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Tuesday, March 18, 2008
"Black Magic": Must-See TV
***If you think that Mike D'Antoni, Steve Nash, Don Nelson and/or Magic Johnson's Showtime Lakers invented fast break basketball then you need learn about Hall of Famer John McLendon. Basketball's inventor James Naismith was McLendon's mentor and Naismith said that he hated to see kids playing basketball at just one hoop; he intended for basketball to be a full court game played at a fast pace with two hoops. Following Naismith's lead, McLendon preached to his teams that the ball should be shot every eight seconds (a precursor of D'Antoni's mantra of "seven seconds or less"). His Tennessee State squads utilized a fast break attack to win the NAIA Championship from 1957-59, making McLendon the first college coach to win three consecutive national titles.
***Jobe said, "Coach McLendon taught us to never use profanity. The coach never talks loud--and your players never use profanity or talk loud. If you can't communicate with normal conversation then you don't need to be on the team." Amen and wouldn't it be nice if someone had delivered that message to Bob Knight a few decades ago?
***Most real basketball fans know that Earl Monroe got his nickname "Pearl" because of a newspaper headline that described some of his college games as "Earl's Pearls." "Black Magic" showed that headline and the sidebar piece that listed those games. Here are Monroe's scoring totals and field goal numbers from those games:
13-20, 33 points
13-21, 30 points
29-42, 68 points
22-24, 58 points
8-15, 30 points
18-25, 40 points
18-30, 49 points
7-10, 23 points
22-41, 50 points
22-32, 52 points
16-22, 45 points
18-24, 54 points
13-29, 51 points
Monroe averaged 41.5 ppg in 1966-67 while shooting .607 from the field--and, no, those are not typos. He led Winston-Salem State to the NCCA College Division championship, scoring 40 points in the championship game; the dribbling display that he put on at the end of the title game to run out the clock would put "Hot Sauce" to shame--and Monroe did not travel, commit any violations or throw the ball off of someone's forehead.
***Earl Lloyd, the first black player to play in the NBA, was a scout for the Detroit Pistons when Monroe was creating his "pearls" for Winston-Salem. Lloyd told the Pistons to draft Monroe but the team's executives were skeptical that a player from a historically black college could really be that good. They drafted Jimmy Walker (Jalen Rose's father) instead. The expression of exasperation/disbelief that is on Lloyd's face when he retells this story (you can see this at around the 20th minute of Part II) is priceless. Walker turned out to be a pretty good pro who made the All-Star team a couple times but Monroe is a Hall of Famer and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history.
***Richard "Pee Wee" Kirkland declared that skill at anything is a God-given gift and while there is no doubt a lot of truth to that it is also true that to become great you have to work really, really hard. Psychologists call this "effortful study." Monroe said that he practiced shooting for so long when he was young that his shoulders became hunched over and his mother would rub alcohol on them to soothe his aching muscles. A lot of people say that they work hard and they may even think that they do but few people really understand just how hard you have to work to truly achieve greatness.
***Monroe said, "Once I started playing, I made a list of the guys who really dogged me and as I got better I checked them off the list."
***Most of the Monroe anecdotes were interesting but I had heard them before. However, I did not know that Monroe, like Hakeem Olajuwon and Steve Nash, was a very good soccer player. In their own ways, Monroe, Olajuwon and Nash are three players who have some of the best footwork and balance in basketball history.
***Clarence "Big House" Gaines, Monroe's college coach, preached a simple motto to his teams: "Kill, kill, kill"--in other words, always be aggressive and attack. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady and Bobby Fischer would have loved to play for Gaines.
***Near the end of Part II, Lloyd said, "Black folks are the most forgiving and nicest people on this Earth. I said, 'What could we have possibly done to deserve the kind of treatment we are getting?' It's a tough question to answer truthfully. One person said to me, 'Well, the Lord will test you.' I said, 'I understand that but 200 years is a long time to be tested. I wish somebody would tell me if I passed or flunked this test.'"
2 comments:
My Dad catched the last half of "Black Magic" and was gleming. He requested me to supply an immediate copy of this show and while in search of this I came across your page which is very expressive and for a better word enjoyable. Thanks for the published blog and if you can add an insite to how I can obtain a video clip of the entire "Black Magic" show then you would make my Fathers YEAR. Stefanie from Mesa Arizona
- Friday, March 21, 2008 10:51:00 PM
- David Friedman said...
I would think that a DVD of the entire show would be made available in retail stores at some point but for now the only thing I can suggest is to watch (or TIV0/tape) the re-air on March 25 on ESPN2. Check your TV listings to confirm exactly what time it is being shown. I think that the re-air is only 2.5 hours, compared to four hours in the original two part broadcast.
ESPNblackmagic.secondthought.com has more information about the program and some video clips but I don't see any information about ordering a copy of the entire show.
- Saturday, March 22, 2008 3:51:00 AM


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This institute, a knowledge and energy-filled week-long educational experience offers an unsurpassed opportunity to learn from experts about clinical innovation, implementing best practice guidelines and championing clinical excellence.
Advanced Stream
For previous institute attendees and those in Best Practice Guidelines Spotlight Organizations who are leading implementation teams.
Don't miss out on this powerful opportunity to bring positive change and innovation to your workplace!
Please note: the cost of registration includes a dynamic curriculum of interactive learning activities, learning materials and workbook, accommodation (single occupancy), all meals, use of resort facilities, and social evening. Upon registration your name will be given to the Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls.
Please do not make reservations directly with the hotel.

subset: commoncrawl


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In order to line up more with Arizona State University's goals of being carbon neutral on campus by 2025, the New American University has teamed up with start-up company, Strategic Solar, and has opened up two more PowerParasols on campus.
Morgan R. Olsen, executive vice president, treasurer and CFO at ASU, said that these projects are extremely helpful and important to ASU's goal of being carbon neutral and a leader of universities in cutting the impact that these institutions have on the environment.
ASU's partnership with Strategic Solar began when they first built one of the PowerParasols, which have photovoltaic solar panels and supplies great shade for the community, at Lot 59, a popular tailgating spot for Sun Devil fans. Now, two more of these structures were built, one PowerParasol was erected outside of ASU's Memorial Union and the other was built at a major entrance onto campus at Gammage Auditorium.
"The PowerParasols created an area we can enjoy 12 months out of the year," Olsen said. They also generate sustainable energy for the campus and add to the 25 megawatts of solar energy that ASU hosts across four campuses, Olsen said.
Since 2007, ASU has cut its green house emissions by 36 percent per student, while enrollment has increased by 33 percent, Olsen said. "We're growing and we've achieved these great metrics," Olsen said.
The PowerParasol at Memorial Union has 1,380 photovoltaic solar panels, which produce 397 kilowatts, and the PowerParasol at Gammage is a little larger with 1,716 panels on two different structures and it produces 494 kilowatts.
These structures aren't only great at supplying shade during the day, but at night they have luminous lights that create a beautiful friendly environment.
JA Solar supplied all of the panels that were used for these projects. APS community Relations Manager Michelle Gettinger congratulated ASU and PowerParasol with this brand new innovative and green structure.
Bob Boscamp, president of Strategic Solar, said that ASU was the first to partner and share the vision of installing PowerParasols. The PowerParasols are patent pending Boscamp said and he hopes to open up more at ASU and across the nation.
Olsen said that this is one of many of ASU's projects that are being done to help minimalize the impact that Universities have on the environment. Zero waste initiatives have been enacted, across the campus there are multiple recycling bins for students to utilize and whenever the school receives boxes from shipments ASU sends them back.
Also, at the recent Pat's Run, ASU had crews making sure what was recyclable at the event was recycled and anything that was organic trash went to proper biomass facilities Olsen said.


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I don't believe it's the only way. Go ahead and look if that's what you think you need to care. But how can you not already understand that other people are real?
Back in the 1960s, we only needed to see footage of black protesters being beaten, hosed down and attacked by police dogs once to understand how bad racism was down South.That's a different use of "only." It is enough to see pictures sometimes (though pictures, even moving pictures, can deceive). But that doesn't mean that pictures are the only way to learn what evil is, what suffering is. And we fall short if only pictures work for us. Indeed, we are open to manipulation if that is our sole method of learning.
I'm reminded of words from another context:
"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."


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Year of publication
- 1998 (12) (remove)
- English (12) (remove)
- Kalman filtering (2)
- Grid Graphs (1)
- Hilbert transform (1)
- Robust reliability (1)
- center and median problems (1)
- convex models (1)
- crack diagnosis (1)
- damage diagnosis (1)
- locational analysis (1)
- multi-hypothesis diagnosis (1)
Faculty / Organisational entity
- Fraunhofer (ITWM) (12) (remove)
We derive a new class of particle methods for conservation laws, which are based on numerical flux functions to model the interactions between moving particles. The derivation is similar to that of classical Finite-Volume methods; except that the fixed grid structure in the Finite-Volume method is substituted by so-called mass packets of particles. We give some numerical results on a shock wave solution for Burgers equation as well as the well-known one-dimensional shock tube problem.
The lowest resonant frequency of a cavity resonator is usually approximated by the classical Helmholtz formula. However, if the opening is rather large and the front wall is narrow this formula is no longer valid. Here we present a correction which is of third order in the ratio of the diameters of aperture and cavity. In addition to the high accuracy it allows to estimate the damping due to radiation. The result is found by applying the method of matched asymptotic expansions. The correction contains form factors describing the shapes of opening and cavity. They are com- puted for a number of standard geometries. Results are compared with numerical computations.
In this paper, a combined approach to damage diagnosis of rotors is proposed. The intention is to employ signal-based as well as model-based procedures for an improved detection of size and location of the damage. In a first step, Hilbert transform signal processing techniques allow for a computation of the signal envelope and the instantaneous frequency, so that various types of non-linearities due to a damage may be identified and classified based on measured response data. In a second step, a multi-hypothesis bank of Kalman Filters is employed for the detection of the size and location of the damage based on the information of the type of damage provided by the results of the Hilbert transform.
Robust Reliability of Diagnostic Multi-Hypothesis Algorithms: Application to Rotating Machinery (1998)
Damage diagnosis based on a bank of Kalman filters, each one conditioned on a specific hypothesized system condition, is a well recognized and powerful diagnostic tool. This multi-hypothesis approach can be applied to a wide range of damage conditions. In this paper, we will focus on the diagnosis of cracks in rotating machinery. The question we address is: how to optimize the multi-hypothesis algorithm with respect to the uncertainty of the spatial form and location of cracks and their resulting dynamic effects. First, we formulate a measure of the reliability of the diagnostic algorithm, and then we discuss modifications of the diagnostic algorithm for the maximization of the reliability. The reliability of a diagnostic algorithm is measured by the amount of uncertainty consistent with no-failure of the diagnosis. Uncertainty is quantitatively represented with convex models.
For the numerical simulation of 3D radiative heat transfer in glasses and glass melts, practically applicable mathematical methods are needed to handle such problems optimal using workstation class computers. Since the exact solution would require super-computer capabilities we concentrate on approximate solutions with a high degree of accuracy. The following approaches are studied: 3D diffusion approximations and 3D ray-tracing methods.
In the present paper multilane models for vehicular traffic are considered. A microscopic multilane model based on reaction thresholds is developed. Based on this model an Enskog like kinetic model is developed. In particular, care is taken to incorporate the correlations between the vehicles. From the kinetic model a fluid dynamic model is derived. The macroscopic coefficients are deduced from the underlying kinetic model. Numerical simulations are presented for all three levels of description in [10]. Moreover, a comparison of the results is given there.
A hierarchy of models for multilane vehicular traffic PART II: Numerical and stochastic investigations (1998)
In this paper the work presented in [6] is continued. The present paper contains detailed numerical investigations of the models developed there. A numerical method to treat the kinetic equations obtained in [6] are presented and results of the simulations are shown. Moreover, the stochastic correlation model used in [6] is described and investigated in more detail.
Boundary Layers and Domain Decomposition for Radiative Heat Transfer and Diffusion Equations: Applications to Glass Manufacturing Processes (1998)
In this paper domain decomposition methods for radiative transfer problems including conductive heat transfer are treated. The paper focuses on semi-transparent materials, like glass, and the associated conditions at the interface between the materials. Using asymptotic analysis we derive conditions for the coupling of the radiative transfer equations and a diffusion approximation. Several test cases are treated and a problem appearing in glass manufacturing processes is computed. The results clearly show the advantages of a domain decomposition approach. Accuracy equivalent to the solution of the global radiative transfer solution is achieved, whereas computation time is strongly reduced.
A new approach is proposed to model and simulate numerically heterogeneous catalysis in rarefied gas flows. It is developed to satisfy all together the following points: i) describe the gas phase at the microscopic scale, as required in rarefied flows, ii) describe the wall at the macroscopic scale, to avoid prohibitive computational costs and consider not only crystalline but also amorphous surfaces, iii) reproduce on average macroscopic laws correlated with experimental results and iv) derive ana- lytic models in a systematic and exact way. The problem is stated in the general framework of a non static flow in the vicinity of a catalytic and non porous surface (without ageing). It is shown that the exact and systematic resolution method based on the Laplace transform, introduced previously by the author to model collisions in the gas phase, can be extended to the present problem. The proposed approach is applied to the modelling of the Eley-Rideal and Langmuir-Hinshelwood recombinations, assuming that the coverage is locally at equilibrium. The models are developed considering one atomic species and extended to the gen eral case of several atomic species. Numerical calculations show that the models derived in this way reproduce with accuracy behaviours observed experimentally.
A new method of determining some characteristics of binary images is proposed based on a special linear filtering. This technique enables the estimation of the area fraction, the specific line length, and the specific integral of curvature. Furthermore, the specific length of the total projection is obtained, which gives detailed information about the texture of the image. The influence of lateral and directional resolution depending on the size of the applied filter mask is discussed in detail. The technique includes a method of increasing directional resolution for texture analysis while keeping lateral resolution as high as possible.


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There's never been a better time to explore Canada's aboriginal heritage, thanks to an expanding array of attractions and tours ranging from the rugged to the luxurious.
One of simplest ways to experience the First Nation culture is to attend a powwow where there is plenty of traditional singing and dancing. Such events take place across Canada through November. Check out www.drumhop.com to find one near your home or vacation destination.
The Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia has developed a number of interesting tours (www.aboriginalbc.com). The Haida Heritage Centre (www.haidaheritagecentre.com) is now the gateway for exploring the Gwaii Haanas National Park (Queen Charlotte Islands).
Overnight canoe trips take you past scenes painted by Emily Carr and out to watch whale frolicking in the ocean. Further inland at the Snaza'ist Discovery Centre you can tour the Mascot gold mine, perched on a cliff overlooking the Similkameen Valley, home to the Indian Band of the same name (www.mascotmine.com).
Stay overnight in a tipi at either Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (www.head-smashed-in.com) or Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park (www.blackfootcrossing.ca), located in Alberta's Badlands.
Both cultural centres offer interactive exhibits along with traditional dancing, drumming and carving, among others. Blackfoot Crossing hosts the World Chicken Dance Championships June 19 and 20, where participants memorize intricate dance steps to mimic the mating rituals of the prairie chicken.
The site of the tragic Northwest Rebellion lead by Louis Riel is now home to the Back to Batoche Festival, July 18 to 25. This eight-day festival showcases the famous Metis fiddle music and jigs -- a unique blend of their Celtic, French and First Nations heritage (www.mn-s.ca).
A more urban experience waits in Winnipeg at the Manito Ahbee Festival, Nov. 3 to 7. This week-long event showcases modern Aboriginal music and arts with the International Competition Powwow and Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards (www.manitoahbee.com).
Ontario's magnificent Manitoulin Island is home to The Great Spirit Circle Trail, where you can participate in fishing, biking, canoeing and hiking eco-tours. Popular retreats include the Grandmother Moon Women's Wellness Weekend (the first is June 25 to 27; there are others in July, August and September); and each summer the De-ba-jeh-mu-jig Theatre Group offers aboriginal main stage productions (www.circletrail.com).
Children will enjoy The Aboriginal Experience on Victoria Island just behind Ottawa's Parliament Buildings. A visit to the village includes lessons on wigwams, powwow dancing followed by indigenous cuisine (www.aboriginalexperiences.com). Wendake's First Nation Hotel-Musee, just outside of Quebec City, has been turning heads with its style. Overlooking the Akiawenrahk River, this luxury hotel offers a First Nations gourmet menu and on-site museum (www.hotelpremieresnations.com).
Take a wilderness canoe trip through Quebec's remote Abitibi-Temiscamingue region with the Pikogan Algonquins, where you follow the Harricana River learning survival techniques as you go (www.abitibiwinni.com). Explore Labrador's Torngat Mountains with the Inuit-owned Cruise North Expeditions (www.cruisenorthexpeditions.com) or take a cruise that traces the Northwest trading route. Both tours visit Inuit archaeological sites and offer cultural workshops such as soapstone carving and throat singing.
Finish off your exploration at the Canadian North Great Northern Arts Festival held in Inuvik, July 9 to 18. The 10-day event showcases circumpolar artists and musicians (www.gnaf.org).


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Russell Teibert (pictured) and Canada will face Australia in an international friendly on October 15, 2013, in London, England. (Photo: Mexsport)
OTTAWA – The Canadian Soccer Association announced Wednesday that its men's national team will take on Australia in an international friendly on October 15 at Craven Cottage in London, England.
The Canadians and Socceroos last squared off in 1993, when the sides met during a two-legged playoff in FIFA World Cup Qualifying for USA 1994. Canada was eliminated 4-1 on penalty kicks after the series ended 3-3 on aggregate as each side won 2-1 at home.
This match will be part of head coach Benito Floro's second camp since his appointment in July.
In the 61-year-old's first two friendlies, Canada tied (0-0) and lost (1-0) to Mauritania on September 8 and 10, respectively, in Oliva, Spain.


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Well after much deliberation I have decided to submit an application for the PASS Board of Directors. I embark on this journey as a true learning experience. Hopefully, I will make it to the interview stage and gain some additional insight on the selection process. As the process proceeds I will update you all here on my blog. Wish me luck!
Talk to you soon
Patrick LeBlanc
SQL Down South


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I just spent the better part of my weekend in a class discussing a global movement springing up around the concept of recognizing rights of nature, something I have been thinking a lot about recently. The class (and the movement) addressed a big concern facing our society — that our way of living is built on a structure of endless economic growth. Yet we live in a world of finite resources and limited space. Why is there this blind faith in growth when we know that it can't last?
Photo by Johan Christen Nielsen
Simply put, it is what we are constantly told by our leaders and media. Corporations and economies must grow or they will fail. We must buy more stuff to support business and be happy. Somehow we choose to ignore the reality of non-renewable resources. Our way of living is on a collision course with nature. In our technology-obsessed world, we forget that humans are part of a natural system that provides for our well-being.
Science and technology will indeed play an important part in figuring out a sustainable future. But I think looking at how our relatives lived and interacted with the natural world not that long ago (and many indigenous peoples still do today) is also crucial. Acknowledging that nature has rights puts a priority on ceasing the rampant over-consumption and exploitation of natural resources and species. It is what lies beyond the growth paradigm and what I believe will set us moving in the right direction.
Respecting Nature
"Rights of Nature," as defined by the Global Alliance on the Rights of Nature, is the recognition and honoring that trees, oceans, animals, mountains have rights just as humans do. Rather than treating nature as property under the law, rights of nature acknowledges that nature in all its life forms has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles. People have the legal authority and responsibility to enforce these rights on behalf of ecosystems. Once nature is accepted as having standing in the eyes of the law, then when a man-made disaster occurs, such as an oil spill, a lawsuit can be brought on behalf of the polluted ecosystem.
Ecuador and Bolivia have included rights of Nature in their constitutions, recognizing the legal right of ecosystems to exist. In Ecuador, a significant milestone was achieved recently when a provincial court ruled in favor of nature, saying that the flow of Ecuador's Vilcabamba River was being affected by a road expansion project and ordering corrective action. This is the first successful case defending rights of nature. Other countries too, are beginning to explore legal rights for nature and what it could mean for their communities.
This will obviously require a major shift in thinking for many people, but we need something other than "business as usual" if we wish to sustain life on this planet. We can't expect the system that caused our problems to solve our problems. The world economy is based on exploiting the earth for all that we need, be that coal, oil, trees, fish, precious metals, water and air. According to Indian physicist and environmentalist Vandana Shiva, "Further economic growth cannot help regenerate the very spheres which must be destroyed for economic growth to occur."
The Growth Imperative
Economic growth has been the mantra since the Industrial Revolution, and especially so since post-World War II. Businesses, stock markets, and bottom lines must grow to succeed, and companies must explore, drill, and mine for ever-dwindling resources in order to grow. Certainly this is what we all hear in the news day in and day out.
James Gustave Speth, professor and former dean of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, recently wrote about the need for creating a new vision of economic growth. According to Speth: "The never-ending drive to grow the overall US economy is ruining the environment; it fuels a ruthless international search for energy and other resources; it fails at generating the needed jobs; it hollows out communities; and it rests on a manufactured consumerism that is not meeting the deepest human needs. Americans are substituting growth and consumption for dealing with the real issues…"
Adopting new measures to gauge progress is important [see alternatives for measuring economic progress in Earth Island Journal's Autumn issue], but without a paradigm shift in how we interact with nature — respecting the world we are part of and not simply exploiting it for our needs — we will be spinning our wheels. Unwavering faith in the market will not improve the sustainability and livability of our communities.
Human wellbeing doesn't depend on economic growth and the pillaging of the earth's resources. As Tom Goldtooth, director of the Indigenous Environmental Network says:
"Long term solutions require turning away from prevailing paradigms and ideologies centered on pursuing economic growth, corporate profits and personal wealth accumulation as primary engines of social well-being. The transitions will inevitably be toward societies that can equitably adjust to reduced levels of production and consumption, and increasingly localized systems of economic organization that recognize, honor and are bounded by the limits of Nature…"
Ultimately, the bottom line that we should care most about is that we all live on one planet, dependent on each other and a sustainable environment. The people of Ecuador and Bolivia are leading the way, showing how recognizing rights of nature can help us achieve a healthy planet. The rest of us should follow.
Suzanne York is a writer with the Institute for Population Studies and writes the blog Taming the Tiger, which covers India, environment and human rights.


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Why is Morocco one of the world's great countries for minerals? No glaciers! Many of the world's most colourful minerals are found in deposits at the surface, formed over time by the interaction of water, air and rock. Glaciers remove all of that good stuff (as happened in Canada recently, geologically speaking) – and with no recent glaciation, Morocco hosts many fantastic occurrences of minerals unlike any in parts of the world stripped bare during the last Ice Age.
My collecting partner David Joyce and I jumped at the chance to go to Southern-Central Morocco. The trip was organized by Mindat.org and the Spirifer Geological Society, and included the Second Annual Mindat Mineral Conference in the city of Midelt.
Morocco is an amazing place. Hopefully this comes through in the photographs – it is a beautiful region with stunning landscapes, rich in history, harsh in climate. And… it hosts gorgeous minerals.
Founded almost a thousand years ago, Marrakech has historically been the imperial capital of Morocco – and in fact from Medieval times until the beginning of the twentieth century Morocco was known as the Kingdom of Marrakech. Today, Marrakech remains the major economic centre in this region, hosting at its centre the largest Berber market in the country. The market area is comprised of many individual markets (souks).
A merchant takes his wares to the souk, passing in front of the 12th century Minaret of the Khoutoubia Mosque
Wares in an alleyway, in one of the souks
The market at night
Steam and smoke rise from the food stalls at the night market in Marrakech
Intricate decor in historic Marrakech
Sidi Rahal
Not far from Marrakech, miners work the basalt deposit at Sidi Rahal by hand to produce geodes containing agate and quartz (some of which is amethystine). The geodes from Sidi Rahal can include beautiful stalactitic growths, and rarely box epimorphs of quartz after fluorite. Groups of world-class goethite crystals have been found in geodes at Sidi Rahal – barite, calcite and aragonite have also been found.
Some of the excavations are quite deep – and fun to explore.
I clambered down into the tunnel on the left
Amethystine quartz geode in the wall underground
Climbing back out the tunnel to daylight
Small quartz/chalcedony geode (6cm) in basalt.
Many walls at Sidi Rahal are constructed of block comprised of mud and straw
Over the Atlas Mountains
To get to the great mineral localities of southern-central Morocco, the route leads over the Atlas Mountains. South of Marrakech, it is not long before the road is into the foothills.
Farms in the foothills
A small Atlas Mountain village on the road to Tizi-N-Tichka Pass – even here, there are satellite dishes…
Atlas Mountain Valley – at the bottom, green with lush vegetation
Up and over the Atlas Mountains
After crossing the mountains we arrived at the city of Ouarzazate, an important regional power for centuries. The regional governor reigned over the area from within the protected and fortified kasbah, which lies at the centre of what has now become the city.
View of part of the kasbah
Traditional Berber design on the kasbah walls
Night falls over the kasbah in Ouarzazate
Bou Azzer District
To make a pilgrimage to Bou Azzer – one of the world's great mineral districts – there is no way around it, you are into some rather arid countryside. The trip into this region is spectacular.
The highway winds over and around rugged, parched hills…
… and clearly there is not enough vegetation to obscure the strata…
… although some hardy plants give a tinge of green to the landscape in places.
The highway eventually leads down out of the hills into an incredibly dry landscape that stretches on and on.
There are occasional signs of settlement attempts, where ultimately the climate has proved too harsh – sustenance in this land requires an oasis or valley.
It seems that this small oasis was not enough to sustain the dwelling that was once here.
Upon arrival at Bou Azzer, we stopped at Shaft #9, where the head frame and mining works stand up over the landscape.
The Bou Azzer district has produced 215 mineral species, including the world's finest specimens of erythrite, roselite, wendwilsonite, roselite-beta, talmessite, skutterudite and gersdorffite. It was not possible to enter the working areas of the mines, and so collecting was quite limited but certainly enjoyable and it was great to see these famous mines!
We headed out to Aït Ahmane, which is renowned as the source of the world's best gersdorffite crystals. This was quite a trip, as the road rattled our vehicle for about an hour each way, until it seemed like it simply might fall into pieces. Out there, you're in the middle of true nowhere, so an intact vehicle is a plus! Ultimately our driver refused to drive the last stretch of road, so we hiked for a few km in the hot desert sun to get to the mine. (Who bothers to notice such things when on the verge of seeing a famous mine…)
At the mine, the small valley gathers enough water to sustain vegetation – the rest of the landscape is quite barren.
Hiking back by a different route – along a track near the valley – we could eventually see the village of Aït Ahmane ahead.
Although we found small interesting things (including lots of tiny picropharmacolite crystals), it was only later in the trip that I managed to procure a better gersdorffite.
Gersdorffite, 3.5 cm, Aït Ahmane
While still in the Bou Azzer District, we also visited the Agoudal Mine, which has recently produced very fine cobaltoan calcites.
Cobaltoan Calcite from the Agoudal Mine – 6cm
Cobaltoan Calcite from the Agoudal Mine – field of view 4.3 cm
Cobaltoan Calcite from the Agoudal Mine – 6.1 cm
Dave found a nice vug containing sphaercobaltite crystals.
Sphaercobaltite, Agoudal Mine – Field of view 5mm. (D.K. Joyce specimen and photo)
During the course of the trip we were able to obtain other interesting minerals from this district, including excellent crystallized silver from the Bouismas Mine and beautiful roselite from the Aghbar Mine.
Silver crystals on calcite, Bouismas Mine – 5.2 cm
Roselite crystals, to 0.9 cm, Aghbar Mine
The Northern Sahara
Prior to this trip, I knew little – when I thought of the Sahara Desert, I thought mostly of the sand dunes from Lawrence of Arabia, with some hills, cliffs and valleys interspersed. (Interesting side note: much of the movie was filmed in Southern-Central Morocco.) I was really not expecting the desert to comprise of such massive open stretches of rocky terrain. There are of course sand dunes – the spectacular dune system at Erg Chebbi is one of many sand dune fields in the Sahara – but much of the landscape actually looks similar to the tumbling rocky landscapes NASA's rovers photograph on Mars.
Rocks strewn all over the ground and stretching to the horizon
Escarpment in the distance breaks up the flat expanse of rockiness
Even signs of failed settlements are sparse
Nomadic Berber tent
The camels wander nearby the Berber camps
The Erg Chebbi dunes rise over the stony desert
Light and shadow shift subtly on the dunes
The sand flows in the wind, almost like water in slow motion
In places, the contrast between the sand dunes and the rock is striking – here, the transition zone included a few trees
This seasonal lake forms every two or three years at the base of the northern edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes – a true oasis
View out to the dunes from our lodgings at Erg Chebbi, the Yasmina Hotel
What adventure to the Sahara would be complete without camels… so Dave and I headed into the dunes…
Our guide led us on camels part way
Once we got to the base of the larger dunes, we dismounted and hiked to the top. Our guide instructed us to leave our hiking boots behind, as it would be easier in the sand – so we hiked it barefoot.
From the summit, a sea of dunes
Also from the summit – the seasonal lake beside the Yasmina Hotel
Dave and our Berber guide
Sunset in the Sahara
One of the most amazing things about the Sahara is how stark the difference can be, inside and outside of an oasis.
Inside an oasis, which is divided into plots and farmed by local families
Collecting grass (for the goats) and vegetables
Looking after camels, perhaps 50 feet outside of this same oasis (behind me it is lush vegetation (!))
The famous mineral locality in this part of Morocco is an old mine and series of workings near the town of Taouz. Over the years, the workings of Taouz have produced beautiful specimens of several minerals. Taouz is most noted for its vanadinite crystals (usually very distinctively on a black matrix of iron/manganese oxide mineralization), and also beautiful specimens of cerussite.
Taouz is the end of the road – heading south, this is the last settlement in Morocco before one reaches the closed border with Algeria. We were advised to stay away from the border, as we were told it has been laced with land mines in places.
View from Taouz workings, Algeria in the distance
Miner looks out over a basic hoist – this shaft (covered with corrugated sheet metal anchored with rocks, when not in use) is only about 3 feet wide
Miners' dwelling at Taouz workings
Collapsed tunnel underground at Taouz
Typical quartz crystal veining underground at Taouz
Typical specimen of manganese oxide mineralization at Taouz
Beautiful vanadinite crystals to 6mm on manganese oxides from Taouz
Blocky barite from Taouz – 4.5 cm
Iron-cross twin of pyrite, 1 cm, purchased from a miner at Taouz. He told me that this specimen was from an outcrop on a ridge beyond the main workings.
On to Midelt and Mibladen
On our last morning in the Sahara I was up before dawn…
Oasis sunrise in the Sahara
… and then we were on the road to Midelt and the amazing mines and minerals of Mibladen… Continued in Part 2
Midelt and Mibladen
Midelt and Mibladen are in a high plateau region, well north of the Sahara and in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains. Midelt is a regional capital with a population of approximately 45,000 people, and primarily it is an agricultural market centre.
Farmer on the way to morning market with a load of vegetables
Promenade with shops in central Midelt
However, there is an interesting fact about Midelt: it was estimated to me (by local government officials and also by local mineral dealers) that approximately 10% of Midelt's annual GDP derives from sales of collector mineral specimens and mineral/fossil products, and related businesses. Whether or not this is exactly accurate, it is clear when you drive through Midelt and look at the storefronts that minerals are an important component of the local economy.
We attended the Second Annual Mindat Conference at the Taddart Hotel in Midelt and it was a super event, with speakers from all over the world. We also had the chance to buy specimens from mineral dealers at the museum/store attached to the hotel, and also generally, in and around Midelt.
However the true trip highlights in this region were out at Mibladen!
Mibladen was a mining centre where the French mined for lead in the first half of the 20th century, and the mines continued to produce until commercial operations ceased in the mid-1970s.
While the small village of Mibladen iteself is located about 18km east of Midelt, a large area about 10km in length comprises the "Mibladen" referred to by mineral collectors. This Mibladen mining district hosts mining workings that access two important and distinctly different mineral assemblages, and we spent time exploring both.
Open lands and skies on the way to Mibladen
(1) Vanadinite and Barite: Coud'a and the ACF Mine
Mibladen is famous for its spectacular vanadinite crystals – the world's best. They occur in all hues of red through brown, often associated with wonderful bladed barite, which occurs in beautiful specimens with and without vanadinite. This is the one mineral assemblage – where there are vanadinites, you will not find the famous Mibladen cerussites or wulfenites – these are in the second mineral assemblage, discussed in the next section below.
The two main vanadinite producing localities at Mibladen are the ACF Mine workings and the Coud'a workings. The vanadinite and barite crystals occur in mineralized zones that occur at various depths from the surface – some can be accessed by vertical shafts about 20-30 feet deep, and some are deeper. In the case of the ACF Mine, the vanadinite-bearing zones are accessed by workings that have been extended underground from the mine workings buy miners in search of specimens. In the case of the Coud'a workings, they are narrow shafts excavated by hand tools from the surface.
We were able to visit the Coud'a workings, and our guide Abdellah took us down two shafts where he had mined beautiful specimens of vanadinite and barite. A visit to these deposits is a bad idea for anyone who doesn't like small closed spaces…
Dave took the rope and headed down the shaft
I followed him down…
Not a ton of room down there…
But enough room to work for vanadinite
The rock is solid and tough – tons of hard work goes into finding and extracting these specimens (D.K. Joyce photo)
The underground tunnels were pretty narrow, cut through solid rock using only hand tools (D.K. Joyce photo)
And this was the view ahead of me, a photo I took while lying where I was in the last photo, and looking further ahead into the tunnels. Red vanadinite/white barite mineralization was still visible in the ceilings and walls where specimens had been extracted during specimen mining.
Abdellah was up first, in case we needed help getting back out
Once any of the workings like these get too narrow or dangerous – or are simply collected out – Abdellah goes back to square one and starts again: he goes back to the surface and for the next 8 weeks he will sink a new shaft further along the deposit until he intersects the vanadinite-barite mineralization again. The condition under which the miners are allowed to work these deposits is that they may not use power tools or explosives, so all of the shafts and tunnels are cut by hand.
Beautiful specimens come from the vanadinite/barite workings at Mibladen.
Barite with Vanadinite, Coud'a workings – 5.6 cm
Barite with Vanadinite, Coud'a workings – 5.2 cm
Barite with vanadinite, Coud'a workings – Field of view 5.5 cm
Vanadinite on barite, Coud'a workings – 5.2 cm
Vanadinite on barite, Coud'a workings – 4.9 cm
Vanadinite, ACF Mine – 7.7cm
(2) Cerussite, Wulfenite and Barite – Les Dalles Mine and Les O Mine
The second assemblage has produced world-class specimens of cerussite, along with barite and orange wulfenite (beautiful but uncommon at the locality). These minerals are found in the old large-scale lead mining workings, principally Les Dalles Mine and Les O Mine. These are large room-and-pillar mines – nothing like the narrow winding subterranean vanadinite tunnels carved by artisan miners.
Les O Mine
Pillars in Les O Mine
So here's the thing about room and pillar mining like this. The pillars are left there for a reason. There's a lotta rock overhead. However, the pillars of course are the one remaining source of the mineralization from the layer that was mined out… and so when specimen miners want specimens…
…say goodbye to your pillar… sometimes not a lot of pillar is left!
(Apparently there have never been any collapses due to robbing of the pillars)
Galena-barite-cerussite veining in a pillar
Series of barite crystal pockets in the ceiling at Les O Mine
Cerussite, 2.3 cm, on barite, Les Dalles Mine
Cerussite, Mibladen Mining District – 7.6 cm
Cerussite, Les Dalles Mine – 5 cm
Cerussite, 1.3 cm, on barite, Les Dalles Mine
Cerussite, Les Dalles Mine – 4.5 cm
Dinner Underground
As there have been many other write-ups online about the conference, I have been light on that topic, but I would be remiss if I did not at least include a mention of the "Surprise Dinner" as the conference Grande Finale. We were simply told to change into decent clothes and that we would be driven to dinner. It was after dark as we set out and it was hard to figure out where we might be headed. The conference shuttles pulled up into an area lit with temporary spotlights and we could see that we were in fact at one of the entrances of the Les Dalles Mine. A section of the room and pillar structure was converted – specifically for this night of this conference – into an underground dining area, large enough to host dinner for the whole conference, plus formally attired servers and a group of local musicians. We were served a multi-course meal on fine china, and I think most mineral collectors in the group were completely blown away by the vision behind the idea – and then the experience itself. It was an audacious concept and it was spectacular. (And after all, most of the time when we eat something at a world famous mineral locality, it is something from a packed lunch we've just pulled out of our backpacks…)
Aouli – Sidi Ayed
We made one final mineral locality pilgrimage on this trip – we went out to see Aouli and Sidi Ayed. Many mineral specimens are labelled "Aouli" (often yellow fluorites) but in fact Aouli has not produced minerals for decades and even in its producing days it was not a big specimen producer. We learned that the specimens labelled Aouli usually come from an area of workings around Sidi Ayed, which is perhaps half an hour or more beyond Aouli, over very rough winding roads.
This final adventure was all rough when it came to the roads. The roads themselves were strewn with rocks and had minor gaps where rivers had taken their toll during storms. We were driven in a car that looked like it might disintegrate at any minute. You probably think I'm exaggerating, but it was a train wreck. Here's what we saw on the inside of the door when we got into this thing:
Actually it was not a day for rolling down the window anyway – it started out blustery with high winds, then came the blasting sand and finally by afternoon we had blowing sleet and hard rain. The latter of which of course came in down my neck through the hole in the car roof, but I digress. The car held together and the roads did not get washed out by the afternoon storm as our guides feared they might.
As collecting days go, there wasn't much in the way of fine minerals out there, but it was an interesting trip through canyons and hills.
The road to Aouli
This bridge looked only slightly better than the car we were in, but it was solid and supported all kinds of traffic
River bridge and large adit at Aouli
Deep surface workings in the Sidi Ayed area – malachite, azurite and fluorite were all abundant
Sandstorm in the Sidi Ayed area – this settlement is abandoned, with all roofs gone from the buildings
Snow Closures – in Africa
You know, if you want to have snow closures and cancellations anywhere – even in Africa – just bring a few Canadians along. The stuff follows us wherever we go.
The end of our trip was a bit colourful, as a snowstorm hit the Atlas Mountains and surrounding areas. Highways were closed in all directions for about a day, and our route through the mountains back to catch our flight in Casablanca was in doubt. However, the morning of our departure the roads were reopened and although we passed accident scenes, our own travels were safe and smooth driving all the way to Casablanca.
The guardrail saved this one – it was a steep slope over the edge
On the open road, beginning our journey home
Minerals from Morocco
Some of the minerals described in this post are for sale on here our website. Some even come from the same holes and tunnels. If you are interested in minerals from Morocco, click here.
Back to Part 1: If you have landed here directly without seeing the first half of this adventure, it's here at Part 1.
Special thanks to Tomasz Praszkier of Spirifer Minerals and Jolyon Ralph of mindat for their amazing efforts as the lead organizers of this trip and the conference – thank you both! The planning, logistics and the trip itself were all superb and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of it. I'm afraid I will miss mentioning someone – thanks to Agatha, Ida and Abdellah, and to all of the organizers on the ground in Morocco, hosts, guides and drivers, for this unforgettable experience. And thanks of course to all the friends who took part in the journey!
I have refrained from delving into a lot of technical information on the localities, geology or mineralogy because there are super references already available, if you are interested.
For excellent references on Bou Azzer and Mibladen:
Favreau, G, Dietrich, J.E., Meisser, N., Brugger, J, Haddouch, L.A. and Maacha, L. (2007) Bou Azzer, Morocco. The Mineralogical Record. September-October, 2007, vol. 38, no. 5.
Praszkier, T. "Mibladen, Morocco." (2013) The Mineralogical Record. May-June, 2013. vol. 44, no. 3.
A great German language book on Morocco (not available in English):
Jahn, S., Bode, R., Lyckberg, P., Medenbach, O., and Lierl H.J. (2003). Marokko: Land der Schöenen Mineralien und Fossilien. Bode, R., ed.
And a new book on the minerals of Morocco (anticipated to be two volumes) is anticipated soon from Tomasz Praszkier – can't wait!


text: Joint X-ray with Contrast Joint X-ray is used to examine a joint, such as the knee or hip, when standard X-rays are not adequate. Arthroplasty Arthroplasty is a surgical procedure that restores the function of a joint. A joint can be restored by resurfacing the bones, or by replacing it with an artificial joint. Arthroscopy Orthopedic surgeons use arthroscopy to diagnose and treat joint problems. An arthroscope is a small, tube shaped instrument that is used to look inside a joint. Bone Biopsy A bone biopsy is a procedure in which bone samples are removed to determine if cancer or other abnormal cells are present. Bone Densitometry Bone densitometry is used primarily to diagnose osteoporosis and to determine fracture risk. Bone Marrow Biopsy A bone marrow biopsy involves removing tissue from the red bone marrow to be sent to the lab for microscopic examination. Bone Scan A bone scan is used to examine the various bones of the skeleton to identify areas of physical and chemical changes in bone. Bunion Surgery The goal of surgery is to relieve pain and correct as much deformity as possible. The surgery is not cosmetic and is not meant to improve the appearance of the foot. Carpal Tunnel Release Carpal tunnel release is a surgery that's used to treat and potentially heal the painful condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome. Computed Tomography (CT or CAT) Scan of the Bones A CT scan shows detailed images of the bones, muscles, fat, and organs. CT scans are more detailed than standard X-rays. Computed Tomography (CT or CAT) Scan of the Spine A CT scan of the spine may be performed to assess the spine for a herniated disk, tumors and other lesions, the extent of injuries, structural anomalies such as spina bifida, blood vessel malformations, or other conditions. Epidural Corticosteroid Injections If you are experiencing intense, intractable pain in your legs or arms from inflamed spinal nerves, then an epidural steroid injection might be the preferred treatment to quickly give you relief. Fluoroscopy Procedure Fluoroscopy is a study of moving body structures—similar to an X-ray "movie." Joint Aspiration Joint aspiration refers to removing fluid from the space around a joint—usually the knee—using a needle and syringe. Knee Ligament Repair Knee ligament repair is used when a knee ligament is torn and results in instability in the knee. Kyphoplasty Kyphoplasty is used to treat fractures in the bones of the spine in which the doctor first inflates a balloon-like device in the bone to make space which is filled with cement. Laminectomy Laminectomy is a type of surgery in which a physician removes part or all of the vertebral bone to relieve compression of the spinal cord or the nerve roots. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Bones, Joints, and Soft Tissues Magnetic resonance imaging uses a combination of a large magnet, radiofrequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of structures within the body. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Spine and Brain MRI may be used to examine the brain and/or spinal cord for injuries or the presence of structural abnormalities or certain other conditions, including tumors or aneurysms. Muscle Biopsy In a muscle biopsy, tissue and cells from muscle are removed and viewed microscopically. The procedure is used to diagnose diseases involving muscle tissue. Rotator Cuff Repair If the rotator cuff is injured, it may need to be repaired surgically. This may include shaving off bone spurs that are pinching the shoulder, or repairing torn tendons or muscles. Myelogram A myelogram, also known as myelography, is a procedure that combines the use of dye with x-rays or CT scans to assess the spinal cord, subarachnoid space, or other structures for abnormalities, particularly when another type of examination, such as a standard x-ray, is inconclusive. X-rays of the Extremities This procedure is often used as the first step in diagnosing injuries of the extremities, but may also be used to evaluate other problems involving the bones and/or soft tissues. X-rays of the Spine, Neck, or Back This procedure may be used to diagnose back or neck pain, fractures or broken bones, arthritis, degeneration of the disks, tumors, or other problems.


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Holiday Gift Guide 2012
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Those in attendance at the recent selectmen's meeting included the three selectmen, Tom Gray, Bob Srnec and Bob Bridges, and Tony Mincu, Pat Smith, Bob Carrier, David Levin and Nick Marique.
The board acknowledged the passing of Patricia Nute with a moment of silence and condolences to her family.
There was some discussion regarding the the hiring of Eckman Construction as construction manager and architectural firm for the proposed fire station (to be voted on in March 2013). The board accepted a letter of intent to Eckman Construction in the amount of $18,000.
It was reported that Town Clerk/ Tax Collector, Michelle Beauchamp is considering sending out reminder letters when registrations are due and give the option of doing it online or coming into the office. A dollar fee would be assessed to each registration for this service. It was the consensus of the board of selectmen to allow reminder letters to be mailed to residents as well as the one dollar charge for said process to be charged to residents at each registration transaction.
Selectman Bridges nominated Bob Srnec as chairman of the board for his remaining 6 month term. The board agreed. The board of selectmen meet on the first and third Monday of the month.
Senior Citizen Bingo will be held on Sunday, September 30 at 1 pm at the Emma Ramsey Center. Lunch will be served at 12 noon to include steamed hot dogs, chips, soda and cookies for a donation. State law requires players must be 60 years and older to play senior citizen bingo.
The recreation department is taking a bus trip to Fryeberg Fair on Tuesday, October 2. The bus will leave the Emma Ramsey Center at 7 am sharp to avoid the morning traffic and the traffic entering the fair grounds. The bus will leave the fair grounds about 2:45 pm for the return trip and will arrive back at the Emma Ramsey Center about 4 pm. It's the Fair's "Senior Day", seniors 65 and older are admitted free. There is no charge for the bus ride. Call the recreation department at 652-4501 to sign up for the trip.
At the Nute Ridge Bible Chapel, the AWANA Club for ages 3 through 12 years
meets on Fridays from 6:30 to 8 pm. AWANA is about friendship, faith-building and unforgettable fun. The Youth Group meets on Fridays 6:30-8 pm. for grades 7-9. For more information call 652-9383.
At the Nute Library, beginning in October, local quilt master, Carole Sullivan will lend her sewing skills to the craft group on Saturday mornings from 9 until noon. New members are welcome.
At the Milton Mills Library, Story Time is every Thursday morning at 10:30 am. Your child will enjoy a story, songs,and interaction with others.
Construction firm in lineup for proposed fire station
Those in attendance at the recent selectmen's meeting included the three selectmen, Tom Gray, Bob Srnec and Bob Bridges, and Tony Mincu, Pat Smith, Bob Carrier, David Levin and Nick Marique.


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A PEI Beach House or Summer Home rental is the perfect way to experience your Prince Edward Island vacation. These accommodations are either within 300 feet of the water or are larger homes. Many have the highest quality furnishings and 4 or 5 star rating. Choose from town or city, waterfront and idyllic country settings, they all come with the best of Island hospitality. Visit the Peisland tourism portal for a complete list of PEI accommodations.
Prince Edward Island has 6 tourism zones. You will notice in the listings (see below) there is a heading called "Region" which has numbers ranging from 1 to 6. These numbers correspond with the numbers we placed on the "tourism zone map" (located to your right).
Prince Edward Island is the most wonderful of locations to spend your summer vacation. Summer visitors have been coming to this paradise in the gulf ever since the advent of readily accessible commercial travel. The coastline is perfect for the construction of beach homes and cottages and in most areas there is easy access to the 1000 or more miles of coastline. There are however a few places where the land rises sharply from the sea to form red cliffs. Along the ocean frontage on the Belfast Highland Greens Golf Course, the highest cliffs on the Island are found. As a golfer stands on the 7th green he is able to gaze across Orwell Bay from a height of 170 feet. The cliff system running along along the golf course was given the name "Megwasa" by the Miq Maq people which means "red cliffs". PEI is home to some of the most fabulous beaches, and visitors come by the thousands to play and splash in the surf on the North Shore and soak up the summer sun on the inviting sand. The sandy beaches of the island come in two distinct colours: the sand on the North Shore and extending around East Cape and towards Souris is lighter in color and in some places is white; the shores along the Northumberland Strait have reddish sand, much the colour of the soil of PEI.
Hills and Harbours - Starting just outside of Charlottetown and turning to the right after crossing the Hillsborough Bridge, you can follow the shore back to where you can re-join the Trans Canada Highway just past the Pownal Sports Centre. About 2 miles further down the road, the highway has a turn off to the left if you wanted to go to Montague or Souris. Stay in the right lane and you will continue on the way to the Wood Islands Ferry Terminal which is on your route. Along the way, watch for signs to the Lord Selkirk Park -- if you turn to the right you will find the park, historical exhibits, the Belfast recreation area with its pools and playgrounds, Belfast Highland Greens Golf Course, walking trails and a wonderful observation spot to watch the Great Blue Herons. Continue back to the highway, turn right and go 1/2 mile and turn right down to Point Prim where you will find the oldest lighthouse on the Island and the Chowder House with its art gallery and restaurant. Back to the highway and follow the coast road with its great views and it will take you all the way to Cape Bear and the lighthouse that is famous for having housed the Marconi station that received the distress call from the Titanic. Next is Murray Harbour and Murray River, small fishing villages with places to eat, get gas, visit a gift shop or have a round of golf. When leaving Murray River take the road towards Montague and just out of town, take the first road to the right. Follow the signs, do some exploring, stop at beaches or fishing wharfs as you make your way to Montague. Follow the signs and if you do get lost you can't go very far before you will see a sign directing you somewhere. Along this drive you will have passed by 27 of the beach houses and summer homes listed on this portal. By returning to the top of this page you will be able to navigate to many more properties found on our other rental portals.
Beach Houses and Summer Homes in this tourist area are: Alexander's Beach house, Ar Dachaidh Cottage By The Sea, Aspen House Cottage, Beachcomber's Hideaway, Bell Buoy Vacation Home, Bell Isle Beach House, Brudenell Executive Chalets, Chalet On The Lake, Corkin View Beach House, Day's End, DeRoma Cottages, Greene's Country Charm Summer Home, Herring Beach Homes, Homeport By The Sea, Lighthouse Chalet, Lower Montague Harbourview, MacNeill Cottage, Maplehurst Properties, Ocean Front Executive Style Home, Panmure View Beach House, Pinette Haven of Rest, Quiet Haven Summer Home, Seascape Haven Waterfront Home, Shessary Place Waterfront Home, Stonehedge By The Sea, Sunset By The Sea, and Sunset Cove Cottage.
Bays and Dunes � is located in the Northeast corner and features a scenic coastal drive. You can access this scenic drive by following Hiway 4 North out of Montague and when you see a sign directing you to Cardigan follow it. Once in Cardigan if you cross the causeway you want to stay to the right. Again just follow your nose and the signs and you will eventually join back up with the # 4 highway near Fortune. Along the way you will have passed what is known locally as "The Ark". This property is now a restaurant and Inn but when it was built by the Government of Canada it was touted as a building of the future with ultra efficient solar heat generation and indoor greenhouses. There is also a site at Abell' Cape where a visitor can find out about
an old sundial which can be reached by taking a five minute hike into a forest clearing where you can read a tale of romance about The north shore is dotted with small fishing villages and has one of the finest tuna fishing ports at North Lake. It also is the home of the world renowned Links at Crowbush Cove golf course. The Elmira railway museum is a must see and while visiting take a hike along the scenic Confederation Trail that runs beside it. Visit the Greenwich Dunes and its interpretation centre at the National Park. For complete information on PEI Bed and Breakfast & Inns and accommodations in the Bays and Dunes Tourism Region area visit PEIsland.com.
Anne�s Land � is located along the North Shore of PEI and is the most heavily developed tourism region in PEI. The PEI National Park runs the length of the region. It features many fine new 18 hole golf courses and attractions such as Sandspit and Rainbow Valley. For evening entertainment of course there are venues like Catherine MacKinnon�s newly renovated "Carmody Comedy Barn" or during the day you might like to try some deep sea fishing. For complete information on PEI Bed and Breakfast & Inns and accommodations in the Anne's Land, Anne of Green Gables Tourism Region area visit PEIsland.com.
Charlotte�s Shore � is located along the South Shore of PEI and includes Charlottetown, PEI�s capital city. After exiting The Confederation Bridge visitors enter Gateway Village, a collection of 20 shops and restaurants hosting a modern visitor information center. Charlotte�s Shore features rolling hills, redcliffes and shallow water red sand beaches. Each year thousands of people come to PEI to take part in "Old Home Week" and its 10 days of harness racing at the "Charlottetown Driving Park". For complete information on PEI Bed and Breakfast & Inns and accommodations in the Charlotte�s Shore Tourism Region visit PEIsland.com.
Ship to Shore � is located West of Malpeque Bay and is home to Summerside, PEI�s second city and the Evangeline district which is home to PEI�s Acadian population. In Summerside the world famous College of Piping is located where students from around the world come to fine tune their accomplishments on the bagpipes. A visit to this area is not complete without visiting Le Village in Mont Carmel and the Mi�Kmaq Centre on Lennox Island. For complete information on PEI Bed and Breakfast & Inns and accommodations in the Ship to Shore Tourism Region visit PEIsland.com.
Sunsets and Seascapes � is the most westerly section of PEI and is where the Atlantic Canada Wind Turbine test site is located at Kildare Capes. Predominantly a farming and fishing community the PEI Potato Museum is aptly situated in O�Leary. At Miminegash near the home of a Canadian legend "Stompin Tom Connors" you can visit the Irish Moss interpretive centre. And if you are driving the coastal hiway you might come across horses in the water gathering the moss that is used as a thickener in such things as ice cream. For complete information on PEI Bed and Breakfast & Inns and accommodations in the Sunsets and Seascapes Tourism Region visit PEIsland.com.


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It's winer-mixing here in the Valley. A fine mix of snow and rain is coating many roads and surfaces, leaving the first significant snowfall we've seen here.
We've previously just had a dusting, though that was bad enough, in my opinion.
Anyway, everyone's celebrating and/or complaining, depending on their point of view.
Here's some scenes from around the area this morning:
This place is going to look a lot different in 9 months! #LLWS pic.twitter.com/Z8Yl0NRzyu
— Little League (@LittleLeague) November 26, 2013
This isn't from PA, but I couldn't resist:
This guy was going too fast trying to ketchup to the guy in front of him. Be safe. @ToddKlaassen #upwith6 pic.twitter.com/yRR51Q5apE — RTV6 Indianapolis (@rtv6) November 26, 2013
Currently 33 degrees, no delays http://t.co/Z3wbnrBbh4 and no security lines at #MDT. Safe travels! #travel.
— Harrisburg Airport (@HIAairport) November 26, 2013
— RTV6 Indianapolis (@rtv6) November 26, 2013
FINALLY! #snow #love #finally http://t.co/mJHPH2XzzZ
— ∞ Kendall Boyer ∞ (@KendallAllison) November 26, 2013


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Checking in on… the Atlantic SunPosted by Brian Goodman on February 20th, 2011
Bucky Dent is the RTC correspondent for the Atlantic Sun Conference.
A Look Back
- Belmont Clinches: By knocking off East Tennessee State, 68-58, Thursday night in Nashville, the Bruins clinched the regular season title and the top seed for next month's conference tournament in Macon, Georgia. Belmont also gained no worse than an automatic bid to the NIT should it somehow stumble in Macon, which looks doubtful. Easily the deepest, most physical and most talented team in the A-Sun, the Bruins could face tough semifinal and championship challenges in Macon but also appear well-equipped to handle them. Of course, weird things happen in March.
- Bear Essentials: Back on January 31, Mercer senior forward Brandon Moore went down for the season with a torn ACL, joining teammate Jeff Smith on the sidelines. Instead of going back to their Georgia cave and whimpering in pain for the season's remainder, though, the Bears fought back. Granted, a schedule larded with home games against A-Sun slugs didn't hurt, but give Mercer credit for ripping off four straight wins and improving to 9-7 in the league, clinching a spot in the conference tournament. Bob Hoffman probably deserves a few Coach of the Year votes for this little surge.
- Player of the Week: Mike Smith, East Tennessee State: Smith won the award for the fourth time, the most in recent A-Sun history, by averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in homecourt wins over Jacksonville and North Florida. The clear favorite for A-Sun Player of the Year, Smith is in the league's top five in scoring and rebounding. Just missing the gold medal were Campbell's Eric Griffin, who scored 22.5 points per contest against Lipscomb and Belmont last week, and Markeith Cummings of Kennesaw State, who rattled off three 30-point games in a four-game span to fuel the Owls' first extended burst of competence this year.
Power Rankings
1. Belmont (24-4, 16-1)
Next Week: 2/19 vs. USC Upstate, 2/24 at Mercer
These guys are good. How good? Consider that they can fall behind North Florida by 11 with six an a half minutes left, as they did earlier this month in arguably their worst game of the season, and still rip off a 20-2 run to steal a 69-67 win. The Bruins have gotten everyone's best shot for most of the conference season and have only slipped up once — in the second half of a January 25 loss at Lipscomb. Stat geek alert: Guard Kerron Johnson ranks sixth in Division-I in steal percentage (percentage of possessions that a player notches a steal while in the game) according to Ken Pomeroy's metrics. On most teams, Johnson would start. Here, he's backing up ultra-steady Drew Hanlen.
2. East Tennessee State (19-10, 14-4)
Next Week: 2/19 at Florida Gulf Coast, 2/24 at Campbell
Remember two weeks ago when we warned that the Buccaneers could slip up on their road trip to Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson and you probably guffawed? That was before they somehow didn't score in the last 5 minutes, 38 seconds and blew an 11-point lead in a brutal 55-54 loss at Stetson. While coach Murry Bartow was correct in nothing that the game affected nothing as far as the team's NCAA hopes, since this league will only get one bid, it might keep this team from beating out the Big East's 13th place team for a spot in the CBI or collegeinsiders.com tourney. That's why ETSU couldn't afford to take that loss.
3. Jacksonville (17-8, 11-5)
Next week: 2/18 vs. Kennesaw State, 2/20 vs. Mercer, 2/24 at Florida Gulf Coast
A third-place team might normally rate some consideration for the conference tournament. Not so with the Dolphins, who are 0-4 against the league's big boys — Belmont and ETSU — with an average defeat margin of nearly 16 points. What that says is that this team beats the people it should and simply doesn't have enough height or offensive punch to overcome the superior foes. Jacksonville's only chance of winning the A-Sun tourney is to have one of the big boys lose along the way and hope that when they have to play the other that it either has a hot-shooting game or the other team can't find the bucket.
4. Lipscomb (16-10, 11-6)
Next Week: 2/19 vs. East Tennessee State, 2/24 at Kennesaw State
Senior guard Josh Slater had one of the season's unique triple-doubles in a Thursday night win over USC Upstate, finishing with ten points, 12 assists and ten steals. It was the first triple-double in the Bisons' Division-I era and the first time any A-Sun player notched 10 steals in a game against a Division-I foe since 1997. Lipscomb's task is to build momentum for the conference tournament, when it might earn a third crack at Belmont in the semifinals. One gets the feeling that might be the only way the Bruins don't win the A-Sun tourney.
5. Mercer: (12-15, 9-7)
Next Week: 2/18 at North Florida, 2/20 at Jacksonville, 2/24 vs. Belmont
Ball control has been the Bears' strength during their unexpected run into the league's middle of the back. In their last seven games, they are averaging just nine turnovers per game and have had four games with fewer than ten, including a six-turnover performance in Tuesday night's 57-55 win over Kennesaw State. It's helped that senior guard Mark Hall, who's not been known as a scorer in his Mercer career, has suddenly started draining three-pointers as though he were former Bear great James Florence. Hall drilled five in a Feb. 10 OT win over Stetson and added three against Kennesaw State.
6. North Florida: (10-17, 7-9)
Next Week: 2/18 vs. Mercer, 2/20 vs. Kennesaw State, 2/24 at Stetson
Guard Parker Smith is the nation's top scorer among players who haven't started a game, but he's been locked in a deep, dark forest lately. Since dropping 30 points on Belmont February 5, he's not been able to ignite this team off the bench, going 2-for-13 in a Sunday loss at East Tennessee State. Coach Matthew Driscoll has been more concerned with Smith's performance in other areas, feeling that the sophomore isn't doing enough on the defensive end. As presently constructed, the Ospreys aren't good enough to win many games unless all their key players are contributing.
7. Kennesaw State (8-18, 6-10)
Next week: 2/18 at Jacksonville, 2/20 at North Florida, 2/24 vs. Lipscomb
Welcome to the season, Owls. What took you so long? Finally, this team has decided to play hard on defense and share the ball on offense, much as folks expected they could in preseason. While it might not be enough to get them a decent seed in the A-Sun tourney, they could be a tough out for somebody in the first round. Sophomore Markeith Cummings has been arguably the league's hottest player besides Smith, scoring 30 points in three of his last four games. Forward LaDaris Green has channeled his inner Kenneth Faried with five straight double-doubles.
8. Campbell (12-15, 6-11)
Next week: 2/19 at Florida Gulf Coast, 2/24 vs. East Tennessee State
Indulging in a farewell swipe at the A-Sun, Camels coach Robbie Laing said one reason his team is struggling is because they don't have a travel partner and therefore always catch fresh teams, such as when they lost 78-57 to Belmont February 12 by allowing the last 16 points. Another reason Campbell is struggling is its inability to consistently score the ball as it's been held under 70 points in 12 of its 17 conference games. While the recent absence of guard Lorne Merthie (knee) hasn't helped, the simple truth is this team hasn't played very well since the middle of December.
9. Stetson: (7-21, 5-12)
Next week: 2/21 at Florida Gulf Coast, 2/24 vs. North Florida
Thursday night's 64-61 home loss to Campbell was a gut punch for the Hatters, which are in ninth place in the league and would miss the conference tournament if it started tomorrow. Officially a game behind the Camels, Stetson was swept in the season series, so it would lose any tiebreaker. Turnovers and poor foul shooting have hampered it in many of the close losses they've had lately. Those are things young teams traditionally struggle with and they have bitten the Hatters hard.
10. Florida Gulf Coast: (6-19, 3-12)
Next week: 2/19 vs. Campbell, 2/21 vs. Stetson
The Eagles' season is down to five games as they're ineligible for the conference tournament. All they can do is serve as spoiler for the likes of the Camels and Hatters, who visit Ft. Myers in the league's riveting battle for eighth place and the last spot in the A-Sun tourney. One piece of good news for FGCU is that underclassmen such as Anthony Banks, Christophe Varidel and Chase Fieler have led the team in scoring in 14 of the last 15 games. The January departure of Reed Baker might have been the best thing to happen to this team because Varidel wouldn't have gotten enough playing time to average 16.7 points per game in the last 13 games had Baker stuck around.
11. USC Upstate: (4-23, 3-14)
Next Week: 2/19 at Belmont
Coach Eddie Payne finally blew his stack after a listless loss to North Florida February 11, saying his team lacked leadership and didn't know how to win. If that remark was designed to light a fire under his young squad, it didn't work, as it promptly lost to Jacksonville and Lipscomb by an average of 14.5 points. The one ray of sunshine in Spartanburg has been the recent play of Ricardo Glenn, who had 16 points and nine rebounds in a 16-minute burst of excellence against Jacksonville. Glenn, Torrey Craig and Babatunde Olumuyiwa will comprise one of the league's top frontcourts in 2012-13.
Playing the Percentages
Every week, we'll take a look at an intriguing stat around the conference and decide fluke or trend. This week, we zero in on Kennesaw State sophomore LaDaris Green, who has recorded five consecutive double-doubles, including a 14-point, 13-rebound effort at Mercer Tuesday night. The verdict is trend. The 6'9 Green is active enough and is playing the most consistent basketball of a career which still has two-plus years left. As he matures and gets stronger, he should only improve.
A Look Ahead
Belmont has won the league and ETSU will likely finish second, but there's still much at stake in terms of momentum and positioning as A-Sun teams head down the homestretch.
- Mercer could still catch Lipscomb for fourth place if it wins out, including a home game next week with the Bisons. As long as they don't slip out of fifth, though, the Bears will likely host Lipscomb in the A-Sun quarterfinals March 3.
- Campbell has a chance to seal a spot in the conference tournament despite its recent struggles. Its schedule (at Florida Gulf Coast, ETSU, USC Upstate) looks favorable and it has a tiebreaker on ninth place Stetson.
- Kennesaw State has a brutal ending to its regular season (at Jacksonville, at North Florida, Lipscomb, Belmont). The Owls could play decently and lose all four, and if they do, it could open the door for Stetson to beat them out for the last spot.
- Belmont tries to keep its momentum going for the A-Sun tourney as it hosts USC Upstate Saturday night before a regular season-ending road trip to Georgia, where it plays Mercer and Kennesaw State.


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Joining the Dots: my love for ? and !
Larisa wrote a fantastic post (as usual) the other day about those ? and ! and how they have shrunk her world, and playing experience.
After reading through it, I found I didn't agree, I said as much in her comments, but felt I needed to reveal the truth to you all.
You see, those poor ? and ! are sitting targets, easy to see and easy to blame for not experiencing the whole World of Warcraft Experience. In fact, if anything I have found recently that they are the opposite, not restrictors, rather keys to open the doors of Warcraft.
How can this be?
Well I have been running around Azeroth lately trying to prove my worth as an Ambassador, and true hearted Gnome.
To do this, I have revisited a lot of long forgotten places in Azeroth. Places that I never bothered to explore previously.
My allies in this task were:
- The Track Low Level Quests option, and
- The low level quests themselves.
Sure the Exploration Achievements ensure you travel to every far flung gray spot on the map, but let's consider 1 thing.
If it wasn't for the quests, and the items in the landscape, the developers would never have bothered to create that part of the world in the first place.
Sure it might be nice landscape, but hell, would you really bother to code in a new section of a map without there being more purpose than "people will take screen shots of this place"?
Hell No!
So you see these quests not only take you around they world, but they help you to understand the reason for it's existence.
- A camp fire in the middle of nowhere?
Possible, but unlikely.
- A campfire with a NPC in need of assistance… definitely!
I was riding down the road in Darkshore the other day, when I noticed a blip on my radar. Sure enough, perched behind a tree by the side of the road was an Elf in distress.
Did I stop and talk.? Yes!
Did I help him out? You betcha!
He helped me to understand a part of Warcraft that otherwise would have been just another 1280 x 1024 pixels.
So, if the ? and ! have been framed, who are the real criminals in this trial of Warcraft shrinkage?
Early on, we have one form of locomotion (queue /train emote), our feet.
We run here, we run there (or I guess on a RP sever, swagger), through every forest track, mountain tunnel and paved road. That is, until the 1st criminal steps forward and tempts us.
Exhibit No.1 Flight Masters
At some point, usually in our 2nd or 3rd zone, we give up on the foot walk, we want to protect our new Green boots, and want to fly. The Flight Masters tempt us with affordable and fast transport anywhere in the discovered world.
The thing is, once we got the taste for it, we weren't satisfied. No, it wasn't good enough to have a high level friend drag us around to the flight points for easier travel in the future.
No we wanted:
More flight paths.
There weren't enough, give us more… soon more were popping up in the game (think Barrens)
More direct travel
Was that good enough.. Hell No! Those stupid griffons flew down mountain valleys when they could fly over the mountains. The players screamed out for straight flight paths… "As the crow flys"
Connecting Flights
Was that good enough? Of course Not! No we weren't happy sitting in the transit lounge, we didn't want to stopover at each flight master. Get us a flight that took us straight from A to Z, and make sure our luggage comes with us!
Exhibit No.2 Mages Teleport
Ohhh, but Mages found a way to skip even that much content. We could just click our four fingers and zap though space and time to reach our destination. Were people envious.. Hell yeah, but the skipping of content was a guilty pleasure for us Mage for a few levels. People have suggested in the Past that Mages do more harm than good to the world through their meddling, and in this case I might just agree.
Hell, if us Mages were bored we could blink a little as we ran… always nice for those of us with short legs (and attention spans to match)
Exhibit No.3 Land Mounts
Ahhh, let's speed up the land travel. Let's allow players to move 60% or even 100% faster. Why enjoy the journey when you can just get to the destination.
At least we got to see some of the scenery… flashing by…
Exhibit No.4 Mage Portals
OK, those envious people then started chasing Mages down back alleys in Stormwind "Port PLZ!".
Yep, why only spoil your own game experience when you can spoil the experience of 4-39 others? No need to trampse back to home now, just get the Mage to send you home.
The only joy in this are those Evil Mages that like to stack Portals, so it becomes a lucky dip.
Maybe you will get to experience Darnassus afterall!
Exhibit No.5 Warlock Summons
Yep, why face the challenge of reaching the Instance portal? Why fight through the armies of the opposite faction to prove you deserve to run an instance? Just get a friendly Warlock (do they exist?) to summon you to their place of choice.
Exhibit No.6 Summoning Stones
What no friendly Warlocks? (told you!)
Well, Blizzard make it possible for you to skip lots of content, straight to the door of your favorite instance.
In fact, this was a great way of getting to the Tempest Keep Instances, and more to the point, picking up the nearest Flight Path without ever wandering the wilds.
Exhibit No.7 Flying Mounts
So we weren't satisfied with the location that the flightmasters would get us to, then hoofing it the rest of the way. Noooo, we wanted to fly all the way.
So what's the problem?
I challenge you to mount up, and fly somewhere (a zone) you have always flown (say the later BC zones), then land and try and make it home on foot. There are cliffs, mobs, waterways. All sorts of things to get in your way… I mean, to enjoy the view of.
I remember once helping a land-bound mate out. I flew near to him, landed, then spent the next 15 minutes trying to traverse the 5 centimeters (on the map). There were all sort of obstacles in the way.
No wonder Blizzard didn't want us to fly in Northrend until we got Cold Weather Flying!
Exhibit No.8 Shattrath Portals
Why walk, fly, or even bug a friendly Mage (we are all friendly) for a portal, when you can just head to Shattrath and get one yourself… Talk about making the world smaller…
Exhibit No.9 Dalaran Portals
Ohh yeah… If it was good enough for Shattrath, then Northrend better have one too.
I guess we are just lucky that the factions can't afford to introduce the same technology into the Old World.
How to change things
Hobble us!
Remove all forms of transportation apart from feet… It would be a bit harsh to cust us all off at the knees now wouldn't it?
- Hand in your non-functioning Mechanostrider for Engineering parts.
- Turn over your horse for dog food.
- Sell that flying carpet at a "Persion rugs price to sell sale, all stock must go, under instructions from the liquidator!"
- Set the mammoths free!
Mmm not likely to work is it… I bet if I asked you to live with only your standard land or flying mount you would cry for hours.
OK, what else?
Achievements – Exploration & Quest.
I remember way back, when I was playing Dungeons and Dragons, that there was a limit on the amount of experience we could gain until we trained to go up a level. It didn't matter if we had reached the xp required, if we hadn't trained we neither got new skills or additional experience.
So how about limiting the growth of our experience until we have completed one of two achievements for a Zone. Either exploration or Quantity of Quests complete.
Limit the gaining of new levels until certain achievements are completed.
Sounds like a great idea… but it probably wouldn't happen. Maybe if there was an option you could turn on to prevent yourseld levelling before clearing all zones in your range… hehehehe, you are going to select that option right?
More ?'s and !'s
Well, maybe not more, but how about we all convince James, and the other electronic levelling guide developers to go one step further. We don't just want a levelling guide, a "1st to 80 guide", no we want an anal-retentive completionist's exploration guide. Something that tells you how to pick up all the quests, every last pain-in-the-bear-butt kill x mobs, collect y flowers, take this to fred 10 foot away, take this to Dave 10 zones away quest.
Screw Dailies, let's have Completely's
Take 25 dailies and see me in the morning… gawd it's so friggin boring… I get sick and tired of saving the Shatter Sun Offensive, and of collecting glasses for cooking quests…
How about giving us a real incentive to go back to the starting zones and do all the quests again…
Sure you can AoE all the level 3 mobs in 20 seconds… but you realise it takes you longer to complete those level 1-60 quests than it does a daily… No flying mount, so you have to run everywhere, out to find the sparsly distributed mobs, that you can't AoE, cause as soon as you have their attention they have died on your Molten Armor.
Give us 5g and a backrub for doing the quests… No more server lag, no more waiting for respawns, the old world reinhabited..
It's win, Win, WIN!
If Blizzard are really fussed, and in the interests of ensuring that we do get to see the whole world, one pizel at a time, the condition of getting full gold/xp/reputaton credit will be that you must be unmounted at all time (unless required by the quest)…
I think that's another Win!
Anyway, I think that's enough persecution of ? and !. Let's take the real criminals down one by one. You know, people power. Refuse to mount up/teleport/portal today. Do yourself a favor and gooooo sloooow!
Gnomer and Out!
PS: This isn't the same post I made in my iPhone before it got destroyed… Then it never is. I remember the time I wrote a High Distiction deserving essay for Uni.. It was great, I loved it… I would have given myself a pass for the who unit, not just for the piece of work. Unfortnuately I was working my my mates notebook, which ran out of juice. In my rush to save the document (not realising at that point that the notebook would have just suspended, and kept everything as it was), I saved the trash I was cutting out of the essay over the 99.99% complete essay.
Can you guess what mark I got for the 2nd attempt…. yep bare pass.
Hopefully this one is slightly better than a bare pass, but in future I need to be more careful and save my work every 3 words…


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An in-flight scare leads to a buzz script on the ground
EXCLUSIVE: The path that winds from a screenwriter's mind to a finished film at the multiplex can begin in the most unlikely of places. For Zach Dean, it started on a seemingly doomed flight.
In September 2005, Dean, a high school teacher and struggling screenwriter, was sitting on JetBlue Flight 292 from Burbank to New York when news reports on the in-flight television system informed him and 138 other passengers that the plane's landing gear had malfunctioned, possibly preventing it from landing.For more than two hours, he sat on the plane contemplating his mortality as it circled Southern California, burning fuel in the hopes of making a dangerous touchdown a little less risky should the aircraft catch fire. By the time it finally landed — safely — at LAX, Dean had pledged to write a script about family.
The result of that high-altitude resolution is a screenplay called "Kin," which Dean, 35, finished last year. Although the script's narrative suggests "A Simple Plan" or "Bonnie & Clyde" more than a feel-good family film — it's partly about a brother and sister who commit a robbery, kill a state trooper in rural Michigan and then are forced to go on the run — it touches on the themes of love and loyalty that raced through Dean's mind as he watched his fate play out on the in-flight video system.
"The flight solidified what I think is important, and what's important affects what you write," Dean says. (During the flight, he also resolved to have a child with his wife; the couple now has a 2-year-old daughter.)
In a turn sure to provide inspiration to hundreds of unknown screenwriters, "Kin" has been steadily gaining momentum in Hollywood and is now attracting some top names.
Stefan Ruzowitzky, director of the 2007 foreign-language Oscar winner, "The Counterfeiters," has agreed to direct the film, and he and Dean have spent the last several months developing the script. Meanwhile, 2929 Productions, the film financing and production entity run by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban that has been behind movies including "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "Two Lovers," has chosen the script as its point of reentry into the filmmaking business after a notable hiatus.


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Research Core Facilities and Departmental Shared Equipment resources are part of the research infrastructure and are located across the institution.
Explore the current collaborative and faculty research being conducted at Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Wake Forest School of Medicine conducts a variety of clinical trials through the BeInvolved program.
Dean's Research Symposia Series - Video series featuring our Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center investigators sharing bold thinking, latest discoveries and their passion to improve health.


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Nate Silver published a big post today arguing that Miguel Cabrera shouldn't win the AL MVP over Mike Trout.
The money paragraph:
"The argument on Trout's behalf isn't all that complicated: he provided the greater overall contribution to his team. Trout was a much better defensive player than Cabrera, and a much better base runner. And if Cabrera was the superior hitter, it wasn't by nearly as much as the triple crown statistics might suggest."
Silver started as a baseball sabermetrics guy, so he's going back to his roots here after a long election season.
Here's why he likes Trout for MVP:
- Trout's a better baserunner. Trout was safe on 49 of his 54 attempted steals. As a result, his baserunning contributed 12 runs more than the average player, whereas Cabrera's baserunning was about three runs worse than the average player.
- Trout's a better fielder. According to UZR (an advanced fielding stat), Trout saved his team 11 runs on defense while Cabrera cost his team 10 runs. That 21-run difference basically nullifies the 22-run advantage that Cabrera had over Trout from his 14 additional home runs.
- Trout's just as clutch as Cabrera. Based on RBI per opportunity, Cabrera was only a hair better than Trout in the clutch.
- Cabrera's numbers weren't all that great historically. His stats in the Triple Crown categories would have only been good enough for the Triple Crown in 2008 and 1972.
- Trout's team had a better record than Cabrera's. The Angles won 89 games, the Tigers won 88, and if Trout had been in the majors all year, LA would have won 94 games.
The Cabrera vs. Trout debate has became a battleground between traditionalists vs. statistician. We all know what side Silver's on.
Vegas had Cabrera as a 2-3 favorite to win when the regular season ended last month. Trout was listed at 6-5 odds.
The award will be announced tomorrow.


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Ever have one of those fall or winter mornings, days, or WEEKS when you just can't stop coughing your brains out? When almost no amount of cough drops under the sun are helping, and you feel like crawling under the covers? Yeah, we've all been sick as THAT dog at some point, and it's just awful.
Thankfully, there are some tricks you can pull from up your sleeve should the Worst Cough in the World strike! Here, six surprising ways to stop a nasty cough in its tracks.
- Get hydrated. Fluids can help get all that nasty phlegm and secretions thinned out (I know, totally gross) and also soothe an irritated throat. If your cough is dry and hacking, you could try honey in hot water, tea, or lemon juice.
- Inhale. It's not just an old wives' tale that inhaling steam for several minutes (in a hot shower, over a sink, etc.) can clear up congestion and curb a persistent cough. It loosens up secretions and makes coughs more productive, hopefully shortening the duration with which you're saddled with said coughs!
- Go Down Under. There are tons of herbs out there said to help relieve colds and the flu, of course, but the Aussie plant, eucalyptus, goes way back as a cough and congestion reliever. You can add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to a your steamy bath (see #2). Or try rubbing an ointment containing eucalyptus on your chest. The oil is said to help loosen phlegm.
- Have the soup that isn't only good for the soul. Chicken soup -- which like #2 is one of those things you think your grandma is cute for suggesting but probably only has a placebo effect -- is actually study-proven to work! Research at the University of Nebraska concluded that it's anti-inflammatory, and speeds up the discharge of mucus to ease the symptoms of cold-related coughs. It may be the combo of all the goodies in the broth that have this effect.
- Go koo-koo for cocoa. YES, I know, this has to be the best advice ever, right? Apparently, theobromine -- an ingredient in chocolate -- suppresses vagus nerve activity involved in coughing. And get this! Research shows chocolate is nearly a third more effective in stopping persistent coughs than the narcotic codeine. Sweet!
- Head to Sesame Street. No, not the show! University of Beirut researchers showed that sesame oil actually reduced cough symptoms more than a placebo, and it was more effective in kids!
What's your go-to trick for curing a persistent cough?
Image via boo lee/Flickr


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I've got a table, my_table with a column of XMLTYPE called xmldoc. This table has thousands of records. I would like to get the size of the xmldoc column for each row. I suppose I could open the value in the TOAD editor, copy the XML, past it in notepad and check the size...is there an easier way?
This didn't seem to do it:
select avg(vsize(XMLDOC)) from my_table
I appreciate any help. Thanks.