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Package available in: [trunk] [8.0] [7.0] [6.0]
The VMMouse driver enables support for the special VMMouse protocol that is provided by VMware virtual machines to give absolute pointer positioning.
... part of T2, get it here
URL: http://www.X.org
Author: X.org Foundation {http://www.X.org}
Maintainer: Rene Rebe <rene [at] t2-project [dot] org>
License: OpenSource
Status: Stable
Version: 12.4.1
CPU architectures: Does only support: x86 x86-64
Download: http://xorg.freedesktop.org/releases/individual/driver/ xf86-input-vmmouse-12.4.1.tar.bz2
T2 source: xf86-input-vmmouse.cache
T2 source: xf86-input-vmmouse.desc
Build time (on reference hardware): 5% (relative to binutils)2
Installed size (on reference hardware): 0.04 MB, 9 files
Dependencies (build time detected): 00-dirtree bash bigreqsproto binutils bzip2 coreutils diffutils findutils gawk gcc glibc grep inputproto linux-header make mktemp net-tools pkgconfig randrproto sed sysfiles tar util-linux xorg-server xproto
Installed files (on reference hardware): n.a.
1) This page was automatically generated from the T2 package source. Corrections, such as dead links, URL changes or typos need to be performed directly on that source.
2) Compatible with Linux From Scratch's "Standard Build Unit" (SBU).


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Vietnam has been named Asia Pacific's premier golf tourism destination, an accolade that is sure to help the industry reach new heights.
The prestigious ranking was announced by Asia Pacific Golf Group this month. "Vietnam performed very well in our 2017 Asian Golf Awards online poll, garnering a great ideal of support from golfers both in the region and internationally," revealed Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group, the owner of the Asian Golf Awards.
Now in its 18th year, the 2017 Asian Golf Awards online poll was conducted over a period of three months from April 1 to June 30. More than 104,000 valid votes were cast and Vietnam was the preferred choice of voters.
The award is directly attributable to the interest being shown in Vietnam's golf industry. Golfers and the golf media are heaping praise on the country and its golf facilities.
It is hard to imagine that back in 1930, Vietnam had just one golf course, located in the highlands of Dalat. The Dalat Palace Golf Club is Vietnam's oldest, built in 1922 by French architect Ernest Hebrard and frequented by Vietnam's first golfer and last emperor, Bao Dai.
With the passage of time, Vietnam has begun a transformation which has spawned the now famous Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail – a collection of championship courses that run parallel to the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, used as a supply route for the Vietnamese in their battle against American troops. It was these courses, built in the early years of the first decade of the New Millennium, that caught the attention of international golfers.
Today, Vietnam boasts a world class collection of stunning golf courses dotted along a 2,000 mile coastline stretching from Hanoi in the north to Danang in the central region and Ho Chi Minh in the south. In fact, new courses are popping up at such a frenetic pace that it can be difficult to gain an accurate reading of the number of courses currently open for play in the country.
It is estimated that there are now around 40 courses open and a number that are in various stages of construction which should be coming on stream this year and throughout 2018. Whichever way one looks at Vietnam, there is no denying that it is the new frontier for golf. It would be fair to say that there is no place on the planet that can match the pace of new course construction that is taking place in Vietnam.
All the major golf course architects are actively engaged in some development work, including big names like Nicklaus Design, Robert Trent Jones Jr, Greg Norman, Schmidt Curley Design and Ernie Els Design to mention a few.
These branded names have stirred attention amongst golfers in the Asian geography. The two groups of golfers who are making a bee-line for Vietnam are the South Koreans and the Japanese who arguably constitute the largest number of international golfers visiting the country, not to mention the large expatriate populations of Korean and Japanese workers in Vietnam.
Vietnam Golf Association estimates the number of domestic golfers at between 30,000 and 35,000. Given the pace of new course development in the country, and the healthy local economy, indications point to exponential growth in the number of local golfers in the coming years.
Combined with international golfers visiting Vietnam, it seems safe to conclude that the country is poised for a sustained golf boom. Further, international tourist arrivals for 2017 are projected to exceed 10 million, an increase of more than 30% over the same period last year. A percentage of this number is undoubtedly coming to the country for a golf experience.
Another indicator that golf tourism is set to grow is tourist expenditure, a good measure for golf course operators. Historical records indicate that Vietnam earned more than US$15 billion in tourism revenue in 2015 and based on preliminary data, the country is on track to earn in excess of US$17 billion in 2017.
Now that Vietnam has been crowned the top golf tourism destination in the Asia Pacific, it will likely attract more attention which will automatically convert to better financial returns for the nation's golf clubs. Vietnam will receive the award officially during the 2017 Asian Golf Awards which will be staged in the city of Danang on November 16.
Time Out
The article "Vietnam earns reputation as leading golf destination" was originally published on http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/travel/190143/vietnam-earns-reputation-as-leading-golf-destination.html

subset: commoncrawl


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Consider The Pain Out Of Understanding Health Insurance By Using These Tips
Health care insurance is both a short term and lasting investment. Before purchasing any health insurance coverage, make certain you ask all the important questions and do your end of your research it will take to make the correct decisions. The tips contained in this post will help you to look for the best medical health insurance available.
When you're exploring the medical plans that your particular employer offers, consider both your family's health insurance and your own personal. This can be a balancing act, becasue you may choose to buy less insurance plan due to the lower premiums and the fact that you do not have current or expected medical issues. Even though the premiums are lower, you may well be at risk if problems arise.
For those who have graduated from college and you also are in need of medical insurance, there are some choices for you. Many employers will give you medical insurance for their employees that you can use. Up until you reach 26, it is possible to be listed on the parents' insurance plan. You can even check our personal plans though too.
Ask your employer about any existing employee wellness program.
A lot of employers encourage their employees to adopt healthy habits and have health care insurance. You could possibly get lower premiums and sign up to a training program for instance.
During open enrollment, assess your insurance needs agree with Even if a definite plan fit you well in the past, your expections could possibly have changed, thus, you need different coverage. Also you can make changes to vision, dental and also other insurance options.
When your eyes curently have issues, or vision problems exist at home, then vision insurance proves a smart buy. This insurance covers a few of your contacts, glasses and appearance-ups. You might be not essential to hold vision insurance, and it could be cheaper in the long term never to have this coverage.
You need to take a look at prescription coverage each and every year. Health insurance carriers sometimes change which medicines they cover, so investigate the facts once you re-enroll. If your usual medications usually are not covered anymore, locate a different insurance program.
It's a wise idea, before you choose an insurance company, to call your doctor, clinics and hospitals to confirm that you will be covered completely if you use their services. Typically insurance companies have a list of hospitals and doctors which they cover on their website. When they will not, you can request it from their store.
The Medical Bank Account (HSA) option is likely your best option for yourself if you rarely visit the physician. The funds that save for deductibles and premiums can go into your HSA account and be used for your medical expenses.
Should you consider buying catastrophic coverage for your health insurance, make sure to discover precisely what is and is not covered. Not all policies covers a similar catastrophic circumstances, so ensure that you get the policy that covers the ares that you will be most worried about. Once you've figured it all out, create a merchant account to help make deposits to the place you save for your health.
You'll need to make the correct inquiries, and request the right questions about the coverage you are thinking of purchasing. If you do the proper research, you can actually determine what company you must pick! Make use of the previously stated tips to assist you when making the ideal choices..


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OrlandoSentinel.com recently published a great list of Central Florida restaurants offering Mother's Day specials this upcoming weekend. Good ideas of ways to celebrate Mom…and everybody loves to eat! Some of the restaurants are Central Florida standards, but many are ones we've never even heard of (so we're going to have to check them out).
If you're looking for additional restaurants to take Mom to, you can always check-out our "Food" category!


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How often has this happened to you? You spot a stunning coffee table, maybe a little trendier than your usual cravings, but still, it calls out to you and you just have to have it. Fast forward to you returning said coffee table because it just doesn't "fit in" at home. What's the lesson here? It's easy to be drawn to an item when it's styled to achieve a particular look. But sadly, that same look doesn't always translate into our home.
"Sometimes, the problem with shopping at our favorite stores is that you're seeing these beautiful vignettes and are so taken with them, you're not thinking about your own personal style," says Frank Fontana, Long Island native, lead designer and host of HGTV's Design on a Dime and author of the new book Frank Fontana's Dirty Little Secrets of Design (Stewart, Tabori and Chang). "Instead, you're focused on the style someone else has put together. Impulse takes over and you can end up spending money on something that was an unnecessary purchase in the first place."
What to do? Be more intuitive and spend some time with yourself says Fontana. Of course, finding your own personal style is not the easiest task, but with a little work and some guidance from the pros, it is possible. In his new book, Fontana shares his Quantum Design Element (QDE), his method that encourages paying attention to how we create our spaces, which makes finding our personal style a little bit easier. "It might sound a bit scientific," he says, "But at the heart of this theory are basic design principles that we should all consider, no matter what style we're aiming for, and they are function, ambiance and cohesion."
Function can be one of the most overlooked features of any furniture purchase. "If a piece has not been touched, moved or paid attention to in six months it is just wasting space," says Fontana. "Instead of enjoying the item, you are instead just simply accumulating things that do not serve a true function, which often leads you to buying even more 'stuff' which leads to clutter."
To counter that, Fontana suggests purchasing a coffee table that actually fits your lifestyle. If you need a coffee table that you and your family often snack on, then be sure to purchase one that has an extension. Another good idea? If you're without lots of storage yet need a place to stow away extra blankets, pillows, toys or other living room needs, invest in a storage ottoman—something that can hide it all away.
Ottomans can also provide easy, last-minute seating. "I entertain a lot myself, so I keep an extra set of ottomans around for extra seating," says Fontana. "I like to create simple vignettes with them by using them to carve out a separate area away from the TV or the party so there's room for private conversations, too."
The ambiance of a room is also important. Everything within a room gives off energy, explains Fontana, and it's that energy he says can tell a lot about a space. "Just like when you meet someone new for the first time, when you first walk into a space, you'll usually know within the first 30 seconds if you like a room or not!" Try it at home tonight. Feel like you need to change something? Steer yourself towards what moves you, what inspires you.
"Growing up on Long Island always had a huge influence on me," Fontana says. "It still does to this day when I come back to visit family. Port Jefferson is one of my favorite spots. The homes, the vibe—it's like Martha's Vineyard meets Nantucket. I just love it."
And if you feel as if you have to change or alter something to have it really speak to you, to really make it feel like your style, then do it. There are so many DIY projects both large and small that can make a world of difference. In addition to quick fixes such as changing out pillows or repainting, Fontana suggests putting a little elbow grease into your projects to take on other tasks such as staining or faux finishes.
"I learned so much working alongside my dad and later on painters and carpenters," says Fontana. "My time spent assisting those craftsmen in and around the design industry really helped me learn the tools I need to achieve the looks that I want for myself and my clients."
Finally says Fontana, make sure the items you choose to surround yourself with have a purpose, a story to tell. A cohesive environment doesn't necessarily mean that everything has to "match" but rather, it can simply be a collection of items that have a personal value to you and ultimately, will make you happy to come home to.
"How much more interesting is it to tell a story about why you choose a certain lamp or piece of artwork, rather than just saying, 'oh, yes, I got it at such and such store'?" says Fontana. Of course, not everything will have a grandiose tale, but the items that do will be another extension of you and your personality. And after all, isn't that what finding our personal style is all about?
Photos by Brian Willette


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Dolly Parton learned she funded the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine when the rest of us did
Dolly Parton: Legendary performer. Songwriter extraordinaire. Feminist idol. And, as of this year, coronavirus vaccine sponsor.
The diminutive diva's $1 million donation to COVID-19 research was partly used to fund Moderna's promising COVID-19 vaccine — something she didn't even know until her name appeared among other sponsors in a preliminary report on the vaccine.
In media appearances on Tuesday, Parton was beaming with pride and excitement at the news.
"Praise the lord!" she told "Today" hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. "I'm just very grateful that this is happening, and if I had anything to do with it, that's great."
Parton, who said she'd found out her donation contributed to the vaccine trial on Tuesday morning, told BBC's "The One Show" she felt "very honored and very proud" to be a small piece of what could be an essential treatment for COVID-19.
"I just felt so proud to have been part of that little seed money that will hopefully grow into something great and help to heal this world," she said. "I'm a very proud girl today to know I had anything at all to do with something that's going to help us through this crazy pandemic."
Parton first donated to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center's COVID-19 research efforts in early April, when there were around 200,000 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. Now, there are over 11.3 million cases, and nearly 250,000 Americans have died.
The Moderna vaccine is thought to be 94.5% effective against coronavirus, according to early data released by the company. Vaccinations could begin as soon as late December, top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said, though they'll be made available first to high-risk groups like health care workers, the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions.
In April, Parton encouraged her fans who could afford it to donate to the Vanderbilt Health COVID-19 research fund. Since then, it's raised more than $100,000 of its $250,000 goal.


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In a city where no one walks, hundreds of volunteers took to the hilly streets of Silver Lake this past week in search of Tesla, a 25-pound Terrier/Poodle mix, who bolted from her home in search of her owner, Alex Berg, just before New Years Eve. Berg, the artistic director of the L.A. branch of the Upright Citizen's Brigade, one of the top comedy theaters in the city, was in Connecticut for the holidays when Tesla went missing. Upon hearing of her flight, he immediately emailed friends and created a Craigslist post, but it was the hashtag #FindTesla going viral on Twitter that mobilized comedians and dog lovers alike to aid in the search to find Tesla.
"A few friends came up with the #FindTesla idea," said Berg over email Friday when the search was still ongoing. "Former students of mine who'd met Tess when I'd brought her to class started tweeting about it, then performers at the theater, then total strangers who don't know me or her. Without them, the search for Tesla would probably be me sitting around in my underwear being depressed. Now, underwear-clad depression is just one part of a multi-faceted scheme to get her back."
Upon returning home, Berg transformed his Silver Lake apartment into #FindTesla Headquarters. Real-time maps were used to document confirmed Tesla sightings and more than 100 local volunteers, many of whom had never met Tesla or Berg, were organized into teams to maximize their ground coverage and potential impact. The word continued to spread as #FindTesla was tweeted out by celebs such as Gillian Jacobs, Rich Eisen, Jeff Garlin, Ryan Adams, Taran Killam and Jerry Ferrara (aka Turtle from Entourage). #FindTesla was even mentioned on radio station KOST, with the Dido song "Thank You" dedicated to their cause.
Annie Hart, Executive Director of the Bill Foundation, an animal rescue non-profit, was one of the many to receive a tweet. "I actually thought this was a bad practical joke because of all the comedians tweeting," said Hart, when we spoke on the phone Friday. But after verifying Tesla's disappearance, the Bill Foundation and fellow animal rescue Hope for Paws, immediately came on board to help. "It is so inspiring to see all the people who came together to search for Tesla," enthused Hart. "Alex had the groundwork already built, so we were able to come in and give helpful tips to the amazing group of people already there".
Hart helped the #FindTesla team use more effective search strategies, taking into account that Tesla was currently in what rescue experts call "flight mode." "Tesla as she normally is isn't there right now," explained Hart. "She's not hearing or smelling things as she normally does. She's in survival mode. Even if she saw Alex right now she may not recognize him."
"Our original strategy involved covering places she'd been sighted with people, dogs and smells familiar to Tesla in hopes of luring her towards us," explained Annie Lane, a volunteer who found herself heading up #FindTesla HQ during the search. "We were carrying squeaky toys, fresh-cooked bacon and leashes. But from the Bill Foundation we learned not to call her name or attempt to lure her to us. We were instructed that if we see her, to keep her in our sight, to not approach her and to immediately call Berg."
At Hart's urging, the street team also stopped posting flyers on telephone poles, which get taken down quickly due to an L.A. ordinance, and started handing flyers with photos to store owners as well as UPS, FedEx, and USPS workers whose beats were in areas Tesla had been sighted. "You want to make sure those who are already pounding the pavement in your area are sensitized to the search," explained Hart.
Unlike a missing person, the statistical chance of finding a dog does not go down by the day. Most dogs stay in flight mode for 14 days, during which they are able to decompress enough to approach people again and even attach to a kind person willing to feed them or take them in. Hart has first-hand experience with this "14-day rule." Her own 95-pound great dane Arnold jumped the fence while she was away and disappeared. On day 15 he found a family and on day 20 she got a call. "I'm a true believer that this works. I don't think the fact that sightings have been less is a negative sign," she said early Friday of the waning sightings of Tesla.
Unfortunately, the 527 miles of freeway in Los Angeles make this city a particularly dangerous place for a distressed pet to take to the streets. Tesla's body was found Friday evening on the 110 Freeway. She was recognized by a former student of Berg's and reported to #FindTesla headquarters. Berg drove out with friends to confirm it was her and take her home.
There have been almost a thousand likes and comments on the Bill Foundation's remembrance page for Tesla. The Upright Citizens Brigade theater donated the money from ticket sales of their Sunday night show Sentimental Lady, in which Berg performs, to the Bill Foundation. Berg tweeted Saturday that he hopes others will remember Tesla by donating as well. "Don't let the spirit of #FindTesla die with her," Berg tweeted "Donate to @billfoundation to help other lost dogs find their way home."
Stephanie Carrie blogs at The Tangled Web We Watch. Follow her on Twitter at @StephanieCarrie and for more arts news follow @LAWeeklyArts and like us on Facebook.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.


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Qualcomm says it has scored an important victory in its long-running global patent battle with Apple over patent rights. According to Qualcomm, a Chinese court ruled that several recent iPhone models infringe multiple Qualcomm software patents and has ordered a nationwide ban on iPhone sales. Apple says it has already appealed the ruling.
The ruling occurred on November 30, but Qualcomm announced the ruling today.
Apple has downplayed the ruling's significance, telling media outlets that the ban has not yet taken effect and that it only applies to older versions of iOS software, not to the current version, iOS 12. The ruling also only applies to older iPhone models—including the iPhone 8 and iPhone X—but not to the iPhone XS and XR.
In a statement to Ars, Qualcomm disputed Apple's claims.
"The preliminary injunction orders are effective now," Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said. "The orders aren't specific to the operating system installed on the phones."
He said that if Apple ignored the ban, Qualcomm would ask the Chinese courts to force Apple to comply.
So is Apple really facing an imminent iPhone ban? It's hard to know exactly what's going on here because we don't have a copy of the ruling. Qualcomm says the Chinese court has banned the company from sharing it.
But one reason Apple and Qualcomm have conflicting interpretations of the ruling seems to be the slow pace of the legal process.
Qualcomm filed its lawsuit in late 2017, and it focused on the phones and software Apple was selling at the time: iOS 11, and phone models from the iPhone 6S through the iPhone X. The iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and iOS 12 weren't on the market yet, so Qualcomm didn't include them in its lawsuit.
The wheels of justice turn slowly
By the time the Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court issued its ruling, Apple had released those new products. The ruling focused on the products named in Qualcomm's lawsuit.
The big question, then, is whether Qualcomm can convince the same Chinese court to quickly extend its ban to the latest Apple hardware and software.
Theoretically, Apple could redesign its software to avoid infringing the patents. But Qualcomm's description makes the patents sound fairly broad, which could make that tricky. According to Qualcomm, "the patents enable consumers to adjust and reformat the size and appearance of photographs and to manage applications using a touch screen when viewing, navigating, and dismissing applications on their phones."
Qualcomm has long been an important supplier of wireless chips for the iPhone, but in recent years the companies have been locked in a bitter, escalating feud. Early last year, Apple sued Qualcomm in the United States and in China, accusing the company of extortion and anticompetitive conduct in its negotiations over patent licensing.
Apple has increasingly worked with other chipmakers, including Intel, to lessen its dependence on Qualcomm. In September, Qualcomm sued Apple, accusing Apple of sharing details about Qualcomm's modem chip designs with Intel.


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Do You Need a Boys Home for Your Troubled Boy In or Near Van Nuys, California? Agapé May Be Your Most Cost-Effective Boys Home Option.
Agapé is a boys home designed to help at-risk boys turn their lives around. Most boys homes don't accept at-risk teens or don't have a therapeutic element to their program. So, parents from Van Nuys, California and throughout America have chosen Agapé for more than two decades. Agapé's professional staff works closely with each individual boy to steer him to become a respectful, responsible young adult. Families might consider several reasons to look further than Van Nuys, California for a boys home to help their son.
Agapé is known as "A School with a Heart" in the heart of the country, specifically designed for troubled, distracted, misbehaving or underachieving boys. It teaches discipline and responsibility and helps turn around at-risk boys.
On top of a great therapeutic program full of discipline, Agapé focuses on demonstrating and relying on the power of God to touch hearts and heal broken lives. Agapé's caring staff assists each young man individually to satisfy his needs academically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically.
Compare Agapé Boys Home to other homes for troubled boys, and you will see that we provide an advanced program and excellent facilities at a much lower cost. We especially work with boys who lack motivation both at home and at school, those demonstrating defiance or disregard for authority, and teenagers identified as having ADD, ADHD, RAD, ODD or depression. Always employing a loving approach, Agapé incorporates mentoring and character development together with quality accredited education and competitive athletic programs and team sports.
Agape's beautiful campus for its boys home deserves a closer look.
Parents in Van Nuys, California have sent their sons to the Agapé boys home and saw them gain a new start and a promising future.
Agapé Boarding School gives a superior residential program experience for teen boys from Van Nuys, California with a surprisingly reasonable tuition. Please look into it even if you are looking for other boys homes that may be closer to Van Nuys, California.
Occupying 200 acres of ranch land in the nation's heartland, we have extensive recreational facilities, athletic fields, plus an amazing selection of exotic animals throughout the campus. Unlike military boarding schools, boys experience a rich variety of activities and learning experiences while they stay in shape and have fun during their stay. The one-of-a-kind setting of this extraordinary campus and our low cost catches the attention of families from Van Nuys, California and beyond.
Our outstanding school helps at-risk boys graduate and prepare for the future.
Through our accredited educational program, boys focus on their junior high and high school classes at their own speed, while also assisted by tutors and certified teachers. A lot of individualized attention makes sure that boys at any skill level do well at their coursework. Most students find that they quickly compensate for lost time and gain pride in their academic abilities. Our college-prep program assists students with college entrance testing and applications. Teenage boys complete Agapé ready for their entrance to the workplace or going to the college classroom.
While Agapé is not in Van Nuys, California, a fresh location far away from peers can offer your son a fresh perspective for a brand new start in life.
Even if you are looking for boys homes in Van Nuys, California, many boys admit that a move to somewhere entirely new was the best possible way to allow them to find a fresh start. With familiar friends and places left far behind, old habits can more easily be replaced with better ones. A brand new location removes distractions for boys who want to reevaluate their choices. Moreover, the expansive outdoor surroundings and the rhythms of ranch life on our beautiful Missouri facilities speak strongly to the hearts of teenage boys.
Agapé Boarding School is a boys home that serves at-risk teenage boys from Van Nuys, California, and from other cities like Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, Kansas City, Los Angeles and San Diego in Southern California.
In the event we do not meet your son's needs or fit your budget, we can provide you with info about loan options or other boys homes near Van Nuys, California that do. In either case, there is no risk for inquiring about Agapé, a home for boys. We invite you to read the rest of our website, and inquire online or phone us directly.
|More about boys homes near Van Nuys, California:
Van Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.
Excerpt about homes for boys near Van Nuys, California, used with permission from Wikipedia.
"Boys Home" definition: a facility where boys who are unable to be cared for in a home environment, or who have gotten themselves into trouble and need a time apart from peers, are housed and cared for and educated by non-family members for a period of time. Most boys homes do not take boys who are hardened criminals, drug addicts, have severe mental problems or psychosis, or have a violent past. Please check with Agapé Boys Home to see if your teenage boy qualifies.


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Chasing Life
The remarkable true story about love, joy, and achievement against all odds.
By Robert Pardi and Phyllis Melhado
"You are about to read a love story, a story of triumph, a story of drive, passion, compassion and about a courageous fight in the face of adversity. I came to know Dr. Desiree Pardi as someone who was always chasing her dream; she did not just pursue the dream in order to catch up; she caught up with her dream, outsmarted that dream and pursued another, and another, and another. Chasing Life is the perfect title for this labor of love, a portrait of an incredible young woman pursuing her passion, surpassing every expectation and then moving forward again until she could go no further because of a devastating and aggressive disease. But anyone who met Desiree casually would never have known any of that. Her cheerful countenance, her enthusiasm, her bright smile never betrayed the battle she was fighting or her drive to satisfy her curiosity, create new scientific knowledge or take exceptional care of her patients."
Excerpted from the foreword by Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd, Senior Vice Dean for Medical Education, Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania
Desiree met Robert on her very first day of college. She was just 17 but knew with great certainty that she wanted to study medicine and go on to be a practicing physician. She also knew with the same certainty the moment she spotted Robert that he was the man for her. It was the proverbial love at first sight.
While certainly intrigued, it took Robert just a few weeks of spending time with Desiree, experiencing her brilliant mind, fearlessness, curious nature and sense of adventure to capture his heart. The fact that she was drop dead gorgeous only sealed the deal. They were married four years later.
They were an attractive, enviable New York couple – Robert climbing the ranks in Investment Banking and Desiree excelling in the MD/PhD program at Mount Sinai New York. Yet, shortly after Robert was recruited by one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, their world was shaken to its very core. Desiree, having just turned 31, was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer.
Desiree immediately made a decision that would not only define how she handled her own illness but would set her on the path to practice and teach palliative care. She asked Robert to take charge of her medical care, which invested him with enormous responsibility and caused him to pull back from his own promising career. He graciously took on the role of being her surrogate, living the disease that was not his, but living it as if it were so he could carry out her wishes. This decision, while bringing them even closer and taking their partnership to a level neither could ever have imagined when they met on Desiree's first day at Stony Brook University, also slowly shifted Robert's role from husband and investment banker to full-time caregiver during her 11-year journey with cancer.
Despite everything, they thrived by learning to live in the moment. Regardless of the many years of extensive chemotherapy, numerous hospitalizations, several surgical procedures, as well as a stem cell transplant, Desiree Pardi, MD/PhD, at 39 years old, was appointed Assistant Professor of Medicine and Founding Director of the new Palliative Care Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital/ Weill Cornell Medical College - a singular achievement for a physician so young, and one made all the more remarkable because of the cancer with which never stopped spreading.
Rob's sacrifice allowed his wife to live her life the way she wanted and approach death as she needed. She became his purpose. Desiree and Rob's personal story will inspire many and shine a light on how even in the most difficult circumstances, one can still find joy, and learn to cherish every day of the beautiful gift that is life.
This is a story of the evolution of one person and the awakening of another. Chasing Life is a story of love, joy, resilience, and extraordinary achievements against all odds. It's about a couple uniting to rise above complacency and adversity to live a joyful life congruent with beliefs, passions, and values. It highlights the need to live life in the present moment. It's about learning to savor life while we are alive.
Praise for Chasing Life
"Cancer and death have a unique way of getting our attention. As a hospice physician, many of my patients used to tell me they became 'alive' only after facing cancer and death ... and some regretted all of the years and decades they spent 'sleep-walking.' Desiree and Rob in this book share what it means to live fully aware, awake, and alive. If you want to live an abundant life - one that is fully woke - this book will grab, surprise, inspire, break, and renew you because everything you heard before is probably wrong. The abundant life is not about fame, money, and personal success." - James A. Avery, MD, Visiting Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia
"Chasing Life is a love story, an ode to a brilliant doctor whose own illness shaped a legacy of patient care that I have surely benefited from in my own cancer journey. This memoir proves that luck goes beyond issues of mortality - that the greater gift is to be lucky in love." - Leslie Lehr, Author of A Boob's Life: How America's Obsession Shaped Me…and You….and breast cancer survivor
"Love, we learn is not always about a fairy tale with happy endings. It's a tale of two people who in sharing their deepest vulnerabilities, discover each other and themselves wholeheartedly. In this vivid retelling of his 11 years caring for his wife, Robert challenges the reader to ask themselves essential life questions about how adversity calls on us to rise-up and embrace our fuller humanity. This is a story of love in its most transformative expression." - Mark Stolow, CEO, Huddol Journeys
"Chasing Life tells the story of two extraordinary people who, together, faced one of life's greatest challenges with grace. Robert Pardi shares his journey with his wife Dr. Desiree Pardi during which he was her warrior while she battled cancer. The lessons that Desiree learned from being both cancer patient and palliative care physician, and the many examples of Robert's path to resilience, are invaluable and should be shared with everyone. As if that isn't enough, this story is about much more; it is about great love. Robert and Desiree lived that love to the end, and by doing so set not only the example but also the bar for all us." - Trish Humenansky-Laub, Founder of Comfort in Their Journey LLC and Author of the Comfort in Their Journey Book Series
Robert Pardi
Robert Pardi has an MBA in finance from Columbia University and has held various positions in the international arena, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Dubai-based Evolvence Capital, and the Swiss School of Management. Well-known in the palliative care community, he is a compelling speaker and has addressed key groups of physicians, nurses, palliative care specialists, hospital administrators, and medical students at Columbia Presbyterian Weill Cornell, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Stony Brook University. After losing his wife to breast cancer, Mr. Pardi re-assessed his life and decided to share the many lessons he learned by becoming a Certified Life Coach. He is also an International Guest Speaker on a range of topics from Leadership to Patient Choice as well as an adjunct professor He splits his time between his native New York and Pacentro, Italy. Read more about Robert's work at www.robertpardi.com and his other books A Pimby Tale - A Modern Day Fable for Everyone at www.apimbytale.com, and Possibility in Action - A Journey to an Intentional Life at www.possibilityinactionthebook.com
Phyllis Melhado
Phyllis Melhado holds a master's degree in Communications from New York University. The author of The Spa At Lavender Lane, a 2020 American Fiction Awards Finalist, she has been published in Town & Country, Cosmopolitan and The Scarlet Leaf Literary Review. She has read her work at the legendary NYC Red Room Literary Salon and was the ghost writer of a best-selling health and beauty book as well as a nationally syndicated column. Ms. Melhado is the former Vice President of Public Relations for the Estee Lauder Companies. Read more about Phyllis's work at www.phyllismelhado.com


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FBI Arrests Iraqi Refugees Who Failed to Disclose Brother's Involvement in Kidnapping of American
By Steve Neavling
Two Iraqi refugees living in Northern Virginia were arrested by the FBI after failing to disclose their brother's involvement in a 2004 kidnapping of an American contractor in Iraq, the New York Times reports.
The refugees, Yousif Al Mashhandani, 35, of Vienna, Va., and Adil Hasan, 38, of Burke, Va. admitted they didn't make the disclosure when applying for citizenship, according to a criminal complaint. They were charged with visa fraud.
The Times wrote:
The F.B.I. said it had learned the brothers withheld the information when Mr. Mashhandani was fingerprinted as part of the citizenship process. When those fingerprints were analyzed in 2013, they matched those on a document seized by American commandos during the rescue of the contractor, Roy Hallums, in 2005.
The arrests come as President Trump is seeking to bar visitors from six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Iraq was originally among the countries but was later removed from the ban, which is being challenged by federal courts. Mr. Trump has said repeatedly that the United States needs to strengthen its borders to protect itself from terrorism.
As part of an investigation into the kidnapping of Mr. Hallums, F.B.I. agents interviewed Majid Al Mashhandani, the brother of Mr. Mashhandani and Mr. Hasan, in 2005. He admitted taking part in the kidnapping of Mr. Hallums, who was held for 311 days in an underground bunker with other hostages south of Baghdad.
Posted: 3/29/17 at 12:32 PM under News Story.
Tags: Fraud, immigration, Iraq, visas
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The title field is colour coded. Books are coded in red and chapters are colour coded in orange. Everything else is simply black.
All of the following have some element of freely downloadable software associated. This may be an entire project in itself such as the benchmarking packages or simply support software for example, used to solve a set of differential equations and plot the results.
Note that these all appear somewhere else but have been collected together here for the convenience of code junkies. They are not counted twice in the publications count.
Summary: number of books 0, number of invited chapters 0, number of other articles 13
Auto-generated: $Revision: 1.63 $, $Date: 2020/01/25 16:18:09 $, Copyright Les Hatton 2001-


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It's been a long time since you left school and you're tired after a long day's work. But you should keep learning new stuff, be at work or in your own time.
|Weren't you always learning when you were a kid?
The skills you teach yourself are the most valuable as they're grown up competencies, not quick fixes like most students do, and correspond to a real experience, unlike students mostly theoretical language.
You don't have to be a hacker in your garage, but there's a lot you can do with a computer, a sheet of paper, or just someone to talk to.
Remember specific skills are rare and pay more, so keep learning!


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Health care assistants, the people who bathe, wash, and assist the elderly with their daily lives, have the highest rate of accepted time-loss injury claims of any occupation in the province, and a recent conference at the Saanich Fairground was an effort to bring those numbers down.
The Hearts & Hands Conference for 2017 had two main themes: communicating with patients with dementia and their families, and self-care, which is a hot topic among first responders and social workers. One workshop explored how laughter in the workplace can be a method of self-care.
Stephen Symon, a manager at WorkSafeBC specializing in health care and social services, said that while there are occupations that are more hazardous, like manual tree fallers, health care assistants frequently have musculoskeletal injuries while moving and lifting clients. They can also be injured by violent residents. As a result, WorkSafeBC counted over 16,000 accepted time-loss claims in the last five years, meaning workers are unable to return to work the next day.
"I think for most of them, it starts with team and community in their workplace," said Symon, which includes positive relationships between HCAs and management, families, and residents.
Symon said that while some conference attendees were managers, it is aimed squarely at workers. WorkSafeBC believes that if health care workers are healthy themselves, they can provide better, safer care to residents.
Elizabeth Causton, the keynote speaker and a former clinical counsellor, agrees.
"The tendency of health care workers is to make their own health their last priority. To give everything until there's nothing left to give, and to think that's somehow honourable. I don't think that is going to necessarily change just by hoping that health care workers understand how detrimental that is. I think health authorities have to start encouraging people to value themselves."
Causton said that there were around 150 attendees in Victoria and 250 in Vancouver, with long waiting lists, so "the people who do this work are hungry for education and eager to do the learning."
Causton wanted to emphasize the importance of setting boundaries as a frontline worker. Often times, she said, front-line workers become a surrogate family member, because they see the same patient and their family for years. They also blur the line between life and work, checking in on residents on their days off instead of replenishing and renewing in their own life.
Anna Morris, who currently works at Oak Bay Lodge, has been a health care assistant for 19 years. She attended the conference last year and was eager to return.
"I just took away so much information. I thought it was phenomenal, and right away I wanted to come back."
She works the day shift, so she reads a morning report from the two prior shifts for updates, and she personally prepares six to nine residents for breakfast. She helps them bathe, shave, comb their hair, put on their clothes, and walk to the dining rooms. She also delivers laundry, prepares residents for lunch, and places them back in bed for naps.
With time restrictions, Morris said that workers often try and "play the hero" by attempting moves by themselves "when in reality you're putting yourself at huge risk." Repetitive stress injuries and sprains are common. Morris herself has also been kicked in the back and had her wrist injured by a resident while on the job.
"I'm taking care of 60 people all day long, but I still have to go home and take care of me," said Morris.


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Sears store to close in Titusville next month
Sears management has told employees the Titusville store, open for nearly half a century, will close next month.
The troubled department store brand has been shuttering stores across the country for several years as it faced stiff competition from discount chains, and online retailers.
Sears' other two stores are on Merritt Island, at the Merritt Square Mall, and on Babcock Street in Melbourne. There's no word on the future of those stores.
Once one of the retail world's top department store brands, Sears' star began fading as Walmart, Target and membership retailers like Sam's and Costco grew more popular with shoppers.
And, as more and more people started spending their retail dollars online, many believe Sears' demise was imminent. Company executives have vowed to keep the Sears brand alive and have been selling real estate, brands and other assets to raise cash.
More:Milliken's Reef closes doors at Port Canaveral
More:Grandpa's Steakhouse, the train car restaurant, to close Saturday after 39 years on 520 in Cocoa
Last year, for example, Sears sold its popular Craftsman tool brand to Black & Decker for $900 million. Once sold exclusively at Sears, the Craftsman brand recently started showing up on the shelves at Lowe's and other retailers.
In Titusville, Sears is the biggest tenant of the property known as the Searstown Mall on U.S. 1.
Like its one-time competitor, the Miracle City Mall (anchored by J. C. Penney) the Searstown Mall was a premiere shopping plaza for North Brevard County during the 1970s and much of the 1980s.
The Miracle City Mall, after J.C. Penney closed, was demolished in 2015. It was redeveloped into the Titus Landing shopping area.
Check back with FLORIDA TODAY for updates to this story.
More:Quarters Brewing Co. bar + arcade (aka a game bar) will open in downtown Melbourne
Contact Price at 321-242-3658 or firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Fla2dayBiz.


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Photo Credit: The New York Times
Like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé before her, Adele's new album 25 will not be available on music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Although the album releases today, fans will have to purchase it via CD, LP, or digital download in order to listen.
The announcement came after projected sales of 1.5 million units for the CD version, and 1 million digital downloads, were reported by Billboard Magazine on Wednesday. Sales of that magnitude would top current record holder *NSYNC's 2000 album No Strings Attached, which sold approximately 2.4 million units in its first week.
While 25 has already been pegged as one of the most highly anticipated albums of the last few years, the decision to opt out of streaming is undoubtedly a marketing move.
Pre-order sales have already topped 500K units. While the majority of pre-orders are digital downloads from sites like Amazon and iTunes, brick and mortar stores are reaping the benefits too.
In a New York Times article yesterday, a Target spokesperson was quoted as saying "We fully expect this to be one of our best-selling albums ever."
Target was offering a pre-order of the album including an exclusive version of the CD with three bonus songs. Undoubtedly, retailers are hoping the streaming exclusion will boost sales, especially with the holidays approaching.
It's unclear how long Adele and her label will prevent streaming. Speculations have ranged from one week to one year. Her previous album 21 was unavailable on Spotify for over a year after its initial release.
However, seeing as 25 leaked online only a few days ago, it's unlikely that keeping it off streaming sites will prevent those determined to listen to it for free.
25 is Adele's first album in over four years and is available everywhere (except streaming services) today.


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In the down economy and slow housing market, most homeowners are staging their house for the sale. To a homeowner the value from staging comes from
- Higher price than they would have received otherwise
- Shorter time on the market and hence savings on carrying costs
Does staging work? Does it improve sale prices and days on market? What could be the consumer behavior theories behind it?
I hypothesize that there are reasons to believe that staging works. Sometime back I wrote a piece titled "You touch it! You own it!". That article was based on new consumer behavior research that found that touching products increased customer willingness to pay for them. This was because touching increased ownership and as endowment effect theory show, we value things we own more than twhat the market is willing to pay for it.
The hypothesis for why Home Staging works is the reverse of this ownership effect. If we think someone else owns it then we tend to value it lower than if we owned it. A staged home reduces the footprint of the owner and helps the potential buyer better imagine this as their own and hence helps to increase their willingness to pay for the home.
There is one statistic I saw from StagedHomes website that states, higher sale price and fewer days on the market for staged homes. This is not based on a controlled experiment but based on a survey they did. I cannot rely on these numbers to validate my hypothesis.
To test my hypothesis I should conduct a controlled experiment (controlled for time, location, listing price, size etc), randomly assign houses to be staged or not staged and measure the average sale price and mean time spent in the market for the two groups. Only if the difference between the means of the two groups are statistically significant can I claim that staging played a role.
I do not have the wherewithal to do this experiment so if you are considering whether or not to stage your house for sale consider writing a conditional contract with your stager. If they truly believe staging increases your home price and reduced days on market then they should agree to a structured incentive scheme that goes down in value every time you decrease your listing price and more days the house spends in the market.


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Let's Talk: 30 Days at The SpreeFeld
Let's Talk: 30 Days At The Spreefeld was presented in Berlin, in the context of my participation in NINE URBAN BIOTOPES, the South African/European artists' residency and exchange project. Between July and September 2014, I worked in Berlin in relation to the projects and immediate neighbourhood of an organisation called id22: Institute for Creative Sustainability. For 30 days I wheeled my "Let's Talk" trolley – my mobile "SpreeLab" – around the neighbourhood surrounding the 3 newly erected, barrier-free, 8-storey buildings of the Spreefeld Co-operative housing project, situated, as it is, upon the scars of the old division between East and West, in the heart of a controversially, but nonetheless rapidly, gentrifying neighborhood on the banks of the River Spree.
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Most days I set up my kitchen table for 3 to 4 hours at a time, in the middle of the many public paths that run through and towards the Co-operative. I asked strangers to talk to me. I offered them tea. And then I asked them to satisfy my curiosity about their origins, their occupation, and what they were doing on this particular spot at that moment.
My presentation of this process represented a selection of these many conversations, (and it 's noteworthy to mention that in this time, I didn't meet one single person who was originally from Berlin). The exhibition comprised a short stop-animation movie (see below), and a series of portrait photographs and their linked narrative texts that was installed into a perfectly intact former GDR river police boathouse right in the middle of the square kilometer within which I'd been roaming.
During my process, conversations took their own turn depending upon whom I was talking to and which threads I decided to follow. I was offered recipes and advice; how to make good duck soup, build a tree house, and be successful in love. How to buy real estate along the Spree, or join a "Right to the City" organisation that opposed it. Somebody sang me a Marlene Dietrich song, and somebody else told me where in the city I could buy stylish shoes for my 'too big' feet. But almost everybody at some point returned to what appears to be the Berlin issue, that of real estate speculation, greed and gentrification; the pressure coming to bear from both the city and private developers, and the threat that this poses to the fragile eco-system of the surrounding neighbourhood, and the diversity that has long characterised the social fabric of this City
Wheeling myself about, the close proximity of extraordinarily contrasting but seemingly peacefully co-existing people, objects, and layers of both past and present struck me most particularly. There were many different kinds of co-housing communities, ranging from people choosing to live on the banks of the Spree, informally in tents, to high end globally-marketed, river -view luxury apartments, to the self organized, sustainability-focused Spreefeld Genossenschaft in the middle of these extremes. There were some fragments of the wall and the late 19th Century industrial past poetically evoked by the ruins of three grand old buildings that had endured both world wars and produced things with distinct textures and temperature, like ice, wood, and soap.
And then finally, there were the more recent traces of the informally built but internationally famous bars and clubs which were a manifestation and celebration of the unique condition of this city in the early 90s: Kater Holzig, Kiki Blofeld and across the river, Bar 25. People talked about them, and quite a lot! And so my sense was that in the end with all of Berlin's complex and layered mythology, history and modernity, it was these quite contemporary ghosts that seem to haunt this particular spot at this moment.


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|Celebrity Looks: Young Hollywood Loves Junk Food Tees.
Image: Courtesy of Michele Marie PR.
Naya Rivera, Ashley Benson and Ashley Greene were all photographed in Junk Food tees this past weekend! Rivera dressed up her Superman Vintage Inspired Triblend Tee with a leather skirt and jewels, while Benson & Greene dressed down in their Budweiser and NBA Oklahoma City Thunder Vintage Tees(prices available upon request; www.junkfoodclothing.com


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The Growing Trend of 'near me' Searches
If you're looking for a business local to you, how do you go about finding it. Well, if Google's statistics have anything to say, you're increasingly searching for "[business] near me" in a search engine. Rather than enter the name of the city or town in which they live, users are more frequently searching for


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Three times in the last week I've seen "welp" in print. Like this: "Welp, now O.J. Simpson thinks Carole Baskin from 'Tiger King' killed her husband."
And this: "Welp, I can die happy now. Chocolate cake stuffed inside this pup-cone!"
This morning, I was scrolling through articles on Flipboard and saw this lead from a publication called Well and Good, an article by an anal surgeon: "Welp, I hate to break it to you but [wiping] isn't the best way to keep your butt clean."
What drew me to the article was the "welp."
Later, when I logged into my Dropbox account, I saw this: "Yep – simply click on the Dropbox bookmark to show all documents that you are tracking in your dropbox folder." And in an email this morning from an editor I know: "Yep. That's me in the photo above, feeling safe and secure in my grandmother's arms."
Welp, yep, I sure love these little verbal morsels. I thought of my Italian friends with not a lot of English, who might say, "So what the heck is welp?"
We get it. It's FUBU, for us by us.
One summer a few years after I married into the Canducci family, this guy Lamberto Bozzi came to visit.
Unmarried in his mid-thirties, precise in all matters, he stayed with my in-laws for five days. Back in Italy he was a school inspector, which meant, I guess, he went from school to school to make sure they were doing things right. At that time I had only a few words of Italian. With my in-laws and with my wife, Bozzi spoke Italian. With me he spoke accented, very correct English. I wouldn't have wanted to admit it then, but he probably knew more about English grammar than I did. Probably way more.
Before he continued on to Chicago, my wife and I drove him around Detroit, showing him the sights. Bozzi was genial and appreciative, if slightly pedantic. What got me was his favorite interjection. So here was Lake St.Clair. "Oh gosh!" he said. And Belle Isle. "Oh gosh!" And the Detroit Historical Museum. "Oh gosh!"
Gosh, he sounded strange. He just couldn't put the right English on the expression. I wanted to tell him: You really should stop saying that.
You learn, of course, by trying. But interjections, imprecations, slang, and dialect in a second language can be risky. You hear stuff, expressions that are often short and sweet and easily repeated, you learn them, but you can't always own them the way a native speaker does. When my two-year-old grandson says You farted! he sounds way more American, way more authentic, than Bozzi and his oh gosh! ever did.
So, as a rule, even though my Italian is now pretty good, I avoid a whole array of oaths and imprecations in Italian that I've learned. My father-in-law would say, Porca madosca! the way I might say Jeez oh Pete! I can't say porca madosca or any other porca (porca palletta, porca miseria, porca madonna, porca puttana), or minchia or cazzo or accidenti or dio bono, any of those without sounding totally phony. I might be able to say cavolo (which literally means "cabbage" but as an interjection is more like wow!) and make it stick, but somehow I doubt it. Cavolo is aspirational, within reach, maybe.
Padrone. I was given a pretty stern warning once, to watch who I said that too.
After the Bozzi visit, one year in San Francisco I wandered into Molinari, a fabled deli in North Beach, and asked at the counter if they had poveracci. At my in-laws' table, it's the word they used for the clams in the pasta sauce. The ones they used came in a jar, not a can. I was looking for the jar. I thought poveracci was Italian. And it was, but it was slang, and regional slang at that. The guy at the counter looked at me, cocked his head, like, I didn't quite get that. "You know," I said, "poveracci." No, he didn't know. And I felt like an imposter.
So there are authenticity and cultural appropriation issues here. We can talk the talk, but some of it, we shouldn't.
FUBU is a term I borrowed from African-American culture, the name of a hip hop clothing manufacturer started in 1992. A brother who wore the brand is quoted in Urban Dictionary saying, "Maing bro, i juss saw some skaters wearin some fubu pants and i quit wearin it, its done for."
FTBT. For them by them.
In conversation with my daughter the other day, I said something about "giving shade." She smiled and shook her head. "It's throwing shade, dad." I had no business saying it. I almost said casting shade, which would have been even more ridiculous. I just couldn't own that expression, any more than I can own FUBU or a brother (above), or bae, ratchet, on fleek, I feel you, you go, girl! bye, Felecia, yas! or woke. True dat.
That day in San Francisco I ate gelato twice. My wife and I walked by a gelateria on Columbus Avenue that had Faema espresso machines in the window, one of them identical to the machine I owned. My machine was on the fritz at the time. I needed a replacement part.
I ordered bacio in a small cone, a chocolate hazelnut gelato, and asked the young woman serving if they sold Faema parts.
"I don't know," she said. "You'd have to ask Gino."
"Is he the padrone?" I said, feeling kind of clever.
My wife turned and looked at me, slightly aghast.
The server was unfazed. She said he might be down at the restaurant right now.
Outside on the sidewalk my wife gave me a brief lecture on the denotations and connotations of padrone. From padre, father, but big father, big daddy, big boss; at worst, master. It wasn't a very nice word. I told her that her father used it all the time. (I'd probably heard him say it two or three times). I thought it was okay.
"Well it's not," she said.
We walked down Columbus toward the Tazze D'Oro, Gino's restaurant, and found him standing across the street with three guys. One of them was Tony Bennett. My wife went a little nuts.
"Tony Bennett!" she said, rushing toward him. "I love you even more than Frank Sinatra!"
One of Tony's body guards held up a fat index finger, wagged it, and told her not to insult the Pope. Tony said nothing. He just smiled the Tony Bennett smile.
While we posed for a couple photos, I told Gino about my Faema machine, identical to the one in his store window up the street, and did he have replacement parts. He said sure, sure, meet him up at the gelateria later that afternoon.
When we went back a few hours later, he wasn't there. I had another bacio gelato in a cone.
I was on a mission. We walked back down to the restaurant, thinking he might be there, and poked our heads inside. He was downstairs, the greeter said, having lunch.
"Can I talk to him?" I explained I had a Faema espresso maker. It needed a knob.
He said he wasn't sure that was a good idea.
When I told him it would only take a minute, he led me to the stairway. My wife came with me. Maybe Tony Bennett was down there, she whispered. The greeter said something in Italian to two guys at the bottom of the stairs. They said something back, and he pointed. "Just you," he said to me. "Not the woman."
The two guys who were standing at the bottom of the stairs were still there; not eating, just standing. The room was dimly lit. I explained to them about my coffee machine, told them that Gino had said he could help me out. At the far end of the room was a long table with more than a dozen men seated and leaning over their plates. At the head of the table, farthest from me, sat Gino. He looked up and saw me. I waved. He didn't wave back. I thought, Well, I've come this far. I walked across the room and approached him, leaned down and reminded him that I had a Faema espresso machine that needed a replacement part, that I would be in San Francisco for another day, that he'd said he could help me out.
"It's the knob," I said, working a imaginary knob with my hand, "for the steam valve."
He sat up straight in his chair, turned his body toward me. "Excuse me," he said. "I'm having lunch with my friends."
I scanned the length of the table, hoping I'd see Tony Bennett. At least one person would be smiling. It all added up now: the two guys at the bottom of the stairs, the gatekeeper at the top of the stairs, the friends all gathered there together. They had all stopped eating and were looking up at me now, looking at me like what was I doing there, like I'd just asked them the best way to keep my butt clean. And Gino, at the head of the table, miffed.
I thought, Oh gosh! I'm in the wrong place.
I took a step back and thanked him, apologized for the interruption, and backed away from the table. No ciao. No ci vediamo. No arrivederci.
Any of those, I was now certain, would have definitely been out of place.


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What's Brewing Bergseth Bros.
Weekly Newsletter Vol.159
As much as I don't want to admit it, I feel that Old Man Winter is digging in its feet for the season. The temperatures seemed to drop significantly over the last week and the snow seems to be sticking around for the season.
When the weather turns colder my beer drinking habits tend to lean to the darker, richer, and fuller bodied beers. My classic fall/winter favorites include Guinness Draught, Guinness Extra Stout, Samuel Adams Cream Stout and Summit Nitro Oatmeal Stout.
I always include a mix of these classics in with a few newer beers, such as Lagunitas Brown Shugga, Fargo Brewing Co. None More Black Imperial Stout, Rhombus Guys Brewing Into the Darkness Porter, Empyrean Long Route Peanut Butter Porter, Bell's Double Cream Stout and Fulton Worthy Adversary Imperial Stout.
I could go on and on with my list – Do not hesitate to ask your Bergseth Bros. Sales representative for a list of darker beers that we carry year-round and seasonally. Below is a great guide I found online explaining some of the more popular styles of darker beers.
A Guide to Dark Beers
Find the right beer for fall.
By JUSTIN KENNEDY Art by FELIX DECOMBAT
Between the cold days and the prolonged nights, fall and winter generally feel like a time for dark, warming beverages—hefty red wines, stiff brown spirits, and, perhaps most of all, robust dark beers. But all dark beers don't necessarily fit that mold. "Dark beer" is an overly broad and inexact category encompassing everything from easy-drinking German Schwarzbierto bold Belgian quads. (And because of that breadth, there are plenty of dark—or darkish—beers, like Dunkels, Roggenbiers, Eisbocks, and wee heavys, not included here.)
Some dark beers are spicy and boozy; some are sprightly and refreshing. Here's a guide to the gamut.
Porter dates back to eighteenth-century England, where it was by and large the most popular beer, a status it maintained up until World War II when lighter ales and lagers became ubiquitous. (The name porter probably originates from its early popularity among working-class dock builders and other haulers.) The beer's dark brown color is the result of roasted malts, which were historically unevenly malted, lending an acrid, slight smokiness to early porters. The porter category is also a hybrid style: while most are warm-fermented with ale yeasts, Baltic porters are traditionally cold-fermented with lagering strains.
Modern English Porter
Modern English porters are subdued but robust, with a dry, almost acidic finish. Like stouts, porters have morphed and transmuted into myriad sub-categories and regional styles over the centuries, but the original is a mild dark beer with roasty flavors and gentle bitterness from grassy Fuggle and Golding hops.
American Porter
American porters are not quite as soft and sweet as traditional English porters; they lean toward the rich and complex end of the spectrum. They're usually dark brown to black in color, with a strong malt flavor and aromas of coffee, chocolate, and sometimes citrusy hops. Most are around 5-6 percent ABV and medium bodied.
Baltic Porter
Baltic porter is a spinoff style of the original English porter. It took root in England around the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-centuries, and was initially influenced by the hefty imperial stouts commonly exported to the regions around the Baltic Sea. By the nineteenth century, Baltic porters were also being brewed in the Baltic states themselves. This marked a turning point for the style, which then went from being a warm-fermented ale to a cold-fermented lager (the fermentation style favored in the Baltic region). Today, most Baltic porters are cold-lagered; strong ale-fermented porters are considered imperial porters instead.
Imperial Porter
Imperial porters inhabit a gray area somewhere between Baltic porters and imperial stouts. The term is sometimes synonymous with Baltic porter, but since most imperial porters are American-brewed, they're usually top-fermented with ale yeast rather than cold lagered. Imperial porters are typically between 7.5 and 9.5 percent ABV and can be barrel-aged in bourbon barrels or wine casks.
Stouts are dark, robust ales who can trace their lineage directly to porters. The term "stout porter" was initially used to describe boozy, rich porters; it was eventually shortened to just "stout." Today, the term describes a broad category of substyles that vary from frothy, sweet, and light to rich, robust, and complex.
Dry Stout
The most popular stout in the world is Guinness, the archetypal dry stout that's dark and silky but also quite light in body and booze—only about 4 percent by volume. Like all stouts, the black color comes from dark-roasted malts that lend bitterness and a dry, crisp finish. Dry stouts like Guinness are often poured on draft with nitrogenated gas (rather than pure carbon dioxide), which imparts a gentle sweetness and an exceedingly smooth, creamy body. One subvariety is the oyster stout, made by adding calcium-rich oyster shells during the boil. The shells' original role was probably as a filtering mechanism (much like the "protein raft" used to clarify consommés), but it also produces a pronounced, pleasant minerality.
Milk Stout
Milk stouts—sometimes called sweet stouts—are similar to dry stouts, but made sweet by the addition of lactose, or milk sugar. The lactose imparts creaminess and sweetness but doesn't lend any additional fermentable sugars (saccharomyces can't process milk sugar), keeping the ABV low and the beer relatively light and chuggable. Like dry stouts, milk stouts are sometimes served on draught with nitrogenated gas.
Oatmeal Stout
The addition of oats, rich in proteins and lipids, is yet another way to make a creamy-bodied stout. The style was popular in Victorian England, fell out of favor during the twentieth century, and is now somewhat common again with American brewers. In terms of sweetness and creaminess, it falls somewhere between dry and milk stouts.
American Stout
American stouts are distinguished—surprise! surprise!—by a pronounced citrus hoppiness. They're often much roastier than dry, sweet, and oatmeal stouts, and a little heftier, too, with ABVs around 6-9 percent. Some are infused with coffee and chocolate, amplifying the roasted malt's inherent flavors.
Export Stout
Export stouts—also known as foreign or tropical stouts—were originally hearty, high ABV stouts developed in the British Isles for export to the Caribbean and other tropical climates (the high alcohol and robust malts made them particularly well-suited for transoceanic voyages).The original was made by Guinness, first named West India Porter and later renamed the Foreign Export Stout, which dates back to the early 1800s. Export stouts are full-bodied and robust, with a more pronounced bitterness than dry and sweet stouts, and about double the ABV (around 5.5–7.5 percent).
Imperial Stout
Imperial stout is a rich, robust, and powerful beer usually clocking in between 8 and 12 percent ABV (but can sometimes go higher, up to 15–17 percent). The style originates in late eighteenth-century England where strong (>10 percent ABV) stouts were brewed and shipped to Russia and the Baltic states. Modern iterations are sharp and bitter but with a residual sweetness that can be harmonizing at best and cloying at worst. The style is closely related to—and a direct influence on—Baltic porters.
Strong Ales
Strong ales are made boozy not by fortification or distillation but by making an extremely sweet, sticky wort (unfermented beer). This results from a thick slurry of fermentable sugars—mostly from malted grain but sometimes from adjuncts like Belgian candi sugar—added to the brew kettle before the beer is fermented.
Old Ale / Stock Ale
Old ale is an historic British term for a vague category of dark strong ales (>6 percent ABV). They're usually dark reddish-brown in appearance, with robust, warming flavors of malt and booze. As the name suggests, they're aged for a prolonged time before being released. Historically, old ales were blended with younger, weaker beer, but now they're most commonly bottled, sold, and consumed at full strength, with many American versions reaching well into the double-digit ABV range.
Barleywines are dark reddish-brown strong ales that originated in England in the mid-nineteenth century. The first commercial example to be called barleywine was Bass No. 1, a boozy, sweet ale meant to mimic the flavors of fortified wines. They're nearly indistinguishable from old ales—some even argue the only difference is name—but barleywine is a much more popular term in America than old ale. They can age beautifully for many years, developing sherry-like aromas of toffee, dried fruit, and caramel. Most are well over 10 percent ABV.
Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale (Trappist Quad)
This beer is exactly what its name implies: a dark strong ale made in a traditional Belgian style. Trappist breweries—a certified appellation that covers only monastic breweries within the Trappist order—usually call these quadrupels, or quads, following the nomenclature of Singels, Dubbels, and Tripels, a reference to beers of increasing strength. But the style isn't codified, and breweries outside the appellation may also refer to them as quads or Belgian-style strong ales. Because of proprietary yeasts and idiosyncratic brewing methods, the characteristics vary from brewery to brewery, but in general, quads are rich, malty, and boozy (>10 percent ABV), with complex aromas of dark dried fruit and spices. They're often chewy and full-bodied, though some are effervescent, even vibrant. Most are bottle-conditioned with added sugar and yeast.
American Dark Sour Ale
Though not a codified style, dark sour ales have become increasingly popular among American breweries. Most begin stout- or porter-like before undergoing some degree of wine barrel-aging, mixed fermentation (usually with brettanomyces), and bottle conditioning. The style is divergent, but overall dark sour ales are mouth-puckeringly tart, with funky aromas and rich flavors of char, dried fruit, and tart cherries.
English Dark Mild
Dark milds are traditionally low-ABV session ales. They're typically brewed with chocolate or black malts and are gently hopped, much milder than pale ales and IPA's. The style dates back several centuries to at least the eighteenth century. Like many other styles, they fell out of favor during the mid-twentieth century, but are experiencing something of a resurgence thanks to the craft beer boom of the last twenty years.


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SLA is an organic salad bar founded as a family business by Nina Pierson, Jop van de Graaf and Ida de Haart. It was Netherland's first salad bar and arose from the desire for a nice place where you can easily eat in or take out healthy and tasty food. Being based in Amsterdam, Haarlem, The Hague and Utrecht, SLA's working hard on their mission to make healthy and sustainable food available for a broad audience.
W.Green and SLA collaborated closely to introduce their new Fall/Winter menu and catering service and to communicate the fact that SLA received an EKO-certificate. Together with SLA we started an influencer activation with 30 influencers from Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Haarlem.
"I felt honored when SLA approached us for the introduction of their new Fall/Winter menu. The collaboration went really smoothly and thanks to the new menu and many publications we managed to attract more visitors to SLA than last fall.
- Loulou Machiné, Junior Project Manager & Ayurvedic Mastermind
"Collaborating with W. Green is always a great success. They understand our sustainable heart and have a great relationship with both traditional media and influencers, which helps us make a large impact. They are fast, efficient and their heart is in the right place."
+31 20 221 35 00
Derde Oosterparkstraat 46
1091 JZ Amsterdam


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It is easy to buy a tube of pre-made cookie dough in the grocery store when you want to have an easy-to-make dessert on hand, but I like to make my cookie dough from scratch. Homemade cookies generally use better ingredients and you have complete control over the "mix-ins" that you add to your cookie dough base, which gives you a lot more flavor options than the few pre-made choices out there. I don't always have time to make cookie dough from scratch when I'm in the mood for some homemade cookies, so I try to plan ahead.
Slice and bake cookies are the perfect type of cookie to make in advance. The dough needs to be refrigerated or frozen before baking, so you can fill your freezer with a few batches of dough and they will be ready any time you want to bake. The one problem with this technique is that the dough won't stay fresh in the freezer unless it is carefully wrapped. The pre-made cookie doughs are packed in airtight tubes, so they never get frostbite or dry out, which can happen if you are using foil or plastic wrap.
Lately, I've taken to vacuum packing my slice-n-bake dough with the FoodSaver® System. The FoodSaver® brand gave me a free FoodSaver® System to try out. The FoodSaver® System vacuum seals my cookie dough in cut-to-size baggies and allows me to keep that dough fresh for as long as I need to – that that means that my cookie dough will last for months in the freezer instead of just weeks and I will always be ready to bake on a moment's notice!
The FoodSaver® System comes with both bags and rolls that you can seal, using the machine, into bags of any size you like. I always use the custom bag option because it gives me complete freedom over how much – or how little – dough I store at one time. I highly recommend dividing your dough into small portions before freezing it. Not only does this mean that you will be able to bake a half dozen cookies (a perfect snack for two!) at a time instead of having to bake a few dozen (better for parties than everyday!), but it also means that you can turn one batch of dough into multiple flavors by adding different spices, extracts, chocolate chips and nuts to your dough for variety. You definitely can't do that with the pre-made stuff!
Of course, there are all kinds of things you can do with the FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing System besides packing and portioning cookie dough so that you always look like a domestic god or goddess. You can portion out meat, veggies and berries that you might want to keep fresh in the freezer until you need them. You can quick-marinate meats and mushrooms. You can also pack up snacks that you simply want to keep fresh. The system is pretty fun to use and I admit that I have vacuum sealed things just for the heck of it a few times.
As part of a unique experiment, the FoodSaver® brand is currently running a live fridge where you can see how long food lasts. And you can win one of these systems for your own kitchen as part of the #FoodSaverFridge Experience Live Contest. Here is what you need to know:
- Winners will receive a FoodSaver® System valued at $200.
- There are two ways to enter (1) Fans can upload an image to Instagram of their fridge organized with FoodSaver bags and containers, use the #FoodSaverFridge and tag at FoodSaver (@FoodSaver) Instagram handle to be entered via social or (2) Fans can also visit the FoodSaverFridge page by visiting livefridge.foodsaver.com and enter their email address.
- The contest runs 9/8-10/18. You can enter once via social and once via email.
If you can't wait for the results of the contest, you can purchase your own at FoodSaver.com, at Amazon.com or at other select retailers
In the comments below, let me know if you try my vacuum-packing cookie dough method – and tell me about anything else you've tried to vacuum pack! One lucky commenter will win a $100 Visa gift card!
Entry Instructions:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post with the hashtag #SweepstakesEntry
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntryâ€; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post or with the hashtag #SweepstakesEntry, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 9/24/2015 – 10/31/2015
Be sure to visit FoodSaver® Brand's page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers' posts!


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Effective Ohio Landlord-Tenant Attorney Represents Renters
Solving legal issues for those living in apartments
As an experienced real estate litigator at The Law Office of Arleesha Wilson, I create solutions for tenants. I successfully bring tenants comfort that they are living in a stable, well-maintained home. I have committed my substantial knowledge about real estate, contracts and property rights to helping Ohio clients:
- Review rental leases
- Resolve landlord-tenant disputes
- Successfully defend against unjust evictions
- Demand return of security deposits that have been unfairly held
- Uphold tenants' rights against discrimination
Our Cleveland attorneys are dedicated to fighting for the rights of renters throughout Ohio.
Reviewing leases for your protection
Both landlords and tenants can avoid potential problems by having a well-drafted contract that enumerates all rental terms. I discuss the particulars of a property and its occupancy and ensure that your lease covers all aspects of your rental agreement. I want you to feel confident that you are absolutely in compliance with Ohio law and that your rights are protected should a dispute arise.
Protecting tenants' rights to security deposits
Ohio law specifies the usage, retention and return of security deposits. If your landlord fails to follow these strict regulations, I can help you to collect what is due to you. I first pursue the most cost-effective route of demanding payment from your landlord. If necessary, I will assertively defend your rights in court.
Resolving an eviction crisis
Eviction is disruptive to both the landlord and the tenant. The landlord must spend the time and money to replace tenants who fall behind on rent, and displaced families must locate a new home under traumatic circumstances. With this scenario in mind, I help mediate disputes when eviction is undesirable. If you are a tenant who unfairly faces eviction, I protect your right to remain in your home.
Contact a Ohio real estate attorney who can solve your landlord-tenant issues
Call The Law Office of Arleesha Wilson at 216-206-8231 or contact me online to schedule your consultation at my Cleveland law office.


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I Tim. 4:9-10, This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
This celebration occurs each year on the second Sunday in June at the 10:00 AM worship service.
· To recognize FMBC members who graduate from high school, college, vocational school, and graduate school.
· To highlight the accomplishments of these graduates.
· To hold a reception and Open House for the graduates whereby they can share their accomplishments and honors with the congregation.
· To recognize scholarship recipients
Contact: Nikki Foster – firstname.lastname@example.com


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Policy and Research Papers
Inclusive Transitions Framework | Institute for Integrated Transitions
Based on two years of research, interviews, and expert workshops, this publication outlines a new conceptual and operational framework aimed at improving outcomes in fragile and conflict-affected states transitioning out of conflict or repression by zeroing in on inclusiveness as a guiding principle.
Transitions are critical junctures in which these states have an important chance to break with cycles of conflict and repression. To help make the most of the opportunity, while managing the tensions and divisions that a transition inevitably brings to the fore, the publication offers practical ideas for leaders at all levels of society to strengthen social cohesion, equality, and a sense of common nationhood.
Recognising the great differences across countries and transitional contexts, the publication is not a "how-to guide" but instead a framework to be drawn upon and applied differently in different times and places. It offers detailed analysis and practical advice on inclusive policy-making in 10 priority areas: Political Dialogue Processes; Nation-Building Programs; Institutional Design; Elections and Political Party Development; Transitional Justice; Rule of Law; Security; Education; Economic Growth; and Taxation and the Administration of Public Resources.
The full publication is available in English, while an overview of its findings is available in English, Spanish, French and Arabic.
Entrepreneurs as Peacebuilders in Fragile States
Although peacebuilders seek out creative ways to build social cohesion, reform institutions, and change political incentives in fragile contexts, they rarely consider local entrepreneurs as possible entry points for change. This is despite the fact that entrepreneurs can – and do – substantially contribute to all these goals as part of their day-to-day activities.
This new IFIT publication examines the various ways such actors can contribute to peace and the conditions that need to be established for them to do so. It is premised on the idea that only inside-out change can bring sustainable peace to the most difficult contexts, and that entrepreneurs offer a uniquely scalable mechanism to drive such change from within.
The publication provides analysis, case studies and a set of practical recommendations on how to leverage entrepreneurs' potential, highlighting the important peacebuilding role such actors play.
To have access to the full publication, Entrepreneurs as Peacebuilders in Fragile States, kindly follow the link.
Other Documents
Fragility the Main Hurdle to Implementing SDGs
After more than two years of debate and negotiations, the United Nations will approve the adoption of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the centerpiece of its post-2015 development agenda at a summit of world leaders September 25-27. The goals are much broader and more comprehensive than the Millennium Development Goals they replace, and cover a wide range of economic and political issues, including poverty, inequality, hunger, employment, education, the environment, and energy.
Full article available here


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A friend posted about http://the53.tumblr.com/ recently and I find the site quite compelling. The 53% refers to a recent statistic that 53% of people pay taxes and 47% reap benefits. Here's what I might say on the topic:
I am thankful to my parents for not just handing me everything I wished for, but encouraging working toward it. So my first jobs during high school were because I wanted to buy a computer.
Then I followed the example of my parents by moving out immediately after high school, a short stint in the military, then using the [quite modest] G.I. Bill benefits to help pay for college. Tuition and student loans were much smaller back in 1990, and the interest rates were higher which encouraged paying them off early, which I did within a year or two after graduation (on time in 4 years, private college.)
Then my early career was interrupted as my Naval Reserve duty status was activated to participate in the first Gulf War. I returned to find my employer had gone out of business. Thankfully my B.S. degree prepared me to find other jobs, and I've been working in my chosen field ever since.
Didn't save much while single, but my wife did, so we bought our first home in 2003. The house is now "under water" in the current market, but we see no good reasons to default since we purposely did not overextend.
Health problems with our two children have kept my wife out of the job market for the last 6 years, and living on one income is a challenge. Maintaining my tradition of donating both time and money charitably is also a challenge.
That is my 53% story.
My hope for this country is that the 53% (an F grade) grows to 60, then 70 (D), with a final goal of 90%+ (A).


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Service Classifications
Spa services are considered more relaxing and restorative as opposed to clinical. There is no downtime associated with these treatments and are ideal for those who are looking to have a more pampering experience while still receiving a customized facial.
DMK Treatments are not spa services; they are performed for individuals who wish to effect change on their skin through clinical grade treatments. Some treatments have downtime, prolonged redness, flaking or peeling skin. These deliver results as opposed to relaxation.


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Eugene Vang
Please join me in announcing our first performing artist Eugene Vang! Do you know what colorguard is? If not, let Eugene show you at our Story of Us: Power Through Performance event.
In his own words:
I am a Hmong colorguard performer! I have been a colorguard performer for 5 years now. I started when I was in 7th grade in middle school. I had 2 years of colorguard in middle school and 2 years of colorguard in high school. Coming to UCSD for college, I joined Vox Artium Independent Winterguard. In April of 2019, I competed at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. My team and I made finals and achieving 7th Place out about 40 groups in the world. I am proud to be a World Championship Finalist. I continue to purse my passion in colorguard by rehearsing, spinning, and dancing. I make up choreography to music that really touches me and I record myself and share my video and photos onto Instagram and sometimes Facebook. I have a colorguard social media account to share my love for this sport and activity. I really love being able to express myself and many more emotions while performing! I find it very powerful and overall amazing. I love colorguard.
And make sure to connect with him via Facebook at Eugene Vang and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/eugeneev_ & https://www.instagram.com/guardgene


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The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) launched a new generation of Philippine Banknotes. It boasts of several new security features including embossed prints, improved serial numbers, embedded security fibers, a watermark, and a security thread among others.
Leading the new Philippines money is the new P1000 bill with Josefa Llanes Escoda, Vicente Lim, and Jose Abad Santos on the obverse and the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, the South Sea Pearl and the Tinalak (Ikat-dyed abaca) on the reverse.
The new P500 bill follows with Corazon Aquino and Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. on the obverse and Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the Blue-naped parrot on the other side.
The new P200 bill features Diosdado Macapagal on the obverse and Chocolate Hills in Bohol and the Philippine tarsier on the reverse.
The new P100 bill has Manuel Roxas on the obverse and Mayon Volcano and the Butanding (whale shark) at the back
The new P50 bill have Sergio Osmeña on the front with the Taal Lake, the Taal Volcano and the Maliputo (Giant Trevally) at the back.
The new P20 bill banners Manuel Quezon on the front with Banaue Rice Terraces and Palm Civets (the one who produces the Alamid Coffee) at the back.
All images courtesy of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (www.bsp.gov.ph)
My Christmas wish is that may we all (readers, friends and family) have plenty of this new money in the Philippines for Christmas and New Year!


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Last week Evan won the Judgement Day challenge by a mile. This week, his creation almost got him sent home and Ben, who nearly left the competition last week went on to win the Freak Show challenge this week.
The remaining competitors: Scott Fensterer, Nora Hewitt, Benjamin "Ben" Ploughman, Stephanie "Stevie" Calabrese, Jordan Patton, Megan "Meg" Wilbur, Evan Hedges all had to work on a Foundation Challenge before moving on to the main test with the sideshow theme.
The theme of the foundation dealt with tribal warriors using tattoos, scars and so on to intimidate their enemies in the field of battle. The artists had to use the weapons held by their models to inspire their makeup for the warriors. Face Off uses these challenges to show the audience just where the creative juices come from. Each contestant goes through their thought process and we learn what goes into their creation.
In the first Foundation portion, Meg and Scott impressed the guest judge, Oscar winning Robin Mathews, for her work on the film Dallas Buyers Club, who provided some tips and words of motivation before looking at the final products. Although each artist got praise for the makeup applied on the two warriors it was Scott who won and earned immunity for the next challenge.
The next challenge had the artists choosing their circus characters by a wheel of fortune and the choices were varied. As per usual, each one had to come up with their version of a sideshow "freak" but to develop a character that mixed human with fantasy.
Characters ranged from "Lobster Larry" to Inside-Out Oscar (Meg Wilbur's creation). Each artist has to come up with an idea for their character and once again we see the thought process of these creative and talented people who are able to make magic with prosthetics, paint and powder.
Nora ends up starting all over during the sculpting phase but ultimately her decision pays off at the end when she just squeaks into second place with her Lobster Larry. Stevie, Scott (who had immunity) along with Jordan were all safe after the judges did their "up close" inspection of the creations.
This left Nora, Ben, Meg and Evan as the best and worst of the challenge. As the four explained their thought process on the characters Nevill Page got the quip of the show.
Nora put gold teeth on her Lobster Larry and when it was Neville's turn to comment on her creation he stated that this made him a grilled lobster. Fellow judge's Glenn Hetrick and Ve Neil were both a bit derisory at Page's humor, albeit good-naturedly, and Nora got a kick out of the humorous remark.
While Ben Ploughman wowed all the judges, Meg Wilbur's Inside-Out Oscar failed to meet their expectations and the creation sent her home. Glenn had words of encouragement and McKenzie Westmore looked very sad to see @cupcake_meg sent off.
The challenges have increased in difficulty and even though Meg left, she did so with her head held high. Evan may have been on the bottom again, but he did remember to thank his model this week and this shows the basic essence of the competition. Each contestant learns something each week, or grows in some fashion.
The competitor's numbers are shrinking, as they do each season, and as the pressures increase on the artists, it is fascinating to see how they respond. Scott took time to help Meg get her mold apart and as usual these creative and imaginative people support one another in a host of other ways.
Face Off season 9 airs Tuesdays on SyFy, miss this show and you miss what goes into the magic of movie making.