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Planting Garlic works best if you do it in the fall. It is very easy to grow and gives you bulbs to use in cooking for much of the year. Be sure to get the heads for planting from a reputable supplier.
There are many types members of the allium family. Garlic is one of them. Find out about the onion varieties here.
Planting garlic cloves from the store will likely not grow, since it is often treated with chemicals so that it will not sprout. If you follow these tips, garlic will be the start of your vegetable gardening projects.
Garlic cloves can be grown outside in the ground or in pots on a patio. It is unlikely that cloves grown as an indoor plant will grow to maturity, since they won't get the required cold period and sunlight needs.
Learn how to plant, grow and harvest garlic. This useful kitchen plant is trouble free in the garden, and my guide takes the guesswork out of growing it.
Where to buy garlic for planting
Even though normal garlic from the store likely won't sprout, organic garlic is a good option. It is not only great for cooking but can be planted to grow more garlic for your needs.
You can buy garlic for planting from organizations like Seed Savers who sell organic and heirloom garlic bulbs.
Local Farmer's Markets will also have a host of farmers who sell organic garlic which can be used to grow in your garden.
If you are buying from a retail company, look for one that specializes in garlic for your cold hardiness zone for best results.
Occasionally I read about growing from garlic seed. Even though growing garlic is very easy, growing it from seed is hit or miss and unlikely to work.
Garlic doesn't usually set seed and when it does it's not used for propagation. Most garlic is grown from cloves.
Garlic Varieties
While there are over 600 named varieties of garlic, the plant can be placed in one of two groups:
- hardneck – ophioscorodon – These do best in cooler climates but have a shorter shelf life – about 5-7 months.
- and softneck – sativum – These do better in warmer climates and have a longer shelf life of about 9 months.
The most obvious difference between the two types is their appearance. Hardneck garlic is named because of the long flowering stem which grows from the center of the bulbs. This is called a scape. Hardneck garlic will produce between 4 and 12 cloves, depending on type.
Softneck garlic produces a larger bulb with more cloves – between 8 and 20 per bulb or even more. They are irregular in shape and has no flowering stalk.
You may also wonder about Elephant Garlic. This bulb is more closely related to the leek. It has a similar flavor to garlic but without the sharp bite that garlic has.
Tips for growing garlic
Garlic is one of the easiest and most trouble-free crops that you can grow. These tips will show you how to grow garlic, starting from when to plant, how to plant and how to harvest the garlic you grow.
Planting Garlic in Pots
All of the instructions below for planting garlic outdoors apply to garlic grown in containers. Be sure that the container is at least 18 inches deep and 12 inches wide, and position the container so that it gets 6 hours of sunlight at a minimum each day.
When to plant garlic outdoors
Timing is critical for garlic planting time. Planting garlic in the fall gives the best flavor and size of bulb. It's best to get it into the ground about 3-8 weeks before the ground freezes.
After you have purchased your garlic for planting, keep the bulbs intact until you are ready to plant them.
For fall planting in most areas of the USA, it is recommended that you plant in late autumn. This means that most of us will get our cloves in sometime between Columbus Day and Halloween.
If you love farther north, you will want to get your cloves into the ground earlier in the fall to give them longer to grow before the first frost.
While fall planting of garlic is best, if you wait too long to plant it and your weather gets too cold, you can also plant it in the very early spring as soon as the ground can be worked.
Spring planted garlic is less flavorsome and produces smaller bulbs than fall garlic does.
If fall planting for garlic is better, what about planting garlic in summer, you may ask? This is not a good idea, because you do not want to get growth going before the long cold spell that winter will provide for your plants.
Be sure to keep an eye out for weeds during the growing season. Garlic, just like most vegetables, does not like to compete with weeds while growing.
How to plant garlic in the fall
The first step in planting garlic is to separate the garlic head into individual cloves. Remove the outer layer of skin but leave the papery skin on the cloves for protection.
Spacing Garlic Cloves
Make sure that the soil is as weed free as possible. Winter is a notorious time for weeds and the garlic will be growing during that season. Give it a good start by doing some weeding now.
Free draining soil with lots of organic matter is best, but garlic will grow in most soil types. Be sure your soil is rich (amend with compost for best results) and the soil should also drain well.
Space the cloves about 4 to 6″ apart in rows that are spaced about 6-10 inches apart. Don't plant too closely together. If you do, you'll get more plants but the heads and cloves will be smaller.
The cloves should be planted so that the pointed end is up and the blunt end is down. (this is where the roots will grow eventually.)
Push each clove firmly about 1-2 inches deep into the ground, and cover the cloves with soil. The last step is to water the soil if it is dry.
Growing conditions for garlic
Like all plants, garlic has specific needs to perform at its best. It grows in conditions similar that of onions, since it is a member of the same family – alliums.
Sunlight needs for garlic
Garlic growing does best when the plant will receive at least six hours of direct sunlight each day.
If you live in colder climates in the Northern part of the USA, it's a good idea to put down about 6″ of leaf mulch or straw on your planted garlic for winter protection.
Mulch will help to make sure that the garlic roots won't be pushed out of the ground through periods of alternating freezing and thawing. Mulch is also useful in warmer climates for helping to control the growth of winter weeds.
Watering Garlic
The plants should be watered regularly until the winter weather starts to keep the ground evenly moist. When the plants start growing again in early spring, give them about 1 inch of water a week until the leaves start to go yellow.
At this point, stop watering to allow the bulbs to become firm.
Fertilizing needs for Garlic
The growing season for garlic is quite long and can take up to 210 days for the bulbs to mature, depending on the variety. Proper fertilization of the plant is important.
Garlic is a very heavy feeder. It's important to fertilize it right from the first stages. I do this by making sure that the soil is well amended with organic matter such as compost, or manure.
After this initial feeding, if you planted in the fall, you can wait until spring to continue feeding the plants. The best fertilizer for garlic plants is high in nitrogen. Work fertilizer down the sides of the plants and about 4 inches away.
Do this monthly until you get ready to harvest.
Bone meal – also known as phosphate rock, is helpful in growing garlic by supplying both calcium and phosphorus to the plant. Both are useful for any root crop. As the size of the garlic crop increases, so does its need for phosphorus.
Garlic Plants and Scapes
The leaves of garlic plants start out with very straight shoots. Some varieties look almost like spring onions when they first start growing since the shoots of hard neck garlic are quite narrow.
As the plants grows, the tops will start to curl. These curled tops are called "garlic scapes" and are fragrant and edible, just like the cloves are.
It is a good idea to cut off the garlic scapes, since they will divert the plant's energy if you leave them and this takes away from the plumpness of the bulbs. Garlic scapes start to form a month or so after the first leaves appear.
Use them to flavor salads and to give a mild garlic flavor to cooked dishes.
Growing Time
To reach full maturity, garlic needs a period with cool temperatures. Under the right conditions, garlic will usually take about eight to nine months to mature.
Harvesting Garlic
Because of the long growing time, cloves planted in the fall will grow through the winter and spring and be ready sometime next summer. These tips will help with harvesting the garlic once the bulbs have matured.
When to harvest Garlic
Garlic is ready to harvest when most of the leaves have started to turn brown. This often happens in the middle of summer. (mid July to August, depending on your zone.)
Don't wait until all the leaves are brown, or the cloves may already be separating.
It's best to harvest when the lower leaves are starting to go brown, but the top 5 or 6 are still green.
How to harvest garlic
To harvest garlic, dig up the bulbs, being careful that you don't bruise them. Leave the stems attached to the bulbs but separate them gently.
Don't leave them too long in the ground, or the cloves may start to separate. Just loosen the soil with a garden shovel or fork and then dig around the garlic cloves carefully.
Don't pull on the stems to pull out the bulbs (unless you have dug around the bulbs to loosen the soil) or they will pull off the bulbs.
Gently brush the dirt off the garlic bulbs and tie the plants in a bundle of 6-8 plants. Allow them to dry for several weeks.
Drying Garlic Bulbs
You can also lay out the garlic bulbs and allow them to dry for 2-3 weeks in a shady spot. Protect them from rain. IF you allow the bulbs to get wet, the heads won't last as long.
Store loose bulbs in a dry and cool place with good air circulation. Baskets work fine.
Another technique is to braid the stems and hang the braids of garlic to dry. Leave plants hanging for 4-6 weeks so that bulbs can cure.
What about Sprouted garlic?
Sometimes garlic will sprout in your kitchen. If you notice this, use the bulbs soon. Planting sprouted garlic cloves is also possible.
Sprouted cloves are often used to grow garlic greens for an indoor plant. They are milder than garlic but make a really great garnish.
Do you dread the task of removing the skins from garlic when it is time to use it in recipes? My tutorial for easily peeling garlic will give you lots of tips.
Questions about Growing Garlic
I have tried to cover most of the tips for growing and planting garlic but these are some questions that I often get asked by readers.
Does planting garlic keep bugs away?
There many plants, and herbs that will do a pretty good job of keeping pests away from other plants in your garden.
Garlic is one that is thought to work well in this regard. Many gardeners believe that garlic (as well as leeks, shallots and onions) will protect roses from aphids if planted nearby.
Garlic is also thought to repel Japanese beetles, spider mites, fruit tree borers and weevils. Mosquitoes seem to dislike the smell of garlic and stay away from planted areas so it could be a good idea to have some planted near by if they are a problem for you.
Are mosquitoes a problem in your yard? Find out how to make a homemade mosquito repellent with essential oils, and learn about other mosquito repelling plants here.
Will planting garlic keep deer away?
It does appear that deer do not like the odor of planted garlic and will keep clear of areas planted where it is planted.
Will garlic grow in the shade?
Garlic needs a lot of sunlight to grow well. It might tolerate partial shade in very warm climates, as long as it is not for very long periods during the day or for much of the growing season.
Does garlic grow back every year
Garlic is treated as an annual and the entire bulb is uprooted and used, so new cloves must be planted each year to have a continual supply of it.
I have read of techniques for treating elephant garlic like a perennial but this is generally not the way that it is grown.
Does Garlic Flower?
If you grow hardneck garlic and have not removed the scapes they will eventually turn into a flower of sorts. However, the plant will then direct its energy into keeping the flowers alive, rather than growing the bulb, so it is suggested to remove the scapes before flowering.
If you would like a reminder of this post for planting garlic, just pin this image to one of your gardening boards on Pinterest.
If you cannot find garlic suitable to try and grow your own locally, Amazon has several vendors who have garlic cloves suitable for growing for sale.
Have you ever tried planting garlic? Please let us know how you did with it.
Admin note: This post first appeared on the blog in December of 2012. I have updated the post to add a video and give more information on growing garlic and also tips for harvesting garlic.


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Cybercrime Summit: A Law Enforcement/Information Technology Industry Dialogue on Prevention, Detection, Investigation and Cooperation Wednesday, April 5, 2000 1:45 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. Stanford University Law School 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Room 290 Stanford, California
(Afternoon session began at 1:45 p.m.:)
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Thank you. This has been excellent. What I would like to do is just ask a couple of questions about the reports, and then outline what I have heard and some additional thoughts and get your reactions so that I make sure I come away from here with your thoughts.
It seems to me that with respect to incident reporting the law enforcement representatives here, all of us have got to be reminded we must do a lot better job just in terms of victim relationships. I mean that is what it is all about, whether it is a bank robbery and how we handle the bank robbery information or this kind of information, we have got to do a better job of it.
What I would like to suggest is that we develop Harris, if you thought well of this a small working group of people who would really be interested to develop a protocol that can be useful, a template, as you suggest, to overcome some of these issues.
And with that in mind, if you would be thinking about any other issue that might be relevant, it would be extremely helpful to me.
Somebody said law enforcement never leaks information. I think law enforcement has got to do a far better job of that. And we need to look at how it dissuades people from coming to law enforcement and make clear what we can and cannot do in that regard.
I am very interested in the CPA issues and would like to follow up on that.
One of the most difficult issues, though, is how do we keep you advised. One of the most terrible things I have ever been through was a long homicide investigation in which the victim's family was distraught. One of their members had been blamed for it. And it was a very long and tedious investigation. Not to be able to tell parents who had lost a child just what was going on was very, very difficult.
Somehow or another law enforcement has got to be able to conduct the investigation in a professional, proper way while at the same time recognizing the human concerns involved. And I think this is true here. I think we need to figure out what we can properly say and not say so that we keep you advised. We have got to develop timeframes by which you might expect answers.
With respect to the second report, I like the way you destroyed the myths. I particularly think the first myth, I cannot think of anybody really that gets hurt because you think the headlines one day is a going to have a lasting effect and people forget headlines pretty quickly. But I think we have got to make sure that more people understand that because, again, it is so important we exchange information.
I think one of the keys to this, and I just cannot stress how important it is, the myth that industry does not want to be involved, does not want to participate has clearly been demolished here by the presence of so many. But we have got to continue to break that down. And I think the meeting on the East Coast will be helpful and follow-up working group meetings will be extremely helpful.
But the one thing I would suggest to everybody involved, the single most important thing that we can do is to develop a track record, a track record of competent investigators who know what they are doing, working closely with industry, leading to a successful conviction, an appropriate sentence that people talk about. And then we can truly talk about some of these cases. We can go over them. We can explain what worked and what didn't work.
And I just urge everybody involved to pursue, not just for the sake of pursuing it, but if you have a case that needs to be pursued, let us do so and let us try to work together to make it a model for others.
The third myth I think is clearly again a myth. But I think it goes back to the point I am hearing again and again, which is law enforcement has got to make a better explanation of what it is doing, what its problems are, what its limitations are and what it can do. And, again, the actual case properly done is one of the best messages.
Finally, the fourth myth about law enforcement not caring about impact on business. I have seen some investigators, very few and far between, and some prosecutors not give much of a darn about what their investigation did to people, but that is over twenty years and I can think of two instances. And I did not have anything to do with one; I just saw it from a distance.
Most people do care. They sometimes get caught up in the press of their work. But I think we have got to be reminded again, and I think law enforcement has got to understand what would you feel like if it were your parent, your husband, your wife, somebody you loved dearly caught up in this, how would you like to be treated. What would happen if your brother was the CEO of the company that had been severely hurt by a hacker. How would you like your brother to be treated in that situation.
I think you all have touched here on resources. Somebody told me the other day the Justice Department salaries were not much, but I should not worry about salaries. I should worry about the cyberarchitecture of the Justice Department and the resources available and the automation of the Department. Because, I was told, that if I did not worry about it nobody would want to work at the Justice Department within three or four years because we were so totally old-fashioned, antiquated and out of date and people could get far more interesting jobs with far better tools at most other companies in the world. That is leading us to try to do something about it. But what again it points out is the need for law enforcement to share its resources, its expertise, it's equipment.
I had occasion after the morning session to talk to some of the representatives from California. Just think of what we can do, the public and the private sector, if we share training opportunities, if we share equipment where it is appropriate, if we share expertise. We can truly make a difference.
I think this is going to require some new approaches in the public-private partnership. But the whole point of what we are talking about is that we have, as Mr. Watkins said, an anarchist phenomenon that is everywhere, that everyone has come together to construct, to build, to enhance. It is rather an unruly, chaotic instrument we are dealing with, but the more we can work together to harness it, not so as to limit it but to make it even more useful, the better off we will be.
I think this is going to require that we think through the issue of how we form public-private partnerships, how we take advantage of somebody from industry to serve for a time as an intern, if you will, and vice-versa. And I would like to suggest that might be another topic for conversation.
The final report was on the vulnerability information. This is key. I have had to deal with the issue of weapons of mass destruction for seven years now, what chemical and biological weapons could do, what nuclear weapons can do, what happened in Oklahoma City. It is one of the awesome responsibilities of government service. But when I think of what one mad genius could do with this remarkable tool, that also staggers the imagination and converts vanity to prayer.
There is before law enforcement and before the issue of investigations and the like what we can do together to prevent it, to prevent terrible destruction caused by manipulation of services controlled by automation. And that is going to require the differentiation between national security issues and law enforcement issues. And when it rises to the level of national security so we take appropriate action in emergency situations, I think we have got to include that in all our discussions.
What I would like to do, Harris, in connection with the vulnerability process is take the notes from this last report and try to develop contact numbers and points of contact and places to go and protocol that can give everyone clear information as to what can be done. We could include the National Association of Attorneys General, the IACP, the National District Attorneys' Association, and develop a network so people know who's who and what can be done.
Finally, there are a lot of issues, a lot of legal issues that deserve a great deal of thought and there are a lot of technical issues. I am wondering how we can continue on this dialogue, how we can answer Peter Watkins' questions down the road, how we can answer my questions and your questions about what happens when the French man being investigated by the French authorities has committed a crime in France, but it is not a crime in the United States, or what happens if you are in a country where electronic surveillance of any kind is not authorized, that they have concluded the search of a computer is not a physical search, that it is an electronic surveillance, if that be the case, and there is no authorization for surveillance. There are so many questions that we have got to ask, both within our federalist system of government as between the fifty states and between nations.
What happens on so many issues. You can help us define those issues. And it might well be that we develop a working group, because there is no other situation that I know of where the interconnectivity of this medium brings public and private sectors together and where we are going to have to use new methods, not new legal methods, but new factual methods of getting to the truth.
The next issue is how we deal with crime that knows no borders. How are we going to prosecute. How are we going to bring people to justice. How are we going to put on trials. Who is going to be the witness. How are we going to make them available. How are we going to qualify them. There are just a lot of issues that are going to have to be addressed so that not only are they addressed here but around the world.
And the bottom line is: This is an instrument that covers the world. Our law will not limit it. We are going to have to work with our colleagues. And this is going to require some international contacts. I think that might be an interesting subject for another working group.
But I would be very grateful for your suggestions as to how we can continue this dialogue, how we can continue to answer questions and how we can possibly have troubleshooters, if you will.
If law enforcement comes to me and says, "I just met this most stubborn, butt-headed security expert for the ABC Company, what do I do about it?"
And I talk to the security expert at the ABC Company and he says, "That guy doesn't know what he's talking about. If he would just sit down and talk to me, I could get it worked out."
I would like to try to do everything we can through appropriate remedies to provide for the exchange of information that will permit the best discussion possible.
I would be grateful for the thoughts of everyone here now on this and any other issue that has not been covered in the reports.
MR. MEDRANO: Just a comment. As it relates to the international aspects of this, I think there is on May 15 a G8 meeting on cybercrime that I was invited to. I wanted to make sure that at least something from here is connected with that, which is happening in Paris on May 15, 16 and 17. So, as a delegation from the United States Attorney people going on there, and we are talking about cybercrime on the international level, not just United States.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Great. We will follow up on that.
FACILITATOR MILLER: Once concern, General, I have about that meeting, and I have already discussed it with Michael Sussman in the Department, and there is probably nothing that can be done about it, is it is a very formalized meeting, and that may be in the nature of G8 and
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: You cannot do anything about it.
FACILITATOR MILLER: That is what he said.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: You can do a little bit about it, because what I try to do when I get there, you go through these long prepared you have these prepared things. And you read from them and people go through I mean you feel like you are back in the 1800s in diplomacy and that this is how Jefferson must have presented his credentials in Paris.
But you find quickly on the sides of these meetings in bilaterals that you get an awful lot done. And sometimes, just sometimes, you can cut through the froufrou to get to the real issues. So you are right to have a concern, but I think they are extremely useful.
FACILITATOR MILLER: One of the things we could look at, as I mentioned this morning, industry is going to sponsor this global summit in Washington on October 16th and 17th. Maybe there could be an industry-sponsored break-out session where we would invite law enforcement. And that may allow a little more dialogue, if we had representatives of various countries where they would not feel so much compelled to stick to the script, so to speak.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I think that would be an excellent idea, and we would like to work with you on that score.
The other thing is I think we have an opportunity here in the western hemisphere with the Organization of American States. There is an awful lot going on. Most countries are not nearly as developed and they are quite willing to listen to us and make suggestions, respectful suggestions. And we could get this hemisphere working together on this issue. Because most farsighted ministers of justice and law enforcement officials I have talked to in the hemisphere realize how important it is.
The other thing is I think and let me give you just a little bit more of a statement than I did this morning. When I took office in 1993 we made a big push to develop a good working relationship with the EU and our counterparts in the EU.
I was told on so many occasions, "Janet, don't worry. I know you feel like you're getting nowhere, but we haven't really given much attention to the justice, home affairs, public safety issues because that gets so into the sovereignty issue." And they said, "Just you wait."
Last fall, as I mentioned, in Finland at Tampere they finally reached some understanding and moved forward quite rapidly in terms of finally focusing on home affairs and justice issues. They have told us, well, we still have to get our act together a bit and it will be the summer probably before we have a foundation upon which to build. I hope to be able to visit with my colleagues and with Jack Straw in June or July on this issue. And I would hope we could develop some really solid foundations in the North Atlantic agenda and the accent on this area, because it is going to be so important. And it will be important that we develop some understandings before it becomes set in stone in the EU.
FACILITATOR MILLER: Mark, did you have one?
MR. KADRICH: Yes. Mark Kadrich with Connection.
The government has eyes virtually everywhere, all over the world. And what I would be interesting in knowing is if the government would be willing to supply G2 on potential threats. If we can prepare for them, we would be in a position to react a lot quicker.
Certain organizations throughout the world have threatened the government. The government knows about it. And they are going to attack our government through our businesses. If we can take steps to prevent those attacks at the ISP level, I think we would be better off.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I would like to explore that with you because there are obviously some limitations there. But on the whole issue of what you are really talking about is economic espionage. And I think that is an area Director Freeh has really focused on. We have got much to do in that area. And I think that might be something that can be discussed as to what the appropriate role of each is. And that might be a very specific issue we could address.
MR. GARCIA: John Garcia. I am from the Joint Task Force for Computer Network Defense.
Ma'am, could you give us your thoughts on how DOD and specifically the DCIOs play into the partnership that is being worked here between government and industry?
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: John Hamre, the outgoing Deputy Secretary of Defense, has been, I think, instrumental in bringing DOD, the Justice Department and the FBI much closer together in developing a working relationship that we can build on.
We have had an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues. And I think the person who will take his place, Rudy De Leon, is going to follow in his footsteps in that thoughtful effort.
Meanwhile, I think an excellent working relationship has developed between the DCI and the FBI, and that has got to be built upon, because much of it is a personal relationship, and I think it has got to be institutionalized.
I think one of the things we have to do, both with respect to the issue of economic espionage and otherwise, is do a better job of proactively identifying risk areas that are we wait until it happens. With appropriate action, and by that I mean from a law enforcement perspective, I think we can do a lot more. I think both Director Tenet, Director Freeh and I recognize that and are moving to take action in that regard.
The whole area of DOD, the State Department, the Justice Department, when I came into office, a Justice Department representative would look in and say, "That State Department, this is clearly a law enforcement matter and they are trying to boss us around."
And I would go over to the State Department and Strobe Talbott would say, "Janet, we are the chief of mission. Tell him to get in their elbows." And my message to everybody is this is a whole new world in terms of crime. Borders are meaningless with not just cyberissues but high-speed mobility and people's I think CNN has contributed greatly to it because people now see a world they never really could understand before.
It requires strong new partnerships, and I think they are all in the process of being forged.
MR. GRAHAM: I am Robert Graham from Network Ice.
Myself and others in the industry are spending a lot of time on preventive measures against stop hackers before the crime occurs. The focus of this meeting has often been on the response after the occurrence of a hack.
What kinds of efforts is the Justice Department pursuing for also doing preventive measures? For example, interacting with the hacker groups, setting up sort of stings that might pseudo systems to allow hackers to break into, and that sort of thing?
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I assure you I didn't plant you there to ask that question.
(General laughter.)
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: But the reason I would suggest, though I left this to Harris' design, was that the message I have gotten so consistently from industry is, 'Look, we can do a better job of policing ourselves and preventing it and providing security and making sure our house door is locked and that our windows are not open, and the like. You handle it after the crime has been committed. We do not need your regulation.'
I think there is probably a middle ground where if we show what we can do together in areas that are truly law enforcement, then we can work together in terms of prevention and do so much in that regard. It comes back down to what we were talking about a moment ago in terms of proactive efforts.
I need your advice on how I can perform in this area, how the Justice Department and the federal government can do a better job in this area without the industry feeling we are intrusive, that it is Big Brother watching you, that it is those concerns that are at foot.
So I am one of those people who thinks all crime from violence to anything else is far better prevented than investigated. And I would like to do everything I could to prevent it.
If you think we have reached some understandings down the road, maybe we should do a prevention working group, too.
MR. KLUEPFEL: A short question. On the plane ride out I read the book called The New Jackals, the capture of Ramzi Yousef and the pursuits of Osama bin Laden.
I think in the reading of that book, it really brings out the value of joint task forces and the level of cooperation and the piece in there about the World Trade Center architect who came in and pointed out that the bomb was clearly aimed at the structural columns really, from my background, says a lot of the kinds of things we need to be worried about and the level of cooperation.
The NIPC's release of the E911 Worm Alert working with the SANS Network and other industry organizations to get that information out, it was obvious to me that it probably came out of the evidence analysis of an existing case. I think that is a tribute to trying to work the problem early on. And I was the poker at the other side on the 6E issues of evidence protection.
Because I think you have got to strike the vein, and we have all got to work harder to recognize the vulnerabilities we may have right in front of our eyes and to limit the risk of the exploit. You characterized a brilliant, misguided disrupter of the network. I think the capabilities are out there. I think the vulnerabilities are out there. And I think we have really got to work closely together along all the lines that were collected in the three panels.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I think all these points are well taken, and I think it is important for us to you are probably going to think I am stupid to raise this, but this is the most graphic way I can describe it.
When I was a little girl I learned how to milk a cow because my father was having to go in to work early and I wanted him to be able to stay there as long as he could, so I milked the cow. And I was one of the few people my age that I discovered knew how to milk a cow, because everybody had become used to the electronic cow milkers and they just didn't know how to milk a cow.
We are going to become used to this wonderful tool, this remarkable phenomenon that has been created. And we are going to make ourselves very, very vulnerable unless we provide the security, the safety and the reliability of it that is so important for it to work. And we are going to forget how to communicate and how to solve problems without it. So I think the bottom line is let's work together to protect it.
FACILITATOR MILLER: What I was going to do after John is sort of take my to-do list that I have taken notes on and see if I have got the right to-do list here.
One of the dangers I found hanging around with Attorney General Reno is you always leave meetings with a to-do list, and make sure we have the right to-do list out of the three working groups. Some of them are short-term to-dos. Some of them are longer-term to-dos.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Maybe you and I could get together and just figure out how we
FACILITATOR MILLER: How we do it, certainly.
MR. HANDLER: My name is Brad Handler. I work at eBay.
Madame Attorney General, I had a question concerning follow-up on prevention and the key to prevention.
I think one of the things I have learned today and over the last several years working at eBay is that prevention will actually deter people who are down the path of committing a crime. One of the things and being able to demonstrate that there is a prevention mechanism.
One of the problems we face, those of us who deal with consumers every day online, is getting law enforcement to recognize the seriousness of the crime and then prosecute it. Internet fraud, auction fraud is probably the easiest thing in the world to prosecute from an online crime standpoint because we have got all the information.
Time after time we provide that information to law enforcement both local, state and also federal, and are told that it does not meet the guidelines of the dollar value at which Assistant U.S. Attorneys or U.S. Attorneys' Offices will take the cases.
Can you give us any guidance on how we can convince particular U.S. Attorneys' Offices to take those cases for the preventive measure of demonstrating to the bad actors out there that people will punish you if you commit these crimes?
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I cannot tell you to go to Congress and tell them to give the U.S. Attorneys more money, and I am not talking about myself because I am going to be gone and I am going to be sitting on the outside looking in. So I feel comfortable in that.
But with the resources we have, if we can develop some common understandings about how law enforcement can participate with industry in sound, proper prevention programs, that is one of the best ways to proceed.
Secondly, in a totally noncyberrelated area of bankruptcy fraud, the trustees came to me and said, "People know just about where the radar screen is and they can get in under the radar and go right in with $25,000 here or $30,000 here and the U.S. Attorney says it is too small a matter to prosecute." We have since then started to confuse them as to where the radar is. And I am told it has had a salutary effect.
We never have all the resources we would like to have to do everything we want to do for the American people. And I don't think there will ever be a prosecutor who has that luxury. But we try to work with the industry involved, with citizens to use our resources as wisely as possible. And that may be one of the ways.
The second way is to get state and local law enforcement trained in this, as well, and to make them a full partner in this effort, because the bottom line is that state and local law enforcement is on the front line in so many issues of law enforcement on so many crimes. And they can be a powerful partner. So there is much that can be done, and we would like to work with you in that regard.
FACILITATOR MILLER: Well, again let me try to pick up some to-dos. I am sure I missed some things, but let me see if I can pick up some things here.
One, several people have talked about the dialogues, so I think a to-do item is to decide whether we want to institutionalize meetings like this on some kind of a regular basis, number one.
And, number two, whether it should just be the IT industry and law enforcement, or whether it should be the broader set of industries involved in the Partnership for Critical Infrastructure, for example.
So I think we need to decide that, because if people decide after this meeting and the following meeting we have on the East Coast that this is a good idea, then there may be some value in regularizing it. Obviously topics can change from meeting to meeting. But clearly having a meeting on a regular basis becomes a forcing function in terms of making sure that both sides are continuing the dialogue getting working groups going. So I think that is a question rather than a to-do, but I think it is something we should decide in the fairly new future.
Secondly, picking up from both Group 1 and Group 2 and then the protocol you talked about, General Reno, about some kind of better way of dealing with victims and some of the things that Mike Vatis, in particular, reported on is developing a cook's guide for the business community on what law enforcement does in cybercrime investigations, for lack of a better term.
And then Bill was particularly commenting on what would be needed in the case of criminal investigation. I think that again would be a joint effort between the law enforcement community, perhaps with feedback from industry to make sure it is understandable and clear and not overly technical.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I think industry has got to be part and parcel of it, because as you all get into your technical stuff, and some of us do not understand it, we get into some legalese, into some jargon, and 6Es and things like that, and we need your onhand observations, I think.
FACILITATOR MILLER: Great. Well, we would certainly be willing and interested in partnering and developing a document like that. And then, of course, related to that is how to disseminate it.
And I think, again, Bill, in your group we thought that industry would be willing across-the- board to help disseminate it once it was developed, much as what was done with Y2K and other issues.
Thirdly was an issue that came up in several contexts, which I think again is more of government than industry, is elevating the issue internally within law enforcement. And then also, as John was suggesting, even taking it perhaps to the issue of educating judges about these issues.
Fourthly is working through this issue of confidentiality so that industry does better understand that, what really is being said by law enforcement. And I think again that is going to require dialogue back and forth. I don't think that is anything that is one side or the other.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Well, first of all, I think government is going to have to resolve itself. Have you ever been puzzled, you hear somebody say, "I'm sorry, the government neither confirms nor denies it has an ongoing investigation." Then you suddenly see a headline saying, "Federal government investigating so-and-so. Such-and-such says." There are a lot of guidelines. And we have got to you can help us address the larger issue.
FACILITATOR MILLER: Fantastic. We would be glad to do that.
In terms of a point that again the Group Number 2 made, report, was I think an interesting point, that the policy at the company, corporate level may be to cooperate with law enforcement, but that message may not have reached the front-line people in these companies. I think that is something industry needs to take a look at, how they do not send or have ambiguous messages internally in terms of cooperation with law enforcement. Again I think if we could develop this cook's tour to how law enforcement does these investigations, that might help to create more common policies within corporations.
Again, policies may vary from company to company, but at least there would be a template that people within a company could start off from and then they could modify to suit the particular company policy on sharing information.
The Ride Along Program I think is an interesting idea, Mike. And maybe we need to figure out what that would look like in the real world and how we would do a better job.
We have tried, as you know, General, at your suggestion, to set up a personnel exchange between industry and government. It has been a little hard to do that because I don't know that I think Mike is kind of strapped for funds these days, as everybody is, but I think we want to continue to work on that. I knew at least some of my member companies are interested in doing a personnel exchange, where they would send senior people for short-term assignments into the government. But we have to figure out how to implement that.
You mentioned the protocols on victim relationships. That is a joint effort between industry.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: That would be in the guidebook.
FACILITATOR MILLER: And that would be part of the guidebook.
In terms of resource issues, it came up in a couple of the reports, and you brought it up again, General, in terms of sharing training opportunities, sharing equipment and obstacles that apparently exist now. I think industry needs to understand better what those obstacles are. As Howard Schmidt reported, many times industry wants to help and then it turns out that...
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: That there is a federal advisory committee regulation or you cannot do this or you cannot do that.
FACILITATOR MILLER: Right.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I think this is going to be the impetus for new approaches and new sharing.
FACILITATOR MILLER: In terms of the specific recommendation that Mary Riley reported on and the idea of industry figuring out a way to simplify ways for law enforcement people to figure out who within the company is the appropriate contact, we need to work that through. I think there is a desire to do that, but I think there was some disagreement among the companies about exactly the best way to do that. But certainly we want to make that as simple as possible.
I think what we all agreed on the industry side that does not make sense is try to have some master list that ITAA or the Chamber of Commerce would maintain. That is impossible. But how companies would do that most effectively without Intel or Microsoft putting a big black box on its front page of its website saying, "Come here if you have a crime to report," which is not exactly I think what the webpage designers would be very excited about, but something that would really be able to work.
We mentioned the international, trying to figure out how to deal more directly with the international. Again, as I said, we are trying to do that on a global basis, but we would be willing to work with you in a way that would be most effective.
Then the point that Rob Graham brought up about the need to perhaps focus part of the next meeting on preventive issues as opposed to more investigative issues and perhaps using the meeting on the East Coast, devoting some time to that topic and continuing the dialogue in that area.
MR. SCHMIDT: Two quick things. One of them, since Hank brought up the issue in the 911 Alert that came out the other day, something that I don't know that we have discussed as a group, but the technical accuracies of some of those bulletins just created a tremendous nightmare of tech support. That came out. We were not aware of it. Since it affected some of our stuff, the next thing you know the support issue went up, everything went up, and there were some technical inaccuracies.
Not wanting to slow that process down, but to be able to sit there and be part of that process, and I would presume some of the other companies' representatives who have those products out there would be appreciative of the opportunity to comment and help define the technical accuracy of that and be prepared for the support level. Because when you start getting those calls at two o'clock in the morning and you are not aware of it, it is tough to give people the answers they need.
And the second thing, and this is something I believe is directly within your ability to do something with, is on the NCTP, the National Cybercrime Training Partnership, and the training for the state and local law enforcement folks, there have been a number of the companies in this room that have wanted to help support that training effort, but it has been difficult because of not wanting to involve private-sector organizations in that sort of an emphasis and do the training thing.
So if you could help break that up we can probably provide more resources, the technical training that is necessary.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: What I am going to have to do is to look at the public-private partnership efforts that are involved. This has been one of the most frustrating things I have dealt with, because at home I could form could call so-and-so at the local bank or somebody at one of the big eight firms and start talking about things immediately and did not have to worry about federal advisory committees, and the like. There are some significant limitations.
I think again in this area, considering the interconnectivity of the net and how we are all in this together, if you will, there are going to have to be, if current law does not permit it, there are going to have to be some relaxations that permit far better exchange than we have now. So I am committed to doing that.
FACILITATOR MILLER: With that I would like to turn it over to General Reno for the final comments.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I would add just one and that, again, gets into the issue of what can be done public versus private. I mean in a public-prevent partnership. The whole issue, Mr. Diffie, that you were talking about in terms of just the legal issues involved and legal issues that we might not have even thought of and why don't we start thinking about them.
And one of the things that industry taught me quickly was many of these legal issues can be solved by technical and technological advances so that you do not need legal adjustments. The more we can work together using, applying the technology and the law together the better we will be.
I can't thank you enough. I know how busy everybody is. And to spend this amount of time on this subject has been very important to all of us in the Department of Justice. And I want to express my gratitude.
This is an extraordinary time. Never have we been there at the beginning of something where we can so shape it for the future into being such a remarkable tool for humankind. Your willingness to spend this time today is evidence of what I have found in this country.
People say we're cynical. They say we're selfish. They say we are isolated and we are very private. But there is tremendous goodwill in this country and certainly in this room today. Thank you very much.
(Whereupon, the Summit concluded at 3:05 p.m.)

subset: commoncrawl


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An effective CRM program should tell you an amazing amount of information about your staff, your customers, your process and your advertising expenditures. That's why we've included EVERY function into our LIS CRM tool instead of separating functions as add-ons and upgrades. This makes it a more effective tool for your team and a better value to your bottom line. Check out our suite of features and integrated tools above, then ask yourself, "Am I getting the best results from my current CRM program?"


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Given the recent news of Petaluma Gap finally being formally recognized as the 18th appellation of Sonoma County, a little reminiscence seems appropriate. Please enjoy my article previously published by The Tasting Panel in 2008, with the addition of some relevant and fun photos taken over the years and from the recent celebration.
Introducing: The Petaluma Gap
In the cool-climate regions of California, the delicate grape variety pinot noir continues to capture the hearts of passionate winemakers and producers committed to releasing their own signature styles of classy, elegant and sophisticated red wines on an annual basis. Recently, a blossoming area to lure such attention is a distinctive winegrowing region known as the Petaluma Gap. Located at the lower end of the Sonoma Coast appellation in southern Sonoma County: A Blossoming area.
Distinguished by its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, this unique area is influenced by misty fog in the mornings, warm afternoons and chilly maritime winds in the evenings. Together, this mixture of intriguing climatic conditions, diverse soils and unique geographic locations make this area near the historic city of Petaluma an ideal spot to grow delicious thin-skinned grapes.
In 2005 and 2006, the impact of this intriguing natural phenomenon allowed fruit to hang on the vines for an extended period of time. The end result is a magnificent stream of elegant new releases which feature sensational flavors of mixed berries, ripe plums, red currants, dark cherries, fresh ruby grapefruit, pomegranate, zesty spices, and lingering hints of smoke and earth.
As an extra bonus, not only do these beautiful wines coat the palate with complex flavors, balanced tannins and crisp acidity, but they are also quite ageworthy. In short, they are the kind of wines that you want to get your hands on before they are gone!
Keller Estate
One of the pioneers of this delicious new movement is Keller Estate, a state-of-the-art winery nestled in the rolling hills off Lakeville Highway, southeast of downtown Petaluma. Founded by automotive interior designer Arturo and Deborah Keller in the mid 1980s, the premiere blocks of the La Cruz and El Coro vineyards on this estate are now home to 42 acres of pinot noir clones and special varietal selections that are planted on diverse clay and volcanic-based soils.
To insure the quality of the fruit, winemaker Michael McNeill closely monitors how each block is maturing leading up to harvest. Once picked, he captures the flavors and personality of these vines by keeping the clones from each block separate until the final batch is blended.
"Realistically, there is no such thing as a magic silver bullet. There are no steroids that enhance the strength and no secret potions to add to the allure of a finished wine," says McNeill. Instead, the beauty of a fine pinot noir comes from the generosity of flavors, complexity and true elegance that you get from a mixture of the clones picked before they get overripe."
"Overall, our goal is to master the art of embracing and magnifying the pure hedonistic flavors in each bottle we produce!"
Cult following
Although they produce 11,000 cases of pinot noir, syrah, chardonnay and pinot gris each year, Keller Estate also sells a portion of its estate fruit to a number of top producers. One of them is Testarossa, a Saratoga, Calif-based winery known for making hand-crafted vineyard designate pinots with fruit from legendary sites in the Central Coast. But according to Rob Jensen, the owner of the winery, getting their hands on high-quality grapes from the breezy Petaluma Gap region is just as exciting.
"Much like the Pisoni and Gary's vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands or Bien Nacido in Santa Maria, I truly believe that the La Cruz Vineyard and other locations in the cool-climate Petaluma area will be on that same tier very soon," said Jensen. "It's definitely a region for winemakers, sommeliers, wine buyers and collectors to get to know as quickly as possible!"
Another maverick vintner that sees great promise for this unique growing region is Adam Lee, winemaker and proprietor of Siduri Winery, which released two delicious wines from the Sonaterra and Terra de Promissio vineyards in Petaluma last year. Needless to say, the recent releases of both of these hand-crafted wines sold out immediately.
"With low yields and long hang time, working with pinot noir grapes from Petaluma can definitely test the patience of a winemaker," said Lee. "But there is always enough sun to lift the fruit and support the tannins needed to make rich, powerful and elegant styles of wines that make it well worth the wait."
Like Testarossa and Siduri, many other well-known wineries such as Cobb Wines, Kosta Browne, Ceja, Cline, Culler, CL Wines, De La Montanya, Flowers, Hart's Desire, Landmark, Longfellow, Mayo Family, Pax, and Roessler, either own or work closely with growers in the Petaluma Gap district. Special vineyard designate names to look for on wine labels include: Gap's Crown, Griffin's Lair, Armagh Vineyard, Devil's Gulch, and Rockin' H Ranch.
Boutique Wineries
In addition to Keller Estate and Adobe Road (a medium-sized winery owned by renowned sports car racer and entrepreneur Kevin Buckler and his wife Debra), there are a growing number of boutique Petaluma-based wineries that specialize in working with pinot noir.
One of them is the Kastania Vineyard, which is located off Highway 101, south of Petaluma. After planting pinot noir grapes in 1998, Hoot and Linda Smith sold the fruit from the first few vintages to Landmark Winery. But after hiring talented winemaker Leslie Sisneros in 2005, the family introduced its dazzling new releases under the Kastania label last year.
Today, the winery produces 700 to 800 cases and is open for tasting on weekends. "We like to think of our location off Highway 101 as a tasty gateway to all the great Pinot Noirs of the Petaluma Gap region and the rest of Sonoma County!" said Smith.
Another outstanding brand is Ridgeway Family Vineyards from the Two Pisces Vineyard. Owned by Michael and Teela Ridgeway, this 10-acre vineyard features five clones, Pommard, 115, 667, 777 and 828, that are planted on the rounded ridges of southwest-facing hillsides. Crafted by long-time Sonoma County winemaker Dan Goldfield, the latest release from the 2005 vintage is generous, elegant and refined with flavors of fresh tobacco, vanilla, blueberry, ripe plum, and a burst of fresh acidity on the long, engaging finish. "It's all about the vines," said Michael Ridgeway, with a smile.
Other up-and-coming boutique producers from the Petaluma Gap region include: Azari, Bush-Field, Clary Ranch, Corda, Pey-Marin Vineyards, Stubbs, and Sutton Cellars.
In terms of food pairings, these elegant and expressive styles of pinot noir work extremely well with starter course featuring wild mushrooms or young, tangy cheeses, and with entrées featuring fresh Ahi tuna, salmon, pork or lamb. More importantly, whether they are served at a restaurant or in the comforts of your own home, don't be surprised if these tasty wines stimulate conversation and leave a priceless impression on the palate for many years to come!
For more information about pinot noir and other cool-climate grape varieties grown in the Petaluma area, visit the Petaluma Gap Grape and Wine Alliance at, www.petalumagap.com.


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By a vote of 113-2, the Florida House passed a bill today aimed at reducing the number of people subjected to mandatory minimums for prescription drug offenses. The House vote follows the Florida Senate's passage of SB 360 in late March.
"This common sense bill is a step forward in addressing the demand side of the prescription drug epidemic," said Rep. Katie Edwards. "Rather than sending a nonviolent addict to prison, we should take advantage of our drug courts and substance abuse treatment programs to help get the person on the right track. Too many families have been torn apart by harsh mandatory minimum sentences, and this bill helps right that wrong."
Under current Florida law, unauthorized possession of as few as seven hydrocodone pills is enough to trigger a drug trafficking charge and a three-year mandatory minimum prison sentence; two dozen hydrocodone pills is enough to trigger a seven-year mandatory minimum sentence. SB 360 raises those thresholds, as well as the threshold for oxycodone pills. The bill now goes to Florida Gov. Rick Scott for signing.
"The current threshold for prescription pill trafficking is terrifyingly low," said Greg Newburn, Florida director of Families Against Mandatory Minimums. "This legislation raises that threshold a little higher, which will keep that many more Floridians from being subjected to nonsensical mandatory minimum sentences."
According to a legislative staff analysis, SB 360 could save Florida nearly $50 million in prison operating and capital costs over the next five years.
"At a time when many legislators across the country are reacting to overdose deaths with policies shown not to work, Florida legislators are passing sensible laws that will save lives and money," Newburn said. "Representative Katie Edwards and Senator Rob Bradley showed incredible stewardship on behalf of their constituents and the rest of Florida. Together, they set a much-needed example on how to lead with level heads on an issue that has no easy answers.
"We'd also like to thank Representatives Dave Hood, Dennis Baxley, Matt Gaetz, and Charles McBurney, as well as Senator Greg Evers, for making passage of this bill possible."
For more information, contact Greg Newburn, Florida director of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, at email@example.com.


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Madeira Cake
Madeira cake can divide the room, some think it is the prince-of-cakes, while others think it the boring-uncle. We think it is somewhere in-between. With a light lemony taste a slice of cake from this recipe is perfect to be served with tea or a sweet Madeira wine, and it is delicious spread with a little jam. The classic Madeira is a sponge cake, flavoured with lemon, with a firm crumb towards the edges and a lighter texture in the middle. Dating back to the 1700s it was named after the Madeira wine, which was popular in England at the time and was often served with the cake. The original Madeira Cake recipe from 1854 below shows how the cake has changed very little in hundreds of years.
'Practice of Cookery', By Mrs I. Williamson. Published 1854
Take one pound of soft sugar; beat it with three quarters of a pound of butter for twenty minutes; add two eggs, and beat for some time, and so on until you have added twelve; then mix in gently one pound of flour. Bake in a slow oven for an hour and three quarters. When it has been in the oven for half an hour, take it out and place some stripes of orange peel on the top.
Madeira Cake Recipe
Makes 1 cake in a medium to large sized loaf tin.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 270g plain flour
- 180g butter (softened)
- 180g caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbsp milk
- zest of 1 lemon
- dust with icing (powdered) sugar
- optional: long thin strips of candied orange and lemon peel to decorate.
Recipe Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180C
Lightly grease a medium to large loaf tin – either line the base with baking parchment or line it with a paper loaf tin liner.
In a large mixing bowl cream together the softened butter and the caster sugar, until it becomes pale and fluffy. Next beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat and mix the eggs well.
Sift the flour, and then gently fold it in with the baking powder. Add enough milk to give a stiff dropping consistency – i.e. a mixture which can slowly drop away from the spoon. Lastly mix in the lemon zest.
Spoon the cake batter mixture into the prepared loaf tin and lightly level off the top. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes at 180C, or until the Madeira Cake is golden-brown on top, and a metal skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out clean and hot.
Remove the cake from the oven and set it aside to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Turn the Madeira Cake out on to a wire rack, and leave to cool completely. Dust with icing (powdered) sugar. Decorate with the candied peel if using. Serve in slices.


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November in Bocas, and in all of Panama, means holidays, parties and a lots and lots of drumming. There are eight holidays in the month, all marked with parades made up of school bands, with several adult groups walking throughout as well (haven't been able to figure out who they are, or what they signify).
Practice for the parades begins weeks ahead, with drums echoing throughout town. School bands practice daily on the sides streets, marching down the middle of the road, with no closures or police. It's like a flash mob parade, appearing out of nowhere, and cars have no choice but to take another road (ha, and they're aren't many others!).
The town is awash in Panamanian flags. They hang from buildings, cars, boats, ferries and zig-zag across the main street. Sea Life showed her Panamanian pride as well!
Many stores are open for business, despite the holidays. All of the Chinese-run grocery stores remain open, but the Chinese-run hardware stores choose to close. We assume that people working jobs that require them to shop at the hardware stores are off on these holidays, but people always want to buy food! Most souvenir and gift-type shops along the main street are open, and as you'd expect, government businesses are closed on these days.
Since most all of the "regular folk" have the days off, local beaches on the holidays are mobbed; much like July 4th in the U.S. The public dock that leads to Red Frog beach was packed with pagas of all sizes.
Here's a brief rundown of November's holidays, and what they signify:
November 2nd – Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead): This isn't a patriotic holiday, but it is a special day in Panama and all over Latin America. People pay respects to their loved ones who have passed away. Traditionally, they go to the cemetery, visit the graves of their friends and family, bring flowers and gifts and make any necessary repairs to their tombstones (like new paint).
Day of the Dead is a "dry" Panamanian holiday. Bars close at midnight on November 1st and stay closed until midnight the following evening. Sale of alcohol in the province of Bocas del Toro is prohibited on this day. Luckily, we did not come to town planning to stock up on alcohol, as we had no idea of the "dry" rule.
November 3rd – Separación de Colombia (Separation from Colombia): What is the nation of Panama today didn't come to be until 1903. This holiday marks the day that Panamanian separatists proclaimed their separation from Colombia. It's a very important part of Panamanian history, and is celebrated with three big days of dance, party and music.
Novermber 4th – Dia de la Bandera (Flag Day): The flag of Panama was drafted in secrecy and presented the day after the separation from Colombia was proclaimed.
The red and blue rectangles represent the liberals and the conservatives, the two political parties of the time. The white stands for an agreement of peace between them. The blue star symbolizes purity and honesty, and the red star authority and law. Hanging it correctly has the blue star and red rectangle on top.
By the way, this is a pet peeve of mine. It makes me insane when I see the Maryland flag hanging upside down. If you're going to fly it, do it right!
We were in town shopping on Flag Day, and had to weave in and out of spectators. and the parade itself, to get where we were going. When our shopping was done, we watch some of the parade while waiting for the panaga back to Red Frog.
November 5th – Día de Colon (Colon Day): This holiday celebrates the day that the separation of Panama from Colombia was official.
November 10th – Primer Grito de Los Santos (First Cry of Los Santos): This date commemorates an uprising in the village of Los Santos in 1821, and is recognized as the first step toward independence from Spain.
November 16th – Dia de la Fundacion de Bocas del Toro (Bocas Day): The province of Bocas del Toro was founded on November 16th, 1903, only 14 days after the creation of Panama as a sovereign state. This day also marks the culmination of all the drumming practice that is heard throughout the previous weeks.
Bocas Day features a big parade on Isla Colon with students coming from all over the province to participate. We've learned that these kids have good reason to be practicing so much; it's a contest. There are three categories for prizes: niños (10 years old and younger), colegio (high school) and independiente (adults).
We were anchored off of town on Bocas Day, and I heard the drumming begin at 5:30am! A ferry arrives daily, from nearby Almirante, loaded with trucks full of groceries, goods, and supplies. It also acts as a passenger ferry, but we have seldom seen more than a few people aboard as it arrives.
Bocas Day was much different. The ferry came twice, each time loaded down with many more passengers than cargo. Band members also arrived by ferry, and we could here them celebrating on board, long before they passed us on the way to the dock.
Scott and I went into town that afternoon, and watched the end of the parade. It went on for six hours, beginning at 10:30am, and ending around 4:30. During this time, there were several periods of heavy rain, but the parade participants were undeterred. Later that evening, it rained biblically, for hours, and we still heard drumming late into the night.
Scott and I meandered through the crowds, watch a little of the parade and enjoyed some yummy street food. I had a noodle bowl, with tender, delicious chicken. Having eaten mystery meat at a previous event, Scott chose a skewer with the same chicken, because the meat was identifiable.
November 23rd – Dia de Bastimentos (Bastimentos Day): Bastimentos was founded in the same month (November) and year as Bocas del Toro, and this is another day full of parades and parties. "Basti" Day is located in Bastimentos Town, which is at the opposite end of Bastimentos Island from the Red Frog property. The little town is much more hilly, and must be a challenging go for those parade kids!
November 28th – Independencia de España (Independence from Spain): What started with the uprising in Los Santos ended 18 days later, in the proclamation of a new nation, independent from Spain: Gran Colombia. Gran Colombia consisted of modern day Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Panama celebrates two Independence days; one from Spain and one from Gran Colombia. Any reason for another parade!
Many islands we've visited have celebrated holidays or carnival during our stay, and it's been fun to experience the sights, and sounds in each location Here are more holiday photos.
"Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life's Good On Our Boat!"


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Why Is A Small Montana Town A Hotbed Of Far-Right Activity?
Reprinted with permission from AlterNet.
Something fishy is going on in Whitefish, Montana. The small town of 6,500 is in one of America's most rural regions, but it has occupied a lot of media space this year. Since the beginning of 2017, the town's name has popped up repeatedly in stories about the far right. Whitefish is the home base for Trump's potential private spy agency, as well as the tiny company contracted to restore power in Puerto Rico, and early in the year, the town drew media attention as the proposed meeting point for an anti-Semitic rally. On the surface, these may not seem related. But on closer examination, all three are clearly linked to the Trump White House.
Let's begin with Whitefish Energy. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and left the island without power, a tiny company based in Whitefish, operating for less than two years, was contracted to restore power for a hefty fee of $300 million. The Puerto Rican government opposed the Whitefish Energy deal and it ultimately fell through, terminating November 30. The FBI has since launched an investigation into the contract.
It was through the Puerto Rico story that many first learned of the Trump administration's ties to Whitefish. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke grew up in Whitefish and has personal and business ties to the energy group contracted for the work in Puerto Rico, leading many to suspect that Zinke had ulterior motives for choosing the firm over larger, more experienced competitors. The Washington Post reported that Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski and Zinke are acquainted, "but only, Zinke's office said in an email, because Whitefish is a small town where 'everybody knows everybody.'…Zinke's office said he had no role in Whitefish securing the contract for work in Puerto Rico. Techmanski also said Zinke was not involved."
Special favors among powerful business owners and local politicians, while unethical, aren't anything new, and once the relationship between Zinke and Whitefish Energy was revealed in full, Puerto Rican officials called for the contract to be voided. Actually, the company continued work through Novemberuntil it claimed it was owed over $80 million in fees by the government. According to Slate, "Under the contract, subcontractors made as much as $462 per hour, racking up high costs for PREPA, which was already billions in debtbefore the Hurricane struck."
But that wasn't the last we would hear of Whitefish, Montana.
Most recently, Buzzfeed reported that Trump was considering launching a new intelligence agency that some are calling a "private CIA." Amyntor Group, the company that submitted the proposal, is a private contractor that provides intelligence and militia manpower to governments and corporations, and is based in Whitefish. Buzzfeed says there's "no known relationship" between Amyntor and Whitefish Energy, but both groups have connections to the Trump administration. In addition to Zinke's tie to Whitefish Energy, Amyntor has an advocate close to the president: Erik Prince, brother of Betsy DeVos and a vocal proponent of the American government's use of private contracted militias (like his own, Blackwater). Prince is one of the key figures pushing the Trump administration to employ private spies, and Trump is allegedly tempted as he's frequently expressed his disdain for both the CIA and the FBI. Prince is a former Navy SEAL—as is Ryan Zinke.
Simmering beneath these suspicious White House deals is the well-documented tradition of white supremacy and neo-Nazism in the town of Whitefish. The town is home to white supremacist leader Richard Spencer and Chuck Baldwin, a radical-right extremist minister who preaches Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and homophobia among other strains of hate. Buzzfeed News looked into the remarkable growth of white supremacism in this isolated region, and explained the trend of neo-Nazis moving to the area as follows:
"Flathead County, population 96,000, is one of the whitest places in the nation (95.2%). There are other allures for people at odds with mainstream American culture: the large pockets of open space, the ability to live off the grid, the lack of restriction when it comes to gun ownership. The Montana political ethos—some mix of libertarian, conservative, and 'don't f**k with me'—is inviting that way. As a local pastor put it, 'It's a place where people can feel safe when they say outrageous things.'"
Neo-Nazis in Spencer's camp planned to march on Whitefish around the same time as the Women's March earlier this year, in a rally targeted "against Jews, Jewish businesses and everyone who supports either." The Daily Stormer promised around 200 skinheads would invade the town "carrying high-powered rifles" to defend Spencer's honor. In response, counterprotesters gathered, local residents handed out matzoh ball soup and the skinheads never showed up.
The Whitefish city government has repeatedly denounced Spencer and his presence in their town. The mayor said in a public statement last year, "The city of Whitefish repudiates the ideas and ideology of the founder of the so-called alt-right as a direct affront to our community's core values and principles. The city of Whitefish rejects racism and bigotry in all its forms and expressions."
The wave of right-wing hate in Whitefish is also connected to Trump's cabinet; here again, Interior Sec. Zinke's name emerges. Last year, Raw Story reported on Zinke's connections to white supremacists in Whitefish and the surrounding area. Zinke endorsed a white nationalist candidate for Montana statehouse in 2016, who ended up losing but later thanked Zinke for helping him appear more mainstream. This year, journalist Wayne Madsen reported that Zinkes' two sons "were friends of former Whitefish resident Richard Spencer," and that part of the reason Spencer moved his headquarters to Washington, D.C., after Trump's election was to be closer to the Zinkes, as well as his friend Stephen Miller.
Madsen said via email that he "was told by those who've been to Whitefish that the Zinke boys ran with Spencer and his crowd."
In case your head is spinning, here's a recap: Whitefish Energy's CEO knows Zinke; Zinke served in the same elite military branch as Erik Prince, who is now pushing Trump to contract a private militia based in Whitefish, which has emerged as a white nationalist hotbed in recent years and was the setting for a personal relationship between far-right extremists and Zinke's own family. So much for the excuse that Whitefish is just a small town where "everyone knows everybody." There are too many suspicious ties for Zinke's PR team to get away with that one. Smells fishy to us.
Liz Posner is a managing editor at AlterNet. Her work has appeared on Forbes.com, Bust, Bustle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Follow her on Twitter at @elizpos.


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Learn to train your eye and improve your timing in order to capture the decisive moment!
Whether it's due to social media or the introduction of great rangefinder-style digital cameras over a decade ago, street photography has experienced a remarkable resurgence in recent years. You can be roaming the streets of a classic urban environment (New York, Paris, Tokyo) or on a simple photo walk around a quiet neighborhood—it has never been more popular to pursue the art of capturing those candid, fleeting moments that happen throughout the day, of freezing a moment in time and transforming the ordinary into an extraordinary photograph.
But learning to see light and moment, to make quick decisions, and to nail a photographic composition are all crucial skills you must master in order to become a good street photographer. Photographer, instructor, and author Valerie Jardin has been teaching photographers how to take better photographs for years, and in Street Photography Assignments: 75 Reasons to Hit the Streets and Learn, she provides dozens of prompts for you to practice in order to refine and improve your craft.
These activities focus on themes such as:
• Street portraits
• Gesture
• Shadows
• Silhouettes
• Rim light
• Humor
• Abstract
• Tension
• Motion
• Reflections
• Leading lines
• Creative framing
• Juxtapositions
• Double exposures
• And much, much more!
Each assignment includes a description of the technique, various tips and tricks to practice, technical and compositional considerations, and an example photo that Jardin has captured when practicing the same exercise. Whether you have 30 minutes or 3 hours, each assignment is an opportunity for you to take your camera and hit the streets. No more excuses!
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From the first glimpse of Bali, you will be impressed by
all the features of this tropical island. Yet it won't take long to discover
that it is far more than just that. The temples, yoga and meditation
retreats, diverse healing modalities are telling a true story
The close correlation of Hinduism and yoga fills Bali with a unique yoga culture that you won't find elsewhere. Numerous yoga centers and retreats are spread all over the island. Many provide a wide range of wellness programs in addition to yoga sessions, as well as accommodation and food.
Spa is another feature of Bali. There is no lack of five-star hotel spas and high-end city spas which boast not only quality services but also ideal locations with splendid scenery. Classical Balinese treatments are surely on the menu. Furthermore, each of them creates something special of their own.
Hot tourism destinations gather in the southern part such as Kuta, Seminyak, and Jimbaran. But there are more to explore, including the national park in the west, the beautiful beaches in the north and Ubud in the center.
Ubud – Yoga and Healing
In the center highland of Bali, Ubud perches amidst verdant terraced paddies with rich natural landscape. It is known as the epicenter of energy and culture.
Ubud Traditional Art Market attracts endless flows of tourists every day who come to appreciate and purchase the creative local handmade pieces. If you arrive before 8 a.m., you will see another facet of the market. The handicraft stores for tourists haven't yet opened but many local people are there to buy daily food materials, filling the place with a local community vibe.
There are more than 200 yoga centers in Ubud. The Yoga Barn, one of the top ones, offers such a diversity of healing sessions that is beyond one's expectations. There are over 100 classes of yoga, meditation and dance. Additionally, there are colonic hydrotherapy, reiki, Esalen massage, ayurvedic sessions, to name just a few. Accommodations and health restaurants are available, especially supporting people participating several days' programs or teacher training. Flower and tree-covered lanes and pavilions can be found throughout the center, offering satisfying environments for the guests to interact.
Radiantly Alive pools domestic and international experts who give yoga sessions, mindfulness practice, workshops and yogis training. It is like a big family. People from different nations and cultures come together to explore the essence of healing. Everyone feels respected and loved.
Bali Botanica Day Spa dwells in pure nature, surrounded by trees and running streams. Ayurvedic Chakra Dhara Massage is the star treatment. The high-tech experience Bodhypnosis® is another highlight. It is said to be able to lead people into a deep meditative state and work on the parasympathetic nervous system to trigger the natural healing mechanism of the body.
Seminyak – High-end Vacations and Art
Seminyak has a more luxury profile with five star resorts, spas, restaurants, and international brands. Moreover, it has good surfing conditions, and there are many creative stores and galleries. Above all, it is not as crowded as its peels such as Kuta.
During the day, the beach is quieter. You can see people strolling or horsing along the shore. Some others prefer to visit the art galleries and colorful markets. When the night draws in, the beach becomes more vibrant. The array of cafes and clubs lining the beach are always packed. The Potato Head Beach Club is worth a try.
Seminyak is also a spa destination. Prana Spa Bali aims to awaken the senses through its magnificent Moroccan style and exotic treatments. Sundari Spa addresses holistic health and blends natural essential oil themselves. TERRA meets the various needs with a wide range of spa treatment, as well as acupuncture, reiki and more. Cottage Beauty House is popular among ladies with its Pelactiv facials, microdermabrasion, and other beauty care. There aren't many yoga centers here. But if you want to visit one, the Yoga Shala maybe the best.
Canggu – Young and Chic
Compared with Seminyak, Canggu has a more laid-back feel and is welcomed by younger people. Creativity is the label here, which can be obviously seen in the cafes, restaurants and wellness resorts.
The Alkaline restaurant at Serenity Eco Guesthouse is like a health market serving healthy and innovative dishes like Kombucha, Kefir beverages, homemade jams and vegetarian cookies. The yoga studio — Serenity Yoga offers complete yoga classes, sound therapy, meditation and more programs to both in-house and city guests.
Next to the beach, Samadi villa resort has a distinctive organic vegetarian restaurant which has been certified by Slow Food Movement. The specialties are superfood smoothie, authentic Indian dishes, ayurvedic and raw dishes.
Located in the idyllic village setting, Desa Seni is more like an art village. You can find art pieces from Indonesian artists throughout. There is a yoga center, spa, organic restaurant, the food ingredients of which are sourced from the resort's own farm onsite, and a boutique selling art pieces.
Jimbaran – Sunset and Spa
The former fishing village has now become a hot tourist spot with a lot of high-end resorts. But you can still see native fishermen catching fish here.
Jimbaran is best known for the Jimbaran Beach, boasting one of the "top ten sunsets" in the world. Everyone who comes here won't want to miss this splendor and neither will they miss the seafood BBQ along the beach. There are more than 10 seafood restaurants on the 4-kilometer beach. Their tables are spread along the sands in rows. Many of them have their own secret sauce, as well as beautiful table cloths and friendly service. While you are tasting the delicacies with your feet directly in the warm sands, onsite singers makes the ambience more soothing with their beautiful melodies.
There are lots of spa options in Jimbaran. The Kayumanis Spa at Kayumanis Private Villa and Spa Jimbaran is just steps away from the beach. Every treatment here inherits the authentic Balinese traditions and characters. The Bamboo Spa by L'Occitane is the brand's second outlet in Bali. This one in Jimbaran takes a bamboo theme. You can see that from the interior and the spa menu very quickly. Don't miss the signature Verbena Bamboo Therapy. The Healing Village Spa at the renowned Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay offers a true transformation. In the beachfront garden, the Healing Village Spa leads one to explore the inner self.
The story of Bali is far more than just the above. In order to dive into the island more deeply, SpaChina has interviewed five persons who live and work in Bali, and love the place with all their hearts. They share with us more aspects of the island from an insightful perspective.


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Seattle is such a great city for a comics convention. Emerald City Comicon continues to grow and this will be its biggest year yet. Take a look at the talent this year. You've got quite an A-list with everyone from Frank Quitely to Jeff Parker to Jonathan Hickman and the list goes on. And for celebrities, that list includes William Shatner, Felicia Day and John Noble. Come check it out: March 4 thru 6.
Emerald City Comicon in Seattle!
Filed under comic books, Comics, Emerald City Comicon, Seattle


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Mary Ann Trygg Describes Library Options A & D, Will Support Either
I had an interesting email dialog with County Librarian Mary Ann Trygg this morning. First, she described the significant issues she's having to juggle right now:
"Currently, we are working on several projects to bring in money to the library such as the Union newspaper plea, an upcoming NCTV Telethon, work with the PV Chamber of Commerce to help defray part of the costs in operating the Penn Valley Library, Sierra Cinemas fundraiser as well as an offer from the GV Elks to help.
And the library traditionally begins our Nevada County Reads programming this month. I have had many meetings to attend. Whew! I actually need to begin working on the budget for next fiscal year which will be challenging in that we do not know the direction the library will take until the 23rd."
February 23rd, of course, is the date of the next County Board of Supervisors meeting, at which time County Executive Officer Rick Haffey should be making his recommendation on a library management plan. The Board is widely expected to make a decision at that time.
I asked Mary Ann to describe the two Options (A & D) that were recommended by the Citizens' Oversight Committee and the Library Ad Hoc Committee.
"As the Librarian I feel that I can say that the difference between option A and D lies in the fact that if the Board were to choose A the Library Department would be able to offer many more library services to the public, even in this difficult time, than if they chose Option D because A would provide the public with librarians with which to: 1. develop the collections in each branch library, keeping in mind the desires of the public for both adults and children, 2. offer continued adult and children's programs (especially children's) which is a huge part of our mission and is the heart of a fine library system, 3. be prepared to offer homework and research help to the public. These are just three of the highlights a library offers when it has qualified, talented librarians on board. Were we to scale back the librarians I can assure you that fewer of the needs of the community would be met. Option D results in laying off 3.6 librarian positions including both children's librarian. Option A keeps all librarians save one at a reduced level.
The call of the library is to ensure lifelong learning and self-directed education beginning with the very youngest of our community members. Due to economic difficulties at this time I do understand how important it is to make cutbacks that result in the library staying within budget and I will work to that end. Both scenarios show the library department with a budget surplus at the end of 5 years."
Finally, she commented on the 480% increase in nonsolicited donations in December.
"And about the nonsolicited donations: We budgeted only $4,875 for f/y 09/10 based on past years. The outpouring of 20K in early donations is, I believe, because library users recognize the value they place on their library, its services and programs."
Keep your eye on this county webpage for the appearance of the agenda for the meeting on February 23rd. It usually gets posted a few days before the meeting.


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choose your adventure!
remember that one time….
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Since 1993
Florida Police Arresting Patients Who Ask for Controlled Substances
Welcome to 1984, where Big Brother has now intruded even further into your private life. Today's lesson–be careful what you ask for. Orlando police can now get involved in something as simple as a trip to your doctor's office. Florida laws can be broken by a patient within their doctor's office in situations where the patient withholds information from his or her doctor. How can it be a crime to "not" tell your doctor something?
The crime of doctor shopping makes it unlawful in Florida to withhold information from a doctor when a patient seeks to obtain a controlled substance or prescription, and the patient has received a controlled substance or prescription of like use from another doctor within the previous 30 days. 99 times out of a 100, these situations transform into trafficking in hydrocodone or oxycodone charges, in addition to doctor shopping.
But there's problems here with the definition of "withholding" information. After all, what if your doctor doesn't ask about current prescriptions or meds? Such an issue was recently addressed by a Florida court in Knipp v. State, 35 F.L.W. D2898 (4th DCA 12/22/2010). Knipp moved to dismiss the charge of doctor shopping, asserting that the doctor never asked him about his current medications, thus he never really 'withheld' information. The court in Knipp held that the doctor shopping statute requires a patient to volunteer information to the doctor that he has received a prescription of like use within the previous thirty days.
Prosecutors handling cases of doctor shopping have a tough road, because, how can they prove that a patient "seeks to obtain a controlled substance or prescription"? The court in Knipp addressed this issue, with Judge Farmer noting in a concurring opinion that "To my mind, it would be a different matter if the defendant had instead merely stated his complaints and symptoms to the physician and asked whether something could be prescribed. In that alternative scenario, I do not read this statute to require the patient to volunteer recent prescriptions."
It seems to me that if your doctor doesn't ask about all the meds you're taking, you should see another doctor, right? Even the court in Knipp noted that "multiple medications may interact with each other adversely. Hence physicians must at all times be aware of the possible effects of a new medication on the patient in light of his current meds. As I read the informed consent laws in Florida, physicians are already under a statutory burden to ask for that information from any patient for whom they would prescribe another medication."
Based upon this court's interpretation, the doctor shopping statute may have added a new burden on the patient to inform his doctor of current meds. I guess Florida courts don't trust the state board certified/sanctioned/insured/licensed doctor's to ask the right questions of patients. Years of schooling, big salaries, even a "Dr." placed before their last name and an "M.D." behind it, yet Orlando doctors can't be burdened with asking the right questions. Never fear, Big Brother is here to force you to say certain things while meeting with your doctor. Don't you feel better now?


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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
let your hair down!
Monday, June 28, 2010
american apparel is my friend & my family
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
mysterious minds
HERE to see how!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
daddy's girl
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
romping around
Sunday, June 13, 2010
10 sweet bloggers
Africana Wardrobe Diary- This fellow Atlanta resident was the first person I reached out to for advice when I was starting my blog, and I am a loyal follower to this day!
Quean- This New Yorker has a style of her own for sure. I love to see what she's going to come up with next. And I am so jealous of all that hair!
Nubia's Nonsense- Another NY'er with a unique sense of style. I'm starting to see a NY theme ;) Love these glasses!
Chic Therapy-This lovely lady loves color and make up and she's always providing tips and inspiration!
Lions Tigers and Fashion Oh My- Whether she's keeping it simple and chic or wild and crazy, I always enjoy what she puts together. And she's big on DIY's.
Sunny- Living in "fashion starved" (her words) Kentucky, Sunny manges to find great shoes, and of course clothes.
God's Favorite Shoes- A striped button down and a floral dress. Can you say hot? Love it and can't wait to try it!
Irie Chic- This Law School student is rocking my all time favorite color combo. I need those shorts!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
hello sunshine
Sunday, June 6, 2010
a cause for celebration
Thursday, June 3, 2010
no jelly??!!
This is at the Boston Wharf, or the Boston Harbor...not really sure of the name, but there was water and boats and plenty of seating to sit and take in the breeze.
We also had brunch at Cheers, yes like the show, and it was the worst! Who serves toast with no jelly? You should have seen the look of disgust I gave the waiter when he said "We don't have jelly but I can bring you butter" Seriously? Since when is butter a substitute for jelly?
The presentation was nice, but come on...no jelly??!!
Anyway, this is back on the Harvard Business School campus in front (more like the side) of my b/f's dorm. I had a different look planned for this skirt, but it was a bit more chilly in Boston than I was expecting, so thank goodness I had this cardi to throw on, even if it did sort of make me look like I was going to work in some one's office.
j crew cardi, tj maxx skirt