leaders, field researchers, and well-known artists. Each is knowledgeable, likable, and frequently, really funny. They're just the sort of people you'd want to go birding with. They're the biggest names in the world of birding. And you can find them in every issue of BirdWatching.
Julie Craves
Julie answers readers' questions about birds in her column "Since You Asked" in every issue of the magazine. She is supervisor of avian research at the Rouge River Bird Observatory at the University of Michigan Dearborn and a research associate at the university's Environmental Interpretive Center. A tireless researcher and bird bander with a keen interest in the stopover ecology of migrant birds, she is also a personable writer with a gift for making everything she writes readable and entertaining. Her first article in Birder's World (now BirdWatching), "Forest Fire-tail," a profile of the American Redstart, appeared in June 1994. Send a question to Julie.
Pete Dunne
Pete is an accomplished birder, a gifted storyteller — the "Bard of Birding," according to the Wall Street Journal — and one of North America's preeminent nature writers. He is the author of over a dozen books and our regular wide-ranging column "Birder at Large." He founded the World Series of Birding and, in 1987, was awarded the ABA Roger Tory Peterson Award for lifetime achievement. For many years the director of the Cape May Bird Observatory, he recently transitioned over to the role of New Jersey Audubon's Ambassador for Birding. His first article, the essay "Hawks and Feeders," appeared in June 1987.
Laura Erickson
Laura's column "Attracting Birds," about attracting, feeding, sheltering, and understanding the birds in your backyard, appears in every issue. She is an author, radio producer, and public speaker who has dedicated her professional life to the love, understanding, and protection of birds. "Snow Bird," her first article in the magazine, appeared in December 2003. It described the migration and winter habits of the American Robin.
Eldon Greij
Eldon is a biologist and lifelong educator and the author of our popular column "Amazing Birds." He is professor emeritus at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he taught ornithology and ecology for many years while working closely with area birdwatchers. He left academe in 1987 to launch Birder's World and served tirelessly as its publisher and editor.
Kenn Kaufman
Kenn's column "ID Tips," featuring the photographs of Brian E. Small, appears in every issue of the magazine. He is an expert birder and naturalist, a talented artist and photographer, a world traveler, and the author of many books about birds and other wildlife. His work first appeared in Birder's World (now BirdWatching) in April 1988.
David Allen Sibley
David's column "ID Toolkit" appears in every issue of the magazine. He is the author of the bestselling Sibley Guide to Birds, Sibley's Birding Basics, and Sibley guides to birds of eastern and western North America. His first article, a profile of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, appeared in our August 2006 issue.
Brian E. Small
Brian's photos illustrate our "ID Tips" column, written by Kenn Kaufman. His bird photographs have been featured in hundreds of books, magazines, calendars, websites, newspapers, and smartphone apps. Brian is also the co-author, with Paul Sterry, of bird guides to eastern and western North America.


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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 28, 2016) - Emerita Resources Corp. (the "Company" or "Emerita") (TSX VENTURE:EMO) is pleased to announce that the Provincial Court of Seville, an appellate court, has ruled in favour of Emerita in its appeal of the lower court's decision that there was not sufficient evidence of any criminal act in the Aznalcóllar project tender process (See press release issued November 25, 2015).
The Aznalcóllar project public tender process consisted of two stages. The first stage required bidders to provide detailed corporate information and demonstrate industry expertise. The second stage required submission of a detailed plan for the development of the Aznalcóllar project. After the first stage of the public tender process was completed, the Andalucian government panel responsible for awarding the Aznalcóllar project (the "Panel") determined that the only qualified bidders were Emerita and a group comprised of Minorbis and Grupo Mexico ("Minorbis-Grupo Mexico").
The appeal was heard by four judges of the Provincial Court of Seville (the "Court") who ruled unanimously in Emerita's favour in a 59 page judgement. The judges' decision was based on: (i) Minorbis-Grupo Mexico failing to submit the necessary documentation as required by the tender process; (ii) a failure by the Panel to consider the technical merits of the tender bids; and (iii) granting the mining rights to the Aznalcóllar project to Los Frailes Mining, a company that did not participate in the tender process, contravened applicable laws governing public tenders in Spain.
The judges found that there is evidence of gross negligence and misconduct and indicated that there may be evidence of possible corruption and prevarication. As such, the Court has ordered the criminal case to be reopened against the Panel.
Emerita's Spanish legal counsel has summarized the key findings from the Court's ruling below.
Deficiencies with the Bid by Minorbis Grupo-Mexico
The judges found that the bid submitted by Minorbis-Grupo Mexico should not have passed to the second stage of the tender process. The relationship between Minorbis and Grupo Mexico was not properly demonstrated in the documentation submitted to the Panel. Among other things, Grupo Mexico never registered in Spain or with the Spanish consulate, which was a requirement of participation in the Aznalcóllar tender. Further, Minorbis-Grupo Mexico never submitted the necessary documentation demonstrating its solvency, which was a mandatory requirement established in the tender process, as set out by the Panel. The Panel contradicted the tender requirements by declaring that the Minorbis-Grupo Mexico bid was submitted solely by Minorbis and that Grupo Mexico had just provided technical and financial support. The Court determined that this was not possible since Minorbis had been formed just 3 weeks prior to the deadline for submission of the tender, and according to administrative law in Spain, a company participating in a public tender has to demonstrate minimum experience and track record in that particular industry.
Failure to Consider the Technical Merits of the Tender Bids
The judges concluded that the Panel had failed to consider the technical details of the tender bids. As an example, the Panel did not consider that Emerita's bid contemplated double the investment compared to Minorbis-Grupo Mexico's bid. This decision fails to consider one of the principal objectives of the tender process, promoting investment to the region and creating opportunities for the community.
Los Frailes Mining did not Participate in the Tender Process
The judges concluded that awarding the Aznalcóllar project rights to Los Frailes Mining, a company that never participated in the tender process, contravened the laws and regulations governing public tenders in Spain. Although it is not clear if it was Minorbis or Minorbis-Grupo Mexico that participated in the tender, the Aznalcóllar project was granted to Los Frailes Mining, a company that was created after the completion of the tender process.
The conclusion by the Court is that there are numerous administrative irregularities of a serious nature which occurred during both stages of the public tender process and as such the crime of "Prevarication" cannot be discounted. The judges have ordered the case reopened against the Panel. This is a firm decision by the Court which cannot be appealed.
The Court's decision is a lengthy document written in Spanish. The Company is having it translated to English and is working with its Spanish legal advisors to fully analyze the ruling and will provide a more detailed update in the near future. The Company is also seeking advice on the legal process moving forward. The Company's Spanish legal counsel has advised that under Spanish law, if it is found that the awarding of a tender involves the commission of a crime, the tender is automatically awarded to the next qualified bidder. In the Aznalcóllar tender, Emerita is the only qualified bidder.
The Aznalcóllar project hosts the past producing Aznalcóllar and Los Frailes zinc-lead-silver deposits. If awarded the tender, the Los Frailes deposit would be Emerita's focus of development for restarting mining operations at the site. The local community is strongly supportive of an environmentally and socially responsible approach to developing the site.
According to Joaquin Merino, President and CEO of Emerita; "We are excited by this development. Emerita continues to maintain that its bid was superior and it should have been awarded the Aznalcóllar project pursuant to the tender process. We are fully committed to working with the Government and the community to develop the Aznalcóllar project to the highest environmental and social standards."
About Emerita Resources Corp.
Emerita is a natural resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties with a primary focus on exploring in Spain and Brazil. The Company's corporate office and technical team are based in Sevilla, Spain with an administrative office in Toronto, Canada.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information
This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the Aznalcóllar project, the significance and impact of the Court's rulings, participation in any public tenders, the ability of the Company to be granted any mining rights pursuant to a public tender process, and the Company's future plans. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Emerita, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; the actual results of current exploration activities; risks associated with operation in foreign jurisdictions; ability to successfully integrate purchased properties or mining rights awarded; foreign operations risks; and other risks inherent in the mining industry. Although Emerita has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Emerita does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Contact Information:

subset: commoncrawl


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Calgary Through the Eyes of Writers
Ellen Kelly's father was a World War I veteran who served in the 137th Infantry Battalion of Calgary. Before he was shipped overseas, he trained at Sarcee Camp on the Tsuu T'ina Reserve at the southwest edge of the city. In 1916, he and his fellow soldiers hauled fieldstones up a steep hill as a training exercise and formed their battalion numbers on the hillside. Decades later, Kelly contemplates the whitewashed stone numbers preserved on Signal Hill. She sifts through history, photographs and childhood memories to understand her father's war. In the scene below, she is a cranky five-year-old, packed into her parents' 1930s Chevy sedan for a picnic adventure on the outskirts of town. It will take her a lifetime to unearth the memory and see the significance of those rock numbers on the hill.
Finally we are there. We get out of the car in a field of tall grass and thistle. Daddy picks me up, looks south, to where he spent almost a year in Sarcee Camp, "learning to be a soldier," he tells me. Then he looks northwest to the hillside, points at rocks that look to me like rubble.
Daddy pushes back his tweed cap and traces numbers in the air with his finger… He know exactly where the numbers lay…
I am busy with childish interests – chasing grasshoppers, plucking wildflowers, picking the burrs out of my socks.
Mom winds new film into the Kodak box camera, follows Daddy's finger and takes a picture of the hillside. I eat my sandwich and swat mosquitoes, trying not to think of the long, dusty ride home.
Ellen Kelly, "Snapshots: Life, Peace and Coffee on the Home Front," Embedded on the Home Front: Where Military and Civilian Lives Converge (Heritage House, 2012).


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About The Little House That Stood
When the Three Little Pigs roll into Cabbageville looking to build some new houses, they meet one builder with a plan and two without a clue! Larry builds with hay, Mr. Lunt with bricks, but only Bob builds his houses on a firm foundation - following the wise plans from the Master Builder's Handbook! Will the Little Piggies make the right choices when it comes to building their houses - and their lives - on solid ground? Find out in this parable that shows kids when they follow God's blueprints, then can stand strong when the storms come!
Sassy Pants and I watched the DVD this morning. The first part was a cute little combination of the Bible story of the wise man and the foolish man and The Three Little Pigs. I loved how they repeated the importance of building our lives on the foundation of God. The second part was about the good Samaritan, built into a conglomeration of Mother Goose tales. Sassy absolutely loved the DVD!
To find out more about The Little House That Stood, check out their Website, Facebook page, or YouTube video. You can also follow VeggieTales on Twitter.
Here's the fun part - Not only did I get a copy of The Little House That Stood, but I get to offer one to one of my readers. Enter the giveaway below for your chance to get your own DVD!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."


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We're pleased to announce that we have put in place a new, expanded technology department at Rhizome. Our previous Director of Technology, Patrick May, resigned in May after turning the Rhizome website into a more sustainable and stronger platform for future development. In July, we hired Nick Hasty to replace him. Formerly Technology Assistant at Rhizome and a recent graduate of New York University's Interactive Technology Program, Hasty proved his excellent programming skills through various projects at Rhizome, including the creation of widgets, and, outside of this position, through his artwork which blends analog circuitry with digital technology and sound.
In August, Jordan Greene was hired as Technology Consultant; he will work part-time to assist in the completion of technology projects. Greene graduated from Duke University in 2006 and has since worked as a programmer and consultant at Stanford Hospitals and Clinic and Datran Media.
Over the next year, this new expanded technology department will work to upgrade existing resources, such as the ArtBase, and implement new projects that expand and confirm Rhizome's mission and support our membership.


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Summers of Service
Each year young adults come to Detroit to develop leadership skills, engage in spiritual discernment, and live in community with one another, creating lifelong friendships with other young adult church leaders.
Paid Summer Internship - room + board are provided, in addition to receiving a stipend of $3000 and returning staff earn more each year they serve.
Spiritual Discernment - staff meet with local religious leaders to learn about different roles in ministry (Elders, Deacons, lay staff, camping staff, missionaries, and more)
On-Site and Off-Site Training - staff will train for two weeks and will explore the city of Detroit while doing so. Then we'll meet up with another Michigan Area young adult internship program at a camp up north to gain some professional development that will pay off far beyond Motown Mission (volunteer management, business etiquette, discovering spiritual gifts, etc).
Intentional Living - staffers live together in intentional Christian community
In Detroit
Motown is an amazing place. US-2 and other mission personnel regularly arrive, serve, and stay longer than they intend. There is something about living and serving God here that changes people's lives. That's why we invite young adults to experience Detroit through these Summers of service. Come, serve, get to know the people, enjoy the culture, and fall in love with this place and with the work happening here in the name of Jesus.
Apply to Serve
Please use the form below to apply by February 1st to serve with us in Detroit this upcoming Summer 2020. It's a rolling process so earlier entries get considered first! Applications are welcome from young adults who:
Have graduated from High School and have completed at least one year of college or work experience
Are looking for a Summer experience that engages their Christian faith in mission and service
Are willing to live and participate in intentional Christian community
And are seeking opportunities to discern God's further call in their life


text: Narativ, Inc, brought in Blue Lotus Research to create a series of methodology overview presentations for the Open Society Foundation in their work for social good. We were hired to conceive of a simple illustrated accompaniment to the recorded presentation about a method for evaluating impact. We created a simple, playful style in order to highlight key concepts and imagine specific moments in the presentation. Some still frames below.


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Welcome to our website! As we have the ability to list over one million items on our website (our selection changes all of the time), it is not feasible for a company our size to record and playback the descriptions on every item on our website. However, if you have a disability we are here to help you. Please call our disability services phone line at (519) 746-4268 during regular business hours and one of our kind and friendly personal shoppers will help you navigate through our website, help conduct advanced searches, help you choose the item you are looking for with the specifications you are seeking, read you the specifications of any item and consult with you about the products themselves. There is no charge for the help of this personal shopper for anyone with a disability. Finally, your personal shopper will explain our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, and help you place an order if you so desire.
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01 Sep Bankruptcy And Forgiveness
Posted at 18:22h in Bankruptcy Basics 0 Comments
Bankruptcy tends to stir up many emotions. Hate, anger, guilt and sadness, just to name a few. Now think about the last time you were really mad at a person. How did it make you feel? Did you forgive them straight away? Did your gut burn? Did you continue to obsess about how they did you wrong? Did you feel like there was a black cloud that followed you around?
Now think about a time you were mad at someone and you forgave them. Remember the feeling of relief that washed over you? The fact is, if you do not forgive, the grudge will take over your body and soul through stress. In turn this stress can literally rip you apart at the seams while overtaking your thoughts and emotions.
When you are going broke and considering bankruptcy, sometimes you just want to scream. You want to hold those who made you broke accountable for their actions. How dare anyone hurt your family and take away everything that you have worked for. By God, someone is going to pay for this tragedy one way or another! As a result you become so focused on the past and how you became bankrupt that you cannot see that there is hope to regain financial control. The future cannot be seen because your anger is holding you hostage in the past.
Without forgiveness you cannot begin to heal. Heal your relationships. Heal your mind. Heal your body and ultimately your soul.
Does this situation sound familiar? It is not uncommon for a potential client to come into the interview and unleash all that rage on me. My fight or flight system kicked in the first time this happened and as former member of the Creighton TE Kwon Do team I did not see myself running anywhere. Once I regained composure I knew I had to find a way to assist my clients with forgiveness or they were never going to make it through the bankruptcy process.
I believe that forgiveness is truly the first step in filing bankruptcy. The greatest example of forgiveness that I can think of is Amish Grace. In 2006 Charles Roberts took several Nickel Mines Amish school children hostage. Charles then proceeded to excute five of the girls while wounding five others. It was a horrific scene where no one would ever blame the Amish families for being mad or even expressing hate towards the gunman. Instead and almost immediately this community offered forgiveness towards the gunman and his family.
Forgiveness is a powerful and necessary tool in your arsenal. It returns the power to you that hate and anger have stripped away. It frees your mind so can see possibilities instead of negativity. It lowers your blood pressure and cleanses your soul. How can any of that be bad?
Is forgiveness easy? Heck no! In fact as I am writing this on a flight, I am experiencing a whole host of emotions. Not a wise choice to write an emotional article when locked in a tin can. Luckily I have the window seat because I have to keep looking out the window as the people next to me keep staring at the reactions on my face. Hence the voices in my head, "YOU SHOULD TAKE YOUR OWN ADVICE AND FORGIVE!".
Forgiveness truly does fly in the face of reality many times, but it has to be done so you can move on and heal. If you do not forgive yourself and others, you will be battling anger the entire time in bankruptcy and may not have the strength to make it to the discharge.
Forgiveness does not mean that you forget or excuse the wrong doing. But rather the Amish believe that a "willingness to forgo vengeance does not undo the tragedy or pardon the wrong. It does, however, constitute a first step toward a future that is more hopeful, and potentially less violent, than it otherwise would be.â€
Matthew Westcaptures the true emotion and spirit of forgiveness in his song titled Forgiveness.
"It's the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those that don't deserve
It's the opposite of how you feel
When the pain they caused is just to real
It takes everything you have just to say the word…
If God forgives you and your debt in Deuteronomy 15:1-2 is it not time that you forgave yourself?
Remember that knowledge is power and the more knowledge you have about the power of forgiveness you in turn will have more power to find peace in the midst of you financial storm.
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Rachel Lynn Foley, Esq.
Owner - Attorney at Foley Law - Kc Bankruptcy
Former Bankruptcy Attorney to the Kansas City UAW: Ford and GM workers, now assisting the general public in Missouri and Kansas with regaining financial control using the Bankruptcy Code. 816-472-HELP (4357).
Latest posts by Rachel Lynn Foley, Esq. (see all)
- GasBuddy = Gas Savings - January 7, 2019
- Rescission & Bankruptcy - December 27, 2018
- Resistance is Futile… Or so the Creditors Think. - December 7, 2016
- The Superpower Of NO! - February 28, 2016
- Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire! - January 18, 2016


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President Donald Trump's reported plan to cut the budget of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) by nearly 95 percent is facing opposition by more than 150 groups advocating for the ONDCP.
Andrew Kessler, a Washington based lobbyist who represents behavioral health practitioners, says the idea "faces steep opposition from both parties, and in both chambers. Last year there were rumors that OMB would try this and the backlash was so large that it never made it into the budget," Kessler told The Influence.org. "This year it made it in, but opposition will be pretty fierce."
Politico.com recently reported that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was considering moving the two main grants that ONDCP administers to other federal departments.
It would move the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) grant to the Department of Justice, and the and Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant to the Department of Health and Human Services. Doing so would reduce ONDCP's budget by about $340 million, officials said.
In a letter sent to White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who has been leading the Trump administration's response to the opioid epidemic, the group contended it would "create an unnecessary distraction from efforts to save our lives." The group includes representatives from a range of professions engaged in fighting the opiate epidemic, including those in addiction prevention and treatment, criminal justice and social services.
HIDTA assists federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement in fighting drug trafficking. DFC is a federal drug prevention program which provides grants to community groups working to reduce substance abuse among young people.
"Not only would such a move drastically weaken these vitally important programs, and force them to compete for priority, direction, and funding in larger agencies with competing and higher priorities, but it would significantly impact ONDCP's ability to effectively carry out its mission," the groups, led by the Addiction Policy Forum, wrote.
"No other agency has this unique responsibility to coordinate efforts across the federal government to execute one shared drug strategy," the groups wrote in the letter. "This oversight is instrumental in eliminating waste and fraud by preventing duplicative programs and strategies among the various federal agencies. Cutting ONDCP's budget would significantly harm the effectiveness of this unique mission."
In its budget draft, The administration said its plan "will enable ONDCP to focus resources on its core mission: to reduce drug use and its consequences by leading and coordinating the development, implementation and assessment of U.S. drug policy."
A bipartisan group of senators has also written letters opposing the moves.
Created in 1988, ONDCP is responsible for providing guidance to the president on drug-related issues, coordinating the federal government's efforts to reduce drug use and developing a national drug control strategy.
The agency has been without a leader since the Trump administration took office. the White House has nominated Jim Carroll, a deputy to White House chief of staff John Kelly, to fill the position. He will serve as deputy director and acting director, the White House said.
"I'm baffled at the idea of cutting the office or reducing it significantly and taking away its programs in the middle of an epidemic," said Regina LaBelle, who served as ONDCP chief of staff during the Obama administration.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told Politico that she would "resist that move," adding that she believes the grants should be housed at ONDCP, "within the executive branch and under the president's purview" rather than at other agencies. Capito, who chairs the Senate appropriations subcommittee that oversees ONDCP, introduced legislation in November that authorized a modest boost to both grant programs.
An OMB spokesperson pointed out that that the budget is not yet finalized and is subject to change, adding "the president needs ONDCP to be a strong policy council to manage his drug control priorities." She said that "DOJ and HHS are both major grant management organizations that can look holistically at allocations across law enforcement and drug prevention and treatment resources."
Mark Dunn, lobbyist for the National Association of Treatment Providers, also believes that Congress will resist any attempts to eliminate ONDCP, as it has in the past.
"We are concerned that the decision to defund ONDCP signals a lack of commitment to dealing with substance abuse disorder issues, since we have not been made aware of how it would be replaced," Dunn told The Influence. "We would be more encouraged if the administration made moves to implement the President's own commission recommendations."


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Please keep in mind that we do not necessarily endorse all content found on the following websites.
External Links:
Bible Study Resources:
Literal Word – ESV and NASB online Bible
Bible Hub Online Study Bible with many helps
STEP Online Study Bible with many helps
United Reformed Churches websites:
Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina Saskatchewan
United Reformed Churches of North America Official Website
Bethany URC in Wyoming, MI
Covenant URC in Kalamazoo, MI
URC Learning Outreach Website
Canadian Reformed Churches Websites:
Canadian Reformed Churches Official Church Website
The Voice of the Church
Some more sites:
Christian Classics Ethereal Library
The Whitehorse Inn
The Gospel Coalition
Sermon Audio
Reformed Forum
Mortification Of Spin (Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals)
The Great Exchange
Some helpful links from covenant-urc.org
Covenant URC Resources
REFNET (Internet Radio Sacred Music and Teaching)
Ligionier's Renewing Your Mind (Video and Audio teaching)
Stolaf College Sing for Joy (Sacred Music)
Lutheran Public Radio (Sacred Music)
Did you know that you can read (and download) Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology online?
Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology
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text: Keith Pulvermacher Band Friday, March 11, 2016 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 20:00 22:00 Google Calendar ICS It isn't blues. It isn't folk. It isn't rock. Fitting to music that doesn't fall into a genre, to describe Southeastern Wisconsin native Keith Pulvermacher's style as "midwestern music" fits perfectly with where he comes from and his approach to writing honest music that transcends religion, politics, race. The former guitarist for the Milwaukee-based LoveMonkeys, Pulvermacher's first solo album, the 2014 release Midwestern, is "a genre-bending, emotional roller coaster of life and love" (Urban Milwaukee Dial).


text: Born in New York and raised across the United States, Samantha Ortiz is a young designer based out of Austin, TX. She strives to create the best unique solutions to any and all creative problems. She excels in digital interactive design, visual design, and illustration. She has spent the last year and a half fine tuning her design eye while leading the creative team at Harris Media LLC. There she gained experience in creating content for social media, motion graphics, websites, and political cartoons. She is a well rounded designer, determined to produce high quality results — no matter the task.


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What our customers are saying...
Personal Insurance
"We were extremely pleased with the speed of their response and later, the speed with which our claim was processed. I would recommend Rhodes & Williams to anyone looking for a broker."
- G. Graham
"I have dealt with this insurance company since 1989. It is truly the best insurance company I have had to pleasure to deal with. The staff is very professional, knowledgeable and courteous and right on top of new trends. During this time I had one claim and their service and help during this time were first class."
- F. Waelz
Business Insurance
"They have provided me with outstanding service and advice in helping to identify and obtain the appropriate type and amount of insurance for my operation. They understand the construction industry and have taken away any worries I had about purchasing the right insurance."
- M. Rino, President M & M Concrete & Stone Ltd.
"We wish to take this opportunity to express our satisfaction with the professional and expert manner in which you have handled our retirement home insurance program over the years. We would highly recommend your firm to anyone seeking the highest levels of professionalism, service and expert advice for insurance solutions for those of us who care for our aging population."
- B. Phillips, Executive Director Orchard View Living Centre
About Rhodes & Williams Services
"YOUR STAFF IS GREAT. Moving to Rhodes & Williams Insurance Brokers sure was the right choice for us. I wish we had found you sooner!"
- K. & S. Cooper
"We have enjoyed Rhodes & Williams Insurance Brokers service for over 25 years. They have always been accessible and pleasant with our requests and we feel they give us the best price available!"


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MYTH: Pawning items can be complicated.
FACT: Gems N' Loans makes the process simple and convenient. Our friendly and educated staff can answer any of your pawn-related questions.
MYTH: Pawn Shops don't offer good loans.
FACT: Gems N' Loans always work with our customers to provide the best loans possible for all quality items. Come see what we can do for you today!
MYTH: Pawn Shops only offer stolen goods.
FACT: Gems N' Loans work closely with local law enforcement to ensure that no inventory items are stolen.
MYTH: Pawn Shops Keep Most Items That Are Pawned.
FACT: Gems N' Loans will never sell your pawned item before you pay back your loan. We want to give you more than enough time to pay off your debt.
Have you heard any other myths about pawn shops? Find out the truth by contacting the experts here at Gems N' Loans. You can check out our website at www.gemsnloans.com or call us at any of our six locations.


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What Is Elder Law?
What Is Elder Law?
Elder law is a specialty of law that is designed to meet the needs of older clients and those with disabilities. Many elder law cases focus on the clients and family's goals of obtaining the highest quality care for a loved one in the least restrictive care setting.
Elder law attorneys also have specialized knowledge regarding special needs trust. This allows families with special needs children or grandchildren to have flexible estate plans that results in the special needs beneficiaries maintaining his or her entitlement to public benefits (such as Medicaid) while preserving the special needs trust as an important source of family funds to assist in meeting the needs of a disabled family member.
As well as care coordination, elder law practitioners are skilled in accessing all available public benefits to assist in financing the cost of long-term care, including Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Benefits, Long-Term Care Insurance, and smart use of our client's assets for private pay.
Elder law attorneys also are familiar with housing and residential care options such as adult day services, assisted living, continuing care retirement communities, nursing homes, and hospice, as well as interfacing with the providers in those settings to ensure that the client's goal of self-determination is met.
Many elder law attorneys are called upon to assist families in financial and health care decision making through the use of durable powers of attorney, health care, and end-of-life decision making and many times will provide family training for advocacy in these new roles.
Elder law attorneys are well equipped to provide probate and estate administration services. Many clients are often surprised to know that elder law attorneys regularly counsel clients of all ages, who are very healthy, but wish to proactively manage the possibility of any disability issues that might arise and jeopardize their well-being and their financial security.
State laws are very specific about what can and cannot be in a will, trust, advance medical directive or financial power of attorney; who can and cannot serve as a personal representative, trustee, health care surrogate or attorney in fact; who can and cannot be a witness to a will, trust, or medical or financial power of attorney; and what formalities must be observed when signing a will, trust, or medical or financial power of attorney.
And even though Medicaid is a federally authorized program, states are tasked with administering Medicaid at the local level, and the laws and rules governing Medicaid vary greatly from state to state.
Myrna L. Fawcett is a member of the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York bars, and of the National Academy of Elder Lawyers.


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I'm pretty sure I've been food driven my whole life.
I can still remember the first time I tasted Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, it was at my Aunts wedding and I was probably about 8 or 9 years old. It's was so much lighter then banana bread but still perfectly moist with lots of banana flavor and the cream cheese frosting was sweetened to perfection.
I then spent years in search of a Banana Cake recipe that was as delicious as the one at her wedding with a lot of disappointments until I found a recipe printed in the LA Times from the Clementine Bakery quite a few years back.
I reduced the sugar so it's sweet but not overly sweet, with a light crumb, and lots of banana flavor exactly what I had been searching for.
I've tweaked the recipe a bit over the years to end up with the Ultimate Banana Cake Recipe that is moist but light with lots of banana flavor and not overly sweet.
To make Banana Cake cream together 3/4 cup Coconut Oil or Butter (Not Melted), and 2 cups Granulated Sugar. Add 3 whole Eggs one at a time beating well between each addition to incorporate air for a lighter cake.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla and beat until well blended scraping sides of bowl as needed.
(You can add the vanilla with the last egg.)
Add 4 whole Ripe Medium Sized Banana's and mix until well blended about 45 seconds.
(Sorry the banana picture isn't very pretty they had been frozen in the freezer.)
Stir in 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda and 1 teaspoon Sea Salt.
Stir in 2 2/3 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or All-Purpose Flour and 1/2 cup Buttermilk until well blended, do not over mix.
Grease 9"x13" pan and line with parchment paper for easy removal, grease parchment paper. Add cake batter to pan and spread evenly. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
To make frosting mix together 10 ounces Softened Cream Cheese, 1/4 cup Softened Butter, 2 tablespoons Greek Yogurt, 1 pinch of Sea Salt and 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract until well combined. Mix in 3-4 cups Powdered Sugar until smooth, and creamy.
Spread frosting over cooled cake and enjoy.
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a favorite use for all the overripe bananas we end up with but some other great ideas are:
- Banana Pudding Cheesecake
- Eggless Chocolate Monkey Snack Cake
- Banana Bread Coffee Cake
- Banana Fritters from Lovefoodies
- Banana Yeast Bread from Nums The Word
- Banana English Toffee Cream from Hot Eats Cool Reads
- Banana Drop Cookies from Lovefoodies
Yield: 16 ServingsPin it
Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Perfectly light and moist Banana Cake recipe with a lightly sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting from Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch.
Rated 55 based on 1 reviewsprep time: 20 MINScook time: 35 MINStotal time: 55 mins
- 3/4 cup Coconut Oil (Not Melted) or Room Temperature Butter
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 whole Eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 whole Ripe Banana's Medium Sized (3 Large Banana's)
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 2 2/3 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 10 ounces Cream Cheese, Softened
- 1/4 cup Butter, Softened
- 2 tablespoons Greek Yogurt
- 1 pinch Sea Salt
- 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3-4 cups Powdered Sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9"x13" pan. For easy removal of cake line greased pan with parchment paper and grease parchment paper. Set aside.
Banana Cake Batter
- Cream coconut oil or butter, granulated sugar, until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time beating well between each addition. With last egg add vanilla and scrape sides of bowl as needed.
- Add bananas and mix until well combined.
- Stir in baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Add flour and buttermilk. Stir until well combined being careful not to over mix.
- Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.
- Cool cake completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat softened cream cheese, butter, yogurt, sea salt and vanilla until well combined. Add powdered sugar until desired sweetness and consistency. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Frost cooled cake and serve.
- Store cake in refrigerator.
fat (grams)
carbs (grams)
protein (grams)
sugar (grams)
© 2015 Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
Created using The Recipes Generator


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As of January 1, 2016, Gapers Block has ceased publication. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions over the past 12-plus years. ✶
Thursday, November 21
If you find yourself wanting to mark "other" under the Gender category on forms, then you'll find Safe2Pee.org a welcome addition to your bookmarks. There are supposedly only 19 gender-neutral bathrooms in Chicago (which I know is very low) but thankfully anyone can add in another entry. Making the world a GenderQueer friendly place, one bathroom at a time.
GB T-Shirt $12
I ✶ Chi T-Shirts $15


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A day in the life of a Spire Little Aston nurse
10 May 2016
"From the minute we start work we are faced with a variety of interesting challenges, and communication with patients is one of the most important parts of successful nursing. No matter what else we are doing in our busy day, the patient always comes first.
Here at Little Aston our consultants perform a range of procedures- from joint replacement to cosmetic surgery; no matter which operation a patient has had they are cared for by our team to a very high standard. Our consultants have a brilliant reputation throughout the region and further a field and it isn't unusual for us to be treating patients from the other side of the country and sometimes the other side of the world.
Our clinical standards are at the heart of what we do and we recently received a 'good' rating from the CQC (Care Quality Commission) which we are hugely proud of. Our patients let us know how we're doing through a Patient Satisfaction Survey. 100% of our self pay patients would recommend us to family or friends– and that's what counts, to know that our patients would feel confident recommending their nearest and dearest to be cared for by us.
Recently, I had the privilege of caring for a patient with anxiety and concerns about her treatment. She was very emotional about being in hospital and trusting both nurses and consultants. Spending time with this patient and helping her through her short journey with us was so rewarding. The simple aspect of spending time with her and ensuring she knew whather care plan was, and reassuring both her and her family members made a real difference to her state of mind and her stay with us became a positive one.
We have a sense of pride in the hospital – all of our patient rooms have been recently refurbished and really do have that Five Star Hotel feel about them –while the theatres and Chemotherapy Suite make you realise you are part of a very forward-facing, high tech hospital.
A lot of patients who visit Spire Little Aston pay for their own treatment, many others have privatemedical insurance and we also take NHS patients under the Choose and Book system. I can honestly say, hand on heart, that all are treated exactly the same.
If you are a patient at Spire Little Aston Hospital you are going to get the best treatment we can possibly provide – I'm proud of working for Spire Little Aston and so are the people I work with.
We're a winning team and happy, satisfied and healthy patients are what we are always aiming for."
Ann Tugby, Nurse in Charge, Spire Little Aston


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UCO: Found support right at the lower green trendline. More downside likely, but if the trendline holds and we get more upside an ideal A.I. buy signal will be given. Keep it on the long radar 🙂
GDX: However we slice and dice it, $35ish is the upside target for GDX. We have 3 different ways that point there: black C=A, red c=2.0x (likely a 5-wave count instead), and the blue arrow using simple symmetry analyses. At current prices that's around 12.5% upside left.


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NEWCOMB It was a beautiful day for the dedication of the Boathouse Restoration at Camp Santanoni on a recent Friday.
First, everyone met at the Gate House and then took a 5-mile horse and wagon trip into Santanoni where a luncheon was served, provided by the town of Newcomb.
Speakers at the dedication included Howard Kirschenbaum founding President of Adirondack Architectural Heritage and author of Santanoni a book about the history of Camp Santanoni; Susan Pruyn King, grand-daughter of Robert Pruyn who was the original owner; Carol Tummins Vroman, daughter of Art Tummins who was the last caretaker; and George Canon, Newcomb town supervisor.
Michael Frenette from Tupper Lake did the restoration, which was underwritten by the Town of Newcomb.


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The SBA's basic 7A program is the most widely used business loan program. Loan proceeds can be utilized for any legitimate business purpose including:
This program is available for an eligible business for the purchase or real property and/or the purchase of equipment with a useful life of 10 years or more.
This program is designed to streamline the approval process for loans to veterans and active military personnel. This program is available for loans of $500,000 or less with a maximum guarantee of 85%. Loan proceeds are available for business purposes only. Loan types include standard loans as well as revolving lines of credit.
For additional information regarding our SBA programs, contact us or visit www.sba.gov.
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It was a busy week here with all four Shaw sisters in the same town. Connie didn't have any time off but we did have a great pool party afternoon and potluck dinner last weekend at her place. No sorry...no pictures of the bathing beauty sisters (I'd like to keep all my body parts attached).
I've shared our little boat cruise with you but Cathy and Cheryl and I had a lovely lunch out at a Thai restaurant. Cathy had never had a Singapore Sling before so we ordered them. I don't know how she got through her 20's without one.
They were very good.
So very good - I need to make some Thai food at home.
Now onto the title...you were wondering, weren't you?
My sister-in-law, Maureen is an amazing seamstress...utterly amazing. The girl can make anything..from a bikini to a winter coat. She can't pass up a good fabric store and my brother would liken it to a bloodhound sniffin' out the best deals on fabric.
This comes to mind because Cathy and I went to Homesense. I swear that I am just like junkie when I hit the linen department...pillows, sheets, towels, tablecloths. Oh my, I have to stay out of there if I don't want to leave with a full cart. I'll show you my new tablecloth later but here's the towel deals I sniffed out...
I think there may be some bathroom redecoration in my future......hmmmm.


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Apologies among politicians are rare. But following Nick Clegg's recent apology have students finally forgiven him for his broken pledge over tuition fees, or was the apology not enough?
When Nick Clegg pledged that he would not vote in favour of increasing tuition fees to the National Union of Students, before the last election, he became something of a celebrity among students. But after forming a coalition with the Conservative Party at the 2010 election, he ignored this pledge, instead voting to increase the cap on fees to £9,000, drastically damaging his popularity among the electorate. Two years later Nick Clegg has come forward to apologise, actually admitting to his wrong-doing. Clegg's choice to stand up and apologise took courage and will have earned him back some of the respect he lost two years ago. But how should we interpret this apology?
When we compare Clegg to other politicians, he suddenly starts looking relatively good. Take Tony Blair for instance, who led our country through the Iraq War. The Iraq War cost 179 British lives, yet it still took two official enquiries to finally force an apology out of Blair in 2011. Compare Clegg's broken pledge to this and the tuition fee issue significantly pales in comparison. Yet Clegg has voluntarily stood up of his own accord, admitted to his fault and acknowledged that he let down many of the electorate.
But at the end of the day Nick Clegg is a politician and politics is his career: he is apologising to gain back lost support and is attempting to repair the broken trust between the public and the Liberal Democrat party. So is his apology heartfelt and genuine? Or is Clegg apologising simply because the Liberal Democrat party conference, currently being held in Brighton, was looming when he made the apology on Wednesday 19th September?
Clegg knows that doubts may be cast over his leadership at the conference, which runs from the 22nd-26th September and the issue of the tuition fees is largely the cause of this. While it is clear now that Clegg's pledge could not be trusted, can his apology also be taken at face value or not? It is interesting that Clegg chose to apologise three days before the 2012 Liberal Democrat conference, instead of two years ago when he broke his pledge. It is also interesting that he is not apologising for breaking his pledge, instead for making that promise in the first place.
We made a pledge. We didn't stick to it. And for that I am sorry.Nick CleggDeputy Prime Minister
Regardless of Clegg's reasons for apologising for his previous actions, the fact of the matter is that he has stood up and acknowledged his mistake. Despite the fact that an apology will not be enough for some students, and that many feel his apology is misdirected, at least Clegg has attempted to repair the damage his actions caused two years ago. I cannot decide myself what to make of the apology: should Clegg be forgiven? Should he even be apologising in the first place, seeing as he was thrust into a coalition as opposed to leading a majority government? But at the end of the day whatever you or I think of his apology, it was a nice thing to do. Plus we got a funny video out of it.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iN6-Oev6Po[/youtube]
But for those students who are currently enjoying their Freshers week at the University of Southampton and trying not to think about the £9,000 fee they will be paying for their education; was Clegg's apology enough for you?


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Yes you read the title right or you may have already used it. WhatsApp, the infamous instant messaging app, used by almost everybody, has enabled the Video Call feature for all its users since its latest update this week. The feature was only for its beta users but its now finally here for all of us. I decided to take it for a spin and following is my take on it.
It took a few days for me to get the correct update or rather for it to be enabled on mine ; And yes, I got a new mobile – finally !! 😀 Thank God! I can now test those awesome stuffs 🙂. In fact, after the news announcing the launch, I manually updated by WhatsApp but the feature was not there yet. But today. November 17, I got a Video Call and I knew it was up and running. Awesome !!
Had a class test so could not test it earlier, but when I did, it was simple awesome.
The thing is, I've tested several video calling apps on mobile phones, from Skype to Hangouts to the Till-then Amazing Viber !! And today, it was yet another experience. Facebook/WhatsApp for sure took some time to dive into Video Calling but they did an awesome job.
Viber vs Whatsapp
The de-facto Video Calling app for the common user till now had been Viber. It was already ahead of WhatsApp for the stickers etc but the video calling feature made us love it more. The only feature that WhatsApp lacked was the Video Call. On each and every update, I waited for it to come but new group stuffs, large emojis etc etc; that was it!
As far as the experience is concerned – we will compare with Viber for the control – The video is really good and clear resolution-wise, though had some latency issues when using Mobile Data Connection on one end and Wifi on the other but when both devices were on Data Connection – even if the connection was hare vs turtle relative to each other in speed – the connection was awesome. There's fewer glitches compared to Viber, and – !! – should the video be interrupted for whatever reason, it will just pause, reconnect while the audio is still running and resume the video feed; for Viber, once there's a glitch, the video is disabled and one has to manually re-enable it.
Messaging is possible during the video call, but the feed is paused; Maybe this could be a nice future update – It's not a huge deal nowadays – with the Material framework etc – to have the video as an overlay in the lower corner of the 'page'. Also, maybe adjusting the sender's video window's size could be a nice addition to the experience; screen real-estate is quite limited sometimes for example when the person on the other end has his/her face at a 'normal' distance from the mobile phone, here 1/8 of the face is covered with my video.
As a final word,
Well Good Job WhatsApp !! It's been quite a wait but you nailed it especially considering that the feed are 'more fluid' compared to that of Viber, which is quite obvious – thinking of the massive number of servers available to WhatsApp to balance its video feeds compared to Viber.
Still; Viber is not dead, I love it soo very much and look forward to using it for long.
P.S: As i was writing this post, I got a message from a friend asking to "You are invited to try WhatsApp Video Call" Oh my… Those hoax/spams/scams/phishing stuffs don't ever wait.. Come-on !! The top-level domain is not even from WhatsApp. Stay away from those please..
So! Till then,
Irshaad 🙂
Big Thanks to You for testing out the feature with me !! Thanks for being a good sport and the road towards geekiness is just getting shorter and shorter for you – IA


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An autumn update from this little jam maker including:
- A trashy confession
- Surplus tips
- Some extra Zin opening dates
- News of Zin House from July
- Introducing The Pavilion
I hate waste. Not a vague distaste for it but a full, bordering on obsessional, inability to throw things out. I'm out and proud about our virtually zero waste kitchen but I'm embarrassed to admit that I have gradually filled all our sheds with things that 'will be really useful one day'.
I even have boxes and boxes of clothes whose beautiful no longer worn fabrics are destined to be transformed into scarves or cushion covers one day in the never never.
If I applied the current trend of holding an item to see if it brought me joy before deciding to keep or discard I would still find a reason everything would be useful and bring me joy in some altered form.
So I'm trying to use the little 'spare' time I currently have to deal with the head space my hoarding habit is taking up in addition to every piece of spare physical space.
But I keep getting distracted by the need not to waste anything the garden is producing.
Unlike the boxes of still can't discard clothes, the cool-room collection wont wait. I'm working through a queue of stone fruits, figs, pears, tomatoes, zucchinis and cucumbers while daily an encroaching ripening of quinces, crab apples, persimmons and olives threaten my attention.
Bottling, jamming, freezing, pickling and drying have been my summer food hoarders tools.
When the sheer volume is overwhelming I give myself a daily schedule to make it seem achievable. When all else fails I cook with a syrup of sugar or vinegar and place in 20kg buckets in the cool room until I can face it.
Ironically all this work now will be an incredible free ride on big winter prep days. Pickled summer vegetables, punchy tomato sauces, fig and peach pastes, jams and pickles of all sorts will provide a touch of magic when we reopen Zin in the heart of winter.
Maybe I can deal with the sheds then…
Roast fruit sauce
Sprinkling a tray full of cut fruit with honey or sugar and roasting it is my top tip to keep up. Pop the fruit and all its gooey juices into the freezer for when life is not so sunny and bountiful. Instant pie or crumble filling, ice-cream topper or muffin mix.
Roast tomato sauce
One minute you're sick of finding things to do with fresh tomatoes, the next you're back guiltily buying supermarket pasta sauces. This helps the lag time between the two.
The quantities are totally flexible – just follow the basic principles.
In a large roasting dish combine:
5kg roughly chopped ripe tomatoes
1 kg sliced onions
1 whole head of garlic cloves ( I don't even peel them)
a large handful of fresh herbs (especially thyme & oregano)
250mls good quality olive oil
Salt & coarse black pepper
Cook uncovered in a slow oven for about an hour or until the tomatoes have broken down and everything is looking delicious and saucy. Freeze what you cant use this week.
Extra days of living in Zin
Many of you have been joining us for Twilight Tapas on Friday nights at Lowe and last Saturday of the month pop up dinners at Zin. So many of you in fact that we will run Tapas throughout April as well.
We're also open on the following dates with our feasting menu (includes wine and is $150)
Saturday March 30, dinner
Saturday April 6, dinner
Saturday April 20, lunch
Sunday April 21, lunch
Saturday April 27, dinner
Saturday May 11 Ninja @ Tinja (bookings via Lowe Wines)
Saturday May 25, dinner
Saturday June 8, dinner
Sunday June 9, dinner
Saturday June 29, dinner.
There will be considerable changes when we reopen in July, but more about that later in the month at which stage we will also reopen for July onward bookings.
Introducing The Pavilion
Sam Payne has drawn a couple of 'artists impressions' of our new project. The Pavilion is a marquee that will sit between Lowe & Zin House and provide a wide range of uses in addition to the obvious one of utilising our views, food and wine for weddings. More updates to come soon.


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Say goodbye to plastic disposable bags and use this cotton bag for carrying your groceries, lunch and even your yoga mat to class! Versatile, beautiful and good for the environment!
It measures 42 x 38,5 cm and is made of 100% cotton. This bag has short handles.
Out of stock


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I am super looking forward to this years mini sessions. This year I have decided to do them a little differently. I will be shooting them through multiple dates in November giving everyone a chance to shoot withon the best time frame for the best light.
Fall mini sessions will held at Pena Adobe park in Vacaville. Sessions will be 30 minutes and be $200 with this you will receive a proofing gallery for you to select your favorite 10 images for high resolution and print release. I look forward to seeing some old faces and maybe some new faces too. Get in touch to learn more.
Here are a few of my favorites images from 2016 sessions.


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Veeraiyah Subbulakshmi
The Real Discrimination.. - Poem by Veeraiyah Subbulakshmi
We were standing alone in front of the school,
Where the kids would turn into adults soon,
Never ending useless home works and tests,
Projects, assignments and emotional issues,
We were standing alone in the vast playground,
Where we saw the women drove their cars to work,
Wearing high heels and immaculate dress,
Leaving the kids in the playschool and maids,
We were pushing the trolley in the super market,
The kids were in uniform, surrounded us as our body guards,
They had the choice to pick up what they needed,
We paid the bill, using the supplementary card,
We were standing alone in the visitor's bay with a tag,
The parent of so and so competed in the art,
We were the first person to know and feel what they achieved,
Sometimes too happy to elate sometimes simply sad,
We were standing alone in the clinic when they were sick,
With trembling heart and the fear in the thought,
We were standing alone repeating the lessons since they were young,
We were standing alone praying for their safety,
When they had gone to local and foreign universities,
We are standing alone always holding a phone,
Connected to their 'busy with meeting' fathers,
Repeated the same story to them time and again,
What they have understood and what they have known,
About their children as a parent no one knows,
We, the mothers, are left alone, touching our empty wombs,
When this society chooses the father's name to call our children,
Comments about The Real Discrimination.. by Veeraiyah Subbulakshmi
Rajendran Muthiah (6/12/2013 8:59:00 AM)
No one objects for the mother's name to be added to the names of children. In the past the womenfolk were confined to household work. But now in most of the houses, men are doing the same. you have not written how the men sacrifice to give good education to children. But you have neatly elucidated the idea of your poem. (Report)Reply
Tirupathi Chandrupatla (6/12/2013 7:01:00 AM)
Powerful poem pointing out practice in society. (Report)Reply
Dave Walker (6/12/2013 5:01:00 AM)
Kavya . (6/12/2013 3:49:00 AM)
ur poem is a reality, but yes slowly things are changing...nowadays mothers name is also considered mandatory in your graduation certificates etc.....but ur poem is very nice as it highlights the fact...the truth behind mothers emotions for her children, she teaches, she nurtures, then one day they leave her n go for distance education or job, then mother has to just keep waiting with phone in hand with her empty womb.....very nice poem, liked it! (Report)Reply
Gajanan Mishra (6/11/2013 7:55:00 PM)
we, the mothers are left alone, no no, Mother is first, next comes father. Twameva mata cha pita twameva, mother, mother sweet mother, no substitute of mother, at present everywhere name of mother and father are being put together. Mother is the earth, father is the sky. we stand on earth and look to the sky , In ancient days the identity are being given through mother and it is but nature and natural. good poem. congratulation.10 (Report)Reply
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Hometown, Current City, or Business Address: Jersey City, NJ
Keywords: Basketball, Morris County, Layups 4 Life, 3v3, Charity, Roxbury, Morris County, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cancer, Fundraiser, Charity, Sports
Layups 4 Life (www.layups4life.org) is a non-profit organization that raises vital funds for cancer research and clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, located in New York City. Dan Exter, founder and cancer survivor, has made it his personal mission to give back and raise money in the hope of creating a cancer-free future.
To date, Layups 4 Life has raised over $30,000 for MSKCC. With those funds we have made contributions to leukemia, pediatric and bone marrow research departments at Sloan. One of our organization's biggest fundraising events is our annual charity 3v3 basketball tournament. This year's tournament takes place on Saturday April 29th, at Roxbury High School in Succasunna, NJ (10:30am - 5pm).
In the past 2 years, we have had 40 teams participate in our basketball tournament. It is a fun day filled with music, food, raffles, contests and of course basketball! We encourage families to come out and support their players while enjoying a fun day in the community.
It is our belief that we can make a difference in the fight against cancer "One Layup at a time."
REGISTER A TEAM: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/layups-4-life-3rd-annual-3-on-3-charity-basketball-tournament-tickets-28473218162
MAKE A DONATION: http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR/GivingPages/AnnualGiving?team_id=57638&pg=team&fr_id=2861


text:
Try the FREE version of the Award winner App "Bo's Bedtime Story"
Bo's Bedtime Story - FREE Bo the Giraffe App for Toddlers and Preschoolers!
What is it about?
Try the FREE version of the Award winner App "Bo's Bedtime Story"! Get to know the funny and playful Bo the Giraffe and help him with his bedtime routine. 3 of the 10 fun educational games are included in this version.
App Screenshots
App Store Description
Try the FREE version of the Award winner App "Bo's Bedtime Story"! Get to know the funny and playful Bo the Giraffe and help him with his bedtime routine. 3 of the 10 fun educational games are included in this version.
Award winning App for Preschoolers!
- "Presented with charming graphics, a pleasant sound track and read with narration that is inviting, this app is perfect to explore while cuddled up on your child's bed. Bo is a great going-to-bed buddy." *USATODAY.com
- "I cannot imagine any child not wanting to use Bo's Bedtime Story EVERY night." *BestAppsForKids
- "Original, innovative and educational … another *Fun Educational Apps' Top Pick!"
- "It's cute, fun, high-quality and has lots of content that focuses on learning age appropriate skills." *Smartappforkids
- "Bo's Bedtime Story is winner of the Dutch Media Preschooler Award 2012 for Best App!"
All children need a bedtime routine, whether they like it or not..
With "Bo's Bedtime Story" your child helps Bo the Giraffe with his bedtime routine by;
- Cleaning up his room
- Undressing him
- Washing his hair
- Picking up his rubber ducks
- Drying him off
- Brushing his teeth
- Putting on his pajamas
- Bringing his bear
- Catching his bedtime story
- Giving him his goodnight kisses
And finally letting him go to sleep and dream about playing with his friends.
All these steps are done in the same order every time your child plays them, while still engaging your child with their fun and interactive content!
Recommended Age: 2 - 6 years
We always recommend that parents play the "Bo the Giraffe" Apps the first time together with their child. It's fun for your kids, and for you. For example, ask them how their bed time routine is!
* 10 engaging and fun scenes
* Model for standard bedtime routine
* Great bedtime song in the final scene
* Fun music and sounds
* Clear voice-over in English, German or Dutch
* Child-friendly interface
* Fun extra doll dress-up game
* Skills development like; listening, matching, counting and coordination
If you like "Bo's Bedtime Story" then try the other "Bo the Giraffe" Apps also!
* "Bo's Dinnertime," the great Bo the Giraffe story about all the steps around dinnertime!
* "Bo's School Day," the fun Bo the Giraffe story about all the steps around school time!
* "Bo's Jigsaw Puzzles," the fun Puzzle App with Bo the Giraffe and his friends!
* "Bo's Matching Game," the fun Memory App with Bo the Giraffe and his friends!
* "Bo's Matching Game - Christmas Gift," the FREE Christmas version of Bo's Matching Game!
As a MOMs with Apps member, we follow the
"Know what's inside" best practices for kids' apps
*PRIVACY DISCLOSURE "Bo's Bedtime Story - FREE Bo the Giraffe App for Toddlers and Preschoolers!"*
x Does not collect or share any personal data
x Does not contain any ads
X Under the "Press 3 Seconds" pop-up in the start screen a link is hidden to our other apps in the App Store
X After 3 scenes a link is available to the full version in the App Store
x Does not contain In App Purchases
x Does not contain Social Network Integration
About the "MUM" of Bo the Giraffe
Esther Naalden, writer/illustrator and mother of 2 young children, founded Heppi in 2002. With Heppi she fulfills her passion to create unique products by using her motto "less is more" and bright colors.
She uses Bo the Giraffe, an adorable and playful little giraffe, and his friends, as the main characters in her creations.
AppAdvice does not own this application and only provides images and links contained in the iTunes Search API, to help our users find the best apps to download. If you are the developer of this app and would like your information removed, please send a request to [email protected] and your information will be removed.


text: Each week features dinner, a short talk, and a time of discussion for you to share your thoughts, personal perspective or ask questions. No question is out of bounds! So, whether you're starting to explore faith, have questions, new to Christianity or just looking to connect with others - Alpha is for you!


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text:
I have been the mage rolling in dragon's blood to see if it had magical properties. I have been the druid who was upset that her overly large dire wolf companion was not permitted in the local tavern due to civilian panic. I have been married to a paranoid space archer, hunted across galaxies, and set adrift in time. I have been the villainous duke, sacrificing his people to gain power from the dark gods, and I have been the werewolf so old that he has lost his mind to the animal hunger. I have been the re-awakened vampire priestess, and the valiant heroine trying to protect her city. I have saved cities, dimensions, timelines, and gods. I have killed friends, prophets, and commoners alike. Like readers, role-players and Storytellers/Game Masters/ Dungeon Masters experience hundreds of different lives, while still only living inside their own skin.
So, it's no secret that I have been involved with roleplaying groups for quite some time, at least 14 years to be exact (Give or take a few days, or hours, I can't really remember). These experiences have varied; from forum and group posting, nightly chat room meetings (when it was still possible to find a chat room filled with decent people who wanted to actually write), to tabletop gaming and LARPing, I have had my hand in many posts when it comes to playing out characters and writing stories cooperatively. Roleplaying was when I really got my start in creative writing; I started my experience around the same time I tried to write my first 'novel' which, looking back on now, was a pretty cringe worthy endeavour for a 13-year-old. I like to think that roleplaying and writing in a co-operative fashion has helped to shape me not only as a creative individual, but as a person who is able to work well with others. I think it compliments my experience as a reader, and helps to broaden my understanding of people and the world.
Over the years I have seen online roleplaying evolve; from chat rooms to forums, from forums to social networking sites, and finally to tumblr and other such creative outlets. Let me be honest here; I don't really understand how tumblr works on the best of days, but it is still a pretty decent tool for finding skilled writers and people to bounce creative ideas off. These early writing and roleplaying experiences opened the doors for me, and got me interested in games like Dungeons and Dragons and World of Darkness, where co-operative story telling is central to making a great game.
Through all of these experiences, I've learned a few lessons and tricks, both as a DM/GM and as a player. What I want to do for you now, is lay out some of those elements. Maybe you have been roleplaying and writing for years, or maybe you are just getting involved, but these lessons and tricks may help you out, or you may just nod along and agree based on your own experience.
-"It's not a story line, it's a story maze."-
As a Dungeon Master or Game Master, it is our duty to set the scene, to hook our players, and to set them on a path to adventure and fun. As a co-operative writer, it is out duty to work out the general direction in which we want to begin writing. Both of these require an infinite amount if creativity, patience, and a willingness to put in long hours of thought. The absolute worse thing that you can do in either situation is to railroad. Yes, having a goal in mind and milestones set up are excellent, but you don't want to limit the ways in which your co-writers or party can choose to get there. I've always been fond of the "story arc" over the "store line", as it implies that there is a certain build as you progress. I'd like to push this further and say that there is a "story maze". What I mean by this is that you have a fixed beginning, a fixed middle, and a fixed end point, but the ways in which the party or partner can arrive at these key story points are not reduced to a single line of progression. Have side events ready, little moments that offer some fun and experience, some sort of reward. Don't try to force your single agenda or story, no matter how amazing it is (or you think it is). Be willing to let the party and your partner find their own way to those moments. Yes, there will be intersections that they cannot avoid, and you can leave them hints and clues that will lead them back if they start to stray too far, but don't yank on the leash and choke them when they want to explore. Likewise, don't make the maze insanely devious or daunting, or else they will get completely lost in the foliage and you will all forget the goal. make the maze interesting, and keep the walls just above eye level, so they are still surprised when they do get where you want them to go.
-"If you say no, you're closing doors. Be fluid, be free, and be ready to fly by the seat of your pants"-
Just like railroading a story, saying no to your party and your partner can lead to some very heated conflicts. Like in improv, saying "no, we aren't doing that," is like denying the creative imput. Remember, you are not trying to work against your party or partner, even if you are playing the villain. If your partner or party decide to try some solution to a problem, but it's not EXACTLY how you would have solved it, don't discredit their effort. Instead, take a step back and think if that effort would have logically worked, even if it was as insane as charging on to a field of battling ogres covered in dragon's blood and dancing in order to distract them to buy the civilians time to escape. It may not be YOUR ideal solution, but that does not mean that it can't work. Who knows, it may become one of the best moments among the party or between you and your partner, and open new doors that you hadn't even thought of when it comes to how the story can progress.
-"Discussion, both in character and as players, is a key to keeping it fun."-
This may not apply so much to the DM/GM situation, but it is a valuable tool. While having subtle characters is excellent, having no clue what any of your party members are actually doing can be a major issue. In group forum and one-on-one writing I like to call this the OOC (Out of Character) discussion. While you have an agenda in your writing and for your character, being 100% obscure and non-communicative has one of two outcomes: your character is evil and it comes as no surprise when they betray the rest of the party, or you end up having absolutely no fun because your major concern is keeping everyone else rom knowing anything about what is going on. Take the time with your group or your partner to find out what it is they want to accomplish, what it is they are looking to gain from playing a given character, and incorporate those goals into your own goals. All players should be able to be involved, both in character and out of character, in taking the story in certain directions. This is a bit more level when there are only two people involved in the co-operative writing, but it is useful in the party environment as well. It keeps everyone involved and feeling as though they are really contributing to the eventual outcome of the story. There is nothing worse than having created an amazing character, only to have them turn out to be a faceless pawn, dwarfed by the desires of a single person.
-"No one likes a god-moder!"-
God-moding, meta gaming, Mary Sue-ing. All of these imply the worst case scenario for the creative and dedicated role player. It implies the creation of a character who has, among other things, uncannily powerful abilities (that surpass all others and are even better than what they should normally be. Think of it like an over-powered house rule spell of magic missile . . . where that missile is not only heat seeking, but nuclear powered and able to pass through solid walls until it hits the target.) This applies to players and DM/GM's alike. No one is untouchable, even if they are "the ultimate good" or the looming "big bad." You cannot control the actions of your party like you would a puppet, even if you are the master puppeteer. You can only influence. Please, don't god mode, as it drags everyone down when they don't get to play their role because someone else is already "on it because I once found a scroll of +10 to any skill I wanted and I've saved it for this very moment," or because it seems like their actions have absolutely no influence on the progression of the story or the outcome of events. In canon written role-play, these are often the "OC/ Original Characters" who suddenly appear on the scene and seem to know exactly what is going on, exactly want needs to be done, and trump the most powerful characters in the given canon universe. I hate to sound like a broken record, but please, no god-moding. It takes all the fun out of roleplaying for everyone except the god-moder.
-"Be creative, but keep the game mechanics in mind!"-
There is nothing quite like roleplaying and roleplaying games to bring out the most creative crazy ideas in people. All of this, of course, can't work if you don't seriously consider game mechanics. They are there for a reason! Your clerics and paladins should be behaving in certain ways, and the threat of the removal of divine (good or evil) powers should not be tossed out the window. It should not be done lightly, but it should always be in the back of these character's minds. Just like you can't have a ranger or druid slaughtering innocent forest animals for no reason, you also can't have alignments and builds that truly violate the carefully established game mechanics. Yes, there is an element of creativity, but there are some of these elements that can severely handicap a GM/DM in their ability to create a story and keep everything functioning. Say you wanted to be a necromancer, but you wanted to be"good" aligned. While and interesting dynamic, it would drastically alter how a GM/DM structures their story, especially if there are divine elements at play in their larger plot. If you want to be a good aligned Necromancer, you have to keep in mind that there are other good and neutral aligned characters, likely in your party, who would be duty bound to kill you for violating the sanctity of life and death, not because they dislike you, but because it is integral to how their character mechanics work.
This mostly has to do with party games, so to relate it to forum posting is a bit more difficult. I would say the equivalent is respecting limits set by characters, and playing canon characters with at least a comparable level of understanding for who they have been written. Hermione Granger should be intelligent and stubborn; Rogue should have major issues with trust and letting people in. Be true to the personality, no matter what story parameters change. This goes double for one on one role-playing. Just because you are writing with a partner, don't assume that your characters are immediately going to click. Let the connections work themselves out.
-"Be well rounded, like that giant boulder in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark"-
Yes, we all love combat, and yes, we all also love loot. However, doing nothing but killing monsters and tackling long session of combat can get really boring. Just like a "monster of the week" progression, repeated the same thing over and over can get tiring and de-motivational for players. There are more ways to earn experience and to progress as a character than through combat alone. Give your partner or players things to think about, mysterious to work out, riddles to solve, personal troubles to deal with. This is were back story can come in handy. Whether you are the GM/Dm, or the co-writer in a one-on-one session, have your counterpart(s) come up with a back story for their characters. If you are playing canon characters, see if there are things your partner would like to work in, to round out their characters. Once those are established, find ways to work them in to the storytelling experience. Not only will it help keep the roleplay from becoming monotonous, but it will also be a way to make sure that they are invested in the story and in their character. It will also help to keep things rolling and prevent things rom falling flat and coming to a complete halt. I like to use riddles, word puzzles, and guide my players to explore their interests through their characters, or to explore their characters interests through the world. I've seen this result in hilarious side adventures and stories that help to make characters more real: ever wanted to be worshipped like a god by a backwards village? or, maybe you've been wanting to join a guild, but just can't manage to carry that oddly bloody bag of cabbages past the doorman? Puzzles and roleplaying are key to helping the experience become something memorable.
In writing and story driven versus experience gaining stories, this can be related to adding in another genre; sure, you want slice of life, but that doesn't mean that you can't weave in elements of intrigue, suspense, mystery, or even horror. This will all depend on the partner/party dynamic, but there are so many choices that they are, quite literally, almost endless options.
-"Being evil is fun."-
There is nothing quite the same as feeling the power you get to wield as the adversary. Having the chance to pay the "evil" (subjective to campaign, as we all know, so instead of "evil", lets just call them the antagonist) role is the cherry on top of the perfect sunday. It is not an easy role, but it comes with a lot of really nifty benefits. However, you have to remember that you are not playing AGAINST everyone else; there is nothing in it for you if you destroy your party or your partner every time, and they will become angry and dispassionate about continuing. Instead, you want to offer a challenge to the protagonists; in most cases, you are playing on both sides of the line when you take on the role of the antagonist. This character is a tool through which you can guide and build up for party or partner, it is one of the major simmering points that will help you boil the story up to its penultimate moments. Your antagonist should not be all-powerful (even if they are a god), and they should not be untouchable. Unlike Descent (Fantasy Flight, thank you for this game, but it is frustrating to lose, both as a player and as the overlord), you gain nothing from making your party or partner lose every encounter. At the same time, you don't want them to just be able to walk over your key antagonistic figures. There is a very fine balance between playing a great antagonist, and either playing an overarching tyrant or an underpowered pushover. This has by far been the hardest part about roleplaying for me, and the writing which I struggled with the most. Ultimately, you have to find a way to feel as if you are succeeding when your players and partners surmount your challenges, rather than looking at it like a lose for yourself. most of all, you have to learn to enjoy the dark side, or it will become tedious to keep coming up with new flavours and encounters to keep both you and your party invested in the experience.
-"Not everything will work for every body. Be open to constructive criticism."-
It's not great to hear, but sometimes we are not perfect. Writer, Player, or GM/DM, you have to be open to constructive criticism. It might seem like an attack on your ability, but if you listen, it can help you grow not only as a player, but as a creative talent. There is the saying "give me the grace to accept what I cannot change" . . . or something like that; in roleplaying, you have to opportunity to adjust and change those things that don't work in your style, in your skill. Take them. This can do hand in hand with the railroading story. Listen to what your players and partners want when things seem to hit a wall and, barring extreme cases, you can most certainly find a way to work things out, no matter what role you are playing. Be willing to adapt and consider change, it is the best way to deal with these kinds of problems. No one gains from talking or playing against a brick wall, so be aware!
On the other side, if you are writing with a partner or for a party, and no matter what you do you just don't seem to be meshing on any level, you CAN say so. Talk about what issues you are having, where you think improvement could be made, and be willing to be told the same things that you tell others. The best thing you can do is incorporate the changes, and come back. You don't have to cater to everyone, but you do have to make sure that everyone can get on the same level, even if that means you need to step up your own game!
-"When in doubt, puzzle it out."-
If you are having difficulties, either with the story or your character, you have the ability to take a step back and re-evaluate your approach. You may not be able to reallocate ability scores or skill points, but you can figure out a way to make those factors work FOR you, instead of against you. It's like having a social rogue character with really high scores to diplomacy, intimidate, and bluff, but as a person having a hard time making those come across in your in-character roleplaying. You as a person may be absolutely horrid at diplomatic interactions, or crafting a foolproof lie ( My social rogue couldn't bluff for the life of her, even though she had a score somewhere in the 30s. Notoriously she attempted to pass herself off as 'Room service; cleaning and incineration' when attempting to sneak in through the back doors of one of the outer levels of Hell.) It's all about finding a way to have fun, and to make the skills you want your character to have work for your playing style. If you are not having fun with your skills or your character, you need to openly talk about it with you DM/GM or your partner, and see what kind of agreement you can come to in order to make your experience fun. This type of game and writing it all about figuring out what works and what doesn't, and how to navigate the churning seas that lie between your imagination and the game itself.
Roleplay is where we get to explore not only the action and adventure, but the inner thought process of our characters. It's not about having all the cool powers and gadgets (thought those are always fun), but it's about making your writing partners see the inner character, the subtle nuance behind the choices and the action. It's about giving them some emotional connection to you, beyond just the fact that your characters live in the same world and happen to travel in the same circles.
Above all, and I mean this, you need to be having fun! If you are not having fun, as a player, a partner, a Game Master, etc., then you need to address the issue. If you aren't having fun, the other people you play with are going to notice, and it is going to colour the experience for them as well. Sometimes it means you need to step back and take a break to reevaluate your interest in playing. Sometimes it means you've fallen into a rut and you need to break some habits that have become unconscious inclusion. Most of all, it means that something isn't going to way it is supposed to. Even if your characters are in the most dire situations, if you are not invested, if you are NOT having fun, YOU need to speak up!