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Citywide Calendar
Welcome to Longmont's Calendar of Events!
The events listed on this calendar are City of Longmont sponsored events. This is not a comprehensive list of all activities happening around the community. Dates and times of these events are subject to change without notice.
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City Council Meeting Work Session
- Date: 08/23/2019 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
- Location: Civic Center
350 Kimbark Street
Longmont, Colorado 80501
All meetings of the Longmont City Council are open to the public except for Executive Sessions which are held only as needed to provide legal advice to Council on a specific topic as allowed under Colorado Open Meetings laws.
Residents are invited to speak for three minutes at the beginning of every meeting during Public Invited to Be Heard regarding any topic. Residents are also invited to speak as part of published Public Hearings and Second Readings of ordinances. In order to speak to City Council, you must sign up starting at 6:30 p.m. just outside of the Council Chambers. For any questions regarding City Council meetings, please contact the City Clerk's Office at (303) 651-8649.
If you need special assistance in order to participate in a City Council meeting, please contact the City Clerk's Office, at 303-651-8649, in advance of the meeting to make arrangements.
- You can now view the livestream of the City Council meeting (livestream only works during the meeting times)
- Agendas are posted to the City's website by Wednesday the week prior to the meeting
- Videos of meetings are posted to the City's website the Wednesday after the meeting


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Lisa Wynn' tag.
It is snowing outside. The rooftops are cold enough that the snow is turning them white. Lucinda Williams is on the stereo and singing about snow covering her streetlamps too but she's talking about Minneapolis in December. This is Canada in April, the spring bulbs are out of the ground and shivering, and you just gotta love it. I should have known that the weather I came home to last week was too good to be permanently true.
One of my favourite Canadian pastimes – helping someone else stack their firewood…
I'm a few days away from heading to Maine. I hope the weather smartens up so that the highways and turnpikes and interstates are dry and quasi-sane. At the same time I'm preparing for this trip, I am also contacting people on the west coast for the book tour out there in July. If you are reading this and living between British Columbia and California and have a good idea of a Quaker meeting, naturalist group or bookstore who would be interested in hosting a Walking with Wolf evening, please send me a comment to this blog. I'm also making a few corrections to Walking with Wolf, preparing it for a second printing of the English edition to be done in the next weeks. And I'm helping with the details of the production of the Spanish translation in Costa Rica. I'm also making my plans to return there in May. I think I'll be home about one week a month all summer. It's a busy time.
With Lauren Schmuck and her mother Patricia Reynolds and Grandma Reynolds
I did a presentation of the book to the McMaster University Biodiversity Guild – a nice group of people, mostly with biology backgrounds. There was a good little crowd and it was a nice evening. One of their members, Lauren Schmuck, put it together – she has a burning desire to go work or volunteer in Costa Rica and I expect I'll see her down there one day. I told her that any volunteer work I have ever done has paid off in spades – and it is true, many of my lasting friendships and most valuable contacts have come from being a voluntary grunt worker with a smile on my face (that last part is important.)
I've managed to hear some great music in the week I've been home – por supuesto. I went out and danced away a night when some of the top musicians in town (Jesse O'Brien, Brian Griffith, Joel Guenther et al) got together for a great gig of blues, funk and reggae tinged music to make ya dance. Love those guys.
My four dates for the night – Randy, Pete, Kevin & Jeff (taking photo)
The other night I went and saw Lori Yates, backed beautifully by Brian Griffith and Lisa Wynn, break our hearts with her tunes and that honey voice – she writes some hurtin' songs, but she is very funny and irreverent and outrageous and she makes us cry as much with laughter as pain. Then Tom Wilson did a great show, fitting this hometown concert in amidst a very busy tour from coast to coast in Canada and the US – it was a Hamilton proud night. Followed by Jesse, Brian and Mark LaForme keeping it moving at the Westtown. I need those nights of music – my soft little soul is feeling all aflutter and music always soothes me.
I also saw the great Charly Chiarelli – a Hammer-boy with Sicilian roots who also happens to live down near my friends, Kingston way. I've heard him play his harmonica and tell great stories over many years. He has written a trilogy of plays about growing up Italian here in Hamilton and Sunday afternoon was the last performance (at the good ol' Pearl Company) of the third play, Sunamabeach. He is a very talented, funny, charismatic actor/musician/story teller – and the local crowd of Italian offspring were loving it. So were we who have not a drop of olive oil in our blood. Charly got in trouble with the Sons of Italy (no doubt the daughters too but that would be a different story) in the United States over his last play, Cu Fu. They felt he was negatively stereotyping Italians when really he was just telling stories from his life with great passion and amusement.
I also saw, at the same ol' Pearl, a rehearsal for their next play, Tobacco Troubadour, written by the art director of Artword Theatre, Ron Weihs. It is about local musician, songwriter and music producer, J. Paul Reimens. When Ron heard Paul's songs, he decided he needed to write a play around the stories that Paul tells in them. I had gone out on Thursday to see Paul playing at a local pub (with Brian Griffith – how lucky was that, hearing the best guitarist in town play four times in a week) and we got to talking about this play, written about his life growing up in the tobacco country of southern Ontario and just wanting to play the guitar. Since I won't be around for the performances, I went and sat in at the rehearsal and am truly sorry I won't be here for the real thing. It is going to be a very poignant and entertaining play with Paul's sweet songs throughout.
This all takes place at the poor ol' Pearl Company, where my book launch was back in September. Gary Santucci and Barbara Milne have poured their energy, soul, money, and heart into creating this very alive art center in an old three story brick factory building that once was home to a costume jewelry business. They also run the popular Art Bus that takes people around to arts events throughout the city twice a month. They both received Arts Hamilton Awards last autumn and Barbara just received a Woman of Distinction award recently.
Against this very successful backdrop, sits the big purple elephant of stubborn and stupid bureaucracy that is attempting to close them down due to zoning. For many years this old neighbourhood was zoned commercial, sitting about four blocks outside of the downtown core. It then went residential, but the commercial use of the building (along with paying commercial taxes) continued for decades. Now the city is issuing a new zoning plan and one of the biggest problems is parking spaces as well as a very expensive re-zoning application process. Considering that the Smart Plans and Green Plans or whatever plans that cities issue these days do a lot of talking about minimizing the use of automobiles and promoting public transit, the requirement of parking spaces to allow an arts center to exist is mind-blogging – and the spots do exist, just not in a neat parking lot adjacent to the building. The Pearl folks may have to take their struggle to keep this center going to the national press if the city doesn't step up here soon and support what is such a happening community place. The Pearl Company drives a big part of the cultural scene of Hamilton. Anybody who wants to read more and support their cause can go to their website at www.thepearlcompany.ca
In late great breaking news, the local newspaper, the Hamilton Spectator, has finally put a small article in about the book. Jeff Mahoney, a real nice journalist who writes an always interesting column about local people and cultural things, interviewed me last November. He also read the book and told me he loved it. I had asked that they don't print anything while I was away in Costa Rica – so today there was a small piece and picture about my presentation to the Biodiversity Guild and singing the praises of the Canadian embassy's financial support. Jeff told me that he'll try to get his review of the book in the paper in May. I'm very appreciative that the local, under-staffed and over-worked newspaper finally found a couple of inches of space for Walking with Wolf.
I feel like I've mostly been sitting in front of my computer, contacting people, working on book stuff, feeling lovesick, but when I read what I've just written here, I realize that I've been enjoying myself too, taking advantage of being in this very dynamic, culturally-rich city lovingly called the Hammer, formerly known as Hamilton the Steel City. I continue to sing its praises wherever I go, invite my friends here who inevitably fall in love with it, and try to get out and support as many arts events while I'm here as possible.
In a moment of extreme stupidity, I managed to erase all my photographs off of my laptop – all the more stupid because, yes, I do have an external hard drive in which to download everything but, no, I didn't do it since I got home. I then decided to make room on my laptop by taking out the photographs from one program – and they disappeared off all programs and I emptied my recycle bin and well, it wasn't pretty. I paid a man to recover them and have them all on DVD in messed up files but at least I have them for when I need to access the photographs for my power point presentations or my blog!
That was definitely a low point.
The rest have been high, except for the cabanga, which will go away as soon as I go back to Cahuita in May.

subset: commoncrawl


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This should be interesting.
I've decided that this latest bit of Wings news is just the thing to bring me out of my offseason hibernation, because wow, there's gonna be some wicked division in Red Wings Nation over this one...
Dan Cleary, who was reported to be as good as signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, has signed a 1-year, $1.75 million deal to remain with Detroit.
Wings management had made it CLEAR (I'm so funny) that they didn't want to see the 34 year old veteran head elsewhere, but couldn't meet the terms that Dan was asking for. The issue of cash and space, however, now becomes significantly larger.
Cleary's signing was unforeseen at this juncture, so fitting the Red Wings under both the roster limit AND the salary cap is going to be at the very least tricky and very likely also painful.
The number of solutions Detroit has at its disposal are not large, and many fans cringe at the thought of implementing many of them, from moving Gustav Nyquist and Danny DeKeyser down to Grand Rapids, to waiving or trading journeymen like Patrick Eaves or Jordin Tootoo. I know I personally don't like either of those options, but the Wings have put themselves in this position. It's now up to Detroit to try and find the lesser of all evils to make this roster and this salary budget work.
And it's left to the fanbase to go to all-out war between those who agree with the added cap and roster strain of bringing Cleary back, and those who don't.
Feel free to turn the comment section below this article into a battleground, as I'm curious to hear people's thoughts on this sudden and surprising news.


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- Home
- 1/4" x 1/4" Male NPT Nipple - Grand Advanced
This product is used to connect multiple RO canisters together
Essential for joining canisters By don_chuwish on 9/15/2015don_chuwish would recommend this product to a friendThis item should be listed as a "you might also be interested in" item with the dual canister bracket and the single DI resin canister upgrade kit. Simple, works perfectly, but only if you have it when you try to add a 2nd DI canister along side the original!
Get the job Done By Galloprieto on 6/23/2015Galloprieto would recommend this product to a friendNo leaks...
SOLVED THE LEAKING ISSUE By JOE on 9/25/2014JOE would recommend this product to a friendI needed this item to replace the two close hex nipples between filter canisters when first activating 75GPD RO/DI Plus . Either they had a hairline fracture from shipping or not enough teflon tape. Removed originals applied appropriate teflon tape and system work like a charm.
Worked Perfectly By Will on 3/10/2014Will would recommend this product to a friendI needed this to replace a broken nipple between filter canisters. Wrapped a couple times with Teflon tape and screwed them in, no leaks! Very happy with item.
Great By reddog on 2/11/2014reddog would recommend this product to a friendI was sent this item because of one that was broken between number 2 and 3 chambers on my 5 stage RODI. Replaced and it works great.
Easy fix By coder79 on 1/28/2014coder79 would recommend this product to a friendI was recently changing the sediment filter of my RO/DI system and heard a crack. The filter was leaking from between the first and second canister. I ordered enough of these to replace all of the ones in my system, they arrived quickly. I wrapped each side of the nipple with 5-6 turns of thread tape and reassembled the filter. The leak is fixed!
great if you need to connect multiple canisters together By PC on 5/20/2013PC would recommend this product to a friendI used this to connect my extra canister with a
metal bracket
I also used a little Teflon tape in the connections.
Get some spares . this can be broken or cracked if you don't change your canister filter carefully.
Should you use teflon tape with this? It looks like from the reviews that people do.
Question posted on Jan 5, 2019 3:30:00 PM
Thanks for contacting BRS!
We do recommend using threaded parts tape with this part, such as this 1/4" parts tape. Have a great day!
We do recommend using threaded parts tape with this part, such as this 1/4" parts tape. Have a great day!
Answer by: Noah (Admin) on Jan 7, 2019 1:59:00 PM
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Three American scientists have won Nobel Prizes in physics for breakthroughs that helped connect the world through fiber optic networks and for creating the technology that makes digital photography possible, The Associated Press reported.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the prestigious honor, which includes a 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) prize, to Charles K. Kao for his work on light transmission in fiber optics. Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith also got the nod for inventing an imaging semiconductor circuit known as the CCD sensor that is used in digital cameras, according to the AP.
All are American citizens. Kao was born in Shanghai and also holds British citizenship, while Boyle has dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
On Monday, three Americans won Nobels in medicine.
Get more: MSNBC


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A Gentle Introduction to Agile
I've been writing and talking about the Agile methodology for the past year, and I've been a practitioner for much longer. In the process, I've encountered some confusion over what Agile is, how it's applied, and where it can be applied. For instance, the first reaction most people have, including myself, when confronted with the option to use Agile is, "Oh that won't work here!" Even for organizations that use Agile, there may be other misconceptions. For instance, some believe it cannot be used for embedded systems development, government work, open-source projects, or in regulated industries. The short answer: It can be used, because Agile is adaptable. These papers discuss Agile for embedded and Agile for systems engineering.
After reading Allen Holub's post on Scrum and Agile, I thought it would be a good opportunity to provide an overview of the Agile methodology for those who might need it.
Comparison with Other Processes
When approached with the prospect of using Agile for the first time, many developers and managers cringe at the thought of having to follow yet another process improvement initiative. Other methodologies tend to focus on single qualities such as team productivity, requirements definition, or quality in terms of implementing requirements as stated early in the development cycle. While use of other processes might indeed result in building exactly what the requirements document states, what happens if the requirements were wrong or market conditions have changed?
The creators of Agile examined past methodologies to form a set of best practices. As a result, Agile tends to be far less rigid and more adaptable. In fact, although it's best to have end-to-end adoption of Agile early on in your project, it can be phased in over time, and in limited scope. Agile isn't about tracking a rigid project schedule, passing through gates, generating documents, or working at breakneck pace. It's meant to help you become a smarter organization as you consistently learn from each iteration of your software.
The Agile Manifesto and Principles
Stressing a lightweight process, the creators of the Agile process stated their goals and key values in a mere 68 words, which are:
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.
As the manifesto states, Agile focuses on the people involved in software (i.e., developers and users) more than tools or a rigid set of procedures. This doesn't mean that tools aren't useful in the Agile approach — quite the contrary — it means that the importance of building good team collaboration and motivation is greater. Likewise, while it's important to document decisions made along the way, the Agile approach prefers building and sharing software artifacts over highly detailed requirements and design documents that are often out of date before they're complete.
With more frequent iterations and releases comes an increase in customer collaboration. Agile encourages working more closely with end users during the development process to be sure what you're building meets their needs. Discovering this earlier in the development process, as opposed to the end, makes it easier to adjust to change.
In a sentence, Agile helps you avoid two big pitfalls found with other processes: integration nightmares that occur at the end of the development cycle, and learning that your customers' needs weren't met after the software is released. As a result, with Agile, organizations and their software are almost always in a state ready to be released with the most up to date customer approved features.
Summary — The Benefits
Agile borrows from the theories of Lean manufacturing, which is a very disciplined process aimed at reducing waste and promoting efficiency. These same Lean principals have been applied to other areas, including software development. As such, Agile itself promotes discipline, planning, record keeping, and collaboration. It's far from the free-for-all, undisciplined approach to development that some people (mis-)perceive it as. Additionally, it's not a magic act. It doesn't guarantee faster delivery of software, but it will help reduce wasted time and effort as your team reacts to changes in requirements and missed requirements quicker. Over the long term, your release progress will accelerate as a result of this gain in efficiency.
Agile helps remove adversarial relationships when customers become collaborators, not simply parties on the other end of a contract. Additionally, IT is no longer considered a rival group, unwilling to deal with change. Working more closely with developers in what's appropriately called DevOps, companies are streamlining their release and support processes as this occurs much more often. No longer are developers simply throwing new software "over the wall" to QA and IT; instead they're working together from the beginning of each sprint to plan each phase of application lifecycle management (ALM).
In conclusion, as your organization becomes more Agile and iterative, with shorter-term release cycles as a result, the headaches involved with big-bang integration efforts that occur at the end of long-term development projects will disappear. Take if from someone who has been involved in large-scale integration efforts, this alone is worth adopting the Agile process.


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I Feel You: Painting by Carlos Salgado
Carlos Salgado decided to set up his studio in Seville, Spain. He has developed a unique style wherein the colours and shapes of his native Latin America are distinctly recognizable fused together with the new trends of international contemporary art with eco friendly materials. Salgado was invited by Amnesty International to exhibit in France in May 2004 as part of their campaign against issues such as violations of human rights, illegal immigration and violence against women around the World. In January 2005 he completed a series of paintings entitled Multiculturalism, and working with the Mexican, Canadian and French Embassies travelled to Thailand to exhibit his project. Salgado�s paintings have illustrated several publications, including books and CD covers. His list of international private and public collectors include Mexico, Canada, U.S.A., Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Holland, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Thailand.


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After Pressure, World Vision Reverses Policy on Hiring Gays
By Julio Severo
After a backlash from Evangelicals, World Vision, an international nonprofit ministry, has reversed its decision to allow those in same-sex marriages to be employed.
Organization board leaders said in a letter to supporters Wednesday that they had made a "mistake" by changing its policy.
"We are brokenhearted over the pain and confusion we have caused many of our friends, who saw this decision as a reversal of our strong commitment to Biblical authority," the board said in the letter.
The quick reversal was result of a firestorm of heavy criticism from Christian leaders.
These leaders denounced the charity's decision to hire applicants in same-sex marriages. World Vision's president, Richard Stearns, had said the move was not "symbolic not of compromise but of [Christian] unity."
But Evangelical leaders like Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, dismissed Stearn's reasoning.
"World Vision maintains their decision is based on unifying the church — which I find offensive — as if supporting sin and sinful behavior can unite the Church," Franklin wrote on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website.
In addition, the head of Assemblies of God in the U.S., George Wood, had called for its members to shift their support to other charities. He said, "Far from promoting Christian unity, the policy change enlists World Vision on the liberal Protestant side of the same-sex marriage debate as opposed to that of Pentecostal and Evangelical churches in the U.S., not to mention Pentecostal and Evangelical churches worldwide."
Stearns said the board of World Vision had been praying about the decision for years, and the result was to allow "married" gay Christians. But in the letter to supporters Wednesday leaders admitted they had not sought enough counsel from their Christian partners.
"As a result, we made a change to our conduct policy that was not consistent with our Statement of Faith and our commitment to the sanctity of marriage," they said.
"While World Vision U.S. stands firmly on the biblical view of marriage, we strongly affirm that all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, are created by God and are to be loved and treated with dignity and respect," they said.
A fifth of the World Vision funding comes from the U.S. government. But most of its funding comes from Evangelicals and while they are a majority of donors, World Vision will have a hard time accepting items from the gay agenda.
Yet, what will happen if the U.S. government, which has been an avid advocate of the homosexual imperialism, increases substantially its funding?
Then, as now, we should increase our pressure. It is exactly this pressure that made World Vision reverse its foolish decision allowing "married" gay Christians.
A little pressure could also help World Vision in Brazil, whose director, Ariovaldo Ramos, said,
"Everybody who, in everyplace, fights against poverty, for the human liberation, for justice and rights available to everybody had, in Hugo Chávez, a reference of commitment to the poor and the oppressed."
He also said,
"The best we could say of someone is that, because he lived here, the world became better! We can say this of Hugo Chávez!"
Now the director of World Vision Brazil would be wise to imitate its U.S. sister organization and reverse his stupid praise for a Marxist strongman and his stupid support of Marxist causes.
With information from CBN.News, ChristianPost and Ariovaldo Ramos' public statements.
Portuguese version of this article: Após pressão, Visão Mundial revoga política sobre contratação de homossexuais
Source: Julio Severo in English
Recommended Reading:


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Author: Series: Publication Date:2011
Aging eccentric James Delacorte asks Charlie the librarian to do an inventory of his rare book collection-but the job goes from tedious to terrifying when James turns up dead. Relying on his cat Diesel to paw around for clues, Charlie has to catch the killer before another victim checks out. Read Miranda James's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community.


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Small cute pink flowers, a simple tiny flower with three pink petals. The flower is photographed from some home gardens in Kerala. These flowers are not a common south Indian flower. The flowers are of plant named Tradescantia pallida, also named as wandering jew, purple hearts, purple queen, pure well giant etc. Scientific name as Setcreasea purpurea or Setcreasea pallida.
Wandering Jews are widely accepted ornamental plant. These plants can be grown in pots as well as grounds as a cover to the ground in partial or full shade. These ornamental plants are perennial in nature and suits for hanging garden pots and also as an indoor ornamental plant.
Wandering Jews are widely accepted ornamental plant. These plants can be grown in pots as well as grounds as a cover to the ground in partial or full shade. These ornamental plants are perennial in nature and suits for hanging garden pots and also as an indoor ornamental plant.
The pink flower beauties called Wandering Jews or Purple hearts. Tiny but cute and simple flowers with a calm look. These flower photos are taken garden fresh, just after a rain.
Their are mixed reviews on this garden plant. Some people complaints like its spreading out its long stems allover more like a weed than a garden plant. But the plant is having a positive response in major from the gardeners. The purple heart plants needs only less care and are evergreen in nature. Their flowering nature throughout the year makes them a good choice for home gardens. The only thing that disturbs the growth of Wandering jews are frozen climate. Purple queens often perishes in snowy climate, but sprouts out from roots when the winter is over.
Tradescantia pallida, the three petaled small pink flower, a flower closeup.
Purple hearts are sometimes found to make skin rashes and irritations when handled. But not in every case. The plant needs much less care and thrives in a variety of soil conditions. These evergreen perennial plants are having a great power to purify air through a process phytoremediation. This property of the garden plant makes it a nice preference as a pot plant inside home. Purple queens are also used as ground covers in home gardens and boundaries.
These garden plants are much dependent on water and are seen growing denser and healthier, if near a wet place. The leaves are violet in color with a clumsy appearance. The stems of these plants seems hollow, something resembling soft bamboo tubes. Flowers are seen mostly in the tip of the plant stem with a pair of leaves guarding the flower bunch. This garden plant can be propagated through stems. Can be grown in garden pots, but these ones have a tendency to spread out around the pot,. Pruning the stems a little may help.
more kerala flower pics and info coming here in pixelshots.


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Internship opportunities: a college to career GPSMay 5, 2010 at 12:33 pm | Posted in America's education system, Current events | 1 Comment
Tags: "Leave no child behind", "Race to the top", college, education, getting an internship, intern, internship opportunities, internships, President Obama
by Dr. Rudy Crew USC, Advisor to internships.com
For the last decade, this country has been trying to "Leave No Child Behind." One premise was that the institutions charged with the care of children and young adults would operate seamlessly, and collaboratively in building skills, attitudes and values that enable successful careers.
I got the point, however subliminal. As a former Chancellor of New York City Schools and later, Miami Dade County, I think the notion of leaving no child behind, had tremendous strategic potential. But then there's life and tyranny of the day to day.
The K-12 system is only loosely connected to that of junior colleges and other post-secondary institutions. And from there, the way from college into the career or job of one's choice is a function of luck, circumstance and as one young man once told me, a "hook up." In truth, by contrast to other developed nations, we do a poor job of teaching the needed skills of occupational and civic literacy. Worse yet, the path from college to a career requires a "GPS," which very few students actually have. Were it not for college career centers, savvy parents and big business, few students would make it into the job market at all, and even fewer from poor communities.
It was once taken as an article of faith, that college exit meant job entry. The numbers tell a different tale. First, 7 million jobs have left this country since 2006. Employment numbers are slow going north, and for the age group of the average college student (18-24) unemployment is still double the national average. All this makes the case for a more explicit means by which students in this country get from college into a job—a National Internship program. This is an investment in college age youth by small and big businesses alike. It argues from the place where vision meets strategy– like that of other eras in our history when the marketplace was in turmoil. The GI bill after WWII, the Civil Rights Bill both came after decades of deferred dreams for education and access to jobs–good jobs.
So now education is going to "Race to the Top." President Obama is right to suggest that we need to double time our pace if we intend to be competitive, globally. But again, is it a slogan for the campaign or is there a strategy behind it? Is there a real set of stairs from a community college in rural or urban America to a good job in the US economy? I'll know it's for real when the "race" is being run with incentives for small and medium businesses to take on interns in the workplace. It'll be true when colleges and universities enlist their alumni associations to give an internship to the entire junior and senior class. It will be true when career center budgets swell because of volume of demand and America's Mayors campaign for the youth vote by harnessing themselves to youth employment. And when the skills taught in American public schools are ratcheted up to bear some relationship to skills needed to join a college, or vocation—for all students.
So much to do; so little time to win this race. Your thoughts please; just no slogans.
Blog at WordPress.com.
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A Few of My Favorite Things
Sharon Gang, Communications & Marketing Manager for the Capitol Visitor Center, explores the new exhibit, "Conflict and Compromise."
Every time there is a new display of documents and artifacts in Exhibition Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC), I make a point of examining the display closely for my favorite items.
As a Washington, D.C. native, I was immediately drawn to the "Freedom" section on the front wall of Exhibition Hall where all of the documents and artifacts from the just-opened "Conflict and Compromise" exhibit are presented. In this section, there are four documents that relate to the D.C. Emancipation Act. When I worked for D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2005, he signed legislation that made Emancipation Day an official public holiday in the District. I learned a bit about its history at that time, and more since I began working at the Capitol Visitor Center five years ago. I learned that the D.C. Emancipation Act figures prominently in the story about the building of the Capitol.
On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia. Passage of this law came eight and a half months before President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation. The legislation provided for immediate emancipation, compensation to former owners who were loyal to the Union of up to $300 for each freed slave, voluntary colonization of former slaves to locations outside the United States, and payments of up to $100 for each person choosing emigration.
Over the next nine months, a three-person Board of Commissioners who were appointed to administer the act approved 930 petitions from former owners for the freedom of 2,989 former slaves.
Although its combination of emancipation, compensation to owners, and colonization did not serve as a model for the future, the District of Columbia Emancipation Act was an early signal that the end of slavery was near for our country. In the District itself, African Americans greeted emancipation with great jubilation.
Congress finally ended all slavery in the United States with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, ratified in 1865.
The CVC's Exhibits and Education Division worked with lenders including the Natural History Museum, Library of Congress and the National Archives to collect the documents and artifacts in the new display and to create supports for them that are aesthetically pleasing and showcase the fragile historic objects. There is much more to enjoy and explore beyond the D.C. Emancipation Act items in this exhibit.
Exhibition Hall is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. No passes are needed to visit Exhibition Hall which is located on the lower level of the CVC, near the model of the Statue of Freedom. If you can't come in person, be sure to check the exhibit out online.


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On Saturday, the No. 21 ranked Tennessee State football team will take on No. 2 ranked Eastern Illinois in what will be a matchup of one of the nation's best defenses against the country's most high-powered offense.
TSU (7-1, 4-0 OVC) and EIU (6-1, 3-0 OVC) are the only undefeated teams in Ohio Valley Conference play and the winner of the Tigers' homecoming will control its own destiny in the race for a league title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Blue enters the pivotal matchup riding a seven-game winning streak and fresh off of a, 29-15, victory at UT Martin last Saturday. In that game, freshman quarterback Ronald Butler filled in for Mike German admirably, completing 11-of-19 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown. Junior Ryan Mitchell was Butler's favorite target, as the receiver caught five passes for 84 yards and a score.
Mitchell has been TSU's most prolific wide receiver so far in 2013, securing 21 passes for a team-best 422 yards and five touchdowns. Mitchell's 20.1 yards per reception is tops in the OVC with receivers with at least 20 catches.
While the offense put up enough points to win last weekend on the road, TSU's defense stole the show, and only allowed 4.1 yards per play, recorded 12 tackles for loss (five sacks), tallied two takeaways and forced 19 Skyhawk penalties.
The catalyst for the TSU defense this season has been junior Daniel Fitzpatrick. The Fort Wayne, Ind. native was recently unanimously named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after recording nine tackles and returning an interception for a touchdown at Martin. The safety is also tied for the lead in the FCS in picks with five, and four of those have come in his last three games.
The Tigers' defense is second in the nation in total defense (264 yards per game), first in passing efficiency defense (86.77), second in scoring defense (13 points per contest), second in third down conversion percentage defense (27.8%), and sixth in takeaways (21).
Big Blue will face its biggest test of the year when the Panthers' high-flying attack comes to LP Field. EIU is first in the FCS in total offense (595.6 yards per game), passing offense (407.6 yards per contest) and scoring (48 points per game).
Preseason OVC Offensive Player of the Year Jimmy Garoppolo has led the Panther assault and is tops in the country in passing yards per game and total offense, averaging 390.7 and 394.9, respectively. His 31 passing touchdowns are seven more than the nation's second-highest thrower.
The senior's main weapon has been receiver Erik Lora who is third in the FCS with 928 yards and first in touchdowns 13.
Defensively, the Panthers are paced by Jordan Wickliffe who leads the team with 56 tackles and is first in the OVC with four forced fumbles.
TSU is 7-8 all-time versus EIU, but hasn't faced the Panthers since 2011 – an, 18-17, Big Blue win.
The Tigers look to even the series and inch ever closer to their first NCAA Tournament since 1999 when they take on EIU at 4 p.m. on Saturday at LP Field.


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The Slate Plus Game of Thrones Recap, "The One Where Someone Gets It" Edition
A spoiler-filled discussion of Season 4, Episode 2.
Round 2 of the Slate Plus Game of Thrones Recap Special! Slate's TV critic Willa Paskin and TV editor Dan Kois discuss the second episode of season 4. This podcast contains spoilers, so listen after you watch Episode 2. (It does not contain book spoilers.)
Should we do more of these in the future? Let us know! email@example.com.
For info on how to subscribe to the Slate Plus podcast feed, go here.


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Many BG resources including mine
Where to begin…
Well you can start with my awesome posts on the subject (if you don't agree they are awesome, you are welcome to eat a pyroblast!)
I've (now) split them up into lose categories. As I often write about multiple BGs or include general philosophies in a post, I have in some cases duplicated entries.
I'm sure you will survive. At least it's less daunting when it's broken up with headings.
Alterac Valley
- Life is Cheap #4: Your First Alterac Valley as PvE player
- Alterac Valley: ALL IN or Not ALL IN, that is the Question
- The Horde are in our base eating our babies
- See, I Told You!
- You are dead to me!
Arathi Basin
- A.B.C.'s of guarding a node
- Flag Ninja: Mage Style
- Guarding the Bees
- Arathi Basin Resilient Victory (I'd love to say) the easy way
- It's Simple Mathematics
- I won't give up because…
When I'm good enough, I'll write about Arenas… so maybe never.
Battle for Gilneas
Battleground Communication
- You lost the BG… what have you got to say for yourself?
- Inc LM 4 – LM clear – Good job folks, great teamwork!
- Less casts, More talk
Eye of the Storm
- The Flag is Noob Bait
- The Horde are in our base eating our babies
- See, I Told You!
- Fish explain battleground behavior better than I do!
- When do you fight for the flag?
Getting Started in PvP/Battlegrounds
- Life is Cheap #1
- Life is Cheap #2
- Life is Cheap #3: The First Battle Grounds as PvE player
- You lost the BG… what have you got to say for yourself?
- A.B.C.'s of guarding a node
Healing in Battlegrounds
Mage PvP
- Dear Mr. Euripedes, Sir
- Flag Ninja: Mage Style
- I Love CriticalQQ: PvP for Fire Mages!
- Livingbomb is a STD
My General PvP Philosophies and Rants
- Fish explain battleground behavior better than I do!
- No Mage Food = No Mage Heals!
- … and all I got was this lousy title…
- I'm not a bot
- I don't care about the color of your clothes
- OMFG, No Healers, we're screwed!
- 10:15 on a Tuesday night
- What is Wrong with You?
- Honor in Battlegrounds
- Battlegrounds: Don't give up
- Quit your bitching and win the Battleground
- How to end a BG quick – without bitching!
- I won't give up because…
- Why did we lose? Ah…. BLUDGERS!!
- Gnome Bait
- lolwut heirlooms in your Battleground?
- Tanking Battlegrounds
- When will I learn…
- There is no "I" in "PvP"
Shaman PvP/in Battlegrounds
- Squidly's Shaman PvP Tips #1: Resto FTW!
- Squidly's Shaman PvP Tips #2: The Symbiotic Relationship
- Squidly's Shaman PvP Tips #2: Resto Shaman PvP specs? (OK, I never said I was good at math)
- Squidly's Shaman PvP Tips #3: Stoneclaw Totem
- Squidly's Shaman PvP Tips #4: Backend of a Battleground
- We Want You! Healers in Battlegrounds
Strand of the Ancients
- SotA tips, better than a guide
- Are you feeling lucky punk?
- Gnome Bait
- 19 minute, 26 second Strand of the Ancients… FTW!
- Less casts, More talk
Twin Peaks
Warsong Gulch
- Midfield is NOT an objective!
- Life is Cheap #5: WSG PvP for PvE'rs
- You didn't just do that: A WSG Strategy
- What is Wrong with You?
- Warsong Gulch: The scent of blood
- Warsong Gulch: like Soccer, with more blood
- That winning peeling…
- Gripping and Leaping to a BG win
- When do you fight for the flag?
Good Stuff from Other Writers
Right enough of my rubbish, now go an read over the genius of these folks.. it's not limited to them, but this is all I am giving you right now. When you find (or maybe you have written) a good one, tell me and I will add it to the list.
- Cynwise's Battlefield Manual
- Nerf My Shaman
- PvP Nub
- PvP source
- Fiery Weapons (yes it's twink PvP, but the strats can be converted with a little brain power)
- P-Vee-P
If we bloggers are all a bit avaunt garde for you, then of course you can read through WoWInsider's compendium of Battleground and PvP guides.
When will I learn…
Gnomer and Out!


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Home for the holidays: And every other day, too
Published December 18, 2003 in issue #0250 of the Hook
Caryn Hamilton and son Ellis
For those who view homework as that nightly race between parent and child to see who will begin banging their head on the kitchen table first, the concept of home schooling might seem as appealing as chewing tinfoil.
But it's a trend that's catching on. The most current government estimate puts the number around 850,000 kids– three times what it was a decade earlier. Jostens, noted high school ring maker, has even begun peddling accessories to the graduating home-schoolee.
Not just for the Christian right anymore
Until recently, educating at home was thought to be the domain of the religious right, and for good reason. Mike Farris, the unsuccessful 1993 fundamentalist Republican candidate for Lt. Governor positioned himself front and center of the cause. But Farris, chairman and co-founder of the 70,000 member national Home School Legal Defense Association and president of Patrick Henry College– an institution offering the "godly leadership that America so desperately needs"– may not represent the majority of home-schoolers.
In fact, the U.S. Department of Education estimates that 1.7 percent of all students are now home-schooled. That means growing numbers of parents including atheists, agnostics, Jews, Muslims– as well as the Christians who have long held the home-schooling spotlight– are choosing this route.
Silvia Barrett with children Thomas (4) and Emily (7)
In Virginia, the divergence in the home-school movement is illustrated by the existence of two distinct legislative watchdog groups.
"Committed to helping parents fulfill their God-given right and responsibility to educate their own children" is the motto of the Home Education Association of Virginia which gives its membership a discount to join Farris' group. Meanwhile, the Virginia Home Education Association is a big-tent organization, steadfast in its dedication to religious and political neutrality.
Last year, 16,542 students were home-schooled in the Commonwealth. Another 5,479 exemptions from state educational oversight were granted to students whose families claimed that school attendance runs counter to their spiritual beliefs. In Albemarle County 275 children were home-schooled, and 70 others had religious exemptions. Charlottesville had 43 and 6, respectively.
"The number one reason people home-school is to give their children a good solid foundation," says local parent Kevin Cox, who adds, "I'm not Christian."
Cox and his wife, Sarah Pool, believe they had no choice but to home-school. A lab technician in UVA's biochemistry department, Cox blames a combination of bad teachers and his own uninvolved parents for limiting his opportunities. He didn't want this his kids to suffer the same fate.
"I went in to the blue collar working world because that was the direction I was pushed," says Cox. "I just barely made it out of high school, and I'm not a stupid person. I know plenty of people who are very intelligent who can barely read."
That's why he and Pool got nervous when their oldest child was in first grade in public school. Despite glowing report cards, she could not read. Cox, an intense man with definite notions about education, was fearful that his eldest child was heading "towards mediocrity." Unable to afford private tuition, the couple decided to instruct their daughter at home.
Sarah Pool, with son Patrick Cox
Cox is quick to acknowledge that teaching isn't for everyone– including him. So Pool– despite being blind from retinitis pigmentosa– took over the education of Christina, now 17, Mara, 14, and Patrick, 4. A combination of their mother's ingenuity, adaptive technology, and pre-set curricula has put the Cox kids ahead of the game. The girls now attend Charlottesville High School where they are in orchestra and top-level classes. Patrick reads fluently.
Some critics of the home education movement worry about the social implications of keeping kids home. In a USA Today op-ed piece entitled, "Home Is No Place for School," educator Dennis L. Evans asks, "Can there be anything more important to each child and thus to our democratic society than to develop virtues and values such as respect for others, the ability to communicate and collaborate, and an openness to diversity and new ideas?"
Caryn Hamilton believes some schools could stand a little diversity training of their own. That's why she and her husband, Lance, an attorney at the Judge Advocate General school, had always planned to teach at home. They wanted to protect their children from the culturally and racially biased education they experienced as black students.
Caryn remembers being sent to the principal's office in junior high for having the temerity to compare slavery to the Holocaust. Her education, she says, "was based on the whims and desires of whoever was teaching at the time."
Home schooling not only allows Caryn to craft the curriculum for five-year-old Ellis, but it also enables her to address the lingering effects of his premature birth. Although he doesn't have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, too much stimulation is overwhelming for Ellis and he needs to move around. Caryn believes that in a regular school setting, Ritalin would be recommended.
"He'd be the one always getting in trouble for not sitting down," she says. Because she can make accommodations for him, Caryn's son is already an advanced reader.
Try "un-schooling," Johnny
What do regular school parents think of their home-schooling counterparts? "Freaks," declares a mother of three. "I dread long weekends," admits another. And one father ominously predicts that if he tried home schooling, he'd be jailed "by the first Friday."
For parents who become weak-kneed at the idea of plodding through textbooks with resistant or high-octane offspring, there are less structured techniques to teaching at home. Silvia and Eddie Barrett employ a combination of methods, including "un-schooling."
Because Silvia, cofounder of the Albemarle County Homeschoolers Network, is a relaxed person who "can't set a schedule for myself to save my life," she's comfortable with the self-directed learning at the heart of un-schooling.
With this approach, a child fascinated by cars would be encouraged to study engines– learning math and science under the hood of a Chevy. The hot rod might also be used to deliver information about the history of automobiles, unions, and advertising.
Un-schooling parents reflect the theories of John Dewey, the father of learning-by-doing, who believed the best way to teach is to start where the child is. "One year, math might be the main study," says Silvia, "and the next year it might be history. It just depends on where the kid's interest is."
This approach is probably not for the faint of heart. While Silvia contends that it doesn't take three years of straight teaching to get a child to a third grade level, a non-adding and subtracting seven-year-old might induce panic in some parents. She believes kids can and do "catch up." And in the meantime, they're learning how to apply mathematics and technology in every day life.
Bolstering the assertion that less time is needed to cover material in tutorial settings is research cited by Mary and Michael Leppert in the Homeschooling Almanac 2000-2001. It claims up to 80 percent of the regular school day is actually spent on non-academic pursuits.
Arletta L. Dimberg, deputy superintendent of Charlottesville schools, vehemently disputes this. She says that strict safeguards are in place to ensure that 75 percent of a school day is spent on the core curriculum. "Principals are charged through the Standards of Learning and the Standards of Quality with the responsibility to organize the school in compliance with the Standards of Accreditation."
Different drummers
Carol-Ann Paget-Brown, a vibrant woman with an easy laugh, is home-schooling two of her six children on the family's sprawling Keswick horse farm. She and her husband, Ian, take a fluid approach to education.
Before they had children, they thought they'd find one school for all. "And then we rapidly realized that each child is such an individual that you have to make decisions on a yearly basis for what suits them best," she says.
Paget-Brown 's daughter Belinda, for instance, was a home-school short-timer. Now nine and doing well at the private Oakland School, Belinda posed learning challenges Paget-Brown considered herself ill-equipped to handle.
Carol Paget-Brown with Tessa and Heather
Home-schooling is more successful for daughters Megan, 13, and Tessa, 7. They're enrolled in a $2,000-a-year virtual curriculum with an on-line mentor. Mom serves as the "educational guide" for Tessa, helping with on- and off-line assignments. The girls spend a couple of hours a day on schoolwork and then focus on other interests.
Although some argue that the built-in stress of regular school prepares children for "the real world," Paget-Brown disagrees. She claims the infraction code at one of her kid's schools so micro-managed student behavior that her child would wake up and dress in the middle of the night. Other home-schoolers express relief, too, at giving up the early morning rush and allowing their kids calmly to prepare for the day.
Sue Sheffield, guidance and career technical education coordinator for Albemarle County, also views home-schooling as a viable response to family needs– a path she herself would consider, if necessary. "It's a parental decision [based] on what's best for your child in that particular time in their life," she says.
"You're only young once," Paget-Brown says. "You might as well have a nice time. There's nothing wrong with that as far as I can tell."
Welcome to the Network
Countering the argument about home-schoolers being isolated is the Albemarle County Homeschoolers Network. Formed just last summer, the group already claims a membership of over 60. In fact, so linked are these home-schooling families that news of this article triggered a flurry of emails among its members.
Without an association, finding fellow travelers could be rough. Before approaching an unfamiliar family between the hours of 9am and 3pm, at a park, for example, one would have to question whether the children were home-schooled-or home sick– and contagious. The Network organizes playgroups, cooperatively taught classes, and teen games.
As kids mature, their social and intellectual interests broaden. Ernie Reed founded Charlottesville's Living Education Center for Ecology and the Arts 12 years ago with his late wife, Sue, when their own home-schooled offspring became teenagers. He says that's the time kids look for "more than what a family can provide" such as "art, music, theater, a lot of creative outlets." Reed reports it's not unusual for kids themselves to make the first inquiry about attending the Center.
The limits of home
Socialization is another essential part of growing up. No one knows this better than Lindsey Osborne, who graduated from UVA at 20 after having been home-schooled by her mother and attending Piedmont Virginia Community College. On the cusp of a career decision– choices include vet school at the University of Pennsylvania– Osborne says that her home-schooling experience was mostly positive. Mostly.
The blue-eyed blonde admits that she missed out on some of the social aspects of growing up, like homecoming and "being in school plays and just having to deal with the junk that kids have to deal with." A self-described introvert, she says, "You have to make the effort to be around kids your age. That didn't seem important to me at the time– but it is."
Recent UVA grad Lindsey Osborne, was schooled at home until college
Another issue confronting these families is what to do when parents reach the end of their academic expertise. Lindsey reports that Algebra 2 was as far as her mom could go in the home-school math department.
Piedmont Virginia Community College filled the gap for her, but she knows of other home-schooled kids who needed more than they got– one, a barely literate 15-year-old. Lindsey blames a chronic lack of instructional guidance. She says a parent has to "put it together and make it happen! You can't expect a five-year-old to sit down and ask to do flashcards"– particularly if they've never been introduced to the concept.
Laws governing home-schooling are designed to avoid such situations. Virginia requires parents to submit annual curricula and end-of-year proof of progress to school superintendents. Standardized test results or evaluative assessments are used to determine advancement. If progress is inadequate, the home-schoolee is given a year to improve. Failing that, other educational arrangements must be made.
Clearly, this educational path can get harrowing. Googling "Homeschool Burn-out" yields hundreds of articles that suggest coping strategies. These include letting go of perfection, raising independent learners, and setting reasonable goals.
A foot in each camp
Some local home-schooled kids are taking advantage of Virginia's voluntary selective enrollment policy. On a space-available basis at local schools they're taking part-time classes ranging from lab science to cosmetology. The schools, which receive some state funds based on census numbers, get partial funding for the part-timing home-schoolees.
But there are limits to the a la carte menu. Interscholastic athletics are not included. "It's a choice to educate your child at home," says Tom Zimorski of the Virginia High School League. "It's the same as a student going to a private school– they're still paying taxes." And they aren't eligible to play for their neighborhood schools, either.
Will Shaw, co-founder of the Virginia Home Education Association, describes this exclusion as "a publicly supported private sports league."
The South Park factor
How do home-schooled students stack up? While their reputation was advanced on the cheeky "South Park" cartoon- home-schoolees creamed the public school students in a spelling bee– hard statistics are difficult to find.
One study showing home-school success was commissioned by Farris' group and used a testing service affiliated with Bob Jones University (yes, the institution of higher learning that only recently lifted its ban on interracial dating.) A column in Home Education Magazine called this research "embarrassing and dangerous." (The dangerous part was about inviting more testing into home-schooling.)
According to Steve Robbins, a vice president with national testing firm ACT, the home-schooling question will soon be dropped from its student testing profile altogether. While these kids did score higher than regular school students in 2003 (though not dramatically so), their numbers were under-represented, and there was no way of factoring in the length of time students had been home-schooled.
The College Board reports similar dilemmas. For instance, some SAT-takers describe themselves as home-schooled but then go on to give their class rank. (Presumably they're all number 1.) The National Center for Education Statistics doesn't yet track comparative achievement of home-schoolers. (And don't ask for anecdotal information– it doesn't go over well.)
Taking a pass
From families who don't own televisions to those who dutifully gather round and watch "The Simpsons" together, home-schoolers are a diverse group with a wide range of politics, teaching styles, and backgrounds.
On a recent blustery morning, some Albemarle Networkers met at Greenleaf Park. While their kids played, a cluster of parents explained their educational choice. Reasons given for teaching their kids themselves included flexibility for travel, limiting negative influences, and the satisfaction of watching them learn.
Jim Gagnon and his son Isaiah
In the end, pragmatism trumped dogmatism. These parents said they were just trying to do the right thing, right now, for their kids.
Before excusing himself to play with the little guys, dad Jim Gagnon explained his motivation: He wants to teach his child to be conscious of others– and to enjoy life. This included a wicked game of catch– in the middle of the school day.


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Filter events
Taradale bowls
Tuesday, 26 April 2016, 12:45 pm - 3:00 pm
Blind Bowls is played on a Tuesday from 12:50 to 3pm and then we have afternoon tea.
When: Tuesdays 12:50pm to 3:00pm.
Where: Taradale Senior Citizens Club.
Cost: $15 annual membership and $1 per time.
Contact by phoning Joy Rose on 07 843-7403 if you are interested in attending.
Loading Map....
Taradale Senior Citizens Club
10 White Street, Taradale
10 White Street, Taradale


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By Lady Mary of Montevale
Features Reporter, Pennsic Independent
At Sunday's Day of Fiber-y Goodness in Artisan's Row, this reporter's nose was first drawn to a large heap of "skirted" wool which had already had the worst edges removed, but which had not yet even been washed—because of its distinctive barnyard fragrance.
Only moments later, however, a strange wooden contraption caught my eye. It proved to be a Piedmont Reel for reeling silk, reconstructed from a period Italian woodcut by THL Serena Kimbalwyke, this year's Middle Kingdom A&S Champion.
Lady Serena raises her own domesticated silkworms (and yes, she also has the mulberry trees whose leaves comprise the silkworms' diet), and I soon found that she knows more about these insects, their biology, and their "product" than almost anyone who doesn't have a Ph.D. in entomology.
Most people reading this article probably already know that silkworms and silk-making began in China about 4,000 years ago, and the Chinese continued to have a corner on the silk market for a very long time. In the Middle Ages, European silk production was a big industry in what is now modern-day Italy and in parts of France.
But did you know that you can control a silk worm's rate of development by changing the temperature of its environment? Or that by controlling the light/dark cycle to which it is exposed, you can control whether the worm will be one who hibernates or one who develops in the summer?
Or that genotyping of domestic silkworms has shown their original ancestor from the wild still exists as a species today?
The silkworm only eats in its caterpillar stage. Some modern silkworm farmers prefer to feed the insects commercial silk worm chow rather than mulberry leaves in order to have cocoons available year round. When the adult moths are ready to leave their cocoons, they do not chew their way out, however, medieval people believed that they did. We now know that the moth who is ready to leave the cocoon secretes an enzyme which weakens the "glue" of the strands which form the cocoon, and then the moth crawls out.
This process of the moth leaving the cocoon creates a problem for the person who wants to make reeled silk (the smooth, shiny, "silky feeling" version of the fabric) because it destroys spots in the long filament which the caterpillar produced to spin his cocoon.
(Silk noile, often called "raw" silk in modern times, is the non-shiny fabric with a slubbed surface, and it is made from short fibers. It is referred as "spun" silk, as opposed to "reeled" silk.)
To reel silk, you have to "stifle" the cocoons before the moth has begun to produce the enzyme mentioned earlier. In period times, silk makers did this by steaming the cocoons or placing them in boiling water. [Hey, we do this to lobsters and clams!] Lady Serena freezes her cocoons; she believes it is more humane than the heat methods. She also added that since insects cannot regulate their own body temperature, it may not really matter.
The medieval definition of "raw" silk was "silk that has been reeled but had not been further processed." This is why extant period records speak of shipping raw silk: they were referring to spools of reeled silk thread which has not yet been woven into fabric.
The secret to successfully reeling silk on the Piedmont Reel is first to find, on the cocoon which has been soaked in hot water, the "one true filament" which is the continuous one. The silk filament goes from the cocoon to the casting arm of the reel which is connected to a turning bobbin. This distributes the filament over the arms of the reel in such a way that wet silk does not rest on already-dried silk. It dries very quickly and is wound off onto a spool.
At this point, several threads do feel to the hand like the silk from which ladies' fine veils are made, and it is a white color. The silk on the reel as displayed at Artisans' Row was about 18 cocoons' worth.
Lady Serena has also raised wild silk worms, and her next project will be to reel wild cocoons. Because the "glue" of the wild cocoons is a tougher substance than that of the domesticated product, she expects she will have to soak the wild cocoons in a basic solution (such as lye) and not in water, which has been proven to break the filament of wild cocoons. She also wants to investigate whether the toughness of the wild cocoons might be based on the silkworms' diet in the wild or on other factors.
She will be teaching a class on "Reeling Silk with the Piedmont Reel," this Wednesday at 1 p.m. Please check the Arts and Sciences additions for August 11, either at A&S Point or in the Pennsic Independent, for the location of her class.


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http://rainmakers-ozeania.com/4-the-imm ... ralia.html
Funny how those countries who are not controlled by the cartel - Iran, Libya, Cuba, [Sudan/sub. Syria?] and North Korea - are all 'axis of evil' states! And are slowly being 'done' as we speak!In Australia interest rates have been artificially turned up higher in a series of edicts by the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Families with mortgages paying off houses are being forced to sell their homes and lose money, these families who are being affected by interest rate rises are being forced to live in crisis accommodation, and with anyone else who will take them in.
The Reserve Bank has total control over our nation's interest rate rises and inflation.
The Reserve Bank is considered by many to actually be a conspiracy against the people of Australia. It is claimed by these conspiracy theorists that the RBA is NOT a federal body and the Australian people have no control over it, neither does any politician in Australia have any control over it. The Reserve Bank is, it is claimed, actually operated and controlled by the international corporate elite, it is a privately owned entity, and is a law unto itself. The Reserve Bank in this view is controlled by international corporations, who have serious interests in most private banks in Australia, the reason the Reserve Bank is making interest rates so high is because it's in the International Corporatist's interests to do so. The following is an exposition of this argument for you to consider.
It is chilling stuff:
When the interest rates go higher, the private banks can make more money and the poorer people lose their homes and assets while the rich get richer. The rise in interest rates is causing poorer families to give up their homes at a loss, and the wealthier areas are experiencing an increase in property value. So the interest rates rises in Australia are part of an agenda, the agenda is to create a much larger gap between the poor and the rich, as the international corporations seek to make Australia a third world country.
The current Prime Minister of Australia and all the political parties in Parliament are funded by multinational corporations who control the politicians like puppets. Without the corporate money flowing into the political parties; the political party will die, so it's in the politician's interests to let the corporations pull their strings. Our politicians have become nothing but corrupt self seeking leeches that have no care or interest for the future of the Australian people. Politicians get elected when the samemultinational corporations who own the Reserve Bank fund a particular politician's political party, because that politician has made a commitment to the international cartel and will allow himself to be controlled by them. The politician will never defy what the international cartel tells him to do, otherwise they will cut off funding and organize a smear campaign against the politician through the media outlets they control, and often they will actually kill a politician if he goes against and defies their will for control over the nation's money supply.
On June 4th 1963 President John F. Kennedy (the 35th President of the United States 1961 – 1963) signs Executive Order 11110 which returned to the U.S. government the power to issue currency, without having to go through the Federal Reserve (U.S governments version of Australia's Reserve Bank). Six months later on November 22nd, president Kennedy is assassinated because he wanted to print American money for the American people, instead of printing it for the benefit of the greedy money hoarding International cartel who controls the Federal Reserve. The Executive Order 11110, is cancelled by President Lyndon Baines Johnson (the 36th President of the United States 1963 to 1969) on Air Force One from Dallas to Washington, the same day as President Kennedy was assassinated.
The Reserve Bank is a private company, it is neither Federal nor governmental nor does it have any Reserve. Never in history has it once ever published accounts. Multinational corporations control and own the Reserve Bank, and it's these multinational corporations who control: the flow of money, interest rates and inflation through the Reserve Bank. When the multinational corporations want to turn up the interest rates, they use their ownership of the media to publish all sorts of ridiculous reasons as to why the interest rates went up, these International corporations form a international cartel who fund corrupt political parties and control the politicians like puppets, just as a puppeteer manipulates a puppet.
International corporations manipulate the politicians by getting them to:
sell off nations assets to private corporations so they can seize control of all publicly owned assets worldwide (water, gas, electricity, railways etc),
also they sternly advise the politicians to go along with Reserve Bank decisions of higher interest rates that force families onto the street.
A politician's job is to keep the population distracted with absolute nonsense and lies, while the international cartels fulfill their agenda's in the shadows. Their agenda is to: buy up a nation's assets, control the money and interest rates, control the media and flow of information, and to use nations to wage war against the countries they don't control.
There is one international cartel that basically owns and operates every Reserve Bank in the world, and they are holding us at ransom as they rob us of our countries resources and manipulate us into oppression. The international cartel is made up of evil merchants who want and almost have absolute control of the world monetary system. There is a Reserve Bank in every country in the world controlled by the same International Cartel except for five countries: Iran, Libya, Cuba, Sudan and North Korea. The international cartel who controls the Reserve Banks of the world wants to globalize the world's economy and rob the good people of their resources, and oppress their countries economically.
Globalization is another implementation of the same International cartel that controls our Reserve Banks. Here in Australia many products that are being sold here are being imported from China, and they are being sold extremely cheaply here, because Christians and Falun Gong prisoners in China are manufacturing the products in slave labor conditions for virtually no cost, that's why the products are so cheap. The conditions and treatment of the prisoners slaving away to make our products in China, are similar to the treatment of the Nazi camp prisoners. No longer are products made in Australia to benefit the Australian people, so secure jobs and secure business stays in Australia, but now all our products seem to be coming from foreign countries made by slave laborers who work for next to nothing in appalling conditions. Full time secure employment is becoming scarce in Australia, because as Australian companies become owned by International cartels, the International cartels outsource their workers and get the work done overseas for much less money and often in slave labor conditions. Australian companies are also outsourcing their work to be done overseas, because our own politicians have passed laws that allow them to employ workers to do the work in another country, this robs Australians of jobs and exploits workers in other countries who work for next to nothing..
The Australian people and most of the people of the world are hypnotized by the manipulative media, which is also controlled by the same International corporations that control the Reserve Bank and Global economy. People need to start uncovering facts and truth behind our complex governments, and their oppressive agenda.
The Reserve Bank of Australia and the Australian constitution
The Reserve Bank is a foreign ADI. A "foreign ADI" means a body corporate that:
(a) is a foreign corporation within the meaning of paragraph 51(xx) of the Constitution; and
(b) is authorised to carry on banking business in a foreign country; and
(c) has been granted an authority under section 9 to carry on banking business in Australia.
Prior to 1959 the Commonwealth issued and printed its own money and had control of the printing of money. However after the 1959 Reserve Bank Act, the Reserve Bank was established as a stand alone independent
foreign ADI, which took over the printing of money and lent the money it printed to the Commonwealth at interest. So instead of the Commonwealth printing its own money, we have a foreign body corporate printing our money and lending it to the Commonwealth which the Commonwealth needs to pay back!
Guarantee by Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is responsible for the payment of all moneys due by the Bank" (The commonwealth of Australia is paying money is borrows back to the stand alone bank)
(Source: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/ ... 0/s77.html)
Bank to be banker for Commonwealth
The Bank shall, in so far as the Commonwealth requires it to do so, act as banker and financial agent of the Commonwealth" (The reserve bank is the Commonwealths banker and lender and the Commonwealth must pay the money back to the Bank!)
(Source: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/ ... 0/s27.html)
The below act shows how foreign coroporations have power of attorny over the Reserve Bank of Australia:
Attorney of Bank
The Bank may, by instrument under its seal, appoint a person (whether in Australia or in a place beyond Australia) to be its attorney and a person so appointed may, subject to the instrument, do any act or execute any power or function which he or she is authorized by the instrument to do or execute. (Source: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/ ... 0/s76.html)
Foreign Agents in control of the Reserve Bank of Australia:
Agents etc.
In the exercise of its powers and the performance of its functions, the Bank may:
(a) establish branches and agencies at such places, whether within or beyond Australia, as the Bank thinks fit;
(b) arrange with a person to act as agent of the Bank in any place, whether within or beyond Australia; and
(c) act as the agent of an ADI carrying on business within or beyond Australia.
Do you feel powerless in the face of such insidous, powerful and negative global forces?
The Immediate Economy is a simple honest model for a social and economic system that can no longer be manipulated by artificial and deceptive financial practices.


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Hidden Gems
These hidden coastal gems might be lesser-known but they are equally alluring.
Fairhope, Alabama
Here's a sentence you don't read every day: Alabama (home tothe editorial offices of Coastal Living) shelters one of the country's best-keptsurprises. Trust us on this one. Just veer off U.S. 98 ontoAlternate 98, parallel to Mobile Bay, and follow the leafy, gentlycurving two-lane road into a dictionary-perfect "Smalltown,USA"―Fairhope.
Turn right onto Fairhope Avenue, pass the two-story storefrontswith rockers out front, and take in this panorama: Protected greenparkland saddles the waterfront bluffs to the left and right. Belowtheir slopes, the Mobile Bay shoreline appears like a NormanRockwell painting come to life. Fishermen deftly cast their linesfrom the public pier, families picnic on the sand or beneath theshade of mossy live oaks, and, some days, the local schoolteachertakes her first-graders to the shallows to learn about the seacreatures. North and south from the beach, you'll see the parade ofprivately owned dock pavilions. These piers with gazebo-likestructures are enduring icons, signaling a way of life on Alabama'sEastern Shore.
Founded in 1894, the town claims a long history and unusualbeginnings that have given it cultural cachet. It has attractedwriters ranging from Upton Sinclair and Sherwood Anderson toWinston Groom and Fannie Flagg, and its legendary Page and Palettebookstore holds a lively schedule of author appearances andreadings. Like Mobile across the bay, Fairhope hosts its own MardiGras, along with an annual arts and crafts festival.
The town's nearby attraction, Weeks Bay National EstuarineResearch Reserve, comprises almost 6,000 acres of land and water inand around Weeks and Mobile bays. The reserve offers spectacularbirding―more than 350 species have been spotted―alongwith good salt- and freshwater fishing; hummingbird and butterflygardens; and nature trails, including a boardwalk through a swampforest where rare pitcher plants thrive.
what the locals know
Anil Vira, owner of Fairhope's BaronsInn, tells us that sometimes, when the wind blows from theeast―usually when the weather is hot―thousands of fish,including flounder, eel, crab, and shrimp, head for shallow waters."This phenomenon is known locally as 'Jubilee,'" says Anil. "In theearly days, people would run through the streets, banging on potsand pans, yelling, 'jubilee!' when it happened. Now they watch thesky for hovering seagulls, then run down to the waterfront withpails to scoop up the bounty. Some restaurants will even cook upyour catch."
Population: 14,106
Median Home Price: $187,288
For More Info: cofairhope.com
Pacifica, California
According to the laws of suburbanization, Pacifica shouldhave been inundated with tract houses years ago. After all, it'sjust 15 minutes south of downtown San Francisco, perched on theshoulder of a peninsula that's experienced phenomenal growth inrecent decades. But the lion's share of that growth (along withinterstate highways and an international airport) has been over onthe bay side. Pacifica stands serenely on the ocean side, where thesouth-of-the-Golden-Gate portion of California Route 1 begins itscoast-hugging lope to L.A.
The city lies in a protected area, surrounded on its landwardside by part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, andenjoys the largest ratio of open space to population on the SanFrancisco peninsula. Not surprisingly, this is prime outdoorrecreation country. Anglers fly-fish for salmon and striped bass;birders head for the brown sands of Sharp Park Beach to watchpelicans, loons, phalaropes, cormorants, and terns; surfers catchbig waves at Linda Mar and Pacifica State beaches; and mountainbikers and paragliders enjoy the hillsides embracing the city.There's also the Sharp Park Golf Course, designed in 1931 byrenowned links architect Alister MacKenzie.
If you're a fisherman (or even if you're not), you shouldn'tmiss the Pacifica Pier. Often called the best fishing pier inCalifornia, this 1,140-foot-long wharf offers the only dry place onthe Bay Area where you can catch salmon without stepping foot on aboat. Anglers regularly hook the coveted fish, as well as varioustypes of surfperch, and even sharks off the pier.
This town also hosts one of the West Coast's stranger annualevents: Pacifica's Fog Fest. Residents have jokingly proclaimedtheir city, with an average 270 days of sunshine per year, the fogcapital of the state. Arts and crafts exhibits, festival foods, anda parade draw some 50,000 people each year. The big party is heldon the last weekend of September, when the local weather is nearlyalways lovely.
what the locals know
Pacifica resident Chris Hunter advisesthat "you have to look closely to get into our part of the GoldenGate National Recreation Area. Watch for a sign along thenorthbound lane of Highway 1 that reads, 'Shelldance Nursery andOrchids.' If you take this winding road, you'll end up not only atone of my favorite nurseries, but also at a trailhead for SweeneyRidge. Hike up to the Discovery Site for views of San FranciscoBay."
Population: 40,000
Median Home Price: $749,000
For More Info: ci.pacifica.ca.us
St. Michaels, Maryland
During the War of 1812, St. Michaels earned the nickname "TheTown That Fooled the British." The ruse was simple: When locals gotword that a nighttime bombardment was coming their way, they hunglanterns in treetops and atop ships' masts, so that the enemygunners on Chesapeake Bay overshot all but one of the houses in thevillage.
St. Michaels was also overshot―and overlooked―by themarch of progress along the bayfront. The town lies on Maryland'sEastern Shore, southeast of Annapolis, and until the 1952 openingof the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, most of its neighboring communitieswere backwaters given over largely to shipbuilding, tobaccofarming, and harvesting what H.L. Mencken called an "immenseprotein factory" of crab and oysters. Even now, though shellfishstocks in the bay have been substantially depleted, you can passthrough St. Michaels to the end of the peninsula and watch watermenleaving to harvest oysters on their wooden skipjacks, the lastsailing vessels still in regular commercial use in the UnitedStates.
The Bay Bridge brought regional development, but St. Michaelsoccupied such a narrow slip of land that the town has never hadmuch room to expand. It's also benefited from long-standing localtaste for historic preservation. The compact village center boastsa wealth of 18th- and 19th-century structures, including the onehouse struck by a British cannonball. The historic district isanchored by the renowned Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, whichfeatures a collection of 85 vessels that trace the evolution ofregional boatbuilding. The museum's Hooper Strait Lighthouse, movedhere from Tangier Sound farther south, has become as much a symbolof St. Michaels as the mountains of steamed crab served on the deckat The Crab Claw Restaurant.
St. Michaels is a town for walkers and cyclists, where nothingis far from anything else. Heading out of the village can mean anexcursion on some of the best sailing waters in the nation (thereare a couple of downtown marinas and a local yacht club), a drive35 miles south to view eagles and ospreys on the 27,000-acreBlackwater National Wildlife Refuge, or a trip across the DelmarvaPeninsula to the Atlantic. Annapolis, Baltimore, and Washington,D.C., are just a few hours away via the Bay Bridge.
what the locals know
Museums are often regarded primarily asattractions for visitors, but it's become a regular ritual for manySt. Michaels residents to head down to the grounds of theChesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and enjoy spectacular sunsets overthe water.
Population: 1,139
Median Home Price: $795,000
For More Info: stmichaelsmd.org
Port Townsend, Washington
The standard take on the Pacific Northwest is that it rainsan awful lot. But Port Townsend, located on the tip of the QuimperPeninsula just south of the San Juan Islands, enjoys a sunnymicroclimate. Protected from prevailing weather patterns by theOlympic Mountains, it averages less than 20 inches of rain a year,and often basks under clear skies while towns like Port Angeles tothe west keep umbrella makers in business.
Getting here requires some planning. If you start in Seattle youcan take a 30-minute ferry ride to Bainbridge Island (bring awindbreaker so you can stand outside as you cross Puget Sound);travel another hour in the car to the Hood Canal Bridge. Then driveup the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula to the edge of theStrait of Juan de Fuca. Think you'll be tired when you arrive?Don't worry―the stunning coastal scenery will revive you.
Like a village out of a musical, Port Townsend is a town thattime forgot―only in this case, time suddenly remembered andbrought it back to life. Historic mansions occupy some of the primereal estate here, and smaller Victorian houses painted vivid colorsline the narrower streets. Many of the finest homes date to thelate 1800s, when boosters promoted the town as a major railterminus. Unfortunately, the Northern Pacific Railroad failed tocooperate, and the community all but disappeared.
Then, about 1970, urbanites looking for lovely surroundings andcheap real estate discovered Port Townsend. Here was a compact,walkable town with a picturesque waterfront far enough from Seattleto keep sprawl at bay.
The community they created was a match for the setting. Today itpulses with environmentally friendly businesses, art galleries,plenty of live theater, and festivals celebrating jazz, blues, andclassical music.
Visit in September and you can catch the 31st Annual Wooden BoatFestival―"the Woodstock of wooden boats," sponsored by thelocal Wooden Boat Foundation and Northwest Maritime Center. Bothorganizations occupy space on the town's historic waterfront, wherethey educate students and visitors about the region's sailingheritage and environment.
Sea kayakers often set off from their dock to ply Port TownsendBay and Admiralty Inlet. And when they come home, they can strolldown to the brewpub―without their slickers.
what the locals know
Susan Grantham, who works with the PortTownsend Chamber of Commerce, likes to take in movies at theVictorian-era Rose Theater. "The Rose shows first-run pictures aswell as independent and art films," says Susan. "All movies beginwith a live introduction by the staff, and the 20-plus toppings forthe popcorn can't be beat. Monday is 'fabulous door prize night,'so save your ticket stub for the drawings."
Population: 8,900
Median Home Price: $399,000
For More Info: ptguide.com
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Mention "Annapolis" to most people and they think you'retalking about the capital of Maryland. But there's anotherAnnapolis in North America, one a lot older than the city onChesapeake Bay. It's a lot smaller, too―but favored by anequally lovely waterside location.
Annapolis Royal―this Nova Scotia town's fullname―stands at the head of an arm of the Bay of Fundy calledthe Annapolis Basin. The French sailed into the basin in 1605 andset up the first permanent European enclave north of Florida (their"Habitation" has been faithfully re-created by Parks Canada, and isa popular local attraction). Over the next century, the settlementchanged hands between the French and British seven times,eventually acquiring its present name and status as the Britishcapital of Nova Scotia in 1710.
In 1749, Halifax became the colonial capital, and AnnapolisRoyal gradually settled into life as a grandly named backwater. Butit would be difficult today to find a townsperson who wishes thingshad turned out otherwise. Halifax, with its superb Atlantic harbor,got the glory and the bustle, while Annapolis, with itsstupendously variable Fundy tides, got to mellow in relativeobscurity as a center for shipbuilding, fishing, and agriculture.Today, it's a popular haven for retirees, artists, and artisans,several of whom showcase their work in local galleries. A busycultural schedule revolves around King's Theatre, a vest-pocketvenue for plays and live music including Nova Scotia's signatureCeltic-oriented ceilidhs (kay-lees).
For such a small town, the housing stock is impressive, with arich amalgam of historic architecture and four of the oldest framebuildings in Canada. Few towns in Atlantic Canada are better set upfor walking, with views of the broad basin and its forested shoresat nearly every turn, and the parklike grounds of Fort Anneflanking the water side of busy little Saint George Street. Aspecial treat is the 10-acre Historic Gardens, with plantingsrepresenting the area's past, as well as 2,000 bushes of more than230 varieties of roses.
It's almost become a cliché among American visitors thatmuch of rural Nova Scotia resembles the New England of twogenerations ago. Considering the architecture, the setting, and theslower pace of life here, they may have a point.
what the locals know
Paul Stackhouse and Val Peterson, who runthe Hillsdale House Inn in Annapolis Royal, like to hike the trailsat scenic Delap's Cove, along the Bay of Fundy just 15 miles fromAnnapolis Royal. Two trails, totaling more than 4 miles, meanderthrough 130 acres of canopied forests and along bay shores. Aspecial highlight of the area is a 43-foot waterfall.
Population: 550
Median Home Price: $100,000 Canadian; $85,056 U.S.
For More Info: annapolisroyal.com
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Beer was just one of the products that made Milwaukee famous.In fact, this was the quintessential American factory town. LikeCarl Sandburg's Chicago, 90 miles south, it was a melting pot onthe shores of Lake Michigan.
Some manufacturers still thrive here: Milwaukee remains the homeof Miller Brewing Company and a firm started in 1903 by Messrs.Harley and Davidson. But beer and motorcycles are shipped by railand truck nowadays, leaving the once-hardworking lakefront largelyto pleasure boaters. The county-operated McKinley Marina is one ofthe largest in Wisconsin, and the South Shore Yacht Club hosts anumber of annual races and regattas on the big, breezy lake.
To take advantage of all that water, Milwaukee beganconstruction of the RiverWalk downtown in 1999. Today thepedestrian pathway connects the historic Third Ward to SchlitzBusiness Park, and provides a striking setting for art, especiallysculpture.
Further burnishing the city's image are the financial andservice behemoths based here (Northwestern Mutual Life Insurancehas long been a downtown presence), and the continuing influence ofMarquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.UWM's sprawling East Side campus anchors an upscale neighborhoodwith a student-quarter edge, tucked along the lake between downtownand a gold coast of beer barons' mansions.
The German immigrants who built Milwaukee were a civic-spiritedlot. They brought with them a sense of community that stillmanifests itself in a superb county park system (with much of itsacreage along the lake), and a devotion to institutions such as theMilwaukee Symphony; the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, with threetheaters in a rehabbed power plant; and the Milwaukee Art Museum.The museum's new home is a striking 2001 building featuring asoaring pair of winglike sunscreens that can be repositioned totake advantage of changing light conditions.
Tour the galleries to enjoy temporary exhibitions, or just starethrough the windows for an instant reminder of the reasonMichigan's a great lake. (Keep an eye out for a feature story aboutthe Milwaukee Art Museum in an upcoming issue of Coastal Living.)
what the locals know
John McGivern, a Milwaukee actor, writer,and comedian, suggests that new arrivals head south from downtownon Water Street to Walker's Point, a neighborhood filled withlate-1800s Cream City brick homes (so called because of the creamycolor of the bricks) that stretches from Lake Michiganapproximately to Sixth Street. First Street is lined with antiquesshops, including the eclectic, three-story Fox Skylight Gallery ofAntiques.
Population: 578,887
Median Home Price: $159,000
For More Info: milwaukee.org
New London, Connecticut
You might say that New London's modern era began in the1970s, when a group of protesters rallied in front of the historicdowntown train station (designed by Henry H. Richardson) and stooddown a city wrecking crew. That victory led to the city'spresent-day status as, in the words of a community activist, "oneof the last places with this much waterfront and this muchpotential."
Like many historic coastal communities, New London struggleswith competing visions of revitalization. Just a few years ago, itwas at the center of the controversial Supreme Court decisionallowing municipalities to use eminent domain to seize land forprivate development. But the furor over that decision led to theformation of a new political party―now with two seats on thecity council―that's determined to put the brakes on eminentdomain and save what makes New London unique.
There's no shortage of history here, or housing stock to go withit. Wander a few blocks off State Street, downtown's main drag, andyou'll pass block after block of 18th- and 19th-century buildings.None of them are far from Ocean Beach (a seaside park with aboardwalk and pavilion) and the venerable Dutch Tavern, whereEugene O'Neill used to take his libations. Nearby, on the groundsof old Fort Trumbull, which once guarded a harbor forested with themasts of whaling ships, the U.S. Coast Guard is building its newmuseum.
And that old gem of a train station? It's in fine shape,standing alongside a lovely waterfront park. Best of all, trainsactually stop there! Amtrak's Acela Express will get you to Bostonor New York in about two hours.
what the locals know
Richard Humphreville, a New Londonfurniture maker who has played a leading role in the city'srevitalization, is especially proud of the lively local art scene.One of his favorite galleries is the Hygienic, a onetimeluncheonette whose looks are deceiving―the front room stillhas the original counter, stools, and coffee urns. "In the winter,the Hygienic Art Show is a major event," says Richard, "and thereare shows in the garden in summer."
Population: 26,000
Median Home Price: $250,000
For More Info: ci.new-london.ct.us
Jersey City, New Jersey
Until recently, anyone caught using the words "Gold Coast"and "Jersey City" in the same sentence was relegated to the ranksof the seriously confused. By the 1970s, New Jersey'ssecond-largest city (after Newark) looked like a place that had alot more past than future.
Today, Jersey City is all about the future, thanks largely to asimple calculation on the part of financial service titans. Peeringfrom their Manhattan offices at the forlorn landscape across thetidal Hudson River, Wall Street's planners did the real-estatemath, and the "Gold Coast" became a reality. Out of a landscape ofwarehouses, riverfront factories, and abandoned rail yards grew anew urban center with office towers, retail space, and thousands ofhousing units located in handsome old structures and brand newbuildings. It's all practically in the shadow of the Statue ofLiberty, at the point where the Hudson meets Upper New YorkBay.
While the renaissance in residential property recently hasspread inland from Jersey City's shoreline―even the city'sgargantuan former Medical Center, near the less attractive WestSide, is being converted to luxury condos―the poshestneighborhoods are along the river and bay. Developments such asNewport and Liberty Harbor offer waterfront town houses andhigh-rise condos, while the under-construction Trump Plaza JerseyCity is expected to contain the tallest luxury residential towersin the state. All are an easy hop from lower Manhattan via PortAuthority Trans-Hudson (PATH) subways, ferries, and (for die-harddrivers) the Holland Tunnel. Newark Liberty International Airportis only nine miles away.
Commuting convenience isn't Jersey City's only amenity. The new,private Liberty National golf course carpets a former waste siteand features an 18th hole less than 1,000 yards from Lady Liberty'ssandals. Nearby, the Liberty Science Center (OK, the statue hasexerted a numbing influence on local nomenclature) is set to reopenthis July following a 100,000-square-foot expansion. And theAmerican Podiatric Medical Association named Jersey City one of the"Best Walking Cities" in America.
All this, plus something no New York City address can offer: aview across the Hudson of New York City.
what the locals know
Joan Mara, who grew up in Jersey City andworks for a prominent developer on the revitalized waterfront,advises newcomers to sample the community's phenomenal ethnicdiversity. "Check out the short stretch of Newark Avenue betweenKennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue," she says. "It's JerseyCity's Little India―within the space of a block, you can dinealongside Indian families, order a custom-made sari, buy Indianwedding jewelry, or get a henna application."
Population: 240,055
Median Home Price: $385,000
For More Info: cityofjerseycity.com
Check out these coastal hot spots.