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Hello from Viña del Mar, Chile!
I've been on somewhat of a whirlwind tour from all corners of the Dominican Republic to Panama City, Santiago, our unbelievably incredible expat community land, to be named Galt's Gulch Chile in Curacavi and now in the beautiful seaside resort of Viña del Mar for the weekend.
Most of my stops had interesting information and encounters so allow me to break out the slides and let's gather in the basement so I can show you all my "vacation" photos.
Dominican republic
I filled you in somewhat last week from Las Terrenes in the DR where I spent some time with the TDV Group concierge for that area, Terry. I then drove about an hour to Cabrera where I met up with TDV Group concierge for that region, Barry.
Both are doing some absolutely fabulous developments. Terry who is a natural medicine practioner lives literally in the middle of the rain forest and is developing an expat community with a focus on natural organic foods and medicine.
Barry, also, is creating a very large expat community in Cabrera. He is really doing it right. He has a long list of more than 100 expats and dollar vigilantes who will be coming to visit him in the next 6 months. He offers a complete service where he shows you the entire region and lets you know of properties and lots that are available should you wish to expatriate there. He held a barbeque for myself, my wife and numerous visiting expats at one of the houses he helped build. I can assure you that if you go there you will not be disappointed and will likely walk away with a lot of new friends.
Both Terry and Barry will be writing regularly in the TDV newsletter over the coming months with much more detailed information on their experiences expatriating to the Dominican Republic and how they can help you do the same. As well, both host their own TDV Group on the TDV Forums (for subscriber's only).
After a short diversion in Panama City I then moved on to Santiago, Chile. I was here a few months ago and couldn't believe the changes in the last few years here. This time around did nothing to change that impression. In fact, it is only more validated. I truly cannot believe how much this region has developed! If you like modernity, a blazing economy, high technology, civilization and cleanliness, then Chile has to be your #1 choice in all of Latin America. I can only think of a few countries that can beat or exceed Chile on any of those criteria. Singapore can beat it on the economy, but not by much. And there are places like Austria or Switzerland that beat Chile on cleanliness and civilization, but not by much. Hong Kong beats Chile on high tech, but not by much.
Simply put, if I had to choose to live in a country based on the above criteria, I think my choice would have to be Chile. I don't even think that, I know that. I've been nothing but amazed at all the world class infrastructure, cranes dotting Santiago, how Viña del Mar has become an incredibly upscale, luxurious and classy beachside resort and how everything has changed since the majority of the people in this region (the few pathetic communist students who call themselves anarchists and who want "free education" aside) have embraced capitalism. That is so much the beauty of free markets... it can transform a region in a matter of months or years. Skyscrapers are sprouting up like shoots in an incredibly fertile garden. South America's largest building, Gran Torre Santiago, part of South America's most luxurious and largest shopping mall complex, is currently under construction amidst dozens of skyscrapers, all built of the most modern glass and metal style and structure.
If you've heard about a very indicative and instructive "Skyscraper Index", first put forth by Andrew Lawrence in 1999, then you might see that as a sign of coming economic collapse. The index has noted that Keynesian based central bank money printing often foments a boom that soon collapses as the counterfeiting caused distortions in the economy eventually show themselves for the anti-productive activities they engender. For this reason, buildings like the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest skyscraper was an indicator of coming collapse. Not so in Chile. Why? Because the central bank here is one step improved from the Keynesian central banks that dot this planet like a skin disease. While I am no friend to any central bank, the Chilean central bank is well down on my hate list of central banks because they are followers of Milton Friedman's monetarist concepts.
Monetarism is a school in economic thought that emphasizes the role of governments in controlling the amount of money in circulation. It is the view within monetary economics that variation in the money supply has major influences on national output in the short run and the price level over longer periods and that objectives of monetary policy are best met by targeting the growth rate of the money supply.
While no great thing - anything that promotes monetary inflation is despicable and wrongheaded - it is actually much better than the neo-Keynesian model of just printing up enough money until everyone is rich with poverty. Under the monetarist concepts, they actually announce the exact amount of inflation on a daily basis in Chile and all businesses adjust their prices regularly to it. It's called the Unidad de Fomento (unit of account) and while it is a stupid, inflation-based theory, it is actually much better than what the slaves in the US know under the policies of the Federal Reserve. For this reason, inflation is actually immediately adjusted to in the economy rather than the Keynesian guessing game of guessing what the market wants and then making tons of stupid mistakes because it is impossible to know whether money is semi-real or not (hello tech bust, housing bust).
Because of this, and other fairly free market policies, the economy here is booming, but not falsely through inflation. I haven't seen anything like it in many years... if ever! If you want to make money and participate in a fairly free market, go to Chile!
Galt's Gulch, Chile
I'm actually a little in shock. My business partner, Ken Johnson, who has created and managed our passport programs, offshore banking and incorporation products and who has been the driving force behind Galt's Gulch Chile has amazed me. I dispatched him nearly a year ago with one initiative - find a place that libertarians, anarchists and other freedom-loving people can go that met about 20 different criteria. Price, distance from major population centers (but close enough to still have a lot of fun), a self-sustaining capability (all the water, power and organic food and wine to live off for as long as it takes through the Great Transition) and many more. I had been searching for nearly a year before I met Ken in the backseat of a police cruiser in Palm Springs, arrested for walking down the street and looking drunk (we were, as anyone who knows us is not surprised to hear - but apparently that is now illegal in the USSA) and he finally found it about 4 months ago.
While I had visited the area, it was very quickly and I didn't get to take in the full beauty of it all. And, because we had no deal on the land, I didn't give it too much thought. On this recent trip to Santiago we have basically closed the acquisition and so I devoted more time to looking at exactly what we had just purchased. I literally stood in awe at the top of an entire valley at the end of a mountain range, just the other side of Santiago proper... a place that you'd never know if you were 5,000 miles from civilization. But, in fact, you are 45 minutes from Santiago's international airport with direct flights from North America, Asia and Europe. You are also less than an hour from the unbelievably prospering and future city of the world, Santiago. And, as I write this, I sit in Viña del Mar, one of the top 10 luxury, oceanside resort cities, less than an hour from Galt's Gulch.
For those that don't know, Santiago is about 1.5 hours from the ocean, and Viña del Mar. Half way in between these two amazing places is Galt's Gulch, but you'd never know you weren't a world away from either. It is exactly what I had been looking and hoping for, and Ken Johnson found it and made it happen. I am beyond thrilled and can't wait to bring it into your life. Ayn Rand had a dream. And, 45 years after, we made it happen. The fact that Atlas Shrugged Part II is in theatres right now only adds to the beauty. Imagine living in literal paradise - and to that I can attest - within arm's reach of one of the best economies now and into the foreseeable future, surrounded by freedom-loving individuals? Imagine living in a natural paradise on a street called "Ron Paul Way" or "Anarchist Avenue".
I'm building this. We are building this. We hope to see you there soon! You won't believe your eyes. It'll be, by a massive amount, the cheapest (but without cutting any corners!) AND the best expat community on Earth. I promise you that. First details will, as always, be brought to TDV subscribers first and lot pre-sales will open in the coming weeks. If you'd like more info, join our mailing list here. It may take us some time to get back to you as the amount of interest has been absolutely overwhelming. Thank you!
Until next time, from somewhere in the world, let the bad things in this world roll off your back and invite the good. Life's too short.


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Unfortunately his excellency did not see Sky News Arabia footage showing Khaled Mostafa shot down by police last Friday.
There is also extended version from two clips including that clip above and another clip showing the body of Khaled on the ground closer.
Just pay attention to the red circles.
The photos of Khaled were shocking last Friday.

subset: commoncrawl


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Anne Hathaway, also called Agnes Hathwey, (born c. 1556—died Aug. 6, 1623, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, Eng.), wife of William Shakespeare.
She was probably born at Shottery, near Stratford, the daughter of Richard Hathaway, a local landowner. She was married to Shakespeare in November 1582, when he was 18 and when she, according to the sole evidence of an inscription on her gravestone, was 26. Their daughter Susanna was born the following May.
After the birth (about 1585) of their twins, Hamnet and Judith, Shakespeare moved to London, probably leaving the family at Stratford. About 1596 Anne and the children were installed in New Place, Stratford, where Anne remained until her death in 1623. Shakespeare often visited his family there and lived there from his retirement in 1611 until his death.


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Tea Tree Essential Oil 16 OZ (1 lb) - $48.90 - Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil 16 OZ (1 LB)
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Tea tree has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-septic qualities which also make it useful to help preserve some skin care preparations. Tea tree essential oil is produced in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. It is antifungal, antiseptic, antibiotic, and anti viral. The essential oil is distilled from the leaves and twigs. It is clear, pale yellow or light green, and very medicinal smelling. It has been used for Cold sores, warts, fungal, viral, and bacterial infections, acne, burns, candida, athletes foot. The list of uses goes on and on.
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Find Your Local Skydiving venue
- 9 locations to choose from
- 12 Years and up
- Gift Vouchers Available From GBP 10
Skydiving, Bungee jumping, Parachute Jumping, Indoor Skydiving venues Around Scotland | Jump This
A true dare-devil experience, Skydiving is guaranteed to provide thrill-seekers with a pure adrenaline-rush as they free-fall down to earth at heart-racing speeds! As well as this, you're assured to encounter breath-taking views as you pull the parachute and gently glide back down to the comfort of the ground.
Closest venues to Scotland
Below are the 10 nearest locations to Scotland.
Killiecrankie, Perthshire Bungee jumpingMin. Age 14
19 miles from Scotland
Looking for an experience that is not only unforgettable but one that has your adrenaline meter at it's max? This is it specially constructed bungee jump platform is suspended below the Garry Bridge over the beautiful River Garry near Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire, Scotland. It is perched above a dramatic gorge surrounded by ancient trees. Probably the most amazing scenery you can enjoy as you free-fall for 40 metres towards water. An airborne flight of a few seconds at over 50 mph before a special Bungee jump cord springs you back.
Durham Parachute JumpingMin. Age 16
177 miles from Scotland
A truly awesome venue that offers the paramount in Parachute Jumping experiences! We are delighted to boast a spectacular setting and excellent tuition which will ensure that your day of Parachute Jumping will be invigorating from start to finish! Our spectacular events see you ascend to approximately 3000 feet before jumping from the plane which sees your parachute deploy immediately for a leisurely descent to earth! Brilliant stuff!
Durham SkydivingMin. Age 16
182 miles from Scotland
Truly the ultimate in adrenaline pursuits, Skydiving is so exhilarating and action packed that you will be in for an experience of a lifetime at our awesome Durham Skydiving Centre! Offering you the opportunity to do a tandem Skydive with our highly skilled instructors and, safe to say, your adrenaline levels will be through the roof as you free-fall at speeds approaching 120 MPH and then float effortlessly to earth....giving you time to take in the picturesque Durham countryside!
Bedford Indoor SkydivingMin. Age 5
359 miles from Scotland
Days rarely come as action packed as those which unfold at our sensational Bedford Multi-Activity venue, which truly is home to some of the most adrenaline soaked events imaginable! You will be blown away by our breathtaking events including Indoor Skydiving, Simulated BASE Jumping, Indoor Surfing, Climbing, Racing Simulators and Archery! Choose just one or combine them for a truly fun-packed day out. We have top notch facilities and friendly, well trained staff who will ensure that your visit to us is an utterly unforgettable one! Book your spot now!
"So professional my instuctor Darren made me so at ease would recommend him to everyone "


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"I began installing the work at 9 in the morning. I had no frame of reference for how long the process would actually take. I didn't want to start too early fearing I would get done too soon and potentially wear out the "batteries" before I could start my photographic exposure, thus wasting a lot of time and fruit. I worked all day and took no break, I was still wiring the orchard after sunset. I finished install at 8 pm then began my 4 hour exposure on photographic film. The final image was created using a large format camera that uses color film measuring 4x5 inches."
Discover Magazine


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There's a big jar in Mr. Elliot's Sweet Ecstasy candy shop, in downtown Millersville. The jar is filled to bursting with M&Ms in a rainbow of colors. There's a small sign before the jar which reads, "Take a guess! The one closest to the number of M&Ms in the jar by Saturday night wins the whole jarful!" His jar of M&Ms has been the favorite subject of discussion all week in Mrs. Field's class. Finally, she suggested that the class take a scientific approach and try to figure out how many M&Ms were in the jar by running a series of experiments. For example, they could fill up smaller bottles with M&Ms and then estimate how much bigger Mr. Elliot's jar was by comparison. Then they'd have a more accurate guess and hence a better chance of winning the prize. Five of the students thought this was a fine idea. Since one of them won, and all of them were fairly close, Mrs. Field's suggestion must have helped! Determine the full name of each of these students (one student was named Grace), what each one's final guess was, and which one won the jar for the closest guess.
NOTE: The actual number of M&Ms in the jar is NOT one of the numbers listed in the puzzle. The numbers in the puzzle are the closest guesses to the actual number, and include the guess which won the jar. The solution, when it is revealed next month, will state how many M&Ms the jar actually held.
1. Ms. Black's guess, which was 787, was the furthest away from the right number of M&Ms.
2. Zach, whose last name wasn't Plummer, guessed a higher number than the person who guessed 674 M&Ms, but a lower number than Mr. Wild guessed.
3. The person who won the jar of M&Ms guessed an even number. Joe's last name wasn't Horn. Mr. Smith didn't guess 750. Cindy's guess was smaller than Adam's guess.
4. Joe didn't guess 685. Adam, whose last name wasn't Wild, guessed 700 M&Ms.
5. The winning number was higher than Mr. Smith's guess.
6. Adam's last name wasn't Horn. Zach's last name wasn't Smith.
If you enjoyed
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Last Update
June 8,


text:
(Reuters) – New Reserve Bank of India (RBI) chief Raghuram Rajan kicked-off his term with a bang, announcing a spate of measures to support the embattled rupee and unveiling a raft of steps to liberalise financial markets and the banking sector.
In an unexpectedly detailed and wide-ranging briefing, Rajan outlined plans to attract more funds from overseas by subsidising hedging costs for banks and making it easier for importers and exporters to hedge currency risk.
He made clear his intention to liberalise markets, including pushing for more rupee trade settlement, introducing new financial products such as overnight interest rate swaps and removing curbs on opening new branches by Indian banks.
"Some of the actions I take will not be popular," said Rajan, who famously predicted the global financial crisis and took over at the central bank in Mumbai on Wednesday after nearly a year as chief economic advisor in the finance ministry in New Delhi.
His forceful debut, which contrasted with more circumspect public comments in recent months, drew rave reviews from central-bank watchers.
A. Prasanna, economist at ICICI Securities Primary Dealership, said he expects bonds, the rupee and Indian stocks, especially those of banks, to react positively on Thursday.
"Overall, the way and kind of steps he has announced will instill confidence in the market, which was in short supply."
A prominent former International Monetary Fund chief economist, Rajan, 50, succeeds Duvvuri Subbarao at the helm of the Reserve Bank of India. He enters office in the eye of a financial storm as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis since 1991, which has sent the rupee skidding by some 20 percent this year.
"The governorship of the central bank is not meant to win one votes or Facebook 'likes'. But I hope to do the right thing, no matter what the criticism, even while looking to learn from the criticism," he told reporters.
Many critics and investors have complained about what they viewed as inconsistent communication and insufficient action from policymakers as economic growth has crumbled to a four-year-low of 4.4 percent in the June quarter and as the rupee last week hit a record low.
"Expectations were quite high from him and he has gone far beyond expectations on day 1," said Barclays economist Siddhartha Sanyal. "The fact that he has come with such pointed steps in mind shows that we will see more concrete steps very soon."
Earlier on Wednesday, the rupee rallied after suspected dollar sales by the central bank and after Reuters exclusively reported that the RBI was considering a plan that would help lenders raise money from expatriate Indians. Rajan, in his remarks, outlined the plan to attract more funds from non-resident Indians (NRIs) as part of a broader push to lure inflows.
The rupee recovered sharply from a day's low of 68.62 per dollar to close at 67.065.
Under the plan, the central bank will offer a swap window to banks for fresh dollar deposits mobilised from non-resident Indians. India has the world's second-biggest diaspora, according to the Ministry of Overseas India Affairs, and the country has turned to overseas Indians for help in past financial crises.
The central bank will also offer forex swap into rupees at a concessional rate below market levels for banks who raise dollar funds through overseas borrowings.
Rajan's arrival has been welcomed by some traders, who hope for a fresh approach to the RBI's controversial bid to defend the rupee by tightening cash conditions and raising short-term interest rates. Those measures have pushed up borrowing costs even as economic growth sputters and have shown little success to date in braking the rupee's descent.
Among Rajan's measures, he said banks should gradually be allowed to decrease their mandatory holdings of government securities, which would free up capital for lending.
He also said new bank licences should be awarded on an ongoing basis. The central bank is now in the process of awarding the first new bank licences in a decade.
Rajan also proposed the issue of inflation-indexed bonds linked to the consumer price index, an indication that the central bank may soon shift its inflation benchmark from the wholesale price index.
"He didn't take cover saying that he will first overcome the current problems and then take steps. He thinks both can be done simultaneously," Prasanna if ICICI Securities said.
Rajan also pushed back the date of the RBI's next monetary policy review by two days to September 20. That will give the central bank more time to consider the outcome of what is expected to be a pivotal two-day meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve, ending on September 18.
The prospect that the Fed will soon unveil a plan to start winding down its monetary stimulus is weighing on emerging markets, with India faring worse than most because of a lack of confidence it can address its hefty fiscal deficit and its record current account deficit.
In a reminder of the uphill task Rajan faces, a report on Wednesday showed that activity in India's services sector shrank in August for the second straight month for its lowest reading in four years, the latest indication that growth in Asia's third-largest economy is still slowing.
"The biggest positive in this entire speech is the confidence. I think there will be decisiveness in the way things move, which will spread to the markets as well," said Ananth Narayan G., co-head of wholesale banking for South Asia at Standard Chartered Bank. (Additional reporting by Neha Dasgupta, Archana Narayanan, and Himank Sharma; Writing by Tony Munroe and Rafael Nam: Editing by Neil Fullick)


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ALA Council
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Here's a video of some chick with a GREAT ASS ... hangin' out with Memphis Grizzlies player Austin Daye in L.A. last week.
In less exciting news, it appears Daye got a parking ticket that day ... so that sucks ... but who cares -- LOOK AT THAT BUTT!
Nice work, Daye.


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Revolution youth clubs shine at USSDA Spring Showcase
Sarasota, Fla. – The New England Revolution Youth Academy teams traveled to Sarasota, Fla. on Memorial Day Weekend to compete in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy's Spring Showcase and combined to go 3-2-1, their best showing at the showcase in only their second appearance. The Under-16s lost their first match on Friday, but rebounded with wins on Saturday and Monday to finish the weekend with a 2-1-0 record. The Under 18s also dropped their Friday match at the Sarasota Polo Club, but recovered with a win on Saturday and a draw on Monday to return home with a 1-1-1 record for the weekend. The youth Revs now have one weekend left in the regular season before the playoffs begin later this month.
The Revolution Under-16s played the first match of the showcase weekend on Friday in hot and humid conditions to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Real So Cal at the Sarasota Polo Club. With high humidity and temperatures in the mid-80s and, two Revs were forced off the field due to heat-related issues as the U16s could not muster enough offense to find the back of the net. The Under-18s had an even tougher afternoon at the Sarasota Polo Club, losing three players due to heat-related issues. Three different players scored for Real So Cal to beat the Revs, 3-0, as both Rev clubs had a tough start to the weekend.
The Revs youth academy teams happily turned the page to Saturday and the Classics Elite clubs from Texas. The U16s quickly got on the scoreboard when Devin Devoy (North Attleboro, Mass.) converted a penalty after teammate Jack Hilger (Hopkinton, Mass.) was brought down in the box in the 15th minute of play. The Revs struck again the the 25th minute when Sal Castro (Lynn, Mass.) converted on a free kick off the foot of Adrian Reifsnyder (Newton, Mass.). The U16s shut down the Classics Elite attack the rest of the way and cruised to a 2-0 win. The U18s played a closer match against Classics Elite, one that was decided in the waning moments of the game. Michael Rincon (Malden, Mass.) put the Revolution in front early in the 15th minute on a pass from Fernando Baptista (New Bedford, Mass.) and the U18s led 1-0 at the half. Classics tied the game just four minutes into the second frame and the clubs battled until the final minutes when Jonni Ventura (Westminster, Mass.) scored the game-winner in the 87th minute from Gustavo Santos (Framingham, Mass.) and the clinching goal in the 90th minute from Fabio Junior (Leominster, Mass.) to seal a 3-1 win for the U18s.
After a much deserved day off, the youth Revs wrapped up the Spring Showcase with Memorial Day matches against Miami FC Kendall. The U16s' attack was on point for the Monday game as the Revs prevailed with a 4-1 win. Felix DeBona (Everett, Mass.) scored two goals for the Revolution and Diego Fagundez (Leominster, Mass.) added a goal and an assist, while Cole Denormandie (Lincoln, Mass.) scored what proved to be the game winner in the 38th minute. The U18s bookended their scoring against Miami FC Kendall to salvage a draw when Miguel Castro (Lynn, Mass.) scored an unassisted goal in the 77th minute, and the game ended with a 2-2 score. Fabio Junior scored the initial goal for New England, on an assist from Michael Rincon.
The New England Revolution Youth Academy wraps up its regular season this weekend with two games – away on Saturday and home on Sunday. The Revs first play a makeup game from earlier in the season at FC Westchester and return home to play D.C. United at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Both youth Revs clubs then prepare for the USSDA playoffs, which begin later
New England Revolution U-15/16 vs. Real So Cal U-15/16 (CA)
May 28, 2010 – Sarasota, FL, (Sarasota Polo Club)
Scoring Summary:
REAL – Chris Lopez 37
New England Revolution: Tyler Zon (GK), Daniel Tchen, Mitch Taintor, Daniel Chmura (Pablo Espinola 65), Adrian Reifsynder (Sam Milbury 41), Sal Castro (Dominik Machado 41) (Alan Florez 65), Forest Sisk, Diego Fagundez (Jack Hilger 41), Devin Devoy, Felix DeBona, Cole Denormandie
Misconduct Summary:
REAL – Brian Blumfield (ejection) 70
New England Revolution U-17/18 vs. Real So Cal U-17/18 (CA)
REAL – Edwin Rivas 11
REAL – Sam Ball 35
REAL – Cesar Rodriguez 50
New England Revolution: Jose Silva (GK), Dylan Hawkins (James Doherty 33), Kenny Kolbeck, Daniel Sangster, Kyle Gordon (Fabio Junior 57), Gustavo Santos, Josh Vlasich (Felipe Fagundes 46), Cody Osgood (Miguel Castro 36), Homero Morais, Michael Rincon, Jonni Ventura
REAL – Marco Pineda (caution) 60
NE – Miguel Castro (Caution) 55
New England Revolution U-15/16 vs. Classics Elite U-15/16 (TX)
May 29, 2010 – Sarasota, FL, (Sarasota Polo Club)
NE – Devin Devoy (PK) 15
NE – Sal Castro (Adrian Reifsynder) 25
New England Revolution: Ryan Simpson (GK), Christian Sady, Daniel Chmura, Pablo Espinola, Adrian Reifsynder, Dominik Machado, Sam Milbury (Daniel Tchen 50), Sal Castro (Cole Denormandie 53), Jack Hilger (Forest Sisk 63), Devin Devoy (Felix DeBona 57), Alan Florez Pino (Diego Fagundez 41)
New England Revolution U-17/18 vs. Classics Elite U-17/18 (TX)
NE – Michael Rincon (Fernando Baptista) 15
CLAS – John Lawson 49
NE – Jonni Ventura (Gustavo Santos) 87
NE – Jonni Ventura (Fabio Junior) 90
New England Revolution: Chris Foley (GK), Felipe Fagundes (Kyle Gordon 75), Dylan Hawkins (Kenny Kolbeck 54), Daniel Sangster, James Doherty, Sawyer Kisken, Josh Vlasich (Homero Morais 59), Miguel Castro, Michael Rincon, Fabio Junior, Fernando Baptista (Jonni Ventura 59)
NE – Felipe Fagundes (Caution) 68
New England Revolution U-15/16 vs. Miami FC Kendall U-15/16 (FL)
May 31st, 2010 – Sarasota, FL, ( Sarasota Polo Club )
NE – Diego Fagundez (Daniel Tchen) 21
MIA – Esteban Castro 35
NE – Cole Denormandie (Devin Devoy) 38
NE – Felix DeBona (Diego Fagundez) 60
NE – Felix DeBona (Mitch Taintor) 70
New England Revolution: Tyler Zon (GK), Daniel Tchen (Adrian Reifsynder 48), Mitch Taintor, Daniel Chmura, Forest Sisk (Jack Hilger 52), Dominik Machado, Diego Fagundez (Pablo Espinola 67), Christin Sady, Devin Devoy (Sam Milbury 67), Alan Florez Pino (Felix DeBona 41), Cole Denormandie (Sal Castro 55)
New England Revolution U-17/18 vs. Miami FC Kendall U-17/18 ( FL )
NE – Fabio Junior (Michael Rincon) 35
MIA – Ryan Parrado 45
MIA – Chris Parrado 60
NE – Miguel Castro (unassisted) 77
New England Revolution: Chris Foley (GK), Felipe Fagundes (Kyle Gordon 75), Dylan Hawkins (Kenny Kolbeck 54), Daniel Sangster, James Doherty, Sawyer Kisken, Josh Vlasich (Homero Morais 59), Miguel Castro, Michael Rincon, Fabio Junior, Fernando Baptista (Jonni Ventura 59)
MIA – Johnny Vidales (ejection) 36
MIA – Fabio Raucci (caution) 75


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I have been to this the past 3 years and its always a great event with a great crew. Def would recommend it. If you have not been there Hatteras is a great place to learn to kite or to practice new tricks.
Here are some of my pics from previous years.
http://www.loscocco.net/Kiteboarding-an ... &k=4WmPHHm
OBX 2014 Crew Event
Join us in Hatteras NC, April 26 - May 4, 2014
Once again Ocean Rodeo will be hosting its annual kiteboarding crew event in the OBX.
Now in it's 4th year this event sells out quickly so be sure to sign up now. The event includes:
8 night's accommodation at Waves Village Resort
Free use of wide assortment of current season demo equipment
Opening night, fully catered BBQ (catering service provided by Good Winds)
Limited Edition OBX'14 Crew Event Hoody
Opportunities to meet and ride with a wide assortment of other Ocean Rodeo riders and head office staff
Miles and miles of gorgeous ocean side or sound side downwinders!
To join us, book here now!
Important note on the accommodation!
Waves Village is a collection of 9 condo units, each beautifully equipped with a full kitchen, 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Once you've purchased your room please email email@example.com with a brief outline of yourself and any room mate requests you might have.
"Shared rooms" are a private room with it's own bathroom shared by 2 individuals, each in their own twin bed.
"Private rooms" are a private room for 1 individual with its own bathroom.
"Private room, couple" is a private room for 2 individuals with one shared bed and a private bathroom.
Questions? Email firstname.lastname@example.com and we will sort you out! Can't wait to see you in Hatteras!


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Jesus Is Loving! (Preschool) (Sunday School Lessons for Children)
|February 14, 2010
|Mark 3:1-6
|Man With the Withered Hand
By Karleigh Neufeld
Little Things To Do
1. Free Time
Enjoy a little play time with the children at the front end to get to know them
Use the Read & Share Bible DVD series and pick one of the stories about healing
3. Bible Story Time
Use a children's Bible to tell the story of how Jesus healed the man with the withered hand
4. Simple Music
Head and shoulders, Jesus loves me
5. Valentine to Jesus
Help the children make a valentine for Jesus, thanking him for being so loving to all people
6. Snack
7. Bible Memory
"I am the truth"
Write these words on hearts and put them on the wall. Have the children stick heart stickers on them and talk through each one "I…am…the…truth!"
8. Simple craft
Use sheets of paper with the picture of a child on it. Use gauze, bandaids to stick on them to make them feel better (do this while talking about how Jesus loves us and Jesus can also heal us!).
9. Prayer
Pray for the children
10. Colouring sheets
Provide a colouring sheet of Jesus showing love to the world
Clean up


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[hide] *1 Biography
Biography EditEdit
Minccino was first seen in Minccino, Neat and Tidy where he had stolen the badge case that Bianca was supposed to deliver for Ash. After seeing how cute the Pokémon was, Bianca had been determined to catch Minccino; however, she was much stronger than expected as she relied on various techniques by using her attacks (his Tickle helped win quite a few battles, and Attract took care of Ash's Snivy). Throughout the episode, Minccino was shown to be a clean freak as she has an obsession for cleaning things with her broom like tail. She almost escaped due to Bianca's clumsiness; however, it was due to her dusty Poké Ball which led to her accidental capture (due to Minccino's craze for cleaning things as well as the fact that she was already weakened from the battle with Ash's Pikachu).
Minccino later reappears in Emolga the Irresistible! where she battles a wild Emolga. He uses Attract, while she uses Attract. He would have taken the hit if Oshawott hadn't jumped in front of it. In the next episode, Bianca battled that same Emolga, under the ownership of Iris. He gains the upper hand quickly, however the lazy Emolga uses Volt Switch to force out Cilan's Pansage.
Bianca later uses Minccino in Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia! to compete in the Don Battle and battles Stephan's Zebstrika in the first round. He uses an effective Tickle, followed by damaging him with Hyper Voice. However, Zebstrika pulls through and wins with a powerful Stomp.
It battles another Zebstrika in Enter Elesa, Electrifying Gym Leader!, this time under the ownership of Elesa. His DoubleSlap and Swift attacks are evaded, and he is struck with Flame Charge. Unlike Shelmet before him, he had better endurance and actually landed a hit with Hyper Voice, which does major damage. He endures another Flame Charge, but falls to a supereffective Double Kick.
In Crisis at Chargestone Cave!, Minccino is used to lure away some giant wild Galvantua from Ash's Pikachu by using his new Thunderbolt. However, the two were captured by the Bug types, and were asked to power up the weak wild Joltik in the area with their Thunderbolts. They did so, and when Ash and Bianca found them, they believe that they are being forced to do that. After they got away from the EleSpider Pokemon, he teamed up with Pikachu in battling James' Yamask, where it was hit by Night Shade, but he and Pikachu fought back and launched their own attacks. They won the battle after Cilan's Dwebble evolved while battling Jessie's Woobat.
Known Moves EditEdit
|Minccino—Neat and Tidy!
|DoubleSlap +
|Minccino—Neat and Tidy!
|Hyper Voice +
|Minccino—Neat and Tidy!
|Minccino—Neat and Tidy!
|Swift +
|Enter Elesa, Electrifying Gym Leader!
|Thunderbolt +
|Crisis at Chargestone Cave!
|+ indicates this Pokémon used this move recently.*
- indicates this Pokémon normally can't use this move.
Gallery EditEdit
[2]Minccino using Thunderbolt. Add a photo to this gallery==Episode AppearancesEdit==
Trivia EditEdit
- Minccino's gender was confirmed to be male, as her Attract affected Ash's Snivy (who is a female).
- Minccino is the first (and only) onscreen capture seen from Bianca.


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NWSB Insider and Washington Huskies' blogger Chris Hall previews the 2013 defense for the Washington Huskies. Players making the cut are Will Shamburger, Sean Parker, Gregory Ducre, Travell Dixon, Travis Feeney, Shaq Thompson, John Timu, Josh Shirley, Andrew Hudson, Danny Shelton and Connor Cree. Much is still up in the air, but things look promising for Washington on both sides of the ball.
Washington Huskies' 2013 defensive starters
May 22, 2013 By


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The lavish Carnival banquets already are under way at Antoine's Restaurant, the parading clubs are finalizing their ornate processions and the reviewing stands are in place along St. Charles Avenue. Everything, in other words, looks to be ready for the annual Mardi Gras celebrations beginning here next week.
But a deep unease has settled over the Big Easy with the approach of the first Mardi Gras since Hurricane Katrina and the disturbing juxtapositions that are certain to result. Floats soon will move down boulevards that just five months ago were under water. Drunken revelers will careen across the same sidewalks where ailing and elderly storm victims dropped dead in the late-summer heat.
And only a few blocks from the colorful tourist havens in the French Quarter, the Garden District and downtown, endless brown vistas of flood-ruined houses still stretch as far as the eye can see.
New Orleans boosters are determined to put on a party this year to celebrate the 150th anniversary of a festival that is unlike anything else in the nation. They hope to tell the world that the Aug. 29 hurricane knocked them down, but not out; that the city is ready to welcome back the tourists who supply the local economy's lifeblood; and that, despite the fact that two-thirds of New Orleans' residents remain exiled from their ruined homes, this city still knows how to have a good time.
It's a message of particular urgency for Antoine's, one of the city's oldest and most famous culinary landmarks, whose dining rooms are filled with Mardi Gras memorabilia and whose owners are counting on a successful Carnival to defibrillate their stuttering business. Like nearly every other restaurant, bar, antique store and boutique in the French Quarter, Antoine's is open, but hemorrhaging cash.
Their brave front aside, however, the city's tourism leaders acknowledge that the signals from this year's Mardi Gras will be decidedly mixed. They worry that TV images of elaborate parades and raucous Bourbon Street parties, beginning Feb. 18 and culminating on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28, could undermine the city's plea to the nation, and especially Washington, that New Orleans still needs billions of dollars to rebuild.
"The message that it sends to the rest of the world unfortunately is that, `Oh, they just want to have a party,'" said Jeff Anding, director of convention marketing for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. "The reality is that it's a psychological shot in the arm for locals who are here, and a test to demonstrate to the world that yes, we can still handle mass events."
Nevertheless, local health officials are unsure how they will handle an influx of tens of thousands of visitors when the city has only two functioning hospitals, with a total of just 400 beds, and a temporary clinic at the convention center. There is concern over how city workers will manage to remove the hundreds of tons of trash typically left behind by Mardi Gras crowds at a time when many neighborhoods still groan beneath millions of cubic yards of storm debris piled along the streets.
And some African-American leaders, whose communities were among the hardest hit when the hurricane destroyed most of New Orleans' predominantly black neighborhoods, fear that Mardi Gras celebrations led by white elites will only deepen racial tensions in this starkly segregated city.
"Eighty percent of those whose homes were destroyed were African-American, while 80 percent of the people who are going to do Mardi Gras are white," said Ernest Johnson, president of the Louisiana state branch of the NAACP. "You have black folks who are still out of the city and can't come back to their homes, and you have white people who want to have a party. You have to draw the conclusion that this is a racial divide."
Even the members of Zulu, the historically black social club whose Mardi Gras parades attract some of the biggest crowds, are awkwardly divided over whether to participate in this year's festival.
The club's leaders are vowing to parade and insist they have a mandate from their members, half of whom lost their homes when New Orleans flooded.
"We were severely impacted by Katrina," Zulu President Charles Hamilton declared at a news conference last month marking the opening of the Mardi Gras season. "But to the man, we feel that Zulu must parade in 2006. We must take the lead in bringing our people back. This will be very important to show the world that we're here."
That sentiment is not unanimous. Lawyer David Belfield, an evacuee living temporarily in Atlanta and the "king" of the Zulu parade in 1994, thinks a Mardi Gras celebration will be unseemly at a time when so many displaced black residents cannot afford to return to the city and rebuild their homes. With the support of some other Zulu members, he is challenging the legality of the club meeting where the decision to parade was made and is seeking a restraining order to stop the procession.
"There is a time to parade and have fun. But my argument is we parade and have fun after we take care of the business, which is giving people a reasonable opportunity to return to their homes and start the process of rebuilding," said Belfield. "It's wrong for you to tell me to come home and party at Mardi Gras when I can't even go back to my house or my job."
Still, Belfield, Johnson and other black leaders opposed to this year's Mardi Gras remain a distinct minority.
"We have people that are still out there questioning whether we should still have Mardi Gras this season," New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin said at the Mardi Gras news conference. "Well, guess what? Today we officially announce the beginning of the Mardi Gras season. So we are moving forward."
Restaurant, city struggle on
Katrina nearly killed Antoine's. The storm blew out a wall of the 166-year-old haute cuisine icon, forced most of the 131 employees from their homes and compelled the two families that have run the restaurant since its founding to close their doors for four months.
Ever since Antoine's managed to reopen in late December, with a skeleton crew and only a third of its normal capacity of more than 1,000 diners, the restaurant has struggled most nights to fill even half its tables. Reservations, which used to be required for entry, have been replaced by waiters standing on the sidewalk beckoning passersby to come in--jackets and ties no longer required.
"The idea of New Orleans being a destination city is a huge part of our business, maybe as high as 80 percent," said Rick Blount, Antoine's chief executive officer and a great-great-grandson of the founder, Antoine Alciatore. The other 20 percent came from loyal local customers, whose ritual Mardi Gras banquets and standing reservations, passed down in their wills, used to sustain the restaurant when the tourist season ebbed.
"I don't have the bottom line yet for January, but my gut feeling is that it doesn't look so good," Blount said. "Every single thing that touches our operation has increased in cost by significant amounts--food, fuel, labor. And the whole start-up cost will skew everything to the bad side."
Still, Blount is sanguine. Just being open and ready to receive customers, at a time when more than two-thirds of the city's restaurants remain closed as a result of the hurricane, is a mark of success, he said.
"I'm very optimistic that we are making the right moves," Blount said, "and that we are doing, as a city and as a business, what we should be doing to get out of this natural disaster."
The rest of America may know Mardi Gras as a "girls gone wild"-style bacchanal featuring overserved crowds and general debauchery spilling out of the narrow streets of the historic French Quarter.
But for Antoine's, and for New Orleans, Mardi Gras is like the Super Bowl, the World Series and the Olympics, with a few national political conventions thrown in. In a normal year, the two-week celebration kick-starts a $5.5 billion local tourism industry, fills the city's 38,000 hotel rooms and helps guarantee full employment for more than 80,000 hospitality industry workers throughout the rest of the year.
Every day without tourism costs the city's economy an estimated $15.2 million in lost revenues, tourism industry officials say. That's why they desperately want to displace the images of New Orleans lodged in the national consciousness in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: the flooded neighborhoods, the terrified victims stranded on rooftops, the tiny children clinging to exhausted mothers outside the Superdome and the convention center, waiting for days to be rescued.
"So many people think the entire city is devastated and still under water," said Sandra Shilstone, chief executive of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. "They do not realize the old city--the places that visitors loved--has been spared and rebounded much quicker. This is the authentic part of New Orleans, the historic 18th and 19th Century buildings."
Tourism officials know that beyond the high-ground areas most familiar to tourists, 80 percent of the city's land area was flooded, resulting in the ruin of more than 110,000 homes.
"But you know what?" said Anding of the convention and visitors bureau. "That's a part of the city that you never would have gone to before the hurricane anyway."
Carnival's 2 faces reflect city's divide
There are really two Mardi Gras celebrations every year, although most visitors to New Orleans never perceive it.
The public Mardi Gras, with its parades, floats, high school bands and costumed "krewes," or parading clubs, tossing beads and trinkets to frenzied crowds, is the Mardi Gras recognized around the world and heavily promoted by the tourism industry. It is an all-inclusive festival featuring dozens of multicultural krewes celebrating everything from gay pride to doctors to Elvis to dogs.
But there is another, private Mardi Gras that is the province of New Orleans' white upper classes--a season of exclusive dinners, masked balls and debutante cotillions to which outsiders are not invited.
This Mardi Gras, presided over by half a dozen old-line krewes with names such as Proteus, Comus and Momus drawn from Greek mythology, has its roots in white supremacy, the Confederacy and resistance to post-Civil War Reconstruction. And it is part of the reason that some local black leaders perceive racial friction in an event that, to the rest of the nation, just looks like a giant party.
"Zulu is being used by the white krewes," asserted Belfield, the lawyer who opposes his own black krewe's decision to participate in Mardi Gras this year. "They decided they wanted to have this Mardi Gras, and they said they wanted Zulu to participate because it wouldn't look like a real Mardi Gras without them."
Zulu was incorporated in 1916 as a protest against the racism of the old white krewes; its members still parade in exaggerated blackface and grass skirts to mock the stereotyped ways blacks were depicted in minstrel shows. Though still predominantly black, Zulu's 500 members represent a cross-section of modern New Orleans, and the group's parades and public parties have long since overtaken the old-line krewes in popularity. Zulu now symbolizes Mardi Gras for many locals and visitors alike.
Most of the secretive old krewes, though, still cling to their exclusive ways. Some do not admit blacks or Jews or anyone whose wealth might have been earned rather than inherited, according to local historians and some of the krewe members themselves. When the New Orleans City Council passed an ordinance in 1991 requiring any krewe that wanted to use public streets for its processions to certify that it did not discriminate in its membership, several groups quit parading rather than comply.
"The position of the krewes was that we don't discriminate, but we shouldn't be told as a private organization what we can and cannot do," said Robert Monsted, the leader of Comus, one of the krewes that balked at the desegregation ordinance. "But that was back then and it's old history now. We will not reveal the composition of our membership."
There is a way to glimpse the membership of some of those krewes, however: by visiting Antoine's Restaurant. Four of the oldest krewes--Rex, Proteus, Hermes and the 12th Night Revelers--have special dining rooms dedicated in their honor, filled with Mardi Gras souvenirs, costumes and memorabilia displayed in glass cases. Hundreds of photos line the walls, showing the krewes' members, their honorary "kings" and their debutante daughters--every one of them white.
Those krewes, and several others, also hold their private Mardi Gras banquets at Antoine's, where they are served by cooks, waiters, bartenders and managers who, by virtue of their skin color or their working-class station, could scarcely hope to become members. In New Orleans, social rank is strictly enforced and class lines are kept rigid.
Even though Blount, Antoine's CEO, has New Orleans roots stretching back five generations, "I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks," he said. "My mom explained to us as very young children that there were bluebloods and there were not bluebloods. And we weren't blue. It was well understood by the time I was 10 years old that there were places in life I just could not go."
So while Blount's restaurant is a renowned city landmark central to the traditional Mardi Gras celebrations, he never has been invited to join any of the high-society krewes he serves.
About this series
The struggle of Antoine's Restaurant to rebound from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina mirrors the larger story of New Orleans' fight for revival, and the Tribune is following the French Quarter landmark's progress.
Earlier stories in the series, and additional multimedia material, can be found at chicagotribune.com/antoines


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What a great event, and a huge crowd not just rockers turning out in force but also receiving big support from the general public. I estimated there were several thousands patrons on the day including many families having a great time last Sunday in Brisbane. After all, it was promoted as a family-friendly event.
Redlands Rockabilly Revival was held in the Cleveland Showgrounds after a fairly successful debut last year. The event is sponsored by the City of Redlands comprising of southern bayside suburbs just over half hour drive from Brisbane CBD. The event showcased hotrods & Kustoms Classic cars and there were two football fields of cars on display. There were rides for the kids, food vendors, merchandise stalls, 1950's style hair and make up and a Miss Pin Up competition. Five local Queensland bands took turns to entertain the crowds of which Twang & the Little Billy band are frequent visitors to Victoria. Not all the bands are of course rockabilly bands. There was a 1960's "surf" band (Lovejoy Surf) as well as a country rock/blues band (the Haymakers). Good mix of music for the dancers and non-dancers alike.
I just think it's fantastic that local councils are jumping on board to sponsor local music festivals and in doing so supporting lifestyle events that all including families can enjoy together. In Victoria, we have the Shepparton Council supporting the "Shepparton Shake Down" and other councils supporting festivals of other music genres such as blues and Jazz. Wouldn't it be great to have more Victorian councils supporting rock & roll festivals.


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Weekly Game Balls: Week 7
How 'bout them Cowboys! Huge win for our boys in blue and silver last Sunday.This win might be a sign of things to come.
How can we deny another game ball to him two games in a row? Miles is proving why we got rid of T.O.
Austin has the game breaking speed and excellent route running that the Cowboys have been lacking for a while.
Austin finished the day with 171 yards on only six catches. He scored two touchdowns along the way. The speedster from little known Monmouth University has given the teams of the NFL a reason to take notice.
We should give Jerry Jones some credit for finding 2 diamonds in the rough. Miles and Tony.
This week's defensive/special teams game ball goes to DeMarcus Ware.
The sack flood gates have opened!
The Cowboys sackmaster celebrated his new deal with two sacks and heavy quarterback pressure for the whole game.
Ware also had a forced fumble.
He is a leader on defense and deserved every penny Jerry paid for him.
DeMarcus also finished the day with 2 solo tackles. He is the cornerstone of the new improved defense.
All quarterbacks should be running for their football lives. DeMarcus is here to stay.
Congratulations to Austin and Ware for their great contribution to the victory.
Honorable Mention: Tony Romo, Mike Jenkins


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Golden Globe nominee Stanley Tucci has immersed himself in characters that are deliciously comedic and intensely dramatic, but his latest character is possibly his toughest character to date, as serial killer Mr. Harvey in the critically divided screen adaptation of "The Lovely Bones", directed by Peter Jackson.
An emotionally powerful tale on loss, Tucci's performance has won both critical acclaim and a recent Golden Globe nomination. As the film is about to open in the US in a wider release, the busy actor talked to Paul Fischer in this exclusive interview.
Question: Now I know that you were initially reticent about taking on Harvey in "The Lovely Bones". First of all, what changed your mind and secondly, is it important for you to empathize with a character like this to play him effectively, or to be completely nonjudgmental?
Tucci: I think when you're in it, you have to be non-judgmental, but as soon as you step out of him, you can judge him all you want. You can only judge him as he would judge himself, when you are him. I know that may sound affected, but – you know what I mean. Once you find the guy, you're in it. And it becomes simply about intention. Do you know what I mean? What is it that you need? What is your objective in each scene? And how does that fit into the arc? That's all you do. Then when the scene's over, you drop it and you put it away.
Question: Was it important for you to make sure in discussions with Peter, that you were not going to play a guy who was going to be involved in scenes that were sexually or violently explicit in any way? That the murder sequence was going to be as subtle and as non-explicit as possible?
Tucci: Yes, it was, because in the original – the first draft that I got, there was some stuff in there. I said, "Do we need it? I think it would be better" – and they said, "No, we don't think we do need it. We're just playing around – you know, with the script, trying to figure out what we need and what we don't need." So we were in complete agreement, as far as that. I'm sure Saoirse was too, and I'm sure her parents were. I don't know to what extent they were involved, but I'm assuming and rightly so, because there's absolutely no need for them. Our imaginations are much more powerful, and it becomes much scarier. The suggestion of it. We know what happened, so, it was very crucial to me, not only that that stuff not be in there, but that no sort of moustache-twirling stuff either throughout the film and that there be nothing gratuitous. That it be very kind of straightforward, in a way.
Question: Yet physicality is very important to this character. Now, what did you guys work on to give him a particular physical look that would make him the kind of character he is, without it being necessarily obvious?
Tucci: It was really about making him the most innocuous person he could be. It was about the banality of evil, as described by Hannah Arendt, when referring to Eichmann, whom I also played. [LAUGHTER] – so, to find that, really what that meant – at least in America at that time, to me, was a guy who looked like this. In looking at the portraits and profiles of those serial killers, there were a lot of similarities in the moustaches and the glasses and the thing and I felt that he needed to be as blandly American as possible, which meant fairer skin, lighter eyes, sandy-colored hair. Nothing really stood out. Nothing stands out, really. Even in his dress, it should be as bland as possible.
Question: Now, in doing research on this, apart from researching, I guess, serial killers, was it necessary or irrelevant to research the period? It was just the particular character?
Tucci: Well, yeah. I researched the serial killers of that time. I mean, I did research on a lot of them. But sort of then focused on the images of them during that time.The haircut, and all that.
Question: Did you find doing that research disturbing?
Tucci: Oh, it was horrible. I could only do it for, like, an hour at a time. You know, you'd look at some of the documentary, and then you'd just turn it off, and try to go to one of the books, and you'd never read one of the books before you went to bed. I mean, you'd have to do it during the day. So, it took a while. [LAUGHTER]
Question: What surprised you the most about working with Peter?
Tucci: I think maybe how much he's incredibly bright, as you know, and articulate. But his love of the technology of cinema was the thing that was really fascinating to me and his desire to kind of push it to its limits was really, really interesting. He used that little lipstick camera to see inside the dollhouse and you can get these incredible, very short focal lengths, but you're still shooting on a wide lens. That's how he got those close-ups of my hand – you know, rolling that little charm around, the house on my leg. I mean, it was pretty amazing. It's very haunting.
Question: Did you read the book once you had been cast in this? Is there a huge difference in the literary interpretation of the character, and its cinematic equivalent?
Tucci: I read the book after I was cast, yes but I really focused on Mr. Harvey. I had difficulty reading the family's story line, because it was too painful. I think as described in the book, he's a bigger man, physically bigger, and heavier. I mean, I can't change my height, really, but I ended up just making him, like I said, what I felt he should be. It really was the psychology of him that I took from the book, in a way.
Question: Now when you work with somebody like Jackson, do you take anything away from him as a director, that may follow through with your future work as a filmmaker?
Tucci: Yeah, without question. I mean, Pete and I shoot very differently, obviously. I mean, you know the way I shoot; it's very simple and straightforward. But I think he taught me not to be so afraid, but, so resistant to the technology of film. I think that's what I took away from it.
Question: Your last film as a director, you directed for purely personal reasons. It was a small movie. Do you want your next film to be a return to how you began as a director? Or are you looking at something else completely different to direct now?
Tucci: No, no. I guess the next film will be similar to "Big Night", maybe. But it's a story that I wrote and takes place in present day, and it takes place in Westchester. But it's a multi-character piece. It's not just two people. It's not like a little chamber piece.
Question: How far have you gone?
Tucci: Oh, well. Every day, or every other day, I get an e-mail that says, "We're very close." "The money's almost there." "So-and-so is meeting, and they want to put it" – you go, "Okay, great." You know, "Whatever. Just tell me when it's in the bank." Because it's just so hard now to get money, so my hope is that we're getting closer – this is what I keep hearing – and that it may be summer.
Question: Have you cast it already?
Tucci: Yeah. Pierce Brosnan. Julianne Moore. Patty Clarkson, Maggie Smith, and then we'll go from there.
Question: Couldn't you have cast some people who actually have a CV of movies to their name? Instead of casting all these unknowns?
Tucci: [LAUGHTER] Yeah, I know. It's such a joke. But I mean, I don't know Maggie Smith. But the other three, Patty and Julianne are very close friends, I see them all the time. Pierce committed to this a while ago, and I've met him, and – just the loveliest guy in the world.
Question: What about as an actor? Are you avoiding taking anything else on as an actor, or is there anything else that is coming up?
Tucci: No, no. I'm gonna do this. I stopped working for about a year and a half, because my wife was sick, and then she passed away. But I am going to start a movie in January called "Burlesque", here, which is a really fun movie. Then I'm directing a play on Broadway.
Question: Which one?
Tucci: I'm doing "Lend Me a Tenor", which is a farce that was done about 20 years ago or so on Broadway. Tony Shalhoub is starring in it, and Anthony LaPaglia, and Justin Bartha. I'm very excited about it.
Question: When does it start?
Tucci: I start rehearsal February 8th, and we open on the fourth of April.
Question: Now, they are talking about an Oscar campaign for "The Lovely Bones". Are you kind of prepared to embark on what I guess is the politics of an Oscar campaign?
Tucci: Well, yeah. I mean, we've been on the road a bit, as they say, you know, for a little while now with this and yes, it is interesting what you have to do. I mean, Susan Sarandon told me a funny story. She said when she was nominated for her first Oscar, she said it was the people on her answering service that told her. That's what it used to be like. She said, "There were no campaigns." It was for Atlantic City. She said, "There were no campaigns. There was no nothing. It was nothing. They left a message – the agent left a message saying, "You've been nominated ". That was the way it worked. But I love this movie. I loved doing this, and would I be flattered were there a nomination? Yeah, that would be great.


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27 January 2011
Winter at the Sacre Coeur and Endive, Blue Cheese, Pomegranate Salad
Everyone I know in Paris is tired right now, the have-to-drag-oneself-out-of-bed-in-the-morning kind of tired. Usually this is a February attitude, but it seems to have come a bit early this year. I blame this sort of lagging gloom on the lack of sunlight. A few bright rays on our faces would do all of us a world of good. It's no coincidence that my doctor gives everyone a prescription for vitamin D in the winter, no matter what you go see her for.
But besides vitamin D, what to do for the gray-sky doldrums? The best cure I know for dreariness is to go on a search for beauty. (Tea over at Tea and Cookies puts this into practice regularly in her series Stalking Wonder.) So, I decided if it was going to be gray all winter, then I had better start looking for the beauty in gray skies.
As Dorothy Gale from Kansas says, "if I ever go looking for my heart's desire, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with." So my camera and I set out to find beauty in our own backyard (so to speak - I don't have a back yard, so I'm counting Montmartre).
The Sacre Coeur is probably my favorite monument in Paris. I go by it pretty much every day, and every day it seems different. I swear it changes with the weather. When it's sunny and the sky is blue, it seems to shine out white and proud. These days, it's as sober as the sky, imposing, dark and full of secrets.
I came up the back way and strolled in the park behind the church, which in the summer is full of old people sitting in the shade of the wisteria, young people tanning on the grass, and children playing in the fountain. Today it was deserted. There's something very restful about an empty park, and its sleeping trees. I even found a tiny bit of winter color.
When I was done soaking that in, I followed the sound of a horse drawn carriage to the front of the Sacre Coeur. Really, I'm not kidding. I thought I was hearing things, and when I caught up with it and found it was being driven by a man dressed in bear suit, I thought I was seeing things. I'm sorry I didn't get a picture. The front of the Sacre Coeur is always overrun with tourists, no matter what the season and it was a bit of a shock after the emptiness of the back streets, but there is an amazing view of Paris. Gray, winter-y Paris.
Of course, the other way to combat the winter doldrums is to eat colorful food. You can even pretend its summer and have festive salads, which is what I did when I got home. This endive-pomegranate-blue cheese salad was just perfect for a mood-lifter. I think pomegranate seeds are just perfect for winter salads, not only for their red color and bursting sweet taste, but also because you can pretend you're Persephone thanks to whose love of pomegranate seeds (according to the ancient Greeks), we got into all this winter trouble in the first place!
Ingredients (approx per person):
1 large or 2 small endives
2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 Tbsp blue cheese
2 strips of bacon, fried until crispy (you can leave this out if you're vegetarian, but if you're not, it adds a nice smoky flavor that I highly recommend)
your favorite vinaigrette
Mix it all together in the proportions you like best and enjoy while contemplating the beauty of gray!
9 comments:
- Rosa's Yummy Yums said...
Nice wintery clicks. That salad must taste great!
- 27 January, 2011 16:00
- Adele said...
I think just the fact that you can claim Montmatre as your backyard is a wonderful thing. A bear driving a carriage? Never a dull moment in life.
- 28 January, 2011 00:09
Delicious looking salad Hopie. And I love the gray photos.
- 28 January, 2011 02:40
- Julie said...
Beautiful salad!!! My solution for the cold winter...take a warm vacation! We're headed south soon!
- 28 January, 2011 02:43
- Tea said...
I love all your gorgeous wintery pictures—those muted bits of color amongst the grey is so lovely.
Also, I'm jealous of your backyard!
Not to mention, your salad. Endive is going on my shopping list, pronto.
And thanks for the kind mention. This time of year, we need all the inspiration we can muster up, don't we?
- 28 January, 2011 04:20
- Hopie said...
Rosa - Thank you. You always have such lovely winter photos on your blog - it's inspiring!
Adele - You're so right. I should count my blessings there.
Agrigirl - Thanks!
Julie - Oooh, that is a great solution. I'm jealous. And I want pictures! Where are you headed?
Tea - Indeed, we all need to stick together to improve morale in the winter :-) I always look forward to the beautiful pictures on your blog.
- 28 January, 2011 10:00
- Tony said...
Oooh pretty wintery pictures. I'm so sad that you didn't get a picture of the bear driving the carriage, though.
- 28 January, 2011 18:29
That salad sounds wonderful! Although do you just eat the pomegranate seeds whole? I've never been able to bring myself to do that...
- 28 January, 2011 19:05
- kitchenmorph said...
great mood lifter post Hopie! chk out my latest post to meet a great Indian photographer.
yes, the bear carriage would have looked vintage...but there's always another time and image awaiting you...
- 31 January, 2011 11:03


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Health centers improve the health of the nation and assure access to quality primary health care services at more than 8,100 service delivery sites around the country. Health centers provide comprehensive, high-quality preventive and primary health care to patients regardless of their ability to pay; charges for services are set according to income.
"Supporting the development of new community health centers will help us meet the healthcare needs of millions while supporting local jobs and economic growth in communities nationwide," said Secretary Sebelius.
Community health centers are also an integral source of local employment and economic growth in many underserved and low-income communities. Since the beginning of 2009, health centers across the country have added more than 18,600 new full-time positions in many of the nation's most economically distressed communities. In 2010, they employed more than 131,000 staff and new funds, made available by HHS last week, will help create thousands more jobs nationwide.
Today's awards fund several community-based entities seeking to provide a more comprehensive range of primary health care services and/or expand their services to the larger community. These include seven organizations traditionally focused on Tribal/Urban Indian health, five targeting mental health services, four geared toward HIV/AIDS services, three focused on faith-based initiatives, and one senior center. The funding announced today will help these organizations plan for the development of a comprehensive primary care health center, so that they can provide care for some of the nation's most vulnerable populations and potentially create more high-quality jobs in the future for their communities.
"The Health Center Planning Grants help organizations plan to become health centers," said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. "These awards demonstrate HRSA's commitment to expanding access to quality preventive and primary health care in high need areas across the country."
Eligible applicants included public or nonprofit private entities, including tribal, faith-based and community-based organizations. Current Health Center Program grantees were not eligible.
To see Health Center Planning Grants, listed by organization and state, visit: http://www.hrsa.gov/about/news/2011tables/1108healthcenterplanning.html
To learn more about the Affordable Care Act, visit www.healthcare.gov.
To learn more about HRSA's Community Health Center Program, visit http://bphc.hrsa.gov/about/index.html.
To find a health center in your area, visit http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.
The Health Resources and Services Administration is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA is the primary Federal agency responsible for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. For more information about HRSA and its programs, visit www.hrsa.gov.


text:
Before we start our research project we need to understand Bloom's taxonomy. And although many teachers know that bloom's taxonomy is on a level of building up from one level to another.
Various researchers have summarized how to use Bloom's Taxonomy. Following are four interpretations that you can use as guides in helping to write objectives using Bloom's Taxonomy.
Bloom's Taxonomy divides the way people learn into three domains. One of these is the cognitive domain, which emphasizes intellectual outcomes. This domain is further divided into categories or levels. The key words used and the type of questions asked may aid in the establishment and encouragement of critical thinking, especially in the higher levels.
Level Attributes
1: Knowledge
Exhibits previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers.
who, what, why, when, omit, where, which, choose, find, how, define, label, show, spell, list, match, name, relate, tell, recall, select
What is ...? How is ...? Where is ...? When did _______ happen? How did ______ happen? How would you explain ...? Why did ...? How would you describe ...? When did ...? Can you recall ...? How would you show ...? Can you select ...? Who were the main ...? Can you list three ...? Which one ...? Who was ...?
2: Comprehension
Demonstrating understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions and stating main ideas.
compare, contrast, demonstrate, interpret, explain, extend, illustrate, infer, outline, relate, rephrase, translate, summarize, show, classify
How would you classify the type of ...? How would you compare ...? contrast ...? Will you state or interpret in your own words ...? How would you rephrase the meaning ...? What facts or ideas show ...? What is the main idea of ...? Which statements support ...? Can you explain what is happening . . . what is meant . . .? What can you say about ...? Which is the best answer ...? How would you summarize ...?
3: Application
Solving problems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.
apply, build, choose, construct, develop, interview, make use of, organize, experiment with, plan, select, solve, utilize, model, identify
How would you use ...? What examples can you find to ...? How would you solve _______ using what you have learned ...? How would you organize _______ to show ...? How would you show your understanding of ...? What approach would you use to ...? How would you apply what you learned to develop ...? What other way would you plan to ...? What would result if ...? Can you make use of the facts to ...? What elements would you choose to change ...? What facts would you select to show ...? What questions would you ask in an interview with ...?
4: Analysis
Examining and breaking information into parts by identifying motives or causes; making inferences and finding evidence to support generalizations.
analyze, categorize, classify, compare, contrast, discover, dissect, divide, examine, inspect, simplify, survey, take part in, test for, distinguish, list, distinction, theme, relationships, function, motive, inference, assumption, conclusion
What are the parts or features of ...? How is _______ related to ...? Why do you think ...? What is the theme ...? What motive is there ...? Can you list the parts ...? What inference can you make ...? What conclusions can you draw ...? How would you classify ...? How would you categorize ...? Can you identify the difference parts ...? What evidence can you find ...? What is the relationship between ...? Can you make a distinction between ...? What is the function of ...? What ideas justify ...?
5: Synthesis
Compiling information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.
build, choose, combine, compile, compose, construct, create, design, develop, estimate, formulate, imagine, invent, make up, originate, plan, predict, propose, solve, solution, suppose, discuss, modify, change, original, improve, adapt, minimize, maximize, delete, theorize, elaborate, test, improve, happen, change
What changes would you make to solve ...? How would you improve ...? What would happen if ...? Can you elaborate on the reason ...? Can you propose an alternative ...? Can you invent ...? How would you adapt ________ to create a different ...? How could you change (modify) the plot (plan) ...? What could be done to minimize (maximize) ...? What way would you design ...? What could be combined to improve (change) ...? Suppose you could _______ what would you do ...? How would you test ...? Can you formulate a theory for ...? Can you predict the outcome if ...? How would you estimate the results for ...? What facts can you compile ...? Can you construct a model that would change ...? Can you think of an original way for the ...?
6: Evaluation
Presenting and defending opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria.
award, choose, conclude, criticize, decide, defend, determine, dispute, evaluate, judge, justify, measure, compare, mark, rate, recommend, rule on, select, agree, interpret, explain, appraise, prioritize, opinion, ,support, importance, criteria, prove, disprove, assess, influence, perceive, value, estimate, influence, deduct
Do you agree with the actions ...? with the outcomes ...? What is your opinion of ...? How would you prove ...? disprove ...? Can you assess the value or importance of ...? Would it be better if ...? Why did they (the character) choose ...? What would you recommend ...? How would you rate the ...? What would you cite to defend the actions ...? How would you evaluate ...? How could you determine ...? What choice would you have made ...? What would you select ...? How would you prioritize ...? What judgment would you make about ...? Based on what you know, how would you explain ...? What information would you use to support the view ...? How would you justify ...? What data was used to make the conclusion ...? Why was it better that ...? How would you prioritize the facts ...? How would you compare the ideas ...? people ...?
Bloom's Ranking of Thinking Skills
List, Name, Identify, Show, Define, Recognize, Recall, State, Visualize
Summarize, Explain, Interpret, Describe, Compare, Paraphrase, Differentiate, Demonstrate, Classify
Solve, Illustrate, Calculate, Use, Interpret, Relate, Manipulate, Apply, Modify
Analyze, Organize, Deduce, Contrast, Compare, Distinguish, Discuss, Plan, Devise
Design, Hypothesize, Support, Schematize, Write, Report, Justify
Evaluate, Choose, Estimate, Judge, Defend, Criticize
From: http://www.stedwards.edu/cte/bwheel.htm
Task Oriented Question Construction Wheel Based on Bloom's Taxonomy
The idea is to use some of these tasks to go from one level to another. Using this technique will slowly develop the student's level of growth.
According to Benjamin Bloom, and his colleagues, there are six levels of cognition:
1. Knowledge: rote memorization, recognition, or recall of facts
2. Comprehension: understanding what the facts mean
3. Application: correct use of the facts, rules, or ideas
4. Analysis: breaking down information into component parts
5. Synthesis: combination of facts, ideas, or information to make a new whole
6. Evaluation: judging or forming an opinion about the information or situation
Ideally, each of these levels should be covered in each course and, thus, at least one objective should be written for each level. Depending on the nature of the course, a few of these levels may need to be given more emphasis than the others.
Below are examples of objectives written for each level of Bloom's Taxonomy and activities and assessment tools based on those objectives. Common key verbs used in drafting objectives are also listed for each level.
Level Attributes
Example Objective
Example Activity
Example Assessment
1: Knowledge
Rote memorization, recognition, or recall of facts.
list, recite, define, name, match, quote, recall, identify, label, recognize
"By the end of this course, the student will be able to recite Newton's three laws of motion."
Have students group up and perform simple experiments to the class showing how one of the laws of motion works.
Use the following question on an exam or homework. "Recite Newton's three laws of motion."
2: Comprehension
Understanding what the facts mean.
describe, explain, paraphrase, restate, give original examples of, summarize, interpret, discuss
"By the end of this course, the student will be able to explain Newton's three laws of motion in his/her own words."
Group students into pairs and have each pair think of words that describe motion. After a few minutes, ask pairs to volunteer some of their descriptions and write these descriptions on the board.
Assign the students to write a simple essay that explains what Newton's laws of motion mean in his/her own words.
3: Application
Correct use of the facts, rules, or ideas.
calculate, predict, apply, solve, illustrate, use, demonstrate, determine, model
"By the end of this course, the student will be able to calculate the kinetic energy of a projectile."
After presenting the kinetic energy equation in class, have the students pair off for just a few minutes and practice using it so that they feel comfortable with it before being assessed.
On a test, define a projectile and ask the students to "Calculate the kinetic energy of the projectile."
4: Analysis
Breaking down information into component parts.
classify, outline, break down, categorize, analyze, diagram, illustrate
"By the end of this course, the student will be able to differentiate between potential and kinetic energy."
Present the students with different situations involving energy and ask the students to categorize the energy as either kinetic or potential then have them explain in detail why they categorized it the way they did, thus breaking down what exactly makes up kinetic and potential energy.
Give the students an assignment that asks them outline the basic principles of kinetic and potential energy. Ask them to point out the differences between the two as well as how they are related.
5: Synthesis
Combining parts to make a new whole.
design, formulate, build, invent, create, compose, generate, derive, modify, develop
By the end of this section of the course, the student will be able to design an original homework problem dealing with the principle of conservation of energy."
Tie each lecture or discussion to the previous lectures or discussions before it, thus helping the students assemble all the discreet classroom sessions into a unified topic or theory.
Give the students a project in which they must design an original homework problem dealing with the principle of conservation of energy.
6: Evaluation
Judging the value or worth of information or ideas.
choose, support, relate, determine, defend, judge, grade, compare, contrast, argue, justify, support, convince, select, evaluate
"By the end of the course, the student will be able to determine whether using conservation of energy or conservation of momentum would be more appropriate forsolving a dynamics problem."
Have different groups of students solve the same problem using different methods, then have each group present the pros and cons of the method they chose.
On a test, describe a dynamic system and ask the students which method they would use to solve the problem and why.
For those of you that are thinking I can't do this in my subject, like Math, here is a blog that begs to differ. It's called "Long Tails of Interest" and it uses Blooms Taxonomy for math. An interesting find.
But we digress. This is the old selection of Bloom's Taxonomy, and although excellent, we need to compare to the new Digital Taxonomy. See below:
But to see this clearly, with the Web 2.0 tools I am looking at see below.
So many to choose from, so little time.
Wish me luck.