text:
Letter from the editor
Writer, heal thyself
I set down my verboscope and undo the top button of my starched white labcoat. "Martini," I tell my winsome assistant Miss Gale Nightenforce, "stirred, not shaken... oh, and use the generic Mountain Dew this time."
No, I'm not a doctor, but I saw several minutes of "Grey's" once. When I gave up medical school to become a Pilot-Tribune columnist, I gave up 2 o'clock tee times and 18-digit salaries for bologna sandwiches minus the bread. On the up side, a surgeon can't eliminate his boo-boos with a bottle of "White-Out."
Do I regret my decision to bypass the Michael Jordanesque bucks of medicine? Oh Nooooooo, of cooooourse not.
So, in my feverish cranial glove compartment, I like to imagine a moment of triumph over the grand profession a frog-slicing biology teacher sideswiped me out of. Why, I feel it coming on now...
The phone causes me to miss the putt across the floor of my newsroom office practice green, made more difficult because the place seems to be carpeted with used stable hay. Let it not be said that I can't chip when the chips are down.
On the line is my family physician, Dr. Dewey Needlebottom, M.S., PC, D.O., PhD, MI.c, KEY, MO./U.Se.
Like everyone else in America, he's writing a book, wants an appointment to restore the health to his viral conjunctions. Oh, this is going to be good.
"What seems to be the problem, old bean?"
"My sentences are sinking fast," he moans, "and my adjectives are aching. Can you come by?"
"Oh now, don't be silly, doc. You know we don't make house calls."
I quickly calculated the cost of putting down my two children, Lyndsey Lohan Larsen and little A-Rod Larsen, through Harvard. "I think I can fit you in at the old journalism clinic," I tell him. "How's a year from Wednesday at 2 a.m.?"
He showed up right on schedule. I didn't, of course.
When I came in, he was looking through the magazine selection in my waiting room - consisting of 1,087 20-year old copies of "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition," with the good pages torn out, and a copy of "Good Riddance, the Unauthorized True Life Biography of Steve Alford's Hair."
"The columnist is in conference; he will be with you shortly, so sit down and keep quiet or else," my secretary Sandy Smokinbreaker purrs politely, without looking up from buffing her nails, while the sound of my cursing a rim-out putt can be heard bleating over the intercom.
Finally, I let the poor fellow in, after demanding proof of libel insurance.
"Doc, put this on," I say, handing him a writing gown. It is a fraying corduroy jacket with patches on the elbows and faded jeans, all inexplicably split down the back to let the breeze go right where a breeze doesn't belong.
I draw a writing sample, siphoning off a few pages for testing. Looks like he might faint at any moment from loss of plot.
The lab rushes the results right back. Within the year.
"Hmm," I say professionally. To myself, I say "Hot dawg! this should just about cover the down payment on that Viper!" I force a grim look to may face, just like "Newbie" used to use when telling Elliot on "Scrubs" that she had contracted terminal jock itch. Or was that Marcus Welby telling Consuello that the chocolate pudding diet wasn't working out.
"Tell me the truth," the doc urges me, "I can take it."
"Well, your infinitives are split. Your metaphors are chronically mixed. Worst of all, I'm afraid your participle is terminally dangling. Ahh, if only we had caught this earlier..."
He is sobbing now. Doesn't realize I charge extra for that, at least until Medicareless gets wind of it. "Oh Please," the doc grabs my sleeve, "can't you do something to save my book?!"
I call my young manuscript intern, Gonzo Yates. I roll up my sleeves and sterilize my red magic marker. I make a swift, sure incision deep into his introduction and extract his bibliography. Layer after layer of diseased chapters are cut away. It is not a pretty sight. But when I am done, doc's doomed 3,000 page epic novel has been edited down to a postcard with a fighting chance. I feel good. Yeah, I do.
Chalk up another one for the ER (editing room).
The doc's recovery will be a long one. He will relearn to use his shattered pronouns with the help of a therapist. I have also prescribed some medicine which is expensive, appetite-repressive, and causes an occasional side-effect such as toenails growing out of the ears. No, wise guy, it is not my wife's cooking.
I run into the doctor on the street a few months later, before I can cross to the other side. He is sprawled across a grate on the sidewalk on a gin-soaked bed made of my crumpled pink second-notice clinic bills. Seems he had given up on being a novelist and caught on writing dialogue for Sylvester Stallone.
"Tell me," he wheezes, tugging at my seersucker, "is my writing ever going to completely recover?"
I nudge him aside with the toe of my Doc Martins, protectively cupping my priceless, highly-trained keyboard-punching fingers. Both of' em.
I had to lie to him, of course. I have the Hypocritical Oath to live up to, you know. "Sure it will. Can you say follow-up examinations until the year 3000? Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a tee time." Everybody, it seems, wants free advice.
"Take two Roget's Thesauruses and call me in the morning."


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
The wing of a fruit fly may hold the key to unraveling the genetic and molecular events that transform a normal cell into a cancerous one. The study, conducted on Drosophila melanogaster by scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and led by ICREA researcher Marco Milán, has reproduced each of the steps known to take place when a healthy cell turns cancerous. The researchers have thus provided an inexpensive and effective model that will allow the scientific community to scrutinize the genes and molecules involved in each step. Given that the vast majority of genes in Drosophila are conserved in mice and humans, the results obtained may also lead researchers to perform similar studies in more clinically relevant models. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS) has published the study online this week.
Argentinian scientist Andrés Dekanty, a Juan de la Cierva researcher in the Milán lab and first author of the article, explains that "for the first time we have a genetic model that allows us to understand the events that take place, starting from when cells begin to accumulate genomic errors until the development of a tumour." The Milán team began by provoking genomic instability in a selection of cells in the fly wing. They then prevented these cells, with an aberrant number of chromosomes (aneuploidy), from succumbing to the cells' natural defense mechanisms so that they would survive. From there, they observed that the cells spread throughout the tissue, became mobile, activated the growth of adjacent cells, and degraded the basal membrane that kept them in place, allowing them to break free and even invade nearby tissues. "All of these events are things that we see in cancer. This fly model will therefore help us to identify each of the genes and molecules involved in epithelial cell detachment (delamination), motility, abnormal growth, basal cell degradation and invasion," says Milán.
"This study takes things one step beyond, however," say the researchers, "and opens a fundamental conceptual debate." This is the first time that these phenomena have been described in relation to genomic instability. "This has allowed us to propose something that hasn't yet been possible to study in depth and that now should be taken into serious consideration. Is genomic instability the cause of tumorigenesis?" says Milán.
Genomic instability, a cause of cancer?
Cells in all human cancers display considerable genomic instability. Their genomes are full of mistakes. "If we can demonstrate this direct correlation, we will have something very specific to work with to find precise targets. Aneuploid cells don't exist in healthy organisms. If we can identify what differentiates a cell with genomic instability from a normal cell, we may be able to identify specific treatments," says Dekanty.
Today, cancer therapies are aimed at slowing proliferation, or cell division. A major problem with this is that all cells – both cancerous and healthy ones – divide. Treatments are therefore associated with many side effects. "There isn't a treatment available that attacks only the cells with genomic instability," say the researchers. "If we can clearly differentiate one from the other, we'll hopefully be able to find drugs that target them specifically", explains Dekanty.
Reference article:
Aneuplody-induced delaminating cells drive tumorigenesis in drosophila epithelia. Andrés Dekanty, Lara Barrio, Mariana Muzzopappa, Herbert Auer and Marco Milán. PNAS 2012 ; doi:10.1073/pnas.1206675109
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text:
Obligatory Dislaimer: If you feel that fake ids are unethical please hit the "Back" button on your browser now. Furthermore, if you are involved with any sort of government agency on any level (fed, state, local, etc) that can do something bad to me, please ignore this post. Also, if your only comment is "Why can't you wait?" you needn't need to reply
Bassically, this 21 thing is pissing me off and I want to be able to donate to the Chicago bar scene this year at school. Does anyone have any good experiences with the online fake id stores? Maybe a contact in the Chicagoland area?
Obligatory Dislaimer: If you feel that fake ids are unethical please hit the "Back" button on your browser now. Furthermore, if you are involved with any sort of government agency on any level (fed, state, local, etc) that can do something bad to me, please ignore this post. Also, if your only comment is "Why can't you wait?" you needn't need to reply
I never had to buy a fake ID, I look almost identical to my brother, so I was able to use one of his old ID's without any problems.
Go ahead and send them your money, use the undoubtedly uberfake ID in a bar, watch the bouncer scan it with a blacklight, get kicked out or worse, prosecuted.
You'll get busted, be out the money, and maybe get arrested.
Given the OMG T3RR0R!!! attitude the past few years, I'm willing to bet arrested is highly likely. The government isn't too keen on the whole fake ID thing lately and a lot of bouncers are ex or off duty police officers.
This is why you host small parties and give people money to go buy the good stuff for yah. The police are a lot more forgiving of underage drinking versus forging government identification.
*cackle* is right. Someone apparently doesn't know that the forums are crawled by Google now? oops! Next thread he starts: "Anyone know of a good lawyer in Chicago?" lol
Yeah, don't do it.
I got busted at 20 with a fake id. Over $3000 in fines, 50 hours of community service, and a permanent criminal record. Definitely not worth it. Don't be stupid.
Ouch @ thrillhouse
Hory Fruck Thrillhouse, that's more impressive a punishment than I thought would be handed down.
It's not that big a deal. Besides, there are usually a number of under 21 clubs to go to. Don't be foolish.
Don't fake it, you will be asking for (and deserving) trouble.
For the punishments it's very dependent on where you are. Most bouncers here will just say "No, that's a fake, leave." Some bouncers will confiscate it. In Wisconsin it's roughly $250 if you're caught with a fake ID by a cop. It's $20,000 and a couple years in jail if you try to use a fake ID with a cop.
Because I'm sure cops have nothing better to do than sit on Google and search for "fake ids".
I don't know if they used Google or not, but the cops up here (don't recall if it was city or RCMP) recently busted a rather large fake ID business.
For Peacock 30 Logo Graphics Of Designs Inspiration Splendid Your
For Peacock 30 Logo Graphics Of Designs Inspiration Splendid Your
Yeah, they tried to charge me with a Felony. It ended up being three misdemeanors. Fortunately for me, the ADA didn't have the details on all the charges and agreed to drop the Felony.
For Peacock 30 Logo Graphics Of Designs Inspiration Splendid Your Tampering with a state document (ala a driver's license) is a FELONY. It's really, really NOT worth it. If I'd been convicted, I'd not be able to vote, own a gun, you name it. On every job application EVAR, I'd have to answer yes to that question. I wonder how many people actually hire convicted felons these days.
Yeah, the lack of an in-state ID, and one without a hologram to boot, will ring alarms for pretty much any bouncer in the know. Especially in a student-heavy area. Take our advice, don't risk it.
I think Da Fish gets bonus points for creativity. That almost sounds like it could work.
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away (98-00, University of MD) I used to help out youngsters like yourself as well as make a dollar or two.
Times have changed Stabmaster. You get busted for falsifying ID now you're looking at getting the Patriot Act right up your ass.
bouncers have no authority to confiscate anything. of course, if you're using a fake id and they try to take it, you might not stick around to argue, but if you wanted to bluff them there's only about a 50-50 chance they'll call the cops
For Peacock 30 Logo Graphics Of Designs Inspiration Splendid Your
Create an out of state ID for like wyoming or montana or somesuch- then they wont really know what to look for.
Yeah, but sometimes this gets you denied entry altogether, even if it's perfectly legit!
The best thing to do is get to know the bouncers. I started going out when I was 16 in Chicago. Also never piss off a cop, or get a bouncer in trouble. I got caught once after getting let in. I told the cop, I snuck in and the bouncer didn't know. I was always welcome there after that. Of course this was over 20 years ago, so things have changed. Plus I didn't drink much then, I was more interested in dancing and meeting older girls.
For Peacock 30 Logo Graphics Of Designs Inspiration Splendid Your In Chicago, there's a 50-50 chance the bouncer is a cop. Lot's of off-duty cops, especially from the suburbs do it to earn a little extra cash and to pick up girls. Mostly to pick up girls.
In my younger years, we had a highway patrol officer who would change your age in the computer. Our highway patrol runs the DMV. Then, you'd go in and get a replacement license. On it, your new birthdate would be printed.
Wow, my experience with a fake ID has been very different from that of thrillhouse's.
Depending on where you are, you can usually find bars or places who are lax with carding.
This worked wonderfully for me as a wee bairn. I even passed on the favor to someone else when I was old enough.
|Limited Natural Details amp; Id By - Softwares Identity Cards 7065272412 Jaipur Private Generation View Specifications
Become friends with people who work at bars. Then you don't need to bother with the ID.
Take that $3000 you would end up have to pay in fines and buy yourself a plane ticket to Germany, France, or somewhere else you can drink legally. As much as I disagree with the drinking age laws in this country, it isn't worth a felony conviction.
I used to bounce a bit on the weekends for side cash. Bouncers have no LEGAL authority to confiscate a fake but once you hand it over have fun trying getting it back.
I worked at a bar in Cali, and grew up in NY. One time a girl came in, and handed me an obvious fake from NY. It said she was from Buffalo. I asked her how long it took to drive to NYC. She replied "about 2 hours" It is an 8 hour drive if you are speeding like hell. She had the audacity to then argue with me about it. I finally told her that one of two things would happen. Choice one was that I called the cops. They would show up, and then call it in. If it was real, she would be drinking all night for free courtesy of the bar. If it was fake, she would be spending the weekend in county till she got bailed out Monday morning.
Choice two was she turn around and walk away.
For Peacock 30 Logo Graphics Of Designs Inspiration Splendid Your
She picked two.
90% of the time, the person trying to use the fake ID would give them selves away before they handed it over.
Stupid things like pacing in front of the bar for a while before building up the courage to try and get in. Or pull out their wallet, and swap the fake with their real license 10 feet away from me. Being overly friendly, and trying to hard to fit in.
Keep in mind that you using a fake really screws a lot of people over. The local cops used to walk though the bars in the area on the weekends. If they caught some one underage, the bouncer and bartenders/servers caught a big fine and a misdemeanor on their records.
There are many closer places to drink, like Indian reservations, Canada, Mexico, etc. Honestly, IMO it isn't worth the risk to try using a fake ID. If you absolutely must go out drinking in bars, you are better off just trying to order drinks but giving up if you get carded.
++ on "make connections" and "find some other way to drink". Don't be stupid. Don't go out of your way to spend money to be stupid, either.
At my last job we wouldn't accept NJ ID's for that reason exactly.
Ask around at school or find someone who looks like you. I would feel unsafe buying online or from someone I didn't know.
Open a checking account, and every week between now and your birthday, put in however much you'd have wasted that week at the bar. Then, when you turn 21 and get your real ID, go to Binny's or Sam's and buy some good alcohol. Then, take it home and enjoy it with your friends at a place that isn't loud and smokey.
Why use a fake ID when you could use a real one? If you really want to have a useable ID that misrepresents your age, forge documents that the DMV (yours or a neighboring state) uses to verify age. It's much easier to doctor a copy of your birth certificate than a state issued ID. Use as much of your real information as you can get away with (so other ID corroborates - like bank cards and such).
move to a country with a civilized drinking age.
|Need How You Fake A Id What Make To
If you must use a fake, and I dunno how much I'd recommend it, absolutely use personal connections and a cash transaction. I made it through college without a fake, and I didn't turn 21 until November of my senior year of college. Sure, it put a cramp in my social life at certain points, but still, not a huge deal.
A couple of my old buddies from high school made fake IDs, and they were damn near perfect. They had high-tech equipment, the same card stock the DMV used, high quality holographic and UV ink, a perfect Photoshop template, you name it, they had it. They even moved the operation around once a week and sold the equipment twice a month to another producer to create a very long trail. The end product was almost an exact copy, right down to weight and card flexability. We're talking differences of a couple milligrams. A hard feat to accomplish with California IDs, since they're considered to be the toughest to duplicate.
This depends on state law. In Arizona a citizen can detain someone who's committed a felony until law enforcement shows up. In Arizona the following are felonies:
Criminal Impersonation (ARS 13-2006)
Forgery (ARS 13-2002)
Tampering with a Public Record (ARS 13-2407)
Even if its an out of state license, Criminal Impersonation applies. As thrillhouse already mentioned, a felony, regardless of class, is a very serious issue.
Doctor up ID from a non-existant country (like the Duchy of Grand Fenwick).
Seriously, just go to parties. Bars are expensive, noisy, smoky, and usually full of idiots. Parties are cheap, noisy, smoky, and usually full of idiots.... but at least they're cheap!


text:
Everyone knows the oceans are in a trouble but how can we properly protect them when we don't know much about what lives within them?
Kent Carpenter and his colleagues are on an ambitious mission to change the way we treat our oceans by learning more about marine species, what threats they face and what action is needed to protect them.
The oceans cover 70% of the planet but very few marine species have been assessed for their conservation status. The limited knowledge we do have points to a potential for an unprecedented rate of marine biodiversity loss.
"A key role of marine scientists is to shatter the widely held myth that the oceans, because of their size, are infinitely resilient. In reality, marine species are just as susceptible to extinction as terrestrial ones," says Kent who is Manager of the Marine Biodiversity Unit of IUCN's Global Species Programme and Professor, Old Dominion University."
"Species can go extinct in the marine realm. A species being widespread is not necessarily protection from extinction. Take the Atlantic cod, this used to be one of the most common fishes in the Atlantic Ocean and was the basis of an entire economy. But in the 1990s, cod populations suffered a massive, and it seems, irreversible, collapse."
Kent believes that an 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality is partly to blame for the neglect of marine biodiversity.
|"It's difficult to make direct observations like we can on land. And assessing marine biodiversity is a complicated and costly business."
There are around 250,000 known marine species, but it's thought there could be more than two million. Very few of these have been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a flagship tool for conservation action. But we do know that 25% of the important habitat-forming groups of species such as corals, mangroves, and seagrasses are at a higher risk of extinction. These groups are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and coastal development."The IUCN Red List is very useful in promoting conservation action for terrestrial species; we want it to do the same for marine realm," says Kent.
In 2005 Kent's team set the task of evaluating the extinction risk of 20,000 marine vertebrates, plants, and invertebrates. Now they are more than half-way there.
It's an enormous task collecting and analyzing vast amounts of information held by specialists and organizations around the world. Workshops are held that bring the experts together to agree what category a species should be assigned (Critically Endangered, Vulnerable, Least Concern and so on).
"These people are passionate about 'their' species, and the situation can sometimes become tense," says Kent. "And for some commercial species such as tuna, the process of assigning a category can be a long and nerve-wracking process."
"We need to transform current conservation practices globally to become more effective and targeted. The information we collect will serve as a baseline to help tell us whether we are winning or losing the conservation battle and it's already being used to guide conservation action."
In the Eastern Tropical Pacific region, for example, IUCN Member Conservation International carried out more than 1,400 species assessments (only 200 had been done previously) and looked at where the most threatened species occurred. It then looked at where protected areas such as marine reserves existed and did a 'gap analysis' which pinpointed where conservation action was needed.
All of this work to boost the number of marine species assessments will be critical in influencing policies such as regional fisheries agreements and trade rules such as those under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
It's a long haul but Kent relishes the challenge.
|"We continue to be amazed by the valuable information we uncover during the Red List Assessment process of marine species; the discoveries and the knowledge that this information will be used for conservation action makes the challenge worthwhile."


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Obama gives Secret Service its 1st female director.
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Tuesday named the first female director of the Secret Service, signaling his desire to change the culture at the male-dominated agency, which has been marred by a recent prostitution scandal.
The Secret Service, charged with protecting the president and his family, has faced intense criticism for the scandal during preparations for Obama's trip to Cartagena, Colombia, last year.
Veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson, who most recently served as the agency's chief of staff, will take over from Mark Sullivan, who announced his retirement last month.
She joins a notably male team around Obama, who had been criticized for bringing in several men advisers for his second term, which started in January.
"Over her 30 years of experience with the Secret Service, Julia has consistently exemplified the spirit and dedication the men and women of the service demonstrate every day," Obama said in a statement announcing Pierson's appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation.
The Colombia incident raised questions about the agency's culture, particularly during foreign travel. In addition to protecting the president, the Secret Service also investigates financial crimes.
Thirteen Secret Service employees were caught up in the prostitution scandal. After a night of partying in the resort city of Cartagena, the employees brought women, including prostitutes, to the hotel where they were staying. The incident became public after one agent refused to pay a prostitute and the pair argued about payment in a hotel hallway. Eight employees were forced out of the agency, and three were cleared of serious misconduct.
The incident took place before Obama arrived in Colombia, and the service said the president's safety was never compromised. But news of the scandal broke during his trip, overshadowing the summit and embarrassing the U.S. delegation.
Sullivan issued a new code of conduct that bans employees from drinking within 10 hours of starting a shift or bringing foreign nationals back to their hotel rooms. Sullivan also apologized for the incident.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also praised Obama's "historic decision" to name Pierson as the service's first female director.
At the Secret Service, Pierson has served as deputy assistant director of the office of protective operations, assistant director of human resources and training and chief of staff. She started in 1983 as a special agent in Miami and previously worked as a police officer in Orlando, Florida.
Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa said the Secret Service has "lost the trust of many Americans" following the Colombia scandal. Pierson, he said Tuesday, "has a lot of work ahead of her to create a culture that respects the important job the agency is tasked with."
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Historical Fiction
February 2018
Recent Releases
Carnegie's Maid
Marie Benedict
What it's about:
Hired as a lady's maid to Margaret Carnegie, Irish immigrant Clara Kelly becomes the confidant of her mistress' son, wealthy industrialist Andrew Carnegie. However, their differences in station may doom their budding relationship.
Why you might like it:
Carnegie's Maid
offers a chaste love story and plenty of upstairs/downstairs drama, as well as a nuanced depiction of the immigrant experience in the rapidly industrializing 1860s United States.
The Girls in the Picture
Melanie Benjamin
Silent film actress Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion, whose (complicated) friendship underpins their enduring creative partnership.
Read it for:
an engaging story anchored by strong female characters, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the early years of America's film industry.
For fans of:
Karina Longworth's podcast
You Must Remember This
, which focuses on both famous and lesser-known figures in Hollywood history.
Red Sky at Noon
Simon Sebag Montefiore
What it's about:
Sprung from
the gulag and assigned to one of Stalin's penal battalions, middle-aged Jewish writer
Benya Golden becomes an unwilling combatant in the Eastern Front of World War II. His situation goes from bad to worse when a disastrous battle leaves him trapped behind enemy lines.
Series alert:
Benya first appeared as a supporting character in author Simon Sebag Montefiore's novel
, which also makes use of complex characters and meticulous research to illuminate Soviet history.
The War Bride's Scrapbook: A Novel in Pictures
Caroline Preston
What it's about:
In 1943, after a whirlwind courtship, Lila Jerome elopes with a handsome army engineer just days before he ships out. Magazine clippings, postcards, and other historical memorabilia document Lila's life with and without her husband.
Author alert:
Caroline Preston made a splash with
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt
, which also used carefully curated vintage ephemera to illustrate a young woman's adventures in life and love.
The English Wife
Lauren Willig
What it's about:
Her brother is murdered during a masquerade ball. His glamorous wife is missing. Janie Van Duyvil is determined to discover what happened.
Why you might like it:
Parallel narratives, set in Victorian London and Gilded Age New York, blend murder mystery and romantic drama.
Author alert:
Best known for her popular Pink Carnation series, author Lauren Willig displays her knack for characterization and twisty plotting to this atmospheric stand-alone.
Focus on: Couples
The Hours Count
Jillian Cantor
What it's about:
In 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage and executed. Friends and neighbors are shocked: could this ordinary middle-class Jewish-American couple really have sold atomic secrets to the Soviets?
Why you should read it:
This haunting novel reveals a dark chapter of 20th-century American history in which anti-Semitism and Cold War paranoia collide with tragic results.
The Hamilton Affair
Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman
Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler, whose union, though loving, proves to be as turbulent as the American Revolution.
Why you should read it:
The ten-dollar founding father continues to be a hot topic, thanks to the hit Broadway musical.
You might also like:
Susan Holloway Scott's
I, Eliza Hamilton
, which takes the form of a fictional memoir, or Stephanie Dray's forthcoming
My Dear Hamilton
, which draws on the couple's correspondence.
Under the Wide and Starry Sky
Nancy Horan
Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, the American divorc
e who becomes his wife, collaborator, and traveling companion.
Author alert:
Though it's got a happier ending than
Loving Frank
, Nancy Horan's latest novel also follows a creative couple's scandalous courtship and unconventional love affair.
For fans of:
the authentic characters in Erica Robuck's
Call Me Zelda
The House of Hawthorne
, both of which feature literary couples.
Mrs. Houdini
Victoria Kelly
What it's about:
Bess Houdini, widow of famous magician Harry Houdini, reflects on her marriage while searching for the coded messages her husband promised he'd send from the afterlife.
Read it for:
an intimate portrait of a marriage that evolves alongside Houdini's rise from vaudeville curiosity to international celebrity.
You might also like:
Steven Galloway's
The Confabulist
, which similarly adds a dash of supernatural intrigue to the life of Houdini.
Villa America
Liza Klaussmann
Married American expats Sara and Gerald Murphy, who decamp to the French Riviera in the 1920s and become the center of a social circle that inspires F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel
Tender is the Night
Look for:
cameos by Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso, among other Lost Generation luminaries.
You might also like:
Paula McLain's
The Paris Wife
, whose characters and setting overlap with
Villa America
's as it depicts another glamorous but troubled marriage between cultural icons.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Stay connected!
Clermont County Public Library
326 Broadway St
Batavia, OH 45103
Main number: (513) 732-2736
Account Helpline: (513) 735-7144


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Collin Anderson (28) celebrates his first-period goal in Cambridge-Isanti's 3-0 victory over Simley in the Simley Holiday Tournament. Photos by Tim Kolehmainen.
Think back to seventh grade for a moment. What were you worried about?
Remembering your first locker combination. Navigating the school hallways while avoiding the older kids. Whose friends were talking with whom about who else. What was for lunch.
It's highly unlikely you were concerned with starting in goal for your high school varsity hockey team. After all, not many seventh graders have ever had that opportunity.
Meet one who has. Jacob Sibell from Cambridge-Isanti.
"Our goaltender is a seventh grader," explained Bluejackets' coach Mark Kissner after Sibell stymied Simley on a 32-save shutout in the finale of the Simley Holiday Tournament Saturday afternoon, Dec. 29. The Bluejackets scored once in each period and Sibell made it stand up, despite a barrage of 19 third-period shots.
Kissner stopped to shake his head in disbelief after his admission.
A seventh grader? In goal?
He paused a moment longer, as if that was all that needed to be said before finally adding a final thought.
"That guy's incredible."
It's been quite a year for the seventh grade sensation. Last year, Sibell was starring for the local Pee Wee A team, facing other 12-year-olds in a setting a long way from varsity. This winter he made what was a huge jump for a goaltender of his age, earning a spot on the Bluejackets' junior varsity.
But after a month of standing on his head at that level, Kissner had a crazy idea. How about giving Sibell a shot on varsity?
"We like to liven things up in a way," explained Kissner. "We thought he could do well, so we brought him up."
Call his idea insanity or genius, it's working.
In five games at the varsity level, Sibell has backstopped the Bluejackets to five victories. The precocious 'tender has stopped 141 of 146 shots (96.6 percent) and not allowed more than two goals in any of those games. Saturday's 32-save, 3-0 victory over Simley in the Spartans' home holiday tournament was his first varsity shutout – but certainly won't be the last.
"He's the only reason (we won), he kept us in the game," said senior defenseman Preston Simon, who has a protective "big brother" streak in regards to his young goaltender. Should any forward crash the net too hard, Simon and his fellow defenseman are there to clear them out.
"I never thought a seventh-grader could ever be our starting goaltender for varsity," admitted Simon, who said that after seeing Sibell play he changed his mind.
"He takes it very seriously. He practices hard and always keeps a good head on his shoulders," Simon said. "And he just keeps the puck out of the net."
A team that had won just one of its first seven games is now .500 (6-6-0). And it has a middle-schooler at the center of that turnaround.
"It's been fun," said Sibell, who admitted he was surprised by the call up. "I'm just stopping the puck. That's all I'm trying to do."
Kissner went into more detail on what makes Sibell so successful at such a young age.
"He stays focused. He doesn't let things rattle him. He's mentally tough," said Kissner, attributing a good family and older brothers who toughened up Sibell. "Even though he's a smaller goaltender, he doesn't show a whole lot of net. There isn't much to shoot at.
"He is a good goaltender (now)…and he's going to be a very good goaltender in the future."
Jacob Sibell (33) stopped all 32 shots he faced to win his fifth decision in five varsity starts -- as a seventh-grader.
Cambridge-Isanti and seventh-grade goaltender Jacob Sibell continued their winning streak with a 3-0 victory over Simley in the Simley Holiday Tournament Saturday, Dec. 29. The victory was the fifth in a row for the Bluejackets since promoting Sibell from the JV, including all three in the holiday tourney.
The Bluejackets (6-6-0) weathered the storm in the third period to earn the shutout. Simley (3-9-0) had 11 minutes of power play time it the third period, including 3:38 of 5-on-3 advantage. The Spartans poured 19 third-period shots on goal and had 32 in the game, but Sibell stopped them all for his first career shutout.
Cambridge-Isanti scored once in each period.
Collin Anderson opened the scoring midway through the first on a power play tally from the slot. Veeti Uuttera chipped an even-strength goal over goaltender Zach Boughton midway through the second to make it 2-0, and Dustin Davis notched the back-breaker, a short-handed goal seconds after the Bluejackets had killed off the first 5-on-3 with 8:51 to play.
Uuttera finished with a goal and an assist for Cambridge-Isanti. Boughton made 19 saves for Simley.
1. Jacob Sibell, Cambridge-Isanti
Five games, five victories for the Bluejackets' seventh grade sensation in goal. Sibell wasn't tested much through two periods, as his defense kept Simley from prime scoring territory, but the third period was a different story. Buoyed by 11 minutes of power play time, Simley dumped 19 shots on goal. But Sibell stopped every one, 32 in total for the shutout.
2. Preston Simon, Cambridge-Isanti
Simon, a senior captain, spent much of the third period on the ice as the Bluejackets were forced to kill off numerous penalties. He was stout defensively, limiting the Spartans to shots from the perimeter and cleaning up any rebounds.
3. TJ Pagel, Cambridge-Isanti
Pagel, another senior defensive captain, was also a tireless third-period penalty killer. He didn't factor into the scoring, but like Simon was a key reason the Bluejackets posted the shutout and earned the tournament title.


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Advanced Electrolyte Level Indicator
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This technology is found in many electronics, such as touch screen monitors and cell phones. It eliminates any potential corrosion between the plates and the probe. Eagle Eye is the brightest level lite on the market. The sealed polypropylene lens protects the LED and electronics from impact and acid migration. The terminals are sealed to the wires to prevent corrosion. The light is reverse polarity protected, 100% functionally tested, and has three self-resetting fuses. A remote option for Eagle Eye is available for mounting a light on the side of the battery when the view of the monitor is obstructed. European connectors are also available.
- solid green or blinking red light
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- no longer requires calibration


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This will be a pivotal year in Iraq. Nine provinces are now under Iraqi Army control. This year, the US plans to hand over responsibility for security in the remaining nine provinces. American military officials say that if current security trends hold up, it will withdraw four more brigades from Iraq by the end of July, bringing the number of troops back to its presurge level of around 130,000.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently said the new security gains need to be bolstered by national reconciliation and a revival in the political process as well as economic growth. He vowed to do his utmost next year to spread the state's authority.
But it will take more than good intentions to get Iraq's feuding factions together to run a viable state, reports correspondent Sam Dagher in Baghdad.
Will it be reconciliation or more disintegration and infighting in 2008?
It boils down to the careful calculation by Iraq's various protagonists – politicians, religious leaders, and insurgents – as to what they actually gain by either resisting the political equation or trying to work within the system, says a senior adviser to Iraq's President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd.
Resistance has so far manifested itself in an insurgency of all shades and colors – with both home-grown and foreign links – as well as in the sectarian polarization, says the adviser, who requested anonymity because of his position.
What he worries about most is another spike in violence as a result of the shake-up under way, even though security has improved and the number of civilian deaths in large-scale bombings has dropped significantly, from 588 in August to 154 in December.
"The surge [of US troops] was designed to create space to make political deals and to restabilize Iraq. It was also hoped that this process would enhance a sense of national unity. However, contrary to US objectives, a number of deals made at the local level led to increased fragmentation, not national unity," said Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group in remarks made in October.
He said there is a "vigorous fight for the control of national resources."
Echoing the concerns of Mr. Talabani's adviser, Mr. Hiltermann still sees "four intersecting wars" in Iraq: the Sunni-Shiite sectarian conflict, the intra-Sunni conflict, the intra-Shiite conflict, and a potential fight between Arabs and Kurds, whose rumblings are increasingly heard through disagreements over oil, territory, and the Turkish intervention in northern Iraq.
Will Al Qaeda back off and shift focus elsewhere?
Despite "the great disappointment and failure" on the political front, the US military will do whatever it takes in 2008 to safeguard the precious gains against Al Qaeda and related groups, says Toby Dodge, a London-based Iraq expert.
The US has gone out of its way to stress that Al Qaeda is still a serious threat.
The spokesman for US-led multinational forces, Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, said on Dec. 19, "Al Qaeda in Iraq continues to be the principle threat to security and stability."
And despite the recent gains, the commander of forces in northern Iraq, Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, said on the same day that Al Qaeda has been pushed to his region and predicted that it will carry out "spectacular attacks."
In his parting words as outgoing commander of multinational forces in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil said on Dec. 17 that in many parts of the capital, Al Qaeda and its affiliates were "lurking in the shadows, where they are working quietly, secretively and, I think, very determinedly to regain power and to still continue their attacks."
How will Iraq's neighbors act?
Mr. Dodge says he is seeing a possible turnaround in Syria's stance toward Iraq.
"There is a sense in Damascus that they have now more to gain by restricting insurgents than by promoting them," he says, referring to rapprochement with Washington and economic cooperation with Iraq's government, most notably the announcement in December that an oil pipeline between Iraq and Syria will be fixed and reopened.
As for Iran and its promise, according to Iraqi and US officials, to stop the funding and arming of Shiite militias, the US says it continues to have a wait-and-see attitude. But many analysts point to rising Iranian influence on all fronts.
"Iran supports a wide range of proxies, some of which are in direct competition with one another. It is clear that Iran's leaders want the Iraqi state to remain weak," said the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies in a December report.
The extent to which Gulf states, most notably Saudi Arabia, are involved in destabilizing Iraq in the name of protecting their Sunni population will remain a major point of contention.
Iraq's national security adviser, Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, accused Saudi Arabia in December of using Iraq to settle scores with Shiite Iran, while a study released by the US Army's West Point military academy on Dec. 19 revealed that 41 percent of all foreign fighters entering Iraq from August 2006 to August 2007 were Saudi nationals.
What will happen to the US-funded Sunni militias and tribal groups?
The greatest success in Iraq touted by the US military and government in 2007 were the "awakening councils" against Al Qaeda. The groups of US-funded ex-insurgents in Anbar Province and local neighborhood watch groups throughout Iraq made up of former militants are now collectively called "Concerned Local Citizens," or CLCs. The US says there are now 300 CLC groups comprising about 71,000 individuals, of whom 80 percent are Sunnis and the remaining 20 percent Shiite. Many analysts say they will be a major factor – and a major concern – in 2008.
Al Qaeda-linked elements within the Sunni community have already unleashed a campaign of attacks against the CLCs. There are fears this will only escalate. In a Dec. 29 audiotape, Osama bin Laden warned Sunnis against joining the movement, and since the tape was released Iraq has seen an uptick in attacks against the councils.
On Monday, double suicide bombings in Baghdad's Sunni stronghold of Adhamiya killed at least six people outside the Sunni Endowment, a government office that cares for the city's mosques and shrines. One of the victims was reportedly a leader in one of the new US-backed groups.
Can the Iraqi Army do the job?
One key issue will be whether it can hold its ground and resist political, ethnic, and sectarian pressures as the US scales back. Despite great strides and massive investments in training and equipping Iraqi forces, the Pentagon said in December that these forces "remain constrained.
"Special problems ... include corruption and lack of professionalism, sectarian bias, leader shortfalls, logistics deficiencies and dependence on coalition forces for many combat support functions," said its report to Congress.
Will Iraq's citizens have a greater voice?
One of the most serious side effects of the conflict in Iraq is an unraveling social fabric, an erosion in basic rights, and a loss of faith by average Iraqis in government. Despite the return of some refugees, 2.2 million remain displaced outside Iraq and another 2.3 million inside. One of the key developments to watch next year is whether the improvement in security will spur Iraqis to resist intimidation and voice their aspirations.
"We have not yet heard the true voice of the Iraqi people," says Fakhri Karim, owner of the Baghdad-based Al Mada newspaper, who has been sponsoring cultural events aimed at promoting secular values and uniting Iraqis.
What will be the barometers of progress?
• Will Iraqis resolve their bitter differences on how to share oil resources and pass a much anticipated oil law? Kurdistan and Baghdad are increasingly at odds.
• Can agreement be forged regarding Kirkuk, the oil-rich and ethnically mixed city? Or will it be a trigger for more conflict? A referendum that was supposed to take place at the end of 2007 has been postponed for six months.
• Iraqis remain divided over what federalism means and how it will be applied. Will the promoters of a vision of Iraq that is divided into three main regions soften their approach in the face of greater controversy?
• Will power transition in the provinces peacefully or will Iraq see more violence as rivals jockey to position themselves favorably ahead of these elections?
• Can Iraqis resolve their differences over key aspects of their new Constitution?
• Will Iraq's political leaders agree to meaningful and sweeping concessions that could rally average Iraqis together? In the broadest sense, this refers to talked-about amnesty for former regime loyalists, insurgents, militiamen, and those implicated in sectarian violence.


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301 N Richardson
Vicksburg, Mi 49097
Listing Office: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate
Disclaimer: The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity Program of SWMRIC, LLC. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than @properties are marked with the Broker Reciprocity thumbnail logo and detailed information about them includes the name of the listing brokers.
The village of Vicksburg is located in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. It has a population of nearly 3,000 residents. The community sits on the Sunset Lake shoreline in Southwestern Michigan.Learn More
No Nearby Public Transportation Found


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Sophomore Christo Schultz and the rest of the Harvard men's tennis team will look to rebound from its second loss of the season when it hosts Penn and Princeton this weeekend. (Gil Talbot)
The Particulars
No. 24 Harvard men's tennis team will welcome its first Ivy League opponents to the Beren Tennis Center this weekend when Penn and Princeton come to Cambridge Mass., with matches slated for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Last Time Out
Harvard opened up Ivy League play on the road last weekend first traveling to Ithaca N.Y. on Saturday and New York City on Sunday to play Cornell and Columbia.
On Saturday Harvard handled the Big Red, 7-0, after going 2-1 in doubles play while sweeping singles competition 6-0. Jonathan Pearlman, Denis Nguyen, Christo Schultz, Shaun Chaudhuri, Alex Steinreoder and Henry Steer all recorded wins against Cornell opponents, helping Harvard to improve to 17-1.
Columbia proved to be a tougher test from the Crimson as the No. 37 Lions upset the No. 24 Crimson, 5-2. Harvard got off to a good start, going 2-1 in doubles action as Alistair Felton and Casey MacMaster defeated Max Schnur and Ashok Narayana, 8-5, from the No. 1 slot. Harvard got it done in the No. 2 spot as well as Pearlman and Schultz took down Nathaniel Gery and John Yetimoglu, 9-8 (8-6). The two wins gave Harvard a 1-0 leading going into singles competition. Winston Lin evened the match at 1-1 as he defeated Pearlman in the No. 1 slot, but Nguyen put Harvard back in the lead in the No. 2 position, downing his opponent, Haig Schneiderman, 6-4, 6-2. The Lions took control from then on as it took the last four matches, to defeat Harvard 5-2.
Scouting Penn
The Quakers enter the weekend at 9-7 and 1-2 in the Ivy League. Penn recorded its first Ancient Eight victory over No. 54 Brown this past weekend as it took down Bears 4-3. It has suffered Ivy League defeats to Yale and Princeton as well this season.
The Quakers' Ivan Turudic has primarily battled out of the No. 1 spot for Penn and has accrued a 3-9 record. The Quakers have gotten a majority of its wins through the No. 4 through No. 6 spots as they have a combined 33-15 record in those three positions, compared to a 21-27 mark in the No. 1 through No. 3 slots.
In Doubles play it's been Nikola Kocovic and Turudic that has been most successful for the Quakers. The Duo who plays out of the No. 1 position have secured an 8-5 record thus far and has been the primary source of doubles wins for Penn.
Scouting Princeton
The Tigers enter the weekend sitting with a 12-8 mark overall as well as 3-0 record in the Ivy League. Princeton opened Ancient Eight play against Penn on March 31, defeating the Quakers 4-3 and has since reeled off two more Ivy League victories, downing Brown, and Yale, both by the score of 4-3.
Matija Pecotic has been nearly automatic for Princeton from the No. 1 position this spring, as he has recorded an eye-popping 15-2 record from that position. The Tigers have also gotten good production from the No. 4 through No. 6 slots as the positions have a combined record of 36-22 for the Tigers.
In doubles action the duo of Matt Siow and Matt Spindler has been the go-to team for the Tigers as the tandem has recorded a 7-7 record and competed primarily out of the No. 1 position.
History Lesson
Harvard has been downright dominant against Penn through its programs history. The Crimson is 70-12 against the Quakers since the series started in 1928. Harvard is currently on a six-game winning streak against Penn dating back to 2008. The last time these two teams met was last season, when Harvard downed the Quakers, 5-2.
When it comes to its Ivy League rival from New Jersey, Harvard holds a slight edge in the series history. The Crimson is 46-44 against the Tigers. However Harvard has recently hit a bit of a losing skid against Princeton as the Tigers have bested the Crimson the last two meetings, beating the Crimson, 6-1 and 4-3 the last two seasons.
Rank and File
While Harvard suffered its second loss of the season, the squad still managed to stay in the top 25, as it only dropped four spots from its previous ranking of 20. The Crimson, who has impressive victories over No. 19 San Diego and No. 43 Vanderbilt, came in No. 24 in yesterday's rankings.
Impressive Start
Harvard is enjoying possibly its most successful season to date as the team has started the dual season 17-2. It has already matched the win totals set back in 2008 and 2005 and 2002 as those teams went 17-8, 17-7 and 17-6, respectively. If Harvard is able to win its next five matches, it will match the program's second-highest win total of 22, set back in 2004.
Youth Movement
While Harvard has enjoyed the contributions of its veterans, namely Jon Pearlman, Christo Schultz, Alistair Felton and alike, it has really been buoyed by the production from its freshman class. So far this season Harvard has seen four of its six singles slots filled by the class of 2015. In those roles, Harvard freshman, Shaun Chaudhuri, Denis Nguyen, Henry Steer and Alex Steinroeder, have accrued a 51-16 record in dual matches this season.


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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Navy Divers recovered a piece of tradition during a frocking ceremony at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story Nov. 30.
Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 frocked three Navy Divers in an unfamiliar fashion to what most Sailors have witnessed in today's Navy, during a ceremony called "Tacking on of the Crow," in which Sailors, took turns stitching on petty officer rating badges, or crows, to the sleeves of the newly-promoted Sailors, representing their new rank.
"I've been in the Navy for three years and have never seen anything as professional and heritage-related as the ceremony we had today," said Navy Diver 3rd Class Daniel Parson, assigned to MDSU 2. "Usually, it's congratulations, a hand shake and you're given your crow, but this ceremony felt like it meant more."
While standing on center stage, the commanding officer sewed the first stitch with the expectation of the Sailors to accept their new responsibility and authority. The executive officer sewed the second stitch, while reminding the Sailors of the importance of the small details, where even the most mundane administrative task is important to the mission. The command master chief sewed the third stitch, and highlighted his role to the Sailors as a direct representative of the ideal goals of the petty officer.
The fourth stitch was sewn on by the officer in charge, the immediate senior, whose orders they have sworn not just to obey, but to understand and interpret those orders. The fifth stitch was sewn by master diver, their deckplate mentor and the one who has the most influence to shape, guide and help the petty officer in both his daily routine and his career progression.
The sixth stitch was sewn by the Sailors' peers, who help them get the job done and survive day-to-day. The seventh stitch was sewn by family because no Sailor operates alone. Whether it be friends or family, each Sailor has a support structure outside of working hours that keeps him focused and grounded.
Once the crow is fully tacked on the Sailors, uniform, you can no longer tell the difference between the first tack and the last tack. It symbolizes equal holding of all who sewed the crow and equal support to the new petty officers.
"The ceremony showed the support of everyone throughout our command," said newly-frocked Navy Diver 1st Class Tyler Smith, assigned to MDSU 2. "It showed the people who helped us get to where we are and the people that respect us for how far we have come."
"Tacking on of the Crow" dates back to the Royal navy and days of the sail. Upon the arrival of the industrial age, sail and canvas gave way to engines and steel. The method of the tack transformed from sewing to punching, like the piston of a machine. Over the years, the ceremony slowly evolved into hazing, opposite of its original tradition.
"The message got skewed," said MDSU 2 Command Master Chief Scott Brodeur. "It went from being positive and upholding and showing the good deed of the Sailor and seamanship, to something people were evil about. From that point, it was no longer about a positive message."
The MDSU 2 goal for the ceremony was to salvage "Tacking on of the Crow" to allow the Sailors an opportunity to embrace the heritage and tradition in a positive way.
"Our Navy heritage and tradition helps shape who we are and where we could be going," said Cmdr. Michael Runkel, commanding officer of MDSU 2. "The reaction from the ceremony was positive and a good way to salvage and restart the traditions of old."
MDSU 2, part of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), provides combat-ready, rapidly deployable mobile diving and salvage teams to conduct harbor clearance, salvage, underwater search and recovery, and underwater emergency repairs in any environment.


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We've got your style.
You know the style you feel at home in; the one that says, "This is me, and I look fabulous!" We've got it. We believe the best style is the one that makes YOU look amazing. How can you not feel amazing when you are in the hands of an inspiring, talented hair stylist? We invite you to experience this for yourself. Find your style here.


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SRD:Assassin's Dagger
From D&D Wiki
|This material is published under the OGL
Assassin's Dagger: This wicked-looking, curved +2 dagger provides a +1 bonus to the DC of a Fortitude save forced by the death attack of an assassin.
Moderate necromancy; CL 9th; Craft Magical Arms and Armor, slay living; Price 18,302 gp; Cost 9,302 gp + 720 XP.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Open Game Content → System Reference Document → Magic Items


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Yours, Mine, Ours: Balancing Personal Needs and Marriage
It isn't easy balancing your personal needs with those of your marriage. But couples who deal with their differences by working as a team find that giving in a little gets them a lot in return.
Yours, Mine, Ours
When my husband's favorite aunt passed away shortly before our wedding, she left him some framed posters of Impressionist paintings. Aaron and I were setting up our first apartment, and he said he wanted to hang them in our kitchen and living room. I didn't respond, but inwardly I balked. I have nothing against Monet, Manet, and company — I just don't like posters of any great art. So I brooded. Our home was our space, I told myself, and the decor should reflect both our tastes. And I worried that if I kept quiet to please him, I'd end up wimping out for the rest of our marriage.
My solution? I spoke up, suggesting that we not put anything on the walls or buy furniture unless we both liked it or, at the very least, one of us didn't object. Aaron agreed, and we started applying the mutual-approval rule to other issues, big and small — how much money we saved every month, which friends we had over for dinner, and whether we drank white wine or red. That eliminated surprises and conflicts, and we became closer. For 16 years neither of us has been caught off guard by, say, the purchase of a 60-inch HDTV or the arrival of in-laws for the weekend.
Our approach is just what the experts advise. In a healthy relationship spouses assert themselves and then strike a deal. "Clear, appropriate boundaries are vital to the long-term functioning and intimacy of a marriage," says Stephen J. Betchen, a marital therapist in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and author of Intrusive Partners - Elusive Mates (Routledge). Couples need to draw two lines: an internal one between husband and wife, and an external one between the spouses and outside influences, whether it's relatives, friends, or colleagues. "The first allows you to preserve your individuality and follow your dreams, and makes you more interesting to each other," Betchen says. "The second strengthens you as a couple and helps you withstand the inevitable pressures that every marriage faces."
It may seem counterintuitive, but setting individual boundaries will help you work better as a team. You're also setting an example for your kids, who will learn that negotiating compromises is the best way to overcome problems with their friends and future partners. That's the message Aaron and I are trying to send to our 6-year-old, Eric, when I stay on terra firma at the amusement park while they ride the roller coaster. "By seeing that Dad won't pressure Mom into doing something that bothers her, he'll realize he doesn't have to do it either," says Betchen. "That gives him a stronger sense of self and encourages him to think independently."
Need more team spirit in your marriage? We asked experts to pinpoint the areas where couples often collide and to offer advice on smoothing things out.
Money Squabbles
Conflict zone: This is an emotionally charged subject that's bound to create sparks. While we're all struggling to stay within our budgets, few couples have identical spending habits and are simpatico on everything from grocery bills to investment strategies. In fact, fights over money are one of the main reasons couples seek counseling.
Keeping the peace: Betchen advises couples to stop thinking as individuals ("It's my paycheck, so I'll spend it as I please!") and start thinking like a team ("How should we manage our finances so we can retire early?"). Household income is joint marital property, no matter who earns it. "When one spouse tells the other, 'I don't want you to spend my money,' it's a huge red flag for a dominance problem," Betchen says. Keep track of costs to see where you can cut back; then set an amount that each of you can spend every month as you wish. Agree that major purchases will be a joint decision. If you're at odds over how to save for college and retirement, consult a financial planner.
Trouble with In-Laws
Conflict zone: Even if you genuinely like each other's families, you may disagree about what makes for a cozy relationship versus one that's stifling. Maybe you blab to your mom about disagreements over disciplining the kids, and he feels betrayed. Or he invites his parents over for dinner — putting you in the kitchen — every Sunday.
Keeping the peace: Priority goes to your spouse, not your parents. "It's fine for you to be emotionally close, but you must keep parents outside your marital relationship — and that can be tricky," says Jane Adams, PhD, a social psychologist in Seattle, and author of Boundary Issues (John Wiley & Sons). To prevent arguments and hurt feelings, she advises, don't criticize your spouse when talking to your parents or in-laws, and don't let them criticize him, either. When raising in-law problems with your spouse, do it tactfully. ("I love having your parents here, but it's hard to do things with the kids and prepare a big meal. How about cutting back to twice a month?") "That way it won't sound like you're blaming anyone," says Janet Taylor, MD, a Family Circle Advisory Board member and clinical instructor of psychiatry at Harlem Hospital-Columbia University in New York City. And play fair. If he cuts back his parents' visits for you, do the same for him by, for example, agreeing that your folks can't stop by without calling first.
Disorder in the House
Conflict zone: You keep everything in its place; he drops dirty clothes on the floor and leaves half-full glasses in the den. When you clean up after him, he says you're invading his space.
Keeping the peace: First, understand that "some people need a neat environment to function effectively and feel in control, while others see home as a place where they can let everything go," says Dr. Taylor. You and your spouse may never see eye to eye, but you can end ongoing space wars. Distinguish between common areas (kitchen, living room, master bedroom) and private ones (your office, a corner of the basement, closets). Then agree to reduce clutter in shared areas while reserving the right to be sloppy on your own turf — no questions asked. For example, he won't scarf down chips in bed, and you'll stop going into his closet and hanging up his clothes.
Downtime Disputes
Conflict zone: Sure, leisure time is great for bonding, and vacations for recording priceless digital moments. But what relaxes you makes him antsy, and vice versa. You like sleeping in, he's up at dawn; you prefer fine dining and nice hotels while he likes campfire cooking and sleeping under the stars.
Keeping the peace: Start taking turns making decisions on how you spend your downtime, whether it's weekends or a vacation — and be a good sport when your spouse is calling the shots. "It shouldn't be a big deal not going to your favorite restaurant or the destination of your dreams," Betchen says. "The point is to get away from the daily grind and enjoy quality time together, which builds intimacy." Even better, try to agree on activities and places that appeal to you both. And be adventurous — use your leisure time to try doing something new together, like windsurfing or wine tasting. You'll share some thrills and maybe even discover a new passion you can pursue as a couple.
Friendship Flaps
Conflict zone: You've both got close buddies to lean on. Problem is, you're not wild about each other's friends and get into arguments about who to spend time with and how often.
Keeping the peace: Married couples must negotiate and compromise to maintain friendships. Agree to a set number of nights per month that you'll spend with others. That includes people you see on your own — whether it's poker night with your girlfriends or sports night with his fellow jocks — as well as couples you invite over or go out with for, say, dinner and a movie. And if your husband complains that you set things up only with your friends, remind him that he's free to make arrangements too. "He needs to take responsibility if he wants to even things out," Betchen says.
Adams has a few other words of advice. While it's normal to vent to friends about how your spouse drives you crazy, watch what you say. It's one thing to gripe about the way he procrastinates but quite another to complain about his lagging libido. "Never disclose anything that would be embarrassing — that boundary is absolute," says Adams. "Your loyalty is to your spouse, and both of you should make sure the other always feels safe."
Copyright © 2008. Used with permission from the May 2008 issue of Family Circle magazine.


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This Sunday, the nine-day celebration of Las Posadas begins. Originally from Spain, this tradition is now most commonly practiced in Mexico, Guatemala, and the American Southwest. The posadas are symbolic of the nine months that Mary carried Jesus in her womb; they always start on December 16th and end on December 24th.
Each night, families gather together in different homes (usually around their neighborhood) and reenact Mary and Joseph pidiendo posada – or their plea for lodging – when they traveled back to Bethlehem.
Typically, the group divides into two sets of singers – one inside and the other outside. The outside group carries small candles, sheet music, and small statues of Mary and Joseph and their little burro. Sometimes two children will be chosen to dress up like the Virgin and her husband instead. Other children may dress as shepherds and an angel, who leads the procession. The group inside represents the innkeeper.
Then the singing begins. Both groups sing back and forth — those outside (the peregrinos) asking for shelter, and those inside refusing to grant it. Until finally, the innkeepers agree and let the peregrinos in with joyful singing from both groups. What follows afterward is a feast of tamales, ponche, buñuelos, and champurrado (Mexican hot chocolate).
We've put together a list of some of our favorite resources for kids, but you can find a comprehensive list of lesson plans, activities, books, and more here on my site, MommyMaestra.com.
First, take a look at this excellent video created by The Other Side of the Tortilla describing the tradition of Las Posadas. Younger children might prefer this animated video created years ago by Disney.
For music, you can buy or download Las Posadas/Entren Santos Peregrinos by Donna Peña. This is the traditional song, beautifully sung by adults.
As far as crafts go, we love this poinsettia craft from First Palette. Also, Scholastic has some printable craft ideas including a little candle cutout and miniature piñata. Crayola has this fun and easy luminary path craft that kids of any age can create. If your child is into paper dolls, check out this Posada-themed paper doll pdf set from Paper Dali on etsy. And lastly, Sabor a Cajeta has put together this awesome tutorial for creating your own traveling nacimiento. Made out of wood, this little nativity is perfect for children and their little fingers.
Our favorite book, The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie dePaola, is set in the American Southwest. In this lovely story, Sister Angie has organized a Las Posadas celebration, but on the night of the posada, a snowstorm hits, leaving the couple to play Mary and Joseph stranded…and Sister Angie is stuck at home sick. It seems that only a miracle will be able to save Las Posadas.
Carlos, Light the Farolitos by Jean Ciavonne is also a lovely description of the celebration. On Christmas Eve, young Carlos is dismayed to see the procession of neighbors and friends coming up the front walk. His parents and grandfather aren't home yet. So it's up to him to take over Grandfather's role as the Innkeeper. But he's so frightened he can hardly breathe, let alone sing! Carlos's triumph over his shyness, and the joyful celebration that follows, make this a satisfying story for any season.
Monica Olivera Hazelton, NBC Latino contributor and the founder and publisher of MommyMaestra.com, a site for Latino families that homeschool, as well as families with children in a traditional school setting who want to take a more active role in their children's education. She is the 2011 winner of the "Best Latina Education Blogger" award by LATISM.


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Deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard turned to his eager audience. Pointing to an image on a big screen at the Tulalip Boys &Girls Club, he asked: "What's that?"
Kids shouted out the obvious answer: "Earth."
"Funny," Ballard told the crowd, "most of it is water."
He has been a Naval Reserve commander and a University of Rhode Island oceanography professor. He spent 30 years at the nonprofit Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Of all his discoveries, he is best known for finding the wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic.
In 1985, using an unmanned camera-equipped submersible called Argo, Ballard searched a debris field more than 12,000 feet down in the north Atlantic, and found the luxury liner. The Titanic sank April 15, 1912. Ballard said he wanted to find the shipwreck "to show how cool robots are."
Ballard discovered hydrothermal vents and exotic life forms, located the wreck of the German battleship Bismarck, and is about to explore the Juan de Fuca undersea mountain range in the Pacific off the coast of Washington.
He has seen places few will ever go. Now, thanks to renovations and new technology at the Tulalip Boys &Girls Club and curriculum related to Ballard's explorations, kids here will experience underwater exploration.
Ballard's visit to the Tulalip club Wednesday evening follows the completion late last year of the club's new computer lab, music room and a space for Ballard's Immersion Learning program. The immersion lab will link the Tulalip club with exploration ships, including one based at the University of Washington.
It's part of the JASON Project, a nonprofit founded by Ballard in 1989. The educational effort is managed by the Sea Research Foundation with involvement from the National Geographic Society. The curriculum was developed partly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The goal is to help children with STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and math — through engaging curricula at after-school centers. In short, making science fun.
Bill Tsoukalas, executive director of Boys &Girls Clubs of Snohomish County, said that children from all the group's area clubs were invited to Ballard's talk. "Kids today are going to be the future explorers," he said.
One fan of Ballard's, who waited patiently for an autograph, was 6-year-old Evan Wold, a first-grader at Mukilteo's Endeavour Elementary School. "He loves the Titanic," said Evan's mother Beverly Wold. Erik and Beverly Wold said their son often studies his Titanic books, and hopes to become a ship captain. Ballard's exploration vessel is called the EV Nautilus.
Tsoukalas said the Tulalip club's renovations and new technology cost about $500,000. The work was done with support from the Tulalip Tribes, and with proceeds from the club's fund-raising events.
Robbie Callaway, former head of government relations for Boys &Girls Clubs of America, was also at Wednesday's event. He said the Tulalip club is the seventh tribal club in the country and the first at a reservation in Washington to have the labs. Ballard's program was first brought to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in the 1990s, he said.
Ballard, 70, is to science what Cal Ripken Jr. is to baseball and Michael Jordan is to basketball, Callaway said. Those sports superstars have long been associated with Boys &Girls Clubs.
"Tonight is a special night," said the Tulalip Tribes' Don Hatch Jr. as he introduced Ballard. As an honor, he wrapped a Pendleton blanket around Ballard's shoulders. Hatch, who recently retired from the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors, also presented Ballard with a mask made by Tulalip wood carver Kelly Moses.
Ballard wowed his audience with facts and with photos of what lies beneath the ocean's surface. The average ocean depth is 12,000 feet, and the deepest is seven miles. There are "wicked-awesome" worms down there, he said, and giant clams with bacteria living inside them. He shared a chilling detail about the Titanic site. All that remain of victims on the sea floor are shoes. The bones, he said, dissolved long ago. "I saw the shoes as tombstones," Ballard said.
To find the Titanic, he said, "I did my homework. You always have to do your homework."
The scientist told his young audience to never give up.
"You'll get knocked down, but you must follow your dream," Ballard said.
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; email@example.com.


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CSI: Enchanted Forest
Hugh Acheson wishes he had enjoyed one of the show's greatest meals with Charlize Theron and Eric Ripert.
Sorry this is a bit late. It was finished at midnight at the airport in Salt Lake City after I missed a connection. Rock on SLC -- it was a great 7 hours.
Back to San Antonio we go, land of the Alamo and a fine bar called the Esquire. Google it and go; it's a fun place to imbibe.
Sarah starts off the show with the Strange Logic II: the Hatred of Beverly Returns. She laments that Lindsay should have won the previous Restaurant Wars but it lacks Vulcan sensibility and I wish our resident Trekkie would chime in. Bev won the war, oddly enough cooking her own dish as the best and the other dish she was in charge of pickup on, as worst. Strange days here we come.
Alas, I still stand beside the decision. The other decision that was made was the one to send Ty-Lor packing which was a sad one for all of us. He is a good soul and a talented chef throughout the competition and also a darn fine bartender when he guested on the episode of What What Happens: Live that I was on last week with the esteemed Andy Cohen and the wonderful fly girl, Rosie Perez. The show was definitely live and full of craziness. Amirite?
All the driving scenes this season have had a play-within-a-play mentality. Let's call them Sienna Scenes, and this is a very uncomfortable ride for the winning ladies. C'mon people, act like winners, not wieners! Bev, the champion, has the others wanting her to be a reluctant champion. I suggest Beverly regale the others with a rousing rendition of "Cry me a River." You have to get past yesterday and onto today, people. Don't stop thinking about tomorrow, yesterday's gone… it shouldn't just be the mantra of a Clinton-Gore campaign.Paul is cooking up some breakfast in the Top Chef luxo-bungalow. It's breakfast pizza pockets, a snack perfected to counter the munchies back in his pot dealing/dog poop-strewn apartment daze. It's gonna be dope.
And off to the Quickfire we go. Immunity for the winner. We see a conveyor belt and I am hoping for a sushi challenge where the winner is the person whose food was most consumed. That would rock. Elves… make this happen. I am gleeful though when the challenge is explained that foodstuffs will appear on the belt, and if you grab 'em, you gotta use them. This is awesome.
Chef Eric Ripert is in the house. Eric is a god to those of us who cook food for a living. He is also reportedly (we do not know each other) a complete sweetheart, who is very kind and calm. I do suggest that Grayson not sing her frog song just in case it gets misconstrued. Franco-American relations are in jeopardy if that happens.
Chris Jones is being taunted by a circling crustacean which is playing hard to get. Chris is so Easy Teasy. It is a hilarious man vs. conveyor belt moment. He goes on a profanity-laced tirade. This is killer TV. Finally he gets a hold of one of those lobsters and he is not letting go. He is now going to make this lobster pay for this embarrassment by boiling it and cooking it with foie gras.
Time is up, and it looks like Beverly is having one of her minimalist brain activity days: she has forgotten to put on one of her necessary elements, yet gets a pretty nice-looking plate composed. Curried rice krispies sounded pretty fly, so I am saddened. Luckily she has not somehow ruined Lindsay's food in the Quickfire, or we would never hear the end of it.
The food:
Edward Lee: Sauerkraut Soup with shrimp, shaved truffle and Macadamia nuts. Good looking.
Chris Jones: Butter Poached Lobster with foie gras. Traditional haute cooking without liquid nitrogen appliqué. In this competition, Chris has left Planet Moto for a simpler place known as Earth. Welcome back, dude. He is seen trying to open a jar with a spatula. Wrong tool Chris, wrong tool!
Grayson: Butter poached fluke with rosemary Goldfish crumble. Sounding weird but this may have solved how to use all those Goldfish one finds crammed in the backseat when you have a toddler. I have two who are past the Goldfish addiction stage but we are still finding Goldfish in the back seats.
Paul Q: Mussels with broth of bitter melon and saffron. Bitter melon is tough love to use and may bitter him, I mean bite him, in the ass.
Sarah: Softshell crab with artichokes, cottage cheese, and saltines. This sounds like a CSI episode looking into a drunk Italian fisherman's death. Or it could rock. We're about to find out.
Lindsay: Bouillabaisse of grouper, clams, fennel, and tomato. She's a little worried about cooking something so French for Eric. I feel for her. I'd be freaking out. I love how they start to subtitle Eric.
Beverly: Glazed sockeye salmon with black eyed peas, tofu, and thoughts of curried rice crispies. This is where Chris Jones is very jealous. She just thinks the rice crispies onto the plate.
So Beverly's dish would have won "by a mile" if she hadn't been floating above the crowds in a euphoric daze, which puts a footnote next to Lindsay's win, much like the Montreal Expos best record in baseball in 1994-1995. Lindsay takes the news with her new cloudy disposition. She's tired, people. They all are. It's been a long road this far and as much as they all want to finish this with a win, they all also want a nap.
Charlize Theron is the Queen of this quasi-medieval honky tonk and you really couldn't ask for someone to get more into it. She's great. It is utterly unfair that I am not there. Heads will roll.
The contestants must cook food cooked in a style worthy of an evil queen -- macabre and over the top. If Chris Jones had a gastronomic wet dream this would be it. He wants to capture this like a lobster on a conveyor belt, which proved to be more elusive than you would believe.
Beverly is running into Whole Foods like the women chefs are trying to kill her, and this may well be the case. She begins to pop up like a Korean gnome around Whole Foods scaring the other chefs. The girl is an odd bird.
Cooking has begun. Macabre is the theme of the night. I love lamb heart, so I'm excited for Sarah's dish. She is really, really skilled. I have not had black chicken ever, so Grayson's dish is beyond my experience. Chris Jones is doing the crazy apple thing. Paul Q. is making something without cocoa nibs. Fast forward to the feast.
Tartare from Ed. Tom is looking quite serious, but he's really happy to have the lovely Charlize there. Eric loves it. The sauce interplay is loved. Tom gets the line of the night, "When you put good and evil together you get a politician."Paul is doing a Body Glove wetsuit plate. They love it too. It looks pretty cool. He's making time from that Quickfire stuff he messed around with.
Beverly has made Snow White into a fish, but I think that's the Little Mermaid. She's confused but the plate looks good and is well-received. Fish is cooked perfectly, rice is killa.
Lindsay has made a Witches' Stew of seared scallop with shortrib and dragon beans. Looks great. The stewed beans are adored. Fine chef she is. Boil, boil, toil, and trouble. I like how she's seen Bev make headway with shortribs, and she's going to run with it too.
Sarah is Italian (a play on English is Italian, a resto by Todd English). Lamb heart over Amarone risotto. Me hungry now. I would eat that right now, but it is not available at the SLC airport.
Grayson is putting together a crazy plate and bumps bellies with Pebbles in celebration. Nutty plate. Love the egg. They love it too.
Chris J. and the wacky apple. Poison apple. Looks whack. His use of LN in this is smart and is adored. Look, I wasn't there, but Tom really said to me that it was some of the best food ever on Top Chef. Ever. And that was all of them. Way to go, chefs. You rocked it and the Queen was happy.
Slaphappy band time. Bev plays one minute past the point of it being cool.
Paul wins. Kills it with the Enchanted Forest.
Beverly is gone, but certainly not forgotten. Who can ever forget her?


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By April Demes
With Remembrance Day behind us and Halloween firmly in the past, it is time for many of us to get into the full swing of all things Christmas.
I've got my poinsettia going, and my baby rosemary plants are putting on new growth. Now it's time to try something else: forcing bulbs.
I've never grown an amaryllis or anything like that, but this year I thought I'd try paperwhites. I'm a die hard daffodil fan, so these cousins (Narcissus papyraceus) aren't too far outside my comfort zone.
The little gift pack I stumbled across at Walmart for five bucks actually came with a pot and a disk of compressed coir, but many people plant the bulbs in a dish of water topped up with pebbles or marbles for stability. My kit says to plant them six weeks before you want blooms; most people on the Interweb say three weeks, so I'm doing it today and we'll see.
I decided to ditch the coir and pot that came with the kit and do something prettier.
I put a shallow layer of stones in this (plastic-lined) dish, placed the bulbs, then covered them up to their "shoulders" in more stones and added just enough water to keep their bottoms wet.
I did find an intriguing tip for keeping blooming paperwhites from getting top-heavy –get them ever so slightly drunk. But as to why paperwhites are thought of as a Christmas flower, I couldn't find any clues other than they bloom in December in warm climates. There doesn't seem to be any special symbolism.
Poinsettias symbolized purity to the ancient Aztecs, and there's the usual holly and ivy to represent eternity and resurrection. Evergreen trees fall into the same category. But amaryllis? Christmas Rose (Serissa or Helleborus, depending on who you ask)? Christmas cactus? We just seem to be looking for something alive and lovely in the dark winter months.
Fair enough. We were pretty excited when Chris got a zygocactus (Schlumbergera) blooming again.
At least, he's the one who rescued the poor little guy. It was languishing in a corner after being relocated during the ever-present renovations, and he moved it to his studio where it gets bright, indirect light. He's taking full credit for the transformation; I think he accidentally did exactly what it needed.
But I'm not complaining. It's pretty exciting to have so many things growing when there's carols on the radio and four inches of snow.
Source: canadiangardening