text: http://www.realworldtech.com/includes/templates/articles.cfm?ArticleID=RWT021005084318&mode=print By: David T. Wang (dwang at realworldtech.com) Updated: 02-10-2005 Back to Basics The fundamental task of a processor is to manage the flow of data through its computational units. However in the past two decades, each successive generation of processors for personal computers has added more transistors dedicated to increasing the performance of spaghetti-like integer code. For example, it is well known that typical integer codes are branchy and that branch mispredict penalties are expensive; in an effort to minimize the impact of branch instructions, transistors were used to develop highly accurate branch predictors. Aside from branch predictors, sophisticated cache hierarchies with large tag arrays and predictive cache prefetch units attempt to hide the complexity of data movement from the software, and further increase the performance of single threaded applications. The pursuit of single threaded performance can be observed in recent years in the proposal of extraordinarily deeply pipelined processors designed primarily to increase the performance of single threaded applications, at the cost of higher power consumption and larger transistor budgets. The fundamental idea of the CELL processor project is to reverse this trend and give up the pursuit of single threaded performance, in favor of allocating additional hardware resources to perform parallel computations. That is, minimal resources are devoted toward the execution of single threaded workloads, so that multiple DSP-like processing elements can be added to perform more parallelizable multimedia-type computations. In the examination of the first implementation of the CELL processor, the theme of the shift in focus from the pursuit of single threaded integer performance to the pursuit of multiply threaded, easily parallelizable multimedia-type performance is repeated throughout. CELL Basics The CELL processor is a collaboration between IBM, Sony and Toshiba. The CELL processor is expected by this consortium to provide computing power an order of magnitude above and beyond what is currently available to its competitors. The International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2005 was chosen by the group as the location to describe the basic hardware architecture of the processor and announce the first incarnation of the CELL processor family. Members of the CELL processor family share basic building blocks, and depending on the requirement of the application, specific versions of the CELL processor can be quickly configured and manufactured to meed that need. The basic building blocks shared by members of the CELL family of processor are the following: * The PowerPC Processing Element (PPE) * The Synergistic Processing Element (SPE) * The L2 Cache * The internal Element Interconnect Bus(EIB) * The shared Memory Interface Controller (MIC) and * The FlexIO interface Each SPE is in essence a private system-on-chip (SoC), with the processing unit connected directly to 256KB of private Load Store (LS) memory. The PPE is a dual threaded (SMT) PowerPC processor connected to the SPE's through the EIB. The PPE and SPE processing elements access system memory through the MIC, which is connected to two independent channels of Rambus XDR memory, providing 25 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The connection to I/O is done through the FlexIO interface, also provided by Rambus, providing 44.8 GB/s of raw outbound BW and 32 GB/s of raw inbound bandwidth for total I/O bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. At ISSCC 2005, IBM announced that the first implementation of the CELL processor has been tested to operate at frequencies above 4 GHz. In the CELL processor, each SPE is capable of sustaining 4 FMADD operations per cycle. At an operating frequency of 4 GHz, the CELL processor is thus capable of achieving a peak throughput rate of 256 GFlops from the 8 SPE's. Moreover, the PPE can contribute some amount of additional compute power with its own FP and VMX units. Processor Overview Figure 1 - Die photo of CELL processor with block diagram overlay Figure 1 shows the die photo of the first CELL processor implementation with 8 SPE.s. The sample processor tested was able to operate at a frequency of 4 GHz with Vdd of 1.1V. The power consumption characteristics of the processor were not disclosed by IBM. However, estimates in the range of 50 to 80 Watts @ 4 GHz and 1.1 V were given. One unconfirmed report claims that at the extreme end of the frequency/voltage/power spectrum, one sample CELL processor was observed to operate at 5.6 GHz with 1.4 V Vdd and consumed 180 W of power. As described previously, the CELL processor with 8 SPE.s operating at 4 GHz has a peak throughput rate of over 256 GFlops. To provide the proper balance between processing power and data bandwidth, an enormously capable system interconnects and memory system interface is required for the CELL processor. For that task, the CELL processor was designed as a Rambus Sandwich, with Redwood Rambus Asic Cell (RRAC) acting as the system interface on one end of the CELL processor, and the XDR (formerly Yellowstone) high bandwidth DRAM memory system interface on the other end of the CELL processor. Finally, the CELL processor has 2954 C4 contacts to the 3-2-3 organic package, and the BGA package is 42.5 mm by 42.5 mm in size. The BGA package contains 1236 contacts, 506 of which are signal interconnects and the remainder are devoted to power and ground interconnects. Logic Depth, Circuit Design, Die Size and Process Shrink Figure 2 - Per stage circuit delay depth of 11 FO4 often left only 5~8 FO4 for logic flow The first incarnation of the CELL processor is implemented in a 90nm SOI process. IBM claims that while the logic complexity of each pipeline stage is roughly comparable to other processors with a per stage logic depth of 20 FO4, aggressive circuit design, efficient layout and logic simplification enabled the circuit designers of the CELL processor to reduced the per stage circuit delay to 11 FO4 throughout the entire design. The design methodology deployed for the CELL processor project provides an interesting contrast to that of other IBM processor projects in that the first incarnation of the CELL processor makes use of fully custom design. Moreover, the full custom design includes the use of dynamic logic circuits in critical data paths. In the first implementation of the CELL processor, dynamic logic was deployed for both area minimization as well as performance enhancement to reach the aggressive goal of 11 FO4 circuit delay per stage. Figure 2 shows that with the circuit delay depth of 11 FO4, oftentimes only 5~8 FO4 are left for inter-latch logic flow. The use of dynamic logic presents itself as an interesting issue in that dynamic logic circuits rely on the capability of logic transistors to retain a capacitive load as temporary storage. The decreasing capacitance and increasing leakage of each successive process generation means that dynamic logic design becomes more challenging with each successive process generation. In addition, dynamic circuits are reportedly even more challenging on SOI based process technologies. However, circuit design engineers from IBM believe that the use of dynamic logic will not present itself as an issue in the scalability of the CELL processor down to 65 nm and below. The argument was put forth that since the CELL processor is a full custom design, the task of process porting with dynamic circuits is no more and no less challenging than the task of process porting on a design without dynamic circuits. That is, since the full custom design requires the re-examination and re-optimization of transistor and circuit characteristics for each process generation, if a given set of dynamic logic circuits become impractical for specific functions at a given process node, that set of circuits can be replaced with static circuits as needed. The process portability of the CELL processor design is an interesting topic due to the fact that the prototype CELL processor is a large device that occupies 221 mm2 of silicon area on the 90 nm process. Comparatively, the IBM PPC970FX processor has a die size of 62 mm2 on the 90 nm process. The natural question then arises as to whether Sony will choose to reduce the number of SPE.s to 4 for the version of the CELL processor to appear in the next generation Playstation, or keep the 8 SPE.s and wait for the 65 nm process before it ramps up the production of the next generation Playstation. Although no announcements or hints have been given, IBM.s belief in regards to the process portability of the CEL Figure 6 - SPE pipeline diagram Table 1 - Unit latencies for SPE instructions. Figure 6 shows the pipeline diagram of the SPE and Table 1 shows the unit latency of the SPE. Figure 6 shows that the SPE pipeline makes heavy use of the forward-and-delay concept to avoid the access latency of a register file access in the case of dependent instructions that flow through the pipeline in rapid succession. One interesting aspect of the floating point pipeline is that the same arrays are used for floating point computation as well as integer multiplication. As a result, integer multiplies are sent to the floating point pipeline, and the floating point pipeline bypasses the FP handling and computes the integer multiply. SPE Schmoo Plot Figure 7 - Schmoo plot for the SPE Figure 7 shows the schmoo plot for the SPE. The schmoo plot shows that the SPE can comfortably operate at a frequency of 4 GHz with Vdd of 1.1 V, consuming approximately 4 W. The schmoo plot also reveals that due to the careful segmentation of signal path lengths, the design is far from being wire delay limited. Frequency scaling relative to voltage continues past 1.3 V. This schmoo plot also contributes to the plausibility of the unconfirmed report that the CELL processor could operate at upwards of 5.6 GHz. .Unknown. Functional Units: ATO and RTB Oftentimes when a paper relating to a complex project is written collaboratively by a group of people, details are lost. Still, it appeared as rather humorous that of the six design engineers and architects from the CELL processor project present at Tuesday evening.s chat session, no one could recall what the acronyms ATO and RTB stood for. ATO and RTB are functional blocks labeled in the floorplan of the SPE. However, the functionality of these functional blocks or the meaning of the acronym were neither noted on the floorplan, nor explained in the paper, nor mentioned in the technical presentation. In an effort to cover all the corners, this author placed the question on a list of questions to be asked of the CELL project team members. Hilarity thus ensued as slightly embarrassed CELL project members stared blankly at each other in an attempt to recall the functionality or definition of the acronyms. In all fairness, since the SPE was presented on Monday and the CELL processor itself was presented on Tuesday, CELL project members responsible for the SPE were not present for Tuesday evening.s chat sessions. As a result, the team members responsible for the overall CELL processor and internal system interconnects were asked to recall the meaning of acronyms of internal functional units within the SPE. Hence, the task was unnecessarily complicated by the absence of key personnel that would have been able to provide the answer faster than the CELL processor can rotate a million triangles by 12 degrees about the Z axis. After some discussion (and more wine), it was determined that the ATO unit is most likely the Atomic (memory) unit responsible for coherency observation/interaction with dataflow on the EIB. Then, after the injection of more liquid refreshments (CH3CH2OH), it was theorized that the RTB most likely stood for some sort of Register Translation Block whose precise functionality was unknown to those outside of the SPE. However, this theory would turn out to be incorrect. Finally, after sufficient numbers of hydrocarbon bonds have been broken down into H-OH on Wednesday, a member of the CELL processor team member tracked down the relevant information and he writes: The R in RTB is an internal 1 character identifier that denotes that the RTB block is a unit in the SPE. The TB in RTB stands for "Test Block". It contains the ABIST (Array Built In Self Test) engines for the Local Store and other arrays in the SPE, as well as other test related control functions for the SPE. Element Interconnect Bus The element interconnect bus is the on chip interconnect that ties together all of the processing, memory, and I/O elements on the CELL processor. The EIB is implemented as a set of four concentric rings that is routed through portions of the SPE, where each ring is a 128 bit wide interconnect. To reduce coupling noises, the wires are arranged in groups of four and interleaved with ground and power shields. To further reduce coupling noises, the direction of data flow alternates between each adjacent ring pair. Data travels on the EIB through staged buffer/repeaters at the boundaries of each SPE. That is, data is driven by one set of staged buffer and latched by the buffer at the next stage every clock cycle. Data moving from one SPE through other SPE.s requires the use of repeaters in the intermediary SPE.s for the duration of the transfer. Independently from the buffer/repeater elements, separate data on/off ramps exist in the BIU of the SPE, as data targeted for the LS unit of a given SPE can be off-loaded at the BIU. Similarly, outgoing data can be placed onto the EIB by the BIU. Figure 8 - Counter rotational rings of the EIB - 4 SPE.s shown The design of the EIB is specifically geared toward the scalability of the CELL processor. That is, signal path lengths on the EIB do not change regardless of the number of SPE.s in a given CELL processor configuration. Since the data travels no more than the width of one SPE, more SPE.s on a given CELL processor simply means that the data transport latency increases by the number of additional hops through those SPE.s. Data transfer through the EIB is controlled by the EIB controller, and the EIB controller works with the DMA engine and the channel controllers to reserve the buffers drivers for certain number of cycles for each data transfer request. The data transfer algorithm works by reserving channel capacity for each data transfer, thus providing support for real time applications. Finally, the design and implementation of the EIB has a curious side effect in that it limits the current version of the CELL processor to expand only along the horizontal axis. Thus, the EIB enables the CELL processor to be highly configurable and SPE.s can be quickly and easily added or removed along the horizontal axis, and the maximum number of SPE.s that can be added is set by the maximum width of the chip allowable by the reticule size of the fabrication equipment. The POWERPC Processing Element Neither microarchitectural details nor the performance characteristics of the POWERPC Processing Element were disclosed by IBM during ISSCC 2005. However, what is known is that the PPE processor core is a new core that is fully compliant with the POWERPC instruction set, the VMX instruction set extension inclusive. Additionally, the PPE core is described as a two issue, in-order, 64 bit processor that supports 2 way SMT. The L1 cache sizes of the PPE is reported to be 32KB each, and the unified L2 cache is 512 KB in size. Furthermore, the lineage of the PPE can be traced to a research project commissioned by IBM to examine high speed processor design with aggressive circuit implementations. The results of this research project were published by IBM first in the Journal of Solid State Circuits (JSSC) in 1998, then again in ISSCC 2000. The paper published in JSSC in 1998 described a processor implementation that supported a subset of the POWERPC instruction set, and the paper published in ISSCC 2000 described a processor that supported the complete POWERPC instruction set and operated at 1 GHz on a 0.25µm process technology. The microarchitecture of the research processor was disclosed in some detail in the ISSCC 2000 paper. However, that processor was a single issue processor whose design goal was to reach high operating frequency by limiting pipestage delay to 13 FO4, and power consumption limitations were not considered. For the PPE, several major changes in the design goal dictated changes in the microarchitecture from the research processor disclosed at ISSCC in 2000. Firstly, to further increase frequency, the per stage circuit delay design target was lowered from 13 FO4 to 11 FO4. Secondly, limiting power consumption and minimize leakage current were added as high priority design goals for the PPE. Collectively, these changes limited the per stage logic depth, and the pipeline was lengthened as a result. The addition of SMT and the two issue design goal completed the metamorphosis of the research processor to the PPE. The result is a processing core that operates at a high frequency with relatively low power consumption, and perhaps relatively poorer scalar performance compared to the beefy POWER5 processor core. Rambus XDR Memory System Figure 9 - The two channel XDR Memory System To provide machine balance and support the peak rating of more than 256 SP GFlops (or 25-30 DP GFlops), the CELL processor requires an enormously capable memory system. For that reason, two channels of Rambus XDR memory are used to obtain 25.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. In the XDR memory system, each channel can support a maximum of thirty-six devices connected to the same command and address bus. The data bus for each device connects to the memory controller through a set of bi-directional point-to-point connections. In the XDR memory system, addresses and commands are sent on the address and command bus at a rate of 800 Mbits per second (Mbps), and the point to point interface operates at a datarate of 3.2 Gbps. Using DRAM devices with 16 bit wide data busses, each channel of XDR memory can sustain a maximum bandwidth of 102.4 Gbps (2 x 16 x 3.2), or 12.6 GB/s. The CELL processor can thus achieve a maximum bandwidth of 25.2 GB/s with a 2 channel, 4 device configuration. The obvious advantage of the XDR memory system is the bandwidth that it provides to the CELL processor. However, in the configuration illustrated in figure 9, the maximum of 4 DRAM devices means that the CELL processor is limited to 256 MB of memory, given that the highest capacity XDR DRAM device is currently 512 Mbits. Fortunately, XDR DRAM devices could in theory be reconfigured in such a way so that more than 36 XDR devices can be connected to the same 36 bit wide channel and provide 1 bit wide data bus each to the 36 bit wide point-to-point interconnect. In such a configuration, a two channel XDR memory can support upwards of 16 GB of ECC protected memory with 256 Mbit DRAM devices or 32 GB of ECC protected memory with 512 Mbit DRAM devices. As a result, the CELL processor could in theory address a large amount of memory if the price premium of XDR DRAM devices could be minimized. IBM did not release detailed information about the configuration of the XDR memory system. One feature to watch for in the future is ECC support in the DRAM memory system. Since ECC support is clearly not a requirement of a processor to be used in a game machine, the presence of ECC support would likely indicate IBM.s ambition to promote the use of CELL processors in applications that require superior reliability, availability and serviceability, such as HPC, workstation or server systems. Incidentally, Toshiba is a manufacturer of XDR DRAM devices. Presumably it brought the XDR memory controller and memory system design expertise to the table, and could ramp up production of XDR DRAM devices as needed. FlexIO System Interface At ISSCC 2005, Rambus presented a paper on the FlexIO interface used on the CELL processor. However, the presentation was limited to describing the physical layer interconnect. Specifically, the difficulties of implementing the Redwood Rambus ASIC Cell on IBM.s 90nm SOI process were examined in some detail. While circuit level issues regarding the challenges of designing high speed I/O interfaces on an SOI based process are in their own right extremely intriguing topics, the focus of this article is geared toward the architectural implications of the high bandwidth interface. As a result, the circuit level details will not be covered here. Interested readers are encouraged to seek out details on Rambus.s Redwood technology separately. What is known about the system interface of the CELL processor is that the FlexIO consists of 12 byte lanes. Each byte lane is a set of 8 bit wide, source synchronous, unidirectional, point-to-point interconnects. The FlexIO makes use of differential signaling to achieve the data rate of 6.4 Gb per second per signal pair, and that data rate in turn translates to 6.4 GB/s per byte lane. The 12 byte lanes are asymmetric in configuration. That is, 7 byte lanes are outbound from the CELL processor, while 5 byte lanes are inbound to the CELL processor. The 12 byte lanes thus provide 44.8 GB/s of raw outbound bandwidth and 32 GB/s of raw inbound bandwidth for total I/O bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. Furthermore, the byte lanes are arranged into two groups of ports: one group of ports are dedicated to non-coherent off-chip traffic, while the other group of ports are usable for coherent off-chip traffic. It seems clear that Sony itself is unlikely to make use of a coherent, multiple CELL processor configuration for Playstation 3. However, the fact that the PPE and the SPE.s can snoop traffic transported through the EIB, and that coherency traffic can be sent to other CELL processors via a coherent interface, means that the CELL processor can indeed be an interesting processor. If nothing else, the CELL processor should enable startups that propose to build FlexIO based coherency switches to garner immediate interest from venture capitalists. Summary The CELL processor presents an intriguing alternative in its pursuit of performance. It seems to be a forgone conclusion that the CELL processor will be an enormously successful product, and that millions of CELL processors will be sold as the processors that power the next generation Sony Playstation. However, IBM has designed some features into the CELL processor that clearly reveals its ambition in seeking new applications for the CELL processor. At ISSCC 2005, much fanfare has been generated by the rating of 256 GFlops @ 4 GHz for the CELL processor. However, it is the little mentioned double precision capability and the yet undisclosed system level coherency mechanism that appear to be the most intriguing aspects that could enable the CELL processor to find success not just inside the Playstation, but outside of it as well. References [1] J. Silberman et. al., .A 1.0- GHz Single-Issue 64-Bit PowerPC Integer Processor., IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol 33, No.11, Nov 1998. [2] P. Hofstee et. al., .A 1 GHz Single-Issue 64b PowerPC Processor., International Solid-State Circuits Conference Technical Digest, Feb. 2000. [3] N. Rohrer et. al. .PowerPC in 130nm and 90nm Technologies., International Solid-State Circuits Conference Technical Digest, Feb. 2004. [4] B. Flachs et. al. .A Streaming Processing Unit for A CELL Processor., International Solid-State Circuits Conference Technical Digest, Feb. 2005. [5] D. Pham et. al. .The Design and Implementation of a First-Generation CELL Processor., International Solid-State Circuits Conference Technical Digest, Feb. 2005. [6] J. Kuang et. al. .A Double-Precision Multiplier with Fine-Grained Clock-Gating Support for a First-Generation CELL Processor., International Solid-State Circuits Conference Technical Digest, Feb. 2005. [7] S. Dhong et. al. .A 4.8 GHz Fully Pipelined Embedded SRAM in the Streaming Processor of a CELL Processor., International Solid-State Circuits Conference Technical Digest, Feb. 2005. [8] K. Chang et. al. .Clocking and Circuit Design for a Parallel I/O on a First-Generation CELL Processor., International Solid-State Circuits Conference Technical Digest, Feb. 2005. -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07078, 11.61144 http://www.leitl.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE http://moleculardevices.org http://nanomachines.net -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 198 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://www.beowulf.org/pipermail/beowulf/attachments/20050211/c7cfa2c4/attachment.sig>


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Dear All,
This is a message to welcome you all to this blog which, as the title has it, will be dedicated to the discussion of reparations for the damage done during the reign of Democratic Kampuchea (a.k.a. the Khmer Rouge) and to prosecute for the commission of which the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) were set up in Cambodia.
As reparations are by their natures complex and link a wide array of aspects, these discussions will include the issues of law, history, culture, religion moral values, etc.
Contributors to this blog are, thus, encouraged to bring up any issues to explore technical topics -- such as, for example, the relevant components of the Cambodian and international laws) as well as non-technical topics, such as, for example, the moral imperative to pay reparations or absense of thereof, cultural reparatory practices in Cambodia, if any, etc.
The objective here is to see the level of support reparations for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge might garner in and out of Cambodia and amongst Cambodians and people of other nationalities and ethnicities familiar with Cambodia and the history of the Khmer Rouge and generally interested in the topic of reparations. It is also my expectation that this blog will become an avenue for the general public to express themselves and stay updated on the issue.
For reasons of potential conflicts of interest, contributors are not required by this blog to use their names, but can create aliases under which they will be known on this blog and how they will be addressed and referred to.
I will be looking forward to seeing all of you on this blog and furthering this discussion.

subset: commoncrawl


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Yesterday we reported on a new statistical method that can establish the presence of a single individual's genetic signature in a sample containing DNA from hundreds of different people. The method has enormous potential in forensics, because DNA samples from crime scenes and mass disasters often contain genetic material from more than one person.
But what's promising in one context turns out to be troublesome in another. As we mentioned in yesterday's post, the new method could in principle be used to identify individuals whose genetic data is held in several public databases. Those databases aggregate information collected by large genome-wide association studies, which typically involve thousands of subjects.
It was previously assumed that aggregating the data of hundreds or even thousands of people – essentially giving the overall genetic composition of the group as a whole – would make it impossible to identify any one person in it.
But yesterday's paper proved that assumption wrong. Now it has been reported that on Monday, four days before the paper came out, the National Center for Biotechnology Information pulled aggregated data off its Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP). The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Wellcome Trust in Britain have also removed aggregate data from public view.
Most study protocols don't allow study subjects to see their own genetic data. So if aggregated data had stayed on those databases, study subjects' genetic data would be publicly available – at least in theory – even though they themselves never had access to it!
Hypothetical scenarios aside, it is highly unlikely that any person has ever actually been picked out of an aggregate database, and not just because the mathematics of the new method are so complex. For one thing, there is little incentive to do so. And anyone who did want to would have to obtain and genotype a biological sample from the person they were interested in.
Because 23andMe does not publicly release its customers' data in any form, the new method does not present an issue for us. Even so, we will continue to monitor this and other developments in genetics and security to ensure our customers' privacy.
Image from istockphoto


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Where We Go When We're off the ClockPosted in News on July 31, 2013
BFGoodrich asked editors where we go to have fun when we're not working, where we take our friends and do the "thing" we're most passionate about.Where do we live our lifestyle on our own terms?
In my case, the thing I'm most passionate about is taking a 4×4 vehicle exploring in Southwestern Utah, Northwestern Arizona, and Southeastern Nevada. This area includes almost every kind of 'wheeling you can find, including mild exploring roads, tough 4×4 trails, rock crawling, sand dunes, and terrain ranging from deserts to mountains. There's heat, dust, rain, mud, cold, and snow. Except for jungles, this area has it all. It also includes Sand Mountain OHV Area that's a few miles south of my home.
Sand Mountain can accommodate all users, whether they're experienced hands or brand new to the sport. All forms of motorized recreation are welcome, including motorcycles ATVs, UTVs, 4x4s, and buggies. There's sand (duh), slickrock, dirt and rocks, all arranged in ways to make our adventures interesting. As I've found many times, a short adventure into Sand Mountain can turn interesting fast as it's easy to get stuck or broken as shifting sand covers/exposes rock and changes with every wind storm.
My playground isn't limited to Sand Mountain, though. 90 miles to the south is Grand Canyon National Park, a scenic wonder of the world. The 90 miles of Arizona Strip dirt roads and trails pass through desert, grassy plains where cattle graze, pine trees, rocky precipitous cliffs, and ghost towns. There's a little bit of everything to see and explore.
If the Grand Canyon isn't on the itinerary, a trip to Southern Nevada includes Mojave desert adventuring or a quick dip into Lake Mead. Heading north and east from here includes Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.There's no off-roading allowed in the park boundaries (except for some mild dirt roading), but the areas around the parks are just as beautiful and compelling.
Maybe I should find another hobby to escape from work, but I like to four-wheel. My playground is one of the places I go, whether it's for work or play. Thanks, BFG, for asking. For more off-road playgrounds, visit: http://www.offroadplaygrounds.com/where-we-go-when-were-off-the-clock/


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On a recent Antiques Roadshow, appraiser Kathleen Harwood, had this to say: "Mr. Stiepevich, for an artist who painted such lovely paintings, has very scant biographical information. We know he was born in Russia, probably around 1840, and that he died in New York City, probably around 1910. Clearly he was very well trained as a painter."
A veritable call to action for a genealogist!
Vincent Stiepevich appears in US census records in 1880 (Elizabeth, NJ), 1900, 1910, and 1920 (all Brooklyn, NY). In the latter three census records, he states that he came to the U.S. in 1872. I love this entry for 1880 (click to enlarge). You can read his biography through the birth locations.
According to New York vital records, his wife Francesca died in 1912 and he died in Brooklyn on October 9, 1921 as "Vincenzo G. Stiepevich."
According to his 1887 passport application on Ancestry.com, he was born in Italy on Sep. 14, 1841.
The appraiser was quite correct when she said that he was well trained as an artist. Here is a snippet from an article about him in The Monthly Illustrator of 1895.
The article goes on to say that he was trained at the Royal Academy of Venice by Karl Von Blaas from the Austrian Tyrol. Stiepevich became a member of the Royal Academy of Milan in 1868. In 1872 he received a commission to decorate the Chamber of Commerce in St. Louis, Missouri and he came to the U.S. and eventually settled in Brooklyn. This is the same chronology borne out in the census records!
Somebody must have decided at some time that Stiepevich sounded Russian. His works have even been auctioned in collections of Russian art by major auction houses. If the name Stiepevich does not sound Italian, note that there is a street in Rome named for Italian war hero Danilo Stiepovich from Trieste. Close variants of the name are found in nearby Dalmatia, Montenegro, and Croatia.
03 February 2010
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A-Z of CATEGORIES
+ Bath Male Choir
'One of the UK's favourite male choirs. We shot to fame when we reached the finals of the "Last Choir Standing" BBC television series when millions followed our progress. We always welcome potential new members at every rehearsal so if you would like to know more about singing in the best Male Choir in the West ... come along and meet us - and bring a friend!'
Listing Details
Directory Statistics
New Additions
- * Centre for Music and Science [Cambridge]Category: Music Research CentresNearby: CambridgeRecord Created:
- * Voices FoundationCategory: Accessibility to MusicRecord Created:
- + Miskelly ChoraleCategory: Ladies ChoirsNearby: Ards North DownRecord Created:
- * Sheffield Folk Sessions FestivalCategory: Folk FestivalsNearby: SheffieldRecord Created:
- * Glossop Jazz ClubCategory: Jazz ClubsNearby: GlossopRecord Created:
- ~ North of Ireland Bands' AssociationCategory: Music Associations and SocietiesRecord Created:
- @ St Mary's Sturminster NewtonCategory: ChurchesNearby: Gillingham (Dorset)Record Created:
- + Band of the Gloucestershire ConstabularyCategory: Brass and Silver BandsNearby: CheltenhamRecord Created:
- + Fife Strathspey & Reel SocietyCategory: Traditional Orchestras and BandsNearby: KirkcaldyRecord Created:
- @ St John's Chapel ChichesterCategory: Historic Houses and BuildingsNearby: ChichesterRecord Created:
- @ Scarr BandstandCategory: Parks and BandstandsNearby: LydneyRecord Created:
- = Jennifer PikeCategory: ViolinRecord Created:
- + The Bach PlayersCategory: Early Music EnsemblesRecord Created:
- + Treorchy Male ChoirCategory: Male Voice ChoirsNearby: Rhondda Cynon TafRecord Created:
- + Esterhazy Singers of LondonCategory: Choral SocietiesNearby: City of LondonRecord Created:
- + Felixstowe Musical TheatreCategory: Operatic and Dramatic SocietiesNearby: FelixstoweRecord Created:
- + Pro Nobis SingersCategory: Chamber ChoirsNearby: KendalRecord Created:
- + English Piano TrioCategory: Piano TriosRecord Created:
- + Merry Opera CompanyCategory: Opera CompaniesRecord Created:
- * Dunster FestivalCategory: Chamber Music and Song FestivalsNearby: MineheadRecord Created:
- * Borders Music and Arts SocietyCategory: Local Concert PromotersNearby: KelsoRecord Created:
- * Ards International Guitar FestivalCategory: Instrumental FestivalsNearby: Ards North DownRecord Created:
- @ National Museum CardiffCategory: Libraries Museums GalleriesNearby: CardiffRecord Created:
- @ Amersham Memorial GardensCategory: Parks and BandstandsNearby: AmershamRecord Created:
- * Leighton-Linslade Arts ForumCategory: Local Arts BodiesNearby: Leighton BuzzardRecord Created:
- + Leamington and Warwick Musical SocietyCategory: Operatic and Dramatic SocietiesNearby: Royal Leamington SpaRecord Created:
- * Hand In Hand LGBT+ Choral FestivalCategory: Choral FestivalsNearby: CardiffRecord Created:
- + Kilbarchan SingersCategory: Chamber ChoirsNearby: RenfrewshireRecord Created:
- + Pocket SinfoniaCategory: Chamber QuartetsRecord Created:
- + Pontypridd Choral SocietyCategory: Choral SocietiesNearby: Rhondda Cynon TafRecord Created:
- * The Bath FestivalCategory: Arts FestivalsNearby: BathRecord Created:
- * Cathy Nelson Artists and ProjectsCategory: Artist Managers and AgenciesRecord Created:
- + Doncaster Wheatsheaf SingersCategory: Ladies ChoirsNearby: DoncasterRecord Created:
- * Iffley Music SocietyCategory: Local Concert PromotersNearby: OxfordRecord Created:
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Yung Poppa - Jet Black Shades [Unsigned Artist]
DEBUT HIT SINGLE PRODUCED BY TWAN THE BEATMAKER... DOWNLOAD ON iTUNES!!! "BIRTH OF A YUNG PHENOM" COMING SUMMER 2012!!!
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text:
Justice: Bubba Smith made his mark in unique way
Bubba made his mark in unique way
Bubba Smith would tell the story without an ounce of bitterness. He lived a wonderful life and as the years passed seemed to accept that things had been a certain way back then.
He was one of the best high school football players this state has produced, and like a lot of others, he dreamed of playing for Darrell Royal at the University of Texas.
But the year was 1962, and Texas wouldn't integrate its football program for another eight years. As Bubba told the story, Royal was willing to offer him a scholarship, but he couldn't guarantee he would play for the Longhorns.
Smith said the snub helped drive him to be the best player he could be and that maybe he would pave the way for later generations of black kids to have the opportunity he never did.
He never told his story with anger because he came to love the school — Michigan State — where he ended up. That simply wasn't his style anyway. He was outgoing and happy and, at 6-7 and 265 pounds, virtually unstoppable. He also was one of those players others wanted to be around because he played the game the way he lived his life. That is, with joy and laughter.
Long after his football career had ended, Bubba turned his experience at Michigan State into something of a stand-up routine.
For instance, there was this one time through the cafeteria line.
"What is this?" he told HBO in its documentary Breaking the Huddle about the desegregation of college football programs in the South.
That's how Bubba was introduced to matzo, and that first year, he also would learn about snow and Big Ten football. He was a homesick kid that first year, and one day when he slipped and fell on a patch of ice — something he hadn't seen while growing up in Beaumont — he wondered what he'd gotten himself into.
Once when some of his Michigan State teammates invited him on a spring break trip to Florida, Bubba didn't think twice.
"I'm going home to Texas for my mama's cooking," he said.
Two years after Bubba enrolled at Michigan State, in 1965, Hayden Fry made Jerry LeVias the first black scholarship football player in the Southwest Conference. Royal didn't integrate UT until 1970, and by then the defensive end was headed to his first Pro Bowl.
Unless you're of a certain age, you might not remember Smith was a Texan. He was most closely identified with Michigan State, and then with the Baltimore Colts, who made him the first pick of the 1967 NFL draft. He finally did make it back to Texas, playing two seasons for the Oilers, in 1975 and '76 at the end of his career.
Impossible to ignore
But the NFL was a mere steppingstone to his real fame, that of an actor and pitchman. When he died Wednesday at 66, his fame had grown far beyond the football field.
(Remember him tearing the top off a can of Miller Lite and saying, "I also love the easy-opening can" or his role of Moses Hightower in the Police Academy movies?)
But Smith helped change the world. He became such a transcendent player at Michigan State, played in so many big games that it was impossible to ignore why he wasn't in the SWC.
His 1966 Michigan State team — remember the 10-10 tie with Notre Dame? — had 12 black starters, including quarterback Jimmy Raye, and the world did not end.
"That's what ultimately pushed the Southern schools to recruit black players," Smith told Detroit columnist Drew Sharp in 1993. "They were simply letting too much talent get away from them."
Other black players may have had a larger hand in breaking the color barrier. LeVias achieved greatness at SMU and handled the racial slurs and physical intimidation with such grace as to make racism look ignorant and silly.
Lived a good life
Sam Cunningham scored two touchdowns in Birmingham in a 42-21 USC victory in 1970, and a year later, Bear Bryant persuaded Alabama officials to integrate the Crimson Tide.
Whether Bryant wanted racial fairness or more great players can be debated into the night, but the world did change because of Cunningham.
Mel Renfro changed it, too. He had a spectacular game in 1962 at Rice Stadium, which had been a whites-only facility. According to Renfro's website, university officials allowed Renfro's family to enter and sit in a special section of the stadium near the 35-yard line.
Smith was never that kind of force for change. He answered questions about it but seemed so comfortable in his own skin that the larger message of his life didn't always get through.
Or maybe it did. He took the life that was given to him, made the most of it and worked to change what he didn't like. He played some great games, made people laugh and died with hundreds of friends. As legacies go, that's not a bad one.


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IRVINE — The quickest way to solve the puzzle is to find the missing piece.
The UC Irvine men's volleyball team found enough personnel pieces to complete a 20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-22 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation victory over visiting UC Santa Barbara on Thursday.
The victory extended the Anteaters' winning streak to seven matches and solidified the No. 1 national ranking they share with BYU.
UCI Coach David Kniffin substituted with purpose after the No. 15-ranked Gauchos seized the momentum in the first set.
"We were prepared from the game-plan standpoint," Kniffin said. "I just think we were lacking a little bit in energy right off the bat. So, one of the switches we made quickly after Game 1 was to put in Jason Agopian to add a little spark [at middle blocker]. [Starting middle] Collin Mehring is a great volleyball player, but Jason moves a little bit quicker and he is a little more outwardly competitive. Along those same lines, we also brought in [senior libero] Will Thomas, just to provide a little bit of that spark plug and create a little bit of energy. That was nothing technical or tactical. That was us getting over that emotional threshold. Once we got there, I actually thought we played pretty good volleyball."
Agopian had three kills on four swings to hit .500 and added one block assist, while Thomas chipped in two digs and an assist for the winners (11-3, 8-3 in conference).
In addition, Kniffin went to the bench to call upon junior opposite Connor Hughes, who had 11 kills, all in the final three sets, and hit .348.
Travis Woloson and Chris Austin also made brief appearances off the UCI bench to help sculpt the right dynamic to rally past the fired-up Gauchos (5-9, 3-7), who were swept by the 'Eaters at home on Jan. 30.
"One thing I would say about our team and certainly our staff, is that we're good at puzzles," Kniffin said. "Every night in the MPSF, you have to have a little different game plan and strategy. We have to be very tactical about how we attack teams, because there are no perfect teams out there. Every team has a little chink in the armor. It's our job as a staff to find it, then it's the players' job to execute it."
Outside hitters Jeremy Dejno (16 kills, eight digs and one ace to go with a .308 attack percentage), Kevin Tillie (14 kills, 16 digs, two aces and four block assists to go with a .300 hitting percentage) and Hughes (11 kills at a .348 clip) executed well enough to deny the visitors the upset.
Junior setter Daniel Stork had 49 assists, one solo block and one block assist, while middle blocker Scott Kevorken hit .556 with six kills, one ace and three block assists.
UCI hit .295 as a team, 97 points better than the Gauchos, who received six kills, one solo block and three block assists from junior middle blocker Dylan Davis, a Corona del Mar High product.
UCSB's other starting middle, Ryan Thompson, who played at both Costa Mesa High and Corona del Mar High, as well as Orange Coast College, added four kills and six block assists.
UCI has not lost since a Jan. 18 setback at BYU and, just as the Anteaters did at the end of the 2012 NCAA title run, they are beginning to revel in their versatility.
"Anybody on the bench can come in and supply energy and supply a winning attitude," Thomas said. "[Kniffin] trains us to be ready at any point. I'm always ready."
UCI had 19 digs to UCSB's 13 in the final set to finish with a 46-42 advantage in that department. UCSB led in team blocks, 11.5 to nine, while UCI had the advantage in aces (4-2), kills (54-50) and assists (52-49).
The interchangeable nature of the roster has also helped breed confidence, Kniffin said.
"The No. 1 ranking is not just paperwork," Kniffin said. "There's a mentality involved. I think at the beginning of the season, it hurt us to be No. 1, because we hadn't really earned it and it was an opinion poll. Now, guys are starting to feel like they are No. 1."
Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5


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Price (US$):
$375 - $970 / night
Palau is truly an Eden captured in time. If so the Palau Pacific Resort is the Eden s nest nestled in 64 acres of lush tropical gardens with the… more »
Price (US$):
$266 - $327 / night
Location. Palau Royal Resort is located on the beach in Koror, close to National Stadium and Asahi Stadium. Another point of interest is Rock… more »
Airai Water Paradise Hotel & Spa
Price (US$):
$113 - $200 / night
Location. Airai Water Paradise Hotel & Spa is located on the beach in Airai and local attractions include Asahi Stadium and National Stadium.… more »
Palau (Belau) is a group of islands in the Micronesia area of Oceania, to the southeast of the Philippines.
After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost luster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. Palau officially became independent on October 1, 1994.
Early Palauans may have come from Polynesia and Asia. Depending on the origin of a family, Palauans may represent many parts of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. However, they are not traditionally considered to be Micronesian. For thousands of years, Palauans have had a well established matrilineal society, believed to have descended from Javanese precedents.
Palau had limited relations before the 18th century, mainly with Yap and Java. Had it not been for shipwrecked islanders who took refuge in the Philippines, Europeans likely would not have found Palau until much later. Englishman Captain Henry Wilson was shipwrecked off the island of Ulong in 1783 and it was Wilson who gave the archipelago the name "Pelew Islands".
In the late 19th century, possession of the islands was claimed by Britain, Spain, and Germany. In 1885, the matter was brought to Pope Leo XIII for a decision. The Pope recognized the Spanish claim, but granted economic concessions to Britain and Germany. Palau then became part of the Spanish East Indies, along with the Northern Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands and the Marshall Islands. They were all administered from the Philippines. Spain sold the Palau archipelago to Germany in 1899 after which it was administered from German New Guinea, and a period of economic development began. German engineers began exploiting the islands' deposits of bauxite and phosphate, and a rich harvest in copra was made. WWI intervened and the German period lasted only 15 years after which the League of Nations awarded Palau to Japan. The Japanese presence made Palau a major target for the Allied forces in World War II, and there were many several major battles in the area.
Palau enjoys a tropical climate all year round with an annual mean temperature of 82 °F (28 °C). Rainfall can occur throughout the year, averaging a total of 150 inches (3,800 mm). The average humidity over the course of the year is 82%, and although rain falls more frequently between July and October, there is still much sunshine. Typhoons are rare, as Palau is outside the main typhoon zone.
The South West islands of Palau are worth a visit if you have your own marine transport such as an ocean-going yacht. There are Sonsorol, Fana, Meriil, Hatohobei and Helen Reef, a conservation area. However be sure to take mosquito repellent if visiting Meriil as its local name is dancing island. Go there and you will find out why! If intending to visit any of these islands it is a wise idea to make the acquaintance of the governors at their offices in Koror itself. If you are lucky you just might be able to take a trip on the island supply vessel the Atoll Way. Sleeping is on a hard wooden platform along with the other souls who are either returning to their home islands or maybe the doctor from Peleliu island hospital who is making a routine visit to check up on the health of the islanders
US citizens do not require a visa, and nearly all other visitors can receive a free 30-day tourism visa on arrival. For the latest information, contact the Palau Embassy in Washington DC .
Plane is the only realistic choice. There is only one airport, Airai (ROR), in Koror. Most visitors arrive on Continental Micronesia's daily flights from Guam (~$600), which has good connections to Japan and the United States, as well as from Manila, Philippines. Delta Air Lines launched daily service to (ROR) from Tokyo-Nartia (NRT)as of December 2010. Also recently launched flag carrier Pacific Flier flies to Brisbane, Australia and Manila.
There are also chartered flights direct from Taipei, South Korea, and Japan on a variety of operators.
Possible but not very easy.
Taxi and rented car. Lots of local taxis. If you rent a car, be prepared to drive slowly on some bumpy roads. Both left and right hand drive cars are present in Palau, which can cause some confusion. If you drive south, to Ice Box Park, please note that the facility behind it is a sewage treatment plant. Any other diving will be from a boat, after an hour or more ride and cost around US$150 for a two tank dive. There are no dive spots or beaches on the main island - Koror. The road north was recently paved and is very nice... once you get past the airport.
English and Palauan are the official languages, although some islands also give official status to their own languages.
Palau is most famous for scuba diving. One of the most famous dive sites - Blue Corner, with constant sharks and a high current - is located less than 1 hour's boat ride from most resorts. Many live aboards like Ocean Hunter operate out of Palau. There are also tours to WWII battle fields on Palau.
The Blue Corner, German Channel, Ulong Channel and Blue Holes are all amazing dive sites. You can dive the same site again and again and have completely different experiences each time.
Palau is also famous for its jellyfish lakes. These lakes contain jellyfish which have evolved away their stingers in the absence of predators. There are many tours which will go to the jellyfish lake to snorkel. SCUBA diving is not permitted, nor is necessary, in the jellyfish lake. Palau Jellyfish Lake is included in the category of natural phenomena and scientific mysteries.
Expedition Fleet, is the largest privately owned live-aboard fleet in the Philippines. Their ships operate all over the Philippine Island and Palau. Expedition Fleet is known for experienced and professional Dive Masters as well as excellent service on board.
Splash, the dive shop attached to the Palau Pacific Resort is recommended. The equipment available for rental is of high quality, and either new or well maintained. The dive masters are also very experienced, responsible and know the dive sites very well. Angelo at Splash is highly recommended as a dive master especially if you have not dived in stronger currents. It should be noted that Splash runs a rather large, wide diveboat, containing 20+ divers.
Fish 'n Fins is the oldest dive center in Palau. They currently have two live-aboard vessels, as well as seven smaller (and faster!) dive boats, operating from the base in Koror. The guides are very professional and are more than willing to share their extensive knowledge of the ocean and the life in it. Divers can use Nitrox EAN 32 for the same price as air. Gas mixtures for technical divers are also available.
Sam's Tours is another dive shop in Palau that offers diving, snorkeling, kayaking, fishing and land tours. They have some great guides that provide educational and environmental information about the locales. Sam's Tours uses small, fast narrow boats which carry 4~8 divers.
Palau uses the US dollar as its currency.
As you might expect from a remote island where tourism is the main industry, prices are comparatively high, and even a low-end daily budget would be around US$100/day.
Palauan storyboards are traditional wood carvings depicting Palauan myths and legends.
Several other places of note in Koror are the Taj, an excellent Indian restaurant, Fuji, a reasonably-priced pseudo-Japanese restaurant or Dragon Tai on the way into Koror.
Red Rooster Beer.Despite its size Palau has a small brewery, to be found next to the West Plaza by the Sea hotel (see below). It offers Amber and Stout and three other beers. Abai Ice in Koror is a small hut that offers fresh fruit smoothies -- highly recommended.
Many licensed establishments in Palau -- from quiet little bars to "Japanese"-style karaoke bars complete with bar girls. For a decent affordable drink, try Sam's Dive Shop or High Tide behind Neco dive shop. Alcohol is readily available at most stores. Public drinking is not allowed, and the local police are more than happy to inconvenience you if you are caught.
Palau offers a number of guest house style boutique accommodations. Some are close to or within Koror, some are not. These are available for international bookings via dive shops that offer holiday packages (such as Sam's Tours). Prices range from US$50 a night upward.
There are also a number of nice basic hotels available in Palau.
There are lots of reasonably high end resorts on Palau, most catering for scuba divers.
Palau Community College () offers both AS/AA degrees and occupational certificates. The campus library is open to the public, and offers computer terminals for community members and visitors to check email. The school is accredited through the Western Association of Colleges.
Palau is quite a safe country to visit. Walking in downtown Koror at night, even past midnight is quite safe. But as with any place in the world today, common sense prevails. Pedestrians should be careful, as sidewalks are limited even in downtown Koror.
Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) still exist in Palau's mangroves and in the beautiful Rock Islands and can potentially be found anywhere on the island. Despite their fearsome and, in some areas, very justified reputation, here they rarely grow to the immense size that they do in Australia and New Guinea. There was only one fatal attack by a crocodile in Palau within recorded history and that occurred in 1965. The biggest crocodile in Palau's history was 15 feet in length- large, but this is an average size for saltwater crocodiles in most other countries. The rarity of attacks probably stems from the fact that there are no more than 150 adult individuals currently on the island. Snorkeling and scuba diving are very popular in Palau and there has never in recent history been a report of an attack on a tourist. Judging from a recent survey, it appears crocodiles are quite unjustly hated by the locals, in harsh contrast to the worship they are given by the indigenous peoples of Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The reasons for this are unclear.
Bull Sharks are common in the coastal waters and estuaries, so caution must always be taken while scuba diving or snorkeling


text: Fernando Torres was confirmed on the squad after a turnaround in form for European champions Chelsea [GETTY]Spain's Euro 2012 squad includes the bulk of their World Cup winning team, with Alvaro Negredo earning one of the vaunted attacking positions in place of injured all-time leading scorer David Villa. Coach Vicente del Bosque called on the Sevilla striker to fill in for Villa, the country's all-time leading scorer and who was also top scorer when Spain won the European title four years ago. Valencia striker Roberto Soldado missed out, while Atletico Madrid's Adrian Lopez was also discarded despite scoring in his debut Saturday, a 2-0 friendly win over Serbia. "Villa is irreplaceable,'' Del Bosque said on Sunday after the Barcelona striker failed to recover from leg surgery in time. "But we needed to find solutions.''Mostly unchanged The defending champions open Group C on June 10 against Italy before facing Ireland and Croatia. The 23-man squad also features Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez, who started the World Cup final two years ago but was on the fringe of being selected until a strong end to his club season. Del Bosque made only four changes to his World Cup champions, with two of those - Villa and defender Carles Puyol - out of necessity as a result of injuries. Twelve players return from the team that hoisted the European title in Vienna four years ago, including Fernando Torres who scored in the 1-0 final win over Germany. Torres' turnaround for European Champions League winners Chelsea means he will likely lead the attack alongside Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, with David Silva, Juan Mata and Jesus Navas filling the forward line. Del Bosque included fullbacks Jordi Alba and Juanfran Torres plus centreback Raul Albiol in defence with Puyol sidelined. Alba and Juanfran are making their major championship debut. Del Bosque left Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara out while taking a chance on Cesc Fabregas, who won't be available for up to 10 days due to injury. "In Cesc's case, the doctors are optimistic,'' Del Bosque said. "We had (Thiago) in mind, but we can't bring all of Barcelona's players. He called me to tell me he had an injury that meant he needed to rest.'' Euro 2008 standout Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final against the Netherlands, lead the seven Barcelona players in the team, including midfielder Sergio Busquets, defender Gerard Pique and goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Real Madrid have five players in the team, including defenders Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Arbeloa and Albiol, plus Xabi Alonso and captain Iker Casillas. Squad: Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Víctor Valdes (Barcelona). Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Jordi Alba (Valencia), Juanfran Torres (Atletico Madrid). Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Juan Mata (Chelsea), Santi Cazorla (Malaga). Forwards: David Silva (Manchester City), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla). SOURCE: AP Sport Football Croatia Germany Ireland


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Lebanese Arabic phrasebook
The Lebanese dialect of Arabic is similar to that spoken in Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine, somewhat different to that spoken in Egypt, and very different to other forms of Arabic. As with all dialects of Arabic, the dialect is a spoken language only; the written language always conforms to standard Arabic.
Arabic is significantly different from English: different forms are used when addressing males, females and groups; plurals and verb conjugations are highly irregular and difficult to figure out from their roots; and the pronunciation includes some very difficult sounds. Lebanese, luckily, is a much-simplified from standard Arabic, and should not be overly difficult for the traveler.
Learning some basic Lebanese Arabic dialect expressions could always come in handy; however, knowing either French or English should be enough for a tourist visiting Lebanon, since many Lebanese people (especially the youth, particularly in Beirut) are trilingual.
Pronunciation guide[edit]
For some Arabic sounds, there is no easy transliteration (and no single agreed transliteration). The pronunciation guide shown below is case sensitive; for example, 'th' is a different sound to 'Th' and 'TH'. Note that there is no such things as a diphthong in Arabic; instead, some consonants map to English diphthongs.
Easy Consonants[edit]
Difficult Consonants[edit]
The following 3 consonants are pronounced by rounding the mouth as you say them. You can get an approximate effect by accentuating them in the following pronunciations.
The following consonant is almost never pronounced in the Lebanese Arabic dialect but replaced with a glottal stop, which can also be represented by an apostrophe.
The following consonant (called "ha", which will be represented by the number 7), is similar to English "h" but stronger. It is pronounced deep in the throat, like the sound you make when breathing on a pair of glasses to clean them.
The following consonant (called "ayn", which we will be represented by the number 3), is very difficult to say. In English, the only time you will use the throat muscles used to say this letter is when you are throwing up; if that's how it feels, you're probably doing it right.
Phrase list[edit]
Some commonly understood Lebanese Arabic dialect phrases use either French or English words; these have been shown in quotes below to avoid confusion.
Basics (Kalimét Asesiyé)[edit]
Numbers (Ar2am)[edit]
Clock time (Wa2et)[edit]
Rules for durations are peculiar: singular is used for one but for 11 or more as well, "double" is used for 2, and plural is used from 3 to 10
Writing time and date (Ktaba wakit wa toarik)[edit]
Give some examples how to write clock times and dates if it differs from English.
Transportation (Safar)[edit]
Bus and train[edit]
Asking about language[edit]


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Coming Events...
Chicken Barbecue at the Herrickville Fire Department on Saturday, Feb. 15. Pick-up approximately 11 a.m. This is only for pre-sale halves. No more presale orders. Pick up no later than 12:30 p.m. If unable to pick up, please call Glenn at 570-746-3957. R6c
A benefit will be held on March 30, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. at the Towanda Elks Club for Dorothy Button Casselbury. A spaghetti dinner will be served—adults, $10; kids, age 6- 12, $7; under age 6, free. Basket raffle, bake sale and Chinese Auction. If you'd like to donate or help out in anyway, please call Heather at 570-250-0009. Dorothy is a member of WVHS class of 93.
Monthly Breakfast at the Herrickville Fire Hall, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. All you can eat: pancakes, French toast, ham, sausage, eggs, home fries, sausage gravy and biscuits, coffee, orange juice, real maple syrup and sugar-free syrup. Adults, $7.50; children to 12 years, $3.50; preschool, free. Benefit: Herrick Twp. Vol. Fire Co. - Dept. 4.
The Wyalusing Methodist Church will be holding an "Afternoon of Inspiration Concert" to benefit the Volunteers in Mission Team on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. There will be a silent auction and homemade refreshments. Donations can be mailed to the Wyalusing U.M. Charge, PO Box 155, Wyalusing, PA 18853 and mark "Attention V.I.M. Fundraiser." For more information contact Faith Jaynes at 570-746-3237.
Endless Mountains Gymnastics would like to invite children ages 8-12 to come and try our new class; Kids' Cardio Club. This class is 45 minutes of aerobic dance routines (ZUMBA) set to kid appropriate music with lots of fun and games. Please call EMG for more information: 570-746-7778.
Round and Square Dance will be held at the Wysox Fire Hall, Saturday, Feb. 15, 7 until 11 p.m. Music by Sara. Refreshments available. Benefit Wysox Fire Company.
Free soup suppers at Hollenback United Methodist Church on March 12 and April 9, from 5 to 6 p.m. with a Bible Study from 4:30 until 5. All welcome.
Spaghetti Dinner, Feb. 22, 4 to 6 p.m., Haigh's Pond VFW 6824, Haigh's Pond Road, Potterville. Public Invited. Adults, $8; Children 12 and under, $5. Benefit VFW Auxiliary Relief Fund. R3- 5c/S4-4c
New Era United Methodist Church community dinner will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 11:30 a.m. Spaghetti dinner with brown bag auction. Freewill offering. For more information, call 570-363-2496. All ages welcome.
The Greater Wyalusing Chamber of Commerce annual auction and dinner tickets are now available. It will be held on March 8 and Mardi Gras is the theme this year. Over 150 bargains to bid on and a wonderful dinner with free bar featuring Hurricanes. $25 each. Pick up tickets at the chamber office, 570-746-4922 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
A Tour of Italy dinner will be held at the Mehoopany United Methodist Church on Feb. 15, serving 4 p.m. Fresh salad, Italian bread, chicken parmesan, lasagna, spaghetti, linguini, fettuccini, traditional red sauce, alfredo, clam sauce and seafood vodka sauce. Italian desserts and homemade pies.
"Spaghetti & All That Jazz," Saturday, March 1 at the Northeast Bradford High School cafeteria from 5 to 7 p.m. Spaghetti dinner with musical entertainment featuring: NEB Jazz Band, Show Choir, Guest Soloists. Donations accepted at the door. All proceeds benefit NEB Music Department. R6-3p/S7- 2p
For Your Information
An AARP tax aide will be at Wyalusing Senior Center (Park Place) on Riverside Drive on Wednesday, March 5 from 9 to until 4 p.m. to help with taxes. Please call to sign up for an appointment, 570-746-2333.
Bookmobile Schedule: Feb. 20, Windham Center Township Offices, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 24, BLaST IU 17, 9 a.m.; Monroeton Library, 11 a.m. Feb. 26, Sayre Senior Senter, 9 a.m.; Sayre Library, 10:45 a.m.; Bradford Co. Day Care, 1 p.m. and Page Manor, 2 p.m.
Wyalusing Valley High School will be holding an Eighth grade Parents' Night, February 13, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. The evening will start in the Williams Auditorium. This evening will inform you of the High School curriculum and the requirements for graduation. All eighth grade parents and students are encouraged to attend.
Guthrie President and CEO Joseph Scopelliti, MD will offer a free, informational presentation on health Care Reform under the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, Feb. 20 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Patterson Auditorium on the Guthrie Sayre Campus.
Meeting Notices
AA Meeting—Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in the basement of the Wyalusing Presbyterian Church. Open meeting, nonsmoking.
S.O.S. Al-Anon—Family Group will meet on Fridays at 7 p.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church, Hopkins Street, Sayre.
TOPS PA #1134—Laceyville, meets each Tuesday evening at the Braintrim Baptist Church in Laceyville. Weigh-ins from 5:15 to 6 p.m., meeting from 6-7 p.m. For more information, call 570-965-2493 or 570-869-1834. Toll-free 1-800-932-8677.
Recovery House Meetings— AA Group of Towanda meets Mon.-Fri., noon; Mon., Thurs., Fri., Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. NA meetings are held Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Speaker meeting every first Sunday, 8 p.m. All meetings at 205 Main St., Towanda (please use rear, lower entrance).
Compassionate Friends—of the Endless Mountains will hold their meetings on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Endless Health Community Center, Montrose. TCF is open to all families who have lost a child from any cause at any age. There are no membership dues or fees of any kind. For more information, call 570-965-0901 (evenings) or 570-278-1658 or e-mail email@example.com.
MOPS—(Mothers of Preschoolers) meet every first and third Wed. of the month from 9 to 11 a.m., September through May. Meetings are held at the First Presbyterian Church, 5 Court St., Towanda. All mothers of preschoolers are welcome. Child care is provided for children, ages infant through five years old. For more information, contact the church at 570-265-5575.
Al-Anon meetings in Tunkhannock—Endless Serenity Al-Anon Family Group on Monday, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, 7 p.m., Saturday, noon. All meetings are held at the Tunkhannock UM Church Education Bldg., second floor.
Diabetes Support Groupmeeting the first Thursday of every month at the Guthrie Clinic office in Towanda beginning at 5:30 p.m. There is no charge and all diabetics and family members are welcome. For more information, call Dawn at Guthrie Clinic at 570- 265-6165 during regular business hours.
The Wyalusing Masonic Lodge No. 618 meets at 7:30 p.m. on the third Monday of each month at the Lodge Hall, 158 Church St., Wyalusing. For more information, call 570-721- 0008.
Memorial Hospital's monthly bereavement support group schedule for 2014 will continue to meet on the last Tuesday of each month from 3 to 4:30 p.m., located in the library on the lower level of Memorial Hospital, Towanda. The group follows the book by James Miller, "What Will Help Me?" and other authors' writings related to grief and loss. The support group is open to those who have experienced loss and is facilitated by Trudy Ventello, LSW, a social worker with Memorial Hospital's Hospice program. For more information call 570- 268.2233.
Towanda-Wysox Kiwanis Club meets every second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the Weigh Station Café at 7:30 a.m. in Towanda. They find ways to help the children in the community. Contact Eileen Sheets at 570-265-2350 for more information.
Addictions to Victory—Faithbased support for addictions. Program will be held the first and third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at New Generation Church, Milan, 570-888- 1967.
MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group meets the second and fourth Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter's Church, 3832 State Route 6, Tunkhannock. For more information, visit www.mops.org or www.stpetestunkhannock.org. Call 570-836-2233.
AA meeting–Friday evenings at 8 p.m. at the Standing Stone Vesper Church spiritual building, River Road, Standing Stone Township. Open meeting, nonsmoking.
Al-Anon meetings on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in the upstairs kitchen of the Wyalusing Presbyterian Church. Open meeting, non-smoking.
American Legion Auxiliary Unit #534 — meeting will be held on Feb. 20 due to the forecasted snowstorm for Feb. 13. Members are reminded that their 2014 membership dues are now due and payable. After Feb. 1, you will no longer be served without paid-up card.
Bradford Salon 747 Eight and Forty will meet on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. at the American Legion Post 534, Wyalusing.
The Wyalusing Senior Citizens will meet at the fire hall on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 11:30. Bring a dish to pass and place setting. All persons 55 and over are welcome.
The United Way of Bradford County will hold its annual meeting on Wednesday, March 5 at noon at the Weigh Station Cafe, Towanda. The public is invited. For more information, please call Kerri Strauss at 570- 247-5569 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Towanda Area Christian Outreach Food Pantry (T.A.C.O.) will be closed Monday, Feb. 17 for Presidents' Day holiday. Pantry will reopen Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. T.A.C.O. serves the Towanda, Wyalusing and Northeast Bradford school districts and is open from 10 a.m. to noon, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For additional information, call 570-265-4422.
Penny Socials
The Ladies Auxiliary is holding a Penny Social on Feb. 22 at the Laceyville Fire Hall. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Drawing starts at 7:30 p.m. We will have door prizes, food and drinks. Something for everyone. Event is sponsored by the Laceyville Ladies Auxiliary.
WVHS Class of 1974 is planning their 40th class reunion. They are looking for addresses of classmates. Please call Karen Smalser (570-721-0413) or Sue Cole (570-265-8267) to give your updated address.
The WVHS Class of 1964 would like information on the following addresses: Barbara Lonnqvist, Martha Hawley Brumfield, Carl Lilley, Elise Forscht Reagan, Mary Lee Schrann Rutty, Robert Voda, Ruth Kissell deGraff and Cecil Dale Martin. If you know their whereabouts, please call Marlene Chamberlin, 570-746-3727.
WVHS Class of 1979 will a have a class reunion meeting at the Wyalusing Hotel on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. Any classmates willing to help are encouraged to attend.
Soup Sales
Homemade Soup Sale, Saturday, Feb. 22, 4 to 6 p.m. at Russell Hill United Methodist Church, Rt. 6 W, Tunkhannock. Ten kinds of homemade soup, rolls, salad and lots of homemade baked goods. No set charge, but all donations greatly appreciated. The church has containers or you may bring your own. R6- 2c/S7c
Ninth Annual Pool Tournament in memory of Aaron (Norm) Felter on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Wyalusing Hotel. Signups 11 a.m. to noon sharp. Tournament starts at noon. $10 entry fee. (100% payback, first and second place winners.) R6- 2p/S7p
RTL Little League will hold the last registration on Feb. 21, at Wyalusing Valley Elementary School from 6 to 8 p.m., this is for all divisions. RTL Little League tryouts: March 22 at the High School (old gym) Everyone must attend and please wear sneakers. Major baseball: 9-10-11-12 yr. olds, 10 to 11:45 a.m.; Minor baseball: 7- 8-9-10 yr. olds, noon to 1 p.m.; Major softball: 9-10-11-12 yr. olds, 1:15 to 2:45 p.m.; Minor softball: 7-8-9-10 yr. olds, 3 to 3:45 p.m.; Junior baseball and Junior softball: 3:45 p.m.
Trivia Night
Wyalusing Public Library is putting on a Trivia Night, Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m at the American Legion in Wyalusing. This event is sponsored by Niemiec, Smith & Pellinger Law Firm and all proceeds will benefit the Wyalusing Public Library. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased at the door or in advance at the library, 115 Church St., Wyalusing.
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The last Kill movie. Surfer Magazine called it amazing and a must-see. Pomer and Tom Curren went on a huge tour showing the movie while Curren played music live to the movie. Every show sold out.
Dane Reynolds, Ratboy, Kelly SlaterWatch Trailer
|The last Kill movie. Surfer Magazine called it amazing and a must-see. Pomer and Tom Curren went on a huge tour showing the movie while Curren played music live to the movie. Every show sold out.
Dane Reynolds steals the show in The Kill. He combines carves and airs better than anyone in history. The surfing is shot beautifully with sunset backdrops and glassy walls. Danes surfing is always inspiring.
Ratboy is still flying high in the air, although his surfing is now more based on power turns and driving through some hollow waves in Santa Cruz.
Tom Curren, now almost fifty years old, shows no signs of slowing down. His layback carves and wrap arounds are still the smoothest in the sport.
Bobby Martinez has shifted his surfing into overdrive. Each turn is as crisp as the morning light and as fast as lightning.
Kelly Slater shows hes got the moves and his section is smooth and easy. His carving at Rincon is more powerful that anyone.
Highlights: Tom Curren, Dane Reynolds, and Bobby Martinez shine.
|Shortboarding, Strictly Surf Action & Music
|Dane Reynolds, Ratboy, Kelly Slater, Tom Curren, Bobby Martinez
|Josh Pomer
|Josh Pomer
|Josh Pomer Films
|not rated
|Running Time
|37 minutes
|Audio Language
|English | Stereo
|Download Resolution
|SD | 848x480 (529.93 MB)
|Streaming Resolution
|HD | 1920x1080
|Additional Features
|Chapter Markers
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Sundays 6 pm - 12 am ETTony tells his own story: "One of the first things I remember was being in New York City, seeing skyscrapers and listening to Top 40 Radio! I won a call-in radio contest, a Temptations Greatest Hits album and a the tour of the station. In 1979 I started working in radio, satellite radio in 2004."


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2017 SXS World Finals Lauglin - Goodart Photos
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Steven A. Cohen's $15 billion hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors is working on an agreement with U.S. prosecutors for an order to "reasonably protect all parties legitimate interests" as the firm faces criminal insider trading charges.
SAC spokesman Jonathan Gasthalter said in statement on Thursday that a prosection by the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan "is not intended to affect the ongoing operations of SAC's business, prevent investor redemptions, or impact the interests of any of SAC's counterparties."
Continue Reading Below
He said it was not an attempt to freeze any of the hedge fund's assets.
"We anticipate that we and the U.S. Attorney's Office will agree to a protective order intended to reasonably protect all parties' legitimate interests, but will expressly permit SAC to continue its operations in the ordinary course." (Reporting By Emily Flitter; Editing by Grant McCool)


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'Discover the Fun on Old Highway 61'
A planning meeting for "Discover the Fun on Old Highway 61" was held at the Moose Lake Depot and Fires of 1918 Museum annex on Wednesday, September 18. Representatives of the cities, three counties and businesses along Old U. S. Highway 61 attended and developed a mission and a vision statement for the fledging organization. This was the third meeting of the group.
"This is a long corridor, covering three counties," said Facilitator Jo Faust, of the Municipal Development Group. "We have been doing strategic planning, and we are here to fine tune that today."
Faust went on to say that "Discover the Fun on Old Highway 61," will be launched on Friday, October 4, at the Highway 61 Film Festival at the Pine Technical College in Pine City from 4 to 6 p.m. Cathy Wurzer, TV host, author and producer of "Tales of the Road: Highway 61," will be the special guest.
The group's objective is to promote the history, businesses, individual cities and natural resources along Highway 61 to educate and attract tourists and visitors.
The Initiative Foundation awarded the group a $2,000 grant with matching funds to the Onanegozie Resource Conservation and Development Council, which is serving as fiscal agent for a Steering Committee comprised of representatives from the Chisago County HRA-EDA, City of Pine City, Pine County, North Branch Chamber of Commerce, Carlton County EDA and the City of Rush City.
Signs marking the route of Old U. S. Highway 61 have been or are being placed along the original route through Carlton, Pine and Chisago counties.
Many of those that attended the meeting in Moose Lake said that they had driven along the original route as much as possible as they came to the meeting. The route has changed over the years, and better signage was needed, it was said.
The official designation of U. S. Highway 61 is now on I-35. The old Highway 61 route had been taken over by the counties through which it passes.
In the previous meetings of the group, a preliminary list and maps identifying over 100 destinations within the three-county area along Old U. S. Highway 61 have been developed. Destinations included historic sites, hospitality, natural resources, entertainment and shopping. A calendar of festivals and events within the cities and townships in the corridor has been developed.
The goals are to draw more tourists and customers to the businesses and communities, attract more businesses, promote the arts, history, recreational opportunities and natural resources along the corridor, expand the regional trail system along the corridor through collaborative efforts and branding the "Old U. S. Highway 61 Corridor" as a destination and developing a cooperative marketing program.
Businesses and organizations were invited to set up a booth along a virtual Highway 61 at the film festival. There will be no charge for booth space or to attend the film festival.
For more information, visit highway61filmfestival.org.


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A Bittersweet Love
Edward and Isabella's love for each other is stronger than ever. But what happens when it is threatened?
Based after Edward and Bella return from Italy. They had never gone to the Cullens' for a vote.
1. Dazzling Topaz
Rating 5/5 Word Count 602 Review this Chapter
A smile curled my lips as I awakened, uncurling myself and stretching my limbs. My vampire sweetheart had taken to waiting by my side as I slept, and it was rather enjoyable to wake up at his cool touch. "Edward?" I asked sleepily, rolling over to see his perfect face. But where he should have been, lay a delicate red rose. How had he known that it was my favorite flower? However, I could live without the blood-red color right now. Unknowingly, a shiver ran down my back. Underneath the flower hid a small white piece of paper.
I have a surprise for you, dearest Bella. Be ready at noon, and tell your father that you'll be spending the night at Alice's. For my sake, please try to stay out of trouble. Love, Edward
A sigh escaped my parted lips as I closed my eyelids, feeling droplets cling to my lashes. Every moment I was away from him was a moment of agony, of worry, of despair. But his note had promised that I would gaze upon him today: that, and that alone, propelled me to the shower. As a stepped into the too-hot water, feeling the droplets hit me like shards of ice. I gasped as my skin turned red, pouring shampoo into my long dark tresses.
As the hot water swirled in creeks and rivers down by skin, I leaned against the wall, musing what Edward might be planning for tonight. A romantic dinner, perhaps? He has been acting playful lately; a good sign. the atmosphere was always less strained when he was in a good moon. Whenever his eyes were black, however, I would feel frightened, unable to shove back the memory of that chamber in Italy...... When the shower turned icy, I stepped out, unable to see my reflection through the steam that hid the mirror. I wiped it clear with one hand, using my other arm to hold my towel in place. What I saw surprised me.
Perhaps it had been from constantly comparing myself to my drop-dead (excuse the pun) gorgeous boyfriend, or maybe Alice was finally getting somewhere with me, but somehow…I was pretty. My face was pleasantly flushed, my chocolate eyes sparkling, and my body had seemed to inch farther away from childhood every day. But no matter how attractive I became, no one could compare to Edward. What would a vampire like him see in me, anyway? It was no wonder he had left me…
My trail of thought screeched to a stop. I fell to my knees, my breath coming in ragged gasps. What if that was what he was doing at this very moment; leaving me? Just like he had done before? I bowed my head, pressing the skin of my cheek to the slippery bathroom tile. Then, suddenly, I felt an icy touch as the back of my neck. Heart beating madly, inhaling his sweet scent, I gazed up into the worried, topaz eyes of my beloved. My too-large lips parted, and I croaked, "No. Just another dream...." It was impossible. He would never have returned to me. That note was just a clever, kind way of saying goodbye again. It was just too unlikely that he was here, right now, pulling me to my feet.
"Bella, silly Bella," Edward whispered into my neck, his lovely scent washing into my senses. I closed me eyes to enjoy the fiasco my overactive mind was getting my heart into. "I'm here. Right here. With you." Carefully, so not to startle me, he slowly pulled away to look me dead in the eye. "And I'm not going away again."
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About the Marcia Brown Research Room
Marcia Brown, B.A. New York State College for Teachers Class of 1940, was an internationally renowned illustrator and author of children's books. Ms. Brown was awarded the Caldecott Medal, the American Library Association's highest award for excellence in childrens' picture-book illustrations, for three of her books: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper (1954); Once a Mouse (1961); and Shadow (1982), and six more of her books were Caldecott Honor Books. Marcia Brown's career as a published illustrator began in 1937 when she joined the art staff of The State Lion, the New York State College for Teachers student humor magazine. Her formal career as a children's illustrator, author, and translator began with the publication of The Little Carousel in 1946. That book, which she wrote and illustrated, was followed by over thirty more during her career.
To honor Ms. Brown's intellectual and financial support of the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, the University Council voted unanimously to name the Department's research room in her honor. On November 2, 2001, The Marcia Brown Research Room was officially designated.
Ms. Brown named the University Libraries as the repository of her life's work, including her correspondence, manuscripts, drawings, final art, books, and puppets. The collection page for the papers of Marcia Brown is available online and includes a detailed description of the collection as well as a more robust biographical sketch. The Spring 1996 issue of Albany Magazine included a feature about Marcia Brown entitled "Of Handsome Princes and Flying Elephants".
A few examples of Marcia Brown's work are available online in the exhibits Images from the Marcia Brown Collection and Once Upon A Drawing: The Picture Book Illustrations of Marcia Brown.


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Mr. Johnsen is a acclaim able advance abatement contractors and besides accepting a adviser he is aswell assuming humans how they can acquisition top superior leads calmly and effortlessly.


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Watch how to make this recipe.
Prepare the recipe for Simple Pizza Dough. While the dough is rising, prepare the remaining ingredients for the garlic knots and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix the butter with the thyme, rosemary, 2 tablespoons Parmesan and garlic.
Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface. Stretch the dough into a rectangle. Spread half of the butter mixture on half of the dough. Then fold the dough in half, covering the butter with the dough.
Using a pizza wheel, divide the dough into 18 strips. First cut through the middle, then you can cut each half into 9 pieces. Stretch each strip and tie into a knot and tuck the ends underneath the center of the knot. Place the knots onto a baking sheet.
Sprinkle the knots with some of the Parmesan and bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt the remaining herb butter.
Once the knots come out of the oven, baste them with the melted butter and sprinkle them with the remaining Parmesan. Serve warm and enjoy!
In a liquid measuring cup, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Allow the yeast to dissolve and bloom, about 5 minutes. Once bloomed, add the olive oil.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt. Stream in the water/yeast mixture and as the dough begins to come together, switch to a dough hook attachment. Allow the dough to knead, adding a bit more flour if needed, so that the dough releases from the sides of the bowl, 1 to 3 minutes. You should be able to touch the dough and not have the dough stick to your fingers. Once the dough has kneaded and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl, remove the dough from bowl to a floured work surface and, with floured hands, continue to knead it by hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Then form the dough into a round ball and place it into a large bowl sprayed with nonstick spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm area of your kitchen until it doubles in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. After the dough has risen it is ready to be cooked however you'd like!
Cook's Notes: This dough is wet dough, keep bench flour at the ready and make sure to flour your hands when working with the dough. Trust your gut as a chef, if the dough is to wet, add more flour, if it is too stiff, add a little water.
Sugar is used to feed the yeast which will help the dough to grow. Bread flour will give you a chewier texture because the flour has more gluten. You don't need to use a thermometer to get the water temperature, it should just feel warm to the touch.