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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) While it was a disappointing second season for the Portland Timbers, there is reason for hope.
Portland will soon see the arrival of new coach Caleb Porter, who is wrapping up his seventh season as head coach of the University of Akron. Porter was hired by the Timbers in August, after the dismissal of coach John Spencer.
The Timbers also claimed the Cascadia Cup, which goes annually to the winner of the three-way competition with the rival Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Portland finished up the season 8-16-10, ranked second-to-last in Major League Soccer's Western Conference and falling far short of the team's goal to reach the playoffs. The year was capped by a 1-1 draw with the playoff-bound San Jose Earthquakes this past Saturday.
``Of course it didn't go the way we wanted,'' forward Bright Dike said about the season. ``But if you look at how we faired against San Jose, the best team in the league, we have a win and two ties this year. So this team is not really far off. I hope next year we can grind out better wins against teams we should have beat.''
Porter will be the first step. This season he has guided the second-ranked Zips to a 13-1-2 record with two matches remaining. Akron has already clinched its eighth straight Mid-American Conference regular season title.
Porter, 37, led the Zips to the national championship in 2010, in the second of back-to-back appearances in the College Cup.
While Spencer was popular with the fans, the Timbers dismissed him on July 9 and replaced him for the remainder of the season with general manager Gavin Wilkinson. At the time, owner Merritt Paulson insisted that the decision was not purely record-driven, characterized the issue as ``some fundamental philosophical differences.
Wilkinson joined the Timbers in 2001 as a player when the team was part of the USL First Division. He was coach of the second-division Timbers from 2007-10 and was an assistant with the Houston Dynamo for five seasons before coming to Portland.
Wilkinson's stint as interim coach this season did not yield a team turnaround. Sprinkled in the crowd at home games were signs reading ``GW Out.''
But in the end Wilkinson said the team will learn from the struggles they've had this season.
``There are a lot of lessons. As a club and organization, we are continually trying to manage the character of the group. The mentality of building on that is something we will look forward to,'' he said. ``This team had a lot of diversity with this season, but winning the Cascadia Cup and coming back for the draw really puts this club at the top of what they can be this year.''
Portland claimed the Cascadia Cup with a 1-0 victory over the Whitecaps in their second-to-last match. Captain Jack Jewsbury scored in the 39th minute.
It was the Timbers' first victory on the road and ended a six-match losing streak.
Portland finished 3-1-2 against its Pacific Northwest rivals to take the fan-created Cascadia Cup competition. Seattle was 2-1-3, and Vancouver 0-3-3.
``It's tremendous for the fans,'' Wilkinson said. ``They thoroughly deserve it, everything aside it's something that they thoroughly deserved. It's been a long season for them and it's been a long season for the organization, and while this doesn't remove some of the things that have happened over the course of the season, it's a positive and it's something we can take into next season.''
As for those fans: The Timbers' supporters have not lost their fervor for the team. Paulson said that there's a 96 percent season ticket renewal rate for next season. Portland currently has a waiting list of about 7,500 fans for the 14,750 season tickets.
The team handed out its final awards at a banquet on Sunday. Midfielder Diego Chara was the players' player of the year as well as the supporters' player of the year. Kris Boyd won the Golden Boot as team's top scorer with seven goals this season.
Midfielder Eric Alexander won the team's Unsung Hero award, while defender David Horst was the team's community player. Jewsbury's goal against the Whitecaps was the play of the year.

subset: commoncrawl


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FANCY GAP — Only one author with Carroll County ties has topped the Amazon sales charts for an action-adventure series.
David "Bubba" Gelly saw possibilities in the infamous fog of Fancy Gap — as a shroud of mystery for the setting in his fictional thriller.
To write "Fancy Gap," Gelly combined his experience as a corporate security supervisor with his love of writing and his interest in the local culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains to pen this tale of a loathsome crime.
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DecysiveDaniel necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 20 diseños de 7 diseñadores freelance.
Decysive Solutions: http://www.decysivesolutions.com
We are a technology firm working in the Healthcare & Finance sectors who are trying to build a company that people love to work for and provides a quality service to our clients. We are growing organically by word of mouth and now would love a website that attracts clients who are looking for quality people who love what they do and want to bring cutting edge talent to the table. While we work on a lot of closed source systems... we are pro open-source and look to bring quality open source software to 2 industries that could use the cost savings and update in technology.
We want to attract all niche's of the Healthcare industry.. from large Payers (Blue Cross) to small, local medical & dental practices. We not only provide consulting services, but also managed network services to this sector. We are particularly interested in how the Axial project will effect the Healthcare Industry.
In the Finance world we are looking to attract broker/dealers who have home grown systems that require integration to other systems, require updates and/or maintenance, or new development. We have worked for shops as large as Cantor Fitzgerald but equally enjoy working with smaller firms.
The only hard & fast requirement in that the main content area be 980px wide (Thanks Ar1anna). There should be room on one or both sides of that main content area to accommodate navigation menu's but we have no preference for 2 or 3 column designs. We do have a logo we love... so it's kind of like that faucet commercial where the lady wants a house designed round the faucet.
We like the colors within our logo (in general, blue, white & orange) but the depth and saturation of the color can be changed... but the logo would need to then be re-worked to match. I believe I will be able to attach the logo as well as a masthead that was developed for us but never used (too hard to incorporate into the CSS of Joomla... but we will be developign out own CSS for this project.).
We are looking for a sharp but clean design. What we do like about our current site is that it appears clean... but it's boring. So please bring your creativity to the table and do your best to WOW us. This is going to be our first impression in the coming months as we begin to promote our site... if we don't catch them on the first try we won't get a second try. It must be visually pleasing, easy to navigate and logically organized.
Good Luck!


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So you've found a great job, applied for it and now it's time for the interview! How are those butterflies in your stomach? Not so good? It's OK, we're here to help. Here is some advice to help calm your nerves and get you prepared for your interview.
Don't be late for the interview!
Punctuality is very important when arriving to an interview. This is the first impression the employer gets, and if you're late, it gives the impression that you don't value the interviewer's time. Even arriving five minutes late can lose you the job - we're not kidding. Arriving 10-15 minutes early, on the other hand, will give you time to prepare. Be sure you have directions and you know how to get to your interview location. If you're unsure, go the day before to make sure you know how to get there.
Dress up
Keep your interview outfit casual, but not too casual. Showing up in jeans and a T-shirt may be comfy but doesn't give the best impression, even if that's what you'd be wearing on the job. Khakis and a nice collared shirt, or a tailored top and (not mini) skirt are always a good choice. If you're applying for a retail clothing store, avoid wearing clothing with a competitor's logo. A full suit is probably too much, unless you're applying for an office support job or a prestigious internship.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
Did I mention prepare? Know the company you are interviewing with and have questions ready for your interviewer. This shows the interviewer that you have an interest in the company. Keep in mind that it never hurts to practice. Make sure you know who you are and what skill set you possess. And always be yourself - you want them to hire the real you, not a fake version of you.
Be aware of your body language
When you're nervous, do you tend to rub your arm? Jiggle your foot? Or click a pen? You are going to drive the interviewer crazy if you do any of those things! At the job interview, do your best to keep still, sit up straight and look the interviewer in the eyes. You want to appear calm and in control.
Practice interview questions and answers
"Tell me a little about yourself."
This is always a tough one, because you ask yourself, "What do they want to know?" Focus on your skills, abilities and your interests. The interviewer wants to know about you and what your plans are for the present and the future. Definitely don't start talking about your childhood, the music you like, your soccer trophies or anything else that's not relevant to the job. Remember to keep the answer brief, because it can set the tone for the rest of the interview.
"Why do you want to work for us?"
Here's your chance to tell the interviewer why you chose to apply for the job. Don't say because of the pay. This is your opportunity to talk about why you think you'd fit in really well and what you could bring to the team.
"What extracurricular activities do you participate in?"
This is your chance to talk about you and show your personality - but again, keep it short! Your extracurricular activities should reflect your best traits and your interests.
"Why should I hire you?"
Be honest. Let the interviewer know why you are the best for the job. This is your chance to sell yourself and set yourself apart from the other job candidates.
That's it! Just keep our rules in mind and you'll be sure to impress. Good luck on your interview - and don't forget to let us know how you snagged a job!


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There's a lot of trash talk in League of Legends. Eating something spicy might be just the thing to distract from all the vitriol. But when one dude chows down on one of the hottest foods in the world, all he hears are his own groans of pain.
Dartigan—one of the guys from the Oh No Robots YouTube channel—can hardly breathe, much less speak, after eating a ghost pepper. But somehow he manages to keep on playing Riot's hit game, even as his eyes are tearing up. That's dedication.


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Unique Kugeri Stands on Little Diomede Island
By Timothy Sczawinski
Because of climate and type of materials used, many examples of traditional Alaska Native housing have disappeared. On the Island of Little Diomede in the Bering Straits, a kugeri stands which has for generations protected its inhabitants from some of the severest weather on earth. This article first appeared in "The Northern Engineer" and is excerpted from the May 1982 issue of "Now in the North."


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Largo do Paço boasts a Michelin star and offers a refined but welcoming atmosphere.
Earn miles at Largo do Paço
The restaurant's menus change with the seasons so it can use the freshest available organic products. Its aim is to offer dishes with Portuguese roots and combine contemporary and traditional cuisine.In order to earn miles, book a table at Largo do Paço and let your mouth enjoy a unique taste experience. Then, when you ask for the bill, just show your TAP Miles&Go Card.
€1 spent
3 miles
Terms and conditions
- The benefits are as follows: each euro spent = 3 TAP Miles&Go miles.
- Restaurante Largo do Paço is open every day of the year. Lunch is from 12:30 to 15:00 and dinner from 19:30 to 22:30.
- Please book in advance if you wish to enjoy a complete experience with one of the tasting menus designed exclusively by our chef.
- Miles will be credited to your TAP Miles&Go account within 90 days.
- Once the miles have been credited to the Client's Account they cannot be returned.


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The 5 winners of the detox eye rollers are:
Kirstie Sarah
Jen T
Well done ladies! Please drop me an email with your address so I can arrange for the prizes to be sent out.
Christmas Giveaways – I know we had all sorts of problems with delivery and stock because the PR company ran out of product – but UK ladies, your prizes should be with you now or at least by the end of this week.
International ladies I am resending to the girls who have told me their stuff hasn't arrived so please keep a look out over the next 2-3 weeks for them!
UPDATE: If you read the above I have already said the items will be resent to people who have EMAILED me saying their items didn't arrive. Any queries, email me because it is too hard to sort people out via comments.


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Watch any surfing documentary, from "Whipped!" to "Riding Giants," and you'll hear the dudes speak — in hushed tones — about the treacherous and epic waves that show up off the coast of northern California when the conditions are just right. The Mavericks break is legendary, and for years, was considered some sort of myth by those who surfed and had never seen it.
"Chasing Mavericks" is about the days when that break was acknowledged as real, and the teenager — Jay Moriarity — who became famous there.
Jonny Weston plays Jay, a curly-headed blond who has gotten the surfing bug from his somewhat standoffish neighbor, Frosty. The older surfer, played by Gerard Butler at his most gruffly charming, has a job — roofing — a gorgeous wife (Abigail Spencer) and a growing family. But his passion is surfing. A regular Adonis-on-a-long-board, Frosty, with his flowing locks, is one of the "children of the tides," he poetically narrates. And his secret is Mavericks.
In a brief prologue, we learn of Jay's working-poor background — his alcoholic, semi-employed, divorced mom (Elisabeth Shue) and his absent father. Cooper Timberline plays the 8-year-old Jay, who tapes together a busted board, braves bullies, gets his nose bloodied by the surf, but sticks with it to become the best surfer kid on the block by the time he's 15.
He lionizes Frosty and stows away on the guy's ancient Ford Econoline van when Frosty sneaks off to Mavericks, of which only a quartet of veteran surfers are aware. They know the conditions and are skilled enough to handle waves as high "as five-story buildings, a thousand tons of water pounding you, holding you down."
Those are Frosty's warnings to the boy. But when his wife points out that "there are all kinds of sons," Frosty mentors the kid, training him for that magical three-month window when conditions make Mavericks an epic ride.
The dynamic here is that Jay is the more grown up of the two. He's keeping his lonely, depressed mother afloat and employed. Frosty is missing his daughter's childhood, ditching work and lying to his wife to surf.
"Chasing Mavericks" tends toward the cute, as Jay's guru, his sensei, makes him practice holding his breath for four minutes, makes him ride a paddleboard 36 miles across Half Moon Bay, takes him on dives to explore the deadly reef that causes the wave break and assigns him essays on "the power of observation."
But the mentor-student relationship works. The sense of a time and place is strong. And the surfing footage is awe-inspiring. The film captures the majesty and violence of the big waves and gives us a taste of their allure.
Built with "Soul Surfer" in mind, the film's emotional punches are saved for the third act, and it never really sells its "Live Like Jay" — on the edge and for each moment — ethos. It's a bit overlong for the limited scope of the story and narrow vision of the characters. That's probably because initial director Curtis Hanson got ill and was replaced by the equally accomplished Michael Apted in the last chunk of the shooting. Either one, on his own, might have ensured those issues were addressed.
But "Chasing Mavericks" is still an entertaining dip into a world many talk about, but few have ever sampled.
'Chasing Mavericks' -- 2 1/2 stars
MPAA rating: PG (for thematic elements and some perilous action)
Running time: 1:54
Opens: Friday


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Tuesday, September 11, 2007
On The Street……..The Young Sophisticate, New York City
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71 comments
Woaw – what a cool look such a brilliant design of the dots – classic but with a playfull twist.
Very stylish young person.
Thank you so much for brightening up my day, such a chic lady
so it's still spring in new york, ey? :P absolutely gorgeus, the hair, the shoes and the dress. and the cut of that dress. love how young people bring such beauty to old fashion. thank you scott!
Perfect!! I especially like the hair. The dress is very nice, elegant. What is the bag, by the way? Does anyone know?
Now THAT is perfection!
Here we go. Perfect shirtwaist dress, with a pleasingly pert yet knowing character.
Only problem is with the bag, which is too large for the rest–but if you've got to carry a lot of stuff….
Love veverything about her look! It's perfect!
She has a great smile!
Wow! Traffic-stoppingly gorgeous. Fantastic look.
Ahhh…. perfect, from the hairdo to the flipped-up collar of her *fabulous* shirtdress to her t-strap heels. This is the kind of look that always looks fresh, no matter what age you are.
She is gorgeous. If I lived there I would never get any work done. I would be on the street watching people like this all the time!
Brilliant design and pattern. I like how the polka dots draw the eye down and up, but not to the middle (not that she has anything to worry about. In her case, she the belt is a great touch for showing off her great figure) Her stylishness and insouciance complete the look beautifully. Bravo!
Perfect post for today. On the anniversary of one of NY's darkest days, you've shown us one of New York's most wonderful sights – a beautiful girl in a great dress, smiling & looking great against the sunny background of NYC. 9/11′s always a hard one for me, but you've really brightened it up. Thanks, Sart!
What a gorgeous lady and stunning picture. Where was it taken?
The thing that bothers me here is,that it is almost too perfect to be true. I guess she has really spent lots of time fixing her outfit,make-up and hair.Maybe if she had not fixed everything to perfection I would like it more.Now there is nothing left for the viewer and the big bag doesn´t count.
It looks great on her. She has the right figure and hair.
Adorable dress, and I love her haircut, but why is she carrying a suitcase?
This is off topic, but I posted this Ann Sexton poem here on this blog on September 11th a year ago and, as a fellow new yorker, I hope you don't mind if I post it again today.
Riding the Elevator Into the Sky
By Anne Sexton (1975)
As the fireman said:
Don't book a room over the fifth floor in any hotel in New York.
They have ladders that will reach further
but no one will climb them.
As the New York Times said:
The elevator always seeks out
the floor of the fire
and automatically opens
and won't shut.
These are the warnings
that you must forget
if you're climbing out of yourself.
If you're going to smash into the sky.
Many times I've gone past
the fifth floor,
cranking upward,
but only once
have I gone all the way up.
Sixtieth floor:
small plants and swans bending
into their grave.
Floor two hundred:
mountains with the patience of a cat,
silence wearing its sneakers.
Floor five hundred:
messages and letters centuries old,
birds to drink,
a kitchen of clouds.
Floor six thousand:
the stars,
skeletons on fire,
their arms singing.
And a key,
a very large key,
that opens something –
some useful door –
somewhere –
up there.
She looks great! I love her style…
want the dress! want the shoes! love it, love it! the belted dress look is fab.
Cute. Fabulous shoes.
I love it! So beautiful, refreshing, and modest!
I like that look. Lovely dress!
Who wouldn't want to look like that?
a modern audrey hepburn. I love it
I think she must leave nothing but smiles in her wake!
Very chic. Almost looks like a Parisian…
I love this site, but one of the things i love is seeing New York and feeling like i am there on that day. But it is raining and dismal in the city today, and this woman is in full sun. I guess these shots are stock, but i wish it were more like a visual diary.
Wow, everything works here. So beautiful!
Positively the Same, thanks so much for the Sexton poem–particularly welcome on a sad day that can go sentimentally lugubrious….
Lovely. As to location: Bryant Park.
YES!! Eveything here works, love the simplicity!!
Such confidence for such a young lady.
Very refreshing and spring-like. Makes me feel like we're going to skip winter this year.
Comment for anon 9:13… Nothing left for the viewer? How about that nice sensation of looking at someone confident in what she's wearing? The feeling that you want to smile in response to another's warm smile, which brightens your whole day? And I disagree that this look is overdone–her hair is cut so well, it looks like it's pretty much a wash-and-wear kind of style. Nothing is simpler than putting on a great dress–the true style, I believe, is in the little flip of the collar. That is making a great dress her own (as well as the slightly conspiratorial smile).
Great blog, I just found it.
It's from Florence, Italy.
Take a look at this.
She looks great!
Beautiful! Perfect!
Thank you for the poem- it's beautiful.
And I'm glad the sun is shining in the picture even though it's raining outside. I dread the end of summer!
gorgeous…if she wore that in my town, cars would be fender-bendering each other while taking an extra glance at such a vision…and what girl wouldn't take that as a compliment?
Butch and 10012
You are most welcome — my pleasure.
sorry to be debbie downer but… not that impressed. i guess i would like it more if it didn't seem like she had spent so long preening and perfecting. i like the shoes. i like the bag. i like the hair. i do not like polka dots. i do not like the collar on the dress nor the sleeves. i especially do not like the collar and the sleeves combined. AND i'm really over the belt. sorry. you also mention that she's a young sophisticate which makes this outfit that much worse. if shes around my age, which she probably is, it just seems as if she's trying too hard to be "grown up". just makes me feel that she's playing dress up. too costume-y. she needs something that would throw it off and she obviously thought the bag would do the trick. not so much….
I always find it amusing when someone like the previous poster leaves the longest comment and the only one that's negative. I think it evidences a certain jealousy and unwillingness to let others be praised. she looks great and, though the bag's a bit large, fashion week comes with show notes, folders and goodie bags to carry. All it says is that she's a practical girl as well as a stylish one.
This really looks like a model shoot.Only the bag-which is too massive for the light outfit-shakes the picture.Perhaps the bag could be some other shape plus color,then the model effect would be perfect.
The bag looks like Prada to me..
so cute in general – i love the hair.
Wish I was in NYC right now.. beats 11 degrees celsius in Stockholm!! love the dress!!! lovely photo!
Love it all – especially her hair!
Does anyone know who does that dress – love it! I'm so sick of seeing girls in sack dresses this look is sophisticated and polished. It almost has a slight vintage vibe, or like its out of an old movie scene. Love that Prada bag too!
Proper lady, with a proper dress – love it!
I really bealive that the world needs this kind of image! This lady looks confortable, with a simple sofistication and teh most important: happy!
wow. great. that´s it. I can´t say any more.
the t-strap shoes are aerosoles – I recognize them because I have them myself! Extremely comfortable and stylish and only about $39.00. You don't have to spend a fortune on comfortable stylish shoes, really.
actually, the shoes are python christian louboutins (about $795). look closely and you'll see the red soles.
I love the dress, and the hair– I'm so glad that short hair is back again!
ohhh she's lovely
what a gorgeous dress! and that smile!!
i love this entire look, but i just can't stand the shoes–they just arent classy enough for this dress and they just ruin it for me! bah!
anyone know where the dress is from?
I like to imagine she's meeting someone special after work.
Lucky someone.
– desertwind
On a mundane level — anyone know who made the dress?
…jealous the weather is that good in NYC!
she looks great, but unless she is is actualy carting something important, I thinkl this oversized bag thing has gone too far.
I'm so much in love with this picture! You're having such a perfect eye for finding the right background to each model – that's terrific!!!!
There really aren't that many people like this in NY. I was there last weekend. 95% of the people look ridiculous.
just want to say in general that your blog is great. i love seeing the nyc photos especially. i'm already planning on moving there but seeing your photos makes me wish it was happening sooner. thanks!
that is a rip of of a last season oscar de la renta dress
Very inspiring!.This is one of my favorites. thanks Sart!.
Smoothe and deliciously classic. I miss New York when I see her.
absolutely gorgeous/adorable. Words simply do not suffice.
The dress is similar in style to a black (with white polka dots) dress I have from democracy. I see someone referenced de la Renta. Did anyone find for certain who made the dress.
It is a Kay Unger dress … on clearance at Neiman Marcus.
In 1962 my mother wore an identical dress. She had a stunning resemblance to Ava Gardner and even though I was only 10, I can see her like it was yesterday. Thanks for the reminder with this gorgeous shot.
s version of agyness deynes with dark hair!


text:
Scambisti Maturi 2Favorites [+]
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Running Time: 158 minutes
Studio Name: Scambisti Maturi
Series: Scambisti Maturi
Director: Roby Bianchi
Categories: Amateur Fetish Euro Mature Pantyhose / Stockings Gonzo High Definition
Description: Scambisti Maturi presents Fresh Cock! Dirty mature Italian fucking with horny amateur women in 5 naughty scenes! Mary Rider, Porca Porca, Eva, Gaia and Sissy Neri delight in passionate cock sucking and deep pussy drilling with Italian studs.
5 Scenes from Scambisti Maturi 2
Scambisti Maturi 2: Scene 1
Starring: Gaia S. ... More Details
Stars: Gaia S.
Sex Acts: Oral Sex, Bondage, Vaginal Sex, Masturbation, Breast Play
Positions: Cowgirl, Doggy Style, Laying, Missionary, Reverse Cowgirl, Sitting, Standing
Scambisti Maturi 2: Scene 2
Starring: Porca Porca ... More Details
Stars: Porca Porca
Sex Acts: Oral Sex, Tittie Fucking, Masturbation, Vaginal Sex, Anal Sex
Positions: Laying, Missionary, Sitting, Standing
Scambisti Maturi 2: Scene 3
Starring: Sissy Neri ... More Details
Stars: Sissy Neri
Sex Acts: Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Masturbation, Breast Play, Anal Sex
Positions: Cowgirl, Doggy Style, Missionary, Reverse Cowgirl, Sitting, Spoons position, Standing
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Starring: Mirko Nero ... More Details
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Sex Acts: Oral Sex, Tittie Fucking, Vaginal Sex, Handjob, Masturbation
Positions: Cowgirl, Doggy Style, Kneeling, Laying, Missionary, Reverse Cowgirl, Sitting
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Starring: Mary Rider ... More Details
Stars: Mary Rider
Sex Acts: Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Masturbation, Breast Play, 3-Way, Rim Job
Positions: Doggy Style, Kneeling, Laying, Missionary, Reverse Cowgirl, Side Saddle, Sitting, Standing
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SPRING IS IN THE AIR. But that also means bugs are in the air — and on your prized rhododendrons, and quite possibly in your kitchen cabinets or bedroom closets. And many of them are not the kind you want sharing your house or garden. Whether you live in a detached single-family in the suburbs or a high-rise city loft, there are many ways to combat them, and even if you do have to call in a professional, the latest treatment options are better than ever at keeping your family and pets safe.
The "greenest" way to manage pests, of course, is to make sure you don't get them in the first place. "If you make your home a fortress and keep it sealed up," says George Williams, the staff entomologist at removal service EHS Pest in Norwood, "and keep your yard protected and clean, you shouldn't have any pest problems." Inside the house, he recommends removing clutter, lessening moisture, covering trash, and sealing gaps around molding and small holes in the foundation, where rodents can find easy access. Outside, use no-spill bird feeders and keep them well away from the house, remove leaf litter, and trim trees and shrubs — "a highway for insects to get in," he says — so they don't touch exterior walls. Finally, "fences make good neighbors, but they also make good wildlife control." A house with tight fencing won't have skunks, and a physical barrier can discourage deer from approaching, too.
When prevention doesn't work, home remedies might. The Environmental Protection Agency lists 31 "minimum risk pesticides" that are exempt from federal regulation. They include things like cinnamon oil, peppermint, common salt, and citronella, which can be used for anything from mosquitoes to garden slugs. But they fade quickly, so you have to use them repeatedly." For small outbreaks of certain pests such as mosquitoes, flies, or ants, he adds, "I'd say try it."
In severe cases, though, experts argue that professional eradication is really the best option. "It's 110 percent safer to have a professional do it than to spray Raid," says Williams, "because the homeowner doesn't understand the biology and behavior of the pest. Their strategy is to spray all over, instead of where the pests are. They always overapply." He cites a homeowner he met who spent $500 on flea bombs. He never did solve the problem, "but had copious amounts of pesticide in the house." Had the man spent $350 on professional pest control instead, Williams says, his house would have been flea-free much sooner and with less toxicity.
Pest control is like medicine in two ways, he asserts. First, you want to treat the disease, not just the symptoms; and second, you want a professional evaluation, in part because many insects leave telltale signs of their visits that a homeowner might not recognize. Termites, for example, are "secretive," according to Williams. "Homeowners usually see them only when they swarm — but that's a short period, maybe only a couple hours. And they could swarm in the crawl space or outside where you never see them; then five years later they've caused a couple thousand dollars in damage." Carpenter ants, too, can fool you: Most people know to worry when they see the big black ones, but in fact some species are no bigger than common picnic ants.
"If you get an ethical, honest company," Williams says, "they'll let you know when you don't need pest control," as in the case of harmless citronella ants, for example, which you can simply remove with a vacuum cleaner. "[Companies] want a relationship with you so when you do have a problem, you trust them and ask them back."
Mary Sullivan, an account manager at Walpole's NatureWorks Landscape who has a doctorate in plant medicine, advises that the best way to avoid garden pests is to maintain healthy plants. That may sound like a chicken-and-egg concept, but Sullivan says a healthy garden starts with selecting plants that are resistant to problems that may come along. "If you know you have a fungus in your soil," she says, "you can get plants that aren't susceptible to that particular fungus."
Test your soil, then retest it every two years, or as much as twice a year if you're trying to change its pH level or another feature. The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers various kinds of soil testing for $10, as well as compost testing for $25 to $45 and, for serious gardeners or those with problems, plant tissue testing ($12 to $25), which can help you fine-tune plant nutrition (go to soiltest.umass.edu). "Different plants take different conditions," Sullivan says. "Knowing what you have to work with might help you make decisions about what to grow on your property." She recommends adding nutrients to any soil type and advocates using pre-fertilized soils like Miracle-Gro for new plantings and pelletized or liquid fertilizers for older-growth gardens; many products sold in garden centers are completely organic and contain plant probiotics and other antifungals and antibacterials.
Giving plants the right amount of water also matters. "Over- or underwatering can get them stressed," she says, "and that can attract insects that tune in to plant stress."
Even healthy plants, though, can get infested with the area's most common outdoor pests, which include woolly adelgids, winter moths, aphids, scale insects, and white grubs. All are treated in generally the same ways. One is to introduce their natural enemies into your landscape: Ladybugs love to eat scale insects, for example, and crickets, mantids, dragonflies, spiders, frogs, toads, and bats will eat pretty much anything. "I had one customer tell me he had a mosquito-free summer with just one bat house," says Hickey, though Sullivan points out that "most neighbors won't be super excited about a bat house in your yard."
One challenge with releasing "beneficials" is that they might not stick around your property to solve immediate problems, but instead fly to neighboring yards — which still might benefit you in the long term, when later generations continue to populate the vicinity. Martha Wyant, a sales associate at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, says the beneficials are likelier to stay put if properly deployed. "If you release ladybugs in the early morning under a rose bush that has aphids," she says, "they'll go after the aphids. Like anything else you do in the garden, if you don't do it correctly, it won't be effective."
Russell's and other garden shops carry many biological controls and also natural pesticides, which are your next line of defense. Unless the yard is so large that the task is overwhelming, DIYers can do the spraying themselves, using fungicides, natural horticultural oils that coat nymphs and larvae to keep them from breathing, and bacterial treatments that go after certain species. "Typically, things have a natural enemy," Sullivan says. Mosquitoes, for example, are vulnerable to bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring bacterium whose proteins attack the digestive systems of certain species of insect. "If you're having a party," she says, "spray a few days ahead and you shouldn't have a problem." Granular solutions are also available as a repellent, and some retailers, such as groworganic.com, also carry parasites that target flies and moths. Commercially made lures for honeybees and ladybugs and planting to attract beneficials can also help.
According to both Hickey and Williams, carpenter ants are the number one pest in the Boston area. They're scavengers that eat other insects — or food left out — but they need moist wood in which to live, and that's where prevention can come in. "If your house has damaged gutters that are leaking or flashing that needs to be caulked, fix it," says Hickey. The same goes for rotted fencing, a shed that's falling down, or even a dead or dying tree in the yard.
But "some things you can't fix," he concedes, so moisture can still get in. If that happens, be on the lookout, and call a professional service at the first sign of infestation, because you may see carpenter ants in your kitchen, for example, and not realize they've actually made their home in the garage. "If you let the colony go and keep treating the problem yourself," says Williams, "the population will keep growing until you have five-, 10-plus colonies on your property." The cost can be as low as $100 for a one-time spraying.
You can prevent bedbug infestation by carefully inspecting any hotel rooms you stay in and also any furniture you might take off the street; look for cast skins, popped eggs, and smatterings of black dots, which may be bedbug feces. If you do get bedbugs, they're definitely one pest you don't want to treat yourself. Professionals using vacuums to remove adults, and steam to pop the eggs before they hatch, can achieve 100 percent elimination, according to Hickey, at a cost starting around $400 per bedroom.
Inexpensive glue traps available online and at some hardware stores can catch male clothes moths through pheromones, chemicals that attract bugs to the opposite sex; check sites like eBay, bugspraycart.com, and Saferbrand.com, where you'll find them for $10 to $20. Moths can also be killed by putting all of your natural-fiber items in the dryer for 10 or 15 minutes. To prevent them from becoming a problem in the first place, cedar and dried lemon peels can help, and eartheasy.com recommends a sachet of bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, eucalyptus, lavender, peppercorns, and wormwood — which, if nothing else, will keep your clothes smelling good. Refresh any natural remedies when their scents start to wear out.
Cockroaches are a sanitation issue, according to Hickey; keep your space as clean as possible and they won't be attracted to it. Of course, this may not completely eliminate them if you live in an apartment building where you can't control your neighbors' living habits. In that case, don't spray. "Repellent products can spread them," Hickey says; roaches may leave the area you spray, but they'll only move on to another. He recommends, instead, using bait traps; roaches that take the poison bait will carry it back to the nest to share, and soon enough you'll be seeing fewer of them.
Cupboard Pests
In the kitchen, proper storage and food rotation can make a big difference. "If you have a box of Flutie Flakes from 1999 or a bag of flour from the Reagan administration," says Williams, "you shouldn't be wondering why you have Indian meal moths."
Dog and cat food and birdseed are among the biggest culprits for letting in what are known in the industry as stored-product pests, including rice weevils, grain moths, and drugstore and cigarette beetles. Williams recommends storing pet food in hard plastic containers and bird seed outdoors in metal ones, since determined rodents can chew away at plastic bags. That way, if you have an outbreak, it will be contained. It also helps to place naturally repellent bay leaves in various pantry items like sugar and flour. If you do have a problem that gets out of control, try glue traps with pheromones; since you'd be using them inside the house, you wouldn't have to worry that they would attract more insects, as might happen with outdoor traps.
You can make a simple trap to catch fruit flies indoors.
There are basically two types of flies: trash flies and small fruit flies. You can trap both with simple, cheap homemade devices. For trash flies, cut a 2-liter soda bottle in half and put some bait — raw meat soaked in stale beer works, so does an old banana peel — in the bottom, then invert the top half of the bottle and put it neck down in the bottom half. For fruit flies, pour a little cider vinegar mixed with a drop of dish soap in the bottom of a jar. Cover the jar with plastic wrap with a few holes poked in the top. With both traps, flies fly in but they don't fly out.
Any such folk method, cautions Sullivan, is "really useful for some people, but others find they don't work that well." If you're one of the unlucky ones, the least toxic way to rid yourself of flies is not to spray but to buy some flypaper for two or three dollars at your local hardware store. It won't look pretty, but it'll get the job done.
As Williams mentions, the best way to keep mice and other rodents away is to seal up any access holes. As with cockroaches, though, this works only if you live in a detached house; if your apartment building has rodents, you might find it more difficult, and even in a freestanding house, mice can still find their way in through drains and electrical lines. "They're little athletes," says Hickey. "They can climb any surface." If you don't mind killing rodents, the safest method is with traps; if you poison them, they, in turn, can poison cats and predatory birds like owls and hawks that eat them. Folk remedies to repel rodents include leaving out ammonia, Bounce fabric softener sheets, cayenne pepper, or cotton balls soaked in peppermint or clove oil; commercial repellents like Bonide's Mouse Magic, around $10 at your hardware store, can also help, as can catch-and-release traps such as the Smart Mouse Trap from Seabright Laboratories ($11).
Garden slugs aren't insects, but they can be a nuisance. There are loads of methods for controlling them, starting with mechanical removal. You can also keep them away by surrounding plants with a substance they won't want to move over, like crushed eggshells or sandpaper, or using copper, which gives them a slight electrical shock when they touch it. Copper barrier tape, which costs $6 to $15 at the hardware store or online, or strips of copper can be useful on tree trunks and in raised beds and container gardens, but make sure to make the barrier wide enough; 6 to 8 inches should do it, according to weekendgardener.net. Lures can also be effective, and include dry pet food, beer, cornmeal, citrus rinds, and a package of yeast mixed with a little honey. Put whatever substance you choose in the bottom of a cup and bury it so that the slugs can get over the rim; keep the bait safe from rain by placing a tin pie plate over it with a few holes cut out as slug doors. Salt kills slugs, too, but can soak into your soil and be detrimental to plants.
Like bedbugs, termites are another pest that requires calling in the pros. Hickey recommends having an inspection done every year or so and to consider using Sentricon, a prevention and removal system that must be put in place by a qualified company. Sentricon, which won a Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the EPA in 2000, is much more environmentally friendly than the traditional method of drilling holes around the house and injecting a chemical into the ground; it's a bait system that can kill the whole colony because, like cockroaches, termites take food back to their mates to share. The minimum you'll pay for any kind of termite control is around $1,200 — a pittance, say pros, compared with the damage bugs can do, Williams says. "If they had to replace the roof, that would cost $15,000. Termites can destroy your home."
Source: The Boston Globe
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An important announcement yesterday from the Federal Trade Commission marked a major accomplishment in the fight against greenwashing. At OMI, it is our goal always to offer the purest products available, and it is great to see that fraudulent greenwashing claims are being prosecuted by our governmental agencies charged with protecting consumers. This will help consumers determine what is truly organic and healthy and what is just marketing hype.
The FTC has brought actions against manufactures and/or retailers for the following false assurances:
- Claiming products do not contain formaldehyde, toluene, or phenols in their latex mattresses
- Claiming their rubber is "chemical free"
- Claiming that their mattresses contain no toxic substances
- Claiming that their mattresses contain fewer contaminants and chemicals than other companies' memory foam or latex mattresses
- Inadequate tests that show their mattresses do not contain any VOCs or chemicals
- Ficticous and misleading logos
- False certifications
Here is an excerpt from the July 25th, 2013 FTC announcement:
"Under settlements with the Federal Trade Commission, three mattress manufacturers have agreed to stop making unsupported claims that the mattresses they sell are free of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In addition to challenging the companies' VOC-free claims, the FTC charged that two of the companies made unsupported claims that their mattresses were chemical-free and lacked odor. The FTC also challenged one company's claim that its mattresses are made from 100 percent natural materials, and another company's claim that its mattresses were certified by an organic mattress organization.
In settling the FTC's charges, the companies have agreed not to make similar claims in the future, unless they have competent and reliable scientific evidence to prove they are true. In addition, one company is barred from making misrepresentations about certifications."
For the full article and links for more information on the FTC announcement, click HERE.
To see a full list of OMI's certifications, see our Purity Guarantee HERE.


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"Those Old Memories" will include stories, photographs, genealogy, scrapbooking, recipes, and interesting history of my family. Some family surnames: Troyer, Gardner, Moore, Hopkins, Allen, Amsberry, McPherson, Wyatt, Godfrey, Lee, Henley, Cutbirth, Tudor, Gustafsson, Larson, Hellgren, Farley, Harshbarger, Harvey, McComsey, Johnston, Hyndman, and Buchanan.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
As I have sat the last couple days and reflected on this very busy summer and it's memories, the one thing that always seemed to be in every thought was food! I got to thinking about it more and came to the realization that nearly every meaningful memory that I have seems to involve food in some way. Comfort food as I call it. Part of our lives and memories.
My own personal memories are scattered in their times and places but all those great meals when the family was all together seem to really stand out. My own wedding rehearsal dinner the night before I was married in 1971. The family gathered at an old hotel here in Alliance which is no longer here but the photos and the meal are vivid in my mind. Anniversaries which were many over the years and included special places that we went to eat a nice meal. Our family celebrated the 60th anniversary of my parents in 1996 with a large gathering and fancy meal at our local country club. That was one of the last times in our lives that all our large extended family was together. My parents were the anchor for us all and their passing has left a huge void in our lives but the many memories which I have gathered over the years with them keeps me going. It seems there was always food, meals, and cooking within all those memories.
Birthdays and cake-they just go with family. All those old memories and all the new memories of Grandchildren and their first birthdays. Cake abounds! Sometimes they were homemade and sometimes from the bakery but each one held a special place. A few years ago, I made an angel food cake for my husbands birthday as they are his favorite. I had made hundreds before but that year brought the manufacture of 3 of those cakes before I gave up. Each one fell as it cooled and finally I just filled in with frosting and we ate them all, lopsided and lumpy. We still laugh about those today. I once served what we affectionately call "squirrel cake" to company. I had sat out the cake to cool on my deck and forgot it and a friendly squirrel dug out a piece of the corner before he was caught. I was on a short time dilemma so I cut off one end of the cake and went ahead and frosted it. My company was told about the cake and we all ate it anyway. It was delicious and we all remember that meal often and laugh about us serving them "squirrel cake". Were it not for the cake incident, that ordinary gathering of friends would have been lost to memory!
As my children were growing up, we did a lot of camping out and participated in the old time mountain man "rendezvous". Cooking over open pit fires with old utensils was great fun and I hope gave my sons some great memories to carry through life with them. They learned the value of modern amenities and history along the way. Not to mention some great meals with wild game- even turtle and snake graced our table! Our dutch oven peach cobbler is great and even though we camp somewhat more modern now days, we still love that peach cobbler over an open fire pit. I wonder if son Jason has prepared that for his 8 children while out camping? He could probably fore-go the snake and just include that as one of his family memories !!!
Grandma Opal Coleman was the grandest of ladies, born before 1900, the oldest of 15 children and she was an awesome cook. I am the lucky owner of several of her recipes but my offerings never have compared to hers. I never really saw her use a recipe anyway and I loved to spend time with her while she cooked. She made the most wonderful, yet simple "fried potatoes". I stayed with her a lot and begged for them each time. To this day I have not been able to make mine taste like hers. I can still taste and smell them each time I think about it, the memory of them never goes away. They were definitely comfort food of the highest degree! Each Christmas she made two favorite kinds of cookies. She stored them in tins in the cool basement and of course all the Grandchildren loved them and they were the most special cookies ever. I make those almost every year too but they will never compare to the ones from Grandma's tins!
My Mom, Irene, was an awesome cook too and I guess it just came natural as her Mother was also a grand cook. As a child I would cook with her often but looking back, wish I had paid better attention at times. Many things my Mom made are things that I cook today. Our comfort foods are her homemade noodles, hamburger soup, kidney beans and meat balls and more. When I can't think of something to cook on a given day, I turn to Mom's comfort food. She never had cooking failures but for one which came later in life. She had nearly lost her eyesight and made meatloaf one day. She had some stewed tomatoes in the refrigerator to add but got hold of the left over strawberries instead. It was my son's girlfriend who was coming to dinner but they all had a good laugh and ate it anyway. We will never forget the strawberry meatloaf. My niece, Suzanne, also wrote about her Grandma Irene and some of her food memories in one of her blogs on "Growing Up Genealogy". Mom passed her legacy on to myself and all of her Grandchildren. Even though most of them did not cook with her, they certainly got her great cooking skills. My son, Daniel, loves to cook and grill. He cooks and smokes meat for all kinds of meals and celebrations and is becoming a master "brewer". My other son, Jason is also a wonderful cook. His char-grilled ribs are to die for and his own recipe for jalapeno/cheddar bread is wonderful and the envy of the farmers market in his city. I wish I could take credit but I really think they came by it naturally form their Grandma Irene. Her other Grandsons, Randy and Bill are also grand cooks. Randy makes pies that would turn most "Grandmas" green with envy and Bill is expert at cooking wild game and fish. As you can see, we will never starve with our wonderful legacy in hand. Food does invoke many of those wonderful old family memories.
Freddie, my Dad, was a lifelong railroader but he also liked to cook. We grew up camping a lot in the summer and Dad often was the chief cook while we were out. Fried fish which he and Mom prepared together that had been fresh caught and were great tasting! His camp food was simple but boy was it good--comfort food for the soul. Dad often cooked meals at home if he was in from a trip on the railroad and Mom was working all day. He was good at cleaning out the refrigerator. Mom always said that she had to be careful what she left in there as it might end up in tonight's dinner. Often those meals were kinda strange in their ingredients but they were always delicious. I only have one bad memory of food and that was something my Dad cooked: lamb. To this day, I won't eat it. I walked home from school each day for lunch and I could smell the lamb cooking a block away when he was preparing it! One vivid memory of his cooking was on one of Mom's working days and he decided to make homemade noodles to surprise her.(She made the world's best noodles). He used baking soda instead of baking powder and they turned black as spades while in the drying process. I don't remember if we ate them or not!
How many of us who consider ourselves to be family historians and genealogists have stopped to consider our family's food legacy? I have included many memories and recipes which have been handed down in my family in one of my Family Books: "REFLECTIONS", The Descendants of Willis and Effie Gardner. Some may just be simple scraps of paper like the one shown above from my Grandma Pearl Moore but they are all worthy heirlooms. My family now has comfort food at their finger tips anytime that they want to take a trip home! Just stop and think for a moment and I will bet that you too can conger up many family memories that have centered around food or the dinner table. Recipes as well as memories and ancestors are precious.
When we want to go "home" and can't, our comfort foods can take us there, if only for a brief moment in time.
Labels: cooking, Effie Gardner, family, genealogy, RECIPES, Willis Gardner
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Reviewed by Madelyn R (age 7)
I like this book because it has bright pictures with warm colors. My favorite part was when Pinkalicious loses her tooth, because it was exiting. Pinkalicious reminds me of my sister because her favorite color is pink just like Pinkalicious.
I recommend this book to kindergarten and first graders. Read this book to find out what happens to the note and the fairy!


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Historical pedagogy, digital humanities, public digital history, modern East Central Europe, Appalachian Studies
Professor Kelly is a specialist in the scholarship of teaching and learning in history. His most recent book, Teaching History in the Digital Age was published by the University of Michigan Press in 2013. He is also the author of more than a dozen articles on the intersection of historical pedagogy and digital humanities.
From 2001-2011 Kelly was an associate director of George Mason's award-winning Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, where he has been either co-director or principal investigator on three major website projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities ($790,000 total funding). Two of these projects, created with his colleague Professor Kelly Schrum, won the James Harvey Robinson Prize in 2007 from the American Historical Association.
His analog scholarship includes a book (Without Remorse: Czech National Socialism in Late-Habsburg Austria, 2007) and a number of journal articles on Central European history.
He has received university, state, and national awards for his work on historical pedagogy including a Pew National Fellowship from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (1999), the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award (2005), and George Mason University's Teaching Excellence Award (2005).
He is a trustee of the Romanian-American Foundation and from 1998-2002 he was Chair of the Board of Directors of the Civic Education Project, an international non-governmental organization working to promote democracy in post-Communist Eastern Europe and the states of the former Soviet Union. Kelly is an honorary associate of the Centre for Media History at Macquarie University (Australia).
"Appalachian Trail Histories," a proof of concept digital public history project on the history of America's oldest and most iconic long distance scenic trail. This project combines research by Professor Kelly and his undergraduate students.
Teaching History in the Digital Age, (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2013, 2016)
World History Matters: A Student Guide to World History Online, with Kristin Lehner and Kelly Schrum, (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009)
Without Remorse: Czech National Socialism in Late Habsburg Austria, (Boulder: East European Monographs/Columbia University Press, 2007)
International Perspectives on Public History, with Marko Demantowsky, (Munich: De Gruyter Oldenbourg), in progress
"Lying About the Past," Change. The Magazine of Higher Learning, July/August 2014, 14-15
"True Facts or False Facts: Which Are More Authentic?" in Past Play, Kevin Kee, ed. (University of Michigan Press, 2014): 309-328
"But Mine's Better: Teaching Students in the Digital Age," The History Teacher, 44/3 (May 2011): 369-378
"The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in History: Three International Perspectives," with Sean Brawley (Australia) and Geoff Timmins (UK), in Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 8/1 (2009): 7-24.
"Tomorrow's Yesterdays: Teaching History in the Digital Age" in Brave New Classrooms: Educational Democracy and the Internet, Mark Pegrum and Joe Lockard eds. (New York: Peter Lang, 2006): 213-224.
HIST 689 - Teaching and Learning History in the Digital Age
HIST 499 - Senior Seminar in History: 1989, The Year of Miracles
HIST 390 - The Digital Past
HIST 389 - Topics in U.S. History: Lying About the Past
HIST 312 - Nationalism in Eastern Europe
HIST 300 - Introduction to Historical Method: Dead in Virginia
PhD, George Washington University, 1996
MA, George Washington University, 1988
BA, University of Virginia, 1982
"I Just Wanna Move Some Shit" Keynote address at theWinter Symposium on Digital Literacy in Higher Education, University of Rhode Island, January 2017
"Community-Based Learning in the Humanities," The inaugural Michael Mizell-Nelson Public History Lecture in the memorial lecture series dedicated to my friend and colleague, the late UNO professor of history, Michael Mizell-Nelson.
"Playfulness, Authentic Learning, and the Future of Teaching," invited lecture at the conference Public History International: Beyond school? Comparative Perspectives, Basel, Switzerland, September 2015
"Playfulness, Authentic Learning, and the Future of Teaching," keynote address, University of Kansas Teaching Summit, August 2015
Phi Beta Kappa keynote speaker, Elon University, April 2015
"Assessing Authentic Learning in Digital Assignments," a workshop at the annual meeting of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Quebec City, Canada, October 2014
"Counting Digital Humanities Scholarship for Tenure and Promotion," University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, October 2014
"Lying About History," David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies, Brigham Young University, September 2014
"Blogging for the Historian: Building a Scholarly Career in Social Media," University of Basel, Kolloquium zur Didaktik der Geschichte und Politik, June 2014
"Exploring, Remixing, Analyzing: Teaching History with Digital Media," University of Kentucky, April 2014
"Digital Humanities and the End of Selective Ignorance," Indiana University, Catapult Center for Digital Humanities and Computational Analysis, March 2014
"Building a Career Around the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning," American Historical Association national conference, January 2014
"Pedagogies of Disruption: What Happens When You Teach Students to Lie?" Invited lecture at the Scholars Lab, University of Virginia, October 2012
"If I stop blogging, what will you tweet about?", invited presentation at the conference Geschichtswissenschaften und Web 2.0, Basel, Switzerland, November 2010
"Embracing Failure: A workshop on failure in the scholarship of teaching and learning and learning from mistakes," International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning annual conference, Liverpool, England, October 2010
"True Facts or False Facts--Which Are More Authentic?" Invited presentation at the conference Playing With Technology in History, Niagra-on-the-Lake, Canada, April 2010
"1989: Looking Back, Looking Forward," Roundtable Chair for discussion between Mikhail Gorbachev, William Webster, and Sergey Chumarov, George Mason University, March 2009
"History Department at George Mason U. Puts the Kibosh on Lying About the Past," Dan Berrett, Chronicle of Higher Education, April 3, 2013
"Interview: T. Mills Kelly on 'Lying About the Past'," Aleks Krotoski, DML Central, April 2, 2013
"Mischief," BBC Radio 4, Digital Human series, April 1, 2013
"As Colleges Evolve, So Must Their Presidents," Jeff Selingo, Chronicle of Higher Education, March 4, 2013
"Flipping the Curriculum: Introductory Courses Should Be Just as Good as the Capstone Experience," Jeff Selingo, Chronicle of Higher Education, December 2, 2012
"Here There Be Monsters," Brendan Fitzgerald, The Morning News, September 21, 2012
"Hoax history is bunk but there are truths to be learned from it," Times Higher Education, August 2, 2012
"The 10 Most Creative People in Higher Education Today," OnlineColleges.org, June 20, 2012
Spark: With Nora Young (CBC), interview, June 8, 2012
"The anatomy of the online hoax," Voice of Russia, May 22, 2012
"How Reddit Caught The Professor That Tricked Wikipedia," Caribbean Media Vision, May 21, 2012
"GMU Prof Teaches How To Falsify Wikipedia — and Get Caught," SlashDot.org, May 17, 2012
"Reddit culture well-tuned to spot hoaxes," BoingBoing.com, May 16, 2012
"The Junkman's Dilemma: How The Internet Has Changed How We See History," TechCrunch.com, May 16, 2012
"How the Professor Who Fooled Wikipedia Got Caught by Reddit," TheAtlantic.com, May 15, 2012
"Graveyard visits offer a lesson in history to Mason students," WashingtonPost.com, March 9, 2011
Gretchen Beasley, Defining Culture, Creating Identity, Building Nations: An Examination of the Polish Sarmatian Myth (2018)
Misha Mazzini Griffith, Towards a Portable Public Sphere: How Technology Created a Discursive Space in Czechoslovakia in 1968 (2017)


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Encircled by mountain ranges and bookended by the two units of Saguaro National Park, Tucson is Arizona's second-largest city, and, for the vacationer, it has everything that Phoenix has to offer, plus a bit more. There are world-class golf resorts, excellent restaurants, art museums and galleries, an active cultural life, and, of course, plenty of great weather. Tucson also has a long history that melds Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo roots. And with a national park, a national forest, and other natural areas just beyond the city limits, Tucson is a city that celebrates its Sonoran Desert setting.
At Saguaro National Park, you can marvel at the massive cacti that have come to symbolize the desert Southwest, while at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (actually a zoo), you can acquaint yourself with the flora and fauna of this region. Take a hike or a horseback ride up one of the trails that leads into the wilderness from the edge of the city, and you may even meet up with a few desert denizens on their own turf. Look beyond the saguaros and prickly pears, and you can find a desert oasis, complete with waterfalls and swimming holes, and, a short drive from the city, a pine forest that's home to the southernmost ski area in the country.
Founded by the Spanish in 1775, Tucson was built on the site of a much older Native American village. The city's name comes from the Pima Indian word chukeson, which means "spring at the base of black mountain," a reference to the peak now known simply as "A Mountain," because of the large letter A on its slopes. From 1867 to 1877, Tucson was the territorial capital of Arizona, but eventually the capital was moved to Phoenix. Consequently, Tucson did not develop as quickly as Phoenix and still holds on to some of its Hispanic and Western heritage.
Tucson has a history of valuing quality of life over development, which sets it apart from the Phoenix area. Back in the days of urban renewal, its citizens turned back the bulldozers and managed to preserve at least some of the city's old Mexican character. Likewise, today, in the face of the sort of sprawl that has given Phoenix the feel of a landlocked Los Angeles, advocates for controlled growth are fighting hard to preserve both Tucson's desert environment and the city's unique character. However, the inevitable sprawl has now ringed much of Tucson with vast suburbs, though as yet, the city is far from becoming another Phoenix.
The struggle to retain an identity distinct from other Southwestern cities is ongoing, and despite long, drawn-out attempts to breathe life into the city's core, downtown Tucson has little to offer visitors other than an art museum, a convention center, a couple of historic neighborhoods, and a few good restaurants.
Despite this minor shortcoming, Tucson remains Arizona's most beautiful and most livable city. With the Santa Catalina Mountains for a backdrop, Tucson boasts one of the most dramatic settings in the Southwest, and whether you're taking in the mountain vistas from the tee box of the 12th hole, the saddle of a palomino, or a table for two, I'm sure you'll agree that Tucson makes a memorable vacation destination.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


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Dr. John H. Laub, Director
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and the Netherlands took place at the residence of the Dutch Ambassador, Renee Jones-Bos. In this photo: Danielle Weiss, forensic scientist, NIJ; Tjark Tjin-a-Tsoi, CEO, Netherlands Forensic Institute; Dr. John H. Laub, Director, NIJ; Dr. Louis B.J. Vertegaal, Director of Chemical and Physical Sciences Division at the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.
Recently, I was able to turn words into deeds: Since I came to NIJ, I have argued that partnerships are crucial for the advancement of science.
On November 15, 2011, NIJ formally launched a new partnership with the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and the Netherlands Forensics Institute. We signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our two countries at the Dutch Ambassador's residence in Washington, DC. This groundbreaking partnership will allow us to learn from each other and share specialized skills and technology as we work to improve the use of forensic sciences in our respective criminal justice systems.
After the MOU signing, my Dutch counterparts and I were eager to get started. Our staffs met the following day to further hone collaborative opportunities and identify goals and milestones. We decided that our first project will be a workshop this coming spring to examine research development, evaluation, and operational use of forensic science technologies. Topics might include, for example, training, policy and program evaluation, strategic planning and resource management, technology performance standards, digital and eForensics, forensic radiology, capacity building, and international forensic standards development.
Partnerships are a multiplying force; they spark synergy and creativity; and they strengthen all the parties involved. As we look for strategic opportunities in times of fiscal austerity, partnerships — such as this one with the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and the Netherlands Forensics Institute — will certainly be at the top our list.
Back to: Director's Corner home.
National Institute of Justice, 810 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, DC 20531


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Renee Makovec
LINCOLNVILLE, Kan. — Renee Makovec, age 56, died Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, at Wichita, Kan.
Renee Makovec was born Sept. 30, 1957, at West Point, Neb., the daughter of Don and Jeanne (Ritzdorf) Kreikemeier. She grew up and was educated at West Point. She was a 1975 graduate of West Point Central Catholic High School and attended Wayne State College.
On Oct. 15, 1994, she was married to Ron Makovec at Pilsen, Kan. Two children were born to this union, Amy and Adam. Renee was a substitute rural mail carrier and worked as a sales clerk at D&J in Marion.
She was a member of Holy Family Parish, St. John Nepomucene Church at Pilsen and a member of the church altar society.
She is survived by her husband, Ron, son, Adam, and daughter, Amy, all of the home; her parents, Don and Jeanne Kreikemeier of Fremont, Neb.; four brothers, Russel J. and Roger J. and wife, Jenny, of Omaha, Neb., Rodney J. "Butch" of Fremont, and Rollie J. and wife, Micky, of West Point; two sisters, Roxanne and husband, Tim Burger, of Fremont; her mother-in-law, Jane Makovec of Marion; and many nieces and nephews.
The rosary was Tuesday at the church in Pilsen, and the funeral mass was to be at 10:30 a.m. today at the church. Interment was to follow at the Pilsen Cemetery. A memorial has been established with the Fr. Kapaun Fund in care of Zeiner Funeral Home, 205 Elm St., Marion, KS 66861.
Visitation was Tuesday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice.


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Meet Sean, a performer from Keene, NH and winner of American Eagle Outfitters Project Live Your Life. Follow Sean on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest to learn more about what inspires him.
What's it like living in Keene, New Hampshire?
It's a beautiful place. I've lived here throughout my entire life and I'm ready for the city, but I have a feeling I'll be coming back.
What part of Keene do you spend most of your time in?
I'm usually inside rehearsing but there are a few mountains around. Hiking with friends is always fun.
You love to sing. Are you a tenor, baritone or bass?
I'm a baritone. I started off singing the bass line with my a cappella group, but I've been working on my high notes!
Do you play any instruments?
I've been playing the piano for a few years and I'm starting to learn how to play the guitar.
Besides singing, what else do you do?
I'm an actor, too. I've been performing on stage for about eight years and I finished up a short film over the summer! It'd be great to work on more films in the future.
Have you ever gotten stage fright?
A little when I first started, but you just have to tell yourself you can do it. It gets easier every time.
How do you prepare for a performance?
I do a lot of breathing exercises before a performance, stretching works pretty well, too. Nerves can only drive you crazy if you let them.


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French chapter achieved its reorganization in 2011.
First founded by Sebastien Tricaud, it is now co-led by both Sébastien Tricaud and Guillaume
In 2011, we welcomed a new member: Franck Guénichot, one of the Forensic Challenges best
We've also set new status and attribution among members: Read more »
We are very excited to announce the publication of our first paper in the new Know Your Tools paper series: "KYT: use Picviz to find attacks" authored by Sebastien Tricaud from the French Chapter and Victor Amaducci from the University of Campinas.
The paper can be downloaded at Know Your Tools: use Picviz to find attacks.
Paper Abstract
Picviz is a parallel coordinates plotter which enables easy scripting from various input (tcpdump, syslog, iptables logs, apache logs, etc..) to visualize data and discover interesting aspects of that data quickly. Picviz uncovers previously hidden data that is difficult to identify with traditional analysis methods.
In the first paper of our new Know Your Tools series, Sebastien Tricaud from the French Honeynet Project Chapter and Victor Amaducci from the University of Campinas, focus on Picviz. After a brief overview on parallel coordinates, Picviz architecture, and installation procedure, three real-world examples are presented that illustrate how to identify attacks from large amounts of data: Picviz is used to analyze SSH logs, Apache access logs and network traffic. With these examples, it is demonstrated how Picviz can find attacks that previously have been hidden.
Recent additions to Picviz GUI have been made by Victor Amaducci under the mentorship of Sebastien Tricaud as part of the Google Summer of Code program 2009. The most recent version of Picviz is freely available for download from its project site at http://www.wallinfire.net/picviz and support can be sought from the Picviz mailing list at http://www.wallinfire.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/picviz..
The new release 0.5 of Picviz is out. This version comes with real-time mode enabled (and adds the libevent dependency) among other things, such as new properties and variables.
Get it from the usual place.
What is Picviz?
When considering log files for security, usual applications available today
either look for patterns using signature databases or use a behavioral
approach. In both cases, information can be missed. The problem becomes
bigger with systems receiving a massive amount of logs. Read more »
Just like the phoenix, the French Honeynet project resurrected: thanks to attackers not taking any break, making us willing to understand what's going on. The project re-started in December 2008.
I gave a lecture on Picviz during the Usenix Workshop on the Analysis of System Logs (WASL 2008).
My slides 'Picviz: finding a needle in a haystack' are available right here.
I also ran for the Cray log analysis contest analysis. Slides of stuff I discovered are here.
Read more »


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On a normal weekday in mid-November, a quick search of some of the latest stories about the fitness club industry had an all-too-common theme: a struggling economy. The headlines themselves told the stories:
Fitness clubs offer discounts as economy falters.
Trying to stay in shape: Tough times weigh on fitness clubs.
Gym, spas stress value of fighting stress in hard times.
Although these stories represent a snapshot of what took place in the month of November, they paint a broader picture of the battles the industry faced in 2008. Sure, there were many other big stories in the industry this past year, such as: Mark Mastrov leaving 24 Hour Fitness, Michael Sheehan leaving 24 Hour to become the CEO of Bally Total Fitness, 24 Hour suing Bally over the hiring of Sheehan, Planet Fitness putting World Gym up for sale, David Schnabel resigning as CEO of Gold's Gym and the release of physical activity guidelines by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But for the second straight year, no story affected club owners and operators more than the economy.
Due in large part to the economy, some clubs closed, and some have tried to balance the books by trimming operating costs and revamping their retention efforts. Some club companies, such as Life Time Fitness, Chanhassen, MN, even had to reduce staff. Manufacturers took a hit in the economy as well, also resulting in some layoffs as well as some plant consolidations. Soaring gas prices affected both members and manufacturers.
The economy has no doubt worried several club operators, but Rick Caro, president of Management Vision, New York, says the industry is more worried than it should be.
"Based on several hundred clubs that I've talked to in recent months, clubs are faring OK. Their net memberships are about the same as the year before," Caro says. "They're more worried about attrition escalating tremendously. It turns out that, yes, there's been a slight increase in attrition for a number of club groups, but not significantly and not something that's at an alarming proportion."
Funding also is a concern for club operators, Caro says.
"[Club owners] don't know what the debt markets are going to look like, so they don't know what they can borrow, if they can fund a new deal, if they can fund an expansion, if they are able to access capital in a significant way," Caro says. "At this point, it's just not clear that [club owners] have an understanding of how these markets will behave once [lenders] start lending again. It's not clear, for some clubs, whether there's an exit strategy in the near future."
Like Caro, Geoff Dyer, founder and vice chairman of Lifestyle Family Fitness, St. Petersburg, FL, says attrition throughout the industry has not gotten too far out of hand, but he adds that new member sales have decreased throughout the industry.
"I think it's too early to tell to what extent the economy is going to affect the health club industry," Dyer says. "We're in the beginning of this slowdown. Good companies find a way to reinvent themselves in all kinds of economies."
Not all the news involving the economy has been negative. LA Fitness, Irvine, CA, opened more than 50 clubs in 2008, Caro says. Most club companies, until the last couple of months, have done a better job of growing non-dues revenue, he adds.
"They were having great luck getting increased usage in their group exercise areas," Caro says. "Those people that have tried to do group private training have found traction. That's something that many people are now willing to take on. [Group private training] sounded like an interesting concept but didn't have much traction at the beginning of the year."
Both Caro and Dyer say that the continued growth of low-cost clubs made a huge impact on the industry this year. As members cut back on their club membership expenses, low-cost players, such as Planet Fitness, Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness, have welcomed them with open arms.
From September to mid-November, Planet Fitness, Dover, NH, opened 25 clubs, its biggest growth span since the company began franchising in 2003. At its most recent count, Planet Fitness had 251 locations in 29 states. Chanhassen, MN-based Snap Fitness and Hastings, MN-based Anytime Fitness, both 24-hour key-card club companies, continued to increase in numbers, both domestically and internationally.
"The vast majority of feedback we receive from people who buy our franchises is 'I can get a 40-minute workout done in 42 minutes,'" says Anytime Fitness CEO Jeff Klinger. "Meaning, they park in front, they get in there, they exercise, they leave. They're tired of being harassed for all the ancillary services that the big clubs have to go after them for, like training and massage. They're dying for convenience."
Some studies and statistics released this year have the potential to cause alarm for the industry. Total health club memberships dropped from 42.7 million in 2006 to 41.5 million in 2007, according to a report from the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). Despite those numbers, industry revenues climbed from $17.6 billion in 2006 to $18.5 billion in 2007. As of January 2008, IHRSA reported that the United States had 29,636 health clubs, a figure which included for-profits and some nonprofits but not corporate, government/military and university facilities.
YMCAs, however, increased membership by 700,000 over the past year and by 2 million over the past five years, according to the YMCA of the USA. The 2008 membership and club numbers for nonprofits and for-profits won't be available until next year.
With the economy in its current state, more members may be switching from for-profit clubs to cheaper options at Ys, community rec centers or their local colleges and high schools. Military veterans and their family members may be taking advantage of working out for free at a nearby military fitness center, says Margaret Treland, chief of the Air Force Fitness Branch.
"That's probably driving our usage up," Treland says. "Now they've decided, 'We can't afford $100 or $200 a month for a family membership anymore, so now we can use a free military facility.' Which, in most cases, are up to par with the industry as far as equipment and programs go."
Another perceived blow to for-profit facilities came in the form of a February survey in Consumer Reports, which stated that members gave more favorable marks to private studios, nonprofits, local community centers and office fitness facilities than to most national health club chains. Life Time Fitness was the only exception, receiving the highest marks for national chains. Chicago-based Bally Total Fitness received the lowest marks for national chains and was criticized in the survey for wait times for machines, problems with contracts or fees, lack of cleanliness and subpar locker rooms.
Several women-only and express club franchisees continued to suffer in 2008, causing more damage to the industry's reputation. Many franchisees of Butterfly Life, San Ramon, CA, and 1-2-3 Fit, Denver, closed their clubs and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. They blame their losses on poor management and direction from the corporate offices of their respective companies. Other franchisees of women-only and express club companies expressed similar sentiments regarding their losses.
"We're seeing more distressed operators out there, independents that are wanting to sell their clubs or clubs actually closing," says Bill McBride, chief operating officer for Club One, San Francisco. "There's more conversation about opportunities with regard to location [with these operators] than other operators."
Still, the story of 2008 came back to the economy. During the summer, gas prices peaked to more than $4 a gallon in some parts of the country. Joe Cirulli, owner of Gainesville (FL) Health and Fitness Centers, says soaring gas prices made members think twice about joining a fitness center.
"That was probably one of the biggest things that we had to address with our sales team," Cirulli says. "You had the typical objections that you've always had. Now all of a sudden, you have a new objection. People will try to come up with excuses as to why to not get started, even when they come into the center. The gasoline issue made it a very easy one to throw at our salespeople."
As gas prices went up, stock prices went down for the two big publicly traded companies in the industry. Life Time Fitness' stock price on the New York Stock Exchange had a 52-week high of around $55 a share. As of mid-November, it had plummeted to around $11 a share. Life Time announced it was scaling back its projections for 2009, with plans to open six clubs instead of 11 clubs next year. It also announced it was eliminating 100 jobs at its corporate headquarters.
Town Sports International (TSI), New York, also experienced a steep drop in its stock price this year, going from more than $11 a share on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange to slightly more than $2 a share as of mid-November. Upon releasing its third quarter 2008 financial results, TSI also scaled back its growth projections for 2009. Earlier in the year, the company had put in place a new chief operating officer and a new chief financial officer.
"Certainly, both stocks have been beaten up," Klinger says. "But in reality, that is more of a function of people's fear of the stock market, not necessarily their fear of that particular company. Life Time's earnings, in my opinion, are still great. TSI is still making money. I don't think that their stock trading prices are a reflection of the management of their operations."
Manufacturers experienced another tough year. Nautilus Inc. recorded a loss in third quarter 2008 and saw net sales decrease by almost 19 percent. In February, Nautilus announced it was transitioning a call center from Winnipeg, Canada, to its headquarters in Vancouver, WA. In July, Nautilus announced it was closing its facilities in Tulsa, OK, by the end of the year, affecting some 140 people, and was transferring the manufacturing of its products to its Independence, VA, facility. Nautilus's stock price on the New York Stock Exchange has gone from more than $7 a share to less than $2 a share.
Brunswick Corp.'s fitness segment, which is Life Fitness, had an 8 percent increase in sales during the third quarter 2008 despite yielding an overall net loss of $591.4 million in the same time period. Brunswick's stock price, which had been more than $20 a share, was slightly more than $3 a share in mid-November.
The industry has gone through previous recessionary struggles, particularly in the early 1990s, before surviving and thriving. That's enough reason for the industry to be optimistic, says Steven Schwartz, president and CEO of Chicago-based TCA Holdings, which runs Midtown Tennis Clubs.
"On the other hand, there are some different dynamics going on in this recession. Primarily, we have much more competition than we had in past recessions," Schwartz says. "Fitness club users were growing in real terms faster than the economy was growing, so we had real growth in our sector. The fitness club users declined in 2007 and are maybe flat in 2008, so now a decline in the economy could take a real toll on us."
If 2007 was the year of Bally Total Fitness, then 2008 was the year of 24 Hour Fitness in terms of news involving the industry's top club companies.
Other Top Stories Highlighted 2008
Although a few executives had already left 24 Hour Fitness, San Ramon, CA, in late 2007, nobody's departure was more stunning than that of 24 Hour founder Mark Mastrov. Mastrov's exit in early 2008 was a telltale sign of the changing of the guard at 24 Hour after Carl Liebert, a former executive at The Home Depot, stepped into the CEO's role at 24 Hour. Before and after Mastrov's departure, several other 24 Hour executives left for companies such as Planet Fitness, Dover, NH; Urban Active, Lexington, KY; and Gold's Gym International, Irving, TX.
Since Bally's reorganization from bankruptcy in 2007 and subsequent change from a public to a private company, Bally did not produce a lot of news in the first part of 2008, aside from a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which charged Bally with misleading investors and engaging in fraudulent accounting from 1997 to 2003. Bally did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement.
Then in June, Bally announced the hiring of its new CEO, Michael Sheehan, who had been the chief operating officer at 24 Hour. The Sheehan hiring led 24 Hour to file a lawsuit against Bally on the grounds that Sheehan took trade secrets with him to a top competitor. 24 Hour tried unsuccessfully to sue Bally in a California court, then had a lawsuit dismissed in Illinois before filing a third suit in October in Illinois. The case is still pending as of press time.
CEOs were on the move elsewhere in the industry. In early November, David Schnabel resigned as CEO of Gold's Gym, replaced by James Weaver. Throughout the course of the year, Gold's Gym franchisees spoke of growing unrest about the direction of the company, which is owned by private equity firm TRT Holdings. Schnabel had been a vice president for TRT and had served on Gold's board prior to becoming CEO in 2006.
More big news came from more big-name brands in the industry. Planet Fitness, which acquired World Gym in 2006, put the franchise up for sale during the summer. The number of World Gym clubs dropped from 295 to around 190 under Planet Fitness' ownership. Former World Gym CEO and owner Mike Uretz emerged as a potential buyer, acknowledging this summer that he would be interested in owning World Gym again. As of press time, Planet Fitness had not announced any further developments in the sale.
Club operators once again fought through the forces of nature in 2008, first with the floods of the Midwest in June and later with Hurricane Ike, which battered most of southeast Texas in September. Some fitness facilities in Iowa served as emergency shelters for residents and aid workers while some clubs in Houston opened their doors to residents who were without power.
In October, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its physical activity guidelines for Americans, which call for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week for adults (30 minutes of exercise, five days a week). This was the government's first thorough review of scientific research about physical activity and health in more than a decade. The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association, which came out with similar guidelines last year, voiced their support of the government guidelines.
The release of the guidelines might send a wake-up call to Americans, who are seeing increased levels of obesity in most states. The fifth annual "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, 2008" report was released in August. According to the report, the number of states with an adult obesity rate of more than 30 percent jumped from one to three (Mississippi, West Virginia and Alabama). No state had a decrease in obesity levels from the year before, according to the report.
Mark Mastrov leaves 24 Hour Fitness.
Michael Sheehan leaves 24 Hour to become the CEO of Bally Total Fitness.
24 Hour sues Bally over the hiring of Michael Sheehan.
Planet Fitness puts World Gym up for sale.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services releases physical activity guidelines.