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This hack was featured on Hackaday.com on 01/08/2014
This hack was featured on Adafruit.com on 01/10/2014
At the 2013 Open Hardware Summit that I attended a few months ago, all attendees were given a "BADGEr," a unique ePaper badge that displayed our credentials, showed the conference schedule, etc. Of course, since this was the OPEN Hardware Summit, the BADGEr (designed by the awesome folks at Wyolum) was completely open source. Not only is the BADGEr hackable, it was designed to be hacked. So, of course, I immediately started hacking on it as soon as I returned home from the summit at MIT. It didn't take me long to write new firmware for the device, connect it to a web-connected Rapsberry Pi computer, and hang it on my wall with some custom 3D-printed brackets. I've been using it for the last several months as a handy weather station that I can glance at before I leave my apartment each morning. A supplementary LED beacon warns me of extreme conditions (hot, cold, or rainy). On the weekends, it shows the weather report for San Francisco (where I live), and on the weekdays, it shows the weather report for Mountain View (where I work). The display checks for new weather data and updates once every 10 minutes.
What to see it in action? Want to learn how to make it yourself? Read on!
Weather Station in Action:
Here's a quick Instagram video (Don't you follow me on Instagram!?) that shows the data updating, the warning light coming on, and the ePaper display refreshing. In this example, I've chosen to display data for New York City. Since there is a 90% chance of rain, the warning light glows a pleasant blue. Ordinarily, you wouldn't actually see the terminal program spitting out debug data, since it runs automatically on the headless Raspberry Pi (I'm SSH'ed into the Pi to show you what the updating process looks like).
Are animated GIF's more your speed? Here's a looping GIF showing the display switching back and forth between New York and San Francisco weather reports (my previous and current places of residence):
Here's how the Weather Station works:
- Once every 10 minutes, a cronjob triggers on the Raspberry Pi. This cronjob launches a python script that uses weather.com and yahoo.com APIs to fetch the following data:
- Yahoo weather code: This corresponds to an image ID that will load on the ePaper display. Different codes represent different conditions like, "sunny", "cloudy", etc.
- City name: You provide the script with your zip code, and it will automatically get the name of the city.
- Current Date
- Sunrise Time
- Sunset Time
- Forecast (Sunny, cloudy, etc)
- Chance of Precipitation
- Temperature (high)
- Temperature (low)
- Once the script has grabbed all this info, it parses out the relevant data, and formats it to be sent over USB-serial to the attached BADGEr device. An identifying character is appended to the start of each serial string, which allows the BADGEr to determine which piece of data it is receiving.
- Once the Pi has finished sending data (it sends a termination character to tell the BADGEr it is done), the BADGEr parses through the data.
- The BADGEr identifies and loads the appropriate weather condition image from the loaded SD card (it contains a specially converted and formatted image for each possible weather condition).
- The BADGEr loads the remainder of the data into a buffer and sends it all to the ePaper display.
- Steps 1-5 repeat once every 10 minutes.
Want to Make This? Here are the Steps:
- Visit the GitHub Repository that I link to at the bottom of this post. Either clone it to your computer with git command line tools, or download the entire ZIP by clicking "Download ZIP" on the right side of the GitHub repo page.
- Remove the MicroSD card from your BADGEr and insert it into a card reader on your computer. You may need a microSD to SD adapter. Format the card.
- Copy the contents of the "BADGEr SD Card" folder in my GitHub repo to the SD card. Once you've done this, the root of the SD card should contain three files and an IMAGES folder. The Wyolum ePaper library utilizes a special image format (.WIF). I've taken the liberty of already converting the weather glyphs to this format, and have included the original .gif files as well. If you'd like to experiment with making your own .WIF files, you can do so by using the Wyolum python-based .WIF image conversion tool.
- Next, you'll need to flash the BADGEr with my custom firmware. The BADGEr uses a standard FTDI 5-pin connector for this purpose, but NOT all FTDI cables will work. I was only able to flash the device by using the sparkfun FTDI breakout. Connect BADGEr to your computer using one of these cables.
- Follow the instructions from Wyolum to download and install the EReader Arduino Library. Make sure you do this with the Arduino IDE closed.
- Open up the "BADGEr_Display.ino" Arduino sketch contained in the GitHub repo linked from the end of this post. One you have it open in the Arduino IDE, select your USB-Serial port in Tools>Serial Port, and select "Arduino Pro Mini 3v3 8MHz" in Tools>Board.
- Press the upload button to upload my firmware to your BADGEr.
- You can now unplug the BADGEr from your computer, and plug it into the one of the USB ports on your Raspberry Pi. The BADGEr is now ready to accept serial commands that can control its screen. This tutorial assumes you already have Raspberry Pi up and running with internet connectivity. If you don't, follow the introductory Raspberry Pi tutorials from Adafruit first. I am also assuming that you are connected to your Raspberry Pi over SSH, and that are you comfortable transferring files to it via FTP. The remainder of the steps should be performed on your Raspberry Pi (either directly, or via SSH) unless otherwise noted.
- By default, Arduinos (including the BADGEr) will restart whenever a serial connection is initiated with them. We don't want the BADGEr to do that while it is plugged into the Pi. Figure out what device your BADGEr is listed as on the Raspberry Pi:
pi@raspberrypi ~ $ cd /devpi@raspberrypi ~ $ ls -l
That will print out an exhaustive list of all hardware devices connected to your Pi. Your USB-Serial converter (the BADGEr) will likely be called something like ttyUSB* where * is some number. Scroll through the list and find those entries. If there is just one, that is your BADGEr. If there are multiple, unplug the BADGEr, re-run ls-l, and see which one disappears – that is your BADGEr. Note down the device name. With the directory appended, it will look something like "/dev/ttyUSB1". Use your favorite editor to modify your Pi boot file so that it disables Serial resets for that device on boot:
pi@raspberrypi ~ $ sudo nano /etc/rc.localAppend "stty -F /dev/ttyUSB* -hupcl" (without the quotes) to the end of that file. Be sure to replace the "*" with the number for your device! Save the file.
- Now, you'll need to install the Weather and Serial python libraries. Navigate to your home directory:
pi@raspberrypi ~ $ cd /home/pi
Download, unzip, and install the Python Weather API Library:
pi@raspberrypi ~ $ wget https://launchpad.net/python-weather-api/trunk/0.3.8/+download/pywapi-0.3.8.tar.gzpi@raspberrypi ~ $ tar -zxvf pywapi-0.3.8.tar.gzpi@raspberrypi ~ $ rm pywapi-0.3.8.tar.gzpi@raspberrypi ~ $ cd pywapi-0.3.8pi@raspberrypi ~ $ python setup.py buildpi@raspberrypi ~ $ sudo python setup.py installNow, install PySerial using PIP:
pi@raspberrypi ~ $ sudo apt-get install python-dev python-pippi@raspberrypi ~ $ sudo pip install pyserial - Now, on your main computer, edit my weather.py script to match your needs (you can use any text editor). When you open the file, you'll see that there is a configuration section at the top. Right off the bat, you'll probably want to set the "use_SUNN" variable to "False". SUNN is a custom piece of LED lighting hardware that I'm using to act as the warning light (it's not open source yet, but may be in the future). Make sure you set "BADGEr_dev" to match the device name that you determined earlier! Save the python script when you are done.
- Next up, you need to copy my weather.py script to your Pi home directory. Since you already have my entire GitHub repo for this project downloaded on your main computer, I recommend sending the file over to your Pi via FTP. The python file is located in the "Weather Checker" directory of the GitHub repo, and should placed in your Pi's home directory (/home/pi/weather.py). Once you've copied it over, make sure you make it executable:
pi@raspberrypi ~ $ cd /home/pipi@raspberrypi ~ $ chmod 755 weather.py
- At this point, you should now be able to manually run this file, and see the BADGEr display update accordingly. Assuming you are still in the home directory, manually run the script like this:
pi@raspberrypi ~ $ ./weather.py 10001
The program accepts a zipcode as its one argument. 10001 is a zip code for New York City. When you run it, replace it with the zipcode for wherever you want to see the weather report. When you run the script, you should see an output on the terminal that looks like this animated GIF:
When you run it, you will see different text because you will presumably have the SUNN functionality disabled, and you will be using a different zipcode.
- As the final step, you'll setup a cronjob to handle automatically running this script once every 10 minutes. Open up the crontab editor:
pi@raspberrypi ~ $ crontab -e
At the end of this file, add two lines:
*/10 * * * 1-5 /home/pi/weather.py 94043
*/10 * * * 0,6 /home/pi/weather.py 94117
The first line triggers the script once every 10 minutes on weekdays. Replace "94043" with the zipcode of where you work. The second line triggers the script one every 10 minutes on weekends. Replace "94117" with the zipcode of where you live. Save and close the crontab.
- You're done! You can now log out of your SSH session to the Pi. It will continue to run, and will update the display every 10 minutes with the latest weather report. Hooray!
Supporting Documentation and Code
This project is licensed under an Apache v2 Open Source License. Please Attribute and Share-Alike. You can download the source files directly from the GitHub Repository linked below:


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Someone told me that, in a hamiltonian system, the hamilonian function is the generating function of the canonical transformation given by time translation. However, this statement doesn't make any sense to me. Typically, the generating function is a function of some of the "old" coordinates as well as the new (transformed) ones, but the hamiltonian is a function of $q$ and $p$.
Please tell me whether the above statement is rubbish, or whether it can indeed be interpreted in a meaningful way.

subset: commoncrawl


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Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series.
Jim Fontella was based at Camp Lejeune in 1966 and 1967. He was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998.
TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- The sick men are Marines, or sons of Marines. All 20 of them were based at or lived at Camp Lejeune, the U.S. Marine Corps' training base in North Carolina, between the 1960s and the 1980s.
They all have had breast cancer, a disease that strikes fewer than 2,000 men in the United States a year, compared with about 200,000 women. Each has had part of his chest removed as part of his treatment, along with chemotherapy, radiation or both.
And they blame their time at Camp Lejeune, where government records show drinking water was contaminated with high levels of toxic chemicals for three decades, for their illnesses.
"We come from all walks of life," said Mike Partain, the son and grandson of Marines, who was born on the base 40 years ago. "And some of us have college degrees, some of us have blue-collar jobs. We are all over the country. And what is our commonality? Our commonality is that we all at some point in our lives drank the water at Camp Lejeune. Go figure."
Starting in 1980, tests showed drinking water at Camp Lejeune had been "highly contaminated" with solvents. Several wells that supplied water to the base were found to have been contaminated in 1984 and 1985, and were promptly taken out of service after the pollutants were found, the Marine Corps told CNN.
Among the chemicals later identified in the drinking water were trichloroethylene, a degreaser; benzene; and the dry cleaning solvent perchloroethylene. Two independent studies have found no link between water contamination and later illnesses, according to the Marine Corps. But the men facing a debilitating and possibly lethal disease don't buy it.
"That's literally unheard of to have 20 men come from the same place, walking on the same dirt, drinking the same water," said Jim Fontella, who was based at the camp in 1966 and 1967. "I mean, there has to be a link there somehow. And they're saying that it couldn't happen."
Fontella, a Detroit native who fought in Vietnam, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. When it returned after surgery, spreading to his spine and back, he "kind of manned up to it after a while and expected to die."
"Once you have metastasis in the bone, it's basically just a matter of time before you die, you know," he told CNN. "Luckily, I have already passed my due date by five years. I outlived that death sentence I got."
Fontella is one of seven male breast cancer survivors who spent time at Camp Lejeune who spoke to CNN. Fontella said that at the time of his diagnosis, he didn't know men could get breast cancer.
Peter Devereaux, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, was based at Camp Lejeune in 1981 and 1982. The cancer spread to his spine, ribs and hips.
"The difference with metastatic breast cancer means now there's no cure. So the average life expectancy is two to three years," Devereaux told CNN.
"Being a man, I try to take care of my wife and my daughter," he said, his voice catching. "Now that I'm considered disabled because I can no longer work and use my arms, you're having challenges."
Dr. John Kiluk, a breast cancer surgeon at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, said he's startled by the common threads among the group.
"The average breast cancer patient for males is about 70 years old," Kiluk said. "So when you have gentlemen in their 30s stepping forward, without a family history of breast cancer, that is alarming. And the question is, why? Why is this happening?"
As many as 500,000 people may have been exposed to the contaminated water over a period of 30 years, the Marine Corps said. Partain, Fontella, Devereaux and others CNN interviewed are all members of "The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten," which was set up to organize people who believe they have been affected by the contamination.
But in a written response to questions raised by the men, the Marine Corps told CNN that two studies have examined whether contaminated water led to illnesses among base personnel or their families.
"To date, these studies have not identified a link between exposure to the historically impacted water at Camp Lejeune and adverse health effects," the service said.
In addition, it said a 2004 review by the Marine Corps found the service followed existing water quality regulations. And investigations by the Bush administration's Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency found no criminal conduct by Marine Corps officials and no violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
But Tyler Amon, an EPA investigator, told a House committee in 2007 that some employees interviewed during the criminal investigation appeared to have been coached and were not forthcoming with details. The Justice Department decided against filing charges based on his concern, however.
Parts of Camp Lejeune have been included on the EPA's Superfund list of contaminated sites. Benzene, one of the chemicals found in the water there, is classified as a known human carcinogen by the federal government, while the other two are listed as potential causes of cancer.
Frank Bove, an epidemiologist with the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, said the level of contamination in one sample taken at Camp Lejeune was "the highest I've ever seen in a public water system in this country." But, he added, "Whether exposures were long enough and high enough at Camp Lejeune to cause disease -- that's the question."
Researchers need to know more about where the men lived on the base, what kind of work they did, their medical histories and other details before reaching a conclusion, Bove said.
"We're not sure there's one common cause across all these cases," he said. "There may be several different causes."
The Marines Corps said it has worked with environmental and health agencies "from the beginning" to determine whether the contamination resulted in any illness, and "this collaboration continues to the present day."
But so far, "collaboration" does not involve medical care for the stricken men, who say they are now facing a bureaucratic Catch-22: The Marine Corps sends them to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which says it can't treat the men for a condition that hasn't been shown to have been "service-related."
"How could they do this to me after I served the country faithfully?" retired Marine Rick Kelly told CNN. "How could they do this to my fellow Marines?"
All About U.S. Marine Corps • Camp Lejeune • Breast Cancer


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As promised earlier in the week - here is my finished quick & easy Autumn quilt. My son was sweet enough to hold it up on the front porch for me today so that I could take a picture of it. (we've been dodging raindrops off & on due to late summer storms)
This quilt was made using an autumn themed Jelly roll and 2.5" strips of a background fabric. The pattern is created using just 1 triangle cut repeated over and again. I'm teaching this class at Quilter's Corner on October 26th.
The finished quilt measures 55" x 66" rather than 49" x 60" as the pattern calls for - because I chose to make my outer border wider. Here are the fabrics I chose for my inner & outer borders:
And a close up of some of the center blocks:
What I loved about making this quilt is that it only took about 6 hours to make AND I have enough fabric left over from my strip sets to make either a smaller lap quilt or a large table runner. For those who may be interested, I found the pattern in a great book called Strip Smart Quilts.
I'm hopeful to have 2 more Autumn quilts to share here in October!


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Marknadsföring via partneravtal
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Glamping Destinations
Where do you want to go?
Akumal Natura
quintana roo, mexico
There are 20 eco-bungalows located in the heart of Akumal, surrounded by the tropical jungle and beautiful cenotes, just 1 km away from Akumal Bay (famous for its turtle nesting season and breathtaking views).
Each bungalow has an area of 22 square meters featuring either 1 king size bed or 2 si...
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It looks as though Vostock Games might not be the only studio to form in the aftermath of the break up of STALKER developers, GSC . Russian gaming site, StopGame reports that a significant element of the GSC STALKER team have set up shop in Kiev, and have formed a new outfit called Union Studio.
There are a few tidbits to back this up. A description on UnionStudio's sparse LinkedIn page describes the developer as a "new company, created together with the best professionals that worked for GSC GAME WORLD and other AAA class studios." The page announces that they're making a "cross-platform action shooter which will be available for PC, Mac, PlayStation, XBOX." There's also a work-in-progress Union Studio site , which simply says "coming soon."
The LinkedIn page of former GSC team lead and software developer Eugene Kim now has him listed as the new CEO & Founder at UnionStudio in the Ukraine. Kim's Google+ feed is topped by a link to StopGame's "another shooter from the developers of STALKER" story. StopGame claim that the game will be announced this Autumn and have a futuristic setting.
The developers haven't officially announced anything yet, but we could end up with another ex-GSC effort to look forward to alongside Vostock's free to play MMO, Survarium .


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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Once a decade, Charles Murray drops a bombshell book on American intellectual life.
In 1984, it was his devastating assessment of welfare programs, "Losing Ground," which helped inspire the famous 1996 welfare reform act.
In 1994, Murray coauthored with the late Richard J. Herrnstein the enormous bestseller "The Bell Curve." It ignited controversy by arguing that IQ scores are one of the most overlooked tools for understanding how American society is structured.
Now, after a half-decade of work, Murray, a scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, is back with another massive book, 688 pages full of graphs and tables. "Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950" (HarperCollins, $29.95) is a fascinating attempt to rank the 4,000 most important artists and scientists in human history.
Murray meticulously measured how much attention the leading scholars in their fields pay to the top creators and discoverers. Reading "Human Accomplishment" is a little like browsing through the statistics-laden "Baseball Encyclopedia," except that instead of being about Ruth, Di Maggio, and Bonds, Murray's book is about Picasso, Darwin, and Edison.
Murray took some time to discuss with United Press International "Human Accomplishment," which is scheduled for release on Oct. 21.
Q. Who came out on top of big categories like Western Literature, Western Art, Western Philosophy, and Combined Sciences?
A. Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Aristotle, and Newton -- the people you'd expect.
In Western music, Mozart and Beethoven were in a dead heat, with Bach third. A rather vocal minority is upset about Bach not being on top. I'm not. I love Bach, but it's awfully hard to listen to Beethoven's later symphonies and string quartets and figure out how anybody could possibly be ranked above him.
However, let me stress: I'm not the one who made those decisions. And occasionally I had to grin and bear it when things didn't come out according to my druthers. Rousseau and Byron are way too high in Western literature for my taste, for example.
Q. Can you truly quantify objectively which artists and scientists were the most eminent?
A. Sure. It's one of the most well-developed quantitative measures in the social sciences. (The measurement of intelligence is one of its few competitors, incidentally.)
My indices have a statistical reliability that is phenomenal for the social sciences. There's also a very high "face validity" -- in other words, the rankings broadly correspond to common-sense expectations.
Q. Who was the most accomplished person who ever lived?
A. Now we're talking personal opinion, because the methods I used don't work across domains, but I have an emphatic opinion.
He more or less invented logic, which was of pivotal importance in human history (and no other civilization ever came up with it independently). He wrote the essay on ethics ("Nicomachean Ethics") that to my mind contains the bedrock truths about the nature of living a satisfying human life. He made huge contributions to aesthetics, political theory, methods of classification and scientific observation. Who else even comes close?
Q. You reject postmodernist reinterpretations and stick to traditional histories, chronologies, and biographical dictionaries as the sources for your data. Are there any postmodern works that could have provided an alternative list of names?
A. Not that I know of. It would be internally contradictory for a postmodernist history of art, let's say, to devote space according to objective merit, wouldn't it? What would be its rationale for allocating more space to Michelangelo than to Grandma Moses? If you're a devout postmodernist, surely you couldn't believe that Michelangelo was "better" than Grandma Moses?
Q. Which woman scored the highest?
A. Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote the novel "The Tale of Genji" a thousand years ago, has by far the highest index score -- 86 on a scale of 1 to 100. But, that is in competition just with other Japanese authors, not all of the world's authors.
The highest-scoring woman in any of the sciences -- no surprise -- is Marie Curie in Physics, with a score in the 40s (on a scale where Newton and Einstein are tied at 100). The highest in Western Literature is Virginia Woolf. None of the highest-scoring women in the other categories are major figures.
Q. You pay a surprising amount of attention to Asian culture. Does that stem from the six years you lived in Asia beginning as a Peace Corps volunteer?
A. Put it this way: There are aspects of Asian culture as it is lived that I still prefer to Western culture, 30 years after I last lived in Thailand. Two of my children are half-Asian. Apart from those personal aspects, I have always thought that the Chinese and Japanese civilizations had elements that represented the apex of human accomplishment in certain domains.
When I began the book, I actually hoped to give Asian accomplishment a still larger place than it wound up getting.
Q. Why did you end up with mostly Dead White European Males in your inventory of 4,002 significant figures?
A. That's what happens when you employ the methods I used. And as I spend many pages in the book describing in perhaps excessive detail, those methods are not skewed by Western sources that are unfairly oblivious to non-Western accomplishment.
Q. You argue that one big reason that most of humanity's highest achievers came from what used to be called Christendom was ... Christianity. Did you expect to reach that conclusion?
A. Michael Novak foretold I would come to that conclusion, but I didn't agree at the time. I didn't think you needed anything except the Greek heritage and some secular social and economic trends to explain the Renaissance.
On this score, I have plenty of witnesses in the form of my colleagues who were getting nervous as the years went by. They kept asking me what the thesis of the book was, and I kept saying, "Beats the hell out of me."
The last chapters of the book were all written in the last nine months of work, and at the beginning of those nine months, I still didn't know what was going to be in them.
Q. You found that per capita levels of accomplishment tended to decline from 1850 to 1950. Would you care to speculate on post-1950 trends?
A. I think that the number of novels, songs, and paintings done since 1950 that anyone will still care about 200 years from now is somewhere in the vicinity of zero. Not exactly zero, but close. I find a good way to make this point is to ask anyone who disagrees with me to name a work that will survive -- and then ask, "Seriously?" Very few works indeed can defend themselves against the "Seriously?" question.


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I decided that I wanted to take part when I first saw Matty's post. Picking the movie was easy - I love Star Wars and probably a little top much. I have a collection of memorabilia worth thousands of pounds. I've attended numerous conventions and have been lucky enough to meet the likes of Mark Hamill, Kenny Baker, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew to name a few.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Initially I envisioned doing the iconic Princess Leia's slave girl look but couldn't make it 100% perfect. At this point I almost gave up on Star Wars and thought about doing LOTR - after all WoW has dwarves, elves and humans. But it just wasn't right and so I've battled through the MogIt catalogue to produce these:


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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts are concerned about the hits rookie quarterback Andrew Luck has been taken, calling some of them cheap shots.
One day after the Colts won their second straight road game, 27-10 at Jacksonville, interim coach Bruce Arians described some of the hits that way and urged his quarterback to protect himself. Arians also asked for officials to keep a watchful eye on his star QB.
"I can't say they are purposefully (hitting Luck), but there sure are a lot of them happening," Arians said when asked to elaborate on the shots on Luck. "You put yourself in harm's way out there. He's done a good job of sliding and hopefully the referees will do a good job of protecting him when he does slide."
Luck has done just about everything Indianapolis asked this season. He's won six games, accounted for 13 touchdowns, reduced his rate of interceptions and is on pace for a record-breaking season. He'll need to do one more thing to keep the surprising Colts in the playoff hunt: stay healthy.
Luck has been able to slip tackles and slither his way through oncoming pass rushers all season. He's already run for 159 yards, ranking among the league's top rushing quarterbacks. His two scoring runs Thursday gave him five this season, breaking the franchise record set by Bert Jones and matched twice by Peyton Manning.
Add that to his passing totals — 208 completions in 362 attempts for 2,631 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions — and it's easy to understand why Luck has the whole league debating whether Indianapolis can make an astounding run into the playoffs.
Losing Luck would change everything.
He spent much of Thursday night's game under duress and twice gained 15 yards after the Jags (1-8) were called for illegal hits.
One interception was erased in the second quarter when Jacksonville defensive end Andre Branch hit Luck helmet to helmet. The two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up took advantage of the second chance by leading the Colts to their first touchdown of the night — a 5-yard TD run on a bootleg that was intended to be a pass.
Luck scored again when he powered in from 1 yard on fourth-and-goal, a play on which he nearly lost control of the ball. Jags coach Mike Mularkey lost control of his temper, drawing a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
But the play that really bothered Arians came in the fourth quarter when Dawan Landry hit the sliding Luck high after a 9-yard run for a first down. It appeared Landry also hit Luck in the head, though the replay seemed to show Luck was hit in the right shoulder.
After a timeout, Luck and Landry shook hands.
"It was a little bootleg play with four guys flooding the zones. He kept the ball up, kept the ball up and as big and strong as he is, once he got the 1-yard line, he was going to score," Arians said when asked about the first TD run. "Same with the late one where he got cheap-shotted."
Colts players are off until Monday and were not available for comment.
Protecting gifted running quarterbacks has long been a concern in the NFL.
Eagles coach Andy Reid has suggested the last two years that officials allowed his quarterback, Michael Vick, to take more dangerous hits — hits that could have drawn penalties with less mobile quarterbacks.
The Colts, of course, would put Luck under armed guard on the football field if they could. Instead, all Arians really can do is urge Luck to slide more often and avoid putting himself in more danger by making tackles.
After throwing an interception late in the first half, when his arm was hit, the disgusted quarterback sprinted up the field and threw his shoulder into the lower body of Landry, who lateraled the ball to Chris Prosinski. Arians tapped Luck on the helmet when he got to the sideline.
On Friday, the rookie got advice from all corners.
ESPN analyst Bill Polian, the former Colts vice chairman, said he wouldn't want his quarterback making those kinds of tackles. Former Colts backup Jim Sorgi told a local radio station he probably would have done the same thing, though having quarterbacks backing up 10 to 15 yards and only making tackles on a touchdown-saving play wasn't not unusual in the NFL.
Arians didn't seem to have a problem with the tackle itself. He just wants his quarterback protecting himself then, too.
"No right shoulder tackles," Arians said, drawing laughter. "And don't get in a reason to have to tackle."
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL


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Kelley Williams-Bolar tried to give her kids a better life by sending her children to the nearby majority-White school district where her father lives -- and she went to jail for it. Now her career as a teacher is in jeopardy.
Real justice requires that the punishment fit the crime; what Williams-Bolar is facing is clearly over the top. Call on Ohio Governor John Kasich to publicly denounce her punishment and also do all he can to right this wrong.
Below is the message that will be delivered to Ohio Governor John Kasich on your behalf:
Dear Governor John Kasich,
I'm writing to ask you to intervene to correct a grave injustice in the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar, a single mother who recently received a draconian sentence after sending her children to a school they weren't entitled to attend for two years.
Williams-Bolar was simply trying to send her kids to a good school. While it appears that she broke the law by enrolling her kids in the school district where her father lived, clearly her intent was to provide a good education and bright future for her children with limited resources — in the context of an educational system that does not provide equal opportunity to all, regardless of race or economic status. Ironically, Williams-Bolar was studying to be a teacher and working as a teaching assistant, demonstrating her commitment not only to her own children, but to providing a better future for many other children through education as well.
Williams-Bolar was targeted by a prosecutor who refused to negotiate any kind of plea deal, instead pushing for the maximum punishment possible under the law. Luckily she only served 10 days in jail, instead of the 5 years she originally faced, because the judge saw the sentence as an injustice. However, her own education and career may now be in serious jeopardy as a result of her felony conviction. While Williams-Bolar made a mistake, the punishment in her case is vastly disproportionate to the crime she committed.
I urge you to take a public stand in this case and push for a more just outcome, and that you commit to granting Williams-Bolar a pardon should a request come across your desk. And I'm asking that you do everything you can to ensure that Williams-Bolar has the opportunity to continue her education and teach in Ohio.
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John Lott's newest piece at Fox News starts this way:
. . . Gun control advocates just can't accept the fact that concealed handgun permit holders are incredibly law-abiding. The New York Times' recent attack on permit holders is typical. It is filled with triple-counting of legitimate self-defense cases. Murders or suicides by permit holders are blamed on guns, even when no gun was involved. In point of fact, permit holders are incredibly law-abiding. Some new evidence puts things in perspective.
Police are the single most important factor for reducing crime, but even police commit crimes on very rare occasions. Even more law-abiding than police, however, are permit holders.
According to a study in Police Quarterly, the period from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2007 saw an average of 703 crimes by police per year. 113 of these involved firearms violations. This is likely to be an underestimate since not all police crimes receive media coverage. The authors of the study may also have missed some media reports.
So how law-abiding are police? With about 570,000 full-time police officers in the US at that time, that translates into about 124 crimes by police per hundred thousand officers. For the US population as a whole over those years, the crime rate was 31 times higher — 3,813 per hundred thousand people.
Perhaps police crimes are underreported due to leniency from fellow officers, but the gap between police and the general citizenry is so vast that this couldn't account for more than a small fraction of the difference.
Concealed carry permit holders are even more law-abiding. Between October 1, 1987 and January 31, 2015, Florida revoked 9,366 concealed handgun permits for misdemeanors or felonies. This is an annual rate of 12.5 per 100,000 permit holders — a mere tenth of the rate at which officers commit misdemeanors and felonies. In Texas in 2012, the last year the data is available, 120 permit holders were convicted of misdemeanors or felonies – a rate of 20.5 per 100,000, still just a sixth of the rate for police. . . .
The rest of the piece is available here. More information available here.
Here is an earlier 2010 piece for Fox News on the false claims by the Violence Policy Center.
People walking the streets armed with guns must be dangerous, right? A newly revised study by the Brady Campaign and the Violence Policy Center found that even those individuals who have legally obtained permits to carry concealed handguns are extremely dangerous. With millions of Americans already having been issued such permits from the various states, this is an important issue.
The gun control organizations have frequently made these claims in the press, and Dennis Henigan, the vice president of the Brady Campaign, will likely make these claims again when he and I appear on John Stossel's FoxBusiness show today. But the gun control advocates inaccurately describe many shooting cases, choosing to ignore that the majority of incidents involve people properly defending themselves.
Over the past three years, the number of active permit holders in the United States has gone from about 5 million to more than 6.2 million today. The numbers issued by the state regulatory agencies show time after time that these permit holders abide by the law.
Take Florida, which currently has the most concealed handgun permit holders in the country and is one of the two most populous states with right-to-carry laws. Between Oct. 1, 1987, and May 31 this year, permits had been issued to 1.8 million people. On average, the permits had been held for quite a long time, well over 10 years. For all those individuals across the more than 22 years of legal carry, there were only 167 cases where the permit was revoked for a firearms related violation, or about 0.01 percent of permit holders. While the state doesn't provide a precise breakdown of the reason for those revocations, the vast majority were apparently for people who accidentally carried their concealed handgun into a gun-free zone, such as an airport or school.
Throughout the past 29 months, beginning January 2008, only three additional permit holders have had their permit revoked for a firearms-related violation. With more than 729,000 active permit holders, that is an annual revocation rate of 0.00017 percent.
In sharp contrast, the Brady Campaign and the Violence Policy Center portray Florida as Ground Zero for problems with concealed handgun permit holders. They boldly assert that 17 Florida permit holders have "killed" people with their guns over the past three years and that this one state by itself accounts for 17 of the 96 "killer" permit holders nationwide. The other 79 cases are scattered across 26 other states, with no other state accounting for more than 10 cases. Florida is also said to account for 2 of the 7 cases where permit holders are said to have killed law enforcement officers.
The Associated Press articles by Erik Schelzig and by Jim Abrams have given extensive, uncritical coverage to these claims. Members of the gun control organizations have made these claims unchallenged on such places as Fox News and on the Huffington Post (e.g., here and here).
So what is the evidence? The gun control groups don't actually point to actual court cases. They look at news stories and selectively report what is reported in those stories. For Florida, there are eleven "pending cases." The gun control groups assume that anyone involved in a shooting will be convicted. Indeed, in 7 of the 11 cases no one was even charged with a crime. Three cases involved suicides, and three had convictions for some type of offense. (See this link for a detailed presentation of sources.)
But there is something that the gun control advocates conveniently omit: When a permit holder uses a gun defensively and kills an attacker in a public place, the police often arrest them. Typically, he will later be released, but the police must first investigate what happened. The police can't just take the shooter's word for it that they used the gun defensively.
Take the four pending cases where charges were filed, two of which involved the "killing" of law enforcement.
— Humberto Delgado, Jr. was charged with the death of a police officer. Delgado obviously engaged in a horrible crime, but there is one major problem with the stories as presented by the gun control groups. He also was charged with carrying a concealed firearm. If he had a concealed handgun permit, he obviously couldn't have been charged with this crime. Delgado was just your typical criminal, who didn't have a permit, who killed a police officer.
— James Wonder was charged with the death of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection Agent Donald Pettit. Pettit is said to have engaged in road rage against Wonder and then followed Wonder's car into a Post Office parking lot solely to continue harassing Wonder. Pettit had over shot the parking lot and had to circle back to go into it. He had no intention to do business with either the Post Office or any other nearby business. Pettit was clearly the aggressor in the situation. The Sun-Sentinel newspaper wrote on August 29, 2008: "local lawyers said [Wonder] may be able to make a strong claim under Florida law that he was within his rights to shoot Pettit." One measure of the severity of the case is that Wonder was released on a very minimal bond of $10,000. Neither the Brady Campaign nor the Violence Policy Center noted these points in their discussion of the case.
— Gabriel Mobley shot two people outside a bar, and the gun control groups' discussions fail to mention the defensive nature of Mobley's actions. A friend of Mobley's had an argument with two other men in a bar. Mr. Mobley separated the men, but the two waited outside and Mobley's lawyer, Richard Della Ferra, told me that they pounced on Mobley and his friend as soon as they left the bar. Witnesses saw one of the two attackers throw a punch that shattered the friend's eye socket. Mobley says that he shot when he thought one of the two men was reaching for a weapon, and police found the DNA of one of the men on a steak knife at the scene.
— On January 7, 2008, Adam Hill was accused of accidentally firing his gun, the bullet fatally striking a friend while the friend had visited Hill to use his washing machine. Since the case has yet to go to trial, the law office that is representing Hill was unwilling to discuss the case, but they did say that the news articles did not accurately represent what had happened in the case. The law office representing Hill in his legal case emphasized to me in a telephone discussion that news articles on these cases can be quite misleading because defense lawyers warn their clients not to talk to others about their case, including the press.
Two of the three convictions in Florida are quite different than what gun control groups represent. One involved a boyfriend who accidentally shot his girlfriend when he was showing her how to use a gun in her home. There was no evidence of arguing or any disagreement. In another case, the issue was whether the permit holder had done enough to avoid the confrontation. A convicted felon confronted the permit holder. According to newspaper accounts, even the prosecutor acknowledged: "Kallenbach was in some way defending himself during an escalating altercation between the men caught on the security video" and that "People can look at that tape and interpret it two or three different ways."
While this discussion focuses on Florida, the just released third edition of More Guns, Less Crime provides a detailed analysis for all states from 1990 to July 1, 2008. In state after state, permit holders are extremely law-abiding. In Arizona, there were 99,370 active permits as of December 1, 2007. During 2007, 33 permits were revoked for any reason — a 0.03 percent rate. In Texas, there were 288,909 active permit holders. Of these, 160 were convicted of either a misdemeanor or a felony, a rate of 0.05 percent. That is about one-seventh the conviction rate in the general adult population, and the convictions among permit holders are for much less serious offenses.
I went to some other cases from the gun control groups after July 1, 2008. In two of the other five killings involving law-enforcement, it also appears as if the person who fired a gun didn't have a concealed handgun permit. In one case, in Pennsylvania, Christina Korbe fired a shot killing a police officer when police raided her home. The police were serving an arrest warrant on her husband, and she didn't know it was the police who were breaking into her home, and she was concerned about the safety of her two children, ages 4 and 10.
The Brady Campaign and the Violence Policy Center evaluate the benefits of concealed handgun laws based solely on the claimed costs — they don't compare the cases where defensive uses occurred to the bad things that happen, but only count what they claim are the bad cases. They ignore lots of amazing defensive gun use cases. But even more bizarrely, they count legitimate self-defense cases as bad events even when no charges are filed or the permit holder is later exonerated.


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Martin Bashir is an awarding-winning journalist who hosts his own show on msnbc weekdays at 4 pm ET. Bashir joined NBC News as an msnbc anchor and a correspondent on NBC's Dateline program in December 2010. He is best known for conducting a series of exclusive interviews and making ground-breaking, landmark documentaries.
He has lived and worked in New York since 2004, when he joined ABC News as co-anchor of Nightline. He has made a number of critically acclaimed documentaries. His first, which featured evidence of steroid abuse by Olympic athletes and included an exclusive interview with BALCO President Victor Conte, provoked the Senate to investigate the use of performance enhancing substances by baseball players and other American sportsmen and women. The BALCO film won an award at this year's Chicago TV and Film Festival.
In August 2006, in a two hour primetime special, he told the story of The American Imposter, a bail jumper from Florida who lived for more than 16 years as a fake Lord in the United Kingdom. The film contained the only interview with Buckingham who confessed to being Charles Stopford and explained how he managed to create a web of lives that deceived a wife, two children and the British authorities.
His contributions to Nightline include: the confessions of a soldier in Iraq (exclusively interviewed from his prison cell in Kuwait) who has since been sentenced to life imprisonment for the pre-meditated murder of Iraqi civilians - the most authoritative account of the Queens shooting in New York (including exclusive interviews with a victim and a witness) when police fired 50 shots at three unarmed men, killing Sean Bell who was due to be married the following day – and an exclusive interview with legendary baseball player Jose Conseco, who confessed to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to a number of fellow professionals.
His documentary about 'Glenn' who, after suffering with terminal cancer, chose to end his life through physician-assisted suicide in the State of Oregon has been nominated for two awards. Last month (May 2008) his documentary on the Sistine Chapel, which marked 500th years since Michelangelo began painting the ceiling frescos, was the highest rated show on ABC - in the 8pm primetime hour - since December last year.
Prior to joining ABC News, and whilst working for the BBC, he conducted his now historic conversation with the late Diana, Princess of Wales, which remains the only interview television with her. He secured an exclusive interview with Louise Woodward who was found guilty of murder – later reduced to involuntary manslaughter - whilst working as an au pair in Boston.
In 1998 he joined ITV and launched a new current affairs program, 'Tonight', with a film made about the five youths suspected of murdering the black teenager Stephen Lawrence. The film won the Royal Television Society's Programme of the Year Award.
In 1999 he made a series of special documentary films about the serial killer Dr Harold Shipman, a programme about the Soho bomber David Copeland, an interview with former Loyalist terrorist Johnny Adair and a major investigation into Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who was found guilty of murdering a teenage burglar. He secured the only broadcast interview with Tony Martin upon release from prison.
In June 2001 he presented a special three-part ITV documentary series on the subject of Xeno-Transplantation entitled 'The Organ Farm'. The series revealed how generations of genetically modified pigs have been bred in secrecy and how experiments are ongoing to see if it might be possible to transplant animal organs into human bodies. The series won two awards at the New York Film and Television Festival.
In the wake of terrorist attacks in the US on 9/11, Martin Bashir reported and presented an ITV special entitled 'A Day in September' which comprised a detailed account of the 11th September. The film was given special commendation by the Independent Television Commission which regulates ITV and nominated for a Royal Television Society Award.
In 2002 he reported and produced a special documentary featuring the parents of conjoined twins Jodie and Mary Attard and a follow-up with Jodie herself as she recovered and returned to Malta. This film featured the ethical dilemma of allowing one twin to die so that one could live and included interviews with the medical team which carried out the complex surgery. This documentary was also shown around the world.
He accompanied British backpacker Joanne Lees on her return to Australia for an ITV documentary, which focussed on the abduction and disappearance of Miss Lees' boyfriend Peter Falconio and was broadcast in March 2002. The Australian authorities charged the prime suspect with Falconio's murder and he was found guilty in November 2006.
In 2003 his documentary Living with Michael Jackson featured exclusive and extraordinary access to one of the biggest stars of the modern musical world and was broadcast in over 60 international territories. The film was nominated for a BAFTA award (the UK equivalent of an Oscar). This programme was followed by Who Wants to be a Millionaire: A Major Fraud; a film about Major Charles Ingram and his wife Diana who were found guilty of cheating their way to the top prize on the British version of this international quiz show. It achieved the biggest audience for any factual programme in the UK since 1997 and was, again, broadcast around the world.
In addition, he has a won a number of other awards for his work including three BAFTA nominations, five Royal Television Society Awards and two Broadcasting Press Guild awards and has collected a BAFTA award for his interview with the late Princess Diana. He was the Royal Television Society's Journalist of the Year in 1996. In 1998 he was voted Journalist of the Year by the BBC's International Awards. In 1999 he was honoured twice at the Houston Film and Television Awards for current affairs documentaries.
In April 2000 his interviews with the five youths suspected of murdering Stephen Lawrence was given the Royal Television Society's most prestigious accolade – it won Programme of the Year. The same programme also received a BAFTA nomination. His series on Xeno-Transplantation has won a range of awards this year including a Silver World Medal at the New York TV Programming and Promotion Festival and two of the three programmes collected awards at the 49th Columbus International Film and Video Festival in Ohio. In 2003 his work contributed to ITV's Tonight programme winning Programme of the Year for the second time at the Royal Television Society's Awards ceremony in London. He has now won the RTS' Programme of the Year Award an unprecedented three times in four years. And this year, as previously mentioned, his first documentary for ABC, about the BALCO steroids scandal, was honoured at the Chicago TV and Film Festival.
His distinguished career has involved work on a wide range of television and radio programmes including Panorama, Public Eye, The Midnight Hour, the education series Just One Chance, Sunday and Pick of the Week. He has written for a variety of publications including The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, The Standard, The Sunday Express, The Tatler and a sports column in The Observer newspaper.
Outside of his work as a factual programmes reporter, he featured as himself in a British movie called 'Mike Bassett – England Manager' released in September 2001. A comedy about the trials and tribulations of a newly appointed England soccer manager, starring Ricky Tomlinson and Amanda Redman, was presented and reported as single documentary in the style of 'Spinal Tap'.
Born in 1963, he completed a first degree in English and Post-graduate research at Kings College in London before starting work as a journalist in 1986. He is married with three children, has been a keen sportsman and plays the electric bass and will release his first album, 'Bass Lion', in December 2010. He supports the work of Charley's Fund, a charitable organisation which is seeking to find a cure for Muscular Dystrophy (he had a brother who died from the condition).


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Nourishing the Planet's Kimberlee Davies spoke recently with Matt Ray, the principal farmer for Sweet Water Organics, an aquaponics training organization in Milwaukee, about his experience in the field of aquaponics.
What is aquaponics? How did you become involved?
Aquaponics has been around for centuries. It was traditionally a technique in tropical climates, using floating bamboo rafts with vegetation in fresh water pools. This was simply the adaptation of agriculture to the tropics. The technique has become cutting edge over the last 20 years. We can adapt aquaponics to today's geographies and culture.
Aquaponics is a blending of aquaculture (the raising of aquatic animals) and hydroponics (growing plants in water without soil). In aquaponics, aquatic animals serve as the nutrition base for the plants. The great thing about aquaponics is that it is a closed system; it doesn't have to flow in one pipe and out of another.
I saw it begin to pop up in the late 1980s, starting with the Virgin Islands, Australia, and even Asia, where fish are grown symbiotically with rice paddies. Forward-thinking farmers and activists began to develop the practice in non-tropical climates, and academics began researching the field. Twenty years later, we have a lot more people doing it. Scientific data has emerged to support the spread and success of this technique. It's possible to take the nuts and bolts and adapt them to wherever you are. It's going to work and it can be replicated.
My background was originally as a Montessori teacher for the 7th and 8th grades. I began a transition to aquaponics in 1996. Will Allen—a leader in the aquaponics field and chief executive officer of Growing Power—became my mentor. Milwaukee has a strong history in aquaponics, and Will has always been on the forefront. From Will's tutelage, I moved into my own classroom—a natural move with my background in Montessori. I am now both an educator and a farmer.
At Sweet Water Organics, we built our first system in 2008, and we recently put up our first satellite aquaponics system at a local school building. Aquaponics provides endless educational content: worldwide food distribution, cooking, microbiology, food handling, fishing, marketing, and economics. It's everything. It puts the students in a real-life situation. Plus, the system doesn't require machinery, permitting students to participate.
How has the local community responded to Sweet Water?
I think all-in-all, the feedback is positive. You have to look at what your true impact on a community is: people asking when you're going to hold a workshop; when you're working with graduate students; when restaurants are dedicated to using our local products, and they understand we're just getting into this. Even the public school system has picked up on our work. A high school is about to roll out a whole aquaponics program. Aquaponics offers the opportunity to empower the everyday citizen. It is personal and natural: something that can feed yourself and your neighbors.
We also engage the community in several ways. Most recently, we have challenged local architecture students to redesign our 40,000-square-foot indoor facility. The designs must incorporate our multiple forms of community outreach, including: a culinary facility, a learning lab (with an open classroom dynamic), a tinker lab (for hobbyists and entrepreneurs), a research lab (to encourage good data collecting), an innovation hub (to demonstrate design, similarly to living art), an area to grow commercial sprouts, food storage (something more concrete), and an area for art experimentation. This facility even includes performing arts.
A modern farmer looks for multiple outreaches and income streams. You've got be engaged in the community.
What are the biggest challenges to local food production? How does aquaponics address these issues?
I don't know if aquaponics has answered the substantial global needs: food, shelter, health care, water, etc. I don't know if one agricultural technique can solve these problems. The potential is there, but to say it can completely offset traditional farming is a big step. What aquaponics does do is provide local food. It also provides brownfield remediation. In more dense urban areas, it reclaims buildings and revitalizes real estate. Plus, it causes a ripple effect (people notice and get involved). People gravitate toward things that are nurturing, providing hope and an alternative answer.
Our disconnect to our food is one of the biggest challenges. This connection is directly related to our children's health. The further we get removed from agriculture, the greater our reliance on big producers, which use a lot of water and pesticides. We have to change how we view agriculture; farmers can be smart, educated producers. In urban areas, we're bringing farming to the people, solving the disconnect. It's kind of like the neon sign. People naturally want to check it out. We create citizen ownership and pride.
Could such facilities potentially feed, or supplement the diet of, large populations?
I think so. It depends on how active any particular urban area is on pursuing local production. I think of total diversification: fruit trees and nut trees in parks; vertical aquaponics; remediate a part of the city and turn it into an intensive gardening plot; etc. Hit it hard. Our city has to commit to urban food production.
By creating consistent, fresh, and local products, you can gain institutional players—assistant living accounts, hospital accounts, school accounts. In my mind, this motivates me to do what I'm doing. These people—children, the recovering, the elderly, the poor—need the healthiest food. Let's open to these accounts, knowing that they don't pay the same premium as fancy restaurants. I'd love to see aquaponics hit the public school market. I know a charter school and high school that already participate. Even universities and business owners can get involved and become suppliers.
In my opinion, aquaponics does bring some consistency that outside farming cannot. At the very least, you can say, "who else can grow lettuce in January?" By repurposing an old factory, aquaponics is able to consistently produce healthy lettuce in the off-season.
Based on your work over the last several years, what advice do you have for those interested in working in aquaponics?
Read. And visit.
Do a little bit of both. Take a course if you can. And tinker. Use the gentle assets you have or those of your loved ones (if you know a plumber, ask for help). Most importantly, follow the yeses. One of my mentors told me that. You take stock of what you need and what you have. If somebody says no, you ask if they know somebody. If you get a no, find a yes. Follow those yeses.
What can individuals do to support your work?
If we're doing a workshop, certainly sign up. Also, we're always looking for funding for the work we do with the community through the Sweet Water Foundation. We are also looking for grant partnerships as well as contracting with schools and community organizations.
On a bigger level, learn about it, decide what you want to do with it, do it well, and teach others. The Internet allows people to check it out, so learn. We're working on one of the major global issues. It's more than how you can make money. If you want to do alternative energy, or waste management, it's more than about you or your organization. We've got to get on the ball. Leave your ego at the door.
Kimberlee Davies is a former research intern with the Worldwatch Institute's Food and Agriculture Program.


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ONE OF KIND AMBER NECKLACE & EARRING SET handcrafted by renowned designer Marta Wlodarska. The unique composition of Baltic amber gem, different species of wood, silver 925 and twisted linen rope creates a natural and sophisticated style and an extraordinary look. "Baltic Secret" amber jewelry will last for generations and will grow in value as great amber jewelry always does.
WHEN CLASS MEATS NATURE. In our nature-deprived urban lifestyles, Baltic amber jewelry offers an imaginative way to embrace the primordial harmony. The ancient tears of nature as we like to call them, Baltic amber gems express the virtues of subtleness, sincerity and sophistication. Whereas the modern design interpretation gives our amber jewelry a contemporary look so you can wear it on different occasions: everyday and special.
IMPORTANT TO MEASURE. Please measure the neck in order to select the right size. For your convenience, we provide necklace length comparison slide.
WHAT'S INCLUDED. 1) One-of-a-kind designer jewelry necklace & earrings set. 2) The certificate of authenticity 3) All packed in a beautiful gift box.
TRUSTWORTHY VENDOR. "Baltic Secret" is Europe's #1 online vendor of authentic Baltic amber. The "Baltic Secret" brand is founded in the values of responsibility, professionalism, and great customer service: 1) Orders are always dispatched the same day 2) Easy returns and exchanges: you will never be stuck with the product you don't like 3) Try without risk - our customers enjoy a 30 days hassle-free money back guarantee for all jewelry items. Please head over to Delivery & Returns for more information on our customer service policy. As a family-run enterprise, we are ready to run a mile in tight shoes to make your family happy.


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06 February 2008
gannett/town talk journalistic fraudsters all for the mayor/city council 'retreat'
we see this morning that the town talk has both a news story and an editorial about this weeks mayor/city council retreat. as central la politics blog pointed out here the town talk doesnt bother to "mention exactly what procedures would be included to ensure that this retreat complies with the state's open meetings laws."
you have to remember this is the same crew, who, when they dont want the citizenry to know what they are up to, simply refuse to televise certain city council meetings under the guise that they dont want to "confuse" the citizenry. by the way, the city has never posted the city council meeting minutes from the 21 december 2007 special city council meeting about the star tek lease and we dont believe that it was ever televised (as promised) either. the minutes from the 18 december 2007 regular city council meeting arent posted either.
the mayor and the city council are all men so why cant they be men and just do their jobs? why go to another city in another parish and hold meetings? what is it that they dont want the people to know? they could have had their 'retreat' in or near alexandria at someone's house or camp and saved the city a lot of money.


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Why Is a Baker's Dozen 13?
By Ethan Trex
The next time you get the gift of an extra doughnut added to your dozen, thank crooked 13th-century bakers for the bonus treat. In the 1260s, British breadmakers were notorious for shorting customers with skimpy loaves. King Henry III was so irked by the problem that he implemented a new law to standardize the weight of a loaf—selling puny loaves could result in beatings or jail time. Since bakers wanted to stay on the right side of the law, one common trick was to give 13 loaves to any customer buying a dozen. Even if the loaves were light, the extra would cover the shortfall. It was an easy fix for bakers, and since low-carb diets were still seven centuries away, customers rejoiced.


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[](/sites/default/files/uploads/2012/06/supremecourt.jpg)Politically speaking there couldn't have been a better Supreme Court decision. If Obamacare had been declared unconstitutional, the Democrats' campaign in November would have been those horrible Republicans have politicized the Supreme Court and denied affordable healthcare to everyone. The focus would be on the court's "unfairness." The Democrats would have a plausible if unfair case (and in politics lack of fairness is a given). Advantage Democrats. Advantage because the last things they want to talk about are Obamacare and taxes. And that's the second big plus from this decision. The focus – thanks to Justice Roberts – is going to be on the biggest tax increase in human history on everyone, not just the rich. And on the lies of Obama which dwarf those of Clinton. Obama promised no tax hikes on the middle class and then defended Obamacare before the Supreme Court as …. a tax.
As for the constitutionalists. Roberts' argument makes sense to me. Yes the power to tax is the power to destroy, but it's in the Constitution. So this decision doesn't really change anything constitutionally. If you don't like Obamacare, the remedy is to repeal it. Let the elections begin.


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Quick-fire answers to our most frequently asked questions
In this section we've put together some of the questions we frequently get asked about our tours and about travel in Japan. We have divided this section into three areas according to the different kinds of holiday we offer: General FAQs, Small Group Tour FAQs, and Self-Guided Adventures FAQs.
If your question is not answered below or if you have any questions about our brand new Exclusive Private Journey concept, please don't hesitate to contact us directly.
General FAQs
Small Group Tours, Self-Guided Adventures, Exclusive Private Journeys � I'm confused! Help!
On our Small Group Tours you will be part of a group of 10-14 people and will travel around Japan with the full-time services of a tour leader. These trips have set start dates throughout the year.
On a Self-Guided Adventure you will travel independently, not as part of a group and without a tour leader. We do usually include a day or two (or more) with a private guide, however, or we can include day tours. You can take a self-guided trip at any time of year, around dates that suit you.
If you have specific destinations in mind for your trip, or feel that none of our Self-Guided itineraries quite fit your plans, we can tailor-make a trip itinerary just for you, based on your thoughts and ideas. You might like to base your trip on one of our Self-Guided itineraries with a few adjustments to take in exactly the elements you are looking for.
Our Exclusive Private Journeys represent the very top end of tailored travel in Japan. On an Exclusive Private Journey you'll travel privately and enjoy the services of fantastic guides in every location, highly exclusive experiences, masterclasses with some of the country's most respected experts and artisans, and the very best of first-class travel and five-star accommodation throughout.
If you have more questions relating to the kinds of trip we offer, have a look at our Self-Guided Adventure FAQs and Small Group Tour FAQs sections - or get in touch with us to find out more about what we can offer.
Why travel to Japan?
Japan is like no other country on earth. It is a place where it is not just the sights that impress and intrigue, but where the whole travelling experience is a joy, from speeding through the countryside on a bullet train, to sampling Japanese cuisine, to meeting friendly locals with a genuine interest in your visit to their country. One could spend a lifetime exploring Japan.
The cities of Tokyo and Kyoto may grab the headlines, but the country offers so much more, from some of the world's best powder snow in the ski resorts of Hokkaido in the north, to crystal clear tropical waters of Okinawa in the south. At InsideJapan Tours we will make sure that whilst not missing out on the most famous destinations you will also get a chance to see some of the hidden delights of Japan, making the very most out of your time in this very special country.
Is it safe to travel to Japan?
Japan is generally regarded as one the safest countries in the world, and has some of the lowest crime rates among developed countries. Changing conditions or events beyond our control are extremely rare, and we have sent customers on trouble-free trips for many years.
When travelling to any country, you should maintain the same vigilance that you would do at home and take sensible precautions. Some areas are known to have occasional instances of muggings such as Roppongi and Kabuki-cho in Tokyo and America Mura in Osaka and extra care should be taken in these locations.
If you need any further advice, our experienced travel consultants are on-hand and happy to help. With teams in the UK, US, Australia and Japan, there's always someone there to take your call. For official government travel guidelines, head to our Travel Advice page with the up to date information about security, local laws, passport and visa information.
InsideAsia Tours Travel Advice page
(InsideJapan Tours is part of InsideAsia Tours)
What happens if there is a travel advisory in place for Japan?
It goes without saying that we will always put the safety of our customers first. Like many other travel companies, we use official government travel advisories as a trusted authority from which to take our lead. Click the link below to read about this in more detail.
https://www.insidejapantours.com/travel-tips/ -
Who are you? What is InsideJapan Tours?
Founded in 2000, we are an independent team of Japan specialists. The company was set up to offer trips to Japan organised by those who know and love the country, at a price that needn't break the bank.
We have offices in Bristol (UK), Boulder (USA), Brisbane (Australia) and Nagoya (Japan). All of our UK staff have lived, worked and travelled in Japan, and all of our Japan office staff members are English speakers.
For more information about InsideJapan Tours and what we do, see our About Us section.
Is my money safe? Are you insured against financial failure?
InsideJapan Tours Ltd is bonded with ABTOT for your financial protection and peace of mind. Under the terms of the bond, all monies paid to the company are secured in favour of ABTOT Trust Ltd. You can, therefore, rest assured that your money is safe.
InsideJapan Tours is also member of AITO, The Association of Independent Tour Operators. Established in 1976, the AITO symbol has become the hallmark of good holidays from specialist tour operators. All AITO companies are fully bonded and governed by AITO's independent dispute settlement service which means you are in safe hands when you book with an AITO member.
What about flights?
If you are travelling from the UK we would be delighted to arrange international flights for you. We can arrange flights from the UK to Japan with Virgin, BA, Emirates, Cathay Pacific and other airlines. If you would like international flights included please ask us for more details on the options available.
International flights are not included as standard in our packages as we have clients coming to Japan from all over the world and like to give our clients the flexibility to make their own arrangements should this be more convenient. Even if you prefer to book your flights separately we are more than happy to provide advice and even look for where you might find the best fares.
The major airports in Japan are Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT), which is one hour outside of Tokyo, and Osaka Kansai Airport (KIX), which is close to Osaka, Nara and Kyoto.
If you are joining a Small Group Tour then you will need to book flights in time to join that tour. For Self-Guided Adventures or Exclusive Private Journeys you can of course travel whenever you like and we will fit the land arrangements around whichever flights you book.
Prices of air fares vary enormously but as a rule if you are paying less than £700 / $1000 then you have got a good price. If you need any help at all researching flights then please do not hesitate to ask. The first choice you have to make is whether to fly direct or via a European or Asian hub. Using a UK departure as an example, direct return flights from London Heathrow to Tokyo Narita start from around £950 per person for an economy class ticket. Non-direct flights on European carriers such as KLM or Air France start from around £750 per person.
Do I need a visa to travel to Japan?
There is no visa required to go to Japan for short stays under 90 days. However, there may be other entry requirements such as proof of vaccination, PCR test or entry forms to be completed beforehand.
Please visit our Latest Japan Travel Requirements page to stay up to date with the latest entry requirements.
Can you sell me travel insurance?
While we are not able to sell or arrange travel insurance, one of the conditions under which we accept bookings is that our clients take out travel insurance against medical and personal accident risk and have adequate baggage cover.
When should I visit?
Any time is a good time to visit Japan! Spring and autumn are popular times for visits, with pleasant temperatures and the chance to glimpse Japan's famous sakura cherry blossom or autumn colours.
Summer is festival time with hundreds of celebrations taking place from local parades to huge city-wide extravaganzas of colour and noise. Winter is a quieter time to visit, with uncrowded sights and clear winter skies. Of course winter is also the time to head to the mountains for winter sports, with a long December to April season available at many resorts.
For those keen to see the famous sakura cherry blossom late March to mid-April are the times to visit the coastal cities - up in the mountains things bloom a little later. For the autumn colours early to mid-November is the time down at sea level, with the leaves turning a little earlier at higher altitudes.
What is the weather like?
As mentioned above spring (March to May) and autumn (October and November) are popular for their warm, pleasant days. In summer the temperature rises, as does the humidity, although up in the mountains things remain a few refreshing degrees lower.
Late June and early July see a brief "rainy season" with a few overcast days and increased precipitation, though this should by no means preclude travelling at this time. Winter is cool at sea level; cold up in the mountains, with heavy snowfall the farther north you go from Tokyo. Rainfall is fairly even throughout the year, with showers possible in any season.
Is travelling around Japan difficult for non-Japanese speakers?
Travelling in Japan is a joy. Public transport is fast, efficient, clean and punctual. All trains and most buses have sufficient English-language signs and announcements, and with your InsideJapan Tours Info-Pack to guide you, your adventures through Japan will be remarkably smooth and worry-free! As a further back-up we have our own English-speaking office in Japan who are available 24/7 to help you with any unforeseen issues.
The Japanese are almost universally polite and helpful. Even in a situation where someone does not speak English they will almost certainly be willing to try to help, and people often go out of their way to assist foreign travellers. This is out of genuine care and concern and is not done expecting anything in return!
Most visitors who had concerns about finding their way around Japan later comment about how simple it was in the end. Most people also come home with the odd miracle story about the kind, helpful person on the bus/train, or at the shop/restaurant who came to their rescue in their moment of need!
Is there much English spoken in Japan? What about signs in English?
English is not as widely spoken in Japan as in many other Asian countries. In the major cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto there are more English speakers and in most situations you will usually find someone around who speaks English.
However, the further away from large urban areas you get, the less English you will find spoken - and in rural areas you may struggle to find anyone who understands you! There are often staff who speak some English at tourist sights and attractions. English (to differing degrees!) is spoken at most of the accommodation options we work with.
Signs in English follow a similar pattern - plenty in the big cities, rather less in smaller towns and rural areas. All but the tiniest train stations are signposted in English, including the whole rail and subway network in Tokyo.
English explanations at sights and attractions vary; some have plenty of information in English, some have rather less. Menus in English can be found at some restaurants, again mainly those in the big cities with more regular non-Japanese trade. However, many restaurants that do not have English menus will have picture menus which take a lot of the stress and worry out of ordering!
Isn't Japan REALLY expensive?
It needn't be. Prices in Japan have been relatively stable for the last decade, while prices elsewhere in the world have been increasing dramatically. While it is certainly possible to go out and spend a month's salary at one of Kyoto's most exclusive restaurants, or buy a square watermelon for US$100, it is equally possible to get an excellent meal for less than GBP10/US$15, or to get across Tokyo on the subway for less than GBP1.50/US$2.50.
Day-to-day expenses for travelling in Japan are no more expensive than in Europe or North America and often less so. Most people come back from Japan pleasantly surprised at how affordable it can be.
How much money will I need in Japan?
This is the $1,000 question, so to speak! Everybody spends a different amount when they visit. However, nearly everyone finds Japan a lot less expensive than they were expecting.
Eating out is very reasonable and as food is one of the biggest expenses (and pleasures!) when travelling, this helps to keep costs down. Local transport, which is generally NOT included in our packages is also inexpensive, with the highest fare on the Tokyo subway being just 310 yen (less than �2/$3.)
Entrance fees to shrines, temples and museums are also very reasonable, with most in the region of 200-500 yen. Occasionally you will need to pay as much as 1,000 yen, but this is not the norm.
As a rough guide we recommend taking around 3,000-6,000 yen (approx. �20-35/$25-50) per day in spending money. This should cover your meals, drinks, local transport and any entrance fees - assuming you eat at mid-range restaurants. You could easily spend a lot more if you chose to!What this won't cover are souvenirs and other purchases you may wish to make. Beer and drinks can also add up very quickly so if you like a tipple of an evening you may need to budget a bit more.
Can I use my credit/debit card in Japan?
Cards are generally accepted at major department stores and in upmarket restaurants. However Japan remains very much a cash-based society and you will have trouble using your cards in smaller shops and restaurants.
We encourage our customers to carry cash with them and not to rely on cards for making purchases. You can use your cards to withdraw Japanese Yen from ATMs (cash machines) at all post offices in Japan (large and small) and at 7-Eleven convenience stores.
You will need your 4-digit PIN code to make withdrawals and it is a good idea to let your bank at home know in advance that you will be using your card in Japan. ATMs have instructions in English so you won't have any problems - just make sure you get the 0s right!
What about travellers' cheques?
Foreign currency exchange is available at the major airports at reasonable rates and also at major banks and some mid- and upper-range western-style hotels. Travellers cheques can also be exchanged at major banks and post offices, but be warned the process can be a little time-consuming - up to 45 minutes. We recommend making sure you have sufficient funds in cash before leaving large cities if heading off for more rural areas.
If you wish take Travellers Cheques the best place to exchange them is at the airport when you arrive. If you are taking US Dollar or Sterling travellers cheques you will get a much better exchange rate on these than on the equivalent cash dollars or sterling.
For the definitive guide to buying your currency check out the blog post from InsideJapan Director, Alastair Donnelly.
Can I use my mobile/cell phone in Japan?
There is a lot of confusion surrounding the use of overseas mobile phones in Japan. Please note that the information given here is intended as a guide only. We cannot be responsible for charges made by operators or rental companies. You will find that charges for using a mobile phone in Japan are expensive and this is especially the case for data (email and internet) - we recommend you turn off roaming on your mobile telephone to avoid a nasty surprise!
One great option is to hire a mobile phone in Japan. Please see the next FAQ.
The mobile phone network in Japan works on a different system to the rest of the world and until recently no overseas mobile phones would work. However, with the advent of 3G phones this has changed. The rule is basically this: If you have a 3G handset, it will work. If you do not have a 3G handset, it will not.
Be careful: If you ask your mobile provider they may inform you that your phone will work in Japan if it is tri-band or quad-band. It will not.
BLACKBERRY: If you have a 3G Blackberry it WILL work in Japan. If it is not 3G it will NOT work in Japan.
Please note: some mobile phone contracts do NOT INCLUDE ROAMING. if your contract does not include roaming YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE IT IN JAPAN.
Another option is to hire a SIM card in Japan and put this into your own mobile phone which you have brought with you from home. Two companies offer this service: Softbank and Mobal Narita (only available at Tokyo Narita Airport). As of September 2010, Softbank is much cheaper for domestic calls within Japan (105 yen per minute). Calls to the US are 200 yen per minute and to the UK 250 yen. The Mobal Narita service is 240 yen for domestic and international calls. SMS (text) messages on Mobal Narita are 140 yen each whilst on Softbank they cost 150 yen. Data charges (internet and e-mail) for both are very high.
Note that the SIM has to be returned and is not pre-pay. You will need to provide credit card details and will then be billed for usage. Your phone will need to be "unlocked" in order to be able to use the SIM card.
http://www.softbank-rental.jp/en/phones/sim3g.php -
Pocket WiFi, phone rental, roaming charges... what's the best way to keep in touch from Japan?
In these days of facebook, twitter, smart phones and i-Pads access to the internet and keeping in touch with friends and family online has become an important part of many people's holiday experience. However, Japan is surprisingly not the simplest place from which to keep in touch.
Free Wi-Fi is not readily available in Japan. Many hotels only offer wired internet connections (not much help if you are trying to get online with your i-Phone or Blackberry) and although the cities are covered in Wi-Fi zones they are all for subscribers only and can not be purchased on an ad-hoc basis. Kyoto City has introduced a free Wi-Fi zone in the centre of the city but you will not find this in many other cities. Similarly, although nearly all coffee shops and bars have Wi-Fi, it is nearly always a subscription service.
Mobile phones also present a bit of a headache and even if your phone does work you are likely to be hit for extremely high "roaming charges" by your provider. Fortunately we have been able to find some solutions to both these problems!
Please note: If you plan to use your own cell phone then we recommend contacting your phone contract provider in advance to ask about service availability and costs for receiving and making calls whilst in Japan.
Mobile / Cell phones in Japan and "pocket Wi-Fi"
You can arrange phone rental on arrival at Tokyo Narita Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport and Osaka Kansai Airport. Do note that phones are subject to availability and do sometimes run out at the very busiest times.
PuRuRu Mobile Phone
If you want to guarantee a mobile phone and / or mobile internet for the duration of you trip we recommend reserving in advance. We have teamed up with PuPuRu mobile phone rental through whom you can arrange mobile phone rental and mobile "pocket Wi-Fi". Please see visit the links below for more information and to book your handsets:
Mobile / Cell phone rental: http://www.pupuru.com/affiliate/J13/10Pocket Wi-Fi rental: http://www.pupuru.com/affiliate/J13/14
Travelcell (US only)
Exclusively for our US clients we have teamed up with Travecell. They can provide a cell phone and mobile Wi-Fi data card for your Japan vacation which can booked in advance and delivered to your address in the US prior to departure.
Cell Phone / Mobile Wi-Fi Data Card rental: http://www.travelcell.com/tcap.asp?ag=IJT28
When placing an order either use the custom link above or please mention InsideJapan Tours code (IJT28).
What it pocket WiFi?
When you rent a "Pocket Wi-Fi" handset you will receive a smart phone-sized device which acts as a mobile wireless router. It fits comfortably into any pocket or handbag and creates a Wi-Fi zone with a reach of around ten metres. You can wirelessly connect up to ten devices simultaneously so even if you are a family of five all wielding your iPhones you can all still get on line through a single Pocket Wi-Fi device.
Mobile coverage is very good in Japan meaning you can have Wi-Fi internet with you almost wherever you travel. Of course, some rural areas might not have such a good signal but in the cities you will be connected all the time. Even on the Shinkansen bullet train you will find you are online all the way.
Is tipping expected in Japan?
For the most part there is no tipping in Japan; leave change behind on a restaurant table or at the cash register and you may find yourself chased down the road by staff desperate to return your "lost property".
However, tipping is customary in a few instances. A tip properly given at these times will impress the recipient with your cultural awareness. Tipping is common when staying at a ryokan, (Japanese-style inn), in which meals are served in your room. The tip should be handed directly to the server or maid. 1,000 yen in a small envelope is customary (up to 3,000 when staying consecutive nights), although a small gift from one's country or another location in Japan is also acceptable.
You can try to let a taxi driver "keep the change" but you may find that the driver at first refuses the tip, and tries to hand it back to you; it may take a couple of goes to get him/her to take it! If you hire a driver for the day then a tip of 500-1,000 yen is customary.
I am a wheelchair user. Can you arrange a trip to Japan for me?
Yes, we would be delighted to. We have arranged many Self-Guided Adventures or Exclusive Private Journeys for wheelchair users in the past.
In the major cities many Japanese hotels have accessible rooms, trains and stations can accommodate wheelchairs and we can let you know exactly which temples, shrines and gardens have suitable access. Do let us know your needs and we'll tailor the trip to suit you.
I'm gay and travelling with my partner. Will we experience any discrimination in Japan?
In a word: no. While Japan still lags behind the UK and US in gay and transgender issues, there are no legal restraints to same-sex sexual activities of either gender.
We're proud to have arranged many trips for gay couples and have had no problem booking double bedrooms regardless of the travellers' gender. Public displays of affection are rare between same-sex couples in Japan, but the same can be said for heterosexual couples. You may raise a few eyebrows if you hold hands in the countryside, but that's probably about all. -
We would like to watch some sumo. Can you make that happen?
Yes we can! There are six major sumo tournaments (basho) every year, running for the middle two weeks of January, March, May, July, September and November, and we can get tickets for them for you. The cheapest tickets are from about 3,000yen. The sumo tournament locations and dates are as follows:
Tournament Cities and Months
January - Tokyo
March - Osaka
May - Tokyo
July - Nagoya
September - Tokyo
November - FukuokaIf you are not in Japan during a basho then it may be possible to attend asa-geiko (morning training) in Tokyo. Please contact us for more details.
I would like to see a Kabuki/Noh/Bunraku performance while in Japan. Is this possible?
If an event or performance is taking place in Japan, we can usually obtain tickets. However the frequency of these events varies. Kabuki performances are fairly easy to get to, with regular performances in Tokyo. Noh, Bunraku and other performing arts can be harder to come by, though we will certainly do our best to find something that fits in with your itinerary.


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Fabric Ornament Hen
Why buy machine manufactured holiday decorations when you can buy handcrafted artisan works from Mr. Ellie Pooh. Each of our ornaments are 100% cotton and handmade in Sri Lanka. The filling is poly-fill. Our fabrics are woven with yarn that is colored with AZO-free, PCP tested, eco-friendly dyes. These gifts are perfect for your Christmas tree and are also super for your little ones to play. They are also safe to chew and easy to hand wash. Some of the most Earth-friendly ornaments on the market today.
Saving Elephants
Protecting Trees
Creating Jobs