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It's that time of year where everyone wants to know what's in everyone else's Easter basket. Moms wonder if they are giving enough, or too much, and what items are age appropriate. Some families celebrate with big gifts and some celebrate with just a few chocolate eggs. However you decide to celebrate is totally up to you!
When I was a little kid, my three siblings and I each received our own baskets. They were usually stocked with the same candies year after year. But that's OK because we knew what to look forward to every year. We could count on each of us getting our own coveted Cadbury egg. By the time we were teenagers my mom focused on one family basket instead of four individual baskets. I think it was easier for her, but I also think she just wanted in on the candy haul without having to bargain with each of us for it. She filled one giant basket with all our favorite candies and no gifts. She also added in real eggs that had been dyed, and individual loaves of Italian Easter bread made from scratch. If you have not had Italian Easter bread Google it now and get to baking! Or find a bakery near you that makes them! So delicious!
For my kids, we have done something different every year. We usually include "gifts" in their baskets simply because kids never stop needing things. We use this as a great excuse to include whatever items they need at the moment, like a new pair of spring pajamas, swim gear, art supplies and rain gear. The kids think it's the most amazing thing ever that the Easter Bunny knew they were running out of underwear. I didn't say these were all extravagant gifts, but gifts none-the-less.
This year they have all the swim suits and underwear they need. So what's next? Well, this Easter season has us smack dab in the middle of a new lifestyle challenge in our house. We are working hard to eliminate as much unnecessary plastic and packaging as we can. And let's face it, every holiday comes prepackaged these days. I had to really think about this to find something new the girls will find exciting!
Here is what will be in our Easter baskets this year:
Rain boots- my kids are coincidentally in need of new rubber rain boots. These are something we need as we simply cannot pass up a good puddle to jump around in.
Chocolates- I know real original. But, we buy from a local store where we can get individual favorites packaged together in a recyclable paper box, and chocolate bunnies in a paper bag. Due to food allergies we can't have Cadbury eggs in our house. But that means we get spoiled with some really good chocolate!
Gift Cards- This is my new favorite item to give for every holiday! So much less packaging and nothing left to clutter up my house! It's also like prepaying for our fun! We are adding gift cards to the local ice cream shop, Target, museum passes, even our favorite salon. Yes, I said salon. Kids need hair cuts and it's like a fun day out for us girls!
T-shirts- not just any t-shirts! We bought the T-shirts from their favorite bounce place which will give us $4 off every return trip. You bundle that with a gift card to the ice cream shop and you have a really fun day out!
Summer shoes- They have also outgrown their summer shoes. Even though it is practical and it's something I would have bought them anyway, I am turning it into a gifting opportunity. Also, I got them on a really great clearance sale last year. Ha!
Other fun things we've included in the past:
- New umbrella decorated with their favorite character
- Art supplies
- Garden tools with matching apron and gloves
- Bubbles and sidewalk chalk
- Beach towels
- Bikes (only because we got them free with credit card points and they arrived two days before Easter)
- Bike helmets
- Beach toys
- Books
- Swim suit and goggles
- Summer pajamas
Now I know, most people eschew actual gift giving at Easter. However, I've never been one to really care what other people do with their money or holidays. I just try to stay in my own lane. So, whether throwing some candy in a basket and leaving on the kitchen table is more your thing, or hand stitching bunny costumes for every member of your family, no one here will be judging. Or nosing around your basket sneaking Cadbury eggs.
What's in your Easter basket?
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
The last few rainy days have kept us inside in search of something silly and fun to pass the time. We do like to get out and dance in the rain, but today was just too cold. We were bored and in need of something different to occupy ourselves. I took a look around the house to find something new, something we haven't already done a billion times. Well, as luck would have it I checked out a couple of books from the library last week with a ton of fun things for us to do! And I found a craft that is super easy, using only things we have in the house where we can stay warm and dry.
- Tissue Paper
- Marker
- Scissors
- Large dinner plate
- Tape
- Balloon
Unfold the tissue paper completely and lay it flat on the table. Trace the outer edge of a dinner plate to create a circle.
Draw a snake shape inside the circle, or simply cut into a spiral leaving room to make a head. If you want you can draw on eyes and tape on a small tongue.
Next comes the fun part. Tape the tale of the snake to the counter. Blow up the balloon and tie the end. Now rub the balloon against your head (or something wool if you have it) to create an electrostatic charge. Now, laugh at how your hair stands straight up! Then apply balloon to the head of your snake. As you raise the balloon the tissue paper snake should attach its self and follow the balloon. This looks like you are charming the snake.
That's it! A fun, quick craft that my kids enjoyed. They continued to play with the balloon without the snake because when you are six nothing is more special than a balloon; even if it can make you a snake charmer. Hope you are surviving the rainy days of Spring!
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
With the warmer temps beginning this week I am looking forward to getting outside! However, it can be a challenge to get my kids outside. Once they are outside they will play, but I typically have to set the stage for them first. As a mom I am totally baffled by this. When I was a kid you could not keep me inside the house. I was happiest sitting outside under a big tree watching the clouds going by, or racing up and down the neighborhood street. Not sure how I ended up with two kids who need to be prompted to be outside.
I have discovered if I set a craft up outside they are more motivated to join me in the back yard and will likely stay outside longer. It can be a simple craft, or an entire project, but it helps transition to spending time outside.
By now you all know the benefits to getting kids outside. But just in case, here are 5 more reasons:
- Kids who interact with nature tend to engage their imaginations more and invent their own games. This involves critical thinking and observation of what's in their environment.
- When kids are more physically active they are building gross motor and fine motor skills.
- Kids who spend time outside more tend to develop a lifelong love of nature and see the need to preserve it.
- Kids tend to develop more visual and spacial skills when learning to navigate natural environments.
- Anyone who spends time outside feels less stressed.
You may have heard the benefits of kids crafting. I like to be thorough so again, here are 5 more benefits:
- Crafting benefits executive functioning. Having to plan a project or craft and lining up each step helps kids with focus and memory skills.
- Develops fine motor skills. This helps with handwriting and coordination.
- Helps kids recognize patterns and sequence recognition.
- Crafting builds on long term academic skills like math and reading.
- Teaches social interactions like learning to share and use manners when sharing.
Why not combine these benefits and craft outside? The bonus is you can make a mess outside and not worry about having to clean it up right away, or any of the materials staining your nice dining set.
Outside crafts to do with your kids
If you are tired of the old standby of bubbles and sidewalk chalk try these 5 things to amp up your outdoor craft time.
Make colorful bubble art. Simply pour some bubble mix into a shallow bowl and add food coloring. Mix well and use the bubble wand to soak up the mixture. Blow bubbles right in front of the paper or canvas to be sure they land and splatter on the surface. This will make a really unique print for your house. Or turn the paper into personalized stationary.
Paint some rocks. You can paint rocks to add some color to your back yard, or create a fun tick tack toe set by painting three similar rocks to look like lady bugs, and another three rocks a solid color. If you really want to make a fun project sign up to paint some Kindness Rocks to leave around your community, or for friends and family to find in your back yard.
Make your own fossils. This was fun when we did it with cookie dough, now I can't wait to try it with baker's clay. Simply roll a small piece of dough into a ball and press flat between your hands. Then press a leaf, or pine cone, or blades of grass into the clay to create a fossil imprint.
Design a paint brush from nature. Simply dip flowers into paint and press flat against your paper to make a pretty print. You can also dip leaves, feathers, a bundle of pine needles or stems into paint and use them like a paint brush.
Re-imagine your water table. When my kids were really little we used the water table for more than just water fun. We filled it with things like shaving cream, a bubble bath for dinosaurs and cornstarch with water (it creates a really fun solid that melts into your hand).
Crafting outside has long term benefits for kids, and the combined benefits create life long skills sets. You don't need to wait for summer vacation to give any of these ideas a try. As soon as the weather is nice enough to be outside skip the chalk and do something a little different! Your kids will always remember the fun you have together, no matter the craft.
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
As the mountains of snow start to melt, it is finally starting to feel more like spring. This is the time of year we get outside more and watch everything spring to life again. Including winged creatures. Some are beautiful and some are down right annoying when they go buzzing by. But I bet everyone can agree that spotting a butterfly is a magical experience.
That's why we love our trips to the Magic Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens in South Deerfield, MA. No matter what the weather, there is a tropical greenhouse waiting just two and half hours away from Northern Ulster County. It is easily a fun day trip your family will enjoy. Magic Wings is a tranquil 8,000 square foot greenhouse filled with tropical plants, a Japanese Koi pond and water features and of course butterflies. In fact, hundreds of them. Once we paid our admission we were ready for our self guided tour of the green house.
The exhibit and display area before entering the greenhouse offers educational videos, the history of the butterfly and a whole bunch of tropical creatures. Spoiler alert there are some of the biggest cockroaches you will ever see on display. But no worries, they are all behind glass. My kids loved the tree frogs, snakes and other reptilian beasts.
Upon entering the green house there are large fans blowing and little kids might find them noisy. This is simply to keep the butterflies from hitching a ride out on someone's back. The rest of the tour is calm and pretty serene with classical music playing and the sounds of the waterfalls.
My kids were mesmerized by the packs of fluttering wings and spent hours trailing them and watching them. All the employees are well trained in the different types of animals living in the green house. They can easily rattle of details about the lizards, birds, fish and insects from what they eat, to what their usual habitat looks like.
There is a community coat closet big enough to park a stroller (not permitted in the green house), or to leave bulky diaper bags and your family's coats. The gift shop has a wide range of gift items and kids toys. Some are more expensive, but definitely some affordable fun things for family budgets. You enter through the gift shop before the tour begins, so we let the kids shop a little without purchasing so they would know what they wanted when we came back through.
Bring your camera because there are a few little fun photo op spots to take family photos. Not to mention you will really want to capture some beautiful shots of the lush greenery and colorful butterflies.
The cost for a family of four (two parents, two kids) is $52 and kids under 3 are free. You can save on meals by packing your own lunch instead of buying in the cafe, or restaurant. There is a covered out door picnic area available in the summer, and there are tables in the lobby near the fire place in the winter. Overall, you are going to pay less for this day trip filled with educational opportunities and hours of exploring than probably getting your family into a movie theater for two hours of entertainment. We love it so much we always leave planning our next trip back!
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
Today we experienced the craziest snowstorm in our children's lives! They watched out of the window for almost an hour with stunned looks on their faces as the snow fell. "Wow. Look at all that snow!" That hour gave me a little time to prep some fun things to do since we are now home-bound during the blizzard of 2017!
Last year I shared with you our favorite DIY Play Dough recipe. It is super simple to make and we make it smell great and get some really cool colors with Kool Aide. Well, this year we have discovered that our kids cannot tolerate artificial food coloring. Even though they aren't eating the play dough (that I am aware of) the dye can still get in through the skin.
I see all of these amazing recipes for colorful play dough and we just can't create them at home, and the all natural food dyes you buy in the store are very expensive. Making our own dyes is an option, but it is too time consuming. I still can't get some of the beautiful pastel colors from making dyes at home. So, I had to find some way to make our newest batch of play dough fun and pretty.
The Recipe (as found on Hello Giggles):
1 Cup Flour
½ Cup Salt
3 TBSP Cream of Tartar
1 TBSP Oil (canola, coconut or sunflower)
10-20 Drops Essential Oil
½ Cup Boiling Water
Add all dry ingredients to the bowl, add all oil ingredients and then add hot water and mix until solid.
If we skip the food coloring the dough doesn't look so special. But I thought I'd mix a batch anyway so we have something fun to play with. Maybe I'll add a little essential oil to jazz it up. At least if it doesn't smell like homemade dough made from flour it won't be so bland.
After I mixed it up in the bowl it sat there boring and blah. Until one of my daughters said to me, "Wow it's white just like Elsa's hair." BINGO!! We have a winner!
I decided to add in my favorite essential oil blend called "stress less" to help us let it go, let it go (ha! My friends who love puns will enjoy that one). Then my girl remembered we have some, "frosty blue glitter like Elsa's dress." And of course we dumped in as much as we could! My girls are ALL-IN when it comes to glitter.
There ya go! Dye free and sparkly play dough that keeps the kids feeling stress free! Store it in a zip lock bag, or air tight container. Now if only cleaning up all this snow was as easy and stress free.
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
The Internet is abuzz with different challenges you can do with your family during the 40 Days of Lent. There is the de-cluttering challenge to eliminate 40 bags of stuff in 40 days. The 40 Acts challenge to do 40 random acts of kindness in 40 days. And the challenge to just give up something you love for 40 days straight- whether it is chocolate, or wine, or even social media. The point is people are preparing to give up something for 40 days as a way to honor their traditions.
But what if you do not celebrate Lent? How can you participate in the giving part without participating in the religious aspect? Well, all it takes is 40 days and a plan! I am introducing 40 Days of Change in our house this week. We are literally using our spare change to help make a change. My kids get paid a quarter for certain chores each day and we will let them decide how much of their earnings they would like to contribute to our cause.
Here is what you'll need:
A jar or box
Spare change
A charity to donate to
Start by selecting a clean jar, or box to collect your spare change in. Keep it in a location you pass every day when you come home. You simply empty your pocket change (or change from the bottom of your purse, or the few coins in your wallet) into this container. Random single dollar bills count too, and so does the quarter in the couch or the pile of pennies in your car console.
Next, open your calendar. Mark the day you start collecting your spare change and count out 40 days. That will be your official end date. Take whatever you collect in that 40 day time period to your bank or local Coin Star machine. Once you have counted and cashed in all your loose change you are ready to make your donation. It doesn't matter how big, or small your contribution is. Every single penny counts!
Last, pick your charity of choice. My family's passions are pediatric cancer, and feeding programs in our local community. Here are some suggestions if you need them:
St. Jude's Children's Hospital
The SPCA (You can search for your local shelter, or for local animal rescues).
You can get a little creative and use the money you collect to pay off lunches at your kid's school, or prepay someone's coffee at your local coffee house. Perhaps you prefer purchasing gift cards from a local grocery store and handing them out to families standing in line at check out. Earlier this year my girls and I were on the receiving end of a random act of kindness. A lovely woman realized she had a handful of gift cards for the movie concession stand she wasn't going to use. So, she stood by the ticket booth and handed them out to families that were on their way in. She selected us and it was truly touching to be on the receiving end of such generosity. It also allowed me to splurge on treats for my kids.
There are no rules to 40 Days of Change. We can pick a charity every 40 days if we like, or just stick to doing it once a year. I hope my family will enjoy a new 40 day challenge at least three times a year. Even if we only raise a few dollars each time, the value lies in giving back routinely. Helping my kids connect the entire process of planning, and saving to giveaway, will help them recognize a need and find a way to fill it. They can see that every action matters and through action we can make a difference in our own community.
Related post: Family Savings Jar: Dimes for Disney Charity Starts at Home 7 Ways to Give Back With Little Ones in Tow Give a Kid the Gift of Swag Charitable Giving is A Christmas Tradition
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
If you are looking for something fun to do during the kids spring break then check out Springfield Museums in Springfield, MA. Located approximately two hours from Northern Ulster County it is an easy day trip for families with little ones.
One admission price grants access to all four museums on campus. Each museum and discovery center celebrates art, history, science and discovery. Located in the center of it all is the Dr. Seuss National Memorial sculpture garden. During our visit we were delighted by hands on learning experiences and opportunities to soak in some extraordinary art work. The grounds offer a large area for picnics and room for kids to run. Although you cannot climb, or play on the sculptures in the garden there are benches painted in fun themes and some interactive pieces in front of the museums.
There is so much to do and see here that we spent an entire day exploring and playing. I'll just share with you the highlights.
The science building has hands on exploration of rocks and minerals, space, live animals, the African Hall and Dinosaur Hall. There are three floors in this building alone and we spent over an hour investigating everything. We even doubled back around to the African Hall so we could push all the animal sound buttons again. There is a planetarium, but we arrived in between show times.
We found the most wonderful exhibits for everyone in my family. My kids favorite by far is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle exhibit (until September 3, 2017). It includes original comic book art and incorporates replicas of the shields and weapons the TMNT used in their stories. My kids' were super excited to play the original TMNT on Nintendo. Yep, I am so old I remember the original Nintendo which is now old enough to be an exhibit in a museum. My husband enjoyed reliving his glory days by schooling the kids with his video game codes. The building houses a collection of Japanese arms & armor, Asian art, Islamic art, Tiffany windows and more.
The children's art discovery center is the most amazing kid's area we've ever played in! The discovery center is decorated in colorful Buddhist, Asian and Chinese Zodiac art. There is a simple craft left out for kids to partake, a puppet theater, dress up area, a wishing tree, reading area and so much gorgeous art work to drink in. My kids stayed in this sunny bright spot for an hour exploring every nook and cranny.
There are several different galleries on both floors of this museum. Each gallery contains a comprehensive collection of art work from Impressionist art, French & Dutch art, and American art to the Currier and Ives collection. In the upstairs gallery there is a kid's art area that is perfectly placed in location to the other gallery rooms. The Cat in the Hat exhibit (through April 30, 2017) includes fun dress up hats and cute little stuffed kittens kids can arrange to make their own exhibit. We found it easy for one parent to stay with the kids in the kids area while the other parent took their own guided tour of the galleries. I studied many of the works and painters in these collections, so it was a thrill to walk through alone and see some of my favorites up close.
This building houses a great collection of Indian motorcycles and classic cars, local Springfield history and the Hasbro Game Land (our favorite). We spent the least amount of time in this museum since the staff was setting up for an event and some parts were closed off. But the larger than life sized game pieces were our favorites.
During our picnic lunch on the quad we enjoyed the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden. The grassy quad is big enough to let kids roam and there are plenty of benches to sit down to eat. Thankfully, the parking lot isn't far so you can leave your cooler in the car while you check out the exhibits, and retrieve it for your lunch break. There is a cafe right next to the museum main entrance if you'd prefer. It was hard to keep the kids from climbing on the sculpture, but it was really fun to see their faces light up at the life sized characters they love!
By purchasing a membership you get free admission to a host of other museums across the country (including the Mid Hudson Children's Museum, the MiSi Museum in Schenectady and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space museum to name a few). Imagine the trips you could plan! They also deduct the price you pay for your family admission from the membership price which makes it really affordable, and pays for future adventures.
Spending the day at the museums is a great getaway from the usual routine of things. It's an easy day trip and if you plan it just right you can be there in time to see the newest addition of the Dr. Seuss museum coming in June! I know we can't wait to go back!
Would you travel two hours to see works of art?
You might also enjoy some of our other adventures: Howe's Caverns, Lake George, Mystic Aquarium and The Eric Carle Museum of Story Book Art.
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
Every March thousands of brave souls around the country come out to do something crazy. They shave their long locks of hair for money. That may sound a little weird to you if you haven't heard of the St. Baldrick's Foundation before.
If you have not yet had the chance to be a part of a St. Baldrick's event, you are in luck! St. Baldrick's of Ulster County is returning with their super family friendly event on Sunday March 5th 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Saugerties Senior Center 207 Market St. Saugerites, NY. Nearly 150 people will shave their heads in solidarity with kids fighting cancer in our local community and around the world. The original event hosted in 2015, raised over $88,000.
What began as a modest fundraising goal of $17,000 in 1999, has grown to a record breaking $27.2 actual dollars given to research grants in 2014. In 2015 research backed by St. Baldrick's pushes the FDA to approve a new drug to treat kids with neuroblastoma. It is only the third drug approved specifically for pediatric cancer in twenty years.
My family and I began raising money for St. Baldrick's as a way to honor the battle my niece Ashley fought when she was just 3-years-old. Thankfully, she is a healthy teenager and high school graduate today, but in 2001 we didn't know what her future would hold. Ashley has been a long time supporter of St. Badlrick's and last year was the first time she braved the shave since losing her hair to cancer as a child.
Oh, and there is no actual St. Baldrick.
There are hundreds of different organizations raising money for kids with cancer, but what makes the St. Baldrick's charity unique is that nearly every dollar is donated directly to research. There is no overhead cost of an executive team, a CEO salary, or administrative costs. The events are coordinated by volunteers in small towns and big cities. Most often it is a family affair honoring young heroes who have lost and won their battles.
Since the government only spends less than 4% on pediatric cancer research, St. Baldrick's helps fill the funding gap and is the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants.
So now that you have a little history about why people start their own team and ask for money to shave their heads, you should know what you can expect at this event. There is a little something for everyone to enjoy! The bake sale is provided courtesy of some serious local bakers like Banana Moon Baking Company, The Cup Takes The Cake, Sugar Me Sweet Bakers, Amy's Sweet Tooth, Hudson Valley Dessert Company and many more! There will be face painting, dance performances, a DJ, raffles and a whole lot of energy! It will be a big party celebrating the shavees for their bravery, honoring local families who brave the fight and remembering the ones who will be forever young.
The event is only 12 days away, but you can still register to brave the shave and raise donations, or you can make a donation to the Saugerties event, or you can show up and be a part of the action. I guarantee the first time you experience this amazing event your life will never be the same, and even the biggest heart will find enough room to grow three sizes!
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
Did you know about this adorable, family friendly Teddy Bear museum in Marbletown? During a fall open house, my family and I visited the Den which is set back from the road on 209. The Den of Marbletown is simply adorable and perfect for any teddy bear fanatic! There are a ton of different bears displayed and opportunities to learn the history of the teddy bear, the Steiff Company and the museum location.
The Basten family farm house was converted to a bed and breakfast and has expanded to include a teddy bear collection museum. The original collection belongs to the owner's mother and many of the temporary exhibits include her personal favorites.
The Steiff Company has been around since 1880 and has been delighting children and adults of all ages and stages with stuffed animals. From plush baby safe cuddle blankets to luxurious fiber collectible bears for adults.
When we arrived my girls could hardly contain their excitement. They were surrounded by thousands of stuffed loves all in need of a good hug (according to the six year olds, not the store staff). After touring the gift shop we took the self-guided tour to learn more about the history of the museum and the teddy bear. We wound our way through each room filled with displays of adorably staged stuffed animals. And just when we thought we were at the end we found the upstairs portion of this old Farm House was also converted to hold exhibits. Each room in The Den has a theme and is filled with adorable dioramas of teddy bear hijinks.
There is an overload of teddy bears and stuffed animals throughout the museum, but in a small converted closet in one upstairs room there are plenty of old school Barbie Dolls and Madame Alexander Dolls. Across the hall from that exhibit, there is a special room called the, "Mama Bear Lounge." This room was designed with working moms in mind. Moms are encourage to grab a coffee and their lap top and let the little ones play. Or, meet up with other moms for play dates. There is a toy box filled with blocks and other toys and a soft carpeted area for kids to play. There is free Wi-Fi where moms can get a little work done, or take a break and scroll through Facebook. The small room behind the mama bear lounge is the "kids cub cave." It's a small room where the kids can climb in and out of a faux cave, or grab a game or coloring page from the shelves to play at the table.
One unique feature we did not experience is renting a guest room to spend a night at the museum. This would be an incredible birthday experience for any kid age 6 or older to sleep that close to so many squeezable bears. There is also a café and snack area inside, as well as picnic area just outside. The website boasts a picnics to go service, local fresh baked goods and a marvelous closet filled with extra amenities.
You can tell the folks in charge really put a lot of thought into the details. This museum is perfect for your teddy bear enthusiast age six and older. There are many exhibits behind glass, or under display boxes, but still many places they can hold a stuffed animal. More active kids will love the mama bear lounge area.
Keep an eye on the Den News section on the website to check out some of the fun events planned at the house. Some previous events include a teddy bear tea, cookie decorating, jewelry making and art workshops. The admission price to the museum is really affordable at $2.00 per adult, and $1.00 for kids to age 17 (under 1 are free) and a family rate of just $5.00. Pack a lunch and make this an affordable fun day out learning a little history and enjoying the bears!
Photo credit: The Den of Marbletown website.
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
So far we have had a dreary couple of days of crazy winter weather. The temps have been up and down. We have had rain, snow, sleet and ice. It doesn't feel like a really colorful time of year. Thankfully February brings some fun colorful activities into our world. We do a lot to celebrate Valentine's Day at home, like making gifts for our friends, but we often overlook President's Day. It isn't as sweet as Valentine's Day so I am always stuck on fun things to do with my kids. This year I'm feeling (a little) more prepared.
My kids are in school and I am sure their teachers are doing a fantastic job teaching them about our country's presidents and what it means to be the president of the United States of America. Maybe your kids aren't in school just yet, or maybe you homeschool, or you simply want a few fun things to do on your extra day off with the kids. So here are some fun things to do!
5 fun activities to celebrate President's Day:
Exercise your right to vote. Let your kids vote on breakfast. Pick two breakfast foods and hand out ballots to cast their votes. Anyone who is eating breakfast gets a vote and the most popular vote wins. It is a quick and easy activity, but it gives young kids a taste of the election process. (Pun totally intended).
Help your child imagine a better world. Ask your kids to write down their answers to this question, "If I were President I would …" Not only will it be fun to hear their answers, but this can help kids imagine the good things they can do in this world.
Take a trip to the library. I know this is my go-to answer for everything. If we are bored we head to the library. But that's because there is so much to learn and do there! If your child is old enough to read check out a couple of age appropriate books that describe the presidential process or a biography on a specific president. Check the library calendar there may even be some fun President's Day themed activities happening right there.
Always stop for a snack. Anything you can think of that can represent the red, white and blue of the American flag is easiest. For example: a berry and yogurt parfait, or a bagel with cream cheese and fresh berries. If you are feeling ambitious make some cupcakes together, use white frosting with blue and red sprinkles. I like to use whatever we have on hand. Pull out some ingredients and let your kids get creative.
Show them the money. Take out any cash you have on hand and Google some facts about the president you see. My kids love when we get to ask the phone some questions. It is pretty amazing to me that we can speak a question into this little piece of technology and have answers in seconds. When I was the same age as my kids I'd have to walk across town, enter a building, pull open a drawer in the card catalog and find directions to a book hidden somewhere on a shelf. That was like half a day! Kids today … they don't know how good they have it.
I like to keep things simple, yet celebratory. This isn't one of those holidays you need to go completely elaborate with. Choosing any of these activities adds just a little fun and acknowledges the day.
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.


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Patterson Belknap's White Collar Defense and Investigations Group includes five former federal prosecutors and the former Attorney General of the State of New Jersey, all of whom have extensive trial and litigation experience. The Group represents corporations and individuals in cases involving allegations of securities fraud, health care fraud, antitrust violations, tax fraud, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The Group is known for fighting aggressively on behalf of clients, even in the face of threatened prosecutions and regulatory actions. Our aggressive approach has resulted in the termination of federal and state investigations without charges or penalties.
Our representations often include complex civil litigations that arise out of internal investigations and Government scrutiny. In these cases, our team is able to leverage our significant litigation and trial experience to achieve the best results for our clients. When litigation arises, our attorneys have the experience and know-how to aggressively and effectively defend our clients.
Our team and its members are recognized as leaders in the field. U.S. News-Best Lawyers® ranked our practice among the top both nationally and in New York in its "Best Law Firms" survey based on client and peer review. In addition, team members Daniel Ruzumna and Josh Goldberg are recognized in Chambers USA in the area of white-collar criminal defense. Mr. Ruzumna is also named a "Litigation Star" by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC's Benchmark Litigation.
Daniel S. Ruzumna spent six years working at the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he last served as Acting Chief of the Major Crimes Unit, a unit of more than 20 federal prosecutors dedicated to investigating and prosecuting economic crimes and financial frauds. Dan focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense and related regulatory proceedings and internal investigations. He has represented corporations and corporate executives in many recent high-profile criminal and regulatory investigations involving alleged violations of the securities laws, antitrust laws, tax laws, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Joshua A. Goldberg served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York for eight years, most recently as a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. In that role, Josh investigated and prosecuted complex white collar cases involving securities fraud, accounting fraud, market manipulation, investment adviser fraud, insider trading and commercial bribery. In 2010, Josh received a Prosecutor of the Year Award from the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation for work he had done as a prosecutor in investigating and prosecuting securities fraud at a major international corporation. Josh's practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, securities and commodities fraud, health care fraud and internal investigations representing both corporations and individuals.
Peter C. Harvey is a past Attorney General of the State of New Jersey and a former federal prosecutor; as such, Peter has been a central player in government investigations and consumer fraud matters. During his tenure as AG, Peter negotiated the two largest securities settlement payments in New Jersey history concerning insider trading and market timing cases and acted as one of the lead Attorneys General in several multistate securities fraud settlements. He has represented banks and other financial institutions in litigation regarding fraud and unpaid obligations where reports to and cooperation with law enforcement authorities was required.
Michael F. Buchanan spent more than nine years at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, where he served as Chief of the Securities and Health Care Fraud Unit, focusing on the investigation and prosecution of criminal violations of the federal securities and health care fraud statutes. He was involved in some of the most significant and high-profile securities fraud prosecutions that the District brought, including overseeing the trial team that obtained the conviction of Walter Forbes, the Chairman of the Board of Cendant Corporation.
Harry Sandick served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted financial fraud cases and other crimes. During his tenure as an AUSA, Harry served as Deputy Chief of the Appeals Unit. Harry has argued more than 30 criminal appeals in federal and state court and has overseen more than 80 criminal appeals as a supervisor. He has significant experience in matters related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the regulations promulgated by the Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC). Harry's recent work includes the representation of individuals involved in the investigations conducted by the Department of Justice into benchmark rates (such as LIBOR) and foreign exchange markets. He also has represented individuals and institutions in connection with investigations into public corruption and tax fraud, including a taxpayer who was prosecuted in federal and state court for having an undisclosed offshore bank account. In the past, he represented major investors in Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC in the investigation conducted by prosecutors and regulators.

subset: commoncrawl


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There's no better place to start localizing the food system, saving water, and building community than in the landscape right outside your door! The following Daily Acts' favorites are Sonoma County adapted plants that can help transform your landscape into a luscious, edible playground while saving thousands of gallons of water per year as compared to conventional landscapes.
Persimmon trees display splendidly colorful fall foliage and then drip with brilliant orange fruit like Christmas ornaments on bare branches in the winter. There are two main types: astringent varieties such as 'Hachiya' which are meant to be eaten gushy ripe but will dry the mouth if eaten too soon; and non-astringent varieties such as 'Fuyu' which can be eaten crunchy as an apple. Drying the unripe astringent fruit eliminates the mouth-puckering effect.
A relatively unknown shrub, Chilean Guavas have small, glossy, evergreen leaves and produce tiny fruit high in fiber and vitamins that can be eaten whole. This is a great edible substitute for common box hedges and an ideal grazing food for children. It can tolerate salty maritime air but prefers shelter from the wind. While it is drought tolerant it produces best with regular light watering and thick mulch to hold moisture.


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Chief financial officers on average believe a little more than 18 percent of public companies misrepresent their economic performance, according to a recent survey by Emory and Duke University researchers (h/t WSJ's Francesco Guerrera).
The survey 's 169 CFOs also said outside observers find it hard to unravel earnings management, especially when such earnings are managed using real actions.
They also said 10 percent of firms misrepresent their earnings statements.
Here are the motivations they found companies would do so:
And here are the ways they said you can spot junk earnings reports:


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More Windows 8 UI Rationale Explored and Explained
There's a fascinating new post on the Building Windows 8 blog this morning, entitled "Creating the Windows 8 user experience," by Jensen Harris, Microsoft's Director of Program Management for the User Experience Team. In the story, he explores and explains the reasons that are driving how the user interface for and user interaction in Windows 8 are designed, with all kinds of interesting observations and insights.
Rather than drive you through his lengthy discussion in detail, with analysis along the way, I'll simply summarize his high points, then conclude this post with a little (hopefully insightful) commentary of my own:
1. a quick history of prior Windows UIs with representative screen caps (1.0, 3 and 3.1, Windows 95, XP, Vista, and Windows 7)
2. basic design assumptions
2.1 People are connected all the time
2.2 People, not files, are the center of activity
2.3 The rise of mobile over desktop PCs
2.4 Content lives on the PC and in the cloud
3. Goals of the Windows 8 user experience
3.1 Fast and fluid means a "responsive, performant, beautiful, and animated UI" where "every piece of UI comes from somewhere and goes somewhere when it exits the screen" and where "most essential scenarios are efficient,…without extra questions or prompt" and "things you don't need are out of the way."
3.2 Long Battery Life!
3.3 Windows 8 apps have "Grace and power."
3.4 Live tiles make visible UI elements personal and keep them current.
3.5 Apps work together to save users time (better communication and interaction among apps)
3.6 Changes and customization follow the user across multiple devices ("Roam your experience between PCs)
3.7 Make your PC work like a device, not a computer
4. Touch is a first-class input method (but not the only one!)
4.1 Improving touch on the desktop
4.2 Creating an environment exclusively or primarily (suited) for touch input
5. Metro style and the desktop, working together, where the desktop is there to run programs designed for mouse and keyboard, and Metro is there for touch-centric apps
6. Enabling devices that can work as tablets or full-blown PCs with equal zest and celerity
7. Updating the visual appearance of the desktop: preserve maximum compatibility with existing programs, but with what MS calls "chrome:" title bar, borders, and a Windows UI surrounding application windows. New "clean and crisp" approach means no glass or reflections, squared-off edges, no more glows and gradients, shadows or transparency.
8. People learn to use Windows 8 by adapting and moving forward, and MS plans to post soon about "how people discover and understand new concepts, and the specific steps…to make sure people don't feel lost the first time they sit down with a Windows 8 PC."
9. Windows 8 is forward looking: "a bet on the future of computing" that "stakes a claim to Windows' role in that future."
Phew! So much for the summary. To me the most interesting parts dealt with how apps can exchange information with each other, and how important across-the-board resource optimization (CPU, GPU, display, disk, and so forth) is to maximizing battery life and improving foreground element performance. There's still an awful lot of rosy rhetoric tied up with the change to the Metro style start screen and overall system design and behavior, but MS also seems to be trying to provide technical, aesthetic, and ergonomic reasons why big changes are afoot, with only slight twinges of "because we said so" (the parent's ultimate explanation for inquisitive youngsters when questions go on longer than answers do).
There's a lot to chew on here and it makes me think there will be some changes in UI when the Windows 8 Release Preview hits as early as the first week of June. In particular I found the remarks that gestures, particularly those involving swipes from the edge of the screen, will work better in upcoming Windows 8 releases than they did in the Customer Preview both interesting and revealing. Indeed it is partly a hardware problem (particularly for touch screens with bezels that essentially prevent real touch access to the very, very edge of the display) but I have also observed that there can be other difficulties, too, particularly when running CPU-intensive applications on the desktop. Should be interesting to see how it all evolves.


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The online appointment scheduling tool with this UPMC doctor is for new patients only.*
Existing patients can still schedule an appointment online. Just log in to your MyUPMC account to make your appointment.
*if you have Highmark commercial insurance, please call 1-855-646-UPMC (8762) or the doctor's office directly before scheduling an appointment, to verify your network status.
Please call 911 and seek help immediately if you are experiencing any of the following:


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We pride ourselves on adding value to every transaction and providing a first-class service, no matter how big or small your portfolio, or your requirements. Whatever your industrial property needs, we have the dedicated team to facilitate a premium outcome.
Our core business is the disposals, acquisitions and leasing of industrial and logistics assets on behalf of landlords and tenants.
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Through a consistent, client-focused and collaborative approach, Knight Frank Industrial provides a one-stop, integrated property solution.
With 25 offices across Australia and a renowned global network, Knight Frank is best placed to provide leading expert recommendations, while achieving a premium result.
We've built a national industrial business where property professionals connect to bring solutions and solve challenges for our clients.


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Hello everyone,
and welcome to our German Word of the Day. This time we will look at the meaning of:
or as I like to call it: the second one of the three but–lings.
The three but-lings are the three German words but translates to. The hardest one to explain is sondern, so we will start with this one today. The other two but-lings are aber and außer. If you want to read up on außer click here.
I will not discuss aber separately as it is kind of the default case, so when it is neither sondern nor außer, aber will be fine.
The 3 words stand for 3 different concepts and for a German native they are definitely not related at all. If you pick the wrong one, you might not be understood… so knowing the differences is really a "must have"… yeah …marketing lingo is sooo coool.
I wasn't really able to dig out some etymological background on sondern… yes.. I do consider a Google search as digging… I mean… I did look at page 2 after all. Anyway… there is a sort of outdated verb sondern in German which means something like to separate. It is never used in daily speech though. I just mentioned it because it might help you to understand sondern and other things with sonder in them like besonders (particular-ly) or sonderbar (strange).
What's that? You want to get to the but-ling already? Ok ok. So but is translated to sondern whenever your structure or idea is something like this:
not A but B instead.
not A but rather B.
not only A but also B.
Now I know how you hate real life examples. They really are a pain. But I will give them anyway… hah!
- Ich fliege nicht nach London sondern nach Paris.
- I don't fly to London but to Paris.
- Ich fahre nicht mit dem Auto sondern mit dem Fahrrad.
- I don't go by car but by bike.
- Ich trinke meinen Kaffee nicht mit Zucker sondern mit Honig.
- I don't drink my coffee with sugar but with honey.
Obviously, there is always some sort of contradiction or replacement indicated by sondern. The second thing you mention, the one after the but, is instead of the first.
This hint of course does not really apply for the not only but also construction. This, however, also works with sondern.
- Ich habe nicht nur mein Zimmer aufgeräumt sondern auch die Küche und das Bad.
- Not only did I clean my room but also the kitchen and the bathroom.
Now, this article here is certainly not the first attempt to explain the difference between aber and sondern. I have read some discussion boards and the core of most explanations is that it will be sondern if there is a "not" in the first part of the sentence… the part before the but. This is not wrong but it is NOT complete either, as having a "not" in the first part does NOT automatically make your but sondern. You really have to understand the concept of contradiction if you want to master sondern vs. aber. To make this contradiction a little more clear, let's try to directly compare sondern with the first but-ling aber. The translations are chosen to illustrate the meaning rather than being literal.
- Heute muss ich nicht um 9 arbeiten sondern um 11.
- Today I have to start working at 11 instead of 9.
- Heute muss ich nicht um 9 arbeiten aber um 11.
- Today I don't have to start working at 9 but I have to work anyway … from 11.
So as you can see, there is a "not" in the first part in either version. I hope you can see the different focus of sondern and aber. Let's do one more of those examples.
- Meine Schwester hat das Buch nicht sondern mein Bruder hat es.
- Not my sister but my brother has the book. (And that is a huge difference as they live in 2 different cities)
- Meine Schwester hat das Buch nicht aber mein Bruder hat es.
- My sister does not have the book but my brother has it. (So it's ok as long as one of 'em has it)
So you can see that aber and sondern clearly have a different subtext. If you still feel uncertain about when to use which that is totally fine. If you are not used to the distinction between sondern (but instead) and aber (but) your first steps are sure to be a bit clumsy but you are not alone. Many European languages, mainly the Roman ones, do not have the distinction and they all have to get used to it when they try to learn a Germanic or Slavic language. But it is important that you try because to someone who natively makes this distinction aber and sondern are really not the same.
To wrap this up here is a little but-stuffed text… but-stuffed… hmmm… is that really appropriate… I guess it was until I asked :). Anyway, can you guess … oh I meant determine the correct but-lings?
Today I woke up pretty late but I still felt very tired. So I decided not to
get up but to stay in bed a little longer. But then my phone rang. I tried to
ignore it but it wouldn't stop. So I got up but it turned out that it wasn't
anything important but just some stupid opinion poll. So I took my
chance to bitch at the people a bit. I told them not only how puzzling it
was that they had my number but also how daring it was to call at 1 pm
in the morning. I waited for a response but the guy had nothing to say
but "Sorry sir, good day sir."
The solutions: aber, sondern, aber, aber, aber, sondern, sondern, aber, ausser
The last one was unfair. That was the 3rd but-ling and we haven't talked about it at all today. But what's the golden rule of pedagogics? Always send home your students with the experience of epic failure. Because if they feel too smart they won't return :).
So this was our Word of the Day sondern. If you have questions or suggestions just drop me a comment. I hope you liked it and see you next time.


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At Magic Beans, we are passionate about finding the latest gear and coolest toys to help make parents' live easier. Follow us for all the latest trends!


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Scripture Readings for Holy Week
We invite you to read through one or more of the Gospel accounts of the Passion Week listed below listed below as we prepare to celebrate our Lord's Resurrection....Keep Reading
Bible reading plans for 2020...
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer is this March's book for "Theology Thursday." ...
We invite you to read through one or more of the Gospel accounts of the Passion Week listed below listed below as we prepare to celebrate our Lord's Resurrection....Keep Reading
Sermon discussion questions for chapter 1 of Jonah....Keep Reading
Jonah is an amazing book, but one that requires repeated readings, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to the God who created the world, controls the nations, and directs all history to the true prophet, priest, and kingJesus Christ. On Sunday we started a six week journey through the story of Jonah. Let me encourage you to read the book in one sittingit's only 48 ve...Keep Reading
Starting this Sunday we will take the next six weeks to consider the story of Jonah.This story is more than a runaway prophet turned right. InJonah's rebellion, we find a story that calls us to flee from the hardness that grace-less religion can create. Likewise, in God's grace to Nineveh, wefind aglimpse ofthe surpassing beauty of God's salvation offered to all who repent...Keep Reading
Since September our church has studied the book of Ephesians. This week, we finished the sermon series with a summary and reflection on Paul's letter. In particular, I argued that the gospel creates communities of faith that learn how to walk together in love. It's this love that displays the wisdom of God to the world and that builds up the individual Christian. To turn ...Keep Reading
"In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity." Rupertus Meldenius, 1627 Throughout the ages of church history it has been necessary for Christians to practice theological discernment. How does one discern between orthodoxy and heresy? Are you my brother or sister in Christ? Is my brother in error and in need of correction, or is this an iss...Keep Reading
Summary and sermon discussion notes for Ephesians 6:10-20....Keep Reading


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Currently Targeting... Monae on ArchAndroid
Monae on ArchAndroid
Great little interview clip with Janelle Monae (all posts) on an upcoming project, Arch Android (trailer), centered around Cindi Mayweather. Androids, Community Organizing, freedom and rights narrative… and one of the best upcoming singers and dancers around? The brain must explode.
November 26, 2009
Tax: » Android, Prisoner, YouTubes , arch android, Cindi Mayweather, janelle monae
Nav:» The Prisoner… of AMC « Home / Permalink » Geothermal Drilling Earthquakes, fear shuts down geysers project


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By Kevin White
Software, BPO and contract manufacturing centre
Suppliers Product News
- SDL Tridion selects Omniture for interactive marketing integration
- Document Dialog implements SDL Tridion / Pitney Bowes solution TriDoc at De Friesland Zorgverzekeraar
- Yara selects web content management solution from SDL Tridion
- Siteworx, Inc. and SDL Tridion provide web content management solutions for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Romania has become a highly attractive sourcing destination for companies looking for business process outsourcing, offshore software engineering and contract manufacturing services, according to market reports.
Telecommunications supplier Ericsson is reportedly considering developing its business in Romania, and is said to be looking at locating a 200-job development centre in the country.
Romania's Communications and Information Society minister also claims to have had discussions with Nokia and Hewlett-Packard about possible development projects in Romania.
That news follows an assessment reported by Computer Business Review last month which revealed that advisors at KPMG had named Cluj-Napoca as a future hot-spot for business process outsourcers.
The second largest city in Romania, Cluj-Napoca is home to Babeş-Bolyai University, the largest student base in the country.
Large labour pools, proximity to the major client bases of Europe and multiple language skills qualified Cluj-Napoca for inclusion in a 31 city listing compiled by KPMG, as potential alternatives to currently favoured destinations in India and China.
And according to analysis from Frost & Sullivan released today, Romania is also poised to emerge as one of the largest players in the electronics outsourcing industry.
Its research found the country earned revenues in excess of $1.6 billion in 2008 and estimates this will reach $3.38 billion by 2014.
Romania's strategic proximity to Western Europe combined with its low corporate taxation policies and low-cost labour force has made manufacturers realise that it is an ideal location for electronics manufacturing, the market watchers said.


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Yield Curve Building in Excel using Forward Rates
With this article I want to show you how to create a yield curve in Excel using the open source QuantLib analytics library, when the input market data are forward rates.
My previous article focused on building a yield curve in Excel out of deposit rates in general and Libor rates in particular.
These rates cover the short range of the maturity spectrum, are readily available in the market, but are not the only ones. Forward rates are another candidate that also span short-dated maturities, albeit much less used than deposit rates. An exception is Futures prices that are very liquid and will be the focus of my next post.
Forward rate is the rate associated with a Forward contract.
The latter is an agreement between two counterparties A and B to exchange cash at two future times T1 and T2 as follows:
Counterparty A (the lender) agrees to pay an amount N (the principal) to counterparty B (the borrower) at some future time T1 (the forward's maturity).
On the other hand, counterparty B undertakes to pay back to A a slightly higher amount N + ΔN at a still later time T2 (the maturity of the forward's underlying).
The extra amount ΔN represents the interest that B must pay A for the benefit of having access to cash from T1 until T2.Similar to how I defined the deposit rate in my previous article with regard to spot deposit contracts, one may associate with a forward contract a rate that is called FORWARD RATE and defined as:
The important underlying assumption in this definition is that the contract is fair, which means that both A and B are satisfied with the contract's terms and require no additional compensation. This holds necessarily at the time when the contract is signed but generally fails to hold a second later, as market interest rates move!
Indeed if rates within the next second go up, the lender A will regret having lent money at the lower rate prevailing as of the previous second, but will be unable to cancel the contract, which will continue to exist albeit with a non-zero value, meaning that the lender could sell the contract to a new lender C, but would need to compensate C with the amount –V, where V is the current negative value of the contract (negative from the perspective of the lender A, but positive from the perspective of the borrower B).
Creating the Yield Curve
After this little digression on forward contracts and forward rates, let's assume that I know what the forward rates are for a set of maturities.
As usually, I will ask Deriscope to generate the formula for me.
After I select the Yield Curve type in Type Selector I must check the Use FRAs flag inside the input parameters screen and finally hit the Go button, as this video demonstrates:
This is the result:
Understanding the formula
As you see, cell A1 contains the formula =ds(A2:B7;A9;A10:B12), which takes three input arguments and returns the text &YldCrv_A1:1.1
The prefix & indicates that &YldCrv_A1:1.1 is the handle name of some object. In fact it points to an object of type Yield Curve and can be used in any context where a yield curve is needed, such as in pricing of options.
The first input argument is the range A2:B7 that consists of 6 key-value pairs.
The top 5 pairs have obvious meanings.
The last pair FRA Ibor Index= %EURLibor|3M supplies the conventions of the deposit rate that underlies the forward contracts, the rates of which are listed in the table of the third argument A10:B12.
The prefix % indicates that this is a so-called trivial object, meaning that its contents are fully derived from the handle name so that they do not need to be created by some formula elsewhere in the spreadsheet.
I can see the index conventions within the Browse Area of the wizard by selecting the cell B7 containing the handle name %EURLibor|3M:
The top two rows contain the Ibor Type and Tenor of the selected object.
The respective values are EURLibor and %3M and their green color indicates that even though they are the values of an object the handle name of which is at the currently selected cell, they can still be edited within the wizard.For example, I may change %3M to %6M within the wizard, which results to the generation of the new handle %EURLibor|6M in cell B7, as this short video shows:
The last argument A10:B12 contains the table of forward rates.
The top row contains the elements #Expiry and #Rate, where the prefix # indicates that they are only column labels and not part of the table's values.
The actual values occupy two rows.
The first row holds the forward rate for a forward contract that starts in one month.
The second row holds the forward rate for a forward contract that starts in four months.
The underlying tenor of both contracts spans 3 months as specified in the conventions of the object %EURLibor|3M in cell B7.
Alternative construction of a Forward Rate table
Rather than supplying an object of type Ibor Rate in cell B7 that supplies a commonly shared underlying tenor for all forward rates, I can use a more flexible setup that allows individual forward rates to have different underlying tenors.
This is how the wizard can help me do that:
and this is the result:
Notice that the table now contains an additional column where the final maturity (in months) of each underlying contract is separately specified. If I forget the meaning of each column, I only need to select the cell containing the table's respective key (FRA Set=) and have the wizard display the associated information as shown below:
Using the Yield Curve object
For this I would refer you to the respective section of the Yield Curve out of Deposit Rates article
You may download the spreadsheet produced with the above steps here
Feel free to contact me if you want to share any thoughts with regard to this product or if you want to request any particular features. Contact info and social media links are available at my web site https://www.deriscope.com


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Windows client management
Roll your own Windows patching tool with PowerShell
This tutorial based on PowerShell helps administrators build an automated routine that audits Windows machines, then applies missing patches to lighten this management task. Continue Reading
GDPR requirements loom for Windows Server admins
The upcoming General Data Protection Regulation will force many companies to re-examine how they store and process personal data. Here's how admins can ready their business. Continue Reading
Windows Server version 1709 hits turbulence upon release
Microsoft designed Windows Server version 1709 for cloud-focused businesses that need up-to-date technologies. So what makes it different from Windows Server 2016? Continue Reading
Tools for system administrators that don't cost a dime
If you use the default Windows tools for everyday administrative duties, such as taking screenshots or editing text, there are better options that come without charge. Continue Reading
Make a Windows Server 2016 Essentials comparison to find the best fit
Two similar-sounding versions of Windows Server 2016 Essentials have important differences, such as the number of licenses each enables a business to use. Continue Reading
Manage Linux servers with a Windows admin's toolkit
Even Microsoft recognizes it's no longer just a Windows world. Here's what Windows administrators can do to pick up Linux management and monitoring. Continue Reading
Managed service accounts tighten Windows Server security
When a Windows Server application uses a service account, it can make an organization vulnerable. Admins can switch to managed service accounts to boost Windows Server security. Continue Reading
Ease migrations with Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets
An in-place Windows Server upgrade is easier than a server migration. When an upgrade isn't possible, admins can ease the transition with a Microsoft snap-in. Continue Reading
Tailor a WSUS server setup to any Windows environment
Administrators can configure a Windows Server Update Services server -- or several -- to manage and distribute updates from Microsoft. Continue Reading
These Windows configuration management tools can prevent mishaps
It's a challenge to limit downtime and speed up deployments in the data center. Configuration management tools can help IT maintain control. Continue Reading
What to configure in Windows Server local security policy
Organizations should configure the local security policy for new servers to handle patch management and for protection against unauthorized access. Continue Reading
How to stick to your IT security plan
Completing an IT security plan to protect the Windows Server environment requires setting deadlines to stay accountable. Continue Reading
Keep 16-bit applications running as Windows Server 2008 support ends
As Windows Server 2008 end of life draws near, companies still using 16-bit applications need to be resourceful to keep them running. Continue Reading
Five vital Windows 2016 security updates
Windows Server 2016 will include updates that will affect authentication options, account restrictions, Web protection and more. Continue Reading
Grooming Windows images for deployment
When it comes to getting OS images ready to deploy in a Windows infrastructure, there are tools to use to get them ready. Continue Reading


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2016 Spring/Summer shows are now listed
Find us in the Fraser Valley this spring/ summer
ART on the FARM
Aug 13th 10-4pm
YES I will be returning to Art on the Farm in the Columbia Valley again this year
Bring the family for a great day out!
Come on by and Make a little creation of you own!
Make and takes $5.00!
Give me 15 min and I will show you how to create a beautiful 2 D sculpture of you very own.
Drop by my booth at Art on the Farm and create your own masterpiece in 10-15 min.
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Children with supervision are welcome!
1162 Iverson Rd Columbia VAlley Chilliwack BC
A few examples of Make & Takes
Hope to see you soon!


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Science of Cooking garners media attention, rave reviews
Aspen Times: Science of Cooking Makes Aspen Debut
There's a new star in the Aspen firmament: the brand new Science of Cooking hosted by the Aspen Science Center and Cooking School of Aspen.
Aspen Magazine: Cooking Element
Culinary aptitude is sometimes called art. But for those who consider themselves more left-brained than right, there's science. Sprinkle the ingredients of art and science on top of some comic relief and the result is the Science of Cooking…
Aspen TimesWeekly: Food Matters: Science Fare at Cooking School of Aspen
TO THE NAKED EYE, it's a soup crock covered with a golden-brown cloak of puff pastry. To David Houggy, President of the Aspen Science Center, the flaky crust over each portion of saffron tomato bisque represents a mathematical formula: three to the sixth power.
The reviews are in!
"Last night I attended the Cooking School of Aspen for an incredibly delicious three-course dinner with wine pairings and fun science demonstrations about the food we ate. The scientists were from the Aspen Science Center and were so interesting. It was the best $125.00 I have ever spent." Susan Welsch
"A lively, fun, and delicious evening!" Judith Barnard
Mike and David, congratulations on a great evening. We were afraid #2 wouldn't be as good as #1, but it was terrific and worth using as a model for future such evenings…and I hope there are many.
Would the chefs be willing to part with the first course papaya/tuna recipe?


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We are one of the top Leeds United websites around, gathering millions of views a year, thanks for making us what we are!
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Or watch in HD here
Fairly predictable, showing as much as possible to remind general audiences of it's ties to The Lord of the Rings series. Looks pretty and I'm sure it will satisfy fans until the next meatier trailer appears next year.
Saw this one last night. Pretty excited to get back to the theater for another Hobbit tale. My only fear is that the trailer makes the film look like it's going to be slow, and I hope that's not the case. What's your take on it?
I think I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out with a pliers than see this movie...
I don't know really rG, I suppose it depends how much of the book they actually cover. I tried to read it as a teenager and it bored me to death to be honest. I'll see it but I certainly won't be first in line. The Rings films got progressively worse in my eyes so we'll have to see.
I'm guessing you're not a big fan of the Tolkien world then Wes!
Mart, my hatred for LOTR films (and the damn book as well) is like a bottomless abyss...and now another bloody one comes along ! Is this gonna be 2 or 3 movies as well ? Oh I feel sick just thinking about it...
Well get used to more hating Wes M, 'cause this is a two-part film.
What is going on this week anyway? So many awesome trailers. This must the weeks of epic trailers. First we get the Dark Knight Rises, then we get the Hobbit and also now we have the Is-it-or-is-it-not-Alien prequel from the master himself, Ridley Scott's Prometheus:


text: Show 100 5 10 15 20 50 100 250 Sort by year (new to old) Actions Save this search Download search results Subscribe to news feed Your filters: cql: author exact 002002279656 cql: author exact 002002378878 Add to list Journal Article A1 T-cell receptor-induced JNK activation requires proteolytic inactivation of CYLD by MALT1 Jens Staal (UGent) , Yasmine Driege (UGent) , Tine Bekaert (UGent) , Annelies Demeyer (UGent) , David Muyllaert (UGent) , Petra Van Damme (UGent) , Kris Gevaert (UGent) and Rudi Beyaert (UGent) (2011) EMBO JOURNAL. 30(9). p.1742-1752


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Season Five of The Walking Dead might have been the best season of the zombie killing, which means that there have been enough zombie kills this season to fill a 7-minute gore-fest video.
Some of these zombie deaths are really artistic while others are so brutal they make your brain go numb.
This article originally appeared on Sploid, a Gizmodo blog of delicious brain candy


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How does a senior portfolio manager go about constructing a portfolio in the current environment? We sat down with Jason Mayer to find out
How does a senior portfolio manager go about constructing a portfolio in the current environment? We sat down with Jason Mayer at Sprott Asset Management to find out.
"My strength is as a stock picker, so I am always looking for stories that are going to be exceptional," Mayer says. "I wouldn't say that I disregard the current environment, but my aim is to find stocks that are going to grossly outperform their peers over a cycle."
Mayer focuses solely on resources, and for the part of the portfolio that he controls he's always in search of exceptional names, whether that be a gold company, a base metals company, an oil and gas company or a fertilizer or chemical company.
The other part of the portfolio is run by one of Mayer's partners, who is more technically driven and rotates the portfolio construction based on how the market moves. Mayer decided to design the portfolio management in such a way (50% stock picker, 50% technical) because of the attitudes of modern clients and how they're impacted by the financial media. "The problem with today's clients, especially people who purchase mutual funds, is that everyone is so plugged-in and so short-term focused," Mayer says. "So, when I first tell someone my vision they may think it's great, but when they start seeing some volatility or have a bad six months, they'll want to abandon the strategy."
The other reason that Mayer doesn't run the portfolio on a purely stock picking basis is because it's tough to find ways to populate the portfolio while also maintaining a reasonable amount of diversification. "The 50% of the portfolio that I control is willing to digest and absorb volatility but the other 50% is designed to mitigate the portfolio and pick up on the beta trends that present themselves, which will hopefully enable clients to endure tough periods," he says.
So, what 'stories' get Mayer's interest; how does he make his stock picks? "I think a lot of portfolio managers have a single model, so they screen for one particular thing," he says. "What will pique my interest is different buckets, buckets being event-driven, changing fundamentals, or value, which can be either NAV driven or cash flow driven."
Selecting stocks based on their cash flow is a deciding factor for many portfolio managers operating in the resource arena. "This is predominant, especially in the oil and gas space in the current environment, where companies have been really capital constrained," Mayer says. "Those companies may own an asset with incredible amounts of activity, yet be trading at a fraction of their full development value, which creates opportunities. Just because they don't have access to the capital that will help them execute a program to start crystalizing that value, it doesn't mean the value is not there."
After two years of being grossly undersupplied, the oil market is starting to rebalance, almost regardless of what OPEC is doing, according to Mayer. "When you couple that with all of the effienciy gains companies have been forced to generate because of the low price environment, we've seen some good gains," Mayer says.
Mayer has also seen the natural gas market come back from the dead. "People don't know that, fundamentally, 2015 was a record year for natural gas if you ex the weather," Mayer says. "If we get a normal winter, with this record demand outside of weather, we could see prices spike. The investment community has completely ignored what natural gas could mean from a cash flow perspective so that could have a real impact. It's improved and could be very interesting."
Related stories:
How private debt strategies can help increase diversification and reduce correlation
Why increased risk may be the only option


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UPDATED – The doctor at the center of CNN's investigation that led to last year's closure of the pediatric cardiac surgery program at St. Mary's Medical Center struck back Tuesday with a remarkable defamation lawsuit against the news network.
Dr. Michael Black's 200-page lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court alleges rivals – particularly Miami's Nicklaus Children's Hospital – tried to sabotage the fledgling heart program.
Black, who is still on staff at St. Mary's, did not specify a dollar amount to be sought at trial except to say he seeks compensation for "reputational and economic harm."
The real target of the complaint, though, is CNN. Besides lead reporter Elizabeth Cohen, on-air talent and renowned anchor Anderson Cooper is among the defendants.
"Dr. Black's complaint clearly demonstrates the lengths to which CNN and its reporters are willing to go to grab headlines and promote their 'Empowered Patient' brand," said Libby Locke, one of Dr. Black's attorneys out of Alexandria, Va., who filed the lawsuit.
"CNN recklessly — and repeatedly — ignored information demonstrating the absolute falsity of their claims about Dr. Black and the surgical program he led, and deliberately manipulated statistics to fit their predetermined conclusion about the quality of care provided by Dr. Black and St. Mary's."
CNN responded to the filing of the lawsuit with a short statement: "We intend to fight this in the courts. We will fight hard in defense of our reporting and we expect to prevail."
Cohen did not respond to an e-mail for comment.
St. Mary's declined specific comment, but noted that it has rolled out updated data that shows the mortality rate was 4.9 percent — not the 12.5 percent mortality rate reported by CNN.
As reported by The Palm Beach Post in several stories last summer, the data used in CNN's report that St. Mary's sported a death rate of infants in the unit three times the national average was widely disputed by the hospital and the state's Agency for Health Care Administration.
Black's lawsuit called the death rate calculation by CNN "a fundamentally flawed pseudo-statistical analysis." Nine babies died following heart surgery during the program's brief existence from 2011 to when it closed last August in the wake of the network's story.
The preconceived goal of CNN's article and video report, according to the lawsuit, "was to manufacture an outrageous, headline-grabbing story about an incompetent, dishonest, and inexperienced doctor leading a surgical program in crisis and recklessly operating on young children to profit at the expense of those children's lives."
The CNN report sent St. Mary's reeling and was the death knell for the pediatric cardiac program. Also in August, the hospital's CEO, Davide Carbone, resigned.
Black and the hospital have been named in at least two malpractice lawsuits filed by parents of babies who died following heart surgery by the doctor.
The lawsuit also claims the mother of a patient for a rival surgeon at Nicklaus embarked on a three-year mission to discredit Black.
Kelly Robinson of Jupiter Farms contacted patients and nurses on numerous occasions, telling them that Black "kills babies" and leaves them "butchered" and "mangled," according to the lawsuit.
Robinson, a so-called "heart mom," appears in the lead of CNN's June 1 story as an unnamed stranger in an elevator, warning a couple to have their heart-sick infant transferred from St. Mary's.
The lawsuit names Robinson, but not Nicklaus Children's Hospital.
The CNN story also had political fallout.
The network based its story on a report by the state's Cardiac Technical Advisory Panel after a review of St. Mary's program. The panel, which set standards for infant cardiac programs for decades, has since lost its authority. CNN reported earlier this year that state officials moved against the panel after St. Mary's parent, Tenet Healthcare, made a $200,000 political donation to Republicans.
Florida Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong told Florida Health News last month that CNN's report linking Tenet's campaign donation to changes with the panel was unfair.
"There's no connection with that at all," Armstrong said. "So I think that this department is committed to making sure that children with serious and chronic medical conditions, to include our children with congenital cardiac disease, that they receive the care that they need."


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I was going to write a little article about drugs and plant medicines, but when I started thinking about it so many things came to mind: pain, fear, intention, weariness, inner strength, choices… and the fact that this is an incredible time of change. We came here for this change, to be a part of it, so let's have a look at where we are and how it's moving.
In When the Soul Starts Walking, I mentioned a time when I used weed daily. It enhanced my creativity and allowed me to enter more deeply into the music I was writing. I could see a benefit, and used it until I no longer enjoyed it. We know it's a medicine with many, many medical benefits and some psychological benefits. Intentional use of plant medicines, such as weed or kratom, for relief of chronic physical pain, gets a thumb's up from me – used when or if needed.
Weed can also be a means of avoiding the pain of our existence, as with alcohol, opiates and other drugs. I understand the desire to be relieved of pain. If I had alcohol or drugs sitting around, easily available, there are times when I might be tempted, so no judgment there either. But… it doesn't work well to turn your back on things. Escape or denial can be tempting, but the consequences come calling. So on this journey we learn to face what arises and live the highs and lows with a clear head, only using drugs with conscious intention.
Regarding the highs and lows, many in the online community are discussing the changes people are individually and collectively experiencing. In these discussions there can be quite a bit of new terminology used. I haven't used a lot of new terminology as I still find it to be nebulous, i.e. light codes – am I feeling them? Not that I'm aware of. Also regarding terminology, when I say love yourself, it really is that respectful, honoring kind of love… not the 'I'm a queen' kind.
For me it's more comfortable to be simple: I'm simply noticing how I feel within the awareness of changes taking place. And yes, I too am inside of some changes. Since every one of us experiences change when under pressure, is this time period unusual? Yes – the speed, intensity, and expansion of awareness are really piling on the pressure – it's unusual.
The heart opens. I can validate the heart terminology – heart people, heart-centered consciousness, seat of inner divinity, unity consciousness – these terms I understand and have shared in the experience. It's true, happening, evolutionary, and not a 'come get your bliss' trip. Sometimes my own state of being is so undifferentiated that I have to just lie down, breathe and 'feel' without asking to understand.
Grief, fear of collapse, emptiness, emotional weariness, memory bruises… this life, past life, someone else's life, collective suffering? Sometimes it's necessary to relax and trust yourself fully, knowing that this is a step on the journey and things do work out. Sure enough the moments pass, realization of the perfection of it all comes across, and forward we go.
I've seen that some of this pain comes from the heartfelt yearning for life to be as it 'should' be (as if it is not now as it should be.) That is a crucible for me, to be aware of so much that opposes the love we are here to create and manifest. It helps to remind myself: dear Ida… you don't have to know the outcome, just let your heart sort it out.
From this position I watch the young people, talk with them, and gain some awareness of their experience. Quite a few are using drugs to escape, or to medicate for anxiety or trauma, and the relief they pursue will often be at their own expense or the expense of others who love them.
Is their drug use different than our hippie days experimentation? Yes. Today it's a much different world – there's no play. It's a situation of: face a future that looks like no future, believe in mom and dad's dreams, be a creator and serious problem solver, escape into whatever distractions can be found, or give in to the downward pressure and give up. The only thing comparable to my day, on a level of threat and survival, would be the experience of young men in Vietnam. Some of them went to opiates for relief, and that's some of what we're seeing today as well.
When I consider that we human beings choose our track, to be born into circumstances that demand extreme choices, to experience the pressure, I just have to say… these must be brave souls. They have opted for an incredibly challenging scenario. Actually, so have we all.
Can any of the troubled be rescued? You can try. I recently lost a young, 17-year-old friend to prison. He had been coming to our house for peace and inner safety. If he really needed it, I would let him get out the cot and sleep in the living room, right by the window where he felt calm. He was in pain; he impulsively did petty theft and he knew his behavior was screwed up. He would overdo the drugs. I figured he was medicating anxiety or PTSD.
One of my sons, more than a decade older, was trying to guide him and help him. I asked my son why this young man couldn't control his impulses and he told me: "It's the music he is listening to – very violent, all gang stuff. He puts on the headphones and just zones out in there." Seventeen-year-olds aren't supposed to have guns. Turns out that if he hadn't had a gun with him on that night, he would have been killed. At the least he's facing a gun charge, at the most it could be much worse.
As often as I could I talked to him about what matters. He listened, and understood it was his own light I was pointing to: keep it alive, cherish it above all else, and don't lie to yourself. This young man has integrity, loyalty, kindness and depth, but his inner goodness was under assault, and it had been under assault for a long time. He was tired. It seems he gave one last try with us, and gave up to what became, or already was, his destiny.
What does this have to do with the pain I was describing earlier? He is obviously living out the threat and survival experience and we're not… or are we? The tears I shed for him felt like they were for us all.
When you cultivate love for your own heart, with no agenda and no judgment, and you align your choices with that love for you, things start changing. Old interests and patterns are shed – not because you decide to, or you judge these interests to be 'low vibration', but because they're just no longer interesting.
I've long believed that the people who come into my life are here for a reason: maybe they're here because I need to drop some judgments, maybe they came to learn or to teach or most likely both. Sometimes they want peace and I want to see love win. With troubled people we pretty much know why they are the way they are. We can listen and keep an ongoing intention to encourage their liberation. Every time I've done this, it has been liberating for me, and sometimes I can see it has helped.
So now, let's return to drugs. My friend used drugs in an effort to feel high, 'check out', or deaden the pain. He wasn't thinking clearly and obviously was vulnerable to the poisons of the so-called music he was listening to. Many millions of people are in the same boat with him, not knowing how impactful the messages or 'escapes' can be. They use legal drugs, zone out on TV or videogames, go shopping, gamble, watch porn… any number of things to feel high or temporarily escape from pain.
I'm not saying all drugs, TV, video games, and shopping are 'bad'. I'm not even saying escape is 'bad'. It's how consciously these things are used. Intention means a lot – use them with a conscious intention and it totally changes the impact. Some things will drop off, just like in my life. You won't be interested anymore.
One of my early teachers, now nearing his eighties, told me about his use of weed, saying that it's our natural state to be high, and being unable to reach our natural state, we seek it through artificial means. He told how years ago he gave up the weed and started getting high through fasting. I can attest to how well fasting works – it's a peaceful clarity available for free.
At the time he said it's our natural state to be high, I didn't know what he was referring to. Today I believe he was referring to a remembered state of being, brought into life and experienced in early childhood. I clearly remember my own 'high' state, and the time when I began to depart from it. The departure leaves a very deep longing, and the feeling that things are not the way they should be. For some people the feeling leads to a yearning for home, which would mean leaving the physical.
He was the first teacher that I heard speaking about bringing heaven to earth. The terminology being used for this today would be: entering 5D, ascension, the shift, the return to Camelot, or even as described in the Bible, the holy city descending dressed as a bride. To me heaven is simply 'in the script', destined, planned, and it seems I've always had an inner knowing of this. Helping to bring in the change of worlds has been the task of many of us, as we are not here to just live and learn and go home, but to bring home here.
How would we do that? Actually we've been doing it: cultivate authentic, open-hearted and kind communication with yourself, others around you and those you encounter, and make it your spiritual practice to love the divinity (truth/love) in all: that is bringing home here. It's a 'love lift us up where we belong' kind of a thing.
We know people have a lot of things to surmount. The young man who is now in prison showed me a human collapsing from the forces against him. All of us are well aware that life itself is under assault, and we are pummeled emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically. If we were to avoid everything toxic, we would have to shut down all of our senses and forget about breathing.
So yes – this is no ordinary time period. Our task is to find the way through and stay with it until the world that surrounds us, reflects our love back to us. Regarding the pain… it seems that feelings transmuted through the heart lift us toward the liberation of all whether or not we fully understand the process.
I like the word Faith. It definitely doesn't mean chilling out and believing that something powerful outside of you is going to make things work out. And it doesn't mean setting up a control trip and believing in that. Faith means doing it without knowing the outcome.


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Sunetra Sarker will return for one episode of Casualty as doctor Zoe Hanna, a spokesperson for the BBC1 show has confirmed
Sunetra Sarker will return for one episode of Casualty as doctor Zoe Hanna, a spokesperson for the BBC1 show has confirmed to What's On TV.
The 44-year-old actress, who's currently appearing in ITV drama Safe House, was last seen in Casualty heading to America as Zoe.
In the show's autumn trailer we saw a forlorn Max (Jamie Davis) writing a text to Zoe reading "Hey Zoe – how are you?"
So, it seems that a reunion between Zoe and her old flame now looks firmly on the cards.
Will Zoe and Max rekindle their romance?
Latest Stories
Zoe was one of the hospital drama's most popular characters and during her time on the show proved a real heartbreaker – her main love interests being consultant Nick Jordan (Michael French) and hospital porter Max (Jamie Davis).
In her final scenes last year she left husband Max to work in America alongside Jordan. Sunetra played Zoe for nearly nine years.
Meanwhile, Saturday's episode of Casualty will see clinical lead, Connie Beauchamp, receiving some life-changing news about her health.
Elsewhere in Holby ED, Josh and Charlie try to out-bravado each other after a heavy night drinking.


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