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Aldi Created Chocolate Wine Just In Time for Valentine's Day
Name a more iconic pairing. We'll wait.
New Science Says Chocolate Fights a Cough Better Than an Rx Medication
Chocolate really does solve all problems.
These Chocolate Bars Literally Have Avocado Toast In Them
But do you even want to?
These Chocolate Avocado Protein Cookies Will Be Your New Favorite Snack
Whatever, chocolate sampler.
Nutella Added More Sugar to Its Recipe and People Aren't Having It
The consensus: It's just not the same.
These Red Wine–Chocolate Cookies Are a Girls' Night Dream Come True
Invite your friends.
This Healthy Single-Serve Brownie Recipe Is the Ultimate After-Work Treat
The slightly more sophisticated cousin of those microwave mug cakes you've grown to love .
Is Chocolate Good for Your Brain?
We're about to make your day...
This Fruit Butter Has All the Taste of Chocolate But Fewer Calories
All the taste of chocolate, but fewer calories. Win-win.
The Newest Party Drug Is... Cacao?
Coco Loko is a new "snortable" chocolate powder marketed as an alternative way to get buzzed
Best News Ever: Dark Chocolate Could Give You An Edge At the Gym
Best. News. Ever.
Chocolate Smoothie Recipes You Won't Believe Are Healthy
These 10 chocolate smoothie recipes are the perfect excuse to enjoy the sweet stuff any time
Scientists Introduce an Anti-Aging Chocolate Bar
Forget wrinkle creams: your secret to younger looking skin may be in a candy bar according to scientists in the UK.
11 Heavenly Hot Chocolate Recipes
With recipes that range from healthy to plain delicious, enjoy a cup of cocoa to stay warm this winter.
10 Seductive Dinner Recipes Featuring Aphrodisiac Foods
Skip crowded restaurants this V-Day and prepare these libido-boosting dishes to get you and your date in the mood.
Healthy Candy Is a Thing, and Chrissy Teigen Loves It
Swap your favorite chocolate bar for these delicious candies that contain no artificial ingredients.
Eat Chocolate at Every Meal with 6 Healthy Recipes
Get your chocolate fix for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with these decadent low-calorie dishes. (And save room for dessert!)
The World Is Running Out of Chocolate!
By 2020, our cravings could go unsatisfied, finds a new report.
Chocolate Tastes Better When You Eat It Together
A feel-good study of the day.
Craving Chocolate Pudding? Eat This Fruit Instead!
If you wish there were such a thing as healthy chocolate, this exotic fruit may make your dreams come true.
A Creamy Chocolate Avocado Pudding Recipe
Indulge in this sweet and easy-to-make dessert with all natural ingredients.
Health Benefits of Red Wine, Dark Chocolate Questioned
Despite a new study saying the amount of resveratrol from your diet isn't beneficial, there are reasons to keep drinking and eating.
Almond Butter Cups That Are Better Than Reese's
Ditch all those nasty ingredients you can't pronounce and make these better-for-you vegan almond butter cups from Alicia Silverstone's cookbook, The Kind Diet.
Make Mini Chocolate Cakes with Peanut Butter Drizzle
This moist chocolate cake drizzled in peanut butter sauce is just the thing to end—and at the same time start—an intimate evening.
White Chocolate Godiva Cheesecake Bites
These white chocolate cheesecake bites are just the thing when you want to end dinner with a little something sweet.


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Printing Glass Vase
Trial Order: Available
MOQ: 500 Pieces
Glass Type: Printing Glass
Payment Terms: L/C, T/T, PayPal, Western Union
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Product Details
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Printing Glass Vase
Customized Sizes
Place Of Origin
Hebei, Shandong
Delivery Port
Tianjin, Qingdao
Product Features
The vase's contoured silhouette and colorful palette will capture the light to add dimension and inspiration to any decor or space; It doesn't need flowers to be appreciated; Looks just as beautiful on its own as it does filled with greens, branches or botanicals.
Product Application
Widely use as glass vase
Our Factory
We are manufacturer for Printing Glass Vase. We have professional workers with enough experience. We also have testing personnel to check samples and goods before delivery. Welcome to visit our factory at any time.
Packaging & Shipping
1. Standard exporting wooden package.
2. Original package or neutral package.
3. Paper or plastic film between two sheets.
4. Various modes of transportation.
5. Usually deliver goods in 20-30 days after payment or delivery time depends on order amount.
Q1: Are you trading company or manufacturer?
A: We are trading company.
Q2: How long is your delivery time?
A: Generally it is 10-15 days if the goods are in stock or it is 20-30 days if the goods are not in stock, it is according to quantity.
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A: Yes, we could make product according to your technical drawings or samples, we are professional in glass industry for many years.
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A: Payment<=2000USD, 100% in advance. Payment>=2000USD, 50% T/T in advance, balance before shipment.
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A: We usually quote within 24 hours after we confirm your inquiry. If you are very urgent to get the price list, please contact us so that we will reply to you A.S.A.P.
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Horsetail Fall also known as Firefall. This photo was taken before sunset in a brief opening of the clouds during a storm.
Cathedral Peak
Winter foggy morning view from Tunnel View.
View of Yosemite Valley floor in Winter.
Yosemite with Storm.
View of Yosemite Valley from the Tunnel View in Spring. This view in Yosemite National Park can look very different, depending on the direction of the light and on the clouds, which is true for landscape photography in general, but I find those two factors particularly relevant here. When I first arrived, the sun was behind me and there were no clouds, so I just didn't feel it was interesting enough, but about an hour later when this clouds moved in, the whole scene changed completely.
El Capitan.
Yosemite National Park. Photographing Yosemite Valley in the early morning was very exciting, that is, after getting out of my sleeping bag with freezing temperatures and putting on all my warm clothes!
I went to this location where I knew the light at sunrise could be special in early Spring. Since it was cloudy, I stood there hoping for some direct sun light to get through and as I was getting ready to leave, it happened! Very often, being patient can be very rewarding.
Winter Evening
Yosemite Falls and the Merced River on a cold winter evening.
River View
View of El Capitan and the Merced River as seen from the valley floor on a Winter morning.
Half Dome
View of Half Dome from valley floor on a Winter afternoon.
Yosemite Valley Morning With Fog
View of Yosemite Valley from the Tunnel View on a Winter morning showing El Capitan, Half Dome, the Three Sisters and Bridalveil Falls.
Winter Colors
View of Yosemite Falls from the valley floor on a cloudy Winter morning.
Granite and Clouds
El Capitan With Clouds
View of El Capitan from the valley floor on a Winter day.
Winter Foggy Night in Yosemite Valley
View of Yosemite Valley on a Winter night with low clouds .
Grand Canyon with Showers At Sunset
View of the Grand Canyon from Cape Royal, on the North Rim. Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon North Rim
View from Point Imperial in the North Rim at sunset. Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon Storm at Sunset
Sunset view of the Grand Canyon near Cape Royal on the North Rim. Grand Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon Morning
Morning view of Bryce Canyon from Inspiration Point. Bryce Canyon National Park
Close view of Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park from Inspiration Point
The Watchman and The Virgin River.
View of the Watchman and The Virgin River at Zion National Park in the evening in September.
yosemitenational parkel capitanwintersnowcloudsvalleyyosemite in januraryyosemite 2017


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steelmaiden needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 196 designs submitted by 51 freelance designers.
Znanost.com is a Croatian website featuring daily news from popular science categories.
It is a Crotian version of popular-science portals like sciencedaily.com, newscientist.com, scientificamerican.com and so on.
ZNANOST.COM translated to english would mean SCIENCE.COM
Returning and new visitors interested in popular science news.
The logo should perfectly fit into the current web desing of http://www.znanost.com website.
The colors and style should match.
I like the current logo but i want the new one because the logo needs to be recognizable and brandable. The logo will be used later on promotional materials like banners, brochuers, and so on..
ZNANOST.COM translated to english would mean SCIENCE.COM
The logo doesnt need to be something complicated, it can be simple although i am open to all suggestions.The most important thing is that it fits into the current website perfectly so try testing it with the website.
Thank you and good luck!
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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| NWA 7499 Brachinite Meteorite For Sale
The NWA 7499 meteorite was purchased in Morocco as nine matching stones in August 2012. NWA 7499 is a Brachinite meteorite and a member of one of the rarest meteorite groups.
Brachinites have a small amount of meteoric iron in the case of NWA 7499 that metal is mostly oxidized, but there are some metal grains to be found upon inspection with a hand lens.
The slices we are offering here are very highly polished on one side and are beautiful examples of this rare type of meteorite.
Copyright © 1996–2019 The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Meteorite Exchange Inc., 1121 West Valley Blvd, Ste. I #165, Tehachapi CA 93561
Users online: 408 anonymous customer(s)


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Horvat and Shinkaruk will be two of the key prospects to watch this weekend in Penticton.
Image via Sportsnet.
The annual Young Stars Tournament starts today in sunny Penticton, BC, and it features the prospects and young pros of the Oilers, Flames, Jets, Canucks, and Sharks. It's a chance for teams to hold a competitive rookie camp, and a chance for us to see the quality of players and developmental systems we often wait years to evaluate.
So, of course, the Nations Network will be there! We'll be bringing you player and game reports, news and analysis, and all the pictures of me in sport coats you can handle.
Have a favourite prospect you'd like us to keep an eye on? You can let us know in the comments or through twitter. Jets Nation pulled the lucky straw to attend this year, so you can follow along and chat with us on twitter here:
- Jets Nation: @nhljetsnation
- Kevin McCartney: @kevinmccart
- Brett Martin: @brettmartinlive
You can also stream the games free through the NHL.com team sites. Below is the tournament schedule as well as a teaser and links for each team's roster.
- Sept 5, 4pm: Edmonton vs Calgary
- Sept 5, 7:30pm: Vancouver vs San Jose
- Sept 6, 4pm: Winnipeg vs San Jose
- Sept 6, 7:30pm: Vancouver vs Calgary
- Sept 7, 5pm: Alumni Game
- Sept 7, 7:30pm: Edmonton vs Winnipeg
- Sept 8, 2pm: Vancouver vs Edmonton
- Sept 8, 5:30pm: San Jose vs Calgary
- Sept 9, 11:30am: Winnipeg vs Vancouver
(All times in the Pacific time zone)
Calgary is showcasing its next generation squad at the tourney, including three 1st round picks from 2013 and the NHL-bound Sven Baertschi. Plus, we'll get to see the Giant on Ice Keegan Kanzig. Markus Granlund, Max Reinhart, and Tyler Wotherspoon round out the top-end of maybe the best prospect team Calgary has sent to this tournament. Check out the full roster here.
You might have heard that the Oilers have some young talent already playing in the NHL. The pipeline isn't dry just yet, with NHL-hopeful Oscar Klefbom, 1st round selection Darnell Nurse, David Musil, and the Slovak Martins (Marincin and Gernat) all on the back end for this tournament. The team is decidedly bruising, however, with Abney, Ewanyk, Kessey, and Moroz among the forward group. You can look at their roster here. (And don't think I haven't trademarked David Musil and the Slovak Martins as a band name already.)
Vancouver is bringing a massive roster, with 28 skaters all set for game action. Quantity comes with quality, in this case. Frank Corrado and Jordan Subban star on the blue line, while Brendan Gaunce, Niklas Jensen, Bo Horvat, and Hunter Shinkaruk feature among the forwards. The Canucks are looking for depth and scoring support at the NHL level, and this year's team will showcase the most likely candidates to fill those needs. Full roster.
The Jets appear to have had an outstanding 2013 draft, but the Young Stars tournament will our first chance to see the quality relative to other NHL prospects. All three of the Jets' 1st rounders will be on the squad. Mark Scheifele, Jacob Trouba, and Josh Morrissey have all had summers of high-praise and will be the stars of a rebuilding prospect system. Adam Lowry won WHL player of the year last year, and Brenden Kichton won WHL Defenceman of the year. A pair of second round, under-sized picks in Nic Petan and Eric Comrie join fan-favourite JC Lipon in rounding out a squad with a lot of hope. Full roster.
The Sharks sent a small team of just 22 skaters led by 2013 1st rounder Mirco Mueller and 2012 1st rounder Tomas Hertl. Former Oiler prospect 6'4" Kyle Bigos will see time against the big-bodied Oiler forwards with something to prove. Should be some fireworks. Have a look at their roster here.


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The Hoi Polloi may not see the differences, but to the experienced eye they glint like spider eyes in torchlight.
The Hoi Polloi may not see the differences, but to the experienced eye they glint like spider eyes in torchlight.
I am the master. Bow before me.
All it took was familiarity with your limited range of cultural touchstones and an understanding of the mechanics of your (ahem) 'thought' processes... then I just had to hook the bait, cast the rod, and wait...
Someone, perhaps not a million miles from you, whose name we dont yet know but whose face is camera-ready, whose conscience is clearing before the fact, is preparing a biography of his mentality in advance of a shooting massacre. He is almost certainly a he, and he is unhappy, and he is already fully armed. He is probably on Zoloft. He is likely to be a virgin with a history of isolation. He may be into hurting animals, or like Death Metal music, and theres a strong chance he will have been said to have Aspergers syndrome or ADHD. The movies he likes will tell a story about him and his displaced sense of self. There may be a girl who snubbed him. If he is older, it may be a boss who snubbed him but its more likely to be the whole of society. He may well be an expert in video games and have inscribed himself on a notional leaderboard, perhaps even taking up a role in life that mirrors a status he sees himself having in the game. He will write poems. He will watch porn. And there will be times when he doesnt sleep for days, just drinking Coke, listening to music on his iPod and dreaming up scenarios based on the songs. He will hate jocks, the sometimes handsome and generally confident boys who snag the girls at school. Those he hates he hates with a vengeance. He might find girls disgusting. He believes he has a system of thought, his own, that education or company philosophy cant get close to, and his feelings of inferiority quickly turn bombastic. He is lonely. And the biggest mistake he makes is to imagine there is nobody like him. Because quite a few are like him and some of them are already writing a long note to posterity.
The step from beta boy to Übermensch seems natural. One minute, Chris Harper-Mercer was bemoaning the fact that no girl liked him, that he was nobody and invisible and without status among his peers. The next minute he was telling a lucky one that he could live while everybody else died. I am God is code for I am nobody. Anders Behring Breivik spent eight years preparing a manifesto of 1500 pages, an encyclopedia of wrongs. 2083: A European Declaration of Independence sets out his hatred of Muslims, Marxists and multiculturalists, building a case for genocide, and reads like its torn from the pages of a novel by Don DeLillo. Breivik emailed it to a thousand people the morning he went out and bombed a government building in Oslo, killing eight, before travelling to a Workers Youth League summer camp on the island of Utøya, where he spent an hour and a half on a shooting spree that killed 69 people. He then surrendered. Breiviks manifesto is so much a part of him that nothing can take him off-course. Afterwards, his only regret was that he didnt kill more people and he feels certain that he will be hailed in the future as a great hero. He sees himself as a knight templar, a hero of the modern crusade, blond, green-eyed, tall, armour-plated, and ready to command legions in their fight to purify the world. For him, technologys great purpose is to make possible a counter-jihad, and the internet, the Wests great contribution to the deepening of the collective soul, will enable this. Optimally, you will send your announcements only seconds before you initiate the operation, he advises.
I feel troubled by the author's adoption of the alpha/beta distinction, as if he's aligning himself with the bullies of the world. Leaves a bad taste.
I think he's talking about them in the terms they see themselves in.
I don't think 'alpha' males are anywhere near as into this 'alpha/beta' stuff as men who perceive themselves as 'beta'.
Actually this piece on trolls is perhaps relevant here too
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see these trolls with their ultra macho anti-women agendas as being athletic bully boys visiting 4chan inbetween visiting the gym and going to frat parties.
Last edited by Corpsey; 10-12-2016 at 09:51 PM.
Yeah that goes without saying (even though I said it).
What I think is interesting is that this beta/alpha stuff is really the obsession of the self-styled 'betas' (as of course it must be, since the alpha males aren't concerned with how to get girls when they're already getting them)
Did luka mention Martin Shkreli earlier? He's not a nerd, he's a fully-fledged capitalist sociopath in the Bateman mould.
Last edited by you; 12-12-2016 at 02:55 PM.


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Giftas. Tolf Aktenskapshistorier, med Interview och Forord
Strindberg, August
AbeBooks Seller Since April 7, 1997Quantity Available: 1
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AbeBooks Seller Since April 7, 1997Quantity Available: 1
About this Item
Bibliographic Details
Title: Giftas. Tolf Aktenskapshistorier, med ...
Publisher: Albert Bonniers Forlag, Stockholm
Publication Date: 1884
Binding: Hard Cover
Book Condition: Good+
Dust Jacket Condition: None Issued
Edition: First Edition (NAP)
Book Type: Rebind
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Items will be accepted for return if they are not as described. We are always very
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Name of business: Friendly Used Books, Inc. (Incorporated). Address: P.O.B. 6386,
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Representatives: Bart & Mary Ann Nyberg.
Orders usually ship within 2 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
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For the first time, scientists have created human embryos that are genetic copies of living people and used them to make stem cells — a feat that paves the way for treating a range of diseases with personalized body tissues but also ignites fears of human cloning.
If replicated in other labs, the methods detailed Wednesday in the journal Cell would allow researchers to fashion human embryonic stem cells that are custom-made for patients with Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and other health problems.
Theoretically capable of reproducing themselves indefinitely, these stem cells could be used to grow replacements for a wide variety of diseased cells — those of the blood, skin, heart, brain, muscles, nerves and more — that would not risk rejection by the patient's immune system.
The report also raises the specter that, with a high-quality donor egg, a bit of skin, some careful tending in a lab and the womb of a willing surrogate, humans have cracked the biological secret to reproducing themselves.


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MySQL Cluster: NoSQL Java API
Themen: MySQL Cluster, Java, NoSQL
Learn how to provide NoSQL Java access to MySQL Cluster via the ClusterJ and ClusterJPA APIs. ClusterJ is a Java interface to the MySQL Cluster that provides either a static or dynamic domain object model, similar to the data model used by JDO, JPA, and Hibernate. A simple API gives users extremely high performance for common operations: insert, delete, update, and query. Using MySQL Cluster, you have a choice of data access patterns: SQL when you want it, NoSQL when performance dominates your design decisions, all backed by an auto-sharded, fault tolerant, globally distributed database engine to support next generation web, enterprise and embedded applications.


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Thursday, 15 July 2010
Sepia Saturday : Week 32
13 comments:
Hello Alan, I hope I have done everything correctly to join in with Sepia Saturday! I have had a lot of fun going through our family's old photos and even found a few surprises along the way.
- 16 July 2010 at 03:46
- tony said...
I'm Early This Week, For A Change!
- 16 July 2010 at 18:59
- Pat transplanted to MN said...
Likely folks are summer busy and on vacations....but I made it here again this week. Right not so many to review but each is enjoyable.
- 16 July 2010 at 23:28
- Paul C said...
I am enjoying your Sepia Saturday invitation and hope to join in several weeks. Most interesting submissions.
- 16 July 2010 at 23:34
- Titania said...
Hi Alan, It is fun to dwell a little in the past and to recall our kin from time to time. It is true if the memes get to big, the individuality to the comments get lost. Anyway here I am again trying to give a glimpse of my family.
- 17 July 2010 at 03:27
Thanks Alan for your fine commentary on how Sepia Saturday can bring up discussions and as one said find photos and surprises in our old photos. I have a great time every week looking up things to write about. I love it.
- 17 July 2010 at 03:29
- Vicki Lane said...
Back after a little hiatus! Looking forward to reading the other posts!
- 17 July 2010 at 05:06
- TICKLEBEAR said...
my sepia saturday is not so sepia this week, but it's old, almost as much as i am... that should give you some clue.
- 17 July 2010 at 05:25
- Crystal Mary said...
Hello Alan, As usual its lovely to be a part of the action in memories of the past.
- 17 July 2010 at 08:08
- Alan Burnett said...
Thanks everyone for your comments. My own Sepia 32 is now up
- 17 July 2010 at 09:20
- Tattered and Lost said...
Again I dig into the mysterious Big Bag of Negs to see what I can find.
- 17 July 2010 at 21:25
- sEAN bENTLEY said...
It's been a busy month what with graduations and such, but glad to get back in the sepia swing with a series of vintage advertisements with personal connections!
- 17 July 2010 at 21:38
- gibknitty said...
I love this idea. Hope to participate more in the future. I linked a post I did from last week, hope that's OK. See you again soon.
- 22 July 2010 at 02:44


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Calling all Bison Nation!
Starting Monday Nov. 18 the Lipscomb Bisons baseball team will begin its 2013 Omaha Challenge and they are inviting YOU to come out and support your team as they compete against one another.
This event will begin with 18 positional players and 15 pitchers. They will all compete against each other in 16 individual events, including the sled pull, tire flip, farmers carry and hang clean max among many others.
There will also be six teams competing in seven events.
Individual scores will be added up for all team members and go toward their team score.
Each team will consist of five players and their scores will be averaged together for the sixth score.
Team events scoring will not be included into the individual scoring.
In the end, this challenge will have two individual winners, a pitcher and a position player.
This event runs through Thursday Nov 21. Each day the competitions will start at 3 p.m. and finish at 5 p.m. The outside events will run rain or shine.
On Monday the event will take place in the Athletic Weight Room. To get there enter Allen Arena on the Purple Level. Walk to the end of the hallway past the athletic offices and enter the triple doors on the right. Walk up one flight of stairs and straight into the weight room.
For the remainder of the week, the events will take place at Dugan field. We want a crowd to show up each day to help push and support our players as they tackle this challenge.
Listed below is the Event Schedule:
Monday: Athletic Weight Room
3 Rep Deadlift Max
Bench & DB Max
Front Squat Max
Hang Clean Max
Towel Hang
Team Tug-a-War
Tuesday: Baseball Field
Push Up Lap
Grip Endurance
Farmers Carry
Slosh Pipe Course
Speed & Agility Course
Sled Pull
Team Seated Sled Pull
Team Gator Push & Carry
Wednesday: Baseball Field
Tire Flip
Multiple Medley Course
Carry Medley
Sled Push
Team Half Poles Tire Flip
Team 1 on 1 Tire Tug-A-War
Team Fireman's Carry Relay
Thursday: Baseball Field
Obstacle course Vs. US Military
Team 60 yard Sprint Relay
You can also follow the action all week on: Lipscombsports.com , Twitter , and Facebook


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Kevin Jansz, Department of Computer Science, University of Sydney, Australia. firstname.lastname@example.com
Christopher Manning, Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney, Australia. firstname.lastname@example.com
Nitin Indurkhya, School of Applied Science, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. firstname.lastname@example.com
Kirrkirr, Java, Information Visualisation, Language Learning, Electronic Dictionaries, XML, XSL, Graph Layout, Warlpiri
While dictionaries on the web and on other electronic media such as CD-ROMs are now commonplace, there has been surprisingly little work to utilise the webs capabilities for hypertext linking and multimedia to provide a richer visualisation of dictionary content. Existing electronic dictionaries still follow design principles more appropriate for paper dictionaries thereby limiting their scope and effectiveness. In this paper, we take a fundamentally different approach, designing an innovative environment that focuses on fully using the capabilities of the web. We describe Kirrkirr, a web-based application for interactive exploration of dictionaries. It currently targets Warlpiri (a Central Australian language). A key feature of our work is that we have converted the existing Warlpiri dictionary into a richly-structured XML version. The flexibility and hierarchical structure of XML is ideally suited for supporting rich but loosely structured content such as dictionaries, while web-based distribution is particularly attractive because dictionary maintenance can be done on a central server, and Java-based clients can access up-to-date dictionary information as needed. Kirrkirr provides a graph-based display of semantic links between words, which provides an engaging interface that can be explored, manipulated and customised interactively by the user (for example, a language learner).
[ Full Paper ] [ Presentation ] [ Proceedings ] [ AusWeb99 Home Page ]


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CRESTVIEW � Richbourg Exceptional Student Education School student Jovontae Griffin squeezed the last bit of icing from a pastry bag and managed to complete Santa's rosy complexion.
CRESTVIEW � Richbourg Exceptional Student Education School student Jovontae Griffin squeezed the last bit of icing from a pastry bag and managed to complete Santa's rosy complexion.
"That was close!" he said with a big grin.
Jovontae and his partner, Shyanne Stuckey, were two of eight students in teacher Shirley Godbold's afternoon culinary arts class who, working in teams of two, made square cakes and decorated them with Christmas motifs.
See an image gallery of Richbourg E.S.E. School culinary arts students decorating Christmas cakes>>
Students followed recipes to mix the batter and icing, bake the cakes, ice them and then decorate them, Godbold said.
"The cakes, the icing, everything's from scratch," Godbold said. "We don't do anything that's out of a box. Everything's from scratch. That way they learn the process."
Her morning and afternoon culinary classes, comprising mostly high school-age students, have produced a wide range of food, including homemade tortillas, pizzas, coffee cakes and muffins.
Overcoming challenges
Students sometimes face a challenge, which Godbold helps them overcome. For example, eighth-grader Jordan Gardner is diabetic, so his cake is sugar-free. To top it off and decorate it, Jordan and Godbold experimented with a cream cheese icing sweetened with saccharine.
Because it was thicker than the butter cream icing that other students used, mixing in the food color took some elbow grease, but Jordan was up to the challenge.
"It's hard to stir but it's getting there," he said as he worked the mixture into a bright green icing for his cake's wreath design.
Richbourg teachers Karen Lusk, Cindy Brunson and Diane Caton, who judged the finished cakes, awarded Alexy Trott and Cierra Leduc first prize for their elf-decorated cake.
Jesse Dobbs placed second for his ornaments design, Haley Stanton and Kaitlyn Potts placed third for their Christmas gifts, and Allysa Whitehead received honorable mention for her wreath with a pink bow.
The culinary students then shared their cakes with other Richbourg students.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes or follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.


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Get DVD Talk Feeds
Despite its all-star cast, shoot-'em-up action, and Hollywood noir trappings, Gangster Squad is a largely forgettable - if entertaining - motion picture. Set in Los Angeles right after World War II, Gangster Squad follows the lawmen who dared to fight organized crime, led by gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn, acting up raging storm), and keep the mob out of L.A. Josh Brolin leads the Gangster Squad as Sgt. John O'Mara and is joined by Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) and officers played by Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña and Robert Patrick. The set design, costumes and old Hollywood look are spot on, and Director Ruben Fleischer, of Zombieland fame, keeps things moving at a brisk, brutal clip. The film's impact is lessened, however, because Gangster Squad is more Sin City than Goodfellas; hollow scenes of glitz and glam with larger-than-life villains and pulp-novel heroes never in danger of sleeping with the fish.
Cohen aims to bring Chicago's organized crime racket to Los Angeles and sets up an empire controlling casinos, whorehouses, and a Western Union-esque wire service. Police Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte) taps O'Mara to lead a team that will hit Cohen's assets and stop him from controlling the streets with violence and intimidation. O'Mara's pregnant wife is skeptical of this high-risk assignment, and picks the other members of the squad herself. Cynical Wooters signs on expecting the Gangster Squad to fail, but Det. Coleman Harris (Mackie) jumps at the chance to stop Cohen from further littering his neighborhood with heroin and junkies. Max Kennard (Patrick) and his Native American partner Navidad (Peña) also join the cause, and Conway Keeler's (Ribisi) wire-tapping expertise puts a bug into Cohen's house. These upstanding men of justice are the characters of classic noir; all tough-guy swagger and boozy breathed vigilance, with bumpy pasts full of violence and love lost. Cohen is more caricature than reality, and Penn's boxing wise guy is similar to the real Cohen in name and spirit only.
Fleischer's direction is slick but steady, impressive considering his previous two films were broad comedies. I'm a sucker for noir, be it actual or an homage, and Gangster Squad cleverly recreates the sweaty, colorful streets of 1949 Los Angeles. Important gun battles are staged in Chinatown and the lobby of the Park Plaza Hotel, and Fleischer's digital photography captures every muzzle blast and explosion in hyper-stylized clarity. The Chinatown scene replaces a theater shootout cut following last summer's Aurora, Ohio, movie massacre, but you'd never know the original scene was replaced. The film's end credits unspool over postcard images of L.A., and Gangster Squad embodies this slightly aggrandized look. The Pacific Ocean is glittering blue, the late-afternoon sun burns blistering orange, and the nightclub lights invite guests in various shades of neon.
Stacking the cast as Fleischer does necessitates big actors in little roles. Emma Stone mostly chews scenery as femme fatale Grace Faraday, a woman owned by Cohen but in love with playboy Wooters. Nolte's gravel and cigarettes voice is the Captain's best asset, but Nolte's presence in the film is hardly substantial. Gangster Squad sticks to the surface for character development - a good imitation of classic noir - and motivations are straightforward. O'Mara wants to matter after the War, Keeler has a wife and kids to support, and the others love Los Angeles enough to risk their lives to defend it from Cohen. Penn certainly overacts here, spitting out gangster virtues and profanity like sunflower seeds at a baseball game. This isn't really a criticism, as Penn lights up the screen in a way not found in most other scenes. Sure, Gangster Squad is fine popcorn entertainment, but considering the talent involved it's disappointing the film is so easily forgotten.
Warner Brothers provides an attractive 2.40:1/1080p/AVC-encoded high-definition transfer for Gangster Squad. Although Warner Brothers uses smaller bitrates than many major studios, this release continues to show that size isn't everything. The digital image is sharp and detailed throughout, and most scenes display incredible depth. The sunbaked streets of Los Angeles are full of perfectly saturated reds and oranges, and the neon blues and greens of Slapsy Maxie's nightclub never bleed. Black levels are strong, and Gangster Squad makes good use of natural light and shadow. A few scenes are purposely dark, but even heavy shadows don't destroy the image's inherent detail. I noticed no issues with compression artifacts and only one instance of minor shimmering.
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master soundtrack is loud and aggressive without overwhelming quieter, dialogue-heavy scenes. The movie features plenty of bang-bang action, and this mix positively rattles the floor. The LFE booms alongside gunfire and explosions, and bullets whiz through the rear speakers. Dialogue is crystal clear, whether directional or from the center channel, and is layered nicely amid effects and score. The whole experience is completely immersive, and those looking for surround effects will find plenty to enjoy here. The disc also includes French, Spanish and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Warner Brothers releases Gangster Squad in its typical "combo pack" form. This two-disc set includes the Blu-ray, a DVD copy of the film and a code to redeem an UltraViolet digital copy. The discs are packed in a Blu-ray eco-case, which is wrapped in a glossy slipcover with artwork that really captures the film's flashy neo-noir vibe. Unlike the fluffy features of many recent WB titles, Gangster Squad packs a host of interesting content:
Flashy, violent imitation noir, Gangster Squad is an entertaining look at the crackdown on organized crime in 1940s Los Angeles. Sean Penn is entertaining as the wildly gesticulating wise guy Mickey Cohen, who wanted to control the City of Angels like a Chicago mob boss. Josh Brolin leads Ryan Gosling, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Peña into battle against Cohen, and Gangster Squad becomes more pulp fiction than gangster lore. Less memorable than it ought to be, Gangster Squad is still worth watching, and the extras-packed Blu-ray is Recommended.
William lives in Burlington, North Carolina, and looks forward to a Friday-afternoon matinee.


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Dez Bryant Out 4-6 Weeks, May Miss All Pre-Season
Update 7:45 PM
The team announced Friday evening that Dez Bryant will miss four to six weeks. Bryant was injured on the second-to-last play of Friday's practice in the Alamodome.
An MRI confirmed the team's fear of a high ankle sprain. Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones had expressed hope that Bryant, who had a spectacular start to training camp, would be out for only a few days or a week, but now they are faced with an injury that could have ripple effects to start the season.
With this injury, the Cowboys' top three picks are all injured. Second-round linebacker Sean Lee has been sidelined since Tuesday with a strained quadriceps, and fourth-round safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, who had shoulder surgery in March, has not been cleared to practice yet.
Original Post 3:00 PM
ESPN Dallas reports:
SAN ANTONIO — Dallas Cowboys rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant, the team's first-round selection, was helped off the field by two athletic trainers after suffering a right ankle injury near the end of the training practice Friday.
Bryant stayed on the Alamodome turf after cornerback Orlando Scandrick broke up a pass on a crossing route. Jon Kitna's pass was thrown slightly behind Bryant, and Scandrick appeared to land on the prized rookie's lower right leg. He was helped off the field, with Bryant keeping weight off it.
Bryant will have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.
Let's hope its not as bad as it sounds. All we can do at this point is wait for the MRI results.


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I believe that Omniture is really happy about Yahoo buying Indextools or as stated on their site "We at Omniture congratulate IndexTools and welcome Yahoo! back to the Web analytics business. Let's be clear though: this move by Yahoo! was done to compete with Google. IndexTools does not compete "toe to toe" with Omniture."
Yahoo it seams is not going to go the Google / MSN way with web analytics, but to provide a fully functional enterprise web analytics tool for clients around the world for free.
What happens to Omniture, Webtrends or any of the guy's selling their tool when a tool like Indextools enters the market and for free.
Read this: Yahoo buys indextools 80% of the functionality of Omniture for free


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The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own.
Paul is now part of the fourth generation in America that is involved in farming and hopes the next generation will be involved also. Through his blog he provides analysis and insight to farmer tax questions.
The IRS recently released Revenue Procedure 2012-41 that outlined all of the inflation adjusted items contained in the tax laws.
There were a couple of provisions related to gift and estate taxes that apply to farmers.
Beginning in 2013, you can now give up to $14,000 any individual(s) during the year and not have to report this on form 709. If you give more than this amount, you are required to file a return, however, in most cases, this gift will still be free from gift taxes. You could give $13,000 in 2012. Although this amount is adjusted for inflation, it does not change until the amount increases by more than $1,000. Therefore, the next increase will be to $15,000 and this will probably take three or more years assuming current inflation rates.
Another estate tax adjustment is in regards to special use valuation. This relates to how much you can reduce your estate value for farmland (or other business real estate). For most farmers that own a fair amount of farmland may qualify for this valuation method. However, as discussed in previous posts, there are many requirements that must be met and you may decide not to use it.
For 2012, the maximum amount you could reduce your estate by was $1,040,000 up from $1,020,000 in 2011. For 2013, this amount has increased to $1,070,000.
With the schedule reduction in the lifetime exclusion to $1 million beginning in 2013 (assuming Congress does not change it), the use of this special method to value farm property may increase dramatically.
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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Justins CavesDiving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay : Justins Caves
The Dive site Justin's Caves is an inshore rocky reef in the north Oudekraal area on the Atantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
The site has spectacular topography and colourful ecology, and is justly one of the more popular shore dives of Cape Town.
Get in
Shore dive. Parking at the side of the road on outside of bend north of the Twelve Apostles Hotel near S33°58.941' E018°21.594'. There is an entry/exit point directly opposite the caves at the bottom of a slope covered with rounded boulders of medium to small size at S33°58.910' E018°21.571'. This gives the most direct route to the caves which are under the group of large granite boulders about 150m offshore. The gully is quite shallow over rounded sandstone boulders and there is a nice flat granite rock at the entry point to put gear on if the tide is low enough. If the tide is very low the kelp can be a bit of an obstacle, particularly in the gully, and the rocks can be slippery. An alternative entry and exit point which is far more protected from the south west swell is at Sandy Cove, about 50m to the north, but if the conditions are too rough at the entry described here, the caves will be very surgey.
The site is not generally done as a boat dive, but if it is, the boat should stay out of the channel between the rocks and the shore, as unmarked divers use this area on the surface and at shallow depth, and there is a dense kelp forest. The ground is generally unsuitable for anchoring, and boats should not be left unattended at anchor.
S33°58.848' E018°21.473' (Shoreward entrance to main cave)
S33°58.85' E018°21.50' (The highest rock in the group)
The southern group of rocks off the point at North Oudekraal
This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2009). A permit is required.
The site name "Justin's Caves" is partly descriptive of the small caves and spacious swimthroughs at the site, but it is not recorded who Justin was. The site has had this name since before 1983.
The bottom is generally from about 8m about to 13m. There is very little sand.
Big granite corestone boulders with several swim-throughs, narrow gaps, walls, overhangs and caves. Hardly any sand bottom visible between rocks. Spectacular in good visibility. There is a large iron anchor thought to be from the wreck of Het Huis te Kraaiestein on the low granite outcrops north of the caves.
Geology Corestone boulders and outcrops of late Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton.
The site is often at it's best during or after south easterly winds, but strong south easterly winds (offshore) can make it difficult to swim back to shore at the surface. It is exposed to south westerly swells, and surge can be strong, particularly in the swimthroughs.
The site is usually at it's best in summer, but there are also occasional opportunities in autumn and early winter.
This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by south easterly winds, resulting inclear cold water, which may develop an algal bloom after a few days, which will reduce the visibility.
Keep a lookout for times when the south west swell is low and short period, and the south easterly winds have just stopped, for a good probability of good diving conditions.
There are no facilities provided. Security is no better than at any other roadside parking in the area.
Stay safe
Cold water, Hot sunshine. Strong surge in gulleys and swim-throughs. Sea urchins. Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time (check the forecast). Dense kelp forests en route for shore dives (can be tiring to swin through at the surface). Rugged and slippery rocky access route.
No special skills required. Reasonable fitness and agility are recommended due to the clamber over slippery rocks at the entry and the moderately long swim out to the site and back. The swimthroughs are reasonably spacious, but are an overhead environment for several metres, and the surge inside may be quite strong. One of the swimthroughs involves a significant change of depth.
A light is recommended for looking into caves and overhangs, and because of the loss of colour at depth. A compass is recommended and the return should be done underwater if the wind picks up during the dive. Do not tow a SMB here unless you have a really good reason, as it will hook on kelp and keep you out of the caves.
Marine life
There is a large and fairly dense kelp forest on the way out and back, which can be a bit of an obstacle on the surface at low tide. The rocks at the caves are covered in the typical reef life of the area, with spectacular growths of sponges, soft and noble corals, sea fans and ascidians in the sheltered areas under overhangs and in the swimthroughs.
A good site for macro photography, and wide angle work if the visibility is good.
Suggested Routes
Swim out on the surface to the highest rock in the group. Dive and follow the high rocks generally south. Go through the swim-through at approximately S33°58.863 E018°21.475 then head north to the main swimthrough at S33°58.848' E018°21.473'. Fom the far side of this swim north again some 40m over fairly flat granite outcrops and see if you can find the anchor at S33°58.825' E018°21.444'. Return to the main group of rocks and spend your remaining time exploring the various gaps and overhangs among the boulders. Return to shore at shallow depth on a compass course of about 150° magnetic to avoid wind and kelp fronds. Exit at same point as entry.
Views of the site from the shore.
View of the site from the entry and exit point which is in the middle foreground of this photo. The caves are under the group of granite boulders in the background. The first swimthrough referred to in Route 1 is under the second high rock from the left, and the main swimthrough is under the low rock just to the right of that in the photo. Access is over the small round boulders in the foreground and through a gap to the left of the gully. Swim out on the surface to just short of the high rock in the background. The gully is quite shallow and at low tide the kelp is a hassle.
Back to Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay
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text: My name is Dawn Allison and I'm from Alberta, Canada. I'm a naturally busty brunette who loves to get naked and have lot of fun! I have no tattoos, silicone or piercings, just an all natural girl next door!!! I have a blast running my site and shooting new content every week. I hope you enjoy it and have as much fun as I do.


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The San Joaquin Valley Cotton Board has legitimized the most widely planted Pima cotton variety in the San Joaquin Valley and gave its blessing to a yet unnamed new Acala cotton that may never see commercial production.
It turned down a third Acala.
At its spring meeting in Visalia, the board made Phytogen 800 an "approved" Pima cotton variety, even though almost 50 percent of the San Joaquin Valley's 215,000 acres of Pima was planted to the Dow AgroSciences variety last season.
As an "experimental" variety last year, Phytogen 800 lint should have been discount priced as the marketing structure has been for any non-approved cotton. However, it was not discounted. The biggest Pima producer in the valley, J.G. Boswell Co. of Corcoran, Calif., planted the majority of Phytogen 800 and announced early on it would not be sold at a discount simply because it was an "experimental" variety. Boswell is a partner in Phytogen Seeds with Dow AgroSciences.
Phytogen 800 averaged lint yields of about 1,630 pounds per acre were an increase of 200 pounds per acre compared to the S-7 standard, which was planted on less than 1 percent of the valley's Pima acreage last season.
The new Pima is also tolerant to fusarium wilt, a spreading problem in the valley. The new variety showed improved fiber and yarn quality characteristics in nearly all categories, according to Tulare County cotton grower Ron Clark, who chairs the board's quality committee.
Widely adapted
It is a widely adapted variety and acreage should increase significantly this year when the valley acreage could go well past 250,000 acres if planting weather is good. Phytogen 800 seed is reportedly sold out this year as are many of the proprietary varieties from Deltapine. California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors has only limited Pima supplies available.
The board also gave approved status to a new Acala variety, C-702 from California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors (CPCSD), which also showed significant yield increases while meeting or exceeding the current quality standard. However, there is no C-702 seed available this season, and CPCSD has not named it.
C-702 Acala variety averaged about 200 pounds per acre more lint, a 10 percent increase over the standard Maxxa, which like S-7 is hardly planted. Less than 3 percent of the valley was in Maxxa last season.
In addition to high yields, C-702 outperformed the current standard in fiber strength and uniformity as well as most other quality aspects, according to Clark.
The board rejected another CPCSD variety, C-402, for release.
The new varieties are approved for 2005 commercial release in the six-county San Joaquin Valley Quality Cotton District, which includes Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Madera and Merced counties.
"Valley cotton growers continue to see improved yields and quality because of a board testing program that holds a high standard for release," said SJVCB board chairman and Kings County cotton farmer Bill Stone said. "We are focused on making sure all candidates entering the board's trial are good potential candidates for release."
Keeps standards
The board also voted at its March meeting to keep Maxxa and S-7 as the industry standards for 2005.
"We have to look very carefully at dozens of quality parameters along with yield data in establishing our standard. Our overriding goal is to be sure we are approving and releasing varieties that raise the quality bar," Stone said. "Even though Maxxa and S-7 are no longer planted in the San Joaquin Valley, they still provide consistent high quality, and we don't want to open the door to reducing that quality."
At the March meeting, the board approved 20 new Acala varieties and four new Pima varieties for the first year of testing in 2005. A total of 36 Acalas and 10 Pimas are currently under review in the research program.
Some of those Acala varieties incorporate the latest Roundup Ready Flex technology. Roundup Ready Flex allows growers to control weeds by spraying Roundup over the top of plants at a much later growth stage than previous Roundup Ready technology, providing growers with more timing flexibility.
The board has been criticized in the past for its quality testing program delaying the introduction of the new cotton biotechnology traits like herbicide and insect resistance into the San Joaquin Valley.
Last year the first of what is expected to be a wave of new Roundup Ready Flex Acala varieties began their journey through the three-year SJVCB testing program.
The technology has not been fully sanctioned by the federal government and to test these transgenic varieties last year required more work for the variety testing program because they were closely regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA required, for instance, that all seed, cotton and gin trash produced from regulated cotton be destroyed. Buffer zones also had to be established around regulated cotton fields to prevent cross contamination.
"The board went to great effort to include regulated cottons so we can expedite getting this new technology to San Joaquin Valley growers," Stone said.
More Flex varieties
The only Flex variety in the 2004 trial was a Phytogen variety, 715RF. This year more are to be in the first year screening trial, including varieties from CPCSD as well as a new Flex variety, 725 RF, from Phytogen as well the first cotton to be tested in the valley with the new WideStrike technology from Dow, 485 WRF, that will ward off worm pests.
USDA has given its approval to commercialization of the Flex technology, but FDA has not. If the FDA approval does not come before harvest, the board will once again be required to destroy the crop. However, company officials have told the board FDA approval is expected by harvesttime.
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Varun Bahl
Varun Bahl, a National Institute of Fashion Technology (New Delhi, India) graduate, launched his label in 2001. In 2003, this talented designer was invited to showcase his Spring/Summer 2003 collection at White in Italy. Each season, White, an elite group of talented designers, introduces a select group of new designers to the international fashion fraternity. It was here, amongst 20 competing designers from different countries and a tough jury that Varun Bahl's collection was voted the "Best of Season". Varun is a designer who works intuitively; he knows what men and women with active lives and individual style want. He is passionate about both the design process and the ultimate product and is fueled by his artistic sensibility and a discerning eye for detail. Self-assured and unassuming, Varun Bahl is a man completely without artifice, as are his clothes. The look is natural, sophisticated and avant-garde. The designer is known for his innovative use of exclusive fabrics and painterly use of colors, based on a singular vocabulary of elements. A synchrony of nuanced color, texture and pattern celebrate pure form and sensuality with an artful insouciance. The secret of Varun's runaway success is his ability to look beyond the obvious (what's in fashion, what look is in, what colors are in), and to continuously revisit and reinterpret his relationship with his customer. "My definition of fashion is luxury, and for me, luxury is happiness. Bohemian minded, in control, mature and experimental - that's how I see my individual buyer." - Varun BahlRead More
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Free at last, free at last.
The Red Sox played their 81st and final home game Wednesday night. In their last shameless attempt to direct your eyes away from the playing field, the Sox promoted this finale as a celebration of the "All-Fenway Team.''
The ballpark was an embarrassing two-thirds empty for the start of this latest festival; maybe that's because the contrived party came on the heels of Saturday's salutation of Red Sox prospects, Sunday's latest tribute to the beloved Johnny Pesky, and Tuesday's preposterously timed eighth anniversary of the 2004 champs.
Talk about a franchise that has lost its way . . .
We are lucky there are no more home games. An extension of this interminable Fenway season no doubt would have forced the Sox to come up with "Thanks Carl Everett Night" or maybe they would have brought back Joe Kerrigan along with Jerry Lewis for a "Nutty Professor" reunion on the Fenway lawn. A few more days, and we could have taken home Joe Hesketh commemorative refrigerator magnets.
I'm waiting for the Fenway party feting the 2007 Red Sox champs on their eighth anniversary in 2015 (hope Julio Lugo and Bobby Kielty can make it).
Wednesday was the final night of Fenway's "Fan Appreciation Month.'' We got to see the great Carl Yastrzemski with the All-Fenway Team. Management also had current players at the gates, in uniform, greeting fans late in the afternoon (handing out 2013 schedules, of course).
But the ballpark was late to fill. Folks here are too smart for this succession of increasingly hollow celebrations.
Bringing back the great old ballplayers was a nice gesture, but somewhat of a waste. Today's fans would have felt more appreciated if Sox bosses brought back Josh Beckett for a customer-participation dunk-tank promotion.
What a season!
"There's not much I would have done differently,'' a wistful Bobby Valentine said before the home finale. "I think I would have kept the beer in the clubhouse. I could have used it after a few of those games."
In the end, this was the Red Sox team that couldn't do anything right. They were the Despicable Mes, the team you loved to hate. And now you won't have them to kick around anymore. They are off to Baltimore and New York to finish the season.
There is still something to root for: The 2012 Sox can crack the coveted 90-loss column.
If the Sox sink to the magic 90, we officially can call them the worst Boston baseball team in 46 years. That's a whole generation of bad.
It's important that they lose 90. If they lose a mere 89, they go down only as the worst Red Sox team in 20 years (the 1992 Daddy Butch Hobson All-Stars finished 73-89). Big whoop.
We need this to be the worst team since 1966 (72-90), when Billy Herman ran them into the ground.
Because they need to hit rock bottom in order to get better. There can be no notion that they are on the right track. And if we can all agree this is the worst team of the post-Vietnam War Era, it will help them confront their real issues of talent, entitlement, denial and, chain-of-command.
Speaking of denial, maybe the Sox finally can admit that the sellout streak is over next April 10. Wednesday night's set the number at a nifty 793. The home opener next year (April 8) will make it 794. Then comes Game 2 of 2013. A weekday in April. That's the one. The Sox have beaten the Portland Trail Blazers and every other record. Time to let it go.
More unsolicited suggestions:
It would be a good idea to fire Valentine within 24 hours of the end of the season in New York Wednesday.
I've got to admit I'm going to miss the guy. The soon-to-be-ex-manager delivered a tour de force in his pregame press conference Wednesday.
"I have the gas masks. I could handle the chemical weapons," Valentine said. "The bullets penetrated a bit, but they didn't kill me . . . I'm not getting fired today . . . If this is my last day [at Fenway], I'd like to thank you all, or at least most of you, for your professionalism this year and your willingness to put up with all the stuff that goes on on a day-to-day basis and wish you all great health to you and your families . . . Obviously this wasn't what I set out to do. I haven't done a good enough job."
Wow. Maybe the Sox need to bring him back. Bill Belichick is never going to deliver a sound bite like that one.
But seriously, the Sox should cut the deal with Toronto and hire John Farrell as soon as they fire Valentine late next week. No messing around this time. Ben Cherington needs to look decisive on this one.
Another fine offseason idea would be rolling back ticket prices. It's the right thing to do. Everybody knows the Red Sox relieved themselves of $261 million in future payroll when they made the Dodger deal. Time to share the gold.
And could we please stop with the Bill James Redemption Tour? In the last month, the Sox have spread the word that the reason they stopped winning championships after 2007 was that they stopped taking advice from the non-verbal contrarian locked away in the basement in Lawrence, Kan. Apparently, it was James who designed the good Boston teams. This bad team was built because the Red Sox stopped following Bill's ideas.
Oh, and here's one last suggestion for the innocents who designed the ballot for the All-Fenway Team: Next time (2112 perhaps?), have fans vote for "outfield'' not " left field, right field, center field.'' This way, you would not have the embarrassment of Yastrzemski as a "first reserve,'' while Dwight Evans and Fred Lynn make the starting lineup.
Really. Did anybody think of that? Yaz — the greatest living Red Sox — was there Wednesday night and he wasn't even in the "starting lineup."
And Trot Nixon was a first reserve, ahead of Jim Rice, who was a second reserve. Please.
More blunders in a season of mistakes.
The Sox did everything right for Fenway's 100th birthday in April. It has been all downhill ever since. The ancient ballpark has been the home of a lot of great players and moments. Unfortunately, Wednesday night was not one of those moments.
The 2012 Sox would have been better off letting this sorry season bleed out quietly. Sometimes it's OK to simply admit that there is nothing to celebrate.Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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By CYRUS LEVESQUE
BRISTOL — The Deerleap Books team dashed into first place at the 27th annual Bristol Outhouse Race on July 4, and won the grand prize as the 2006 champions. In the final heat, they defeated teams sponsored by the Bristol Historical Society, Snaps Restaurant, and Robinson Elementary School with a time of 21 seconds.
This is the team's second win in as many races. The store did not sponsor a team last year, but the year before that they had the winning team as well, according to owner Carol Wells.
"We're going to start a dynasty," joked Barry Vitz, 37, one of the team's two runners.
Tuesday's race followed its traditional course on West Street, starting at Saint Ambrose Church and ending at the stoplight.
By CYRUS LEVESQUE
NEW HAVEN — Coming on the heels of what has been described as a "perfect storm" of problems for the Vermont's dairy industry, the $8.6 million emergency relief program announced at last Thursday's dairy summit drew praise from local farmers.
"It will encourage a lot of people to work for nothing if they have to, because they know they are supported," William Scott, a farmer from Vergennes said at a Farm Bureau meeting at Rep. Harvey Smith's house last Thursday. About a dozen Addison County farmers attended the monthly meeting and all agreed that just knowing the state government and state residents understood the depth of the crisis meant a lot to them.
Any help is appreciated, said Harvey Smith, president of the Addison County Farm Bureau, who hosted the meeting at his own farm. For most farmers, the aid will only amount to a few thousand dollars of direct aid to counteract an estimated average decline in farm income of $50,000 this year just due to the lower price of milk, plus an equally onerous hit caused by crop damage and higher fuel costs. "It isn't meant to replace the total amount of the loss," Smith said.
LEICESTER — Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) will seek state funds to start a new Route 7 bus service that would operate between Middlebury and Rutland. Two communities that figure to be stops along the route — Leicester and Salisbury — are currently readying "park-and-ride" facilities for prospective users of the new service.
BRANDON — Bluegrass music, food, music workshops, a guitar raffle, dancing and field picking will all be going on July 6-9 at the 12th Annual Basin Bluegrass Festival in Brandon.
"Field picking,� says Dudley and Linda Berry, is "a unique component of the weekend� which involves the spontaneous playing of instruments with others festival-goers in the field.
The Berries, who together with Rhodes and Donna Wyman and their son and daughter-in-law Tracy and Harriet Wyman have been running the festival since its inception in 1994, said the festival's unique culture has attracted a loyal following for much of the past decade.
"People will start arriving on Sunday, July 2 at 8 in the morning (when the gates open) to pick their spot for the camper. We'll have somewhere around 600 to 650 campers at the festival that weekend,� Linda Berry said. "Some people come to pick their spot for the following weekend, pay and reserve it. Many others come for the entire week before the festival with their instruments and spend the weekend playing music with others in the field.�
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Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection is a test to look at the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
CSF acts as a cushion, protecting the brain and spine from injury. The fluid is normally clear. The test is also used to measure pressure in the spinal fluid.
See also:
Alternative Names
Spinal tap; Ventricular puncture; Lumbar puncture; Cisternal puncture; Cerebrospinal fluid culture
How the test is performed
There are different ways to get a sample of CSF. Lumbar puncture, commonly called a spinal tap, is the most common method. The test is usually done like this:
The patient lies on his or her side, with knees pulled up toward the chest, and chin tucked downward. Sometimes the test is done with the person sitting up, but bent forward.
After the back is cleaned, the health care provider will inject a local numbing medicine (anesthetic) into the lower spine.
A spinal needle is inserted, usually into the lower back area.
Once the needle is properly positioned, CSF pressure is measured and a sample is collected.
The needle is removed, the area is cleaned, and a bandage is placed over the needle site. The person is often asked to lie down for a short time after the test.
Occasionally, special x-rays are used to help guide the needle into the proper position. This is called fluoroscopy.
Lumbar puncture with fluid collection may also be part of other procedures, particularly a
Alternative methods of CSF collection are rarely used, but may be necessary if the person has a back deformity or an infection.
Cisternal puncture uses a needle placed below the occipital bone (back of the skull). It can be dangerous because it is so close to the brain stem. It is always done with fluoroscopy.
Ventricular puncture is even more rare, but may be recommended in people with possible
CSF may also be collected from a tube that's already placed in the fluid, such as a shunt or a ventricular drain. These sorts of tubes are usually placed in the intensive care unit.
How to prepare for the test
The patient (or guardian) must give the health care team permission to do the test.
Afterward, you should plan to rest for several hours, even if you feel fine. You won't be required to lie flat on your back the entire time, but rest is advised to prevent additional leakage of CSF around the site of the puncture.
How the test will feel
The test is usually done with you curled up on your side with knees pulled up and chin to chest. Sometimes, CSF is collected with the person seated and bent forward over a table or chair. Holding the position may be uncomfortable, but it is extremely important to stay in this bent position to avoid moving the needle and possibly injuring the spinal cord. The person doing the test may ask you to straighten out slightly after the needle is in place, in order to accurately measure the CSF pressure, called the "opening pressure."
The anesthetic will sting or burn when first injected. There will be a hard pressure sensation when the needle is inserted, and there is usually some brief pain when the needle goes through the tissue surrounding the spinal cord. This pain should stop in a few seconds.
Overall, discomfort is minimal to moderate. The entire procedure usually takes about 30 minutes, but it may take longer. The actual pressure measurements and CSF collection only take a few minutes.
Why the test is performed
This test is done to measure pressures within the cerebrospinal fluid and to collect a sample of the fluid for further testing. CSF analysis can be used to diagnose certain neurologic disorders, particularly infections (such as meningitis) and brain or spinal cord damage.
See also:
CSF coccidioides complement fixation
CSF oligoclonal banding
CSF smear
CSF VDRL test
Normal Values
Normal values typically range as follows:
Pressure: 70 – 180 mm H20
- Appearance: clear, colorless
CSF total protein: 15 – 60 mg/100 mL
- Gamma globulin: 3 – 12% of the
total protein CSF glucose: 50 – 80 mg/100 mL (or greater than 2/3 of blood sugar level) CSF cell count: 0 – 5 white blood cells (all mononuclear), and no red blood cells
- Chloride: 110 – 125 mEq/L
Note: mg/mL = milligrams per milliliter; mEq/L = milliequivalents per liter
Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.
The examples above show the common measurements for results for these tests. Some laboratories use different measurements or may test different specimens.
What abnormal results mean
If the CSF looks cloudy, it could mean there is an infection or a build up of white blood cells or protein.
If the CSF looks bloody or red, it may be a sign of bleeding or spinal cord obstruction. If it is brown, orange, or yellow, it may be a sign of increased CSF protein or previous bleeding (more than 3 days ago). Occasionally, there may be blood in the sample that came from the spinal tap itself. This makes it harder to interpret the test results.
- Increased CSF pressure may be due to
increased intracranial pressure(pressure within the skull).
- Decreased CSF pressure may be due to spinal cord tumor, shock, fainting, or
diabetic coma.
- Increased CSF protein may be due to blood in the CSF,
diabetes, polyneuritis, tumor, injury, or any inflammatory or infectious condition.
- Decreased protein is a sign of rapid CSF production.
- Increased CSF glucose is a sign of high blood sugar.
- Decreased CSF glucose may be due to
hypoglycemia(low blood sugar), bacterial or fungal infection (such as meningitis), tuberculosis, or certain other types of meningitis.
- Increased white blood cells in the CSF may be a sign of meningitis,
acuteinfection, beginning of a chronic illness, tumor, abscess, stroke, or demyelinating disease (such as multiple sclerosis).
- Red blood cells in the CSF sample may be a sign of bleeding into the spinal fluid or the result of a traumatic lumbar puncture.
- Increased CSF gamma globulin levels may be due to diseases such as
multiple sclerosis, neurosyphilis, or Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:
Chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy Dementia due to metabolic causes Encephalitis Epilepsy Febrile seizure (children) Generalized tonic-clonic seizure Hydrocephalus
- Inhalation anthrax
Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) Pituitary tumor Reye syndrome
What the risks are
Risks of lumbar puncture include:
- Bleeding into the spinal canal
- Discomfort during the test
- Headache after the test
- Hypersensitivity (allergic) reaction to the anesthetic
- Infection introduced by the needle going through the skin
There is an increased risk of bleeding in people who take blood thinners.
Brain herniation may occur if this test is done on a person with a mass in the brain (such as a tumor or abscess). This can result in brain damage or death. This test is not done if an exam or test reveals signs of a brain mass.
Damage to the nerves in the spinal cord may occur, particularly if the person moves during the test.
Cisternal puncture or ventricular puncture carry additional risks of brain or spinal cord damage and bleeding within the brain.
Special considerations
This test is particularly dangerous for people with:
A tumor in the back of the brain that is pressing down on the brain stem
Blood clotting problems
Low platelet count (Thrombocytopenia)


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Rangers leave injury-plagued time in desert
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers have left the desert and are hoping the injury cloud that has followed them since their arrival remains in Arizona.
It's hard to imagine a more turbulent six weeks than what they just experienced, what with two projected offensive players out for three months, the projected Opening Day starter headed for the disabled list and a pitching staff that was in a state of flux right to the end.
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers have left the desert and are hoping the injury cloud that has followed them since their arrival remains in Arizona.
It's hard to imagine a more turbulent six weeks than what they just experienced, what with two projected offensive players out for three months, the projected Opening Day starter headed for the disabled list and a pitching staff that was in a state of flux right to the end.
But that was Spring Training, now Opening Day arrives on Monday and this is still a team that has won 90-plus games over the past four seasons. A few injuries and some unanswered pitching questions have not quelled anybody's optimism about what the Rangers are capable of accomplishing.
The ultimate goal still remains in place going into Monday's season opener against the Phillies in Arlington.
"Our mission is the same as the last four years," third baseman Adrian Beltre said. "Win the World Series. Some of the players have changed, but other than that, we have the same mindset."
"Win it all, that's our goal," shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "There have been some good things that have happened to us here and some bad things, a lot of new guys and a lot of new faces. It's a new start for everybody. But if we stay healthy, we have a really good shot at going deep into post-season."
Staying healthy has been an elusive target for the Rangers but the top of their lineup is intact for Opening Day with Shin-Soo Choo leading off, followed by Andrus, Prince Fielder, Beltre, Alex Rios and Mitch Moreland. Catcher and second base remain a mystery with the loss of Geovany Soto and Jurickson Profar for 10 to 12 weeks, but there is still hope J.P. Arencibia can figure some things out at the plate and add some power to the bottom of the order. If the still-to-be identified second basemen can play defense, then Leonys Martin adds a potential second leadoff hitter at the bottom of the order and the offense should score enough runs if the pitching is there.
The rotation was an on-going drama even before the Rangers showed up in the desert, going back to when Derek Holland fell on the stairs and tore the cartilage in his left knee. That left the Rangers scrambling going into Spring Training, as they added Tommy Hanson just before reporting day and Joe Saunders two weeks into camp.
Yu Darvish's stiff neck at the end of the spring added to the drama, but they still expect him to eventually lead a rotation that includes four intriguing young arms in Martin Perez, Tanner Scheppers, Robbie Ross and Nick Martinez as well as Saunders.
The Rangers also know that the Opening Day rotation may only be a temporary arrangement if Colby Lewis and Matt Harrison can overcome their past problems and be options at some point in April.
"I feel good about our pitching," general manager Jon Daniels said. "There are some question marks but I think they will be answered in a positive way."
The bullpen has taken some hits with Scheppers and Ross going to the rotation and Neftali Feliz failing to make the team. But Joakim Soria had a terrific spring as did Jason Frasor and Neal Cotts. The Rangers also decided to put Alexi Ogando back in the bullpen, which gives them another power arm for late in the game.
"We definitely have the talent to win a lot of games," Fielder said. "But we still have to go out and get it done."
The Rangers had a rough spring with all the injuries but there were some good moments worth reviewing. Infielder Kevin Kouzmanoff had a terrific spring and positioned himself to be in the Major Leagues for the first time since 2011. Arlington native Michael Choice earned a spot as a fourth outfielder with the promise of a bigger role in the future. Ross and Scheppers overwhelmed the rotation competition and Soria showed there is life after Tommy John surgery even if Feliz hasn't found it yet.
Darvish was enjoying a good spring before his neck problem, but this should be just a minor setback. The rotation will remain an on-going story long after Opening Day, but it's usually that way every season and the Rangers will have options develop as the season progresses.
It was a Spring Training like the Rangers have never experienced before. But that hasn't changed the way the Rangers view the upcoming season.
"We feel confident we are going to be competitive and win some ballgames," manager Ron Washington said.
When the Rangers take the field on Monday against the Phillies, they believe it is the first step on the way back to the World Series.
T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Postcards from Elysian Fields, and follow him on Twitter @Sullivan_Ranger.


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Fear mongers be gone! Riding a bike is safe.Posted on
In the last six weeks four people have been tragically killed while riding bicycles in Wisconsin. The headlines in the newspapers can't help but trumpet that seemingly alarming statistic, and not surprisingly many of the comments under the online versions of those stories were equally alarmist and typically, patently untrue. As a certified and insured bicycle safety instructor, a person who has been riding a bicycle every day for the last 16 years and a traffic safety professional studying crash statistics for the last 11 years, I would like to present the actual facts about the risks of cycling. Despite the recent tragic deaths, riding a bicycle remains an incredibly safe and inherently healthy activity.
Certainly we at the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin are dedicated to improving conditions for people on bicycles, but let's be clear, it may not always be pleasant to ride a bicycle on the street next to heavy traffic, but if you obey the laws, it is safe. As people who ride bicycles, we can all try to keep this in mind and share the information presented below, so perhaps at some point in time, we will no longer read comments like the following under stories about someone's death:
"It's only by the grace of God that we don't see scores of bicyclists in
accidents in Madison alone." –Elections Matter
"I have to chime in here. I have given up biking because of the terrible drivers and my fear of them." –Runner Girl
"If you're riding a bicycle, and mixing with high speed traffic, you should be asking yourselves "Why am I here?" or "Is there a better route?" Why risk your lives to see who is right or wrong when there are plenty of Bike Paths? Any legal settlement will never get your legs back?" –Michael R Starich (yeah, a real person!)
"I love biking but in no way will I ride on public roads anymore. The danger level is too great. That is my personal choice." –ST123
"I am a retired sergeant with the State Patrol … With that said I will say the vast majority of people riding bicycles do not obey the law the same as drivers of motor vehicles. Runners, walkers and people on bikes need to understand that the vast majority of our roads in this state were never designed to handle the differing types of traffic on them today. They were primarily designed for motorized vehicles and as such there simply is no way to make them safe for everyone. You can have all the special programs to raise awareness and such but bad things will still take place. Would taxpayers want to pay for restricted lanes on all streets for bikes, walkers and runners? I seriously doubt it." –Rick H
"The guy drove his bike suicidally. He got what he wanted." –EvilLiberal
So let the fear mongers be gone and lets try to drill down to the truth and nothing but the truth, which is that riding a bicycle is safe, and in point of fact, it is safer than driving a car. Believe it or not, those are the facts. Look at any risk chart, odds of accidental death chart, or crash statistics chart and they will illustrate that riding a bicycle is WAY safer than driving a motor vehicle. Here are just a few sources of statistics:
Lifetime Odds of Accidental Death (Source National Safety Council)
Bicyclist 1 in 4,838 Car Occupant 1 in 242
Leading Causes of Accidental Death in the US (As compiled from data reported by the National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 50, No. 15, September 16, 2002)
#1 Motor Vehicle #6 Drowning #9 Other Land Transport Accidents (including bicycling, walking, etc.)
Fatalities per Million Exposure Hours (Data compiled by Failure Analysis Associates, Inc.)
Motor vehicle travel: .47 Bicycle travel: .26
The statisticians can argue about exposure hours, rates per mile, fatalities per trip, and on and on, but in the end, all of those statistics say that riding a bicycle is a very safe thing to do. Out of the more than 2.5 million people who ride bicycles in Wisconsin every year, on average, we have only 10 fatalities. As I mentioned in a previous post, the numbers of people riding bicycles in Wisconsin has been increasing every year for more than a decade and the number of crashes has been going down, which means the crash rate, or odds of getting hurt or killed is also going down.
To think of this in another way, let's look at cycling from a pure risk assessment perspective rather than comparing it to driving a car. Most everything we do has some risk associated with it, from taking a shower to riding a bicycle. In 2009, 630 bicyclists died on US roads (718 in 2008, 1,003 in 1975, see the trend?) while the National Safety Council reports that on average, 12,000 people die walking down stairs every year, with half of those fatal accidents occurring in the home. Yet the newspapers don't report those deaths with banner headlines like: "34th Person Killed On Stairs in 2 Months." Witnesses say the man was taking two steps at a time, carrying a large package and not holding the railing. And the online newspaper comments should read
"I used to take the stairs all the time, now I stick to the elevator. Those stairs are an accident waiting to happen" –Jimthepublican
"sure take the stairs, heck they were good enough for the Egyptians why accept progress, LIKE ELEVATORS." -WIforward
Despite the number of fatal accidents, we don't warn family members about stairs when they get up from the couch to check the laundry in the basement: "Honey, you be careful walking down the stairs. There are a lot of dangerous stairs out there!"
So why is it that when a tragic, but very rare crash kills a person riding a bicycle, we all start to bemoan the dangers of the road, the scofflaw cyclists and the crazy drivers? First and foremost our thoughts and comments should be of sympathy for the family and friends of the victim, then after the final details of the crash have been made public we should look for ways to prevent a similar future tragedy.
The point here is that it may sell papers, but fear mongering and casting blame are inappropriate responses to relatively rare tragedies when someone dies riding a bicycle, which is a generally safe activity and inherently healthy thing to do. On rare occasions an athlete has a heart attack while running, swimming, golfing, playing tennis, etc. We don't rant about it and advise people to stop exercising, do we? In fact, if you really want to look at dangerous activities, most of them happen on the couch or sitting at the dinner table.
Obesity in the US has doubled over the last ten years, Type 2 diabetes has increased nine-fold, and preventable heart disease remains the number one killer of Americans. New terms are being coined for this health crisis. Sedentary Death Syndrome, or "SeDS" and the other health risks related to "obesogenic" illnesses are exacerbated by a lack of physical activity. Sixty percent of Americans are at risk , and sadly even our children are generally overweight and not getting enough exercise. The cost of healthcare to treat all these preventable illnesses is expected to be more than $3 trillion over the next ten years.
Luckily, the doctor has a cure, and it is as easy as riding a bike and eating an apple a day. Yup, all we need to do to save $3 trillion dollars is for Americans to ride their bikes and eat healthier. We don't need any expensive Harvard Medical School studies, and we don't need any expensive government healthcare programs. All we need to do is get up off the couch, out of our cars, away from the buffet table and ride a bicycle. And no matter what the headlines and the trolls underneath tell you, remember that riding a bicycle is healthy, safe and fun.


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Here are a few Endor theme sets:(7128) Speeder Bikes(7657) AT-ST(7956) Endor Attack (8038) Battle of Endor(9489) Rebel Trooper & Imperial Trooper Battle Pack (9679) AT-ST Driver & Endor Planet set
Read on Twitter from a follower that the Starhopper has started hitting Walmart. Anyone else seen it?
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Anna Marianetti - Care, Care & Community in Ghana
I began thinking about travelling to Africa a year before I stepped onto Ghanaian land. I knew that I wanted to volunteer abroad, and I have always had a passion for Africa, and Projects Abroad allowed my curiosity for the two to turn into an experience that will be forever treasured.
I signed up for the "2-week special" for the 15-29 of July. This session allowed me to be with other volunteers my own age (all the volunteers in my main group were between 16-19 years old) and also allowed me to experience different aspects of volunteering in Ghana.
When we landed in Accra, my heart was pounding. I was in Africa, and I was in the country that was renowned for having the friendliest people. I was ecstatic. We stepped off the plane right into the open and I remember taking my first breath of African air, standing in awe of the scenery and realizing that I was actually there…
There were seven of us on the flight together and right away we were greeted by gleaming smiling faces of Projects Abroad staff members, and taken to the office in Accra. There we were given our first water sachets, and I remember how confused I was as to whether I was to drink it or use it as an ice pack. Andy, a staff member, took us around Accra and then we went back to the office (also director Tom's house) where Tom's wife made us our first Ghanaian meal - Jollof Rice. It was amazing: orange rice with vegetables with a sort of sauce over it. At that point I didn't realize how much I would learn to like rice…
From there, five of us were taken to Good Shepherd Orphanage in Ofaankor, about an hour outside of Accra, where we would be spending our first week. All of us volunteers automatically clicked and became very quickly comfortable with each other. On arriving to the orphanage, the children were automatically attached. Immediately after we stepped out of the tro (mini-bus), they were pulling at our shirts asking "Madam! Madam! What is your name?!" In a matter of seconds, I had a child on my hip, and others grabbing my hand to show me through the grounds of the orphanage. We stayed right at the orphanage, which was an incredible experience in its own because we were constantly around the children, and the bonds that we created with them in even just one week are unbelievably unforgettable.
That week, our days started at around nine in the morning, and we were to fix up the rundown primary school at the orphanage. We started by taking down some of the planks off the walls, and replacing them with "better" planks of wood. Then, with the help of some of the orphans, and Eric, an awesomely friendly Projects Abroad staff member, we painted the school white and blue. Because the walls of the classes are not floor to ceiling (you can see in every classroom when standing outside/you can see out when inside) we were always entertained when painting by the school songs the little ones sang (such as head shoulders knees and toes, and some others in their tribal language of Twi).
We would break with the children for about a half hour at half ten, and they were always eager to have their picture taken, or snap ones themselves. Then we would go back to work, and continue painting, and then break for lunch at noon. After lunch, we would return to work, and on the days later in the week when we had finished painting, we would hammer chalkboards and one day we also cemented floors, and that day I got to try to carry a bucket of water on my head - I am now even in more awe of the people who do it everyday, I could only manage for a half a second for a picture. Another day we were able to teach the children a hygiene lesson, where we were told to encourage them to not pick up band-aids off the ground and use them, to use their new toilets as opposed to going outside, and to clean themselves.
After work we had time to play with the children, and also get to know some of the volunteers who had been for a longer time at the orphanage. I'll never forget when one day I sat on the porch and opened a pack of pencils. Before I opened the package, no child was around. In a matter of a minute they were all gone. Getting out toys that we brought for the children was also extremely memorable and rewarding. The excitement in their eyes is engrained in my memory and their faces themselves expressed how thankful they were. They were all (mostly) extremely willing to share, and found great joy in blowing bubbles, skipping rope, and they were very impressed to find out I could kick a mini football. They also loved when we brought them paper and crayons to draw with - I now have a very loved pile of pictures, all addressed to 'Madam Anna.'
One moment that always sticks out in my mind is when Romeo, the youngest child at the orphanage, took a pair of sunglasses from another volunteer and put them on, and started singing "Shakira, Shakira!" and "Bye, bye miss American pie," and dancing on the porch. The children also would spontaneously sing a song that we named the "Cape Coast Song," which was a beautiful song that they would gladly sing however many times we asked them to sing it. Jacob, a young orphan even wrote me down the lyrics, and I have it posted in my room, and every time I look at it, I tear up thinking about it.
The relationships that we created with both the children and the other volunteers at Good Shepherd are so cherished. The volunteers who had been there for months before us helpfully showed us how to get to, from and around Ofaankor, Kasoa, and Accra, and how the tros worked. They took us to the streets of Osu to shop with the vendors and taught us the art of bartering, and what it's like to lower "Obruni prices," and fight with the vendors in a way that you end up walking away with a new local friend. They also showed us the nightlife of Ghana, and the places where Shakira is extremely popular to play on repeat.
Our first weekend, we travelled (on a very speed-bumped filled road) to Cape Coast. We visited the Slave Fort there, which was really moving. The cultural history was so apparent and real there. The tour of the fort was informative and very interesting. There we also went to the gorgeous beach, which was very relaxing. We also visited the rainforest, and survived the Canopy Walk, which was, while terrifying due to my fear of heights, well worth it. It's beautiful there and we learned a lot about old life in Ghana, and traditions such as the tree that will make people tell the truth, and the vine that will test your ability to marry.
The second week, our group travelled to The Akuapem Hills. The scenery there was breathtaking, and the rural community was so different than that of busy Accra. We stayed with a host family there (Diana) who was so welcoming and conscious of making us comfortable. We had our own building in the compound, and I was always at ease while staying with Diana. The dinners Diana made were always plentiful and wonderful - my favourite being red-red, which comprises of fried plantains and a red bean stew. We were to paint another Primary School (Akropong Methodist Primary School), which was just a taxi ride away (which was always provided for us by Projects Abroad). We also planted trees, in order to shelter villages from strong winds, which have been known to take roofs off of houses.
We went to a restaurant one night while we were there, Palm Hill, where there was a spectacular view…and they served chips and beans.
One day in The Hills, some other volunteers and I were attempting to find the Bead Market, got lost, and ended up at a Bead Factory. When we got there, they sat us down and enthusiastically said, "We hope you are here to learn how beads are made!!" We all glanced at each other and finally one of us agreed that that was exactly why we were there…It turned out to be a very interesting process and the man showed us the different stages and then took us into their shop. It was lights off there (a common occurrence in Ghana where electricity gets turned off in a certain region for anywhere from a couple of hours to day or two to reserve electricity) so we had to adjust a minute to the darkness. When they did adjust, necklaces, bracelets and beads that were all made right in that compound surrounded us. Everything was cheaper than they are on the streets, and needless to say, with five girls there, we spent a lot of money - so much that they made us each take a bracelet for free! I'm thankful we ended up there because it's even more touching to know that I know exactly where, how and who made a good amount of my Ghanaian souvenirs.
So over 400 pictures, some very close friends, and several faces of orphans instilled in my memory later, I am back home, wishing I were back in Ghana. My advice: stay for as long as you can (I wish I stayed longer than two weeks), take lots of pictures, journal, come with an open mind, and use lots of bug spray (I only got bit four times in two weeks, but, I also constantly reeked of bug spray).
For my first abroad experience, I couldn't have asked for a better trip. It was life changing. It was unique. It was incredible and just writing that can't do justice for how much I mean it.
Anna Marianetti
Dit ervaringsverhaal kan verwijzingen bevatten naar het werken in of samenwerken met weeshuizen. Lees hier meer over het huidige beleid van Projects Abroad ten aanzien van vrijwilligerswerk in weeshuizen en de overgang naar gemeenschapsgerichte opvang voor kinderen.
Dit verhaal is een persoonlijke ervaring van een vrijwilliger op dit project en dus een momentopname. Houd er rekening mee dat jouw ervaring hiervan af kan wijken. Onze projecten veranderen constant, omdat we inspelen op de lokale behoefte en we voortborduren op de behaalde resultaten. Ook verschillende weersomstandigheden kunnen de ervaring beïnvloeden. Lees meer over wat je kunt verwachten van dit project of neem contact met ons op voor meer informatie.