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Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Moving to New Zealand Plug
You may have missed it but some folks in Wellington posted a comment requesting to plug a new dvd about moving to New Zealand. They are from the east coast US and are now living in Wellington. Anything that helps skilled labour move to NZ is OK by me. Granted I've never seen this video so can't vouch for it. But if they wanted to send me a free dvd, and I'll check weather its good, and later post a nice review I would.
send to:
21A Cathedral Pl
Parnell, Auckland
Yes it's a shameless ploy for something free, but hey, I'm already in NZ and don't really need to watch it.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 11:22:00 PM 0 comments
My first duo sport swim/run
I did a Stroke and Stride event at St. Heliers. 750m swim, 3 k run and I am pooped. I was really nervous about it, mostly about the transition and not having the flash gear, and having my blabs hanging out everywhere.
When I arrived at the race there were some real pros (totally buff hot people) walking around. Crap-oh-crap I thought. Well I walked around and eyed some ladies that looked more my style sat down and set out my stuff. Turned out they were talking about doing other runs/thons/tris etc or about how they got home drunk the other night. Whew! My kind of people.
I pushed it really hard for the 750m swim because I knew swimming was my better suite. What sucked is that I got out of the swim early in the pack and then just had everybody pass me on the run. I only passed two people running a - girl walking and an old man doing a half gnome like kiwi-shuffle (the guys start 20 minutes before the girls).
And I won a cool hat at the prize give away. I'm definitely going to do another event soon. I'll drag Adam along next time so I won't have to ride my bike home. That was the grilling bit. That added another 25km to my day on top of 8 hours at work. Work is definitely going to get in the way here soon.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 11:03:00 PM 0 comments
Monday, November 17, 2008
Parenting Beyond Belief
For all the parents out there, I came across a really cool seminar for parents:
Participants learn effective ways to encourage religious literacy without indoctrination; help kids interact productively with a religious world; help kids develop active moral reasoning; weigh church-state issues in the public sphere; address sensitive issues with religious relatives using the principles of nonviolent communication; help children develop a healthy understanding of death and a joyful love of life; build a family atmosphere of fearless questioning and boundless wonder; and much more.
Here's the link:
Posted by Roberta Robles at 6:21:00 PM 0 comments
Sunday, November 16, 2008
I did the Auckland Harbour Crossing!
Yay, I swam across the Auckland Harbour today in the organized sea swim. I could have swam a lot farther. I think I'll try to do another ocean swim for a farther distance. They do a swim around Rangitoto that is about 4.8kms. I think the only thing holding me back is the chafing around my neck from my wetsuit. I used some anti-chafing stuff (comes in a deodorant type dispenser), which helped, but I still have a sensitive raw ring around my neck that burned like hell when I took a bath. I'll post my time result when they come in.
I was going to go for a jog today too, to start preparing for a triathlon, but I fell fast asleep after my bath. I'm making up for the last two sleepless nights. I think I was a little nervous, glad I finished and had fun.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 5:44:00 PM 1 comments
Monday, November 10, 2008
Auckland Harbour Crossing Swim
It's time for me to do something crazy. I've been training for the Auckland Harbour Swim. I think I'm prepared. Yesterday I swam 3000 metres at the Parnell baths (cold saltwater pool), and I have been doing some open water swims with a local group at Kohimarama so feel fairly prepared, but it will still be a challenge. I'm looking forward to it. Wish me luck!
I hope my teeth don't get too cold and fall out.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 6:17:00 PM 2 comments
Dental Implants in New Zealand
As some of you may know, I've had some dental problems stemming from an accident as a little girl. My two front teeth, literally, where knocked dead and I have been very careful with a second set of crowns on them. They finally both came loose at the same time, and I had both of the entire tooth pulled and two titanium implant posts as replacements. Titanium apparently does a really good job of 'melding' to the jaw bone. I have some really gross photos to go with the event. Dr. Collins at Newmarket Dental and Dr. Myers at the Institute of Dental Implantology. This website explains what happened.
This is a not-so-gross photo, but there are plenty more really gross ones here. These are my actual 'not' teeth. Oddly enough these new teeth (with temporary crowns until I get porcelain replacements in a couple of months) feel tons stronger than my natural teeth. Now I have a bionic mouth! And, yes, it was really expensive.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 5:59:00 PM 4 comments
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Still on the bicycle challenge
I've been riding to work everyday rain or shine. Yay, it's been fun and I've lost a little weight, fortunately no close encounters with cars since day 1.
Yesterday I opted not to ride my bike because of a dentist appointment, then I was going to take a taxi to work. For various reasons I ended up riding the bus to work during rush hour and it was soooo painfully slow. Urgh, I'd rather ride my bike in the pouring rain than ride the bus in rush hour. People were walking faster than the bus and I still had to walk a kilometer or so to work so what is normally a 8-10 minute bike ride turned into an hour long bus commute.
On the dentist, my front tooth cracked off from a weak crown and now I have to get a dental implant. It's going to be soo fun! I can't wait, plus I have nothing better to spend my money on. Dental insurance doesn't cover 'cosmetic' - since when does replacing a tooth equate to cosmetics? Insurance companies suck.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 7:54:00 AM 3 comments
Friday, August 15, 2008
Month One on My Bike
So it's been about four weeks since I've been commuting to work by bike. I'm much more savvy in traffic than my first day when I got hit by a car. Except now I completely take over a lane when I need to and don't give a fuck sake whether they start honking their horn. At least they see me. The days are getting longer so I'm mostly riding during the day. Still having fun on it, got all the traffic lights dialed.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 7:47:00 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Some US vs NZ musings
We've been out of the country for just over 3 years, having lived in Costa Rica and now New Zealand for the last two years. I certainly do miss the conveniences of living in the states. There's a lot of things that are just faster (internet), cheaper and easier in the US vs. living in NZ. I won't go into those details. However, the one thing that disturbed me the most was the high level of homelessness in the US. We stayed at a friend's in San Francisco and for the three days. We watched homeless people either shoot up crack or taking shits on porches. Once you've numbed yourself to the spectacle its easier to ignore.
If you live in the US you just stop seeing homelessness after a while. Its just another disturbance in everyday life that you don't notice any more. It was very disturbing to be reminded of the absolute thing I had had always tried to forget, living in Portland.
In New Zealand, yes are there homeless people who obviously need help. But, not anywhere near the level as in the US. Yes, we pay a lot of taxes here but at least we know where it's going - you know - minor things like health care and housing.
Right now the sub-prime housing crisis has drawn plans from Washington to save Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae, but how is the new legislation going to actually trickle down to actual home owners (and when is trickle down doing to leave the english language)? The Secretary of HUD is saying it's going to do more harm than good for actual homeowners. I bet it's all about the details of the implementation plan, that favor the shareholders of the corporate entities.We've got respected Slate.com saying it's a good thing and we have PBS saying it's a bad thing. I'm inclined to agree with PBS, let the markets run it's course and stop bailing out these quasi-private-public agencies.
Also why isn't there more journalistic in depth analysis of this? It took me forever to find even a small amount of information on this subject. Oh yeah, that's right homelessness is ignored...it's all about the corporate bailout.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 7:38:00 PM 2 comments
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
I Got Hit by a Car on My First Day Commuting by Bike
Yes, sadly, Auckland drivers are totally dildos. It was a pathetic wet rainy morning and some douchenozzlette on her way to work drove by me and clipped me with her mirror. The best part was she didn't stop.
I bitched her out at the next intersection, scaring the living shit out of her. I forgot to get her plate numbers. Here's what Cycle Action Auckland say to do about reporting incidences. It looks like I'll be filing a report.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 8:42:00 PM 3 comments
Monday, July 21, 2008
Bicycle Challenge #1 Complete
They were so sure of the Bianchi Volpe as a steel tough commuting bike at the shop they humourously challenged me to test it. The smirky smile on Adam's face acknowledged that if there was something to break I would find it.
I fully admit I'm the asshat twit who doesn't know how to shift gears. It's an honest mistake, I haven't been on a bike in years. You just have to pedal when your shifting, but I forgot about the 'lifting up' as you shift part. Doh! I snapped my bike chain going up the steep bumpy hill. AND, I couldn't get my foot out of my pedals and I careened over and landed my side-ass on my seat post.
I've been on vacation for the last month and my first Monday back to work didn't go to well.
Adam saved the day and my bike is working so I'm going to give it another try tomorrow. Gotta go ice my ass now...
Posted by Roberta Robles at 11:01:00 PM 0 comments
Friday, July 18, 2008
My Bianchi Volpe
Yay, I'm so excited about my new bike, a Bianchi Volpe! We are like one now that I have the clipless peddles. I can power up our steep bumpy driveway. I was really hesitant to get a new bike for fear I wouldn't ride it. That is definitely not going to be the case with this bike. It's such a pleasure to ride. I just went out and rode about 40ks and this is the first time I've been on a bike in over 3 years, dam! It's been too long.
Here's a cute little pin-up at the local wetland park - Roberta Reserve - that's on the round the bay bike loop.
Somehow Adam and I stumbled into American Cyclery, what must be one of the best bicycle shops I've been in for a while. After experiencing some asshats down the street, the guys at American cyclery were like talking to some old friends who had some great bikes to share. I spent practically the entire day testing out all of the bikes before landing on the steel frame Volpe. I think it reminded me of my old Bridgestone in college. Anyway big thanks to the mechanic and the guys adding the commuting paraphanelia (racks, fenders etc). They didn't try to sell me the most expensive gear, just what was practical.
Again thanks to Adam for putting it together and teaching me to tune, and June for getting it to the airport. I'm a happy bike rider again! Let's hope car drivers don't ruin it for me.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 4:09:00 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Back in the States Part 4 of 4 : San Francisco and Beyond
After High Sierra we spent 3 days recovering in San Francisco at Adam's sister's and her b.f. Kevin's place. We were pretty burnt and spent practically the entire time taking naps on the floor in their tiny apartment. Kevin took the time to explain the strategy of the Tour de France, or just road bicycle racing in general. And we basically tried to stay out of June's way cuz she works (a lot) from home and we were probably a little annoying with all of our floor snoring.
However, I must say, June performed a rockin' sisterly-like finale when, after the large size cab failed to show up, she drove us to the airport. This is after reserving a Zip car truck over her phone-gadget. Whoa! Sweet Jesus we are in the land of car sharing bliss. June got us to the airport in record timing, using her long-forgotten farm truck driving ways. Yee-ha! We had to have the truck to carry my new bicycle in along with all our stateside bootie.
Also a big hello again to everybody we saw: Kristen, Darren, Art, Josh, Josh's look alike cousin, Art, Tianna, Monty, Jim Bean, Monica, Isabella, Patrick, Jerry, Jarren, Simone, Brian V., Mom, Andrea, water gun fights with Andre, Tio, Larry, Rachel & Kurt, Tanna, Marya and family, Jeanette and all of those kool kids at the baby shower, Pete, Kevin's family, Trisha and Ted & co, Megan and Dave atari, Nancy and J, and of course Gene and Charlotte and the goats (cheese!), Chuck and his family, Pam and Mark, Erin, Dawn, Angie, Natalie, Jen and daughter, Angie's mom, Dad, Sheila, Tommy, Roger, Shanna and Brian, Dan, Ian, Dr Dan, Jamie, Kevin and Christy, Nancy and Kevin, Kearstin. There's a number of people I may have forgotten and there are a number of people we didn't get to see that we really wanted to.
Fortunately it's a small world and there will be more time to visit soon enough, though it does seem like time has been flying by. It seems like just a couple of months ago since we left Portland for Costa Rica. I'll refrain from digging back further into the pre-blog memories such as living in Ashland, Florence, The Dalles, Ithaca NY, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and even Klamath Falls. Yikes I'm either getting old or have I always been a sort of vagabond? Probably a little of both.
Now it's just nice sleeping in my own bed.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 8:37:00 PM 0 comments
Back in the States Part 3 of 4 : High Sierra
By far the highlight of our trip to the states was High Sierra Music Festival. We've been to High Sierra about 4 or 5 times now and we both always have an incredibly good time.
We usually camp in the same spot with generally the same people - friends from Klamath Falls and Portland. Here's some photo albums:
Dr Dan's Photo Album
Dan the Man's Photos
Adam's and my photos including other vacation pictures.
Some musical highlights of the Festival for us include:
Ryan Montbleu
The Everybody Fields
The Weather Underground
and the James Hunter Band
By the end of the festival Adam was so inspired he proposed to me, so now we are engaged, and no I'm not pregnant. More on this marriage topic later...
Posted by Roberta Robles at 12:17:00 PM 1 comments
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Back in the States Part 2 of 4 :On the goat farm
Originally uploaded by Kingnerd
Roberta is out at a camp with her sister and kids but will be coming to the goat farm party tomorrow. It should be a big one, probably upwards of 50 people. Good times. We have all the food prepared already so we aren't rushing around today.
In a couple days we are off to Klamath Falls to visit some friends and then it is 4 days at a music festival. I can't wait to be overstimulated with music.
Posted by King Nerd at 8:49:00 AM 3 comments
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Back in the State Part 1 of 4: Portland
As most of you know we spent the last three weeks in the States. Here's were we went and did.
Darren and Kristen graciously hosted us, again, in their large beautiful home in northwest. I really connect with Kristen, and Darren is always so sweet (even though he looks like a bad-ass). That night their band The Chapman Swift played, where Kristen turned into a rock-n-roll diva, Darren a killer drummer, Dan on bass, and Josh and Art on guitar. Art's girl Tianna (sp?) and I got the crowd shaking their booties and we had a really good time. I need to spend more time with Tianna, she's cool.
The next day we hung out with Monty and had a game night which also included Jim Bean - an American who spent some time in NZ learning how to hunt wild pig . We had lots to talk about, haha. I hope some day we'll live in the same town as Monty so we can have regular game nights.
I also had a chance to hang out with Monica and family which was fun. More on family later.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 10:02:00 AM 0 comments
Monday, June 16, 2008
Trip to Melbourne
Adam had a conference in Australia so we decided to spend some time in Melbourne. We've been hearing a lot of good things about Melbourne. Everything we had heard was true. Melbourne is a spectacularly cool city. I don' really know how it ranked lower than Auckland. Melbourne was much nicer than Auckland, except maybe because it was a lot colder than expected.
Here's some pictures of the trip.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 10:55:00 AM 0 comments
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Advanced Rider Training at Puekohe
Two weekends ago I went to the Pukekohe racetrack for the Advanced Rider Training. I've been meaning to get to the race track. I've always figured that it would be good to test my bike in a safe(r) environment. What I didn't think/realize was that I would have a farkin blast! It was so fun. And so dangerous at the same time.
Here's a video of me passing on the inside, bout three people. Though I was in the novice slow group, I was passing a lot. Though, I probably could have ridden in the next group up, I opted not to as I didn't need to push it. It was a learning, not racing day.
I don't think I'm going to go to the race track again for a while. It's dangerous and I should probably stick to hobbies that don't burn a bunch of fossil fuels or can get me killed instantly.
Posted by King Nerd at 10:45:00 AM 0 comments
Thursday, May 01, 2008
ANZAC Trip around the East Cape
Adam had a couple of gigs in his band so I took off for a motorcycle ride around the East Cape of New Zealand. I didn't know anybody who was into distance riding.
View Larger Map
ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps, and ANZAC day is a public holiday (yay!). It's the last three day weekend at the end of summer. Adam and I were going to go to the Great Barrier Island but the music thing was something Adam is really into at the moment (somebody ask him to post his song, it's very 'poppy polynesian').
So, about the East Cape, very very similar to the Oregon Coast except they have some bad ass natives (as compared to oregon coastal crusties).
From the New Zealand website encyclopedia, the area is pre-eminently a farming district, with very little industry and few alternative avenues of economic development. It has, however, a large and rapidly growing Maori population requiring in the immediate future increased opportunities for employment. The East Cape offers the social scientist a remarkable field of research; for its Maori community, having experienced the shock of a new culture, is in the process of adjusting itself to modern civilisation in a largely agricultural economy where population growth is rapid.
However what they don't tell you is sometimes the Maoris shut down the roads in protest. Anyhoo, I pulled into a gas station that was hidden behind a dairy (gas pumps are few and far between). I was hopping on my bike and turned and saw this heavily face tattood Maori guy pull in and it totally scared the crap out of me, as its intended. I was told that face tattoos are supposed to scare you, but this article gives the history of the Maori face tattoo, basically it's the person's life history on their face.
Photo from eyeteeth on flicker Read more about this Maori activist Tame Iti
Posted by Roberta Robles at 7:36:00 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Crapstix blog hacked on holiday
Margaret you've won this round but revenge is imminent.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 8:34:00 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 27, 2008
blog hijacking
Adam must have logged in to blogger when he was over last night, and he's still signed in. Hey the door was open, I just walked in. By using the word "hijacking", you will be monitored by a secret government agency, but I suspect they are already watching.
Roberta is on a motorcycle trip to the East Cape, and I'm not envying her today because rain is pissing down. It's not too cold though, so she should be good with her heated vest.
Adam recorded and mixed a song for his fab new band. He was here last night with his favorite board game, Tigris and Euphrates. He won the first game, but once the rest of us caught on, there were battles everywhere and Darin came from behind to win the second game. I made a totally kickass chili and strawberry lemonade (with tequila for some of us/me).
Posted by King Nerd at 8:49:00 AM 0 comments
Monday, March 31, 2008
Pukekohe Park Raceway on my SV650
My first ever day on a race track on my motorbike. I was scared shitless the whole time! It was an open track day, which means that anybody can show up and ride some loops for $90 bucks, everybody together.
I was invited by James who gave me a pre lesson on the track and curves. I didn't remember a bit of it. One guy on the track told me to think about gearing but I couldn't remember even that. On the first run I was just concentrating on holding a steady line on the track so that people could predict my movement and race around me.
On the second run I did a little bit better. During the break I took a mini nap and decided that the only thing I wanted to work on was counter steering and counterbalancing my weight on the foot pegs.
By the third run I knew all of the corners and how they should feel in the curves. I was confident to push my speed limit and went up to 170km on the flat straight stretch. This means I broke my own personal boundary of going over 100mph.
Later I was sitting on the guard rail and another biker came up to me and told me I was really brave for getting out there. I was thinking either that or really stupid in my head.
Somebody ask James why his bike is so dirty, I thought that enduros were for off-road?
That is my blue SV650 in the back.
Posted by King Nerd at 5:39:00 PM 0 comments
Monday, March 24, 2008
Happy Zombie Jesus Day
Easter... when Jesus rose from the dead... and we all know what a person is when he rises from the dead...
Next year we are having a zombie themed party on Easter. Maybe we will make some brain shaped easter eggs and have a "Zombie Jesus Day Brains Hunt".
Posted by King Nerd at 11:32:00 AM 2 comments
Good Friday Run in the Auckland Domain
Last Friday as the sun started to fade I had to kick start my lazy, pms bitchin', cranky ass and go for a bloody run in the Auckland Domain. I did a couple of rounds around the domain before it started to get too dark (map). I usually run up and down the grass hills to save my knees from pavement pounding
There were numerous 'unofficial' games of soccer and rugby going on. As I was running up Pukekaroa hill the full moon popped over the hill and a rugby team started to do a haka chant.
The Pukekaroa hill is famous as two warring Maori tribes came to a peace deal so the new European emmigrants set aside the land (very nice of them to do that). Here's a picture of the totara tree commemorating the first Maori king Although the concept of a Maori king is a European construct as the Maoris didn't have one leader until the Europeans came, anyhoo...I've digressed from my run story.
I guess the moral of the story for me is; I guess it's OK to pop pms induced candy-coated ibuprofen if I have my period on a full moon, which has been occurring quite regularly, makes me feel healthy and connected to the stars... And it's OK if I get to see a bunch of cute Maori rugby players doing the haka under a full moon in the Auckland Domain...just for themselves (and me!).
Posted by Roberta Robles at 10:11:00 AM 0 comments
Saturday, March 22, 2008
"No photography permitted" sign is missing exclamation points!!!!
Or maybe better yet, I will take pictures of the silly sign and post them on the internet.
Posted by King Nerd at 6:57:00 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Shot of Americana
We met Margaret and Darren via the blog, they moved to NZ just after us, and we've been hanging out since. We went to the cheesefest together and they've blogged about it as well.
There's something about hanging out with americans that is comforting. Out and about in Auckland on a day to day basis its a myriad of internationals; south africans, pommies, irish, asians, indians, eastern europeans, and a few token kiwis.
There's a lot of nice people in New Zealand, it's a great place to meet other internationals, but sometimes it's fun to hang with other americans.
We just bought our tickets for a mega trip back to the states from aprox. June 24- July 11th. I suppose we'll get a major americana shot in the arm then.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 8:17:00 AM 0 comments
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Adam took this picture at the fair. It was so funny and terrible at the same time. The evil carnie just kept the ride going and going and everybody was watching and laughing. Luckily she caught on stopped crying and the carnie let her off.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 12:16:00 PM 0 comments
Strummin' the blues with my Ukelele
I'm nursing a hangover this morning. Although I shouldn't talk about drinking too much, cause then my mom sends me a stink eye, yet nicely worded e-mail.
Went to see Iron and Wine last night and it totally sucked, which totally sucks cause I really like all of their albums (except for the opera one). Adam aptly described it - they usually travel with an eight piece band, came to NZ with six piece band and didn't fill the gaps very well.
On that note here's my ukelele! I didn't want to talk about my beautiful $50 ukelele, cause I wasn't sure if I would like or even be good at playing it but I think I have potential??! I've been learning new songs with Adam. I think I'm OK with it, but I need to start learning how to sing. I need a lot of work there. It's kind of fun playing depressing songs on the happy sounding ukelele, though proly not suitable for serious blues tunes.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 12:01:00 PM 0 comments
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Auckland Cheese Fest more like Auckland Snooze Fest
I need to say that I really enjoy most kinds of cheese. Soft cheese, hard cheese, mold ripened, flavored cheese, blue cheese, pump cheese for nachos at Circle-K. You name it, I will eat it so when I heard that there was an Auckland Cheese Festival where you pay $35 and eat as much cheese as you want I got fairly excited.
The doors opened at 5:00 and we thought that we would get there early to beat the crowds. At 5:00 the place was already packed as it looked like they oversold the venue. It was so packed that you would have to push your way to the front to get a couple chunks of cheese and then scamper off to a quiet corner to nibble on it like a scared mouse.
Another huge problem that I had with the cheese there was that it was all mid-level supermarket cheese quality. There was one whole table that was just Fontera cheddar. This is the basic utilitarian block cheese for burritos. I taste that every day. The brie was below average quality. There was some decent hard goats cheese but I kept coming back to the fact that the cheese tasting table at the French Market in Parnell was substantially better quality and selection.
The $70 that Roberta and I paid to taste some grocery store cheese was completely overpriced. All 5 of us should have spent that money on cheese from the French Market and had a party instead.
The only good part of the night was that Darin, Roberta and I went to the casino and put $40 down on Roulette and came out $70 ahead which dropped the overall price of the night to a much more acceptable level. Roberta picked the winning number of 21. We are going to be dragging her back to the casino against her will.
Wow, my first real rant post. It feels good. Expect more of these.
Posted by King Nerd at 9:26:00 AM 2 comments
Labels: cheese
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Strategy games...
I took an onliine personality test online. I got it from linkfilter but I lost the link (first i've taken since college). Anyway, it said I was a strategist. We've been having thursday night strategy board games, with some competive types. We've been playing all those games that are based on city building: Carcasone, Settlers of Cattan, El Grande (one of Adam's new favorites). Sometimes work is kind of like ok, "a city will go here and we will connect it with this". Just more crap to process in the real world... anyhoo...!
I just couldn't believe all of those games had wiki pages?!? Gamers are nerdy bunches...
Posted by Roberta Robles at 8:00:00 PM 0 comments
Monday, March 03, 2008
3 Year Old Girl - Oldest in Africa
I love the Ted Talks series. Adam and I don't have TV so if I get bored I'll go to Ted Talks for something interesting to watch.
This latest one is about an archealogist in Africa who found one the oldest human species in the Badlands in Africa. What makes it interesting is that he draws parallels with what Africa is going through now. good stuff...though it is twenty minutes..
Posted by Roberta Robles at 7:19:00 PM 0 comments
Saturday, March 01, 2008
American's Cup Sailing Trip
We went on a sail trip and we got to go sailing on the boats that won the America's cup. I had a good time practicing pirate speak when the let me steer!
Of note, the family of Sir Edmond Hillary were spreading his ashes in the Auckland Harbour while we were out on the Spirit of New Zealand training boat. I feel like a local now.
From the AP:
In his book "View From the Summit," Hillary wrote that he did not want his final resting place to be in some crevasse on a mountain, observing that he had "been down too many of them for that to have much appeal."
Instead he wanted his ashes to be "spread on the beautiful waters of Auckland's Hauraki Gulf to be washed gently ashore" on the beaches near his birthplace.
"Then the full circle of my life will be complete," he wrote.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 6:20:00 PM 0 comments
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Auckland botanic gardens
Roberta and I left one morning for an exploratory drive south of Auckland. We had a general goal to head out to a beach but nothing more than that. While heading south on the motorway we saw a sign for the Auckland Botanic Garden and decided to stop.
The buildings were very modern and it was a surprise that entry was free. The grounds are huge with many different areas of interest. You can tell that it is a heavily kid oriented area, it was all the screaming that gave it away.
My favorite area in gardens is always the succulent section. They seem like the type of plants most likely to have come directly from outer space.
We would highly recommend going to the Auckland Botanic Gardens if you have a spare weekend day.
Posted by King Nerd at 3:33:00 PM 0 comments
Saturday, February 23, 2008
We need a happy cat picture!
Posted by King Nerd at 5:43:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Haka is fluffy cuteness
Lot's to say
Back in December that post about my first outlanding in Matamata was picked up by Soaring NZ via an e-mail list. It was pretty cool. On the opposite page there was an article about Richie McCaw (All-Blacks captin NZ rugby team that just lost to France). I was feeling pretty 'world-famous' in that not-so-famous NZ saying kind of way.
Unfortunately a month or so later, the same instructor that I was flying with had a fatal accident. I was pretty torn up about it but I'm OK. Here's a picture at the Lake Taupo relay I participated in. I think I'll stay on the ground for a while.
Posted by Roberta Robles at 5:36:00 PM 0 comments
Sunday, January 20, 2008
We are now surrogate Kiwis!
We got a letter today from immigration and they accepted us as residents in NZ. This has been an interesting process that wasn't too difficult at any one point. It was just a lot of small hoops.
Here is what we had to do to get residency here:
- Fill out the online Expression of Interest form to get scored to be able to apply for residency.
- Wait
- Get accepted to apply for residency. They then send you a big packet with information and more forms to fill in. There is also a big list of documents they need to process the application.
- List of documents:
- Comprehensive medial check with X-ray(for TB) and blood work
- Background checks in all countries lived in for more than one year
- This included getting fingerprints here and sending off the application to the FBI
- Proof of qualifications which included certified copies of our diplomas.
- Detailed work history
- Current contract for work in NZ
- Our current passports
- And more.
Posted by King Nerd at 7:44:00 AM 4 comments


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Like so many New Yorkers, I pass homeless people on the streets every day and wonder about them. Who are they? Where are their families? What are their stories? In 2008, I got to know some of New York's homeless while working as the community service coordinator for the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. Spending a lot of time with the residents of the synagogue's men's shelter, I learned about the Faith-Based Emergency Shelter Network, approximately 100 churches and synagogues that house volunteer- run homeless shelters in the city. I was inspired to tell the stories of the shelters' guests through my art.
In order to embody the stories of homeless individuals artistically, I decided to create a free-standing structure reminiscent of a sukkah, a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long festival of Sukkot. The inside walls tell the stories of the individuals from the shelters and the outside walls are covered with artwork created by children in family shelters. By hanging these stories on the walls of the sukkah, the homeless men, women and children become the exalted guests – the biblical ushpizin whom we traditionally invite into our sukkot every night of the holiday.
The piece was guided by two Jewish texts. Sefer Hasidim (a 12th-century legal text) teaches that "if a community lacks a place of worship and a shelter for the poor, it is first obligated to build a shelter for the poor." And in Vayikra Rabbah 34:1 (commentaries on the book of Leviticus), Rabbi Yonah says: "The verse does not say 'Happy is the one who gives to a poor person." Rather it says: 'Happy is the one who considers a poor person.' Therefore, you must consider how best to benefit such a person."
I was struck in the first quote by the directive to build a home for the poor before a house of worship and wanted to create a piece that would resemble a permanent structure. All of the children's art was created on grey fabric pieced together to look like stones when seen from a distance. On closer inspection, however, you see its temporary nature with its fabric walls and sheer roof, reminding us that although we have built shelters for our poor, we do not have a permanent solution to the problem of homelessness.
I was constantly reminded of the vast differences among the people living side-byside in the shelters. Each individual's unique story brought him or her to the shelter and each person had different needs. Since the nine inside panels tell nine distinct stories, the viewer is asked to consider them as individuals as Rabbi Yonah instructs, paying attention to one at a time.
I was deeply affected by the story of a young woman named Heather who had been a successful copy editor living on the Upper East Side. Heather had returned to school for an additional degree but when she graduated in 2008, there were no jobs and no way for her to continue paying her rent.
The left side of the piece illustrates Heather's successful life. The city skyline is a backdrop for the silhouettes that show her at work at the computer, partying with friends and shopping. The night sky in the background shimmers.
In the next section, the skyscrapers are replaced by stacks of books as she delves into her studies. Once she receives her graduation cap and diploma, the golden backdrop ends abruptly leaving only darkness. Buried in this chaos is a door with an exit sign, a door that is always available if she chooses to return to her parents' home in Georgia.
Steven, another person whose story appears in the piece, grew up on the streets of New Jersey. His mother was unable to care for him and his three sisters so they were raised by his grandmother. He dropped out of school in sixth grade and by the age of 13 he was getting high with friends, which led to a life of petty crime and hard drugs.
He was sent to a training school for boys but ended up with the same crowd. In and out of jail, he realized at the age of 42 that this was not what he wanted from life.
"Drugs will destroy your body – mentally and physically," he said. "My goal is to become a decent human being for myself and the Lord, to love myself and not hurt myself." To accomplish this, he is in a 12- step program as well as programs for behavior modification and relapse prevention. He is learning a trade and writing poetry that reflects this new outlook on life.
This piece shows his journey from the darkness of drugs to the light of religion, poetry and his profession as a plumber. The background is painted with the words from two of his poems. The first poem, which speaks about his belief in God and the need to do the right thing, is a divider between his two lives. The second, a poem he wrote for his mother about believing in yourself, pours out of an open journal toward the light of his new life.
It is my hope that those viewing the piece will be inspired to take the time to consider the homeless in their cities as the individuals they are. To learn more about the piece or to see the exhibition schedule, visit my website: www.sewingstories.com. A book which contains all of the art and stories in the piece is available on Amazon.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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With a stay at Quality Inn, you'll be centrally located in Decatur, 24.8 mi (40 km) from Fort Wayne Children's Zoo and 25.3 mi (40.8 km) from Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. This hotel is 25.8 mi (41.5 km) from Spiece Fieldhouse and 11 mi (17.7 km) from Swiss Heritage Village and Museum.
Make yourself at home in one of the 56 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and microwaves. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Bathrooms have shower/tub combinations and hair dryers. Conveniences include desks and coffee/tea makers, as well as phones with free local calls.
Enjoy the recreation opportunities such as a fitness center or make use of other amenities including complimentary wireless Internet access.
A complimentary hot/cold buffet breakfast is included.
Business, Other Amenities
Free self parking is available onsite.


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"Actuate founded and co-leads the Eclipse BIRT open source project. BIRT is the premier development environment for creating applications to visual and analyze data of any size or volume, including Big Data. Actuate's flagship product, ActuateOne, is a BIRT-based suite of commercial products for development and deployment of business analytics applications. A few of the tools included in the suite are BIRT Analytics, Actuate's latest offering delivering self-service to business users, the BIRT Performance Scorecard, and the Xenos Enterprise Server that transforms legacy documents and data into actionable intelligence. Actuate products maximize developer and end user productivity and help organizations derive faster insights for better decision-making."
"By interfacing with Amazon Redshift, Actuate provide a powerful yet easy-to-use solution for the fast-growing Big Data analytics market. Actuate and Amazon Redshift will offer customers business intelligence and business analytics on real-time Big Data workloads of any size or complexity. The joint solution provides a scalable, reliable, and secure environment that can deliver insights from the information they need – all delivered with the accessibility and cost advantages of cloud deployment."
"Actuate has certified ActuateOne's innovative suite of premier BI products to work with Amazon Redshift. Existing applications can be enhanced with transparent integration of analytical dashboards, interactive reports and stunning visualizations, all with the push-button ease of the Cloud."
- Visit our partner page at Amazon
- Visit the Actuate website


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By Steven Strouss
Give yourself plenty of extra time heading out this morning. Numerous Flash Flood Warnings are in effect and rainfall rates of 1-2+ inches per hour are occurring over our region.
The ground is saturated and streams, creeks and rivers are spilling over their banks. Street flooding and road closures are numerous and mass transit has many cancellations or delays because of the flooding.
Mud and flood waters closed parts of I-76, Kelly Drive, the Roosevelt Blvd. and parts of Rt. 38 and Rt. 70 in N.J. Many other highways and roads have high water and detours. Do not drive through flood waters; this is a very dangerous situation!
Since Monday, over eight inches of rain have fallen in parts of the Delaware Valley. All of this rain is a combination of remnants of Tropical Storm Lee combined with a slow moving cold front. The large and persistent storm system will continue to spin over our region today and the Flood Watch has been extended through this afternoon.
As of 6 a.m., heavy rain and thunderstorms continue to train over our region. Training is the term used when repeated areas of heavy rain move over the same region in a relatively short period of time, producing excessive rainfall amounts which often lead to flash flooding.
Rain chances will stay with us through the weekend, but there will be dry weather and sunshine as we head into early next week.


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CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 10, 2017 — Zenmonics, a global technology services and product company serving the banking and financial technology market, today announced a new partnership with MX, one of the world's fastest-growing fintech providers, to bring unified financial data and intuitive money management tools to its digital transformation platform, channelUNITED®. The companies announced the partnership in conjunction with delivery to a shared top-100 financial institution.
MX will deliver cleansed and categorized transaction data that makes spending behavior easier to interpret, along with redundant, reliable multi-source aggregation that paints a comprehensive financial picture for customers across their accounts. MX's award-winning user interface further assists banking customers in formulating budgets, analyzing their spending, paying down debts and assessing net worth.
"Given our focus on not only delivering a unified experience across channels but delighting users, MX's money management tools held great appeal," said Jeff Jones, COO of Zenmonics. "Helping customers better understand their financial health and become financially strong through these digital tools is critical in strengthening the trust with their financial institution."
The partnership will also provide Zenmonics clients with access to MX's Insight & Target, an analytics & marketing engine allowing financial institutions to identify their customers' external accounts — mortgages, auto loans, credit cards — and compete for that business through superior offers.
"Data is at the heart of what we do. Whether it's enabling the user to save money through proper budgeting or enabling their financial institution to better understand that user's needs and grow share of wallet through tailored offers," said MX Founder and CEO Ryan Caldwell. "We're especially excited to be delivering these capabilities through a partner like Zenmonics, given their industry leading omni-channel experience and commitment to the digital transformation of banking."
For more information about Zenmonics and MX visit www.zenmonics.com and www.mx.com.
About Zenmonics:
Zenmonics is leading financial services transformation with channelUNITED®, our flagship product. The platform confronts the challenge of your dissociated systems and channels with a pluggable architecture that supports all bank channels on a single platform. channelUNITED® is the only production software platform specifically built to power both self-service and assisted digital transformation on a single, unified technology stack. This allows both customers and associates to engage in seamless sales, servicing, origination and financial transactions from any access point.
About MX:
MX is the world leader in unified financial data, enabling financial institutions and fintech providers to collect, refine and present actionable data that empowers the world to become financially strong. Founded in 2010, MX is one of the fastest growing fintech providers, partnering with more than 1,000 financial institutions and 35 digital banking providers. For more information, visit www.mx.com.
Media Contacts:
Chris Siemasko
Chief Product Officer, Zenmonics
MX Public Relations


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Photo by Sasha Arutyunova
Bastille Day in New York
The best of what to do in and around New York this week
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This week in New York, indulge your inner conspiracy theorist with a flying saucer show-and-tell, or get festive with the French and celebrate Bastille Day a few days early. If you'd like some refreshments to go with your entertainment, join a rosé-themed picnic and music festival on Governors Island or head to the New York vs. New Jersey Brew Battle, depending on your preference. Alternatively, flee the city with a trip to the beaches of Greenport on Long Island's North Fork.
AFAR Local is our weekly insider guide to the best of what's happening in cities around the U.S.
July 7 | Sci-fi talk
Flying Saucers Are Real
Do you believe the truth is out there? Then join writer Mark Jacobson and science fiction novelist and collector Jack Womack for a show-and-tell like you've never seen before at the Morbid Anatomy Museum. Womack will display and discuss some of his finest pieces of flying saucer memorabilia, which will also be featured in his forthcoming book Flying Saucers Are Real. It's sure to be an informative and entertaining evening that blurs the boundaries between sci-fi and reality.
7 p.m. | Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424A Third Ave., Brooklyn | $8 | website
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July 9–10 | Music and rosé festival
Rosé has become the unofficial wine of summer. Celebrate the reign of this popular pink drink with New York City's first rosé-themed picnic and music festival on Governors Island. Bring your own food or buy a gourmet picnic basket from chef Chris Santos, which features such nibbles as popcorn shrimp salad and grilled peach and burrata salad. There will be 10 live musical performances and DJ sets over the two days, from the likes of Miami Horror, Claptone, and Tortured Soul. And, of course, there will be plenty of still and sparkling rosé available for purchase. Pink is the theme of the weekend, with 2,000 pink blankets spread around for guests to sit on and a strictly pink and white dress code.
12–6 p.m. | Governors Island, New York | $65 | website
July 9–10 | Escape the city
Greenport, Long Island
Nothing says summer in the city (or, rather, out of the city) than a weekend in Long Island's North Fork. While the Hamptons have the glitz, lots of other beachy spots in the area offer all the same rest and relaxation without the see-and-be-seen vibe. This weekend, check out Greenport, a historic seaside village with as much—or as little—as you need to keep you occupied. Beyond the beaches, the town itself offers an antique carousel, seaport museum, lighthouse tours, and one of the world's few public access camera obscuras. The dozens of vineyards of the North Fork are some of the area's biggest draws and are well worth checking out. Enjoy delectable food alongside fine views at Soundview restaurant, and try to get a room at the Morning Glory B&B.
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Celebrate all things French at the annual Bastille Day on 60th Street celebration hosted by the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF). This year's lineup includes a performance from the hit Broadway musical revival An American in Paris, an accordion tribute to Edith Piaf, a funny puppet show for kids, and a live screening of the 2016 UEFA European Championship Final on a giant screen in FIAF's Florence Gould Hall. There will also be French food, music, and dancing to complete the experience.
12–5 p.m. | 60th St. btw. Fifth and Lexington Aves., New York | Free | website
July 13 | Beer battle
Craft Beer Jam: New York vs. New Jersey Brew Battle
Separated by only 3,500 feet of river, New York and New Jersey couldn't feel more different. We've had our share of friendly competition, but this beer battle may be the final showdown. Head to WNYC's the Greene Space for a spirited tasting of six craft breweries from either side of the Hudson. Departed Soles, Flounder, and Angry Erik breweries will represent New Jersey while Lineup Brewing Co., Greenpoint Beer and Ale Co., and Interboro Spirits and Ales speak for New York—or, more specifically, Brooklyn. Chat with the brewers, sample their suds, and vote on a favorite.
7 p.m. | The Greene Space, 44 Charlton St., New York | $25 | website
A native New Yorker, Katherine is a freelance food and travel writer who has eaten her way across the globe and is always on the lookout for her next great meal. She is an avid reader, insatiable traveler, sometimes photographer, and mom to an inquisitive toddler.
>>Next: 5 Books That Will Transport You to the Creative Pasts of New York, Paris, and More
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Sunmark Products, Discount Sunmark Wound Care and Sunmark Bathroom Assists
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Because our price on this item is lower than the manufacturer's suggested retail price, the manufacturer does not allow us to show you our price until you place the item in your shopping cart. Retailers like Allegro Medical have the legal right to sell products at prices we set. However, adding the item to your cart allows us to show you our lower price consistent with our promise of always offering you the lowest possible prices on the widest selection of medical supplies, medical equipment and life enhancing products.
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Incidents of workplace discrimination can affect many more people than just those in the workplace. If an employee is the subject of workplace discrimination, it can disrupt his family unit in several ways. In addition, the families of the organisation's owners may also feel the effects of workplace discrimination, particularly if a discrimination lawsuit receives publicity.
Tangible Effects
The results of workplace discrimination can be termination or discharge, excessive absenteeism or suspension. When a family is solely dependent on one source of income and that income becomes nonexistent due to changes in employment, the tangible effects of workplace discrimination can be devastating. Even a two-income family that experiences the loss of one-half of the household income can suffer the consequences of workplace discrimination. In addition to lost wages, the loss of benefits such as health coverage puts the entire family in a precarious position.
Emotional Distress
Emotional strain can be another consequence of workplace discrimination. Subjects of discrimination report that they feel devalued, unappreciated and demoralised when they are victims of workplace harassment. Those feelings will inevitably disrupt the family structure by displacement of the emotional strain the employee experiences as a victim or discrimination. Emotional strain can lead to a form of detachment that alienates every other member of the family. While a spouse may react differently simply because of the level of understanding, children may not understand the complex nature of discrimination and how it affects the psyche.
Displaced Anger
Victims of discrimination may have feelings that imitate anger and malcontent. Transferring these feelings to family members can trigger the same feelings among family members. In other words, when someone comes home angry and is unable to release those emotions, those closest to the subject of discrimination may also become angry. Sharing these feelings with family members can lead to an understanding of how discrimination affects families. Explaining the effects of discrimination can also help the family counteract the negative aspects of discriminatory treatment.
Inability to Find Work
Once workplace discrimination disrupts the family structure and places a strain on it, the employee may need to consider finding employment with another employer. Looking for another job affects the family in more than one way -- the loss of income, the cost of a job search, and the stigma of having complained of discrimination. All of these factors can have a tremendous impact on everyone in the family, especially the victim of discrimination. The job seeker could possibly be blackballed from finding employment in his field or simply feel emotionally incapable of finding another position.
Family Reputation
In workplace discrimination matters that evolve into a lawsuit, the publicity alone can be damaging. Publication of the family name can cause others to question whether the discrimination claims are truthful. The family's social circle may shun them or be very critical of the plaintiff when there is the possibility of a large sum awarded by the court.
Most recent
- Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems: The Citizenship Harms of Workplace Discrimination
- CNN Money: Supreme Court Hears Age Discrimination Case
- Today's Workplace: Gender Stereotyping in the Workplace and the Discrimination it Creates
- Princeton University: Work-Family Balance, Family Structure and Family-Friendly Employer Programs
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NEWBERG, Oregon – The Puget Sound women's basketball team opened its Northwest Conference schedule with a 77-55 loss at George Fox on Saturday evening. The Loggers (9-1, 0-1 NWC) entered the contest ranked No. 24/23 (D3Hoops.com/USA Today) in the nation, while the Bruins (11-0, 2-0 NWC) were ranked No. 11/12.
Puget Sound's nine-game win streak comes to a close with Saturday's loss. It was the program's best start to a season since the Loggers went 10-0 in 2004-05.
"George Fox came to play tonight," said Puget Sound head coach Loree Payne. "They are a great team and they proved it tonight."
Katy Ainslie continued to assert herself as a force in the paint, logging 17 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high four assists. She leads the Loggers in scoring through the first 10 games of the season with 13.9 points per game.
The Loggers were held to 31 percent (18-for-58) shooting from the floor, their lowest mark of the season. Both sides committed 15 turnovers, but George Fox won the battle on the boards, 49-34.
"Rebounding was the difference in the game," said Payne. "We have a lot of work to do as we head into the second weekend of our incredibly tough conference schedule."
Puget Sound looks to get back on the winning track when it hosts Willamette on Friday, Jan. 9, at 6 p.m.
Follow the Loggers on Twitter | @PSloggers
Like the Loggers on Facebook | Facebook.com/PSloggers


text: A distinctive design dangling Double Dragonfly belly ring composed with Cubic Zirconia with a choice of pink and blue colors, made of 316L high grade stainless steel. The vogue of the jewelry accessories has demonstrated savor, pretty, natural and elegant as the leadership, the consumer attitude is also in unceasing change and renew. Only the updated jewelry accessories can even more attract the customer. This exquisite up-to-date styling Dragonfly belly ring is provided by CASJewellery.com, it is gently beautiful and nimble like dragonflies skimming over the water.


text: 1 10 1 https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/files/original/dcdbe56c9067c718b7685bd905032822.pdf 7c5d95ef4c805315fa478586c7698c11 PDF Text Text History of the Redevelopment Agency I. INTRODUCTION A. Formation of Agency The Redevelopment Agency of the City of Santa Cruz was formed on January 10, 1956 following the December 22-23, 1955 floods. As originally formed, the Agency consisted of five members appointed by the City Council and an Executive Director. The initial charge of the Agency was to develop a project to assist the City in recovering from the devastating effects of the December 1955 floods to the commercial/residential neighborhood along the San Lorenzo River. The initial Redevelopment Plan, the San Lorenzo Park Project, was adopted on March 9, 1957 by the Santa Cruz City Council and the project area included the area bounded by Water Street, Ocean Street, Soquel Avenue and Front Street. The City Council granted the Redevelopment Agency a broad range of powers with which to redevelop this area during the life of the project from 1957 to 1982. As a result of this project, an intensified downtown urban core was developed. New buildings within the project area included the County Administration Center, Holiday Inn, Villa Nueva Apartments, three bank buildings and the San Lorenzo Park Plaza Shopping Center. The Agency was also instrumental in the development of San Lorenzo Park and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' San Lorenzo River Flood Control Project. Project financing during this period was largely provided by the predecessor to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Urban Renewal Administration. B. Reorganization of Agency Upon completion of the redevelopment activities associated with the San Lorenzo Park Project in 1978, the Santa Cruz City Council phased out the Redevelopment Agency as an independent agency and established the City Council as the Agency legislative body. Executive Director activities were assumed by the City Manager and other Agency financing and planning activities were assumed by various City departments. Activities of Reorganized Agency: The City Council, acting as the legislative body of the Redevelopment Agency, undertook a number of planning activities in the early 1980s to determine the next phase of downtown development activities. As a result of these planning activities, in 1982 the City Council adopted a Downtown Parking Master Plan and the Pacific Avenue Design Plan. Both of these planning efforts indicated that new initiatives were needed to insure the continued vitality and economic success of the city's downtown area. One of the most critical problems identified through these planning efforts was the lack of adequate off-street parking serving the Pacific Garden Mall. The Redevelopment Agency, through the San Lorenzo Park Project, had developed sufficient parking to serve the new developments in the downtown area. However, due to the financial impact of the 1955 flood, the downtown Off-Street Parking District had been unable to respond to the increasing parking need created by construction of the Pacific Garden Mall in 1969. To address this problem, the City Council in 1984 adopted a new redevelopment plan, the North Mall Public Improvement Project. This project was 1 �developed to help finance the parking and other infrastructure work needed to assist in the continued revitalization of downtown Santa Cruz. The redevelopment project boundaries were limited to the commercial properties within the area bounded by Water Street, River Street South, Soquel Avenue, and Cedar Street. Among its initial activities, the project assisted in the funding of the second parking deck on the Lot 10 parking structure at the corner of River and Front Streets. C. Establishment of Redevelopment Agency as Operating Department On October 17, 1989, Santa Cruz was struck by an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale. The earthquake destroyed over 50 percent of the downtown commercial core. It displaced over 250 commercial, professional and service businesses, and hundreds of residents. In February 1990, the City Council established a Redevelopment Department as a separate City administrative entity to meet the challenge of rebuilding downtown Santa Cruz. The Director of Redevelopment was to act as the Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency. With its newly assigned staff including the Current Executive Director Ceil Cirillo, and Assistant Director Joe Hall (formerly with the City's Planning Department), the Redevelopment Agency simultaneously undertook a number of important planning and legislative initiatives to begin the post-earthquake rebuilding effort. II. ADOPTION OF REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT A. State Emergency Legislation--SB39X A key initiative undertaken by the Redevelopment Agency was the introduction of emergency legislation to streamline the adoption process for a new and expanded redevelopment project to assist in the post-earthquake reconstruction. The necessary redevelopment legislation was introduced by Senator Henry Mello in the emergency state legislative session which followed the Loma Prieta Earthquake. This effort took shape as SB39X and was subsequently signed by the Governor on July 18, 1990. The bill established a process through which the Redevelopment Agency could merge its existing North Mall Public Improvement Project and San Lorenzo River Safety and Beautification Project, and add additional area to a new merged project to deal with the post–Loma Prieta earthquake rebuilding needs. Facilitated by SB39X, the Merged Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction Project was adopted by the Santa Cruz City Council on October 25, 1990. B. Project Description The Merged Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction Project involved the merger of the project areas of the North Mall Public Improvement Project and San Lorenzo River Safety and Beautification Project. These two areas are approximately 325 acres. As part of the merger, properties in Harvey West/Portrero Street, Ocean Street, Soquel/Broadway/Ocean Street, and Mission Street areas were added to the existing project area representing an additional 482 acres. The new merged project area encompassed a total of 807 acres and provided a mechanism with which to address postearthquake reconstruction, as well as specific needs in those various areas. C. Project Planning The second major City post-earthquake initiative was the creation of a 36-member public/private partnership—Vision Santa Cruz. Through this advisory body, business leaders and private citizens were able to quickly come together, develop a plan, and lay the framework for downtown rebuilding. Developed through public process, the Downtown Recovery Plan sets forth land use development standards, circulation, parking, and streetscape improvements for the Downtown Santa Cruz area. Additionally, the Plan included an economic strategy to be used to complement the physical rebuilding of the City's downtown area. The Plan was adopted by the City Council on September 10, 1991 and provides the planning framework for the downtown redevelopment activities of the Merged Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction Project. 2 �III. ADOPTION OF EASTSIDE PROJECT AREA A. Eastside Business Improvement Project On October 9, 1990, the City Council adopted the Eastside Business Improvement Redevelopment Project. This project area includes the commercial properties adjacent to Water Street and Soquel Avenue from Branciforte Avenue on the west to Capitola Road on the east. B. Project Activities Establishment of the Eastside Business Improvement Project Area was the first step in addressing existing parking, traffic circulation and other blighting conditions in the area and encouraging development on the Eastside of Santa Cruz. To identify priorities and establish a planning framework for the Eastside Redevelopment Project Area, in the spring of 1992, the Redevelopment Agency appointed a 12-member Eastside Plan Advisory Committee consisting of business and commercial property owners, and residents from the adjacent neighborhood. To prepare the Plan, the Committee held five neighborhood workshops focusing on issues ranging from bicycle/traffic, building design and parking. Through this process, the Eastside Business Improvement Plan was developed which addresses urban design, parking, traffic, and marketing programs necessary for the improvement of the Eastside Business Area and elimination of blighting influences. The Plan was accepted by the City Council on March 22, 1994. IV. REGIONAL ECONOMIC MARKET A. Downtown Santa Cruz The downtown Santa Cruz that residents know today had its origins in the early 1800s. As the Santa Cruz Mission expanded, new commercial developments were attracted in the 1830s and 1840s to what is now the Pacific Avenue. The gold rush propelled downtown Santa Cruz to significant growth as a supply base for lumber and other light manufactured goods. The Southern Pacific Railroad created a second growth period with its arrival in the 1880s. Rail service expanded Santa Cruz's recreational use by San Franciscans and made possible the construction of a waterfront casino in 1906. Through the early years of the 1900s to the post World War II era, downtown Santa Cruz was the key commercial hub of northern Santa Cruz County. Buildings and the physical infrastructure of the downtown were developed to serve the commercial needs in this era. Following World War II, commercial growth continued in the downtown area with the construction of a large number of office, bank, and retail uses as part of the San Lorenzo Park Plaza Redevelopment Project. Construction of the Highway 1 freeway allowed growth to expand easterly. In the early 1960s, commercial growth in northern Santa Cruz County began to shift to 41st Avenue which was ultimately annexed to the City of Capitola. The 41st Avenue area offered open spaces and available building sites for new commercial development, which, unlike downtown Santa Cruz, would be developed to accommodate the automobile. During the 1960s and 1970s, retail growth in downtown Santa Cruz slowed in comparison with 41st Avenue, and the Capitola Mall absorbed the largest percentage of new north county retail growth. With the completion of Gottschalks Department Store in 1991, the Capitola Mall totaled over 600,000 square feet. Within this competitive context, Santa Cruz had undertaken a number of projects to maintain the downtown commercial core. These projects included construction of the Pacific Avenue Garden Mall, the establishment of an OffStreet Parking District and a Downtown Promotion District. B. Eastside Business Area 3 �The Eastside Business Area contains over 130 retail establishments which occupy approximately 430,000 square feet of retail space. The area consists of auto dealers, eating and drinking establishments, food stores, home furnishing and appliances outlets, specialty and other retail uses. As with downtown, the 41st Avenue areas has historically been the major competition to the Eastside Business District. Numerous shops and buildings in this area were constructed in the period from 1920 to 1960 and did not offer either the commercial square footage or parking to easily compete with the 41st Avenue Mall. In response and similar to downtown, the Eastside Business Area shifted its market orientation to more closely serve the needs of the adjacent residential area. Numerous activities have been undertaken by the Agency to assist in this process. These activities include the development of adequate off-street parking and other support facilities to ensure a successful transition to a new market focus. C. South of Laurel/Beach Area The Santa Cruz area has long been a recreational destination for Northern Californians. The City of Santa Cruz, especially the South of Laurel/Beach area, is the major destination, providing a warm climate and sunny, white sand beaches in addition to lodging, events year round, and the Boardwalk amusement park. It is estimated that this area serves over five million visitors annually from the San Francisco Bay Area and from locations in the United States and abroad. The South of Laurel/Beach area is also home to more than 5,800 residents. With the exception of Beach Hill properties, the residential units are generally small, often overcrowded and sometimes severely substandard. Improvement of the physical infrastructure, housing and employment base in this area is vital to maintaining this area's significant contribution to the City of Santa Cruz's economy. In 1998, the Redevelopment Agency, Planning Department, and City Council adopted the Beach/South of Laurel Comprehensive Area Plan in an effort to improve this area. The Plan offers specific goals for the area which will be implemented over time. Sources Excerpted from: City of Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency web site. Used with permission. The content of this article is the responsibility of the individual author. It is the Library's intent to provide accurate local history information. However, it is not possible for the Library to completely verify the accuracy of individual articles obtained from a variety of sources. If you believe that factual statements in a local history article are incorrect and can provide documentation, please contact the Webmaster. 4 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Santa Cruz History Articles Description An account of the resource Original articles by library staff and by local authors and material from historical books. Articles on Santa Cruz County history, many with illustrations, are available here. The Santa Cruz Public Libraries is grateful to our local historians and their publishers for giving permission to include their articles. The content of the articles is the responsibility of the individual authors. It is the library's intent to provide accurate information. However, it is not possible to completely verify the accuracy of individual articles obtained from a variety of sources. If you believe that factual statements in an article are incorrect and can provide documentation, please contact the library. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Santa Cruz Public Libraries Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context AR-134 Title A name given to the resource History of the Redevelopment Agency Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource City of Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Excerpted from: City of Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency web site. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Santa Cruz Public Libraries Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Language A language of the resource En Type The nature or genre of the resource ARTICLE Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Used with permission. Subject The topic of the resource Redevelopment Agency of the City of Santa Cruz Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Santa Cruz (City) Government


text: Are you a homeopathy student or practitioner? Come and join us. Our two-week internship program is a unique and extraordinary learning experience. Read more… Are you an experienced homeopath?If so, we would love to have you join us! Our volunteer program is ideal for those who can work with us for 3 months or longer. Read more... Follow us on FACEBOOK!


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This item may be available in multiple fabrics and colors. Prices may vary from price listed online.
Wall-saver recliner mechanisms slide slightly forward instead of straight back, allowing you to keep your recliner close to a wall.
Use the built-in console to store remotes, chargers, and other small items that could easily get lost in the depths of cushions.
Keep your drink within reach as you enjoy a movie or a sporting event. Having built in cup holders also helps eliminate spills and stains.
This recliner has a no-gap cushion that extends from the seat to the feet. This style offers fuller comfort and support for your legs, and eliminates the open gap that toddlers can get fingers or toys stuck in.
Soft, textured microfiber offers comfort and contemporary style to this double reclining loveseat with a center console. Extra storage in the console, along with two cup holders, add to the function of the loveseat. Relax and recline with the bustle back and pillow arms offering top-notch support.Distance required between recliner and wall: 3"
The Brayburn Contemporary Double Reclining Loveseat w/ Console by Signature Design by Ashley at Conlin's Furniture in the Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wyoming area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
Casually cool design combines with comfort in this reclining living room furniture collection. Choose from the items available to update your entertainment space.
The Brayburn collection is a great option if you are looking for Contemporary furniture in the Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wyoming area.
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|Photo not taken at gig
Lucy Wainwright Roche has always shown an independent streak, right from the day she elected to pursue a conventional teaching career rather than instantly ride on the crest of being part of a family with a rich musical heritage. Even now when the genetic pull of exploring her inherent talent has led to the journey from classroom to microphone, she is determined to strike out alone and plot a very individual route to success and recognition. So five years on from the career changing decision, Lucy is still prepared to jump on a plane and be content to singularly undertake a week long low key UK tour, not really knowing what response she is going to get. Yet on the evidence of this penultimate show in the upstairs music room of a suburban Birmingham pub, greater awareness on a much larger scale is surely not too far in the future.Over the course of the evening, Lucy grew in confidence as she entertained the handful of regular concert goers present with a standard two half set comprising of a selection of both self written songs and carefully selected covers, of which virtually all have appeared on her three short releases to date. It was not surprising that her most recent record, the 2010 album simply titled 'Lucy' , featured prominently with the opening track 'Once In' chosen to be the first song of the evening. Also featuring in the first half from this album were 'October', 'Starting Square' and a song inspired by a never to be forgotten personal experience of a date ending in a London hospital, hence the song title 'Accident and Emergency'. After previous visits to the UK, Lucy should really know about the generally reserved nature of British audiences, but she attempted to generate some participation with her version of Springsteen's 'Hungry Heart'. By contrast, prior to showcasing her one new, yet to be titled, song of the night, she recounted a tale of an audience fight breaking out the previous evening at her Manchester show.
There is no doubt that Lucy possesses all the qualities to be another top notch performer from the New York folk scene. Her classical style vocals have a captivating edge to them that blends perfectly with her simple but effective guitar playing. While her thoughtful and illustrative lyrics brings to life the stories and places that she yearns to portray with the aid of her gifted song writing skills. This really came to the fore in the second part of the show when she performed probably the two best songs of the evening , 'Statesville' and 'Open Season', the latter displaying her soft spot for the fading glory of Coney Island in her native Brooklyn.Despite the independent nature of Lucy's route to success, she does make numerous references to her family and on this evening apart from mentioning her appearance in Birmingham a few years ago with her father, Loudon Wainwright III, she includes the song 'Runs in the Family' in her set. This was written by her Aunt Terre, a member of highly successful vocal group The Roches along with Lucy's mother, Suzzy. Also, prior to introducing the song 'Poison', she tongue in cheek made reference to some of the family politics that arises which is surely inevitable in such a pool of intense talent.
The folk standard 'Wild Mountain Thyme' also made an appearance in the second set before Lucy chose to end the show with a cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'Everywhere' which showed her desire to mix the old with the contemporary in order to create a blend of folk rock with a traditional feel to it. Those present were appreciative of the evening's entertainment presented by Lucy and maybe they might just take time to savour the intimate setting as this young lady definitely has the talent to take her career to a lot higher level.


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Guest Forum
Welcome to Provident's Guest Forum
Read about the latest happenings at Provident Hotels & Resorts and share your vacation stories and experiences.
Perfect Vacation- tripadvisor comment
This was our 2nd year at Treasure Island and first time staying at Sunset Vista. The grounds are very nice, the pool was perfect for the kids, although it did get a little crowded at times. The beach is HUGE so expect to walk some but well worth it when you see the sunsets! The rooms are great. Plenty of room, clean, quiet (and our room was right across the hall from the elevator) lots of amenities, beach towels and beach chairs were provided. The parking spaces are VERY tight! The location is great for family vacations. Lots to do! Last year, we took the kids to Busch Gardens in Tampa - just a 30 minute drive from our condo. This year we visited Pass A Grille (loved it especially the Sunset), Fort de Soto Park (piers, beaches, sight seeing), Clearwater, Gulfport, and took a boat ride to Shell Key. Every night, we made sure we were on the beach for the perfect sunset picture. Come prepared to make lots of memories. We look forward to going back very soon!


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Apple misses on earnings; stock sags in after hours [Updated]
For the first time in years, Apple failed to meet analysts' financial expectations, generating less revenue and profit than Wall Street expected and ending a long string of record quarters.
[Updated, Oct. 18, 2:25 p.m.: Profit increased to $6.62 billion, or $7.05 a share, for the quarter ended Sept. 24, compared to $4.31 billion, or $4.64 a share a year earlier. But analysts were expecting the company to post earnings of $7.31 a share. Revenue rose 39% -- to $28.27 billion -- but also fell short of estimates.
The company's stock sagged 7% in after-hours trading, dropping below $400 from a record closing price of $422.24 on Tuesday.]
Apple sold 17.1 million iPhones during its fiscal fourth quarter, nearly 5 million fewer than Wall Street had guessed. The iPhone is Apple's most profitable product and, in previous years, the company's sales growth has slowed just before new versions were released.
The new iPhone 4S went on sale last week and has already sold 4 million units, nearly twice as many as its predecessor in the same time period.
In a statement accompanying the company's financial results, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook focused on the success of the iPhone 4S -- which was not on sale during the recent quarter -- and on Apple's broader fiscal picture for 2012, a strong year for the company.
"We are thrilled with the very strong finish of an outstanding fiscal 2011, growing annual revenue to $108 billion and growing earnings to $26 billion," Cook said in the statement. "Customer response to iPhone 4S has been fantastic, we have strong momentum going into the holiday season, and we remain really enthusiastic about our product pipeline."
Apple expected to announce record quarter after market close
Samsung sues to ban Apple's iPhone 4S sales in Japan, Australia
Apple stores may close Wednesday in honor of Steve Jobs
-- David Sarno
Photo: The Leon Guerrero family, on vacation from Dallas, show off their new Apple iPhone 4S phones they purchased at a Sprint store in San Francisco. Credit: Eric Risberg/Associated Press


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Elder abuse on the rise as OAPs targeted for theft and deception
GROWING numbers of pensioners are falling prey to theft, fraud and deception – often from the people they trust most.
Elder abuse officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) are receiving a marked increase in reports of older people being financially exploited.
More than one in five of all 1,850 reports of elder abuse made in the first eight months of 2012 involved some form of financial deception, the Irish Independent has learned.
However, the reported cases of financial abuse are just the tip of the iceberg and the real numbers who may be suffering in silence, or unaware they are being targeted, runs into thousands.
A damning dossier has been compiled by HSE elder abuse officers.
The shocking files reveal cases of:
• Forging or forcing an older person's signature.
• Abusing joint signature authority on a bank account.
• Misusing ATMs/credit cards.
• Cashing an older person's cheques without permission.
• Taking pension money.
• Getting an older person to sign a deed, will, contract or power of attorney through deception or undue influence.
• Persuading an impaired older person to change a will or policy to alter the beneficiary.
• Using a power of attorney, including enduring power of attorney, for purposes beyond those for which it was originally executed.
• Promising care in exchange for money or property and not following through.
Four in 10 of the files were referred to gardai and legal action was taken in the case of 70. Sons and daughters were likely to be the perpetrators – but neighbours also emerged as taking financial advantage of an older person.
John Costello, a solicitor with Beauchamps in Dublin who was part of a Department of Health working group on elder abuse, told the Irish Independent that serious issues of exploitation could arise in cases where there was a joint bank account. "It is a minefield and banks need to be more careful where large sums are involved," he added.
He said new regulations by the Law Society come into effect this month which make it mandatory for separate solicitors to act for both parties where gifts of property are involved. The move had been criticised on cost grounds but the change was necessary to protect older people, he added.
Dermot Kirwan of Friends of the Elderly said several older people had been hoodwinked by telemarketing carried out by a hearing aid company.
"The householder receives a call from somebody saying they are doing a survey. Then they offer a free hearing test in their home," he said.
"After the hearing test, the person is asked for a deposit and it can mean the tester walking with the older person to the credit union or post office to hand over money." Eamon Timmins of Age Action Ireland said there was a perception that older people were easy prey. "They are often caught in a bind because they are dependent on the perpetrator," he added.
editorial comment - page 28
Irish Independent


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Research: Hierarchically Structured Self-Assembled Materials
Anthony Y. Ku
Advisors: Dudley A. Saville and Ilhan A. Aksay
Hierarchically structured materials possess structural organization at multiple length scales. [1] Appropriate organization of the structure leads to enhanced material properties and performance. Many naturally occurring biomaterials are hierarchically ordered. For example, both bone and mother-of-pearl nacre (materials that are of present interest to this group) possess functional structure from centimeter to nanometer lengths. [2] Complex synthetic processes are needed to prepare simple artificial versions of these materials; biomaterials self assemble at each of the length scales naturally.
Our hierarchically structured self-assembled materials effort is interested in composite materials that possess hierarchical structure and self assemble at the appropriate length scales. We seek to develop general methods for producing synthetic hierarchically ordered composite materials. In particular, we are working on exploit the self-assembly tendencies of amphiphilic organic molecules to generate structure at the nanometer length scale and induce pattern formation using field effects at the micron length scale. We are also working towards developing models for understanding the synthesis and behavior of these materials.
We have chosen mesoscopic silica as a model system for our work. Discovered in 1992 by scientists at Mobil [3], this material possesses order at both the micron and nanometer length scales (below). This material is prepared by combining sol-gel chemistry with organic templating agents. The organic templating agents (typically amphiphilic surfactants or block copolymers) self-organize at the nanometer length scale to form the monodisperse, well-packed channels. The size and packing of the channels is determined by the identity of the organic species. [4]
Hierarchical structure of mesoscopic silica: (a) micron sized structure - SEM image of particles with unusual curvature and thin films; (b) nanometer level structure - TEM image of monodisperse, well packed, tunable channels; (c) both micron and nanometer length scales are visible - the particle (micron) and the hexagonal internal structure (nanometer).
We have studied the mechanism under dilute acidic synthesis conditions. Upon mixing of the reagents, the system proceeds through an incubation period followed by an induction period. During the incubation period, only discrete nanometer-sized micelle structures are present. The end of the incubation period is marked by the aggregation of these micelle complexes into particles and thin films. Distinct structural ordering occurs at both the micron and nanometer length scales. [5]
Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we have examined the structural evolution at the nanometer length scale. The material is initially disordered, but over time, develops a hexagonally close-packed array of monodisperse channels, as shown in the following sequence. We believe this spontaneous process is the result of energy minimization by the organic amphiphilic phase.
Structural evolution at the nanometer length scale. TEM images of mesoscopic silica thin film sections examined at (a) the beginning, (b) the end of the incubation period, and (c) partway through the induction period. Note the well packed channels in final image.
We have also examined the structural evolution at the micron length scale (below). Mature particles possess distinctive curvatures, while particles collected at earlier times show some evidence of amorphous structure (in the sense that the edges are not well defined).
Structural evolution at the micron length scale. SEM images of particles collected after (a) 16 h and (b) 48 h of growth.
These results are useful in understanding mesoscopic silica as a self-assembling hierarchical material. The structure at both the nanometer and micron length scales occurs spontaneously due to the energy minimization interaction between the organic amphiphile and the silica gel matrix. We have found that it is possible to influence the structural ordering of mesoscopic silica at both the micron and nanometer length scales through the application of fields. [6] We are particularly interested in approaches for aligning the channels along a desired orientation, while simultaneously producing the desired micron level morphology.
In earlier work, represented by the following images, our group demonstrated that surfaces are capable of influencing the organization of the amphiphiles [7]. AFM images of adsorbed surfactant on strongly interacting surfaces such as mica (hydrophilic) and graphite (hydrophobic), reveal that the channels align in registry with the atomic lattice even though they are almost two orders of magnitude larger in diameter. On amorphous silica, the channels adopt a disordered conformation although they retain a cylindrical morphology. This is evidence that a surface field is capable of influencing the organization of the mesoscopic silica system at the early stages. The channel size is still set by self-assembly, but the choice of surface becomes a parameter by which we can control structure at higher length scales.
AFM images of CTAC micelles on (a) mica, (b) graphite, and (c) silica. The stripes correspond to micelle cylinders (hydrophilic mica and silica surfaces) and hemicylinders (graphite). Insets: the underlying atomic lattice of the respective substrates. [7]
We have also considered the effects of electric fields and physical confinement. [6] Micropatterned mesoscopic silica lines formed under the influence of an electric field exhibit well-ordered aligned arrays of nanometer channels, shown in the following image. Here we have attained advanced control at both the nanometer (alignment of the channels) and micron (line features) scales. We are continuing to explore the effects of applied fields (surface, confinement and electrical fields) on the structure of self-assembling hierarchical composite materials.
Electron microscopy of mesoscopic silica lines patterned onto a silica surface using an applied electric field and an elastomeric stamp. (a) SEM cross-section of the lines. (b) TEM image of the oriented channels. inset (top) small area electron diffraction image. (bottom) filtered image. [6]
1. D.M. Dabbs, I.A. Aksay Ann. Rev. Phys. Chem. 51 601-22 (2000).
2. N. Yao, R.Z. Wang, A.Y. Ku, D.A. Saville, I.A. Aksay, "Nanostructured Bio-inspired Materials," in Nanophase and Nanostructured Materials Z. L. Wang and Y. Liu, eds. (Tsinghua University Press and Wiley-VCH, 2001) in press.
3. C.T. Kresge, M.E. Leonowicz, W.J. Roth, J.C. Vartuli, J.S. Beck Nature 359 710-2 (1992).
4. Q.S. Huo, D.I. Margolese, G.D. Stucky Chem. Mater. 8 1147-60 (1996).
5. N. Yao, A.Y. Ku, N. Nakagawa, T. Lee, D.A. Saville, I.A. Aksay Chem. Mat. 12 1536-48 (2000).
6. M. Trau, N. Yao, Y. Xia, G.M. Whitesides, I.A. Aksay, Nature 390 674-6 (1997).
7. I.A. Aksay, M. Trau, S. Manne, I. Honma, N. Yao, L. Zhou, P. Fenter, P.M. Eisenberger, S.M. Gruner Science 273 892-8 (1996).
For more information, please contact Anthony Ku or see the Ceramic Materials Laboratory web page.
© 2001 Princeton University, Ceramic Materials Laboratory.All Rights Reserved.


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This post is the second of four East Coast Summer Series posts about my August trip to Maine. Next up, are York + Kennebunkport (September 7th) and Old Orchard Beach (September 14th). Check out my first post, Portland + Seaside Stops here.
As I mentioned in my first Maine post, our time spent in Cape Elizabeth, home to Portland Head Lighthouse, was so epic – it simply needed its very own post. In fact, the scenery was so rad, we went back the same night to take at least a hundred more photos at sunset. As one does.
First opened in 1791, Portland Head Lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world and it's the oldest lighthouse in Maine. Located in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth (just minutes from Portland) you can also explore the rocky coast line, the ruins of the beautiful Goddard mansion, and Fort Williams.
It's also a fantastic location for photoshoots with your favorite humans. Always.
Here are just a few (but really, a lot) of photos from the perfect visits to Cape Elizabeth.
^ quick stop in Two Lights State Park
Cape Elizabeth – stay picture perfect ✌🏻
Have you visited Cape Elizabeth? What is your favorite photo op?


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The World is Not Flat: Expertise and InPhO
The Indiana Philosophy Ontology (InPhO) is a "dynamic ontology" for the domain of philosophy derived from human input and software analysis. The structured nature of the ontology supports machine reasoning about philosophers and their ideas. It is dynamic because it tracks changes in the content of the online Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. This paper discusses ways of managing the varying expertise of people who supply input to the InPhO and provide feedback on the automated methods.
ontology, expertise, web 2.0
Full Text:HTML
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v13i8.2214
A Great Cities Initiative of the University of Illinois at Chicago University Library.
© First Monday, 1995-2019. ISSN 1396-0466.


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Those sneaky 'N Sync guys might be planning a reunion in the very near future.
Everyone has almost forgotten Justin Timberlake's 'N Sync days by now, so naturally this is the perfect time for a reunion – frosted tips hopefully not included. According to the New York Post, the former boyband will perform at the MTV VMAs in all their well-aged glory. So far, MTV has only announced a performance by Timberlake himself, however according to the Post, the one-time onstage reunion is being set up as a special surprise.
Maybe Justin won't be going solo this time.
While it won't be much of a surprise now, what 90s kid wouldn't love to see the band back together for once (just once, we'd like to specify). This according to an unnamed source and the news that on Friday, former bandmates J.C. Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick were all spotted in the VIP section of Timberlake's Miami gig at Sun Life Stadium.
N or out of sync though, Justin will be there in all his suit & tie glory.
The singer was joined onstage by frequent collaborator Jay Z, however his 'N Sync crew remained in the audience throughout the entire night. Who knows, maybe they're saving their strength for the VMAs? Even if 'N Sync don't take the stage for a rousing performance of 'Bye Bye Bye,' there will be plenty of other exciting performaces at this year's awards. Among the most anticipated ones is the return of Lady Gaga, who recently released a cryptic trailer for her act because of course she has. We're talking about Lady Gaga here. Other headliners on the list include Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
Watch Lady Gaga's flashy promo video below.
2013 VMA - Artists.MTV - Music - Lady Gaga