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Videos: Parent Perspectives
Parents Speak About Choosing a School
Aurora strives to reflect the diversity of the Bay Area with its staff, student, and family population. We celebrate all types of diversity. All Aurora families share the common goal of providing their children with a progressive and academically rigorous education. Click on the videos below to find out why our families chose Aurora.
Amanda and Bachi
Amanda and Bachi are the parents of a first and third grader at Aurora. They live in Oakland where they run a small business that focuses on energy efficiency. In this video they share how happy they and their daughters are to be part of such a strong Aurora community.
Monica is a midwife and the mom of a 2014 Aurora graduate. Her son began at Aurora in kindergarten so she speaks with several years of experience under her belt. They are a two-household family.
Evan and Victoria
Evan and Victoria are the parents of a first and third grader at Aurora. Evan grew up in the Bay Area and has lots of experience with East Bay independent schools. It is with that lens that they talk about why Aurora was the right choice for their daughters.
Jo and Doug
Jo and Doug are the parents of two children at Aurora. Jo is a small business owner and Doug is a doctor. Their daughter is a 2014 Aurora graduate and their son is in fourth grade. They transferred to Aurora after spending three years at an Oakland public school. In this video, Jo considers the public vs. private dilemma from a place of experience.
Carole and Jackie
Carole Keefe and Jackie Bresie joined the Aurora community when their son was in first grade. Carole works as a movement coach and Jackie is busy with a start-up. They were very sad to leave the Aurora community when they moved out of state for work.
Carol Kusmierski is the grandmother of a 2013 Aurora graduate. She decided to transfer her granddaughter from a Berkeley public school in the fourth grade. Together, they share some of the things that make Aurora particularly special.
Jennie and Jim
Jennie and Jim's son started as a kindergartener. After second grade they moved to North Carolina for Jim to pursue a graduate degree. In this video, they appreciate, among many other things, how Aurora was a particularly good match for their only child.
Lori and Dave
Lori and Dave are the parents of two Aurora graduates. They have been and continue to be an active and valuable part of the Aurora community. In this video, Lori shares some of what makes Aurora so special to her family.
Joel and Pam
Joel and Pam are the parents of an Aurora graduate. Their daughter started at Aurora in kindergarten. Pam is an attorney and Joel is a diversity educator. In this video, they share their professional and personal reasons for choosing and loving Aurora.


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Work Surface, 1-1/4" Height, 36" Length, 48" Width
- Item # 39P184
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LABCONCO work surface is dished and contoured to conform to the interior liner of Protector® laboratory hoods. Molded from corrosion-resistant epoxy resins, the SpillStopper™ work surface's front edge has a large radius to help direct airflow into the hood. Predrilled 1-1/2"-dia. holes for venting and 2-1/2"-dia. holds for plumbing. Cutouts for right side cupsinks (sold separately).Note: For use with LABCONCO XStream® laboratory hoods.
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CONNECT WITH ME | @ivoryfoxphotography
Ivory Fox Photography is owned by Adelaide wedding photographer Megan Whitten. Photographing weddings professionally since 2012, Megan offers a natural, authentic and romantic photographic style. Ivory Fox wedding photography services Adelaide and the surrounds including the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, and McLaren Vale.|ProPhoto Blog Template


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One of the things I'm realizing is how quickly you discover new things about yourself when you have your own space. I was over-the-moon excited about how I got my new place decorated. I refused to buy anything that clashed with my vision of what my first independent home was supposed to be, and the result paid off. It feels elegant to me, modern, full of things I find beautiful. It's just the kind of retreat I've imagined, and new aspects of me are blooming.
For example, at least now in the honeymoon period of apartmentdom, I am considerably neater. It helps having the physical space to put my things, but it's also the idea that it's mine now, and if I want a clean kitchen or living room, it's down to me to load the dishwasher and grab the dust cloth.
Did you know I am the kind of person who reads poetry every day? I didn't.
When I was little and my dad had to put my sister and I to bed, he wouldn't read us bedtime stories. He tried, at first, but since we were tiny and lacked a developed sense of social sympathy, we rejected his attempts at reading stories to us because he didn't do the voices the way my mom did. His response? He turned to poetry (cool guy, my dad). He had this tattered, orange book from the Childcraft series and we would read poems together.
I had the entire first section of that book memorized. They were nursery rhymes, so they were easy, but I knew every one, every line, in order, the way you might know what song comes next on a favorite CD. I knew others in the book by heart, too. I still remember "The Lamplighter," on page 103. I recited it once at camp. I still love "Vagabond Song," the quintessential October poem, that I heard first at bedtime with my dad.
Perhaps because of this, I have very good associations with poetry. If I'm in a used bookstore, or have a Borders gift card, or poke through the 50-cent library discards, I am likely to leave with a book of poems in hand, more often than not by someone I've never heard of. I don't read a whole lot of poetry, you see. I can only take in three or four poems in one go, max, so if I'm going to fill a 30-minute Metro ride, I need something else to pass the time. I don't even really like reading poetry in noisy places. I'm romantic like that. I like the quiet room and the cup of tea to be there. The result is that I read lots of novels and stories, and tell people I love poetry, and then look blankly at them when they rattle off their favorites, because I don't read it often enough to keep up.
This, of course, brings me to my current living situation. I don't have the tea yet, in full disclosure, since grocery bills are freaking me out a little, and my first response is to cut the little indulgences, but I do have the poetry. Stacking and unstacking my bookshelf really brought it home: I have over twenty books of poetry. I have anthologies, I have trendy poets and poets who were trendy thirty or forty or fifty years ago, I've got books so pristine the spine isn't even wrinkled and some that will need tape soon to keep their covers together. And I haven't read more than two or three of them, until now. Now I can sit on my white couch in my quiet living room or lie in bed or on my kitchen floor if I want to and read poems. I've been doing a little experiment, starting and closing each day with a poem. I grabbed one of the anthologies, for variety, and it sits by my bed and every morning before I even groan that it is too early to be awake I read a poem, and then at night when I reach a good stopping-point in whatever other book I'm reading (or just get too tired to continue) I mark the page and get the anthology and read another poem, just before I turn out the light. It's wonderful, bracketing my days in poetry, and while nothing was stopping me from doing this before, I never realized how beautiful and soothing a thing to do it was until I spent some time just listening to my own thoughts in this empty apartment.


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Bloody-Beard Borsht looks very much the stereotypical dwarven berzerker. He has a waist length red beard, his hair hanging in thick braids. He wears a battered but in decent repair suit of scale and leather armor. He carries a bull whip, a short sword, and a pick-ax. He is quite filthy and stinks of sweat, dust, and sour ale.
Borsht was just one of hundreds of dwarves who lived their long days hewing stone out of a mountain, working bellows and forges and mine carts while others lived on the surface, tending livestock and farmland. He worked his way up through the ranks becoming a mining foreman. He would have eventually gained his own mining command and been in place for a very respectable betrothal to an eligible dwarf maiden. Except that due to his zeal and overconfidence, his digging crew collapsed a major chamber of the mines. More than fifty dwarves perished in the cave in, his crew being among them. It was only by happenstance that Borsht survived.
He was exiled for his poor decisions, and cast out of the mountain. If he were to return, the kinsmen of those he caused death would return the favor in kind. Turned out with hardly a scrap of clothing, Borsht spent a decade as a wanderer, a beggar and a poor thief. He eventually got his feet back under him when he was taken in by a mercenary band in need of another warm body to hold a spear and a shield. To their delight he was a capable and competent warrior. He eventually broke away from the old company, with whom he is still friendly, and started his own retinue. This cadre of exiled dwarves, renegade gnomes, and hardened halflings is rather known for their lack of personal hygiene and lack of fear in battle.
The Cadre would later be hired by a potent Necromancer in the Southron Delta to organize his work parties and defences. Borsht and the other dwarves found their stoneworking skills more valuable than their fighting skills and were soon involved in directing mining and quarries, as well as overseeing the construction of the Black Keep.
The Dark Side
Working with the Necromancer showed Borsht something he had long suspected, and that is that mercy, kindness, and generosity, IE good, was weak and pathetic. This turned the morally ambivalent dwarf into a ethically and emotionally bankrupt monster. He once might have cared about gaining redemption among his own kind, but now he is only interested in ale, red meat on the bone, and crushing the weak and stealing their women. He also gained an appreciation for the undead, where previously he only had scorn for the walking dead. Among dwarves, zombies are somewhat of a joke, as a dawrf company clad in good mail can walk through a zombie army. He discovered that the undead were tireless and felt no pain. They could work in a mine or a quarrey pit until they literally broke apart, which often was a good long time.
Special Equipment
Pain is not the best motivation tool, but it is plentiful and cheap
Borsht carries a long leather bull whip that he uses with some skill and no small glee. This weapon is used to punish dissident slaves, insubordinate minions, and popping the backsides of anyone he thinks os walking too slow.
Borsht's pick-ax is a dwarven made tool, and in their culture is synonymous with the human Bastard Sword. Exiles wear the pick-ax as a sort of badge of outsider honor, so that unexiled dwarves know what they are.
The Half-Horde
Named for the fact that hardly any member is more than four feet tall, the Horde is a band of 20 some odd dwarves, halflings, and gnomes. Dwarves form the greatest part, with fewer than three or four of the others. The Horde has access to heavy armor and heavy weapons and work as a vanguard of a larger force. In the case of the Necromancer, the bulk of the horde forms his personal bodyguard, and the rest serve as a command nucleus for his zombie host.
Roleplaying Notes
Dwarf For Hire - Borsht is the sort of mercenary who gives mercenaries a bad name, he is brutal, merciless, and if outnumbered, will turn tail and flee or beg mercy. His loyalty is to the highest bidder, be it the local Duke, the evil Troll-King, or anyone inbetween. The Half-Horde is very loyal to old Bloody-Beard, and are competent in siegecraft and forming phalanxes.
A Matter of Opportunity - If pickings for a mercenary are slim, Borsht has no qualms about going brigand until things inprove. On their own, the Horde will be more interested in looting and stealing than killing, but will put up a much stouter defence. As a twist, Borsht has hired out the Horde to put down brigands, whose actions were actually the Horde hunting and pillaging.
Where there's a Whip - Slaving isnt a popular industry, but there is usually a market for it somewhere. Borsht tends to keep an eye out for these flesh markets and when he finds one he will start feeding it anyone he can catch and put in shackles. His preferred prey are remote farming communities and traveling merchants and peddlers. Steal their goods, then sell them to the slave traders.


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1998 Jeep Wrangler - Nuts & Bolts
Four-, Six-, or Eight-Cylinder?
I own a '98 Jeep Wrangler with 6 inches of lift and 33-inch tires. It is an automatic but has a 2.5L engine (120 hp and 140 lb-ft). I am ready for more horsepower because poking along on the highway just isn't working for me anymore. I am looking to swap my 2.5L for a 4.0L (181 hp, 222 lb-ft). Is this a good idea? Or should I go to a V-8? I can't afford to sell it to get a Jeep with a six-cylinder, so I have to do the swap and I would really appreciate the advice.Kurt RichardsonCleburne, TX
The 4.0L engine swap will be much easier than any V-8 swap because the TJ was available from Chrysler with this package. But the costs involved with getting the 4.0L engine, transmission, engine mounts, and accessories for the swap could run you about the same amount of money as a small-block Chevy swap. That is, unless you have access to a donor Jeep. Remember there are people out there that swap the 4.0L out for V-8s. If it was us, and state emissions laws allowed it, we'd go with the V-8 swap and a TH700R4 that we could mate to the Jeep's NP231. Advance Adapters (800/350-2223, www.advanceadapters.com) offers bolt-in mounts for 350s (PN 713090), weld-in mounts for LT1s (PN 713005), and plate adapters (PN 713088-P) that can be used with PN 713090 to help you swap in an LS1 engine
Thought He Had a Locker
I have a '98 Toyota Tacoma SR5 without the TRD package, with the 2.7L four-banger that's in stock configuration. From what I have heard all Tacomas came from the factory with a selectable locker that engages when in four-wheel drive. I can put it in 4-Lo and get out in an open field or a parking lot and turn and the inner rear wheel will spin the same speed as the outer wheel (as a locked rear will), but sometimes when I get on a steep incline or get into another off-camber area, the rear locker will quit working. My friend also has a Tacoma and it does the same thing; the rear locker cuts out in the same places as mine. What could be causing this, and what will it take to fix it without taking it back to the Toyota place?Jacob Bartonby e-mail
Sorry, Jason, but what you are describing are the habits of an open differential. You guys can't fix it because neither of your Tacomas has the optional rear locker. Not even all TRD package trucks come with it, and we don't think that it was ever available with the four-cylinder engines you have. Your first clue should have been that your truck doesn't have an On/Off switch for the locker on the dash. The TRD locker is not something that engages automatically.
Keep Your NP208
I own an '80 Ford F-150 4x4 with a 351 engine, a Dana 44 TTB frontend, and a Ford 9-inch rearend. It also has an NP208 transfer case. Is this a good transfer case? I know that all New Process transfer cases are good, but I would like to know how it stacks up against the other transfer cases. I have only owned this truck about a year, and I am only 15 years old, but I have never gotten stuck, even though I only do small-time four-wheeling. Also, I just bought a set of used 29/10.50-15 Super Swamper TSL SX tires. They are in good shape. How long will they last if I go four-wheeling with them and drive them on the highway?Jim VanLeeuwenWalnut, KS
At your stage of the game the NP208 transfer case is fine. Don't waste any time worrying about upgrading to an NP205 or Atlas-that can come much later. You're lucky because your 208 should be one of the desirable bolt-on rear yoke versions that both Ford and Dodge used. While not as strong as a 205, it has a better low range (2.61 versus 1.96). New Venture Gear ditched the NP208 in GM and Dodge trucks by 1988, when it was replaced by the NP241, which offered an even better low range (2.72) and increased strength. Ford never used the NP241 in its trucks, instead opting to use Borg-Warner transfer cases. The Borg-Warner cases used an internal pump for better lubrication than the 205 or 208, but had durability issues because these pumps often failed.
We can't tell how long your Super Swampers will last because we don't know how many miles are on them. Figure 20,000 to 30,000 total miles with very good care and frequent balancing and rotating. Since you're keeping your transfer case and running your used tires, you should be able to save some money for a set of 33s and a 4-inch suspension lift that will let you fit them. When it comes time to replace them, we'd recommend a radial mud tire because it sounds like this F-150 is going to be your only transportation for a while.
High Speed Overheat
I've got an '88 Jeep Grand Wagoneer that's mostly stock with 3-inch springs, 31-inch tires, 3.73 gears, and so on. The transmission is original but the transfer case is freshly rebuilt to original specs.
My problem is that I have had the motor rebuilt twice in 10,000 miles. The original motor, with 129,000 miles, was tired and it overheated on the highway and spark-knocked under load at speeds over 50 mph. So a rebuild seemed in order. The "new" motor was strong, almost fast...well, strong anyway. But after 20 minutes at speeds over 65 mph, the temperature will start to climb into the red. It will also spark-knock terribly under any load/hill over 50 mph. I can't use the A/C at all without overheating on the highway. The odd thing is that I can spend all day in 90-degree heat on the trail, at speeds ranging from zero to 5 mph without the temperature moving up at all.
I do have a winch that blocks a little bit of air into the grille, and I have removed the plastic air dam that I've heard will divert air to the motor. But in either case, this doesn't explain the cool temps at 5 mph off-road where most rigs are going to suffer. I've replaced every hose. The radiator is new. The water pump is new. The fan is stock. The fan clutch is new. I've used 160-, 185-, and 195-degree thermostats and even no thermostat.
The culprit, I've heard, is the timing-it's over-advancing. But I've had countless mechanics adjust the timing but no progress. Help me!
Mark Speece
Atlanta, GA
We agree that the toughest test for a cooling system is low vehicle speed and high load use, where there is very little airflow moving though the radiator. Which makes your dilemma that much more frustrating because low-speed operation is the only condition where your engine does not overheat. It seems like you've replaced everything that typically causes overheating, so as you suggested it could be an ignition-related problem. You've had the base timing set at idle, but have you checked to see how much total timing the engine runs when rpm increase and the mechanical advance comes in? Ask your mechanic to check this and verify that you are in the range of 30 degrees of total timing. If you're in the 40-plus degree range, you could be building too much cylinder pressure, which could cause piston-killing detonation and high engine temperatures.
If the timing is in the ballpark, our next step would be to question whether the overheating gremlins might stem from improper engine assembly. The wrong (or improperly installed) head gaskets could limit coolant flow at higher engine speeds. Excess silicone sealer could have plugged up coolant passages, causing a restriction. And there is even a possibility that you are spinning the water pump too fast (wrong pulley), causing turbulence that leads to bubbles and air pockets at high speed.
Submission information: Questions should be as brief and concise as possible. We will answer as many letters as possible each month, but due to the large volume of mail, we cannot send personal replies. Letters are subject to editing for length, as space permits. Always check state regulations before modifying a vehicle with pollution controls or one that will be driven on the street. Write to: Nuts & Bolts, 4-Wheel & Off-Road, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515, fax 323/782-2704, e-mail email@example.com


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The Simms Rock Creek Felt Sole Fly-Fishing Bootis an affordable felt sole fly-fishing boot that is designed using the StreamTread platform for the angler or hiker looking for all-round, heavy-duty wading footwear and is constructed with a die-cut footbed for a sturdy, wading-reading deck and the molded TPU heel clip that provides secure heel-hold & lateral stability for all day wading security and also features die-cut and molded single density EVA midsole for added cushioning for all day wading comfort.
The Simms Rock Creek Felt Sole Fly-Fishing Boot provides fly-fisherman with really great traction and ability to stick to different types of stream/river bedrock conditions which is really awesome.
This Simms Rock Creek Felt Sole Fly-Fishing Boot contains a lightweight design that is awesome for long hikes and is also made with a full-length retention plate and can be used with HardBite studs and also features Cut and Buff EVA midsole for extra comfort, durability and stability, so make sure to check out this Simms Rock Creek Felt Sole Fly-Fishing Boot from the Platte River Fly Shop.
Benefits of Felt Sole Wading Boots:
Traction - Felt Sole Wading Boots are well known for their ability to stick better to varying type of river/stream bedrock conditions. Therefore, with Felt Sole Wading Boots you will be less likely to slip or fall while wading and fly-fishing.
Mobility - With felt soles you will be able to move about much more easily when wading because felt soles have great traction.
Recovery - If for some reason you do happen to trip or fall when wading, the felt sole wading boots will help you to recover much more easily, which is obviously a huge plus when considering which type of wading boot to use.
Piece of Mind - Because felt sole boots have great traction, mobility and help you to recover when you trip or fall, you can breathe easy and focus on fly-fishing and catching that trophy fish at your favorite stream or river.


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This walnut desk is a bequest from Grandma to Dale. If Dale wants it please confirm to Gregory through Jessica.
There are items of interest in this Gallery but nothing that seems to be worth keeping.
Nonetheless, Gregory photographed everything in the event that Jessica, Jenny or Dale want something.
Donlea Drive ContentsDonleaDriveContents311


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The online gaming sector has seen an exponential growth in recent years, and Magellan Robotech fulfils the need for this modernization by offering our clients the Magellan Betting Engine (MBE), a complete gaming platform.
The MBE is developed with the latest technologies for the web, scalable and customizable using a fully integrated CMS, and compatible with the products of the major gaming providers (e.g casino, poker), and with affiliation and/or business intelligence platforms.
The platform has been already certified in several jurisdictions, and can be further customised to be compliant with different authorities' guidelines.
Fully bespoke UI: user interface, colour themes, logos, marketing assets
Accounts management, Back office, Sports betting already integrated
Integrated CMS (Content Management System)
Compatible with products by all major global providers
Compatible with affiliation and/or business intelligence platforms
On-premises or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) implementation models
Fast integration, for a quick time to market
24/7 support service


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I had another chance yesterday to reconsider my mindset about being disabled. I spent a tough two hours making a relatively minor repair on our van. Most of the effort actually went into getting the front of the van safely and stably elevated so I could crawl under it to do the work. Thanks to our lumpy and uneven driveway, I ended up trying three times on each side before I got a combination of supports stable enough that I felt secure about working under the van. That was a lot of work, and making the repair was almost anticlimactic.
What was interesting about the whole circus was the level of exhaustion I incurred and, far more importantly, my reaction to that exhaustion.
On one hand, I had to rest several times throughout the process. I hit several points where I was too winded or too unsteady on my feet to work safely, so there's no doubt that I still am not nearly as strong as I used to be.
On the other hand, I was able to keep going and get the work done, and it felt good. I used to do a lot of work on our vehicles and doing this one piece of repair work left me feeling like I had reclaimed a lost part of my life. I also recovered more quickly and completely than I have in the recent past, and ended up feeling just ordinarily tired at the end of the day.
This is significant. Back when I was first diagnosed with the stroke, I was sent off to physical therapy for gait and balance training. This was before anyone realized I had fibromyalgia. I nearly passed out during the evaluation and the therapist sent me back to my doctor with a note saying that I was unable to work hard enough for PT to do any good. That's how feeble I was at the time, and I didn't regain much of my strength and stamina for several years.
I am now aware that my condition has improved over the last year or so. I was so stuck in the role of 'disabled person' that I didn't realize that I was doing better. I still have limits that I cannot ignore, but I'm doing better, and it was my reaction to yesterday's hard work that helped me realize that. I've passed passed some threshold and can now look upon exertion and honest fatigue as a good thing.
It's hard to express how important this discovery is. It's probably going to be a major focus in my daily meditations until I completely absorb it.


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Everyone loves the royal and iconic image of an elephant, yet quality fabrics that capture their majesty seem hard to come by. Today, we'll weed out the cutsy, pastel elephants (which are lovely in their place) and showcase some of the nicest "grown up" elephant prints we've found.
We'll start with Saffron Marigold's own Maharaja collection.
All of these pieces are hand printed in India on high quality soft cotton , using traditional block printing techniques. These are some of the nicest Indian fabrics available, and you'll find this in how they look, wear, and feel. Our full line includes bedding, table linens, sheer curtains, shower curtains and pillow covers. Everything is fair trade produced, well made and well priced.
Following are more resources for sophisticated elephant prints.
- From Manuel Canovas, "Bengale" in Paprika. The surprising combination of traditional chinoiserie with bright tropical colors allows for a wide range of design options. This print is available for wallpapers as well as upholstery fabric.
- From Housefabric.com, "Uzbek Ruby" and "Le Cirque Ebony". This online boutique has one of the best collections of refined, quality elephant print fabrics I've found. These fabrics are linen and rayon blends, available for $19.00 a yard.
I'll end with a few more accessories for elephant-philes… Enjoy!
1. Chamcha wood elephant head wall art. $34, Amazon.com (click on the images for purchase information).
2. French exposition art, on canvas with wood frame. $199. Restoration Hardware
3. Two Elephants rice pillow, $64, 2Modern
4. Indian Wooden Print Blocks, $34 for large set of 2, HarabuHouse
Let us know if any of you have designed with an elephant theme. We'd love to see what you've come up with, and what unusual pieces you may have included. (Remember, we love to hear from you, and we really love pictures of your design ideas!)


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- From the archives: Agent Jill Corcoran says your title is "your whistle, your magnet, your bullhorn."
Kate is the author of After the Fall, coming January 24, 2017 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. A former teacher and grant writer, she now owns a treehouse-building business in the Ozarks and hosts the Badass Ladies You Should Know interview series.
All those pictures are awesome. Also have about 8 links open now that I haven't read yet!ReplyDelete
Eee, thanks for the link love :DReplyDelete
Those memes are brilliant! And, as usual, I'm working my way through some brilliant tabs. Thanks for the links and also the link love <3 <3ReplyDelete
Awesome!! You spread tabs like a disease. An awesome one. *cough cough* *goes to read* <3ReplyDelete
I want that first cartoon tattoed on my face. Also, that very last picture seriously made me injure myself laughing.ReplyDelete
Those pictures are so fantastic!!ReplyDelete


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GERMANY: DaimlerChrysler set to open UK Smart dealerships
DaimlerChrysler AG is set to open its first four Smart dealerships in the UK selling the minicar in Britain for the first time, says Bloomberg News (24/8/00). Alongside opening these dealerships, the auto-maker will expand its Smart website to the UK market, allowing web visitors to ask questions about the car, request a test drive, configure and price the vehicles.
Get full access to all content, just $1 for 30 days
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And now there's just-auto plus, our premium membership that gives you exclusive component forecast data, company profiles and extended news coverage - just for premium members.
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Dave Leggett, editor of just-auto
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or is that croci?
Winchester, ancient capital of England and judged best place to live in the UK in 2006!
29 February 2012
More crocuses
or is that croci?
Posted by Amanda at 07:48 2 comments
Labels: Nature
28 February 2012
Willow Tree
It's open, it's closed, it's opening again soon. I have featured this pub before last year and noticed at Christmas that the pub had closed down and then later a couple of the windows had been boarding up - it wasn't looking good at all. I'm not quite sure whate happened but apparently the pub is now set to reopen next month, with the 3rd set of tenants in a year.
Posted by Amanda at 07:51 4 comments
Labels: Pubs
27 February 2012
Waterside property
Posted by Amanda at 07:49 2 comments
26 February 2012
Signs of spring
Posted by Amanda at 17:45 8 comments
24 February 2012
Canon Street again
Posted by Amanda at 09:41 7 comments
Labels: Canon Street
23 February 2012
Quite a few houses in Winchester have these wooden slated blinds, which I love! I imagine they are quite expensive as they'd probably have to be made to measure for each window. This house in Canon Street had some lovely ones. I think they suit more traditional houses and probably wouldn't 'go' at all in my house!
Posted by Amanda at 09:58 3 comments
22 February 2012
CY music
CY Music is an independent music shop in Jewry Street. I have been learning to play the piano for the past year or so, and am still pre-grade 1, so I haven't needed to buy too much sheet music yet!
Posted by Amanda at 09:23 4 comments
Labels: Jewry Street, Music, shops
21 February 2012
Buddy's Diner
Buddy's Diner. I like this place and have been here for breakfast a few times, but it's also open for lunch and dinner.
Posted by Amanda at 09:09 2 comments
Labels: Jewry Street, Restaurants
20 February 2012
It's chip week!
All this week is chip week (that's 'fries' to our American friends!). I must say that Winchester lacks a proper central chip shop (sorry, but I am far too lazy to go all the way to St Cross for my chips!) I like chips, with lots of salt and vinegar, but I hardly ever have them to be honest. When stopped by some tourists in town and asked where the nearest chip shop was the only place I could think of was this place in Jewry Street...
Posted by Amanda at 14:05 7 comments
Labels: Festivals, Food, Jewry Street, Restaurants
19 February 2012
Twenty Seven and a Half
Posted by Amanda at 14:30 3 comments
Labels: Houses, Quirky things
18 February 2012
Window box
Posted by Amanda at 15:48 2 comments
Labels: Canon Street, Nature
17 February 2012
The Guildhall underwent a £3.2m refurb last year and Winchester City Council is now looking to try to boost business at the Guildhall and maybe re-coup some of the money by marketing it for more conferences and functions.
Posted by Amanda at 09:24 2 comments
Labels: Guildhall
16 February 2012
Work in progress
The Square and the area around it have been closed off due to work in progress. I did think they were fully pedestrianising the area, but I don't think that's happening yet
Posted by Amanda at 16:56 0 comments
Labels: The Square
15 February 2012
House on Canon Street
Posted by Amanda at 16:13 5 comments
14 February 2012
Posted by Amanda at 09:05 3 comments
Labels: High Street, shop
13 February 2012
Apparently car sales are falling across Britain compared with 2010 and this has hit this car dealership which has gone into administration.
Posted by Amanda at 07:27 4 comments
Labels: Businesses, Southgate Street
12 February 2012
Old & new
I spotted these modern looking flats off of St Swithun Street, sitting next to the Green Man pub. The top floor has some has some very nice coloured glass.
Posted by Amanda at 14:37 11 comments
Labels: architecture, Houses
11 February 2012
Our cinema
This is our cinema in Southgate Street. It's a small cinema with 2 screens, housed in a restored 19th century chapel.
Posted by Amanda at 11:40 7 comments
Labels: Entertainment, Southgate Street
10 February 2012
The Green Man
Someone might be able to correct me, but I think this is the most expensive pub that I have been to in Winchester, but then I don't get out that much, maybe they are all expensive these days! It has a pleasant interior and is just opposite from the cinema.
The pub is on the corner of Southgate & St Swithun Street, the current building dating from 1881 replaced a previous older inn built in the early 1800s. Excavations opposite the pub in 1971 showed that the Roman South Gate to the city, the replacement of which was demolished in 1771.
Posted by Amanda at 15:00 4 comments
Labels: Pubs, Southgate Street
09 February 2012
Old Wykehamist Bakery
Canon Street, this building is from the 17th Century, I can't find too much infomation on this building, but presume that it must have been Winchester College's bakery.
Posted by Amanda at 16:02 6 comments
Labels: Canon Street, Winchester College
08 February 2012
I had seen a sign in the High Street that said 'Save Cornflowers' and passing by the shop I saw it empty and closed looking. Cornflowers is the Winchester College gift shop which sold not only College related gifts, but many other things.
Click here to see it back last summer. The sign on the window says:
The shop has been in College Street for 15 years however the college decided to close it as it was no longer profitable. There has been a campaign to keep the shop going and one comment, which I agree with, was that the shop is a way that people can relate to the college. The college is looking at alternative uses for the site, including using it as a traditional English tea room. I will drop by later in the month to see what has happened.
Click here to see it back last summer. The sign on the window says:
The shop has been in College Street for 15 years however the college decided to close it as it was no longer profitable. There has been a campaign to keep the shop going and one comment, which I agree with, was that the shop is a way that people can relate to the college. The college is looking at alternative uses for the site, including using it as a traditional English tea room. I will drop by later in the month to see what has happened.
Posted by Amanda at 08:43 4 comments
Labels: shops, Winchester College
07 February 2012
Canon Street
I was asked by a comment on the blog whether I would be taking any photos of Canon Street, so I popped by last weekend. It's a pretty little street running between Southgate Street and
Kingsgate Street. I once looked at a house to buy in this street, needed total refurbishment and had absolutely nowhere to park 2 cars, so it was a 'no'.
In the 1950s the entire destruction of this street was considered as part of changes that were believed to be required, such as slum clearances, road widening, and the creation of open spaces. Winchester Council took photographs of those properties earmarked for demolition, including Canon Street. The City of Winchester Trust was formed in an effort to limit the destruction of these old buildings and Canon Street was one of the streets that were saved, but most others on the list were demolished.
Posted by Amanda at 15:16 4 comments
06 February 2012
OK so anyone living in or near Winchester knows that although we might have had some snow on Saturday evening it did not look anything like this! This photo was taken in December 2010 the last time we had a fair amount. Saturday night a thin layer had settled, but by the morning it had gone. Here is today's photo of the very same spot, the bike is still there and you can see a tiny little line of snow.
Posted by Amanda at 07:11 4 comments
05 February 2012
Past Times
And another shop gone. Past Times in the High Street was always popular with tourists and had quite a few cute things on sale, but now it is no more in Winchester, and that was even with Australian relatives of our buying up half the contents of the shop just after Christmas!
Posted by Amanda at 08:03 5 comments
Labels: High Street, shops
04 February 2012
Jamie Oliver is coming
Where once there was a lowly Pizza Hut there will now be Union Jacks, a Jamie Oliver restaurant. Pizza Hut always seemed busy, I don't know whether they moved out to make way for Jamie or were closing anyway? The new restaurant is supposed to open in the summer. I will be back to check it out hopefully!
Posted by Amanda at 17:55 7 comments
Labels: High Street, Restaurants
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|'Super Turbo' delivers 90PS power and 200Nm torque
|The SX4 Diesel offers an impressive fuel efficiency of 21.5 Kilometres per litre (certified as per CMVR rules). This is 8 per cent more than comparable cars.
This is the first car in the country to be certified as 'OBD-2' compliant. OBD refers to On Board Diagnostics. OBD-2 informs the customer of any malfunction in the emission control system which may be leading to undue increase in exhaust emissions.
At the launch, Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki said, "SX4 with a Diesel engine is one of the most attractive cars in the upper A3 segment. With the changed urban landscape, suburbs have become an integral part of cities and people travel long distances. The new age diesel technology as offered by the SX4 Super Turbo Diesel is high on power and performance while being low on emissions. SX4 Diesel offers an economical and punchier ride."
Expressing confidence in the SX4 Diesel he added, "We expect the SX4 diesel to repeat the success of our other diesel offerings and strengthen the Maruti Suzuki portfolio".
In the last four years, Maruti Suzuki has mounted diesel engines on Swift, Dzire and Ritz. All of them have been runaway successes. The SX4 Super Turbo expands and strengthens the Maruti Suzuki portfolio.
Incidentally, SX4 is the only popular sedan in the country to sport petrol, CNG and now a diesel variant.
Innovations, big and small, help to enhance the life of the engine, provide instant power and reduce emissions in the SX4 Diesel.
|What makes SX4 Diesel most fuel efficient in its class
|What innovative features in SX4 Diesel enhance customer experience
|The Super Turbo DDiS engine will be manufactured at Suzuki Powertrain India Limited, the Manesar-based joint venture of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan and Maruti Suzuki India Limited. This joint venture manufactures diesel engines for Swift, DZire & Ritz and has an annual capacity of 300,000 units.
|Awards and Accolades for SX4 in India
|Introductory Prices


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Add the must-have motorcycle maintenance accessory with the SW-MOTECH center stand for the Triumph Tiger 1050. Whether you need to fix a flat or change your tire on your adventure or require a stable base to load your motorcycle or perform regular work in your shop, this robust stand will prove its merit time and time again. Make loading, repairs and maintenance more convenient with a center stand by SW-MOTECH.
- Welded steel tube construction
- Black powder coated finish
- Easily deployed and retracted
- Provides optimal lean angle and ground clearance
- Center stand
- Mounting hardware
- Detailed installation instructions
- Triumph Tiger 1050 '06-'16
Twisted Throttle Tech Tips: Center Stand Installation Explained
|Manufacturer #
Customer Reviews
- Review by Guest
Write Your Own Review


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In celebration of the worldwide exclusive launch of Nikos Koulis' latest collection, 'Lingerie' at BG, we sat down with the famed jeweler to discuss the inspiration and design process behind his beautiful creations. 'Lingerie' is Koulis' first collection using pearls as a main material, characterized by exquisite details, elaborate technique and a seamless flow reminiscent of sensual laces. The designer uses solely Tahiti silver pearls combined with white diamonds, emeralds, blue sapphires and rubies; and in certain pieces he combines them with black enamel – one of his signature materials. Meet the designer as he unveils the new fine jewelry collection, 'Lingerie,' this Wednesday, April 5th from 5-7pm on the main floor.
Bergdorf Goodman: We are so honored to be the home to the worldwide launch of your 'Lingerie' Collection. What made you decide to skip Basel this year?
Nikos Koulis: I am truly excited to present 'Lingerie' exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman. It's a different collection in terms of materials and forms and a fascinating creative journey. After 5 years in Basel world I decided not to take part this year, since I felt that the aesthetic environment was inadequate for my brand. There were so many operational changes that didn't reflect the status and experience I coveted for the presence of my brand, so the decision came organically. I decided to reach out to my clients through other routes, and maintain the selective nature of the way I work and think. I make my own rules and follow my instinct, so the proposal for launching my brand new collection at BG fused my buoyant outlook with an attractive occasion.
BG: Tell us about the inspiration for this new collection. Where did the idea of 'Lingerie' come from?
NK: Lingerie is my first collection using pearls as a main material. The core idea was a softer design approach compared to the Oui or Spectrum collections, a more ethereal appeal. In the workshop, while we experimented with so many elaborate details, the pieces reminded me of delicate, sensual laces, thus I named it 'Lingerie' although it could be misunderstood. My aim was all the pieces to have a very light, seamless flow. I use solely Tahiti silver pearls in different sizes combined with white diamonds, emeralds, blue sapphires and rubies; and in certain pieces I embraced the black enamel element, channeling the Oui collection.
BG: Take us through your design process. Do you have a particular woman in mind when creating these beautiful pieces?
NK: In every piece I create, I leave a part of myself, so there is a personal element and a lot of thought enclosed in the resulting soul of the piece. I cherish classics, I love structured forms, I believe in the importance of intricate details. My inspiration is random; a design idea can derive from a landscape, a building, a book or a song. There is no muse, but I 'm thinking of women who are confident and want to express themselves through the jewelry they wear. However, it's not only about the design; what excites me more is the production process. This is when I feel the most creative, when we experiment with materials, we 'push' our craftsmanship boundaries, and we give a sentimental value to each piece.
BG: What are some of your favorite materials to work with and why?
NK: Diamonds in different cuts, my favorite are cut cornered trillions, emeralds because they always have a graceful imperfection, and gold without a particular reason, since forever.
BG: What is your first memory of Bergdorf Goodman? Is there one piece from the collection that you feel every BG woman must own?
NK: My first memory was at Bergdorf Goodman is almost 15 years back and it is still my favorite retail destination in NY: cool, classic and curated. The BG woman encapsulates so many different types and styles, that I can't pick just one piece for her. However, I still believe in the power of jewelry to make you dream. The pair of brooches that can also be worn as earrings convey the rarefied magic of a precious item connecting a couture legacy with a contemporary flair.


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Guys, the way the game is structured, the physics 'tick' runs once every 1/600th of a second. During these physics calculations (which are given top priority on as many CPU cores as needed for obvious reasons), orientation and position vectors for the actors in the scene are calculated and when all physics processing is completed, the results (the set of vectors for each car) are sent to something called the 'render bridge' and the CPU cores that were previously busy doing physics calculations are freed up to help with rendering the scene, playing audio etc.
So physics calculation comes before everything else. If time (a physics quantity) slows down, that's very likely to be a physics issue and the FPS drop is 'just' a symptom. At least that's how I understand it (and it jives with the physics slowing down depending on the amount of physics actors on track).
If someone from SMS contradicts this explanation, then listen to them.


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The Community Food Club is open by referral only. Any Kent County household at or below 200% federal poverty is eligible for membership.
Membership Benefits
Along with being able to shop at the Food Club, members also gain access to free nutrition and health education classes and special membership events.
The Food Club is wheelchair accessible. All members may list up to three people who can shop on their behalf.
requesting a referral form
A household can inquire about a referral form at the front desk of the Salvation Army at 1215 E. Fulton St. in Grand Rapids, Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Interested members must provide identification for each household member and documentation of current income.
A household pays a fee of $11, $13, or $15 for a 30-day membership. Each household will pay based on a sliding scale, which takes into account household size and income. The Food Club can currently only accept cash for payment. Member households can shop up to once per day until all points are used.
requirements for referral
Documents Accepted for Income Verification
Disability/Social Security or Other Benefits Statement
Income Tax Return (Federal and Michigan Return)
Paycheck Stub Unemployment Statement
Bank Account Statement
Accepted forms of Identification (I.D.)
Adults 18 years+: Photo ID with address listed, utility bill or other official piece of mail.
Minors under 18 years: Birth certificate, MiChild card, Social Security card, school letter, legal custody paperwork, etc.


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- Oglas dostupan i osobama sa invaliditetom
- Oglas dostupan i studentima
Job Advert
Graphic Designer
Remote Position
We are young and fast-growing American marketing agency specializing in email marketing for eCommerce stores. We started our business at the beginning of 2014 with the main goal to help independent eCommerce store owners excel within this effective marketing channel.
Our website: https://essenceofemail.com
At the moment we are looking for a candidate to fill the position of a Graphic Designer. You will be working remotely as a contractor to the Essence of Email company.
Working hours: 13:00 — 21:00 CE(S)T or 17:00-21:00 CE(S)T if you prefer the part-time position.
About the job
The designer is primarily responsible for generating high-quality design assets for our operations team. The work of our company is focused on producing emails, thus the designer will be spending most of his time on creating hero & banner images for emails. Other possible responsibilities are considering our marketing and HR departments - creating assets for promotional or recruitment purposes of the company.
What does Graphic Designer do?
- Create graphic assets for client email campaigns & initiatives
- Design creative to support Marketing and HR departments
- Graphic design solutions for our website and
Required profile:
- Fluent English (both written and spoken)
- Profound knowledge of Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator or other graphic design programs
- Ability to quickly quick to grasp visual elements of a brand
- A strong will to learn new things
- Independent and available to work 8 hours on weekdays
- Very creative and able to work well under on-demand conditions
- Responsive and reliable
- Previous marketing experience is a plus
We will take into consideration only applications in English and with enclosed portfolio.
Please note, we will contact only candidates that meet the profile we are looking for.


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SPEECH TITLES AND/OR TOPICS Click Here for Detailed Description
Leadership | Personal Development | Communications
An expert in the fields of charisma and leadership, Olivia Fox Cabane has lectured at Stanford, Yale, Harvard, MIT, and the United Nations. As a frequent keynote speaker and executive coach to the leadership of Fortune 500 companies, she helps people increase their ability to influence, persuade, and inspire others. From a base of thorough behavioral science, she extracts the most practical tools for business; giving her clients techniques she originally developed for Harvard and MIT.
In addition to being a regular columnist for Forbes, Ms. Cabane is often featured in media such as The New York Times, Bloomberg, or BusinessWeek; and was recently profiled in The Wall Street Journal. She is known to be particularly effective in helping executives acquire greater executive presence, charisma, and self confidence. In short, she helps high potential people become the best leaders they can be.
Olivia Fox Cabane has both French and American nationalities and is fluent in 4 languages; she is the youngest person ever to have been appointed Foreign Trade Advisor to the French Government.


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By Gregory Hale
When ensuring a safety system is protecting the right areas, professionals need to understand what risks are involved to protect the plant. The same is true in securing a safety system.
"Modern control systems and safety systems are complex, intelligent, programmable, and highly networked systems," said John Cusimano, director of industrial cybersecurity at aeSolutions Wednesday during a webcast entitled, "If it isn't secure, it isn't safe."
IT/OT Convergence, a SANS Focus
ICSJWG: Putting Numbers Behind Risk
ICSJWG: Change in Security Approach Needed
Power Grid Compromise
"(Systems) are highly integrated, which can be very beneficial, but it also opens them up to vulnerabilities if they reside on the same network and communicate with the same servers," Cusimano said. "So, it is possible that a single vulnerability might be able to disable multiple layers of protection. That is what we want to look for when we are doing a cyber risk assessment for a facility, we want to determine if there are any scenarios like that and how we can protect against them. That is why you have to do a separate cybersecurity study to make sure those possibilities do not exist."
While security issues have been around for a little bit, more companies are just now starting campaigns around cybersecurity, Cusimano said. One case in point is Sunoco Logistics, which Cusimano said is one of the more progressive companies focusing on cyber.
In addition to having control systems and safety systems being very complex, intelligent, programmable, and highly networked, there are other challenges facing users.
For instance, it is very common for them to be integrated and residing on the same network and communicate to the same servers/workstations/applications. That could enable a single vulnerability to disable multiple layers of protection. What is at issue, Cusimano said, is HAZOPS and LOPA studies typically do not take into account cyber impacts on initiating event frequency or effectiveness of safeguards.
Safety Best Practices
In the end, security professionals need to borrow from safety experts.
Process safety is the discipline around preventing process incidents, fires, explosions, accidental releases of dangerous materials in process facilities such as chemical plants, refineries, oil and gas production.
It focuses on the design and engineering of facilities, maintenance of equipment, alarm handling, control systems, procedures and training around making sure it is possible to identify process hazards and have mitigating controls in place.
"We want to make sure we have appropriate layers of protection," he said. "We have a process we are controlling and that is controlled by basic automaton control system. Variables may exceed certain thresholds and that would generally raise a process alarm, where a board operator would respond to that and change a set point to bring the process under control. If that failed to happen, then another layer of protection would be the safety shutdown systems, which can be hardwired manual systems, or they can be automated instrumented systems. These respond automatically if the parameter continues to go outside of normal operating conditions and approach dangerous conditions like high pressure, high temperature, or high flow."
Layers of Protection
The science around making sure there are adequate layers of protection starts with a process hazard analysis (PHA), which is an organized systematic assessment of potential hazards in the industrial process.
"It has been around for decades and is a standard practice in facilities covered by OSHA, EPA or other governmental organizations," Cusimano said.
These studies, or assessments, focus on equipment, but it is not focused on people that would attack a system via cyber.
"You have to do a separate cybersecurity study to find vulnerabilities," Cusimano said. "There may be pathways that make it possible for the control system to be compromised and it could go in and make the safety system vulnerable."
Assessing Risk
The user could start with a modified HAZOP they would use for a safety scenario.
"It is important for management to have a scale like this so when they are looking at risks across the organization, they have some way of ranking them and identifying which ones are more severe and need to be addressed with higher priority."
That is where a cyber risk assessment or cyber PHA comes into play.
"It is important for management to have a scale like this so when they are looking at risks across the organization, they have some way of ranking them and identifying which ones are more severe and need to be addressed with higher priority."
— John Cusimano
A cyber PHA is a systemic approach aligned with standards where you could apply additional countermeasures to fix a security risk.
Vulnerability assessment starts with understanding system you are going to evaluate. A user would look at:
• Evaluation of control system design
• As built or as found drawings
• Analysis of network communications understanding what devices are talking to what devices
• Analysis of network devices
• Analysis of servers/workstations
• Analysis of ICS devices
• Partition system into zones and conduits
• Review policies and procedures
• Recommend mitigations
The methodology behind the cyber PHA gives the user a systemic approach to assess ICS cyber risk. The beauty is the cyber folks don't have to reinvent the wheel as they can use an approach similar to a PHA/HAZOP. By doing this assessment, it would satisfy the new IEC 61511 security risk assessment requirement. In addition, by applying the cyber PHA, it can help at Process Safety Management (PSM) regulated companies.
The benefits for using the cyber PHA include:
1. Use of process PHAs and corporate risk matrix assures consistent consequences and risk analysis
2. Cross functional, collaborative team approach yields a more accurate risk assessment
3. Prioritized recommendations and plan
4. Prioritize activities and resources
5. Establish a baseline to measure improvement
6. Document and justify decisions
7. Risk register and risk profile
8. Raise cybersecurity awareness
"This can get everybody on the same page and helps eliminate gaps between IT and OT," Cusimano said. "In the end, it will get the team together to solve a common problem."


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Recommended links
Clicking on a link below will take you to the organization's web site.
The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, DC-based national policy and advocacy organization that works to improve national and federal policy so that all students can achieve at high academic levels and graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship in the twenty-first century. The Alliance focuses on America's six million most at-risk secondary school students — those in the lowest achievement quartile — who are most likely to leave school without a diploma or to graduate unprepared for a productive future.
America's Promise Alliance is the nation's largest partnership dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth by ensuring that they get the fundamental resources they need to succeed: caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education, and opportunities to help others. America's Promise brings together more than 400 national organizations representing nonprofits, businesses, communities, educators, and policymakers.
ACE maintains both a domestic and an international agenda and seeks to advance the interests and goals of higher and adult education in a changing environment by providing leadership and advocacy on important issues, representing the views of the higher and adult education community to policy makers, and offering services to its members.
Working with neighborhoods and state and local governments, the Foundation provides grants to public and nonprofit organizations to strengthen the support services, social networks, physical infrastructure, employment, self-determination, and economic vitality of distressed communities. One of several initiatives includes supporting comprehensive education reform in the states: for example, school/community partnerships; school-based accountability; and smaller class size.
Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.� Building on its history and past programs in the field, Carnegie Corporation will dedicate a major part of its grant funds over the next few years to education reform, beginning with early childhood education and extending to higher education.
This research center, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, has a five-year contract, beginning in 2005, to conduct a program of research designed to address specific challenges in the education of English language learners in grades 4-8.
The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind; and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves, particularly poor and minority children and those with disabilities.
A state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Common Core State Standards provide a consistent framework to prepare children for college and the workforce by defining the knowledge and skills students should have in their K-12 education in order to succeed.
Communities In Schools (CIS) works within the public school system, determining student needs and establishing relationships with local businesses, social service agencies, health care providers, and parent and volunteer organizations to provide needed resources. CIS strategically aligns and delivers needed resources so that students can focus on learning.
The Early Reading First Program of the U.S. Department of Education helps prepare children to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading skills to prevent reading difficulties and ensure academic success. This website describes the program's key components and operation.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was enacted on January 8, 2002. NCLB focuses on accountability for all schools, local control, and options for parents. The legislation requires schools to use research-based curricula and instructional techniques that have been proven to work in classrooms across the United States.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is an international organization that concerns itself with the complex issues of dyslexia. The IDA membership consists of a variety of professionals in partnership with people with dyslexia and their families. The IDA actively promotes effective teaching approaches and related clinical educational intervention strategies for people with dyslexia. We support and encourage interdisciplinary research. We facilitate the exploration of the causes and early identification of dyslexia and are committed to the responsible and wide dissemination of research based knowledge.
The Knowledge Matters Campaign is an advocacy initiative focused on the critical role of knowledge-building. It's time to restore history, science, geography, art, music, and more to the education we give to all students, especially those least likely to gain such knowledge outside school. Greater comprehension, critical thinking, curiosity, and equality will be our reward. Educators need to devote more time to building vocabulary and knowledge in science, social studies, and the arts — starting in early childhood. Policymakers need to create incentives for districts and schools to make long-term investments in building academic knowledge. Parents need to demand a well-rounded education and read aloud, visit museums, and discuss current events with their children.
LD OnLine is the leading web resource on learning disabilities and ADHD for parents, teachers, and other professionals. The award-winning service offers the latest information on issues such as ADHD, special education, assessment, adult issues, and much more. Special features include Q&A's with leading practitioners, such as Richard Lavoie and Larry Silver, active bulletin boards, and a kid's area.
The Alliance organizations represent more than 10 million individuals engaged in providing, governing, and improving America's public schools at the local, state, and national levels. The Alliance is dedicated to helping those institutions and people who provide and govern public education work together to find the best way to respond to local challenges. The Alliance will strive to deliver a common message to all parts of the education system, align priorities, share and disseminate success stories, encourage collaboration at every level, and work toward long-term systemic change based on solid research evidence.
Literate Nation is a nonprofit call to action movement begun by a group of citizens, educators, and scientists. The organization's vision is to create an accessible, highly informed, broad-based platform for literacy leadership that will provide the U.S. with the most comprehensive, cross-disciplinary resources and strategic initiatives available to propel the systemic changes needed for a fully literate nation.
The Laboratory for Student Success (LSS), is one of ten Regional Educational Laboratories funded by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education and plans to revitalize and reform educational practices in the service of student success. The U.S. Department of Education designated LSS as the lead laboratory in the specialty area of educational leadership.
McREL draws upon the best of more than 30 years of education research to create practical, user-friendly products that help educators create classrooms that provide all students with opportunities for success.
Since 1938, NASDSE has focused on improving the educational services for children and youth with disabilities by making sure that students with disabilities are able to participate in their education and successfully transition to post-school education, employment, and independent living.
NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data that are related to education in the United States and other nations.
The National Center for Families Learning (formerly the National Center for Family Literacy) inspires and engages families in the pursuit of education and learning together. Since 1989, the NCFL has helped families make educational progress by pioneering and improving family literacy programs. NCFL offers free resources for parents, educators, and community organizations.
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) works to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents, and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work, and life. NCLD provides essential information to parents, professionals and individuals with learning disabilities, promotes research and programs to foster effective learning, and advocates for policies to protect and strengthen educational rights and opportunities.
For learners with sensory, physical, cognitive, or learning differences and their teachers, accessible educational materials (AEM) may open doors to teaching and learning that ordinary print-based materials have closed. Accessible educational materials or AEM are specialized formats of curricular content that can be used by and with students who are unable to read or use standard print materials. Specialized formats include braille, audio, large print, and digital text. The AEM Center serves as a resource for stakeholders, including state- and district-level educators, parents, students, publishers, conversion houses, accessible media producers, and others interested in learning more about AEM and implementing AEM and he National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS). The Center is part of CAST: National Center on Universal Design for Learning.
The National Center on Response to Intervention (RTI) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. The Center supports the implementation of RTI on a national level. This goal includes plans to: 1) Identify, adapt, evaluate, and scale-up RTI models for identifying and serving students with disabilities. 2) Provide ongoing support and technical assistance to states to support implementation of comprehensive RTI programs in districts, schools, and classrooms nationally. 3) Disseminate information about proven and promising RTI models to our target audience, including parents, service providers, program administrators, policymakers, and other interested stakeholders across the country.
The National Center on Student Progress Monitoring is dedicated to the implementation of scientifically-based student progress monitoring for grades K-5. The Center works to provide technical assistance to states and districts and disseminate information about student progress monitoring practices proven to work in different academic content areas. The National Center on Student Progress Monitoring is a technical assistance and dissemination center funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
NICHCY is the center that provides information to the nation on: disabilities in children and youth; programs and services for infants, children, and youth with disabilities; IDEA, the nation's special education law; and research-based information on effective practices for children with disabilities. The focus is children and youth (birth to age 22). Anyone can use the free services — families, educators, administrators, journalists, students.
Founded in 1857 in Philadelphia and now headquartered in Washington, D.C., NEA proudly claims more than 2.5 million members who work at every level of education, from pre-school to university graduate programs. At the national level, NEA's work ranges from coordinating innovative projects to restructuring how learning takes place to fighting congressional attempts to privatize public education.
The NGA Center for Best Practices supports governors in their efforts to improve education by providing technical assistance, policy analysis and reports, and information on best practices.
The NICHD supports research that specifies the experiences children need from birth to age eight to help them learn to read and ultimately succeed in school. The Child Development and Behavior Branch of the Center for Research for Mothers and Children includes the Early Learning and School Readiness Program, which integrates basic and applied research on early learning and development. Information about the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development and the Early Child Care Research Network also can be found on the website.
The National Summer Learning Association serves as a network hub for thousands of summer learning program providers and stakeholders across the country, providing tools, resources, and expertise to improve program quality, generate support, and increase youth access and participation. The NSLA offers professional development, quality assessment and evaluation, best practices dissemination and collaboration, and strategic consulting to states, school districts, community organizations, and funders.
The Early Education Initiative seeks to promote a high-quality and continuous system of early care and education for children from birth to age 8. The Early Education Initiative seeks to promote a high-quality and continuous system of early care and education for all children, birth to age 8. It is an initiative of the New America Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute.
The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory is a wholly owned subsidiary of Learning Point Associates. As a member of the Regional Educational Laboratory Network, NCREL is dedicated to providing high-quality, research-based resources to educators and policymakers in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory provides research and development assistance to education, government, community, business, and labor agencies. NWREL's primary service area is the Northwest states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that serves the educational community in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands, the continental United States, and countries throughout the world. PREL bridges the gap between research, theory, and practice in education and works collaboratively with schools and school systems to provide services that range from curriculum development to assessment and evaluation.
The Campaign is a collaborative effort by foundations, nonprofit partners, states, and communities across the nation to ensure that more children in low-income families succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career, and active citizenship. The Campaign focuses on the most important predictor of school success and high school graduation — grade-level reading by the end of third grade.
The mission of the U. S. Department of Education is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence for all Americans. The Department WebSite includes information on funding, research, publications, and programs.
The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education strives to promote academic excellence, enhance educational opportunities and equity for all of America's children and families, and to improve the quality of teaching and learning by providing leadership, technical assistance and financial support.
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is a component of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which is one of the principal components of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). OSEP's mission and organization focus on the free, appropriate public education of children and youth with disabilities from birth through age 21. OSEP is a major funder of Reading Rockets.
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.


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Posts Tagged 'Mississippi'
High school coach suspended for whipping players
And when I say whipping players, I don't follow it with the phrase "into shape." Marlon Dorsey, head coach of Murrah High School's boys' basketball team in Jackson, Miss., on Nov. 11 was suspended (for at least a month) after cellphone video surfaced of him whipping a player on the behind with a weightlifting belt. He has been accused of whipping other players as well. As a result, parents are suing the Jackson Public Schools district — which has outlawed corporal punishment since 1991.
The incriminating video.
Dorsey has admitted to whipping students, but he said in a letter that it was for their own good. A portion of the letter, as published in the Jackson Clarion Ledger:
"I took it upon myself to save these young men from the destruction of self and what society has accepted and become silent to the issues our students are facing on a daily basis," the letter states. "I am deeply remorseful of my actions to help our students."
The letter, addressed to parents and others, said the punishment was issued for a variety of reasons, including disrespecting teachers, stealing cell phones, leaving campus without permission, being late for class and not following the dress code.
That same article further stated that Dorsey had support from some parents for, well, whipping them into academic and athletic shape, by any means necessary.
Dorsey is a first-year coach, but he's hardly the first coach in recent years to get in hot water over corporal punishment. Numerous Chicago schools a few years back were found to have coaches paddling or beating players, despite a ban on corporal punishment instituted in 1994. An investigation in Dallas found at least one case of corporal punishment by one of its football coaches, despite a ban there, as well.
I've never hit my kids, and I don't imagine I ever will. Not because they're such perfect angels (well, they are, of course), but because I don't see how spanking is an effective form of punishment, although others don't share my view that corporal punishment is effective the same way sending someone to the gulag is effective — the victim fears you, but they don't necessarily love or respect you. A writer at the Dallas Observer reacted with repugnance to a case of a football player who was hit 21 times in the backside, but to him the problem was the degree of punishment, not the actual whacking.
But we wonder how our kids got so out of control? Where's the respect for teachers? For authority? Where have all the hard-nosed disciplinarians like Bobby Knight and Vince Lombardi and Woody Hayes gone?
Easy. We've degenerated into a wussified country weakened by Downy-soft consequences, only to inexplicably react with aghast at the resulting hard times.
I don't remember all the numerous groundings I incurred as a kid. But I vividly the recall the two times I got paddled.
By the way, to answer his question, Bob Knight and Woody Hayes were forced out of Indiana and Ohio State, respectively, after failing to control their tempers. Lombardi gets an unfair rap. While he was tough on his players, he never raised a hand to them. Meanwhile, Knight had his own controversies thanks his wielding a whip.
Criminal charges dropped in ex-Congressman/youth soccer coach punchout
January 19th was a very big, happy, victorious day for a Republican. Yeah, Scott Brown, too.
Former U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering of Mississippi on Jan. 19 learned he will not be facing criminal charges relating to a scuffle in which he allegedly punched a neckbrace-wearing youth soccer coach. On the other hand, the coach, Chris Hester, also will not face criminal charges for his part in the fight.
Each independently decided to drop pursuing a criminal case against the other regarding the bout, which occurred after a 10- and 11-year-old match in Madison, Miss., that featured Pickering's son on one side and Hester coaching the other. The fight started because Pickering claimed Hester was verbally abusive to his son. By the way, both men are in their 40s, not that you would ever know. At least they were mature enough to decide that it would be better not to make 10- and 11-year-olds go to court for the grind and pain of testifying as to where on the doll Pickering punched Hester.
The judge, and I translate from legalese, called both men douchebags, and everyone went on their way. "I regret very much the entire episode, Pickering said after the court hearing. "I was trying to protect my son. I believe Mr. Hester was trying to protect one of his players. What we've learned is there's a better way to do this, and there's a better way we could have handled everything that night." And with that, it was over.
Well, not quite.
Reporters at the scene noted two major signs that to Hester, this wasn't over. One is that he refused to shake Pickering's hand when he extended it. The other was him and his lawyer holding a press conference to announce they would be suing Pickering to cover Hester's medical bills, perhaps not including the neckbrace he was wearing at the time he got punched.
Sadly for Pickering, he's pretty familiar with the inside of a courtroom. Not only is did Pickering get divorced, but his ex-wife followed with a so-called alien-of-affection lawsuit against Pickering's mistress. So Pickering might have to go through the pain and grind of testifying where on the doll his mistress touched him.
Former Congressman accused of punching youth soccer coach
One day you're a rising star in national politics, the next you've fallen from grace to the point you're punching a kids' soccer coach who wears a neck brace.
Chip Pickering, once a shoo-in to replace his old boss Trent Lott as the U.S. Senator from Mississippi, instead is begging coach and nurse Chris Hester to drop simple assault charges against him after the two got in a scuffle following a 10- and 11-year-olds' soccer game in Madison, Miss.
Hester's team was playing a team featuring Pickering's son. Hester said Pickering attacked him in his truck, while Pickering said that after he went to upbraid Hester about being what he called verbally abusive to his son, Hester attacked him. For what it's worth, Hester also has a simple assault charge against him related to the incident. He might have a neck brace, but apparently his fists still work.
Each side's lawyers are talking to see whether charges might be dropped before a scheduled Jan. 19 court date. Pickering already is on the record saying he wants to settle this "man to man." Um, Chip, you already tried settling one conflict with Hester man-to-man, and it's safe to say that didn't work out too well.
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I'm sure the coach hurts, but I haven't seen such a hilarious neck brace since the cancellation of whatever the last sitcom was that featured a fake auto accident injury as a major plot device.
If this were just a lesson in how even the most august among us are prone to going goofy at youth sports events, the story would end here. Unfortunately for the Chipster, the incident appears to be part of a precipitous decline from future U.S. Senator to someone going to the courthouse enough to get a punchcard that would make his 10th appearance free.
When Lott resigned as Senator in November 2007, Pickering, his former aide and the son of a judge (Charles Pickering) famously appointed by President George W. Bush and famously not confirmed because of Democratic objections (and a judge who is a longtime power-broker in the Mississippi Republican party and a Tea Partier), was rumored to be the top choice to replace him. Pickering not only refused to take Lott's seat, but he also announced he would resign from the House of Representatives in 2008 after 12 years, saying he wanted to spend more time with his wife and five sons.
At least with his wife, Chip Pickering's pledge to "spend more time" meant "spend more time with her before a judge." In June 2008, Pickering announced he and his wife Leisha would divorce. A little more than a year later, Leisha Pickering sued Chip's alleged mistress, Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd, in what's called an alienation-of-affection lawsuit. (Mississippi is one of four states that allow those, which gives aggrieved ex-spouses-to-be the right to sue homewreckers on the grounds they sabotaged a legally binding contract. I guess that sounds easier to rationalize to yourself than "she was my husband's reverse cowboy.")
As part of the court cases, apparently Republican bigwigs are trying to make sure a diary Pickering kept of his shenanigans, a missive that includes the names of his boys who covered his tracks for him. This is a bit of an issue because Pickering is the third member of the s0-called, allegedly highly religious C Street Fellowship, following Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (a former House member) to be caught walking the Appalachain Trail.
So I can imagine that the lawyer(s) for Chip Pickering are trying to impress upon the soccer coach with the neck brace to be a little understanding. After all, Chipper's having a bit of a rough go. C'mon, man, be a pal!
If Pickering is being made to look a fool for the youth soccer incident, well, it's hardly the first time. You might remember Pickering for his co-starring role as a Congressman appearing a church to preach against evolution and for Christian government in a little movie called Borat.
Florida uses the nuclear option
Maine couldn't bring itself to cut high school sports at a statewide level. But Florida could — and did.
On Monday night, the Florida High School Athletic Association voted 9-6 to chop varsity sports games by 20 percent and JV and freshman games by 40 percent for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. Varsity football, a big moneymaker, is unaffected. Competitive cheerleading is unaffected as well. Wait, is that a big moneymaker, too? New FHSAA executive director Roger Dearing in March put forth this proposal, saying the only other option was eliminating sports.
As you can imagine, this isn't going over well with athletic directors.
From the Miami Herald, which notes that a lot of high-powered basketball programs who hosted or traveled to tournaments now can't do so with a 20-game limit:
"I was a student in this county, and now I've been coaching in this county for 20-some years," said Larry Brown, athletic director at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines. "I have never seen anything like this, cuts so drastic."
Added Roger Harriott, AD at Davie's University School: "It sends the wrong message to the kids, considering they're the whole reason we have a job."
In Miami, these games cuts were made five years ago. But the county school district says it still might have to eliminate multiple conference tournaments.
The problem in Florida is this: the state's property taxes are refigured on an annual basis, and they're based on the average sale prices for January, the busiest home-selling month in the state. (In my state, Illinois, your property gets reassessed every three years, based on an average price for the previous three years. So my schools are doing OK, because the last assessment caught the last three years of the real estate peak.)
The Florida system was great during the real estate boom times. Now, it's sending school budgets cratering. Here was my report from January 2009, when I was visiting mortgage-scarred Bradenton.
Individual schools across the country are cutting sports budgets, but I haven't heard of another state athletic association putting the hammer down on everyone. Will it be the last? I'm going to go out on a limb and say: probably not.
A Florida High School Athletic Association board member at work.
EDIT: Boy, I am behind. New York and Mississippi already have enacted similar cuts statewide, with New York (unlike Mississippi) even cutting football. Oklahoma earlier this decade cut sports schedules to save money, though that was before the current recession. Idaho's state high school athletic association in April voted down an across-the-board 10 percent event cut, but it might revisit the issue in May, as well as looking at other cost-saving moves.


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To create innovative educational programs and acknowledge the students with all the specialization in Physiotherapy as well as cultivating leadership, integrity, and the preparation of highly competent Physiotherapists prepare for general practice.
To graduate clinical as well as competent Physiotherapists who are highly valued professionals who practice autonomously in a highly diverse community. Graduates will provide care in consideration of scientific evidence and will assume social responsibilities in community.


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Paternity Disestablishment in 2004: The Year in Review
Publication Date: December 2004
Publisher(s): Center for Law and Social Policy
Author(s): Paula Roberts
Topic: Law and ethics (Family law)
Coverage: United States
This memo analyzes the statutory and case law developments in late 2003 and 2004. It contains two appendices. The first appendix describes in detail the reported cases in 2004. The cases are divided by topic and listed alphabetically by state. The second appendix contains two charts listing the major state cases in the last seven years. One chart deals with disestablishment for marital children and the other for non-marital children. This memo follows up the publications titled Truth and Consequences, Parts I, II, and III and a memo from June 2004.


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Senator Gravel, one of the Democratic presidential candidates, has been making some noise online recently. It's pretty funny — I watched Robin Williams' Man of the Year two days ago, and then yesterday, the video below was featured on Reddit. As you can see, Gravel does the closest impersonation of Williams' character possible without losing credibility.
One of the things Gravel's proposing is to implement FairTax, a system that does away with traditional income tax and instead applies additional duties to goods and services. It's not quite revolutionary in that other forms of tax, such as highway tolls and the congestion charge here in London, are already applied on a per-use basis, but it has some pretty cool effects.
The first thing to notice is that, under the scheme, the additional tax is collected from producers, not retailers or consumers. This means the tax base shrinks immediately, which is good because it makes tax evasion harder and the process more transparent. In addition, the cost of collecting revenues falls dramatically.
The second thing is that a flat tax applied to goods and services (assuming it's flat — we'll get to that in a minute) makes it almost impossible for special-interest groups and lobbyists to try to have the tax regime biased in favour of the rich or the organised. This isn't a serious problem in Pakistan, but it's nice to have.
Thirdly, the scheme ties revenue generation to consumer spending, rather than earnings, which probably has significant implications for inflation. At the very least, it encourages savings, which is a good thing, particularly in a credit-hungry country like the US.
It's a little unclear to me whether a flat tax on all goods and services would be a good thing. The argument that it's fairer doesn't really hold water, since luxury goods that are consumed only by the rich would raise the tax rate for everyone. Consequently, a tiered tax rate might make more sense. The scheme includes the notion of pre-bates to relieve unfair burden from the ultra-poor, which sounds like a good idea.
I have read, though, that the ratio of spending between the rich and the poor is approximately the same as the ratio of earning between the rich and the poor, which would mean that the gulf between rich and poor wouldn't be bridged in any way by this scheme. That actually sounds fair enough to me, since the point of taxation isn't to artificially redistribute wealth (which would invariably lead to inflation).
My interest in this, of course, relates to taxation in Pakistan. The two big problems we face are ridiculously high levels of tax evasion and a culture of kickbacks and corruption.
The former, it is often said, is difficult to tackle simply because much of Pakistan's economic activity is unrecorded. This doesn't imply a lot of black market activity, but rather just that smaller retailers don't maintain records that can be easily examined. The government has resorted to increasingly lax policies to fix the situation, including a recent one which promises that tax returns, no matter how absurd, will not be disputed by the government. There's no guarantee this will work, of course: some people claim the reason economic activity isn't recorded is illiteracy. It's obvious how a system like FairTax would be useful here: the government would no longer have to worry about tracking down and auditing every small retailer (and all his employees), since it would only deal with the producers supplying the retailers with goods.
The problem of corruption would also be addressed, since the scheme is far more transparent and enforceable than filing returns. In effect, you pay tax every time you buy an item, whether it be a sandwich or a Mercedes. There is simply no reason left to slip envelopes to tax officials.
There are other benefits of FairTax that I have not discussed, for example that the overall tax burden over an average lifetime is much reduced under the scheme. Clearly, it is a promising idea and given the failure of our current tax regime, it might be one worth considering.


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Every year in December, Fotokino offers a cross-disciplinary and unruly festival, which draws a unique landscape in the world of images. Meetings, screenings, exhibitions and workshops take place during almost three weeks in various places in Marseille... In order to make it a feast on a city-scale.
Whether contemporary or old films, rarities or classical, artists' films, animation, fiction or documentary... our choices reflect the variety of the media. Eyes wide opened on contemporary creation, while giving a place of choice to heritage films. The exhibitions present the work of visual artists, both emerging and famous ones .
Among the invited artists : Aline Ahond, Glen Baxter, Frédérique Bertrand, Blexbolex, Benoît Bonnemaison-Fitte, Benoît Jacques, Paul Cox, Olivier Douzou, Ed Fella, Isidro Ferrer, Jean Jullien, Jochen Gerner, Bertrand Mandico, Laurent Millet, Gianpaolo Pagni, José Parrondo, Chloé Poizat, Hélène Riff, Gianluigi Toccafondo...
A multitude of small artistic forms are included in program : sound creations, musical performances, meetings, readings, concerts... The workshops, open to children as well as adults, are conceived around specific themes, as an echo of the artistic propositions.


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This morning my daughter's school was open when I really had hoped that it would be shut.
Sure, the roads were passable. The school buses were running. Even the elderly were toddling down the street outside my house.
But to have to go to school when there's four inches of snow on the ground nevertheless somehow didn't seem fair. My 12-year old had been waiting for a snow day all winter and now here it was. "Surely Dad? Surely?"
What made it worse was that her brothers' school was closed. And so were two or three other schools in the locality. School closures have been all over the news. But at Highworth Grammar School in Ashford, the website stubbornly announced that the school was very much open.
So she fretted and grumbled and headed off reluctantly to the bus stop.
And missed the bus.
The precise facts about how the bus was missed are still not very clear – but four shining faces appeared at my door 20 minutes after they should have left. "We missed the bus," they said, not quite managing to hide their smiles.
And so, after a complete failure to persuade four pre-teenage girls (three of whom do not belong to me) that they "really should be at school", they made their way to a house belonging to working parents (and therefore empty), and had a 'snow day'.
The precise details of this snow day are still not very clear. It seems that they did have lunch (bought from the local shop). They went sledging and exercised a dog. And they bumped into lots of children while on the hillside – 8 other local boys and girls from three other schools my daughter told me, many of whom they hadn't properly seen since primary school.
It's rather hard to be angry or disapproving about this.
Snow is a great leveller – something that we can all enjoy and also delight in watching other people enjoy. It's also an unexpected occasion for communities, not just to toboggan and build snowmen, but to rally round, clear paths, care for their elderly and stare with a collective longing at the sky?
To me snow days should be compulsory – especially for the first real snow of the winter.
In fact, given our generally atrocious weather, maybe we should think about compulsory "hot sunny days" as well?


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All of that is about to change. The festivals are over, the majority of the house/work tasks have been completed, and I have an almost completely empty schedule for the last 21 days of my vacation. Day one of this phase of vacation has so far consisted of sleeping in, eating homemade Mexican breakfast and kale smoothies with the girlfriend, watching Master Chef, and trying to satisfy Hobbes's insatiable need for cuddles.
Why aren't you cuddling me?
My "plan" for this last stretch of holidays is to just....be. To not have a long list of things to do**. To not constantly rush from one place to the next. To not obsessively plan every moment or worry that I'm not making effective use of my time. To stop being the busy, stressed out person that medicine turned me into and be the relaxed, happy person that I used to be.
My hope is that, if I can remember how to focus on enjoying life instead of just getting through it, I can carry some of that knowledge forward into the next year. I know that my first year as an attending is going to be a hard one, and that I will be stressed and overworked more often than I want to be, but I really don't want to hate it. I want to remember to breathe and be present and take time. To enjoy this stage that I worked so, so hard for 16 years to reach.
To just be.
*Note to self: It isn't wise to complain to your girlfriend who works on her feet for eight hours a day about being tired while you're on vacation. Her sympathy is very limited. And she will expect you to rub her feet as penance.
*The one "goal" that I am setting for myself is to blog daily for the next 21 days. I have missed the act of regularly writing here, and I have a seemingly constant stream of ideas for blog posts running through my head, so I want to get back into the habit of writing while I have an excess of time. If there's anything you want to know about me or my experiences as a physician/a previously single person/a queer person/a theatre groupie, leave me a comment and let me know. I'm sure I'll be looking for some blog fodder by the time the 21 days are up!


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Heads up Ferrari-lovers, you may want to get yourself down to the Pearl Tower fast. To celebrate the 999th Ferrari sold in China, the luxury sports maker put on a huge exhibition, showing 15 of its coveted car models next to the Oriental Pearl Tower.
The 999th Ferrari, a 458 Italian, went to a buyer by the name of Johnson Zhang and the brand celebrated in style with a gala dinner. The number 999 holds special meaning in China as it signifies longevity and Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari CEO says that 300 cars were sold in 2010. He also says he expects that number to rise to around 500 cars sold per year, putting China on par with European markets.