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Battle of the Bents
A new era will be ushered in when genetically modified turfgrasses hit the shelves. That day is soon to come. Scotts and Monsanto have joined forces to develop the first transgenic turfgrass — Roundup Ready (glyphosate-resistant) bentgrass. Among other things, Roundup resistance was selected as the first trait to appear in transgenic turfgrass because it is well defined and understood and is easy to select for. Other turfgrass species and transgenic traits will undoubtedly follow suit.
The collaboration Tee-2-Green, Turf Seed and HybriGene is also working on transgenic turfgrasses. Their twist is to develop a male-sterile transgenic bentgrass that addresses concerns of potential escape through cross-pollination with other varieties.
Both forces are leading the way in the development of new turfgrasses that will revolutionize the way we manage turf. We asked each force to tell us about their genetic engineering efforts. Read on and compare their views.
Turf benefits of biotechnology on the horizon
By Bob Harriman, The Scotts Co.; and Don Suttner, Monsanto
Biotechnology, which has brought economic advantages and lowered pesticide usage in agriculture, may soon have a positive environmental and economic impact on the turf and ornamental industry as well, assuming successful completion of the regulatory process.
At the Millennium Turfgrass Conference held in Melbourne, Australia, in June 2000, Craig Edminister of Cebeco International Seeds identified herbicide resistance, insect resistance, salt tolerance and disease resistance as important traits that would be extremely difficult — if not impossible — to deliver using traditional breeding methods. However, through biotechnology, those highly desirable traits are possible and, in fact, likely.
The first turf product from this biotechnology is likely to be creeping bentgrass made tolerant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup PRO herbicide. The Scotts Co. and Monsanto have completed three years of intensive research on this front, and have submitted findings to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for regulatory review. If the process stays on track, Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass could be available to golf course superintendents within the next two years.
The quest to develop glyphosate-resistant bentgrass began in 1990, when the United States Golf Association (USGA) provided a grant to Rutgers University to study whether the glyphosate-resistance gene being developed in crops also could be inserted into turfgrass.
Mike Kenna, research director for USGA, selected creeping bentgrass for the trial because he felt weed control improvements in that species would provide the most immediate pesticide reduction benefits. If it were possible to control Poa annua infestations in creeping bentgrass, he reasoned, golf course superintendents could reduce their herbicide usage as well as their use of insecticides and fungicides. With no existing product that offers effective control of Poa annua in creeping bentgrass, golf course superintendents are forced to cultivate the Poa as a turfgrass. This, in turn, forces them to use two pesticide regimens: one for the Poa annua and one for creeping bentgrass.
Furthermore, Kenna reasoned, if weed control issues could be solved in creeping bentgrass, that species might supplant other species used on northern golf courses, such as perennial rye and Kentucky bluegrass, which have their own set of pest challenges. The result could be improved playability and simpler turf management for a wide range of golf course superintendents in regions where creeping bentgrass can thrive.
While the USGA supported the initial research, Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass did not go onto a development track until 1998, when Scotts entered into a development agreement with Monsanto.
Since then, there has been intensive study in cooperation with more than a dozen major universities and consultations with leading golf course superintendents, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and USGA. The combined efforts have resulted in the establishment of nursery settings at more than 30 golf courses where superintendents are evaluating the Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass genotype under their course-management practices and against today's best creeping bentgrass varieties.
Over the past three years, scientists at Scotts and Monsanto have worked with leading academic researchers to develop the database required by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the branch of USDA responsible for evaluating plant biotechnology. APHIS is responsible for reviewing products to evaluate their plant-pest potential.
Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass is the first perennial biotech grass plant to be reviewed by APHIS. In fact, Scotts and Monsanto voluntarily withdrew their petition in order to develop an additional year of data to provide a more thorough review of a perennial plant. They have since resubmitted the petition and the project is on essentially the same timeline as earlier anticipated.
Thorough research will determine if the biotech plant differs from its conventional counterpart in any way other than the inserted gene.
Here are the results from just some of the recently completed evaluative studies:
- Seed germination studies
These studies show that seeds are unlikely to develop if dropped on bare soil unless well watered, and very unlikely to grow if dropped on soils where grasses are growing — the same as with conventional bentgrass seeds.
- Competition studies
These show that Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass is no more fit to compete against other plants than conventional creeping bentgrass, already a poor competitor in the wild.
- Flowering and pollen studies
These show that the biotech bentgrass flowers and produces pollen at the same time and in the same quantity as conventional bentgrass.
- Seed onset and yield studies
These comparisons show the Roundup Ready product is essentially identical to conventional creeping bentgrass.
- Morphological studies
These studies, which compare characteristics such as leaf length, anther and stolon size and root mass, show that Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass and other creeping bentgrasses have essentially the same physical characteristics.
- Nutrient studies
These studies compare the nutritional content of the biotech grass with its conventional counterpart and show that there are no changes that could affect wildlife or livestock, if fed bentgrass.
These studies, which are similar to those required for biotech food crops, demonstrate that Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass is substantially equivalent to conventional bentgrass.
These data show that Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass is highly unlikely to establish or spread in the environment. Research has demonstrated that creeping bentgrass does not cross with other unrelated grass species such as rye or fescue. If the Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass should cross with another bentgrass species, research shows that bentgrass hybrids do not compete well against other plants. Furthermore, any plants that might survive would be substantially equivalent to other bentgrass plants and could be controlled by mechanical removal or with a herbicide other than glyphosate. A number of herbicides provide effective control of Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass, including glufosinate and the ACCase inhibiting herbicides fluazifop, clethodim and sethoxydim.
Scotts and Monsanto also have developed an extensive stewardship program for individual golf courses that will plant Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass. Central to this stewardship is a commitment that golf courses using Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass will keep the grass mowed, not allowing the creeping bentgrass to reach a height where it could produce seed.
This unique stewardship program is in effect for our seed production facilities in Oregon. Jefferson County grass seed producers asked the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to establish a control area that separates creeping bentgrass seed developed through biotechnology from conventional creeping bentgrass. The ODA established an 11,000-acre control area in Jefferson County, approximately 100 miles to the east and on the other side of the Cascade Mountains, a formidable barrier to any seed dispersal to the conventional seed production area. Any seed that might escape from these irrigated farms would not survive in the arid region of eastern Oregon.
More than a decade ago, the USGA recognized the potential benefits of glyphosate-tolerant creeping bentgrass. Research has confirmed this. The ability to control Poa annua with glyphosate could eliminate nearly 500,000 pounds of pesticides including fumigants, fungicides, insecticides and herbicides per year, according to estimates based on current use patterns. Research also shows that watering needs are lessened when Poa annua is removed from the turf. A number of studies are being conducted with several universities to learn more about how watering needs are lessened when the percentage of Poa annua is changed.
At Scotts and Monsanto, it is our hope that the combination of sound science and good stewardship will help solve some of the most perplexing challenges of turf management. Weed control certainly is high on the list of challenges, but so are diseases, drought and insects. We are proud to be the ones who will potentially open the door to economically and environmentally sound solutions to these problems through biotechnology.
Roundup Ready and Roundup are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC.
Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass has not yet completed the regulatory process in the U.S. and Roundup PRO is not registered for use over the top of turf. It is a violation of federal law to promote an unregistered pesticide use.
Bob Harriman is vice president of biotechnology at The Scotts Co. (Marysville, Ohio) and Don Suttner is regional technical development manager at Monsanto (St. Louis, Mo.).
Transgenics: The Bright Future of Turfgrass
By Jeff Litrenta, EPIC of Wisconsin, Inc., on behalf of Tee-2-Green
Transgenics. Even the word sounds futuristic, like something from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie; but genetic research and engineering is an area of brilliant discovery that holds the promise of exciting rewards for people worldwide. Yet with all of its potential, transgenics is still a science in its infancy, and like so many other new things, misunderstanding and even misuse sometimes threaten its possibilities.
But in a fully functional plant transgenics and molecular biology facility in West Kingston, R.I., scientists are using genetic technology to create the future world, working to improve many of the agricultural products we use including turfgrass.
Proving the benefits of this new world of science is HybriGene, Inc., an affiliate organization that provides agricultural biotechnology research to Oregon-based seed providers, Turf-Seed, Inc. and Tee-2-Green, Corp. HybriGene was co-founded by Bill Rose, president of Turf-Seed and Tee-2-Green, and by Tom Hodges, Ph.D., and his wife. "The inspiration came because we had developed these patents from research that we did in university laboratories," says Hodges. "I thought there was a great opportunity to develop these patents and use them for the production of genetically engineered crops."
Since its founding, the company has been working to develop new and improved turfgrass varieties for the marketplace through genetic engineering. "HybriGene's goal is to create new cultivars that will compete in the marketplace and actually replace existing cultivars," says Albert Kausch, Ph.D., who is the research director at HybriGene.
The potential good that can come from this science is seemingly endless: the ability to place certain desirable traits from outside the gene pool of conventional breeding practices into turfgrass. That means landscapers, sports field managers and golf course superintendents can have grasses that are herbicide-resistant, tolerant of drought, stress, salt and insects, grasses that have better growth habits and color. These genetically engineered grasses will give homeowners and sports turf managers benefits including lawns and playing fields that stay green with less water and fewer chemicals — a plus for the environment. Golf course superintendents can maintain putting greens that play better and are totally free of unwanted weedy grasses like Poa annua. The possibilities truly are endless.
With licensed rights to a number of patents in various stages of issuance, HybriGene has already positioned itself as a leader in the plant biotechnology industry. "We are not just a start-up company looking for a way to produce and market these products," says Kausch. "You can think of many bio-pharmaceutical companies that are good at the science but have no way to get out into the marketplace. In our case, the entire product pathway is established through the Rose companies."
That pathway begins with Pure Seed Testing, a Turf-Seed affiliate research company that develops new cultivars through traditional methods of breeding. Pure Seed gathers quality germ plasm from around the world and selects those with the most desirable traits for breeding. The new cultivars that show the most promise are analyzed and developed, to insure they display the traits and reproduction characteristics needed to be successful in the marketplace. Once those plants are identified and found to be successful, the process moves to Roselawn Seed, an affiliate company that takes the seed to the next step by growing more plants and increasing the amount of desirable seed available, so it eventually can be marketed to customers by Turf-Seed. Rose sees the work at HybriGene as a natural extension of this process. "Our biotechnology work at HybriGene mixes well with our natural breeding functions at Pure Seed Testing, which develops cultivars that then flow to Roselawn Seed, and then to the world through Turf-Seed," says Rose.
In the future, HybriGene will send its genetically modified grasses to Pure Seed Testing where they will be developed into market varieties through natural breeding. "It really is a misconception when we talk about biotech that most of the work is done in the lab," says Crystal Rose-Fricker, who heads up Pure Seed Testing. "Once the gene is placed into the plant, we're working with traditional methods. We still go back and select the plants that have the gene, make crosses, evaluate them and screen them under the conditions that the variety will be used."
Their affiliation with Pure Seed gives HybriGene another advantage. "The breeding program that has been in place since the 1970s at Pure Seed has generated many different varieties of turfgrass that thrive in different situations," says Kausch. "We are starting with the world's best germ plasm, which is already suited to the needs of the market, and we are improving it further." HybriGene can short circuit and quicken the process to market of exceptional grasses, by modifying them genetically, taking that good germ plasm and adding desirable traits, possibly from other plant species such as rice. The rice genome is fully mapped, so some of its genes could be used in the production of grasses.
Much of the initial work at HybriGene has been focused on the golf course industry. Tee-2-Green, the marketing arm of the Penncross Bentgrass Growers Association, has sole permission to grow and sell the Penn bentgrasses developed by Joe Duich, Ph.D., of Penn State University. This affiliation gives HybriGene the ability to work with the varieties developed for greens, fairways and tees that are already performing well in the marketplace, including the new Penn A and G bentgrasses.
"With the Penn bents, we're working with germ plasm that has already been screened thoroughly at Penn State by Dr. Duich," says Crystal Rose-Fricker. "We're able to put in a gene for herbicide resistance, drought tolerance, or some other trait we're looking for and we have a head start."
"As far as I know, we are only one of two companies currently involved in turfgrass biotechnology," says Hodges. "Scotts is working in collaboration with Monsanto, but we have the unique intellectual property to control male sterility, whereas they do not."
HybriGene has developed its turfgrasses using safe practices and environmental control. To prevent transgene escape, they have genetically engineered their products to be male sterile. This will prevent movement of the genes to other varieties of bentgrasses. "Based on our environmental risk assessment study at Pure Seed Testing, we do know that pollen can travel quite far and carry transgenic genes," says Rose-Fricker. "So we are only working with male sterile plants, and we are in the process of proving that we have transgenic creeping bentgrass plants that are male sterile, which means they do not produce viable pollen so the genes can be contained in the plants and the seed."
"We feel male sterility is important to prevent these genes from moving into wild relatives or into our competitor's germ plasms," says Kausch. According to a paper co-authored by Jay Wipff, Ph.D., and Rose-Fricker published in the International Turfgrass Society Research Journal, Vol. IX, 2001, this problem is not just theoretical. The article states, "Within highly domesticated crops, crop-weed hybridizations have occurred, leading to the evolution of aggressive weeds (Barrett, 1983) and demonstrating that the hazards created by these hybridizations occur in nature and are not unique to genetic engineering. The weeds are difficult to control because they share so many traits with the crop."
According to that same paper, creeping bentgrass has the potential to be the first perennial, (stoloniferous) wind pollinated, outcrossing transgenic crop to be grown adjacent to naturalized and native populations of cross-compatible and native species. These are traits, which can increase the risk of outcrossing, persistence and introgression of alien genes into an adjacent population. Most of the risk assessment done on transgenic plants has been conducted on annual or self-pollinating crops, so the potential risks from the commercialization and large-scale seed production of perennial transgenic crops like creeping bentgrass is unknown. Because Oregon produces nearly all of the bentgrass seed grown in the United States, predominately in the Willamette Valley, the risk to other bentgrass varieties is great, and HybriGene feels that more research is needed before genetically altered, open-pollenating plants are allowed to propagate.
In fact, according to Rose, as this article is being written billions of Roundup genes from 400 acres of open-pollenating, transgenic creeping bentgrass have been let loose in Jefferson County, Ore. "There are many resident plants in this area that will now be tested for the presence of this gene," says Rose, "and the resulting seed, when planted, will also be tested." Rose adds, "There's an extremely high probability that when those plants mature they'll produce seedling plants that Roundup won't kill. This is a serious problem for farmers who use Roundup to clean their crops; and homeowners, turf managers and golf course superintendents will quickly learn of this problem when Roundup no longer eliminates weedy grasses."
The debate over genetically enhanced turf grasses and other plants is ongoing; in the meantime, HybriGene will continue its pioneering research, with an eye on safety, producing new varieties with traits that can help the environment, save money and provide a better quality of life for people everywhere. "I see the future of HybriGene as very bright," says Hodges. "We'll be producing several genetically engineered turfgrasses, herbicide-resistant grasses; we're going to introduce drought-tolerant genes, disease-resistant genes, but the thing that makes us unique is that we are going to be doing this in an environmentally safe manner with genetically engineered, male sterile plants."
Genetic engineering (also called biotechnology) refers to manipulating the DNA or genes of an organism.
Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are organisms that have been genetically engineered.
Plant transformation (also called plant transgenics) is the process of introducing a gene from some other organism into a plant species.
Jeff Litrenta is a writer, producer and project manager for EPIC of Wisconsin, Inc., an advertising agency and production company located in West Bend, Wis. You may contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com.
By Mark Welterlen, Ph.D.
The center of the debate on biotechnology in the case of turfgrass breeding has moved from the morality of human manipulation of genetic material to a new focus: responsible implementation. Whether we like it or not, genetic engineering is here to stay. With all the dollars that have been devoted to research and development on genetically modified crops, and the promises that they offer, I don't think there is any chance that the tide of biotechnology will be stopped. Implementation has been slowed with efforts to stand in the way of progress (and rightly so with such new and far-reaching technology). However, we all know that this is only the beginning of more to come.
Genetically engineered crops have taken over the corn, soybean and cotton markets. Genetically engineered glyphosate- (Roundup) and glufosinate-ammonium- (Finale) resistant crops have been commercially introduced over the last several years. In fact, 75 percent of the soybean crop planted last year in the United States was so-called Roundup Ready (genetically modified for glyphosate resistance), as was 65 percent of the cotton crop and 10 percent of the corn crop.
The development of Roundup Ready bentgrass is a done deal. Scotts and Monsanto have partnered in its development and are chomping at the bit to release this GMO. The only thing holding up release is approval by the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which is currently reviewing the petition submitted by Scotts and Monsanto.
Bill Rose and his folks at Tee-2-Green, Turf Seed, Pure-Seed Testing and HybriGene are concerned that transgenic turfgrass pollen will cross with other varieties of bentgrass causing escape of the gene to the wild. By developing a transgenic variety that is male-sterile, they hope to prevent escape from occurring. They are on the biotechnology bandwagon and are holding on just as tightly as Scotts and Monsanto, but Scotts and Monsanto got on first. Bill Rose's advantage lies in the depth of well-established bentgrass varieties (Penncross and Penn A and G bents) that Tee-2-Green has marketed. Time will soon tell who introduces the first transgenic turfgrass, but it appears that Scotts has the lead.
Where will biotechnology lead us from here? Other turfgrass species will undoubtedly become transgenic crops as well. Roundup resistance is only the first step in turf, but Finale (glufosinate-ammonium) resistance is sure to follow. With biotechnology the world of plant breeding has changed forever. We will undoubtedly reap the benefits.
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NEW ORLEANS - Tim Tebow and coach Urban Meyer stood together in one corner of the Louisiana Superdome, sang the school fight song and then offered a final gesture.
Tebow took off on a victory lap. Meyer saluted the Florida fans.
It was Tebow's way of saying goodbye. It may have been Meyer's, too.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
Tebow rose above all the distractions caused by Meyer's uncertain future and capped a storied college career with his finest performance. It was the best in BCS history, too.
Tebow threw for a career-high 482 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 51 yards and another score, and fifth-ranked Florida overwhelmed No. 4 Cincinnati 51-24 Friday night in the Sugar Bowl.
For Tebow and the Gators (13-1), this certainly was The Big Easy.
"It was incredible," Tebow said. "Just a great game. It was exactly how you want to go out with these seniors and these coaches in your last game and your last time together. It just really doesn't get any better than this."
Florida's most anticipated season ever ended in New Orleans instead of Pasadena. It came against Cincinnati (12-1) instead of Texas. It was about redemption instead of perfection.
None of that mattered when the Gators took the field.
Tebow wouldn't let it.
"This has been the best four years of life," the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner said.
He completed his first 12 passes, led the Gators to scores on their first five possessions and finished with 533 total yards — more than anyone in Bowl Championship Series history. He topped former Texas star Vince Young's record of 467 yards set against Southern California in the 2005 Rose Bowl.
"They couldn't stop Superman," Gators guard Carl Johnson. "They needed some kryptonite."
The Bearcats lost their bid for a perfect season and surely will spend the next year listening to questions about whether they belong in the big games against the biggest boys.
Florida, meanwhile, became the first school in the Football Bowl Subdivision to win 13 games in consecutive seasons.
Tebow and his teammates had hoped to repeat as national champions, but a 32-13 loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game knocked them out of the title picture.
"We tried to show coach where we should have been," Johnson said. "We had to make a statement game, not only for us, but for coach Meyer. We had a bad game at a crucial moment, but we're still Florida, we're still here and we ain't going nowhere."
The Gators spent the last four weeks regrouping from the disheartening loss.
Things got worse when Meyer announced his resignation last Saturday, three weeks after being rushed to the hospital because of chest pain. Meyer changed his mind the following day, and instead said he would take an indefinite leave of absence.
No one knows how long he will be away or whether he will return at all.
"I plan on being the coach of the Gators," Meyer said. "I know I'm anxious to get home. We'll address the future at the appropriate time."
His wife, Shelley, said she had no idea what will happen.
"We just need to take a step back and think and relax and we'll see what happens from here," she said. "But this couldn't have ended better right now, right here. This couldn't have been a better day ever."

subset: commoncrawl


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On Saturday, December 10th, from 10:00 am to 11:30 a.m. at the Library and Archives Canada, BIFHSGO (British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa) will present their annual "Christmas gift" for everyone - they will have four different topics presented by four different people.
The topics will be -
"How I Found 'Uncle Effie' While Helping to Research a WWII Pilot" by Mary Anne Sharpe
She will talk about how she was contacted by a genealogy researcher who was helping a Belgian man contact the families of several RAF airmen so he could round out the stories of the men who are buried in his local cemetery in Kaggevinne, Belgium.
Mary Anne will explain how she found out about the shooting down of a young WWII pilot from Sault Ste. Marie, the involvement in the search for information about the death of a man Mary Anne had always known as "Unle Effie", and how she found that both men were her cousins!
"Professor Robinson – Where did you come from?" by Roberta Kay
Professor William Robinson was the founder of the Department of Engineering, Mining, and Textile sections of the University College of Nottingham, England. Hear how she pieced together the life of her ancestor with a variety of resources, and which methods were used to uncover William's birth place.
"Revelations in a Paper Bag and a Shoe Box" by Anne Sterling
See how the discovery of inherited family photos and newly-found ones led her to meet various third- and fourth-cousins, and then do further research of a family in Fitzroy Township, Carleton County.
"Fun Boy, Fly Boy, My Reclusive Uncle" by Ted Lawrence
Kenneth Lawrence, born in 1918, was a fun-loving gregarious youngster, a practical joker, partier, and sports enthusiast in his high school years, and an inspired and courageous pilot during WWII.
This meeting is FREE, and if you haven't gone to a meeting before, BIFHSGO members would love to see you there. They are great people, and are eager to talk genealogy to you at the drop of a hat.
For more information, go to http://www.bifhsgo.ca/events.php


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COPD is an umbrella term for a range of progressive chronic lung diseases, such as emphysema and bronchitis, which block the airways and restrict oxygen flow around the body.
In excess of 1 million people are thought to have COPD in the UK, many of whom have not been diagnosed. And the World Health Organization estimates that it will become the third leading cause of death in the world by 2020.
It is well known that smoking causes premature ageing of the skin, and similarly, most cases of COPD are caused by smoking.
But not all smokers go on to develop COPD, and the researchers wanted to know if the extent of facial wrinkling might provide a clue as to a smoker's likelihood of having the disease.
They studied 149 current and former middle aged smokers from 78 families. In all, 68 people had COPD.
More than 80% (124) of the total sample had no or very few facial lines, and 25 had widespread wrinkles.
Forced expiratory volume in 1 second, which measures lung strength, was significantly lower in those with extensive wrinkling than it was in those whose faces were only minimally lined.
And those with lined faces were five times more likely to have COPD than those without, after taking account of age and the number of years as a smoker. Facial wrinkling was also associate with triple the risk of more severe emphysema.


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The Real Time Map page cane be used to display the approximated location of buses [on a route] based on the most current real time adherence available.
Select a desired route from the list and you will see the real time location of the buses on the map. You can select up to 2 routes to be displayed at the same time. Bus information is displayed using the legend below.


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But for some reasons, the LHCb managed to discover five new particles without any bottom quark – at once:
The collaboration proudly tweeted about the new discovery and linked to their new paper,
Observation of five new narrow \(\Omega^0_c\) states decaying to \(\Xi^+_c K^−\)You may count the new peaks on the graph above. If you haven't forgotten some rather rudimentary number theory, you know that the counting goes as follows: One, two, three, four, five. TRF contains new stuff to learn for everybody, including those who would consider any mathematics exam unconstitutional and inhuman. ;-)
They identify the bound states of the Omega baryon according to the decay products that they can label reliably enough. These new charmed neutral Omega baryons (the quark content is \(css\), like the cascading style sheets) decay to a positive charmed Xi baryon (whose quark content is \(ucs\) or \(ucs\), if you agree that the acronym shouldn't be reserved by a corrupt Union of Concerned Scientists and Anthony Watts' dog) and the negative kaon \(K^-\) (quark content: \(\bar u s\), thanks, Bill).
Well, the positive charmed Xi baryon decays to \(p K^- \pi^+\) and those are really well-known everyday animals for the LHCb scientists.
The new \(css\) bound states are narrow resonances – which means that the decay rate is slow (width is small) enough. You may consider them excited states of the same particle or different particles. Which of those is better is little bit a subjective issue. The excited states of a hydrogen atom are clearly "the same particle" because the transitions between them is the most common one and involves a truly neutral, peaceful photon (which is "almost nothing", especially when it comes to charges).
But these excited states of the \(css\) quarks are strongly interacting and it's rather easy for these beasts to create quark-antiquark pairs, in this case an up-antiup pair, and divide all the quarks differently. These processes are actually more frequent than a simple emission of a photon. So the excited states don't change to each other so automatically and they may be considered distinct entities although they're really built from the same ingredients, just like different excited states of a hydrogen atom.
You can imagine how people had to be thrilled in the 1960s when such new particles were discovered frequently and the innocent physicists actually believed that those were elementary particles. However, in the late 1960s, quarks were proposed, and in the early 1970s, QCD was written down. Before QCD, physicists were willing to believe that they live in a paradise with hundreds of exotic elementary particles species or that these numerous particles were proving that Nature was lifting Herself by Her own bootstraps.
At some moment, physicists devoured the QCD apple and their feeling of mystery and submission faded away. Those are just some additional boring bound states of six quark flavors and their antiquarks, aren't they? Why so much ado? And that's where we are. Lots of the childish excitement is gone, our previous emotions look a bit silly and scientifically naive, and when we want to look for the truly deep signs of Nature's mysteries, we know that we must dig deeper than to discover five new baryons (at once).
Off-topic. Dr Sheldon Cooper, the boy (Iain Armitage, a theater critic), interviewed another Sheldon a year ago. The spin-off of TBBT could be fun.
And if you asked me, I find this whole elaborate scheme with Greek letters labeling the QCD ground states to be an anachronism. I would replace symbols like \(\Omega_c^0\) by \(css\) – note that both require three characters – and perhaps added some extra labels when needed. For example, these five excitations may be labeled \(3000,3050,3066,3090,3119\) which are their masses in the units of \(1\MeV\). With this modernized notation, we could reserve the precious Greek letters for something more mysterious, for something that still sounds Greek to us. And I am not talking about Greek economic and imigration policies which should be represented by characters such as f%&*^*g s#&*t.
But I may be wrong and those baryons may be fundamentally important. And even if they're not, it's important that physicists don't forget the craft that their predecessors were so good at half a century ago. It's like not forgetting how to make and listen to classical music or anything of the sort that suddenly faced lots of competition attempting to steal a big part of the people's attention.


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Celebrating illustration, design, cartoon and comic art of the mid-20th century.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Robert Fawcett: "We are always students"
This book is so chock-full of goodness I had to get right to sharing some excerpts from it.
Oh, I don't mean the drawings (although I might scan a few later this week)... I mean the words. You can crack open this book and start reading just about anywhere. You're sure to find something thoughtful, thought-provoking, challenging, amusing, irritating, and... profound.
As if I didn't already have enough respect for "the illustrator's illustrator", this book might just become my new bible. I wish I'd owned it years ago.
From the Foreward:
"...the only formal training [I had in art] was a two year period at the Slade School in London. The hours were long each day, the materials restricted to pencil and paper. During that whole time it could be questioned if I ever produced a drawing worth looking at twice."
"At the time it did not seem that anything but drawing was necessary. Picturemaking or painting was something we believed would come by self-searching - by trial and error..."
"We believed that only by drawing would we begin to experience form in the most direct way, and that form was the basis of all we would do later."
"I do not mean to make it sound easy. For a time I considered calling this volume "Drawing Made Difficult," to try to counteract the influence of the many books I have seen which promise the reverse."
"The term 'student' which is used throughout is to be understood in its broadest sense - that is, that we are always students, even those of us who occasionally stand up and pontificate."
My Robert Fawcett Flickr set.
* Most of this week's scans will be from those generously contributed by various TI list members - my thanks to Harold Henriksen and Charlie Allen for today's images.
* An in-print paperback version of Fawcett's "On the Art of Drawing" is available from
Dover Books at Amazon.com
7 comments:
i can't believe i forgot to order this book!ReplyDelete
as always, thank you (and the contributors) for the scans- every one is a marvel to study.
Robert Fawcett was a "no frills illustrator". His illustrations were not tricky, overly clever or possessed great flair nor inventive technique, so why was his work so admired and respected by other top illustrators? IMO, there are 3 ingredients that he applied better than the vast majority of illustrators, and he applied them consistently: Confident skilled draftsmanship, intelligent effective lighting and an understanding of how to attract the viewer through highly developed compositions.ReplyDelete
Fawcett, at his best, was much like Dean Cornwell, simply the appidemy of excellence at his craft.
Tom Watson
- Anonymous6:32 AM
great stuff,leif...as usual...by the way...i heard that manuel auad (who did those alex toth books) is working on a robert fawcett monograph!....i hope its true!...best,brianReplyDelete
- Anonymous3:24 PM
Great to see a number of pieces here that, with all my thousands of tearsheets, I've not seen before.ReplyDelete
Fawcett is one of my illustration gods--a phenomenal draftsman and picture maker, who truly transformed the concept of the "contrived picture--" to paraphrase Fawcett himself--into an operatic drama, while still maintaining a brilliant detachment and reserve.
As I type, I look up and see a Fawcett on my wall over the desk--not one of his masterpieces--those are elsewhere in the house--but a terrific painting nonetheless--in which his interest in the abstract is put to the service of figurative illustration, as in so many of his pieces.
It's significant that Tom references Cornwell here, since at core, their basic drawing styles, underneath the varied finishing media, were very similar--both showing the influence of industrial design--and not, as later men would, photography.
It's wonderful to see new eyes discovering this consummate master--who, I believe, had he found himself living in this day and age, when illustration of his kind has disappeared, might very well have ended up in comics.
- Anonymous10:56 AM
leif... i contacted manuel auad,and there will be a robert fawcett book later this year!...best,brian....ReplyDelete


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ZURICH (Reuters) - Zurich estimates that damage claims relating to tropical storm Sandy, which hit the United States in October, will amount to $700 million in its fourth-quarter earnings.
The Swiss insurer's announcement on Monday also said that it expects $58 million of "reinstatement premiums due on reinsurance covers". The company gave no further explanation. It is due to report quarterly earnings on February 14.
The storm, which killed 132 people in the United States and Canada on October 29, led to power outages, disruptions of public transport and massive damage to infrastructure.
U.S. insurer AIG said it expects post-tax losses of at least $1.3 billion from Superstorm Sandy, while Travelers Companies Inc and Swiss Re estimated their claims burdens at $650 million after tax and $900 million before tax respectively.
Sandy is expected ultimately to be the second-costliest catastrophe in U.S. history, with insured loss estimates as high as $25 billion. The costliest catastrophe was hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Reporting By Katharina Bart; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and David Goodman


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Yeah, posts are few and far between. Not much I can do about that except stop making promises and further alienate the three people that used to pay attention. Sorry. Anyway, rather than a tale from the Cumberland Plateau here's a true story from Cumberland Avenue, the city, Knoxville, Tennessee, not too long ago.
I won her love in a pool game. It was the only way I was going to get it, although I wasn't really sure what I'd do with it once I had it. I was still happy to make the bet though, against $5 and a couple bottles of beer.
"I guess your love isn't worth much," I laughed, setting up the nine.
"That's a terrible thing to say to a girl," she replied, frowning as the ball rolled into the side pocket.
I kissed her and it was good, charged like it could sometimes be. The bar was cool and dark, a smoky cave away from the Tennessee heat. The jukebox played an old Johnny Thunders tune, "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory." I liked this place. I liked her. I was more than in the mood for trouble, but maybe not quite like the kind we'd both just found.
I lined up the eleven for the corner pocket as she lit a cigarette and leaned against me. She bit my ear, trying to distract me, to make me miss. I felt her breath against my cheek and the ball hit the pocket dead-on.
"There's just no way I'm going to lose this game," I grinned. I picked up her beer and had a long drink. I don't even like beer. I missed the fifteen.
She took her cue and knelt down beside the table, looking to bank the three into a side pocket. I never understood why she did this—kneeling to put the table at eye level, sometimes using her stick to gauge an angle—but it seemed to work a lot of the time. Only this time it didn't and the three bounced harmlessly to the center of the table.
I walked over and held her to me. It felt right, my arm around her waist and her hand pressed against my chest. I let her go and sunk the fifteen. I had two balls left on the table; she had four.
"I don't really want to play for my love anymore," she said, looking over the balls that remained.
"Too bad," I replied. "You should have thought of that earlier."
"I did. And it seemed like a good idea at the time."
"It usually does." I sunk the eleven. We just looked at each other.
The twelve was easy and the eight was lined up nicely along the rail for the corner pocket. She looked genuinely concerned and I felt suddenly uneasy. For a moment I considered missing, scratching, blowing the game, but I caught her brown eyes for an instant then followed the curve of her neck to her shoulder and on down to her hips. Nope, I decided, I wanted it. Then I sunk the eight. She shook her head and grabbed her pack of cigarettes off the table. I had another pull of the beer I didn't like.
"So, I've got your love," I said, finally.
She lit her cigarette. "Not yet you don't." She blew a cloud of smoke over her head. "And I want a chance to get it back. I'll put up another round and dinner against it for the next game."
But I wouldn't put it up. We made a lot of bets after that, but somehow there was always one thing I wouldn't wager, just in case I needed it one day. After all, you can never be sure about something like that and I'd won it fair and square. Love rarely comes so easily.
"This place is hell to me, With the Devil in my bed, And the Devil in this bottle, And the Devil in my head, I'll meet you in Heaven again, If you wear that dress again, (I'll have one more drink, my friend), Where my heart is kept on ice, And prayers burst into flames, PRAYERS ON FIRE," Nick Cave 1981


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Bed and Breakfast on Tiffany Hill
Lexington Suite
Straight from a picture book of Lexington, Kentucky, this king sized suite would best be described as having a southern elegance with a masculine, equestrian twist fit for any king or queen. Reminiscent of an old world, horse country estate home with hardwood floors, wood beamed ceilings, and a large double fireplace. One of two adjoining suites in our stand-alone carriage house, this oversized suite also includes a wet bar area complete with refrigerator, microwave, and beverage service with an option of in-suite dining. Once you enter, you will never want to leave.
Mountain Brook Suite
Gorgeous garden views and beautiful mountain vistas are a breath of fresh air in this southern-styled queen suite from the heart of Alabama. This is one of two adjoining suites in our stand-alone carriage house. Included in your relaxing suite is a separate sitting area with a twin pullout sofa bed, wet bar area complete with refrigerator, microwave, and beverage service with an option of in-suite dining. You may want to soak in the morning with a cup of coffee on your private outdoor deck before enjoying your breakfast at Tiffany Hill.
Seaside Suite
Rest at the shore in this ADA-accessible suite named after Seaside, Florida. Our downstairs suite features a king-sized bed, twin sleeper, and a six foot walk-in shower.
Natchez Suite
Old-world French flair is reflected in this upstairs guest suite named after Natchez, Mississippi. This room features a queen-size poster bed, incredible window seat overlooking horse pastures, and a large soaking tub with shower to aid your relaxation.
Charlottesville Suite
Inspired by the charm of Charlottesville, Virginia, this large upstairs suite would be a dream come true for your honeymoon, anniversary, or to spend time at your very own fireplace. From the king-size room, French doors open into a large private bath area with soaking tub & separate shower.
Beaufort Suite
Low-country flavor of Beaufort, South Carolina will melt your cares away as you rest in this upstairs queen suite. This room is designed to accommodate two additional guests in twin fold-out window seat beds. This room features a large bath area with double sinks and a separate tub/shower area.
Madison Suite
The South wouldn't be the same without Madison, Georgia! Rest in peaceful shades of blue in this queen-size, upstairs room, and enjoy the view. The Madison Suite features a private bath with shower.
Guest Rooms & Rates
All guest suites have private baths. Second floor rooms have individual heat and air conditioning controls. Rooms equipped with flat screen TVs, DVD players, hair dryers, irons and ironing boards.
All rates are based on single or double occupancy and include a full breakfast.
Diet Restrictions: Please notify us in advance if you require special food preparation due to medical reasons. We are also happy to provide vegetarian breakfast upon request.
Complimentary snacks and beverages are available in the guest pantry throughout your stay.
Wireless, High-Speed Internet Access available.
Prices based on single or double occupancy. Some rooms have the capacity to accommodate more than two people. There is a $40 charge per additional person (including children), per room night.
A reservation is not considered confirmed until a deposit has been received. One night deposit required with all reservations.
Deposits will be refunded if notice of cancellation is received at least 14 days prior to the arrival date. Thereafter, deposits will be refunded less a $25 processing fee if the room is rebooked.
Payment must be made on arrival for all balances.
We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, AMEX and cash.
Check-in time is from 4-7 pm, and check-out time is by 11 am. Please call us if you need to make alternate arrangements.
The B&B gladly provides accommodations tailored to meet the needs of corporate and business travelers. Breakfast during the work week can be accommodated as early as 7AM, with somewhat earlier seatings available by advance arrangement. The B&B features high-speed wireless Internet in all rooms. Please call to inquire about our discounted corporate and business rates.
We are a non-smoking B&B. Cigarettes, cigars, and candles are not permitted in the guest rooms, common areas or on the grounds. Please respect other guests & this aspect of our B&B. Thank you.
Children of responsible parents are welcome and one room was specifically designed to accommodate children traveling with their parents. Please call the Innkeeper direct to book this room.
Sorry, we cannot accommodate pets; however, we can help you arrange kennel service.


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Kexi: Free Alternative to Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access is a versatile tool for creating database-driven applications and to maintain office or personal data. Access contains an embedded database engine, but it also connects to other databases through ODBC.
Microsoft Access free competitor, Kexi, allows users to design forms to gain access to and to create data, just like Access. Kexi also contains an embedded database engine and it can import data to Microsoft Access databases. And, yes, Kexi is open source, free utility.
Main Features
ü Full visual designers for tables, queries and forms. Queries can be also designed in dedicated SQL view.
ü Running queries, support for parametrized queries.
ü Data entry and sorting.
ü Support for "Object" data allowing to store images of many types.
ü Designing and displaying relational data using combo boxes (lookup columns).
ü Advanced CSV data import and export from files. Copying to clipboard and pasting from clipboard is also available, thus the data can be easily transferred to applications like spreadsheets or word processors.
ü User Mode, allowing to switch off all commands related to editing project's design.
ü "Find" window for searching thought table and form's contents with rich set of options.
Operating Systems
ü Linux
ü Solaris
ü FreeBSD
ü In development: Mac OS X (using Homebrew); MS Windows


text:
I watched Seinfeld S09E12 The Reverse Pipehole, there are lines like this:
KRAMER: Newman and I are reversing the peepholes on our door. So you can see in.
ELAINE: Why?
NEWMAN: To prevent an ambush.
KRAMER: Yeah, so now I can peek to see if anyone is waiting to jack me with a sock full of pennies.
and this:
JERRY: So, Silvio ambushed Joe Mayo?
ELAINE: Yeah, he was waitin' inside his apartment for him with a sock full of pennies.
JERRY: He should have had a reverse peephole.
What does "a sock full of pennies" means? Is it an idiom or slang? Does it really mean a sock full of pennies?


text:
This online laptop shop sells directly to the public, corporate and government.
This reseller website offers Acer laptops, computer hardware and software products to the public in South Africa.
The Aspire Series offers a diverse range of notebooks that give you the performance, graphics and communication tools to step up your digital entertainment, complete your daily computing tasks, and stay in touch with everyone you know, whether you're at home or away.
The new-generation Aspire TimelineX delivers 25% longer battery1 life for up to 10 hours2, 3 of power -- an entire day of multitasking and entertainment -- on a single charge. This ultra-slender notebook is just one-inch thin, yet still packs state-of-the-art performance, an HD webcam and a widescreen for a crisp view of digital life wherever you go!
The Aspire Ethos Series is designed for users who want the ultimate technologies in the most sophisticated package. This first-class mobile studio delivers a high-definition home theater experience with its state-of-the-art detachable touchpad, ultra-realistic visuals, and professionally tuned acoustics.
Enjoy life on the go in an instant with the Aspire S Series -- Acer's most mobile and responsive notebook ever. This techno-wonder comes in an ultra-aerodynamic, super-slim design, yet delivers everything you expect from a standard-size notebook.
The Acer TravelMate Series of notebooks features dependable processing power, wide-ranging communication capabilities, and indispensible security solutions to empower mobile professionals like you. Designed to keep your business running while you're on the move, this streamlined notebook boasts corporate-level manageability and convenient handling. An eco-friendly design and energy-conserving features help save cost, as well as the environment.
The TravelMate TimelineX Series features 8+ hours of battery life in a highly mobile design with efficient processing power, wide-ranging communication capabilities, and indispensible security solutions to maximize your potential while on the move. To top it off, these notebooks are hazardous-substance-free and integrate energy-conserving features to help save cost and the environment.


text:
Towards the end of June, I covered a few discoveries regarding HIV's ability to cause havoc with the human immune system. The studies provided some new information regarding the virus' interactions with the immune system, information that may prove useful in the future. But at the moment the data mostly serves to deepen the confusion about why this virus is so devastating to humans.
So the thought that more study could lead to greater confusion was on my mind recently. It came up again as I listened to the press conference on a report from the National Academies of Science. The report gave an evaluation on the current state of knowledge in reconstructions of recent climates. If you listen to the audio of the press conference, there's a long question-and-answer session towards the end. One question, however, leapt out at me.
The question focused on the Medieval Warm Period, a time of relatively high temperatures in Northern Europe that coincided with the westward colonization of the Vikings. More detailed studies of samples from around the world, however, have recently suggested that the situation is much more complex. Although some regions of the planet warmed during that time, others did not. Those areas that warmed also did so on different schedules. Combined with large uncertainties in the data, the NAS panel was forced to conclude that the evidence for the Medieval Warm period was ambiguous at best, and that any such even did not represent a period of global climate change.
This really bothered the questioner, who made a series of statements and questions that distilled down to the following: how could we have spent all that money on the studies and wind up knowing less than we appeared to when they started? The scientist who fielded that question seemed to have a hard time of it—after all, how do you distill an inevitable aspect of science down within the context of a press conference?
There are two potential ways of portraying this to the public that have come to my mind since. The first is to simply return to a statement that's become a bit of a cliche: the best scientific results raise as many questions as they answer. In this way, knowing that the Medieval Warm Period wasn't global is a good scientific result, as it raises the question as to whether those regions that did warm shared something in common. A second way would be to point out that the work was a success in that it allowed us to recognize the complexities of the situation. In the US, a war on cancer was declared in the early seventies, and billions of research dollars have been spent during the intervening years. But decades went by during which most of the progress involved thee recognition that cancer was not a single disease, but rather a complex array of diseases. Have those billions been poorly spent? As we are now seeing the first targeted therapies based on this understanding, it's easy to say no. Whether that could have been said so easily a decade ago, however, is less clear.


text:
IMAGES: Noxolo Nogwaza Funeral on Facebook
The South African government announced that it will establish a task force to address the escalating incidents of anti-LGBT attacks in its nation—most recently the brutal gang "corrective rape" and murder of a young lesbian near Johannesburg last month.
The announcement came after a parliamentary meeting involving senior officials from the country's law enforcement, legal and social program departments.
More than 170,000 people from all around the world signed a petition calling for the South African government to act after Noxolo Nogwaza, a 24-year-old lesbian, was gang raped, stoned and stabbed to death using shards of broken glass nearly two weeks ago. The petition was sponsored by Change.org, a global human rights campaigning website.
The new task force will tackle issues such as whether crimes against the homosexual and transgender community should be considered hate crimes, whether a rape motivated by sexual orientation should receive a harsher sentence and increased sensitivity training for police, social workers and judiciary officials. The team is scheduled to begin work in July.
Despite being the only African nation where same-sex marriage is legal—and boasting perhaps the world's only constitution where equality in sexual orientation is specified—the reality is much different for many Black South Africans. Life in the impoverished townships is far less tolerant. South Africa has the highest rates of rape in the world. So-called "corrective rape" attacks are said to be "on the increase" against lesbians in the townships, where rape and attacks against black gay men have also risen dramatically.
The practice of so-called "corrective rape" became a household word by the 2008 rape and muder of female footballer and gay rights activist Eudy Simelane—who was killed in the exact same township Nogwaza would later be killed. Four men were initially charged with the attack. Two were acquitted, one is serving a life sentence and another is imprisoned for 22 years. Prosecutors denied that Simelane's sexuality had been a motive.
South Africa boasts an estimated 5.7 million HIV positive persons—more than any other nation in the world. The rape of lesbians, gay men and transgender women also acts to spread the virus.
You May Want to Read:
Mixed Verdict in Murder Trial of SA Lesbian Footballer
3 Men on Trial for Murder of Lesbian SA Footballer
Black Gay Men in SA Targeted for Rape, Abuse


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text:
The Mount Saint Mary College Choir has a long and proud tradition
of performing at the annual Christmas Vespers each year in the
Chapel of the Holy Rosary in the Dominican Center.
The choir, composed of students and faculty, also stages a
concert each spring semester. Read more about Durward Entrekin, professor of music
and the choir director at the Mount.
Christmas Vespers (Fall 2016)
Christmas Vespers (Fall 2015)
Christmas Vespers (Fall 2014)
Christmas Vespers (Fall 2013)
We the Kings, Mayday Parade, and the Downtown Fiction (Spring
Christmas Vespers (Fall 2011)Pirates of
Penzance (Spring 2011)Travie McCoy Concert
(Spring 2011)Christmas Vespers (Fall 2010)Ryan Leslie and Day 26
Concert (Spring 2010)


text:
Two great reads if you're currently trying to decide on adding a new Board member, perhaps a female? What about increasing your ROI?
Companies with women on their boards have been proven to lead to a higher ROI.
"women are the power users of many products and it's just smart business to have an understanding of key customers around the table. Could you imagine a game company without any gamers on the leadership team or board?" Read more:
Why Your Next Board Member Should Be A Woman
Finally, Forbes does a great job tying in the previous article and focusing on the ROI of having a woman on the Board, read this: Facebook Is Ignoring Its Most Lucrative Users


text:
Leed's Sports Bottles
Sort By:
Leed's sport bottles comprise some of the most popular items in our diverse collection, as this brand has been a trusted provider of high quality products for over two decades. From BPA Free models to stainless steel styles, rest assured that any Leed's sport bottle is backed not only by the reputable brand name but also by the Pinnacle Promotions Platinum Guarantee. For a long-time to come, recipients will be able to enjoy drinking beverages of their choice from these functional drinkware giveaways because of their extremely durable, resilient composition. Additionally, the prominent imprint areas mean that your desired marketing message may garner frequent impressions from members of your target audience. Whenever they take a sip, they will be faced with an inescapable reminder of your organization's professionalism and proficiency.


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In our May/June 2012 issue, writer Ruth Tobias explores the vineyards and varietals of one the Mediterranean's most flavorful countries. Greeks have cultivated wine grapes since before Dionysus became the god of the grape harvest, and though the wines faded from favor during the latter part of last century, the industry is making a comeback with innovative young producers and generations-old estates producing wines that offer supreme tastes of the country's ancient art. Here are 10 bottles worth a try.
Domaine Spiropoulos Ode Panos NV
When it comes to bubbles, we love, love this organic sparkler from the centuries-old Domaine Spiropoulos estate. Crafted from the floral Moschofilero grape with velvety bubbles, bright lemon acidity, notes of dried apricots and a kiss of residual sugar on the finish, this wine is reminiscent of a drier version of Italy's Moscato, and it's a great match for brunch, cheese plates and desserts. $20, laurentiwines.com
Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko
Crafted from Assyrtiko, the main white wine grape of the island of Santorini, this refreshing quaffer drinks like a light Sauvignon Blanc with flavors of fresh grapefruit and a bright, lemony acidity, but with a nicely weighted structure and a minerality on the finish that makes it very food-friendly. $22, sherry-lehmann.com
Gaia Estate Assyrtiko Wild Ferment
Riesling fans will fall for this funky little gem from one of Greece's most esteemed wine estates. Produced on the island of Santorini with grapes harvested from 15 different plots, this wine offers a briny, lemony freshness with an underlying layer of minerality. $25, awinestore.com
Ritinitis Nobilis Retsina
For those of you thinking—retsina, really? Yes, really. The centuries-old pine resin-flecked sipper that gave Greek wine a bad wrap does have the potential to captivate the senses, and this bottle is proof. Crafted mostly from the white Roditis grape with pine resin steeped into the fermenting grape must, this contemporary interpretation offers herbaceous notes of eucalyptus and mint, mixed with the style's trademark twinge of grassy pine needles. It's a great match to fried, salty foods. $14, klwines.com
Skouras St. George Nemea
A crowd-pleasing wine that marks a great entry point to Greek reds, this fresh, red-fruit sipper is made with the St. George grape (also known as Agiogitiko). It ferments in stainless steel but barrel-ages for a year before going into bottle resulting in ripe berry and plum fruit flavors up front met by notes of vanilla and sweet spice on the finish. It's also delicious served with a slight chill. $15, klwines.com
Thymiopoulos Vineyards Young Vines
Tucked away in northern Greece's famed Naoussa region, 30-something vintner Apostolos Thymiopoulos crafts this biodynamic wine from cool climate-grown Xinomavro grapes. The results are bright and fresh with notes of currants, tangy cherries and raspberries met with food-friendly acidity and a bit of tannin for balance.
$14, klwines.com
Gentilini Syrah
This organically grown Syrah (mixed with a splash of Mavrodaphne) from the second-generation Gentilini estate is both dense and intense. The fruit is clipped way back while it's hanging on the vines to help concentrate the Syrah's trademark flavors of black pepper, dark plum and berry fruits, while the location next to a limestone quarry contributes to an underlying minerality. Add to that a full year of barrel aging, and this wine is set to be sipped aside rich meat dishes and strong cheeses. $32, winechateau.com
Alpha Estate Red
An Old World vintner takes a New World approach to wine with this unfiltered combination of Syrah, Xinomavro and Merlot crafted from estate-grown fruit in Greece's northern Amyndeon region. It's complex with notes of leather, ripe blackberries and spice (think vanilla, clove and white pepper). $36, premiercru.net
Domaine Porto Carras Limnio
An ancient vine originally from the island of Limnos but now grown throughout Greece, this 100% Limnio offers buttery aromas, soft fruit flavors and a twinge of cinnamon spice. $15, suburbanwines.com
Ktima Pavlidis Thelma Red
Two very different varietals make for a unique and harmonious blend in this bottling from Ktima Pavlidis in Greece's northern Macedonia region. Dense, peppery, black-fruited Syrah meets with the lighter, more red-fruited Agiogitiko grape resulting in a soft, elegant wine with great structure and finesse. $20, winechateau.com


text:
Today you saw an SEC filing by Apollo Investment Advisors for 13D, which indicates that the private equity firm now owns 736 million shares of Sirius XM. This represents 23% of the outstanding shares of the company.
In the previous filing dated November 2005, Apollo represented that they owned 192 million pre-merger shares, or 14.4% of the outstanding shares.
Crossing the 20% ownership threshold is a significant event, as Apollo would now account for their investment as an equity investment.
In case you missed the filing:


text:
Moderating a panel can be a snap...or a snooze. Most speakers know the basics of moderation--introducing speakers, describing the outlines of how long each one will present, taking and directing questions from the audience, and calling a halt to the discussion to keep thing on time.
But I believe moderators need to add value to the panel, not just hold the door open to let the speakers rush through. So here are three ways to up your game as a moderator and make your next panel sparkle and shine with creative, valuable approaches:
- Get the speakers to interact with one another in surprising ways: Ask each panelist to ask a question of the panelist next to her, or to offer a piece of advice to the next panelist based on his experience in the area under discussion. Ask each speaker to share one thing she learned while listening to the other speakers. They're all double-whammy approaches that give you an expert's view of the expert. Audiences will love it, and you'll get unique content.
- Assign a thematic framework for each speaker: Don't wait for synergy to arise naturally. In this post from a science writers' conference, one audience member observed a panel of five science book authors, and noted "the elegant framing and naming of the talks that [moderator] Robert Lee Hotz had assigned to his speakers: voice (KC Cole), story (Jonathan Weiner), character (Charles Stipe), structure (Jennifer Oulette), and authority (Carl Zimmer). It was a nice way to uniquely draw out each speaker, while also reviewing some things we can't overlearn. It was the opposite of stridently didactic." You can steal this idea and apply it in many ways: Have each panelist discuss a different aspect of a shared customer base or audience; a different trend in a wide-ranging field; one tool they can't live without. This approach works especially well when you can identify the over-arching theme, then assign each speaker one aspect of it.
- Weave a conversational thread through the speakers' topics: If you know enough about what your speakers plan to say and can see similarities -- for example, on a panel about career achievements, each of them mentions to you that she'll be recalling an important internship that led to great career moves later -- you can use that thread to introduce each speaker with a common theme. Just be sure you don't steal their best stories as you're doing it, and warn them upfront how you will be tying things together with your thread, so they can play off that theme.
Practices for panelists: 7 paths to success
Go here to subscribe to Step Up Your Speaking, my free email newsletter that looks at a different speaking topic in depth each month...then become a fan of The Eloquent Woman on Facebook and join the conversation with thousands of other women (and men) about public speaking skills and confidence.


text: A BUNCH OF JEANS: Now that winter is in full swing, boots have transitioned from accessory to staple. With that switch comes some additional movements; primarily involving the shifting and bunching of boot-tucked jeans. Eliminate baggy knees and aggravation with a pair of Stirrupz. Easy to use and comfortable to wear, they grab onto the bottom of your jeans and loop onto your foot for a perfectly-taut, perfectly-tucked pair of jeans. GET IT: For $25 per pair. Stirrupz.


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Monday, March 2, 2009
Hooked again (Sorry for the lame pun)
I also just started the third book in the Twilight Series. I'm still not sure if I actually enjoy reading these books or if I'm just too curious to see how it ends to stop.
Either way, touche Ms. Meyer. Touche.
I'm planning on being rather scarce this week in light of my reinvigorated desire to finish this damn afghan. Wish me luck.
11 comments:
- Gwen said...
I just finished the first book and I think the writing is . . . well . . . simplistic. But you're right, it's the story that sucks you in, you have to find out what happens next.
Besides, the sexual tension is fun.
- March 2, 2009 at 6:14 PM
- KatieSaysSo said...
someone just made me this badass afghan and i love it. my apt recently burnt down ya know and so all these people have donated items and i would hands down say the afghan was my favorite gift given to me. i wish i knew how to crochet!!!! i would make myself 100 of these heaven blankets!!!!!!
oh and the twilight series...yep..sucked me right in...like twice..
- March 2, 2009 at 6:31 PM
I don't know how to crochet, but I LOVE to knit. My friends make fun of me, but its so relaxing. Is crocheting hard?
- March 2, 2009 at 7:18 PM
- thatShortchick said...
like harry potter, twilight is a series i WILL NEVER be able to get into but it's interesting reading everyone else's opinions on it though.
good luck with the crocheting!! that's a skill i will never get the hang of.
- March 2, 2009 at 7:43 PM
- Katelin said...
haha yeah twilight has definitely sucked in everyone i know so far. and whether out of curiosity or boredom they all finish it somehow.
- March 2, 2009 at 8:41 PM
The third book was better than the second in my opinion.
- March 3, 2009 at 1:56 AM
good luck with the afghan! i think i read the whole series because i wanted to know what happened hehe
- March 3, 2009 at 8:49 AM
good luck! also: i'd like to hear whether you thought it was worth it or not when you get to the end - before i start reading them, haha.
- March 3, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Oh, how I long to be crafty, but I have no patience what so ever! I need you to finish this project! I need to know it's possible. If you won't do it for yourself, do for me... a strange girl with a dream of actually finishing something someday!
- March 3, 2009 at 1:43 PM
- Unknown said...
"awesomely talented crafty friend"... i like the sound of that. can you do my PR? ;)
i'm too curious about the twilight books too -- starting the third book sometime this week.
good luck with the afghan. hopefully i was able to troubleshoot and diagnose the issue well enough. :) let me know if you need any more help!
- March 3, 2009 at 5:24 PM
- Maxie said...
i've been making the same scarf for two years.
- March 4, 2009 at 8:25 AM


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text:
Film "Ted," 7 p.m. Nov. 17. Free. College of the Holy Cross, Seelos Theater, 1 College St., Worcester. (508) 793-2455.
Art Ride Open studio tour involving artists in Holden, Paxton and Princeton. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 17, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 18. For map, go to www.tufts.edu/vet/mediaservices/artride2012web.
Dementia Support Group for family and friends whose loved ones suffer from dementia, 11 a.m. second Saturday of the month. The Blaire House, 116 Houghton St., Worcester. (508) 791-5543.
Film "The Kid with a Bike," 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17; 1 and 2:50 p.m. Nov. 18. $6; seniors, $4; Clark University students, $3. Cinema 320 at Clark University, Jefferson Academic Center, Downing Street, Worcester.
Concert "Impressions," works by Couperin, DeBussy, Takemitsu and Ravel performed by Tracy Kraus, flute; Krista Buckland Reisner and Rohan Gregory, violin; and David Russell, cello, with guest artists Franziska Huhn, harp; and Jesse Holstein and Michael Kelley, viola, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17. Preconcert talk, 7 p.m. First Baptist Church, 111 Park Ave., Worcester (978) 456-2730 or www.worcesterchambermusic.org.
Third Week Wonders Preschool Series: Fall Is Not Easy Story, activity and naturalist-led walk for children 3-5, 10 a.m. Nov. 17. Massachusetts Audubon Society adult members, $5; adult nonmembers, $8; children, $2. Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Road, Worcester. (508) 753-6087.
Waterfowl in the City of Worcester Join Sheryl Farnam and explore local bodies of water in search of waterfowl on Leesville Pond and Coes Pond, 9-11 a.m. Nov. 17. Massachusetts Audubon Society adult members, $6; adult nonmembers, $8. Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Road, Worcester. (508) 753-6087.
Hockey Worcester Sharks vs. Connecticut Whale, 7 p.m. Nov. 17. $10-$30. DCU, 50 Foster St., Worcester. (508) 929-0500, (800) 745-3000, ticketmaster.com or SharksAHL.com.
Worcester Survivors of Suicide Loss Conference Group discussion facilitated by clinicians from McLean Hospital. Registration, 9:30 a.m.; program, 10 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Nov. 17. Boxed lunch will be provided. Nativity School of Worcester, 67 Lincoln St., Worcester. (508) 304-1316 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Fall Food Festival featuring shish kebab, losh kebab, chicken kebab or kheyma dinners. Country store, baked goods table and more, noon-4 p.m. Nov. 17. Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, 635 Grove St., Worcester. (508) 517-0596.
Film "Warren Miller's Flow State," 8 p.m. Nov. 17. $20. The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. (877) 571-7469 or www.thehanovertheatre.org.
Holy Family Parish's Annual Turkey Social Turkey raffle every 15 minutes, 7 p.m. Nov. 17. Refreshments. Msgr. Ducharme Center, 7 Dupont St., Worcester.
"Miss Julie" Clark University's Theater Arts Program. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17. $5; college ID, free. Michelson Theater, in The Little Center, 12 Charlotte St., Worcester. (508) 793-7356 or email@example.com.
Concert "From America to Ireland" with the Choirs of All Saints Church and Notre Dame Academy, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17. Free. All Saints Church, 10 Irving St., Worcester.
Worcester Men of Song with A Mighty Wind, Shrewsbury High School A Cappella Choir, Shrewsbury High School Women's Choir, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17. $20. Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester. (508) 752-0888.
Concert Dennis Brennan Band with Walter Crockett opening, 7- 9 p.m. Nov. 17. First Unitarian Church, 90 Main St., Worcester. $12, Brown Paper Tickets.com; $15 at the door. (508) 753-1012.
Country Fair featuring gift basket raffle, silent auction, crafts, gifts, treasures, jewelry, children's table, baked goods, plants, snack bar and country store, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 17. St. Michael's On-the-Heights Church, 340 Burncoat St., Worcester. (508) 853-9400.
Pumpkin Patch Fair featuring arts and crafts, knitted items, gifts, fudge, baked goods, stocking stuffers, notions and food, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 17. Christopher House, 10 Mary Scano Drive, Worcester. (508) 754-3800, ext. 173.
Music No Alibi, 9 p.m. Nov. 17. Greendale's Pub, 404 West Boylston St., Worcester. (508) 853-1350.
Music Sadie Sloe Gin, 100 pct. Charles and Johnny Most, 9 p.m. Nov. 17. Ralph's Chadwick Square Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester. (508) 753-9542.
Music Seven Hill Psychos, Controlled Aggression, Army of None, Two Foot Man, 9 p.m. Nov. 17. Lucky Dog Music Hall, 89 Green St., Worcester. (508) 363-1888.
Music The Hornitz, 9 p.m. Nov. 17. Beatnik's, 433 Park Ave., Worcester. (508) 926-8877.
Music Linda Dagnello, 8:30 p.m. Nov. 17. Nick's Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester. (508) 753-4030.
Deaf Craft Fair 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 17. Hosted by the Deaf Club of Worcester. Interpreters will be provided for those who do not know American Sign Language. College of the Holy Cross, Hogan Ballroom, 1 College St., Worcester.
41st Annual Auburn/Webster Lodge of Elks 2118's "Hoop Shoot" Free throw competition for children 8-13. Registration: 8 a.m. Nov. 17; shoot begins at 9 a.m. Free T-shirt for first 50 participants. Auburn High School gymnasium, 99 Auburn St., Auburn. (508) 832-3674.
C.S. Lewis Society of Central Mass. Book Club Discussion of C.S. Lewis' "Grief Observed," 9 a.m. Nov. 17. Auburn Public Library, 369 Southbridge St., Auburn. www.lewisma.org.
Church Fair featuring baked goods, silent auction, Country Store, everybody wins table, cemetery baskets, raffles, homemade soups. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 17. St. Thomas-a-Becket Church, 380 Vernon St., South Barre. (978) 355-4830.
St. Joseph's Church Holiday Fair featuring raffles, holiday table, theme and food baskets, silent auction, jewelry, baked goods, crafts, children's Christmas room and activities, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 18. Pancake breakfast, 8-10:30 a.m.; corn chowder and sandwich lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; photographs with Santa, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. 29 South St., Barre.
"We Love Lucy" Nashoba Drama Society, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 2 p.m. Nov. 18. $12; seniors and students, $10. Nashoba Regional High School, 12 Green Road, Bolton. www.nashobadrama.com.
Holiday Bazaar featuring handcrafted gifts and ornaments, baked goods, candy, kitchen nook, Nana's Attic, toys and costume jewelry, 9 a.m-3 p.m. Nov. 17. First Parish of Bolton, 673 Main St., Bolton. www.firstparishofbolton.org.
Photograph with Santa Taken by Jennifer Mello Photography. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 17. Diana's Place Boutique, 98 Canal St., Blackstone. Portion of each sale will be donated to helping Red Cross to help Hurricane Sandy victims.
Farmers Market 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 17. Hitchcock Free Academy, 2 Brookfield Road, Brimfield. (413) 245-9977 or www.hitchcockacademy.org.
Christmas Craft Fair Featuring hand crafted jewelry, holiday decorations, primitives, quilts, table runners, crochet items, hand carved mahogany gifts, metal silhouettes, water colors, Christmas crafts, gift baskets, tie dye, candy, candles and Cookie Walk. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 17 and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 18. St. Christopher's Church, 16 Sturbridge Road, Brimfield. (413) 245-7274.
North Brookfield Historical Society Open 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 17. Munns Building, 197 North Main St., North Brookfield. northbrookfieldhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com.
Benefit Concert featuring Carrie Cheron and Mark Fisher, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17. $15; students, $10; children 12 and younger, $5. First Congregational Church, UCC, 36 North Main St., West Brookfield. (508) 867-7078. Proceeds benefit victims of Superstorm Sandy.
Concert Bob Stanhope of Cross Purposes, 7 p.m. Nov. 17. One Way Caf�, First Congregational Church of North Brookfield, 144 North Main St., North Brookfield. (508) 867-8428.
Youth Basketball League Registration 10 a.m.-noon Nov. 17, North Brookfield Elementary School, 10 New School Drive, North Brookfield. Children grades 1-6, $15 per child; grades 7-9, $10 per child. (508) 867-7600, or email firstname.lastname@example.com
North Brookfield Sportsmen's Club Annual Thanksgiving Holiday Basket Raffle 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16. $2; or 3 for $5. North Brookfield Sportsmen's Club, 20 Boynton Rd., North Brookfield. (508) 867-7272 or (508) 867-7855.
"Confusions" By the Pasture Prime Players, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 2 p.m. Nov. 18. $12; seniors and students, $10. Charlton Community Arts & Activities Center, 4 Dresser Hill Road, Charlton. email@example.com or www.pastureprime.org.
Bead and Jewelry Show Benefit for Class of 2015 by Hadley Ann Designs, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 17. Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School, 57 Old Muggett Hill Road, Charlton. www.hadleyanndesigns.com.
Super Skins Game Two player teams, Florida Style-skins, 10 a.m. shotgun start, Nov. 17. $100 per player, includes golf, cart, buffet, skins pot. Heritage Country Club, 85 Sampson Road, Charlton. (508) 248-5111.
Lecture "Romanian Icons on Glass," with Mihaela D. Leonida, 3 p.m. Nov. 17. Members, $7; nonmembers, $10. Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., Clinton. www.museumofrussianicons.org.
Play "August: Osage County," 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 2 p.m. Nov. 18. Free. McKay Theater, Fitchburg State University, 160 Pearl St., Fitchburg. (978) 665-3347 or www.fitchburgstate.edu/cultural.
Fourth Annual Rollstone Fair Vendors, baked goods, soup, raffle and children's activities. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 17. $2. Rollstone Church, 199 Main St., Fitchburg. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life sponsored by the Rollstone Rollers.
Yoga for Stress Relief Six-week series begins at 9 a.m. Nov. 17. $60 or $12 drop-in fee. Four-week Tai Chi Easy Qigong series begins at 10:15 a.m. Nov. 17 $40. Simonds-Hurd Complementary Care Center, HealthAlliance Hospital — Burbank Campus, 275 Nichols Road, Fitchburg. (978) 665-5800.
Applewild School Open House 1-3 p.m. Nov. 17. Tour the campus and meet teachers and students. 120 Prospect St., Fitchburg. www.applewild.org or (978)342-6053.
Holiday Fair Bakery, country store, caf�, themed baskets, Nature Nook, crafts, books, jewelry, attic treasures, toys and angels, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 17. Sugared doughnuts made on site until 11 a.m. Emanuel Lutheran Church, 1200 John Fitch Highway, Fitchburg.
Music Red Molly with Robby Hecht, 8 p.m. Nov. 17, $20. The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse, First Universalist Society Meetinghouse, 262 Chestnut St., Franklin. (508) 528-2541, www.circlefolk.org
Gardner Area League of Artists Fall Art Show and Sale 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 17 and noon-4 p.m. Nov. 18. Free. Senior Center, 294 Pleasant St., Gardner. (978) 630-2340 or www.galagardner.org.
Holiday Fair and Bake Sale Featuring theme baskets, raffles, auction, wreaths and bake sale. Bring a nonperishable food item. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 17. Holy Spirit Church Hall, 50 Lovewell St., Gardner.
Holiday Craft Fair Featuring baked goods, homemade crafts, ornaments, theme basket raffles, pictures with Santa. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 17.Wachusett Manor's Resident Council, 32 Hospital Hill Road, Gardner.
Holiday Fair Featuring silent and Chinese auctions, handmade crafts, cookies, fudge and homemade goodies, holiday caf�, attic treasures and children's toy chest. Bring a nonperishable food item and have your picture taken with Santa. Fair hours, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; Santa pictures, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 17. St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 79 Cross St., Gardner. (978) 632-0925.
Mount Wachusett Community College Smart Start Registration to streamline the enrollment process in preparation for upcoming spring semester. Noon, Nov. 17, 19, 26, 28, Dec. 10, and Dec. 14. 444 Green St., Gardner. (978) 630-9110, or firstname.lastname@example.com
Music Windfall, 8 p.m., Nov. 17. Post Office Pub, 1 Ray St., Grafton. (508) 839-6106.
Sixth Annual Turkey Hunt 9-11 a.m. Nov. 17 at the bandstand on the Common, Grafton. Participating team's entry fee is contribution of canned goods for the Grafton Food Bank's Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Body Magical A practical guide to energy medicine and energetic self care with Pam Aronson, 10 a.m. Nov. 17. Members, $30; nonmembers, $35. Registration required. Virginia Thurston Healing Garden, 145 Bolton Road, Harvard. (978) 456-3532.
"The Wizard of Oz" The Gilbert Players. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 23. Matinee: 2:30 p.m. Nov. 18, 24 and 25. $15; seniors, $13; students, $12. The Cultural Center at Eagle Hill, 242 Old Petersham Road, Hardwick. (413) 477-6746 or www.centerateaglehill.org.
Art Ride featuring local artisans opening their studios to showcase their processes and handcrafted wares in Jefferson, Princeton, Paxton and Holden, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 17 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 18.
Primarily Potters Show and Sale 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 17; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 18. Hopkinton Center for the Arts, 98 Hayden Rowe St., Hopkinton.
"Twelfth Night" 7 p.m. Nov. 17. Matinee: 2 p.m. Nov. 18. $10; seniors and students, $7. Hudson High School, 69 Brigham St., Hudson. (978) 567-6250, ext. 0131.
Concert Billy Walsh with Joyce Andersen, Richard Gates, Tommy Megan and special guests Lori Diamond and Fred Abatelli, 7 p.m. Nov. 17. $15 in advance; $18 day of show. First Church of Christ Unitarian, 725 Main St., Lancaster. (978) 365-2043 or www.wachusettmusic.com.
Church Supper 4-6 p.m. Nov. 17. $8. Congregational Church of Christ, UCC, 583 Main St., Leominster.
Puppet Show "Pinocchio, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Nov. 17, 18. $6. Drawbridge Puppet Theater, 1335 Massachusetts Ave. ,Lunenburg. (978) 582-1578.
Paradise City Arts Festival featuring leather, metal, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, wearable fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, ceramics, decorative fiber, 2-D mixed media, wood and works on paper, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 16; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 17; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 18. $12; seniors, $10; students, $8; children 12 and younger, free. Three-day pass, $15. Royal Plaza Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Road West, Marlboro. (800) 511-9725 or www.paradisecityarts.com.
3 on 3 Youth Basketball Tournament Boys and girls divisions for Grades 4 through 12. 9 a.m. Nov. 17. Registration by Nov. 13. $100 per team. Marlboro High School Field House, 431 Bolton St., Marlboro. (508) 740-8991 or email@example.com. Proceeds benefit Citizens Scholarship Foundation of Marlboro's Dollars for Scholars
Comedy Show 9:30 p.m. Nov. 17. $15 in advance; $18 at the door. Must 18 or older. Elm Draught House Cinema, 35 Elm St., Millbury. (508) 865-2850.
Music Bill McCarthy, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17. Guiseppe's Grille, 35 Solomon Pond Road, Northboro.
Friends of the Northboro Senior Center Annual Country Store Fair featuring crafts, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 17. 119 Bearfoot Road, Northboro. (508) 393-8660.
Northboro Garden Club "Holiday Enchantment," featuring Bill Graham, noon Nov. 17. $8 in advance; $10 at the door. Refreshments and raffles. Peaslee School, 31 Maple St., Northboro. (508) 393-8464.
Live Library Angry Birds Game For ages 10 and older, 1-2 p.m. Nov. 17. Registration required. Northboro Free Library, 34 Main St., Northboro. (508) 393-5025, ext. 4.
Fall Fair Jewelry, attic treasures, crafts, baked goods and more, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Beaumont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 238 W. Main St., Northboro. (508) 393-2368.
Arts and Crafts Fair Local artisans will be selling photography, jewelry, handbags, stained glass, candles and more. Santa will be available for pictures. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 17. Proceeds will support the Alternatives services to individuals with disabilities. Singh Performance Center, 60 Douglas Road, Whitinsville. (508) 266-6512 or email@example.com.
Music Roy Book Binder, 8 p.m. Nov. 17. $15. The Vanilla Bean Caf�, 450 Deerfield Road, Pomfret, Conn. (860) 928-1562.
Midstate Trail Hike to the New Footbridge at Four Corners Three-mile round-trip hike, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 17. Bring water and a snack. Free. Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, 113 Goodnow Road, Princeton. (978) 464-2712.
Spaghetti Supper and Basket Raffle 4:30-7 p.m. Nov. 17 (takeout available). $8; children 12 and younger, $4. More than 25 baskets will be raffled. St. Stephen Church, Jct. 131 and 197, Quinebaug, Conn. (508) 789-9874.
Friends of Rutland Council on Aging 16th Annual Yuletide Craft Fair Crafters, raffles and lunch. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 17. Community Center, 53 Glenwood Rd., Rutland. (508) 886-7945.
Music Tret Fure, 8 p.m. Nov. 17. $14. Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley. (978) 425-4311 or www.bullrunrestaurant.com.
"The Scheme of the Driftless Shifter" 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17. and 3 p.m. Nov. 18. $12; seniors and students, $10. Flanagan Theater at the Southgate Retirement Community, 30 Julio Drive, Shrewsbury. (508) 842-0867 or email@example.com. A portion of the proceeds benefit local charitable organizations.
Floral Family Fun Fair featuring jewelry, handmade and hand-knitted items, American Girl Doll clothes, candles, home items, silent auction, games, food, and special guest Finz, the Worcester Sharks mascot, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 17. Floral Street School, 57 Floral St., Shrewsbury. (617) 448-7204. Proceeds benefit student enrichment programs at the school.
Harvest of Arts Musical and dance performances, 4-5 p.m., followed by visual art display and sale, 5-6 p.m. Nov. 17. Trinity Episcopal Church, 440 Main St., Shrewsbury. Free, donations accepted. Proceeds benefit the children of Haiti. (508) 842-6040. www.trinityshrewsbury.com
Holiday Gifts on the Common featuring hand-painted pieces, baskets, wood items, jewelry, quilts, ornaments and knitted items for children, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 17. 28 Main St., Southboro. (508) 366-2342.
Autumn Fair featuring baked goods, jewelry and knitted goods. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 17. Southboro Senior Center, 9 Cordaville Road, Southbridge. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Council on Aging.
Creative Arts "Gratitude Trees,"10 a.m.-noon Nov. 17. $10 per family. Wear a smock/apron or old clothes. South Valley Family Support Center, 128 Main St., Sturbridge. (508) 796-1950.
Drama "Diary of Anne Frank," presented by the Marianapolis Preparatory School Drama Club. 7 p.m. Nov. 17. Free. Irwin Black Box Theatre, 26 Chase Rd., Thompson. Reservations suggested. (860) 923-9565.
Holiday Fair and Tours featuring cookie walk, gifts, silent auction, Santa's Attic, and tour of the Bell Tower. Townsend Methodist Church, 265 Main St., Townsend. (978) 597-2486.
St. Mary's Men's Guild Dinner Dance Pork chop dinner, 6:15 p.m.; dancing to the Mark VI band, 6:30-10:30 p.m. Nov. 17. $17. St. Mary's Church hall, South Street, Ware. For tickets, call (413) 967-5913 8 a.m.-noon Monday-Thursday.
Art Exhibit "FREEDOM," mixed media paintings by Jean Marie Paradis, will be on display through Dec. 5. Meet-the-artist reception, 2-4 p.m. Nov. 17. Booklovers' Gourmet, 55 East Main St., Webster. (508) 949-6232.
Open Mic featuring B & E Band; Stan, Stan, the Trumpet Man; Larry; the Matt Brodeur Trio; Chris Prokop; Generations Unlimited; and Gerry Cullan, 8:30 p.m.-12:30 p.m. Nov. 17. PACC, 37 Harris St., Webster.
Community Baby Shower Pregnant women and mother's and fathers of infants younger than 6 months. Heat education information, gifts and raffles. noon-4 p.m. Nov. 17. Free. Webster Town Hall, 350 Main St., Webster.
Wachusett Earthday Collection Paints, chemicals, computer monitors, TV's, appliances, lawn mowers, furniture, rugs, toliets, sinks, mattress, large children's toys, outdoor furniture, household project debris, car tires, propane tanks, fees vary; paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, cans and bottles, free. 8 a.m.-noon Nov. 17. Wachusett Watershed Regional Recycling Center, 131 Raymond Huntington Highway, West Boylston. www.wachusettearthday.org.
Hollyberry Fair featuring baked goods, candy, Rada cutlery, children's gift shop, tag auction and silent auction, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 17. Coffee shop, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; lunch served, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. First Congregational Church, 138 Main St., Westminster.
Friends of the Westboro Senior Center's Fall Fair featuring raffles, silent auction, knitted items, baked goods, jewelry, Cabot cheese and holiday shopping, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 17. Senior Center, 4 Rogers Road, Westboro. (508) 870-1895.
Music Sweet Talk Radio and Kelly Ann Kerr, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17. In advance, $12.50; seniors and students, $10. At the door, $15. The Boroughs Jewish Community Center, 45 Oak St., Westboro. (508) 735-0151 or email@example.com.
Book Signing "Still Wearing Smooth the Path: 10 More Years at Abby's House 2001-2011," by Annette Rafferty, 1-3 p.m. Nov. 17. Tatnuck Bookseller, 18 Lyman St., Westboro.
Christmas on the Hill featuring Rada knives, jewelry, SERRV fair-trade items, Quiet Corner creations, wreaths and porch boxes, silent auction, penny sale and luncheon featuring chicken potpie, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 17. First Congregational Church, 549 Route 169, Woodstock, Conn. (860) 923-2887.


text:
Dart Mojo Applications
Mojo Application API
Application Packaging
All Dart sources for a Mojo application are collected in a specially formatted snapshot file, which is understood by Dart's content handler in the Mojo shell. This section describes what the various parts of that package are, and how they all make it to the right place.
GN Template
Dart Mojo applications are built with the GN template 'dart_pkg' defined in
//mojo/public/dart/rules.gni. Here is an example:
dart_pkg("foo") {
app_name_override = "dart_foo"
app = "lib/main.dart"
sources = [
deps = [
mojom("foo_mojom") {
sources = [
There are several parts. See the documentation in
for all the details.
pub packages
Dart Mojo applications may use packages from the pub package repository at pub.dartlang.org.
The "foo" example above has
uses_pub set to true. Suppose the "foo" package's
pubspec.yaml is as follows:
name: foo
version: 0.0.1
description: Foo
crypto: ">=0.9.0 <0.10.0"
The script
//mojo/public/tools/git/dart_pub_get.py should be run before build
time, e.g. as a "runhooks" action during
gclient sync. The script traverses
a directory tree looking for
pubspec.yaml files. On finding one, in the
containing directory, it runs
pub get. This creates a "packages/" directory
in the source tree adjacent to the
pubspec.yaml file containing the downloaded
Dart packages.
pub get also creates a
pubspec.lock file that locks down
pub packages to specific versions. This
pubspec.lock file must be checked in
in order to have hermetic builds.
During the build, The
dart_pkg rule looks for a "packages/" directory, and
ensures that its contents are available when running the application.
Generated bindings
The script
and the templates under
govern how
.mojom files are compiled into Dart code.
Consider the
foo.mojom file used by our example:
module foo;
struct Foo {
int32 code;
string? description;
This contents of this file are in the
foo module. The Dart source generated
for this file will end up under, e.g.
pkg/foo/lib/foo/network_error.mojom.dart, along with the other Dart sources
generated for
.mojom files with the "foo"
DartPackage annotation in the
foo module.
Resulting file
dart_pkg rule has two results. The first result is a Dart snapshot file
zipped up into a .mojo file in the build output directory---something like
//out/Release/foo.mojo. This file is understood by the Dart content handler
and is suitable for deployment. The second result is a directory layout of the
"foo" app that can be served by a webserver. When the URL of
lib/main.dart is
given to the
mojo_shell, the app will be run in the Dart content handler.
They layout for our "foo" example will be the following:
//packages/crypto/... # Dart's crypto pub package.
//packages/mojo/... # Mojo SDK Dart libraries.
//packages/mojo contains Dart's Mojo bindings,
contains the
crypto pub package, and
//lib/foo/ contains the bindings
generated for
Mojo's Dart content handler sets the package root for a Dart application to be the packages directory. Therefore, Dart sources in this application can use the following imports:
import 'package:crypto/crypto.dart';
import 'package:foo/foo/foo.mojom.dart';
import 'package:mojo/application.dart';


text:
The energy scene in Southern Africa is dominated by South Africa. While its coal-based electricity used to be cheap and reliable by world standards, the South African state utility recently ran out of reserve capacity – with blackouts resulting. In the second part of an article for Renewable Energy Focus, Dieter Holm, long-serving member of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), reports on renewed awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy in South Africa.
16 June, 2009