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If one thing is gonna pull me out of a rut, it's these:Super average leather brown clunkers, but with pentacle-esque stitching. Like the Christine O'Donnell witch malarky, in shoe form.
The whole collection carried those kinds of motifs, which I loved except for when it got reminiscent of 7th grade notebooks. Eyes are awesome, pentacles are awesome, but wings and paisley are a bit too temporary tattoo-y and took away from garments that otherwise would've been way more intense.
I got more excited when the same effects were made using the fabrics themselves, especially in leather form.
Even though I'm really feeling witch vibes for the weather we're currently having, associating that kind of darkness with fall would be pretty obvious. Like the occasional use of brown leather as opposed to black, applying the gloom to sunnier days allows the pastel/witch contrast to reach a less simplistic place. This made the last look one of my favorites: a light, pure, modestly long slip held together by a caramel harness.


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Culture, people, nature: an introduction to general anthropology
Harper & Row, 1988 - Social Science - 678 pages
Professor Harris - the leading theorist in cultural materialism - bases this comprehensive work on the perspective of thematic and theoretical coherence, giving the book depth and continuity. Speaking directly to students, helpful chapter introductions and end-of-chapter summaries focus on key points before and after reading each chapter. This seventh edition includes meticulous updating of research and scholarship, especially in the very active field of physical anthropology and archaeology. A new feature - "America Now Updates" - turns an anthropological eye on the contemporary U.S., emphasizing the comparative aspects of anthropology and making the discipline relevant to students.
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Why Study Anthropology?
Organic Evolution
The Inheritance of Genes
78 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
Acheulian adaptive Africa agriculture alleles ancestors animals anthropologists apes archaic H australopithecines band and village behavior bones cattle chapter chiefdoms chimpanzees chromosomes common complex creationists culture descent domestic groups earliest economy emic emic and etic enculturation energy erectus etic Europe evidence evolution example exchange female FIGURE flake fossil genes genetic habilis habitat hominids Hominoidea Homo sapiens human hunter-gatherers hunters hunting increase infant known Kung Kung San labor land languages living maize male mammals marriage matrifocal matrilineal meat ment Mesoamerica Mesolithic Middle Paleolithic modern modes of production monkeys morphemes mother myr ago natural Neolithic nuclear family occur Old World organization patterns peasants percent phonemes plants political pongids population primates racial rear reproduction result ritual sapiens sapiens sexual skin social societies species stone structure theory tion trade traditions ture Upper Paleolithic warfare women

subset: commoncrawl


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Surprise, surprise: the cost of building a new nuclear reactor at Flamanville in France has more than doubled to €8.5 billion from 3.3 billion! But this is not really a surprise, is it?
It is simply further evidence that the costs of the nuclear "renaissance" are out of control. I mean what are they making these things out of? Platinum?
Imagine the scene. You step into your boss's office to discuss the project you're working on…
YOU (nervously): Good morning, sir. I was wondering if I could have a word with you about Project X.
YOUR BOSS (sternly): Ah yes, Project X. The one that's 100% over budget and almost 100% over schedule. I hope it's good news.
YOU: Er…
YOUR BOSS (fixing you with a deadly stare): Go on.
YOU (in a very quiet voice): The budget's overrun by another 25%...
You can guess the rest. You'd be clearing your desk and finding yourself in the street before finishing your sentence.
With the nuclear industry, however, this is not only to be expected, it seems to neither surprise nor infuriate hardly anyone. Nuclear spokespersons give some weak excuses, promise lessons will be learned, and then skulk away until they have to make the same shaming announcement in a few months time.
Meanwhile, governments are blithely outdoing themselves in trying to give the nuclear industry billions in subsidies without the guts to call them subsidies.
If you had a child that showed this repeated inability to learn from mistakes you'd be extremely worried. But we're letting these guys build nuclear reactors – one of the most dangerous technologies on the planet.
Meanwhile – right now – we're losing the battle against climate change and nuclear power is a major roadblock to us all winning that fight.
Billions and billions are being spent on new nuclear reactors that will be online and producing electricity in 2012. No wait, make that 2014. Sorry, we meant 2016. How about 2018? 2020? If not then it'll definitely be 2025. Okay?
No. It's not ok.
While the energy companies are squandering unimaginable piles of cash and tinkering with experimental nuclear reactors that might be ready at some unspecified date, climate change is bulleting towards us like a runaway train.
The worst part about all this is that it doesn't and shouldn't have to be this way. We could be focussing on energy efficiency like there's no tomorrow.
A report published by the Green Alliance and the World Wildlife Fund UK in October shows that in the UK "40 per cent of electricity demand might be avoided by 2030 – equivalent to the output of 15 nuclear power plants – saving in excess of £10 billion per year".
Beth Hartman from the E Source consultancy calls energy efficiency "the cleanest and cheapest energy is the energy that we don't use". A report by E Source found that the US wastes 30% of its energy (worth $60 billion) a year.
Ecofys says that by improving energy efficiency by just 1-2% a year would be the "equivalent to the production of 2,500 to 5,000 medium-sized power plants" and save more that €2 trillion in fuel costs by 2030.
That's two trillion euros saved – 2,000,000,000,000 – count those zeroes. That's a planet-saving amount of money. Think of the clean technologies that money could buy. Think of the poverty and disease it could help to eradicate.
So how about it? It's a lesson even those in the nuclear industry could learn.
BREAKING NEWS! Somebody is learning the lesson: Italian utility ENEL, the partner of French utility EdF in the construction of Flamanville, has pulled out of the project and is taking its 12.5% stake with it.
"The last 24 hours have killed French nuclear finally because the cost makes it totally impossible to export and now you have one of the few partners actively withdrawing; it looks really bad," says Per Lekander, an analyst for financial services giant UBS.
The smart money has spoken and it says nuclear power is a loser.
Justin McKeating has been blogging the meltdown of the nuclear industry for Greenpeace International since 2008. He is based in Brighton, UK.
Grateful Child
Hi Justin, ...and thanks very much for the really excellent post, ...riveting I might say even. Hope you don't mind I have it highlighted on my w...
Hi Justin, ...and thanks very much for the really excellent post, ...riveting I might say even. Hope you don't mind I have it highlighted on my website today, and on my Facebook page. Best to you and all there...
7 December, 2012 at 19:52
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(Unregistered) Zamm_
Strange… this piece forgot to mention that there are two EPRs in China, which are scheduled to take a bit more than 4 years (yes, FOUR) to build, and ...
Strange… this piece forgot to mention that there are two EPRs in China, which are scheduled to take a bit more than 4 years (yes, FOUR) to build, and actually seem to be on track, with major components getting installed pretty fast:
The 1st EPR is in a tight race with rival 3G design AP1000, which may beat it out by a few months (construction also 4-5 y):
But wait! Odds are good that yet another entry, from Korea, APR1400, will start up before, as it is already in its final testing stage (hot functional test):
Seeing this, I was dead scared by the "one of the most dangerous technologies on the planet" thing… until I googled "deaths per TWh"! If you had a child prone to such a "creative" approach to reality, wouldn't you be worried?
Oh, I forgot: Greenpeace wants you to conserve energy - maybe like this?
9 December, 2012 at 4:42
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(Unregistered) Beppe
At my office in central Tokyo I wear warmer clothes in summer than I do in winter. Obviously there is room for some saving here, without any heatstrok...
At my office in central Tokyo I wear warmer clothes in summer than I do in winter. Obviously there is room for some saving here, without any heatstroke risk.
My car is 9 years old and travels 40 miles with one gallon (17 km/l) on highway. It can carry 5 people and 3 large suitcases, a few smaller bags and a stroller. How many other cars have room for improvement?
9 December, 2012 at 20:45
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Jan Haverkamp - Greenpeace
@Zamm_ - welcome back after a long time of silence. You may not have noticed that this was addressing the European situation. But you are right - EdF ...
@Zamm_ - welcome back after a long time of silence. You may not have noticed that this was addressing the European situation. But you are right - EdF is building two more EPRs in China. Whether they are on time and budget or not is not easy to establish, as no construction timeline has been published, nor a final date set, nor a budget was mentioned nor regular updates on costs are given. We do know, however, that there have been delays and problems similar to the ones encountered in Olkiluoto and Flamanville.
The "deaths per TWh" google most probably brought you to an old study used by the EU called ExternE - this study is much criticised because of its cherrypicking use of statistics - for instance, Chernobyl was excluded. Apart from that, impacts from larger nuclear accidents go beyond radiation deaths, as you might have noticed again after Fukushima: around 600 deaths so far directly related to the nuclear accident (be it non-radiation), 160.000 people evacuated from which more than 60.000 for long term... probably far over a 100 Billion EUR in damages... Don't you feel your remark is rather cynical?
Greenpeace pleads for energy conservation - it is widely known and well established that there are a myriad of possibilities to reduce energy use up to around 50% with the same output of services (yes!) against low cost... Even the low hanging fruit is not used because there is not sufficient policy behind energy efficiency. It is time that the political will for this is moved from words into practice - big scale.
I keep wondering who or what you are trying to serve with your remarks, Zamm_ You're still hiding behind anonymity. I love discussion, but this anonymous poking looks a bit strange... like astroturfing, i'd almost say... Do I have a point there, or do you have other reasons why you bring this forward? I really am curious for that - genuinely.
11 December, 2012 at 15:38
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EPRs & AP1000s in China. Given the current information available (heavy components, see my post), it seems things are progressing prett...
EPRs & AP1000s in China. Given the current information available (heavy components, see my post), it seems things are progressing pretty well for both types. Of course, it's difficult to know from afar in detail, unless you read Chinese, which I don't (I guess we'll have to wait and see ca. 1 year). Fukushima actually seems to have had a positive effect on China, which has changed its nuclear policy to a reasonable 3G-only new build.
ExternE. Please read the text: it assesses the safety of "Western European light water reactors". The EU has quite high standards, as it not only requested RBMK reactors to be closed in Lithuania, but 1st-gen VVER as well in other countries (and required heavy upgrades for others). Also, you certainly are aware that European standards also require catalytic recombiners and containment filters, considerably limiting the consequences of even a Fukushima-style incident! Recognizing this (i.e. a bit more honesty) would do well for your credibility…
Newer studies than ExternE tend to use YOLL/TWh (years-of-life-lost) instead of "statistical lives", just have a look at the results of the EU NEEDS project:
The deadliest is biogas. The safest are hydro, wind and nuclear. Coal and gas got much safer (but still with the CO2 problem).
Fukushima. It seems most deaths are more directly related to hysterical fear of radiation… given the fact the extra fossil fuels will kill many more than the nuclear pollution! Some places should clearly be evacuated, but don't forget people in not-so-exotic places such as Cornwall endure close to 1 µSv/h. Are recommending them to evacuate as well?
(And please bear "catalytic recombiner" and "containment filter" in mind - I'm no fan of unsafe stuff.)
Conservation. I'd tend to agree with you, but such things unfortunately tend to defy logical thinking: just ask yourself why would people need cars with oversize engines and the like… or fly around the world each year for tourism (or for near-useless climate conferences). The (unfortunate) fact is they think they do!
Astroturfing. No, sorry. Just a (concerned, non-nuclear) technical person… who'd wish people started to get a bit more rational about policy!
11 December, 2012 at 19:37
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@Zamm_ Thanks for getting back to the level of discourse.
I am still not convinced by your reports concerning comparative over-all asses...
@Zamm_ Thanks for getting back to the level of discourse.
I am still not convinced by your reports concerning comparative over-all assessments of energy sources. The Paul Scherrer Institute is an institute that works mainly for the nuclear industry, the OECD and the EU. Its reports are highly self-referencing and for that reason often contested.
I think that the analysis of risk and risk-assessment made by the German Ethics Commission on a Safe Energy Future, which was based on a lot larger spectrum of research as well as included fundamentally different paradigms of risk-assessment, is far more spot-on: The effects of a large accident are so immense that in case there is a viable, cleaner alternative existing, the alternative should be chosen and nuclear phased out.
In spite of all the upgrades and back-fittings, European PWRs still carry a risk: the "unforeseen" margin in technical mess-ups and insufficiencies and human interference including terrorist attack, sabotage and acts of war. Sheer technically: hydrogen recombiners are a step forward, they have not been able to eliminate all cases of hydrogen accumulation - you simply cannot find all places in 131 European reactors where it can accumulate and put recombiners there. They reduce the risk of hydrogen explosions considerably, they do not fully eliminate it.
I wish filters would be installed everywhere - it is not the case yet, though the EU stress tests are pleading for it. But they also are not a 100% solution.
Concerning Fukushima: the reactions in Japan were far from hysteric - in contrary, we have seen too much cases of authorities and inhabitants hesitant to move because there was no order from above and too much discipline. People rightly followed orders to stay in home in spite of the stress. But we still have too many people getting too high extra doses.
Don't be fooled by comparisons with "background radiation". Also background radiation is a health risk. People in areas with high radon levels are well advised to ventilate their houses accordingly and recent studies have shown elevated levels of radiation-related health effects in areas with high background radiation. Regulators are right not liking full body scans and advising pregnant women not to take long-distance flights if not really necessary. Not a question of hysteria - a question of common sense.
Nuclear energy means facing rest risk all along the nuclear chain, high costs and large amounts of capital going around creating a hotbed for corruption (incl. problems in safety culture in some parts of the EU), an unsolvable waste problem and spread of nuclear weapon technology (proliferation). This all needs to be taken into the equation. And there are alternatives. The German Ethics Commission conclusion seems to be to me therefore the right one.
17 December, 2012 at 11:42
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(Unregistered) jhaverka
@Zamm_ One more thing that is bugging my mind already for years: If reactor designs are so safe as you trust they are - with all their risk reduction ...
@Zamm_ One more thing that is bugging my mind already for years: If reactor designs are so safe as you trust they are - with all their risk reduction features including re-combiners and filtered vents... why does the nuclear industry fight the issue of supplier liability hand and teeth? It is clear they are not convinced of the level of safety they advertise... In order to keep them sharp, we should have full supplier liability, like we have it for cars or aircraft or any other engineering job.
18 December, 2012 at 8:01
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(Unregistered) zamm_
@jhaverka. There is no such thing as full supplier liability! Some examples:
1) If you crash into a wall at 100 mph with your car, the manufactu...
@jhaverka. There is no such thing as full supplier liability! Some examples:
1) If you crash into a wall at 100 mph with your car, the manufacturer will most likely be not liable if you die.
2) If your fly into a severe hurricane and you crash, there's also a good chance the airplane manufacturer won't be liable.
3) The same applies if your house collapses in the case of an unexpectedly large earthquake, as long as the builder followed the building code corresponding to the design basis.
4) What is true for your house also applies to hydro dams. If you're curious, you'll find many countries severely restrict hydro dam liability anyway - so goes your renewable storage.
Other non-accident examples (which justify the risks taken for dams… and nuclear plants):
5) Wood stoves and coal plants don't have to pay liability for lung cancer. Even if one cannot link a particular cancer to a single facility, the overall causal link is established beyond doubt.
6) The difficult-to-quantify "CO2 liability" for fossils.
6) Wind turbine suppliers don't have to pay penalties when their creations cannot deliver energy because there is no wind. The same goes for PV without sun. Operators of classical plants often DO have to pay penalties, or lose substantial amounts of money anyway, if they cannot deliver to customers. In "advanced" countries like Germany, they're even responsible if they cannot compensate the former's wild variability.
The bottom line: there is no such thing as no risk, but a balance between positive/negative criteria (sustainability, risk, availability, economics, …) to find the lesser evil. This leads to "standards", and suppliers are in general liable only if they don't meet them: as you can see, this is absolutely not specific to the nuclear industry!
This is especially true of natural threats (earthquakes, tsunami, landslides and flooding), where local operators and authorities (should) have the required knowledge to determine, enforce and maintain standards. The suppliers' job and liability is only to provide high-quality equipment (initial, maintenance and upgrade).
A good specific example is Vajont dam in Italy. A 1963 landslide into the accumulated water created a huge tsunami, which passed over the dam, eventually killing >2000 people. Obviously, the builders ("suppliers") had done a very good job, as the dam was almost undamaged! Responsibility clearly lies with the operator and regulator in the site study, especially given the fact the instability of Monte Toc (where the landslide came from) was quite well known!
Sounds a lot like Fukushima (knowledge of high tsunamis in the past, and failure to heed lessons from the TMI incident, both from TEPCO and NISA). I'm not aware of any supplier having refused to install plant upgrades, are you?
19 December, 2012 at 3:09
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@Zamm_ There is, however, in all those examples you give supplier liability when product weaknesses have added to the accident. As examples: In the ca...
@Zamm_ There is, however, in all those examples you give supplier liability when product weaknesses have added to the accident. As examples: In the case of Fukushima, GE and Hitachi did not warn TEPCO for potential problems when pressure would rise rapidly, although both companies were fully aware of it; plant suppliers also did not pressure TEPCO to install filtered vents. The question is furthermore to what extent the suppliers have been negligent in their maintenance work (GE had over 40 people on site when the earthquake struck).
Only in the nuclear industry, we see the industry getting a nice advantage in the form of a complete release of supplier liability over - as example - the Japanese legal definition of liability channeling towards the nuclear operators. Isn't it high time to take away the perks for the nuclear industry and treat it as any other industry? Especially because there are today people suffering from the Fukushima catastrophe that have not yet received adequate compensation.
21 December, 2012 at 12:55
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Humm… there is one major difference between NPPs and consumer product: the supplier design has to be approved first, in very detailed form, by the loc...
Humm… there is one major difference between NPPs and consumer product: the supplier design has to be approved first, in very detailed form, by the local safety agency, so it's a bit disingenuous to then claim supplier liability for an officially sanctioned design…
Then, the relatively (several hours) fast pressure rise is normal for a small confinement, something any high-school science student would know, so it seems reasonable to expect an NPP operator to understand this… More seriously, this issue has been common knowledge for >30 years, see link below, esp. ref.1:
Moreover, the solutions are well known:
1) Bunkerized backup cooling (minimize occurrence risk)
2) Rupture discs (backup venting if valves fail)
3) Filters to mitigate releases
All these were implemented in the 1980s-1990s in most European plants, so one can only wonder what NISA (Japan) and NRC (USA) were doing during this time… Given the fact suppliers like to sell products, it's very unlikely filters were not offered to TEPCO, especially given their very low price (<1% of the reactor)!
Finally, it seems NRC, after NISA, also will require old BWR vents to be filtered:
(In Europe, most countries require filters for all reactors, which is probably what Japan will do as well.)
23 December, 2012 at 2:26
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Here are some ways to reduce your risk of gestational diabetes :
- Maintain a normal weight gain during pregnancy.
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Exercise regularly.
- Avoid smoking.
Maintain a Normal Weight Gain During Pregnancy
The National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine makes the following recommendations regarding weight gain during pregnancy:
*These values are based on body mass index (BMI)—the ratio of your weight in kilograms to your height in meters squared. Recognize that these values are for Caucasians, which may not apply to Asians who have smaller body frames and different percentage of body fat.
Besides increasing your risk for gestational diabetes, excessive weight gain during pregnancy is also a risk factor for obesity post-pregnancy. It should be noted that the subject of recommended pregnancy weight gain remains somewhat controversial and that some feel that the above guidelines are too high. Talk with your doctor about what range of weight gain is right for you.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Even before pregnancy begins, nutrition is a primary factor in the health of the mother and the baby. Besides lowering your risk of gestational diabetes , eating a healthy diet lowers your and your baby's risk of serious complications during and after pregnancy. A healthy diet is one that is low in saturated fat and rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Avoid Smoking
If you smoke, talk to your doctor about ways to quit to reduce your risk of gestational diabetes.
Exercise Regularly
Participating in a regular exercise program can lower your risk of developing gestational diabetes by helping you maintain a healthy weight. But, it is very important that you discuss exercise with your doctor before you begin.
Choose exercises that do not require your body to bear any extra weight. Good examples are:
- Swimming
- Stationary cycling
- Walking
- Low-impact aerobics
- Yoga
When you are exercising, be sure to stay hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids, even if you are not thirsty. If your body temperature goes up too high, it can be dangerous for your baby.
Avoid contact sports or vigorous sports. Also, avoid any exercises that increase your risk of falls or injury.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: EBSCO Medical Review Board Beverly Siegal, MD, FACOG
- Review Date: 09/2018 -
- Update Date: 10/13/2014 -


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The Hotel Location Ischia Island The Restaurant
Ischia is world reknowned for its thermal pools with healing waters and the various health spas and gardens, such as Negombo and Poseidon.
More Information
After traveling via train and ferry (with a stop in Naples), we finally made it to Ischia, where we stayed for the next 3 nights.
Ischia island,nestled in the Gulf of Naples, is one of the only island holiday destinations off the coast of Italy that offers reasonably priced, comfortable and safe hostel-type accomodation to the young traveller wanting to get some time out from work or studies and experience the fruitful lifestyle of the summer in the mediterranean: Sun, sea, beaches, boat trips and more.
La Rotonda sul Mare Beach ResortRing Backpackers Hostel
Hotel Poggio del Sole via Baiola 269 Forio-Ischia Email:
Phone +39 081987756 • Mobile +39 3336985665Skype: hotelpoggiodelsole
VAT Number:03888891219


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Known as one of the leading wine producing regions of France, the commune of Bué in the Loire Valley is one of the few communes able to produce Sancerre wines. One winery has taken the innovative step to insulate their wine cellars with spray foam insulation aligning with its own environmental policy.
Home » Home - Latest Content » Sancerre Wine Cellar in France
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After nearly a week with the Surface Tablet (more like a five-day work week), I've retired my laptop and large tablet, replacing them both with this one product.
This is a generation 1.0 product, and I had a lot of worries based on some of the first reviews. Some said it was slow and wouldn't keep up with my typing; others were concerned that the kickstand wasn't very sturdy; others told me the cool magnetic power cord was a pain, that there weren't enough apps, that lacking Outlook was a deal killer, and that the cameras really sucked. Generally these early reviews were full of crap (though not always), and I think this may be the best first-gen PC product I've ever tried.
Let's revisit what makes the Surface and other Windows 8 products different, cover some of the misconceptions, and then we'll get down to my experience using the Surface Tablet.
What it does and what it doesn't
The first Surface tablet out the door is the RT version, which means it competes most directly with the iPad, not computers. Ideally, users will be focused on Web browsing, apps, and entertainment; if you want a product more focused on work, you'll likely prefer the Surface Pro and Windows 8 experience. If you try to position either product in the wrong use case, you won't have the best experience. I think some of the more negative reviews may have come from reviewers testing the Surface against what should be a Surface Pro or Windows 8 benchmark.
False issues
The Surface isn't slow. In fact, I wasn't able to replicate the reported problem where it can't keep up with typing. But right after I configured it, it pretty much updated every major piece of software off the Web, which may have corrected this problem. You aren't going to edit video on this product any more than you would on an iPad, but it has Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor, which has performed well on the best Android tablets. Compared to a typical three-year-old notebook running Windows 7, it feels far quicker, likely due in large part to the SSD drive inside.
The kickstand is actually pretty robust. Another reviewer testing a tablet did break his, but only by putting his adult body weight on it. I'm not going to try this myself just in case, but it isn't fragile; you'd have to work to break it, as this guy did. However, it isn't adjustable, meaning the front videoconferencing camera doesn't point where it should, unless you push the tablet back. Microsoft needs to make it adjustable, but unless you do a lot of video conferencing with your tablet on a table, it's a minor nitpick.
Magnetic cord issues do exist. First, the tolerances on the plug are pretty tight, which keeps dust and moisture at bay but makes it harder to plug in than a MacBook (the other product that uses a magnetic plug). I got over this after two or three times, but if Microsoft redesigned this a little bit by angling out the top part of the opening and putting on a color code so you didn't put it in backwards (the tablet won't charge) it would be a vast improvement.
Both Google and Apple have more apps available, and if you know which ones you use you'll want to make sure they are on Surface before you buy it. As it turned out, I didn't miss anything , but then again, I don't use a lot of apps, so what isn't a problem for me could be for you. The nice thing is that with fewer apps, it does seem easier to find the ones I want.
As a huge Outlook user who refused to use a Mac until you could run Outlook on it, I thought the lack of Outlook on the Surface would be a deal killer for me. However I also use a Windows Phone, and the new Windows Mail client is basically the same thing on a bigger screen. Turns out I'm OK, and unlike Outlook 2013, this mail client was designed for Windows 8, making it far easier to use with touch. One of the annoyances with my Windows 8 tablet is that Office menus are really hard to work with big fingers, which I have (though in this case, "big" might apply to anyone older than six). So while I still prefer Outlook if I have a mouse, the generic client is actually better for me on Surface. Go figure?
The Surface's cameras do suck. They are well below what you typically find on the back of a good smartphone. However, using a tablet as a camera outside of videoconferencing has to be the dorkiest looking thing you can do short of wearing wader pants. I see people doing this with their iPads all the time, and frankly, they look like idiots. With the screen glare and size, its just not practical. Most smartphones have both better cameras and cellular connectivity to send the picture straight to the Web, so I'm OK with crummy cameras on a tablet.
I didn't mention keyboards yet, but I should. There are two from Microsoft: one with mechanical keys and one with a silicone membrane. The mechanical one is far better if you want to type anything of length, but the membrane keyboard makes for a better cover, and feels sturdier. Because I type a lot, the mechanical one suited me better, but if you only type occasionally, you may prefer the membrane keyboard. It's both vastly better than a touchscreen, and protects the screen nicely. Oh, and disconnecting and connecting the magnetically attached keyboards is kind of satisfying, in a preschool way.
The iPad's Retina display is sharper than what you get on the Surface, but movies actually look better on the Surface. The kickstand also allows you to avoid a lot of the typical glare you get from holding most tablets. (Though I still wish someone would get transflective displays to work to finally eliminate glare).
Unlike the 4:3 iPad, the Surface uses a 16:9 aspect ratio, meaning its longer and thinner. Personally, I prefer the newer "panoramic" shape of the Surface to the iPad, because for movies it doesn't clip as much content for borders. I can also lay things up for work better (there's a reason laptops migrated to 16:9 years ago and never went back. The iPad shape feels more like a clipboard, which I was never a huge fan of, myself.
From my perspective, most of those negative early Surface reviews are now out of date or were crap to begin with, but you should test the product yourself. What I like and what you like could be very different, but it is just nice to have a choice.
The Surface in use
The Surface tablet is now my carry laptop, and I've stopped using my Kindle Fire and gone to using the Kindle Paperwhite instead. Having the SD card slot makes this thing much better for movies than the iPad, and the screen size and battery life make it superior to the Kindle HD.
Why keep around the Kindle Paperwhite? Holding the Surface for long periods of time while reading gets old, while the Paperwhite is incredibly light, and has battery life that is measured in days instead of hours. Now, I'm also a Windows Phone user, and I've been on Windows 8 for months, so the interface was brain-dead easy to learn for me. However, long-time Windows users may struggle with it a bit at first. Once you learn it, this interface is far faster.
I've just started messing with Windows Phone 8, and the way it works together with Surface is pretty impressive. For instance, when the tablet is connected, moving pictures from the phone camera to the tablet via SkyDrive is pretty much seamless. Another cool thing across the latest Windows products is a unified login: Most of your stuff appears automatically (including your personalized settings) after you first log into the device. Migration was damn near automatic.
A friend of mine who took his Surface tablet overseas may have said it best: "I didn't realize how limited the iPad was, until I started using this Surface tablet."
After a week, that's my take as well, except I'd expand from just the iPad to include Android tablets too. This has been one of the best first-generation PCs I've ever tried.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not reflect the beliefs of Digital Trends.
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Because the number of influenza cases has significantly increased throughout the region, children age 12 and under may not visit patients effective Wednesday, January 8. This applies to all Wake Forest Baptist inpatient locations and will remain in effect until the number of flu cases decreases significantly.Learn More.
The following list of Valentine comments includes kids whose names start with A-J. To move to different letters, click "Next Page" or use the links at the bottom of the page.
Austin, 12, likes and loves Whitney. "We were going out for 6 months and I broke up with her because she liked my best friend. Now, I'm still crazy about her, but she don't care."
Anonymous, 12, likes Thomas. "I used to dislike him, but now I totally changed my mind!"
Alishaa, 12, likes Rashaad because he's funny, cute, and is doing well in school. She loves her little sister, Tinaye. "She looks a lot like me."
Amanda, 14, loves Mark. "He's a sweet, adventurous country boy." She is his friend, sends him cards, and prays for him.
Anonymous, 9, likes David. She says hi to him.
Ace, 12, likes Mary Grace.
Aaron, 13, like Jennifer because she's cute and funny. She looks at her a lot.
Anmol, 12, likes Gobind. "He is very helpful, intellectual, and just himself!" She loves Gaurav, who is adorable and smart.
Allan, 10, likes Mary Grace. "I pay attention to her."
Andrea, 12, likes and loves Angel because he's cute.
Alpha, 11, likes Nicole. "She has a great personality."
Amy, 4, likes Janaha and Ian.
Aby, 10, likes Brandon because he's cute, funny, strong, athletic, smart, and "everything you would like, even a good personality."
Aden, 10, likes Demitris and loves Austin. "He makes me smile."
Ali, 11, likes and loves Justin. "He likes his family and I like mine. We have so much in common."
Andy, 11, likes Sarah.
Anna, 15, likes and loves Sammy. "He is very sweet and he is my boyfriend."
Alex, 11, likes Edgar, his best friend "because he is so cool." He loves Tania because she's cute.
Antones, 13, likes and loves Samantha. "She is there for me and is so cute."
Ashley, 13, likes and loves James because he's cute.
Ashley, 13, likes Desmond and loves L.C. "He's my boyfriend."
Anonymous, 11, likes Brandon. "He used to tease me, but I think he is soooooooooo cute."
Ami, 12, likes Togger, a character on the BBC TV series "Grange Hill."
Ashley, 12, likes Gonzalo and loves Ross. "He listens to me."
Antones, 13, likes and loves Samantha. "She is cute and has a lot of my interests."
Amanda, 10, likes Jamin.
Anahi, 14, likes Mario. "He is very sweet and very cute and very nice. When I need help, he is always there for me."
Anonymous, 12, likes Daniel. "He's fit and funny and nice 2 me."
Andy likes and loves Cele.
Alex, 10, likes Bianca. "She is very pretty and she takes my breath away when I see her."
Amanda, 11, likes Hunter. "We like the same things and when I'm around him, I always end up feeling happy even if before I felt really sad."
Amie, 8, says "I have a crush on a boy but I am embarrased to say his name... but I like him a lot for who he is."
Alex, 8, likes Mikie. She also likes Gemma, her stepsister.
Ashley, 12, likes Bruno and Flavio. "They are brothers."
Angie, 12, likes her friend Leah. She loves John because he's cute.
Ashley, 13, likes Eli because of him personality and "how he treats me."
A., 14, likes and loves Zach because he's cute and sweet.
Andrea, 11, loves Evan. She talks to him, makes him laugh and hopes to go to dances with him.
Angelica, 12, likes Dylan and thinks he will ask her out. She loves her best friend, Tyler.
Ana, 11, likes Sean. She says hi and passes him notes in class.
Ana, 11, loves Kendall. "He is so sweet and holds my hand in class sometimes."
Ashley, 17, likes Chris.
Alfanso, 11, likes Gladys.
Amber, 14, likes Chris and loves Brad. They both make her smile.
Anayeli, 13, likes Richal because he's nice.
Ashley, 13, likes Alex because he's cute and funny.
Andrew, 10, likes Amy and says she's cute and nice.
Alanna, 11, likes and loves Shannon. He's sweet and she likes hanging out with him.
Alicia, 12, likes Adam because he's nice and funny.
Adam, 10, likes Kate. He loves Amy, his sister.
Adrie, 13, likes Malcom because he is so sweet.
Alex, 10, likes Maddie and loves Kate.
Alfanso, 11, likes Nelly because she's cute.
Aliesha, 12, likes De'Andre because he's nice to her.
Ali, 13, likes Jack and loves Stephen. "He makes me laugh."
Ashley, 13, likes Leonardo and loves Ronnie.
Anni, 14, likes Reece. "He is my best mate. He has left school, so I miss him."
Ally, 8, likes Sasha because "she makes me feel happy."
Adam, 11, likes his friend, Will. He loves Lily and he is nice to her.
Analee, 12, likes Jordan. She writes him notes. Analee loves her mom and shows it by respecting her.
Austin, 9, likes and loves Ashley. "She is my girlfriend. She likes to be around me."
Anonymous, 11, likes and loves a teacher, Melanie "because she is funny and caring."
Amanda, 13, likes Frankie. She says he's an "awesome guy." Amanda loves her Memaw (her grandmother) because "she's always there for me."
Amanda, 10, likes her best friend Mary Ellen and her sister Laura. "She is the best big sister in the world."
Anton, 6, likes his friend, Eddie. He loves his mom.
Ashley, 10, likes Stevan because he's cute.
Asanatu, 13, likes Jewprise.
Alex, 11, likes Matthew and misses him because they don't go to the same school anymore. "He understands me. He's not afraid of love. He's not afraid of people knowing we like each other and he makes me feel safe."
Anonymous, 5, likes Naddaly "because she has a very good smile."
Alli, 11, likes Len because he's cute.
Adrianne, 15, likes Joseph. "He doesn't mind I'm different. He has made many footsteps on my heart!" She loves her sister, Joana. She tells her she loves her and looks after her.
Ali, 12, likes Josh. She doesn't know why.
Allisa, 10, likes Joseph and shows it be asking if he needs help. She loves Nick. "At snack time, we always have each other's snacks or we trade."
Ashley, 10, likes Stephen because he's cute and smart.
April, 9, likes Bernard and talks to him. She loves the singer, Usher, so she listens to his music.
Alison, 17, likes Colten.
Ariel, 13, likes and loves Leeroy. "He's sweet and fine."
Alyssa, 12, likes Eugene, so she flirts with him.
Amy, 11, likes C.J. She loves Jemey. They are both cute.
Ace, 11 going on 12, likes and loves Reece. "He is cut and nice."
Angie, 12, likes and loves Pierre. "He has a cute personality."
Adriana, 13, likes Antonia because he's cute. She loves Anthony and shows it by talking tohim.
Aisha, 9, likes Juan. She shows she cares by playing soccer with him.
Angel, 10, likes Martin. "I don't want anyone to like him because I'm jealous!" She loves her dad.
Aden, 9, likes Austin and loves Abel.
Annaka, 16, likes Ned. She talks to him to show she cares.
Ashley, 13, likes Macho and loves Dashon. She talks to both of them.
Anonymous, 12, likes Nick because he's really nice and cute.
Amber, 11, likes Nik because he's "so fit!" She loves Lewis and says she thinks about him all the time.
Ashley, 10, likes Michael because "he is a really great kid." She gives out lots of hugs to show she cares.
Adel, 13, likes Carl because he's nice and she's known him since kindergarten.
Ashley, 10, likes Matt because he's gentle, cute, and nice.
Angie, 11, likes Evan. "He's so sweet to me and we like a lot of the same things. And he is kinda cute."
Arianne, 9, likes Bryan.
Alexa, 11, likes Mike, who is a twin. She loves the actor Adam Brody.
Angel, 10, loves the actor Johnny Depp and watches all his movies.
Ashley, 12, likes Markes because he's sweet and good looking.
Alice, 12, likes Tom because he's caring. She shows she cares by "giving him a smile everyday."
Alex, 9, likes Jamie because she's cute.
Ashlee, 17, loves Brett, Brian, and Eric because they're sweet.
Amanda, 10, says: "I love Bobby!"
Ashley, 13, likes Jeffrey.
Ashley, 9, likes Deantre because he's cute. She loves Marcos because he's nice.
Autumn, 10, likes Matthew because he helps me. She loves Drew "because he and I are very much alike and it was meant to be true love."
Ashley, 11, likes Bryson because he's nice and sweet. She loves Brody. "I care what people say and do that hurt him!"
Alex, 4, likes his brother and loves his mom. He shows he loves his mom by giving her hugs and kisses.
Alicia, 12, likes Teddy. "I like him because he's cute and has some caring in him." She loves John who has "the cutest personality."
Amy, 11, loves Jimmy. She's not sure why. "When I'm around him, I just, like, feel something."
Allora, 12, likes Carlos because he's really nice to everyone. She loves Spike because he's "soo cute."
Bobby, 11, loves Natasha. He said he was embarrassed to show how he felt, so he decided to write this email. He thinks she's "hot" and that she also has a "kind and loving heart." He wrote: "If she sees this, it will be a miracle. Love ya, Tash."
Brittney, 14, likes and loves Junior. "I mean, like, when we broke up, like, the whole school started asking me to be their girlfriend and I wouldn't because I still have such strooooooooonnng feelings for him. What should I do?"
Bea, 12, likes her dog, Odo. "He's the cutest dog around!"
Brittney, 10, likes Colin and loves Ben.
Baquisha, 13, likes Brandon - also known as "Turtle." She loves her boyfriend Jermaine.
Brandon, 10, likes and loves Rebecca. "She is my girl."
Breanna, 10, likes Alexander "for no apparent reason."
Brittany, 11, like Dant'e because he's cool and cute
Blaize, 11, likes Tiffany and loves Mom.
Brielle, 12, likes her mom and dad. "They love me."
Brittany, 11, likes her friend, Tony. "He saved me from getting hit in the head by a basketball."
Becca, 13, likes John. "I just do."
BC, 11, loves the whole family. "My mom and dad are there for me. My mom cooks great! My 2 brothers can be annoying, but nice."
Brandon, 10, likes and loves Codi. "I love her and her personality."
Brandon, 11, likes Jenny. He shows it by "being a gentleman to the ladies."
Britany, 15, likes Johnny. "He makes me feel good."
BBJ, 12, likes Jordan because he's cute. She loves her mom and shows it by respecting her.
Brian, 10, likes Vickie. "She loves me."
Brittney, 12, likes Kevin because he's cute. She hasn't told him.
Brian, 10, loves Schae. "She is just so perfect."
Brook, 11, likes Braden because he's cute.
Britney, 16, likes and loves Frank. "He is very fun to be around."
Baby, 11, likes Sparky.
Breanne, 12, likes Vinnie because he has the "right personality."
Brea, 12, likes Chandler because he's funny and nice.
Brianna, 11, likes Tanner because he's funny.
Brittany, 10, likes and loves Dylan. She thinks he's very nice and talks to him a lot.
Brittany, 11, likes and loves Matt because he's cute.
Bolagia, 10, likes and loves Reece because he's handsome.
Berenice, 10, likes Kevin because he's so cute.
Breanna, 12, likes George, who's cool. She loves Henry because he's nice.
Britt, 10, likes Dean. She thinks he's cute.
Brianna, 9, loves Michael. He looks like her twin and they both like sports. She shows she cares by "complimenting him on the great goals that he reaches and not ignoring him."
Brooke, 11, likes Freddy. "He makes me laugh and he's cool."
Brittney, 13, likes and loves Alvin because he's sweet and nice.
Becky, 11, likes and loves Mathew. She shows she cares by being his friend and laughing with him.
Brandee, 10, likes Gage and thinks he's cute.
Brooke, 10, likes Randy. She loves Nathan. "He has long hair like me."
Bailea, 9, likes Jared because he's cute.
Bob, 16, likes Milly and loves Jolly.
Brandon, 12, loves Ashley "because she is the best of them all."
Brett, 9, likes Krei because she's cute.
Becky, 10, likes Ricky because he is himself and "good to talk to and share your feelings with."
Brittnee, 13, likes Frank. He's cute and "he makes me happy if I'm down." She loves the rapper, Romeo, because "he's sooooo cute and we have a lot in common." She writes fan letters and has his photos all over her wall.
Betty, 9, likes Gordo and brings him a GameCube to play with.
Courtney, 9, likes Tristen. She shows it by telling him "his percent funny is 1 million percent." She loves her mom and shows her by kissing her good night.
Can't Tell, 9, loves Danny. "He's sweet and I think he may like me too!"
Cecilia, 12, loves Luis. She misses him when he is absent from school. "I wish I could show him I care but it'd be too obvious."
Courtney, 9, likes Ryan who is one of her friends. "I can't keep my eyes off him." They play kick ball together.
Catherine, 13, likes Ryan because he's one of the sweetest guys she knows.
Crysta, 12, likes Matthew, Adam, and John because they're all nice.
Crystal, 10, likes Christopher and loves Charles.
Casey, 12, like Fahed because he's cute.
Christa loves Andrew because he's cute. Around him, she's shy.
Casey, 8, loves Floyed. "He is hot, hot, hot!"
Cathy, 11, likes Kyle. She's nice to him and smiles at him.
Connie, 16, loves Jimmy. "He hugged me when there was no homework to do."
Ceres, 11, likes James. "I need a boyfriend."
Cameron, 12, likes Nakeeta and loves mom.
Crystal, 12, likes Rashaad and loves her mom. "She helps me with my homework and my drawings."
Caitlin, 10, likes Demitri.
Cierra, 11, likes Tyler. "I usually ask him out to the movies every weekend and I'm not mean to him. I call him every night or talk to him online. I love him ssssooo much!!
Catreena, 14, likes Ross. "He is stunning."
Charlotte, 17, likes Andy because he's kind and caring.
Candy, 13, likes Aaron because he's funny and cool.
C.J., 12, likes Brook. He shows her by "doing mostly what she wants."
Chrisin, 12, likes Justin and loves David.
Catherine, 8, likes Jude. "He is a wee cutie and has a really cute smile!" She loves her family and her fish. She shows her fish that she cares by "cleaning their tank when it gets dirty!"
Chantelle, 14, likes Liam and loves Luke.
Corey, 10, loves Britney. "I just love her so much. I can't lose her."
Cuyla, 10, likes Evan and loves Joseph. "He is funny, cool, and all I need."
Cindy, 10, likes Matthew because he's cool. She loves her mom and hugs her.
Cally, 12, likes Tyler and Josh. "I love them both so much!"
Caroline, 9, likes Jack and loves Nick. "He loves me and I love him."
Cheyenne, 11, likes Billy. She loves her dad. "He has been the best dad ever."
Cheyenne, 11, likes the actor David Boreanaz (from the show, "Angel"). "He is hot and mysterious," she says.
Cassandra, 11, likes Justin. "He is nice, caring, and cute."
Carolyn, 13, likes Christopher. "He's way cute, he's athletic, and he's the kind of guy that you want to put his arms around you and protect you!" She loves her family. "They're family, people. It's a package deal!"
Chris, 12, likes Ashle."She is cute."
Cameron, 13, likes Reachel. Right now, he doesn't know her.
Caroline, 11, likes Cameron
"because he is nice, funny, and cute!"
Camille, 10, likes Keldrick because he's funny and cute. She talks to him almost every day.
Courtney, 7, loves Lyle.
Corbin, 16, likes Taylor because she's beautiful. He treats her with respect.
Cemone, 12, likes Raymond because he's cute.
Clair, 13, likes and loves Keven because of his hair.
Cybill, 14, likes and loves Robin. He's handsome and "he loves me, too."
Charmaine, 15, likes and loves Micheal. "He's so cute."
Ca'che, 10, likes Matt because he's funny.
Conny, 11, loves Brenton because he's cute, funny, and sweet.
Cheleana, 17, likes William because he's "very smart, intelligent, nice, and funny." She loves Ivory. "He'll be there to help me out."
Carolann, 13, likes her family because they're always there for her. She loves the actor Johnny Depp. She buys his films.
Christina, 10, likes Billy. "He is very funny and nice to hang around with. Plus, he always falls for me tripping him."
Courtney, 14, likes Donivan and thinks he's cute.
Colin, 13, likes Amber because "she's a great athlete and she's pretty and sweet." Colin also loves the actress Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies.
Chalon, 10, likes her brother Phernandez. "A shout out to Phernandez - Love ya!" Chalon loves grandma and mama because "they always do things for me."
Carmen, 11, likes Cavon. "He is absolutely gorgeous."
Chantel, 8, likes Andrew and loves Crystal. They are both nice.
Crystal, 11, likes and loves M.I.
Chelsea, 12, likes Chris and shows it by showing him how to do certain homework problems and not making fun of him. She loves her mom because "she cooks every night and still has time to talk to me and spend time with me after a busy day."
Carrie, 15, likes Ben because "I love him and he loves me, too."
Cheily, 12, likes John because of his "cute eyes" and "hot attitude."
Charity, 12, likes and loves Datavious because he's "fine, sweet, and funny."
Caroline, 9, likes Michael because he's cute. "I talked to him."
Casey, 10, likes and loves Jordan because he's "nice, funny, sweet, kind, smart and cute!"
Being herself is the way she shows Jordan that she cares.
Christina, 13, likes Zach because he's cute. She loves her Aunt Velma because she takes care of her.
Chloe, 12, likes Ben because he's funny and cute.
Cynthia, 11, likes her friend Jessica. "I comfort her when she doesn't feel happy." She loves Robert and shows she cares by helping him.
Chelz, 13, likes Andrew and tells him so.
Callum, 15, likes Brooklyn. Why? "I dunno. She's fit and she reminds me of New York."
Divya, 11, likes Arun. "He is nice and he cares about me." She loves her parents.
Denise, 11 likes Giana. "She is my BBBBBEEEEESSSSSTTTTTEEEEESSSSSTTTTT friend in the world!!!!!!!!
We always talk to each other!!! I hope we stay friends forever!!!!"
Dani, 10, likes Bert. She showed him by going to his concert.
Danielle, 9, likes James. "He keeps my secerets and I keep his. But the secret I never told him was I really like him, and I think he likes me too!"
Dorotee, 14, likes D.J. and loves Patrick. "He's not like other boys."
Dominic, 13, likes Jacklyn because "her smile is so cute."
Devon, 10, likes Jonathan because he's cute and smart. She talks to him at lunch.
Daneis, 10, likes Ray because he's cute and smart.
Danielle, 8, likes Max because he's good looking.
Dowana, 12, likes Amro. She loves Colten.
Deanna, 9, likes Ashley because he's cute.
Diana, 11, loves her dog, Spot, who died of a kidney problem. "Luv ya, Spot!"
Danica, 10, likes Max because he's cute and funny. She loves her boyfriend, Sean.
Danielle, 11, likes and loves Matt because he's funny and nice.
Dylan, 13, likes Catherine. "She's awesome."
Diana, 15, likes Daniel. She loves Caig.
Danni, 14, loves Kieron because he's sweet.
Diamond, 11, loves Chase. She shows she cares by "smiling a lot and acting as if I really do love those silly songs he sings from the movie, 'School of Rock.' "
Dakia, 14, likes Jamaal. She loves Steve and calls him.
Dant'e, 12, likes Brittany.
Dana, 11, likes Faisal. "He is sooo cute and really nice to me."
Dan, 8, loves Nelly. She's nice and fun, but, Dan says: "I do not exactly know why I love her."
Diana, 11, loves Tyler, Amanda, Laura, Ashley, and her family. "I love my friends and family because they support me with friendship, caring, and laughter. They talk to me and I can turn to them when I need help."
Dana, 15, likes Ben.
Devin, 12, likes Tyler. She helps him with problems and cares about him.
Dominique, 10, likes and loves Robert. "He says the craziest and nicest things you could think of."
Dorcy, 11, likes Edgar because he has a nice personality. She shows she likes him by "telling my friend to ask him if he likes me."
Dorlly, 9, likes Sawyer. She gives him candy.
Em, 12, likes M.J. because he's funny.
Emily, 10, likes Matt because he's cute.
Emma, 11, likes Yassin, who now lives far away. "I wish you would read this Yassin because I really love you. I care sooo much. You said to me you will never love anyone but me and the same with me. I love you. Marry me!"
Emily, 13, likes and loves Connor for his sense of humor. "He knows how to get a good laugh going."
Elyse, 11, likes her friend, Maggie. "We have a lot in common."
Emily, 11, likes Thomas and loves Zack.
Eliana, 10, likes C.J. because he's cute.
Emily, 13, loves Kurtis but she's not sure why.
Erin, 11, likes her friend Arianna. She loves Cole and stares at him.
Erica, 12, likes Brandon. "He was like a brother to me and he was nice to me no matter if the other boys weren't nice to me last year in the 5th grade." She loves her best friend, Jesse, even though they live far apart now.
Emily, 10, likes Thomas because he's really funny, smart, and cute.
Emily, 11, likes Nick. She loves Andrew. "He follows me around."
Emily, 9, loves her mom and dad. She shows them by being nice.
Elene, 10, likes Keven because he's cute.
Emily, 11, likes Dan and loves her dog, Mille. "She is so cute and so nice."
Emmily, 11, likes Juan and loves Quinque. Quinque loves her as a friend, she says.
Eliza, 10, likes Tyler because he's really cute and he's really nice when someone gets hurt. "My friends tell me that he likes me but I don't believe it."
Elizabeth, 13, likes Jaime and loves Kevin. They are both kind.
Emerald, 11, likes Ben because he's "smart, funny, and charming." She loves the singer, Usher, and shows it by being a fan.
Emilee, 10, likes and loves Jacob. She shows him by telling him "hello" and smiling.
Emily, 11, loves Adam. "Our love must be strong because we were together 6 years and now you've dumped me. Please take me back!"
Emily, 10, likes her friend Christine because she's funny and nice. She likes hanging out with her.
Emily, 10, likes Ben. She loves Kevin. They are both nice.
Emily, 13, likes someone special. She's going to give him another chance
Erica, 10, likes Taver because he's cute.
Erinesha, 12, likes and loves C.J. "He is awesome."
Emily, 13, likes Cam. "He phones me so much and tells me that he loves me and I like that a lot."
Francis, 15, likes William. "When he has a problem, we try to solve it together. I help him with whatever I can. He knows that I love him."
Fransisca, 11, likes Juan. She kisses his hand.
Faye, 14, likes and loves Marshy. She lets him talk to her.
Felicia, 12, likes Sean. " I love him because he is cute and comical."
Gracie, 12, likes her sister, Olivia. "She buys me sweets all the time and we dance to music in her room." She loves Tom, so she text-messages him "24/7."
Georgia, 9, likes her mom because she makes "amazing spaghetti." She loves Jake, who "always says I'm pretty."
Gabby, 13, likes and loves her friends Laura and Andrea.
Gino, 10, likes Raelene. "She is kind and pretty. I love you very much."
Ganhu, 15, likes Scotty because he's cute.
Gemma, 11, likes Addison because "he's funny and nice and he has my weird sense of humor."
Giana, 14, loves Joe. "I love his smile, and everything about him - how he is not rude to people who aren't his friends. Stuff like that."
Gustav, 9, likes Sarah.
Haley, 10 loves Glen because he's so cute so funny. She tries to make him laugh.
Hannah, 12, likes William because "he always knows exactly what to say when I need to hear it."
Hannah, 10, likes Austin because she likes his personality.
Heather, 9, likes her cat, Kitty. She loves Miles. "We go to the same school and he is cute."
Her, 10, likes Him.
Halyna, 10, likes her best friend Angela. "She always looks out for me and helps me when I'm in trouble." She loves her mom and dad. She shows how much she cares by "not making them mad at me and being trustworthy."
Holly, 12, likes Joe and loves Nick. "We have almost everything in common."
Hector, 11, likes his family and his teacher. "They teach me a lot of things."
Haley, 12, likes her parents. She gives them presents she makes herself.
Hannah, 11, likes Peter because he is nice and funny.
Holly, 11, likes Danny Jones of the English band McFly. "He is really fit and has a great singing voice." She buys the band's singles and puts their posters in her room.
Hannah, 10, likes and loves Devon and shows it by asking him out.
Hailey, 9, likes Glory because she's nice. Hailey loves Glen because he's really cute and funny. She shows she cares about him by "just trying to be a friend."
Hannah, 9, likes Dakota. She shows she cares by talking to him and sending him letters.
Hannah, 13, loves Will because he makes her laugh.
Hayden, 11, likes Jarrod because he's sweet.
Heaven, 11, likes Jacob because he's nice and very cute.
Helen, 11, likes Correy and loves Bobby. They're both nice and cute.
Heather, 5, likes Sam because he is very nice.
Hope, 11, loves Connor because he's cute, funny, "and simply the best!"
Ila, 16, says: "I love Allen. I love Allen. I love Allen. I love Allen. I love Allen. I love Allen."
Isabella, 10, likes Amanda. "She's nice to me even if we get into fights." Isaella loves Pierce and shows it by talking to him.
Ivan, 12, likes Candice. He plans to give her a present on Valentine's Day.
Inu, 11, likes Kagome and hugs her.
Isain, 10, likes Gladys because she's cute.
Isaac, 11, likes Amber and loves Capri. He thinks they both have "good style." At last year's school dance, he told Capri she looked great. "I also make some jokes about her, but they aren't mean."
Jasmine, 10, likes and loves Justin. "He is funny and is like me."
Jacqueline, 12, likes Julian. She waits for him in the morning.
Julia, 12, likes Victor because "he is so sweet and kind and has beautiful eyes."
Joyce, 12, likes Sid because he's funny, smart, and cute. "I wish he could talk to me."
Jake, 13, likes and loves his sisters, Paola and Gabi. He tries to help them and take care of them.
Jennifer, 11, likes and loves Andrew. "I show that I care about him by telling him that I like him."
Jasmine, 12, likes David and Edgar because they're fine.
Jannette, 11, likes Eduardo. She loves Brandon. She kisses her books when she looks at him.
Jade, 12, likes Scott. "He has a great since of humor! And he is very strong, too!"
Jazmine, 12, likes Caesar. "He is so fine."
Jeffrey, 12, likes Rosie because she is "fine."
Julio, 12, likes Alexis because she is "fine." Jennifer, 15, likes Judas. "He's goth and he's not a stuck-up like a lot of kids at my school."
Jessica, 12, likes Robert secretly. She loves Mike secretly, too.
Jeny, 10, likes and loves Denis. "When I walk past, I say, 'hi.' "
Janne', 18, likes the singer, Mario Barrett. She visits his web site and listens to his CDs "nonstop."
Jim, 5, likes Donna. "She's cute."
JoJo, 11, likes Jake. He's cute and nice.
Jordan, 8, likes Cody and loves Justin.
Jade, 11, likes and loves Glenn. She watches his games.
Janeth, 13, likes Adam. "He has been with me for, like, ever. And he totally respects me and I do the same for him!" She loves her family and friends. "They got my back and I got their back."
Jessie, 11, likes her friend, Sarah. She loves Ash. "He is so fit."
Jessica, 10, likes Robert because he's smart and really cute.
Jen, 10, loves David.
Jasmine, 13, loves Jose. "I wish to talk to him."
Jessica says she loves the ice cream man. "He melts my heart."
J.F., 12, likes Rigoberto. "He is so cute and he is very funny!"
Jessica, 14, loves Dalton. "Everytime I am around him he makes me feel like I can be myself. I wish I could be with him all the time."
Joseph, 9, likes and loves Lateisha. "She is nice and pretty," he says. Joseph helps her do her work.
Jessie, 9, likes Max. She loves Andrew because he's cute.
Jenna, 7, likes Keegan, but "ONLY becuase he's a nice friend."
Jasmine, 11, likes Matt because he's funny. She shows she likes him "by messing with him."
Jazzmine, 11, likes and loves Deishawn because he's funny and cares for her.
Johanna, 12, likes Jake. "He is cute, sweet, and funny."
J.K., 8, likes K. and loves H.
Jacki, 5, likes Jesus Christ and serves him every day.
Jada, 13, likes Akeem. He "has a good personality and spends a lot of time talking to me."
Jade, 10, likes playing together with her friend, Millie. "She is very kind."
Jade, 10, likes Ryan and loves A.J. "He is a smart and nice kid."
Jaleesa, 11, likes Clifford because he's funny, nice, and cute. She likes Kyle because he's nice and cool.
Jamie, 9, likes David. "He teaches me how to draw and he's good at science (just like me).
And Jamie loves Kyle "because his personality is fantastic."
Janeka, 17, likes Kevin. "He makes me smile." She loves her mommy because she takes care of her.
Jasen, 12, likes Sam because she's nice.
Jasjit, 9, likes Annie and tries to make her happy when she's sad. Jasjit loves dad because "when I'm sad, scared, or need help, he helps me."
Jeanne, 15, likes Robert because he looks like the actor Adam Sandler. She loves Dystin, her baby brother.
Jeni, 11, likes Preston who is "way cute." She shows she likes him by "giving all these hints."
Jesse, 11, likes Cody because he's nice. She loves Austen, so she ignores him.
Jessica, 11, likes "Garret, Adam, Joe, Jake, and all of the boys in my class! I am so sorry to tell you if you didn't want to know!"
Jessica, 12, likes Michel because he's cute and nice.
Jessica, 12, likes and loves Chase because he's "nice all the time, every day."
Jillian, 12, likes Adam and shows it by talking to him.
John, 13, likes Mayra, who is funny, cute, and smart. "I make her laugh."
Johnna, 11 going on 12, likes Blane. "When he was new to the school, I let him sit with my friends and me." She loves Ponchey and has since 5th grade. "When he didn't have lunch money, I gave him some of mine."
Jordyn, 12, likes Ian.
Jannette, 11, likes John and loves Robert.
Johnetta, 13, likes Philip because he's funny, cute, and nice to talk to. She loves Jesus Christ and prays every day.
Joy, 10, likes and loves Dane "because he's nice and we love to talk." They share a seat on the bus.
Judy, 9, likes and loves Jared. "He's a neat guy."
Juliana, 10, likes talking to Gene and staring at him. He's funny, cute, and nice.
Jenny, 12, loves Luis because "he makes me feel special."
Justine, 11, likes her best friend Shannon. "She's so fun to be around." Justine loves Malcom. "He's so cute and nice and funny and sweet. I could go on forever." She can't show him she cares because he has a girlfriend and she doesn't want to "interfere with anything."
Jazmin, 9, likes Cristian for his "cuteness" and "great personality."
Jordan, 8, likes Thomas. "He is nice and funny."
Jasmine, 11, likes her mom. She loves God.
Julio, 12, likes Chelsea because of the way she looks. She tells her she's "fine."
Jade, 13, likes Austin because he's nice to her.
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Celine and Jesse are sporting a few physical wrinkles — and working through some unsettling relational ones — in Before Midnight, but that just makes this third installment of their once-dewy romance gratifyingly dissonant.
It's been 18 years since they talked through the night that first time, Julie Delpy's Celine enchanting and occasionally prickly, Ethan Hawke's Jesse determined to charm; their chatter then, as now, scripted but loose enough to feel improvised as captured in long, long takes by Richard Linklater's cameras.
Take a peek back at 1995's Before Sunrise, and you'll be reminded of how effortless it all seemed at the outset: a daylong meet-cute flirtation begun on a train and continuing in Vienna, with relationship logistics impossible enough that French gamine and American shlub (and so young!) felt free to invent, embellish, overstate and preen while simultaneously letting down their guards, knowing nothing would ever come of the encounter.
Before Sunset (2004) caught up with them in Paris after a long separation, nine years and some seemingly incontrovertible life choices later. The conversation that time was tinged with regret, longing and — at the tail end — a faint glimmer of hope.
Now another nine years have passed, this time years spent together rather than apart, and the heady buzz of romance has given way to a steadier, less urgent throb. Commitment, is it? Though not married, they're raising twin girls (presumably conceived shortly after we last saw them), and what's quickly apparent from the rhythms and flow of their chatter is that parenthood hasn't changed them.
Before Midnight begins at the tail end of a family vacation in Greece, with Jesse stumbling through an awkward airport farewell. His 14-year-old son is heading home to Chicago and his mom, leaving Jesse in a funk as he drives with Celine (and the girls, asleep in the back seat) to a friend's villa. There, they'll do something we've not really seen them do before — interact with others — in a long luncheon conversation with their hosts that brushes in some exposition about the nine years we've missed. (And that suggests Linklater has been watching a lot of Eric Rohmer.)
Then the two get away by themselves and get back to the discursive, meandering, hyperarticulate and wildly verbose noodling that makes these movies such welcome rarities at the cineplex. Delpy and Hawke workshopped the dialogue with Linklater, and if the result rarely sounds entirely offhand, it does sound heartfelt enough that you may wonder whether bits of their own lives crept into the mix.
Whatever — they're older if not necessarily wiser, more practical, less ardent, more weighed down by life, so it shouldn't be surprising that their conversation would have a sharper, less wistful edge this time, with Jesse brooding about not being a bigger part of his son's life, Celine fretting over her job.
Still, nothing about their sparring prepares them (or us) for the turn things take when they check into a hotel for some away-from-the-kids, shake-out-the-cobwebs sex, only to have the sun take civility with it as it sinks below the horizon. It's as if the weight of 18 years has descended on the couple's Bach-like duologues, inflecting them abruptly with the Wagnerian and putting at risk a partnership that — though we've spent just a few hours with them across two decades — we've been fully prepared to declare rock-solid.
As Linklater exchanges sunny Greek vistas for the artificial light and bland, tight confines of a hotel suite, you'll note the creases that time has etched into the actors' faces, and register how earned the pain seems in their eyes. Delpy and Hawke have never been more persuasive. Nor has the series. (Recommended)
JACKI LYDEN, HOST: Eighteen years ago, actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy teamed up with director Richard Linklater to make what's probably the talkiest movie romance ever. It was called "Before Sunrise," and it was just the two actors having a daylong conversation. Nine years later, the same team got together again to make "Before Sunset," also a one-day long conversation. Now, they've made a third film. This one's called "Before Midnight," and critic Bob Mondello says they still got plenty to say.
BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: Celine and Jesse are sporting a few physical wrinkles as they work through some relationship wrinkles this time around - yes, relationship. They've got kids now, which means they're way past the meet-cute stage of the first two pictures, though they do occasionally relive it.
MONDELLO: The heady buzz of romance may have given way to the less-urgent throb of commitment, but Celine and Jesse have never stopped trying to puzzle out their relationship. Actors Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke have again workshopped the dialogue to make their scripted conversation sound loose and improvised. And this time, director Richard Linklater has them wandering through an eye-popping family vacation in Greece, babbling away in long, uninterrupted takes for the camera.
MONDELLO: It's not surprising that their sparring would have a less wistful edge after years together, but even they don't expect the sharpness that creeps in when they check into a hotel for some away-from-the-kids, shake-out-the-cobwebs sex. The sun sinks below the horizon and somehow takes civility with it. And as the director exchanges Greek vistas for the tiny confines of a hotel suite, in the artificial light, you can see the creases that time has etched into the actors' faces, see how earned the pain seems in their eyes.
Delpy and Hawke have never been more persuasive than they are in "Before Midnight," nor has this surprisingly resonant series. I'm Bob Mondello.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Shun Blue Menkiri Knife
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- Summary
The Shun Blue Steel series was developed in partnership with award-winning chef Chris Cosentino, known for his "nose to tail" philosophy of using the whole animal. These traditional Japanese knives feature a core of blue steel – a fine-grained carbon steel favored by professional chefs for its blazing sharpness – encased between two layers of stainless steel. A smaller version of the sobakiri (soba noodle knife), the menkiri has a long, straight edge that creates stability when cutting straight down.
- Designed for cutting fresh noodles or pasta as well as for chopping, slicing or creating chiffonade of vegetables or herbs.
- Japanese san mai construction features carbon steel between two layers of stainless steel, providing the ultra-sharpness of carbon steel with the easier maintenance and added corrosion resistance of stainless steel.
- Blue steel, hardened to 61 Rockwell, is a super-hard, fine-grained carbon steel known for taking and maintaining an extremely sharp edge ("blue" refers to the paper the raw steel comes wrapped in).
- Mirror-polished blade has a bead-blasted edge where the two steels meet, showcasing the layered construction.
- Handle is made of gray PakkaWood.
- Custom traditional Japanese wooden saya, or sheath, included with the knife for safety and convenience.
- Dimensions & More Info
- 8"-long blade, 4 3/4"-long handle. 9.75 oz.
- Includes sheath.
- Knife handcrafted in Japan; sheath made in China.
- Use & Care
- Always use caution when handling sharp objects.
- Avoid cutting on hard surfaces such as stone, metal or glass.
- It is not advisable to use any knife but a meat cleaver to cut through bone, as other blades can be easily damaged.
- Hand wash with warm water and a mild detergent; rinse and dry immediately.
- Avoid cleaners containing bleach or citrus ingredients.
- Sharpen as needed. With regular use and honing once a week, your knife should not need sharpening more than once or twice a year.
- Sharpen your knife at home using a whetstone or knife sharpener designed to sharpen at a 16-degree angle, or have it sharpened by a professional.
- Store knife in a safe place to protect its edge and prevent injury.
- Shun Blue Steel knives will eventually develop a beautiful dark patina along the cutting edge, which helps protect the carbon-steel cutting core from rust.
- Shipping
Shipping Information
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3–5 business days. UPS is unable to deliver to P.O. boxes.
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The shipping rate varies depending on your order total and shipping destination. View Shipping Options and Charges.
Next Day Delivery
For an additional charge of $26 per address, we can expedite delivery to most destinations. This service is not available for some oversize items, items shipped directly from the supplier (including perishable and custom-manufactured items), out-of-stock items and items to be shipped outside the contiguous 48 states.
Orders received by 9:00 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday will arrive the next business day; orders placed Friday through Sunday will arrive on the following Tuesday.
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At Williams Sonoma, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction are our priority. Upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage; we will arrange for a prompt replacement.
If within 30 days, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required for all returns and exchanges. Returns with a gift receipt will be refunded in the form of a Merchandise Credit for the amount indicated on the gift receipt. Returns with original receipt will be refunded in the original form of payment, cash and check refunds over $100 will be issued as a company check (may take 14 business days from time of request).
For all cutlery returns (knife sets, single knives, cutting boards, knife sharpeners and knife storage), please contact us at 888.922.4108 to initiate the return.
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Marine Parade, Napier
Ph: 06 834 1404
Opening Hours
Daily from 9:00am - 5:00pm
(including public holidays)
last entry 4:30pm
Today's Hours: 9.00am-5.00pm
Last entry at 4.30pm
Marine Parade, Napier
Ph: 06 834 1404
Opening Hours
Daily from 9:00am - 5:00pm,
last entry 4:30pm
Discover an exciting world above and below the water at the National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier.
Visit Penguin Cove and watch the famous naughty and good Little Penguins feed and play. See sharks, stingrays and fish swimming over you in the 1.5 million litre oceanarium tunnel. Spot New Zealand's native wildlife – the Kiwi and Tuatara.
Daily feeding times are 10.00am for the reef fish, 2pm for the sharks and the Little Penguins at 9.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm.
East Coast LAB (Life at the Boundary) aims to increase understanding of the Hikurangi plate boundary and associated natural hazards like earthquakes and tsunami.
Plans are well underway to expand the aquarium. Learn more about this exciting project!
Disclaimers and Copyright
While every endeavour has been taken by the National Aquarium of New Zealand - Napier City Council to ensure that the information on this website is accurate and up to date, National Aquarium of New Zealand - Napier City Council shall not be liable for any loss suffered through the use, directly or indirectly, of information on this website. Information contained has been assembled in good faith. Some of the information available in this site is from the New Zealand Public domain and supplied by relevant government agencies. National Aquarium of New Zealand - Napier City Council cannot accept any liability for its accuracy or content. Portions of the Napier City Council information and material on this site, including data, pages, documents, online graphics and images are protected by copyright, unless specifically notified to the contrary. Externally sourced information or material is copyright to the respective provider.
© National Aquarium of New Zealand - Napier City Council - www.nationalaquarium.co.nz / +64 6 834 1404
Comprising a Museum, Theatre and Gallery - MTG is home to a significant collection of objects that form the foundation of distinctive exhibitions, a world-class research facility and the MTG Theatre.
View website for MTG Hawke's Bay
Strive to Inspire, Educate and Entertain by providing access to information through various resources within our Libraries. We aim to provide more than you expect.
View website for Napier Libraries
Unique Art Deco heritage has been preserved with the skilful addition of modern theatre facilities making it the best provincial performing arts centre in the nation.
View website for Napier Municipal Theatre
Located on Marine Parade, Napier, is the Bay Skate Park - home to skateboarding, BMX, roller derby, inline hockey and scootering.
View website for Bay Skate
Visit the Napier i-SITE to find out more about what is happening in Hawkes Bay, from events, activities and accommodation.
View website for Napier i-SITE Visitor Centre
The Faraday Centre in Napier, is Hawke's Bay's Museum of Technology. It's a place of discovery where history comes alive through hands on experience.
View website for The Faraday Centre
Come to Par2 MiniGolf and meet Seamore the Seagull at our sea-side minigolf courses. Challenge your friends and family for a round.
View website for Par2 MiniGolf
Nowhere else in New Zealand will you discover a wider range of marine animals and native species in a single facility than at the National Aquarium of New Zealand.
View website for National Aquarium of New Zealand
For Napier City residents and citizens to have easy access to see what council are currently working on, completed, what they do, facilities, and council information.
View website for Napier City Council
Situated in the centre of Napier, in the middle of Onekawa Park, the Napier Aquatic Centre is a safe and affordable aquatic facility for everyone.
View website for Napier Aquatic Centre
We offer an all purpose built venue that uniquely combines spectacular outlooks with functional layout.
View website for Napier Conference Centre
We are Hawkes Bay's premier holiday accommodation park providing an array of facilities to keep the entire family entertained.
View website for Kennedy Park Resort Napier
Located in the Art Deco city of Napier. We have worked closely with our builders to promote and develop high quality housing within an open-aspect environment.
View website for Parklands Residential Estate
If you have any questions, problems or feedback for National Aquarium of New Zealand please let us know about it.


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I went to homecoming with friends in my Virgin Suicides dress, gold platforms that made it look like I was floating kinda (one guy said I looked like a scifi hero!), and dead rose petals bobbi pinned to my hair.
For Halloween I was Carrie, kind of? Bloody Mary? Unfortunately my lipstick goo blood was smudged by the end of the night, but I can assure you it will always be in my SOUL! Or something.
And the moodboard that ended up as our table of contents calendar thing:
Ah, such visual satisfaction! Here are all the things I did for the October issue.
Wrote my editor's letter! And looked mad with Petra in the process.
Styled a bunch of angsty teen witches, which Petra then shot!
Gave dating tips for middle schoolers! I mean, Chill McChillson did. But I helped him.
Interviewed Elle Fanning! And oh man, it was really sweet and fun.
Styled some photos Petra took when we went to Salvation Mountain! I am really pleased by these and really hope you like them.
Made a DIY video with Petra for making those crowns that popped up in our Salvation Mountain. More help/fun/inspiration at the post.
And lastly, wrote and illustrated a thing on why the 21st century is not as awful as one might think.
I recommend all things I did because if you are reading my blog I write, then you might like other stuff I write and style/illustrate/whatever, as well. But I highly suggest looking at other stuff on the site, too! Highly! There are wonderful contributions from Meadham Kirchhoff, half the Parks and Recreation cast, Autumn de Wilde, Kimya Dawson, and more awesome creative people. We are now in Issue 3, Girl Gang. If you join us, we will reward you with things that will make your head and heart happy. Like chicken soup for the soul. Not the book series of inspirational stories, but the actual soup.


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Garden with 'Old South' Style
Explore the grounds outside a French Colonial Texas home
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It doesn't get any more "Old South" than growing mint for juleps in your garden. That's what oilman Glenn Smith and wife Judy do in the orderly yet vibrant gardens surrounding their new home in The Woodlands, a suburb of Houston. The Creole-influenced French Colonial home and outbuildings were designed by Ken Tate of Covington, Louisiana. His name is synonymous with the high and hospitable style of the Old South.
"I wanted it to feel as if you were transported back in time," says Judy, an adept hostess who uses her own little courtyard and garden off the sunroom to create menus for parties that spill from house to grounds, often including poolside dining. More than a dozen tall French doors provide a casually elegant transition to the outdoors, and most windows afford views of the rolling emerald grounds. Transoms are left open in warm weather, when the fragrance of gardenias--that emblem of Southern gentility--imbues the air.
When the Smiths, long smitten with Louisiana style (they also own a small home in the New Orleans French Quarter), decided to build in Houston, their horticultural designer, Helen Grivich, suggested architect Tate. "I had admired his books on architecture because I love the old Southern style," Judy recalls. "So we went to New Orleans to see homes he had designed, and they were just magnificent."
"Glenn's a wildcatter oilman, and they like to take risks," Tate deadpans. The intuitive, poetry-loving architect says the grounds drove the design of the home, which appears to have been added onto over time. The property looks surprisingly natural in a modern planned community where, Glenn chuckles, they had to get a dispensation in order to set one outbuilding just "two inches" over a designated line.
Grivich, who specializes in water conservation and organic gardening, and who explains that she worked closely with Tate, says, "I designed from the outside in, covering the brick walls with vines. Inside the walls, it's both structured and lush, with parterres and boxwood edging, creating what I call 'ordered chaos'--nice, trim little edges that surround looser, more flowing plantings. I used all the different flowers and colors that Judy loves and the order that Glenn likes. I like a little whimsy in the middle--I think a garden should make you smile!"
An entry gate with an air of mystery, an imposing fountain with water lilies and frogs, a brick overhang on the back porch, antique wrought-iron furniture, and four tall, exquisitely gnarled crape myrtles give the garden its lazily sensuous French Quarter vibe. Sequential plantings create the illusion of separate seasons in mostly hot Houston, balancing native plants with tropical ones. The grounds feature a wealth of trees--yew, magnolia, lime, lemon, and pomegranate. Camellias, larkspur, snapdragons, roses, hydrangeas, irises, and bird-of-paradise are among the profusion of plants and flowers. "Deer and climate dictated what to plant," Grivich says. "I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make the inside look tropical, because Houston has colder winters than New Orleans."
Intriguing outbuildings include two pigeonniers (French for dovecotes), one serving as a children's playhouse with Lilliputian-height ceilings and its own wee garden, the other as a gentlemen's cigar bar. The pigeonniers were Tate's idea: "I needed architecture out there in that circular drive of the compound, something that referenced--but didn't echo--the architecture of the house."
This time of year, 14,000 tulips in a spectrum of undulating colors carpet the grounds. In the spring, lovely deer-resistant larkspur creates what Grivich calls "a huge canvas that's completely blue, like a Monet painting." Despite such floral operatics, the approach to the property is quietly graceful, planted with deer-resistant alyssum and dianthus. Set on the 18th hole of a golf course, the home is cloistered on three sides by courtyard walls made of vintage brick as tendriled with vines as Rapunzel's tower. "It's pretty low-profile," Glenn says. "We're not trying to announce ourselves to any passersby."
Tate finds his way into his designs through fictional narratives, an idea that enchants former English teacher Judy. The story here is that in the '20s, the scion of an old New Orleans family ventured to Texas. Nostalgic for home, he built a dwelling in the piney woods outside Houston that eventually became "a beautiful architectural relic that can barely be glimpsed through a dense screen of trees."
"We wanted a friendly home where everything seems used and comfortable," Judy says, "and that's just what we got."
Photography: John Granen
Architect: Ken Tate, Ken Tate Architect, 433 N. Columbia St., Suite 2, Covington, LA 70433; 985/845-8181, kentatearchitect.com.
Landscape architect: Helen Grivich, 832/457-5021.
Builder: R.B. Ratcliff & Assoc. Inc., 281/346-2794, rbratcliff.com.
Stucco-covered brick columns lead to Glenn and Judy Smith's front door.
Arches frame the courtyard.
A brick path to the home.
Dewy 'Knockout' double pink roses.
Larkspur (Consolida ajacis), another garden winner.
Antique wrought-iron furniture and the delicate lace of ferns add to the lush and lovely ambience.
Snapdragons add brilliant color.
The pigeonnier is used as a playhouse with a garden of its own, delighting the Smith grandchildren.
Steps lead to the pool area. Along with the poolhouse's curtained arches, they set the stage for entertaining.
Boston ivy and passion vine drape the brick courtyard walls, adding agelessness and a hint of mystery.
Dianthus is pretty, plus it's distasteful to deer. The Smiths' horticultural designer, British-born Helen Grivich, also uses snapdragons and alyssum outside the courtyard walls, keeping pansies and violas inside because deer like to eat them.
Glenn and Judy Smith stroll a brick path in the garden of their two-year-old dream house--the first home the couple has ever built.
"It's a perfect soulful house, but not a 'perfect' perfect house," Louisiana architect Ken Tate says in his inimitable drawl when describing the Old South-style house he created for Glenn and Judy Smith in suburban Houston. "I like a look that's slightly off. Perfection is the death of creativity."
In his gorgeous new book A Classical Journey: The Houses of Ken Tate (Images Publishing, 2011), the architect tells how a firm grounding in tradition and a wide range of influences led to his unapologetic eclecticism in marrying the classical to the vernacular to create an unforgettable style.


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- Hooks and Picks
Hooks and Picks
Struggling to do a job with the wrong tools will quickly suck the enjoyment out of working on old cars. Trying to remove old seals, o-rings and gaskets with screw drivers and other tools not designed for the job can be time consuming and a real pain. Considering how inexpensive the right tools are from Eastwood, why would you waste time trying to do it the wrong way ever again?


text: Whoa whoa WHOA, today is the two-year anniversary of this blog! Which is very odd. I don't have much to say and I don't know WHAT to say but mostly I would like to thank everyone who reads it and gets it and take the time out to let me know. You guys are the bestest.


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The first option
I voted Forsaken World. More my style. Then again, I enjoyed Waterworld.
Religion: I like the idea of a monotheistic religion for once, perhaps, but as is my wont, if I did do so, it would be a mystical and esoteric religion, with heavy use of ritual, with masked priests and secret hymnbooks and such.Another idea is using the Enlightenment Deism- a god who created the universe, and then walked away- a distant, unknowable creator, so distant, in fact, that it might as well not even matter.But in regards to religion, I want to stay away from the same old pantheism.
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"We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor.Is Henry bluffing? Has Teixeira eliminated Boston from his possible places of employment? Or is this a straight statement of the Red Sox removing themselves from the bidding and moving on?
The Red Sox's offer was approximately 8/184.


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Carahsoft, in conjunction with its vendor partners, sponsors hundreds of events each year, ranging from webcasts and tradeshows to executive roundtables and technology forums.
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