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Welcome to Green Zen Organic Spa in new york!
Green is the color of youth and life, while Zen is the state of the harmonious mind. At a 2100 square foot brand new loft in the heart of Manhattan, you will be brought to a heaven-like state at a tranquil setting with soothing music, healing crystals and beautiful Asian antique furniture. Through the works of our highly trained estheticians, your skin will indulge in luxurious organic products made by "Eminence" that has been given awards such as: BEST OF THE BEST SPA PRODUCTS, AMERICAN SPA WINNER, DAY SPA EDITORS' CHOICE AWARD, and etc..We guarantee your skin's texture, elasticity, clarity and immunity will be improved with the Eminence handmade products that smell deliciously, and are high in antioxidants and nutritional values. Our facial treatments are also based on non-invasive, cutting edge, award winning technology such as Diamond Microdermabrasion,Oxygen Therapy, Radio frequency and Award winning Hydra Facial to bring instantly visible results with zero side effects. Beautiful skin and a healthy state of mind are life time investments. At Green Zen, you will enjoy many peaceful moments with guaranteed results that will recharge, rejuvenate, and replenish your body and soul at affordable costs
New clients special
50% off Organic Facials (60 min Orig. $85)
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or Oxygen Therapy (60 min Orig. $125)
A beautiful spirit starts with healthy skin.
Make the best investment to recharge and rejuvenate your face,
And you will feel even more positive and glamorous about yourself.
Celebrity Skin Care Secrets Revealed!
Jena Malone
Best known for:
Starring in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Stepmom, Pride & Prejudice, and Saved!
Favorite Products:
"For me, it's all about skin. When my skin looks beautiful, I feel beautiful" says Jena. "I…love Éminence organic products. TheirStone Crop Hydrating Mist is a lifesaver if you're traveling. No matter where you are, just spray a little and it's like you're in the tropics. I also love their Strawberry Hyaluronic Serum."
Thandie NewtonBest known for:
Starring in The Pursuit of Happiness, Mission:Impossible II, Crash, and co-authoring her amazing new Beauty Blog, Thandie Kay.
Favorite Products:
"For exfoliation on my face I use the gorgeous 'EminenceStrawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant'– completely natural and organic, smells divine and is gentle enough (but properly effective) to use morning and night."
Jessica Biel
Best known for:
Starring in 7th Heaven, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The A-Team, Total Recall and snagging a former 'N Sync heartthrob.
Favorite Products:
"Constant flying dries out my skin, so I make sure I moisturize everything," Jessica says. "I always have Éminence Eight Greens Youth Serum in my carry on."
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Best known for:
Performing in ultra -glamorous burlesque shows, designing gorgeous lingerie and inspiring us with her timeless beauty.
Favorite Products:
"I am so thrilled to have discovered Eminence skincare...My favorite products are the Apricot Calendula Nourishing Cream, the Linden Calendula Treatment Cream, Sweet Red Rose Cleanser, Red Currant Exfoliating Cleanser, and the Coconut Age Corrective Moisturizer. I love the scents and the textures, plus they keep my skin hydrated and fresh looking underneath my makeup. It feels good to have a conscientious skincare regime without sacrificing a true luxury skincare experience."
Éminence has been providing the beauty industry with organic alternatives to skin care since 1958. With the organic products market growing rapidly due to increasing consumer demand for food, cosmetic and nutraceutical products, it is becoming more important to look for proof of certification to ensure validity of organic claims.
European certification is known to have the strictest guidelines and organic regulations worldwide. Éminence has long been certified organic by Biokontroll, the main certification organization in Hungary where most of our potent and active ingredients are grown. We are also certified by Demeter International which has been in use in Europe since 1928 and is still regarded as providing the highest standards for organic products in the world. As a non-profit organization, their mission is to "improve the health of the planet and its people by providing certification of products whose ingredients are grown and processed according to the highest agricultural and environmental standards." From farm to market, only those companies that consistently meet these standards will be certified by Demeter, and Éminence is counted as one of them. Customers can use Éminence products with 100% confidence that they are safe and fully compliant with US and international labeling requirements and regulations as we also hold certifications with both USDA-Oregon Tilth and USDA-ASCO.
Celebrating more than 50 years of organic practices is an achievement of which to be proud but creating products that are kind to the environment is even better. Éminence is committed to being the industry leader in keeping our planet green; since our inception in 1958, we have been using sustainable farming and green practices to create organic products and are constantly looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, from the harvest and production of products to how they are packaged and, finally, how they reach spa clients. We even enlist wind and solar power energy in the making of products, use recyclable packaging, vegetable-based inks in printing, FSC certified post-consumer recycled paper and our Beyond Organic line is created with Biodynamic® farming practices. We think Mother Nature would be proud!
If you've been keeping track you will notice that Éminence holds certifications for several national and international organic certifying bodies. It is clear that we take our promise to you and the Earth seriously and use organic and natural ingredients in every single one of our amazing skin care products - and we've got the stamps to prove it!
Latest Blog Articles
June 19, 2014
There are some things concealer just can't cover up and dark circles under your eyes are one of them. Getting more sleep and eating right can rid your face of the bags under your eyes, but that's easier said than done
June 2, 2014
The sunscreen you buy this season will look a little different than it has in the past. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has forced sunscreen maker's to change their labels
May 13, 2014
People tend to have their own ways of relaxing. Whether it's a facial, taking a walk, or drinking a warm cup of tea, there are many ways to unwind. If music is your stress-busting method of choice, you're in luck
May 3, 2014
Ready for your first facial? This soothing and cleansing treatment is a favorite of many, but if you're a first-timer here's what you can expect during your appointment. Check-in After you arrive, you'll be guided to a comfortable room for your facial


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Inflammatory Breast Cancer
What is inflammatory breast cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare. It differs from other types of breast cancer in its symptoms, outlook, and treatment. Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) has some symptoms of inflammation like swelling and redness. But infection or injury do not cause IBC or the symptoms. IBC symptoms are caused by cancer cells blocking lymph vessels in the skin. Symptoms include breast swelling, purple or red color of the skin, and pitting or thickening of the skin of the breast so that it may look and feel like an orange peel. Often, you might not feel a lump, even if it is there. If you have any of these symptoms, it does not mean that you have IBC, but you should see a doctor right away.
How is inflammatory breast cancer different from other types of breast cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer differs (IBC) from other types of breast cancer in several key ways:
- IBC doesn't look like a typical breast cancer. It often does not cause a breast lump, and it might not show up on a mammogram. This makes it harder to diagnose.
- IBC tends to occur in younger women (at an average age of 52 versus 57 for more common forms of breast cancer).
- African-American women appear to be at higher risk of IBC than white women.
- IBC is more common among women who are overweight or obese.
- IBC also tends to be more aggressive—it grows and spreads much more quickly—than more common types of breast cancer.
- IBC is always at a locally advanced stage when it's first diagnosed because the breast cancer cells have grown into the skin. (This means it at least stage IIIB.)
- In about 1 of every 3 cases, IBC has already spread (metastasized) to distant parts of the body when it is diagnosed. This makes it harder to treat successfully.
What are the signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) causes a number of signs and symptoms, most of which develop quickly (within 3-6 months), including:
- Thickening (edema/swelling) of the skin of the breast
- Redness involving more than one-third of the breast
- Pitting or thickening of the skin of the breast so that it may look and feel like an orange peel
- A retracted or inverted nipple
- One breast looking larger than the other because of swelling
- One breast feeling warmer and heavier than the other
- A breast that may also be tender, painful or itchy
Tenderness, redness, warmth, and itching are also common symptoms of a breast infection or inflammation, such as mastitis if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. Because these problems are much more common than IBC, your doctor might at first suspect infection as a cause and treat you with antibiotics.
This may be a good first step, but if your symptoms don't get better in 7 to 10 days, more tests need to be done to look for cancer. The possibility of IBC should be considered more strongly if you have these symptoms and are not pregnant or breastfeeding, or have been through menopause.
IBC grows and spreads quickly, so the cancer may have already spread to nearby lymph nodes by the time symptoms are noticed. This spread can cause swollen lymph nodes under your arm or above your collar bone. If the diagnosis is delayed, the cancer can spread to lymph nodes in your chest or to distant sites.
If you have any of these symptoms, it does not mean that you have IBC, but you should see a doctor right away. If treatment with antibiotics is started, you'll need to let your doctor know if it doesn't help, especially if the symptoms get worse or the affected area gets larger. Ask to see a specialist (like a breast surgeon) or you might want to get a second opinion if you're concerned.
How is inflammatory breast cancer diagnosed?
Imaging tests
If inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is suspected, one or more of the following imaging tests may be done:
- Mammogram
- Breast ultrasound
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan
- CT (computed tomography) scan
- PET (positron emission tomography) scan
Sometimes a photo of the breast is taken to help record the amount of redness and swelling before starting treatment.
Breast cancer is diagnosed by a biopsy, taking out a small piece of the breast tissue and looking at it in the lab. Your physical exam and other tests may show findings that are "suspicious for" IBC, but only a biopsy can tell for sure that it is cancer.
Tests on biopsy samples
The cancer cells in the biopsy sample will be graded based on how abnormal they look. They will also be tested for certain proteins that help decide which treatments will be helpful.
The cells are tested for hormone receptors. Women whose breast cancer cells contain hormone receptors are likely to benefit from treatment with hormone therapy drugs.
Cancer cells are also tested to see if they contain too much of a protein called HER2/neu (often just called HER2) or too many copies of the gene for that protein. If they do, the woman may be helped by certain drugs that target HER2.
Stages of inflammatory breast cancer
All Inflammatory breast cancers start as Stage IIIB since they involve the skin. If the cancer has spread to lymph nodes around the collarbone or inside the chest, it's stage IIIC. Cancer that has spread outside the breast and nearby lymph nodes is stage IV.
For more information, read about breast cancer staging.
Survival rates for inflammatory breast cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is considered an aggressive cancer because it grows quickly, is more likely to have spread at the time it's found, and is more likely to come back after treatment than other types of breast cancer. The outlook is generally not as good as it is for other types of breast cancer.
Survival rates are often based on previous outcomes of large numbers of people who had the disease, but they cannot predict what will happen in any particular person's case. Many other factors can affect a person's outlook, such as age, general health, treatment received, and how well the cancer responds to treatment. Your doctor can tell you how the numbers below may apply to you, as he or she is familiar with your situation.
These survival rates are based on people diagnosed years ago. Improvements in treatment since then may result in a more favorable outlook for people now being diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer.
These numbers are based on data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, for patients who were diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer between 1988 and 2000.
Median survival is the length of time for half of the patients in a group to have died. By definition, half of the patients in that group are still alive. It is important to remember that the median is just a kind of average used by researchers. No one is "average" and many people have much better outcomes than the median. Also, people with inflammatory breast cancer can die of other things, and these numbers don't take that into account.
- The median survival rate for people with stage III inflammatory breast cancer is about 57 months.
- The median survival rate for people with stage IV inflammatory breast cancer is about 21 months.
How is inflammatory breast cancer treated?
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) that has not spread outside the breast or nearby lymph nodes is stage IIIB or IIIC. In most cases, treatment is chemotherapy to try to shrink the tumor, followed by surgery to remove the cancer. Radiation is given after surgery, and, in some cases, more treatment may be given after radiation.
IBC that has spread to other parts of the body (stage IV) may be treated with chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and/or with drugs that targets HER2.
For details, see treatment of inflammatory breast cancer.
Dawood S, Cristofanilli M. Inflammatory breast cancer: what progress have we made? Oncology (Williston Park). 2011 Mar;25(3):264−270, 273.
Dawood S, Cristofanilli M. What progress have we made in managing inflammatory breast cancer? Oncology. 2007;21:673−679
Dawood S, Merajver SD, Viens P, et al. International expert panel on inflammatory breast cancer: consensus statement for standardized diagnosis and treatment. Ann Oncol. 2011 Mar;22(3):515−523.
Hance KW, Anderson WF, Devesa SS, Young HA, Levine PH. Trends in inflammatory breast carcinoma incidence and survival: the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program at the National Cancer Institute. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005;97:966−975.
Hennessy BT, Gonzalez-Angulo AM, Hortobagyi GN, et al. Disease-free and overall survival after pathologic complete disease remission of cytologically proven inflammatory breast carcinoma axillary lymph node metastases after primary systemic chemotherapy. Cancer. 2006;106:1000−1006.
Kaufman B, Trudeau M, Awada A, et al. Lapatinib monotherapy in patients with HER2-overexpressing relapsed or refractory inflammatory breast cancer: final results and survival of the expanded HER2+ cohort in EGF103009, a phase II study. Lancet Oncol. 2009;10:581−588.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Breast Cancer. Version 2.2017. Accessed at www.nccn.org on July 31, 2017.
Overmeyer B and Pierce LJ. Chapter 59: Inflammatory Breast Cancer. In: Harris JR, Lippman ME, Morrow M, Osborne CK, eds. Diseases of the Breast. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott-Williams & Wilkins; 2014.
Panades M, Olivotto IA, Speers CH, et al. Evolving treatment strategies for inflammatory breast cancer: a population based survival analysis. J Clin Oncol. 2005;23:1941−23:19
Schlichting JA, Soliman AS, Schairer C, Schottenfeld D, Merajver SD. Inflammatory and non-inflammatory breast cancer survival by socioeconomic position in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, 1990-2008. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2012 Aug;134(3):1257-68. Epub 2012 Jun 26.
Sinclair S, Swain SM. Primary systemic chemotherapy for inflammatory breast cancer. Cancer. 2010 Jun 1;116(11 Suppl):2821−2828.
Yang WT, Le-Petross HT, Macapinlac H, Carkaci S, Gonzalez-Angulo AM, Dawood S, Resetkova E, Hortobagyi GN, Cristofanilli M: Inflammatory breast cancer: PET/CT, MRI, mammography and sonography findings. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008 Jun;109(3):417-26. Epub 2007 Jul 26. Review.
Last Medical Review: June 1, 2016 Last Revised: August 18, 2016
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.

subset: commoncrawl


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OOC: Panhandling for money and offerings to a Holy Man: le Roll: 16
"The communal pavilions, while close, do not seem very appealing to me. Too many people, too close. I'd sooner take my rest under the stars."
"I certainly would prefer to rest away from... this. Do we have all we need?" She did not like to hang around Zamorza. Plague drew evil spirits and demons like a corpse draws flies
"Let us shake the sand from our feet and leave this place."
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Hmmm? Kelli Stack From The Women's USA Hockey Team Throws Up Jay-Z's Diamond Sign While Recieving Her Silver Medal!
"#16 Kelli Stack from the women US hockey team throws her Diamond sign up while she recieves a silver medal!" - Blackmarket TV
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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
EEOC Said Manager Also Retaliated Against Victim and Supervisors Who Tried to Help
LOS ANGELES – Regal Entertainment Group, a national movie theater chain, will pay $175,000 and furnish significant remedial relief to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC had charged that the company subjected a male employee to sexual harassment by a female co-worker and then retaliated against him for complaining about the unlawful conduct – along with two supervisors who tried to help.
In its lawsuit, the EEOC charged that a male employee at a Regal theater in Marina del Rey, Calif., a section of Los Angeles, was subjected to a sexually hostile workplace by a female co-worker who repeatedly grabbed his crotch. When the male victim and his direct supervisor complained to the theater's then-general manager, she failed to take adequate steps to stop or prevent the harassment. Instead, the EEOC said, she retaliated against the harassed employee and two other supervisory employees (male and female), who are part of the EEOC's suit. The retaliation included unwarranted discipline, unfairly lower performance evaluations and/or stricter scrutiny of performance.
Sexual harassment and retaliation for complaining about it violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit against Regal in 2006 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (U.S. EEOC v. Regal Entertainment Group, Inc., CV06-04145-ABC [CWx]) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement.
According to EEOC data, the percentage of men filing sexual harassment charges with the federal agency and state/local government agencies nationwide has increased over the past decade from 12 to 16 percent of all charges involving sexual harassment.
In addition to the monetary relief, the consent decree settling the case requires Regal Entertainment Group to: provide annual anti-discrimination training to its employees; closely track any future discrimination complaints to conform to its obligations under Title VII; and provide annual reports to the EEOC regarding its employment practices.
Regional Attorney Anna Park of the EEOC's Los Angeles District Office said, "Employers need to reinforce the proper responses to complaints of sexual harassment and take a hard line against retaliation. In this case, the sexual harassment claim was absolutely valid, but even in cases where discrimination allegation lacks merit, the EEOC will still hold companies liable for any subsequent retaliation against the person who complained or other individuals who supported the claim."
The EEOC's Los Angeles District Director Olophius Perry added, "The remedial relief contained in this settlement serves as a model for the entertainment industry in terms of voluntary compliance with federal discrimination laws. We are pleased that Regal is now taking the steps necessary to provide a discrimination-free workplace for all employees going forward."
According to its web site, www.regmovies.com, Knoxville, Tenn.-based "Regal Entertainment Group operates the largest and most geographically diverse theatre circuit in the United States, consisting of 6,773 screens in 549 theatres in 39 states and the District of Columbia."
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.


text: Find this wine Find this wine 2012 Apothic Red Wine Love it Pin It Tweet 5 years ago by Owens L. More posts One of my go-to wines Apothic Red 4 years ago by Southnmist Apothic Red 2013 Wine Very nice blend. 9.99 4 years ago by Maja Apothic Red California 2010 Easy to drink red even for red wine beginners. Slightly sweet and smooth. One of my faves. 4 years ago by Mauie Y. Apothic Red Wine California Red blend of several reds: Zinfandel, merlot, Syrah and cab sav 4 years ago by Cdimartile Apothic Red Wine Unique mocha hints, found on orcas island New Years 2015 deer harbor get away. 4 years ago by Robert H.


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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to terms with right-hander Kyle Farnsworth on a minor league deal Friday and assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis.
The 37-year-old Farnsworth was 2-0 with a 5.76 ERA in 39 relief appearances with Tampa Bay this season before being designated for assignment and released Aug. 9.
Farnsworth has pitched for the Chicago Cubs (1999-2004), Detroit (2005 and '08), Atlanta (2005 and '10), the New York Yankees (2006-08), Kansas City (2009-10) and Tampa Bay (2011-13). He is 42-62 with 52 saves, a 4.29 ERA and 936 strikeouts in 849 games.


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Bleeding gums can be a sign that you have or are at risk for gum disease. Ongoing gum bleeding may be due to serious medical conditions such as leukemia and bleeding and platelet disorders.
Gums - bleeding
The main cause of bleeding gum is the buildup of plaque at the gum line. This will lead to a condition called gingivitis, or inflamed gums.
Plaque that is not removed will harden into tartar. This will lead to increased bleeding and a more advanced form of gum and jawbone disease known as periodontitis.
Other causes of bleeding gums include:
Visit the dentist at least once every 6 months for plaque removal. Follow your dentist's home care instructions.
You should brush your teeth gently with a soft-bristle toothbrush at least twice a day. It is best if you can brush after every meal. Your dentist may tell you to rinse with salt water or hydrogen peroxide and water. Do not use mouthwashes that contain alcohol, which can make the problem worse.
Flossing teeth twice a day can prevent plaque from building up. It can help to follow a balanced, healthy diet. Try to avoid snacking between meals and cut down on the carbohydrates you eat.
Other tips:
Consult your health care provider if:
Your dentist will examine your teeth and gums, and ask questions about the problem and your oral care habits. You may also be asked questions about your diet and the medicines you take.
Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:
Chow AW. Infections of the oral cavity, neck, and head. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009:chap 60.
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Aim for the Heart: The Films of Clint Eastwood
I. B. Tauris, Sep 1, 2009 - Performing Arts - 304 pages
Clint Eastwood is one of the world's most popular action stars, who has matured into one of America's finest producer-directors.Ā Entertaining, illuminating and packed with information, Aim for the Heart is the first book to cover his full life in the movies, showing how as both actor and filmmaker Eastwood aims for the heart of the drama, whatever the story.Ā
Howard Hughes follows Eastwood's craft through over 50 movies. He looks at his beginnings in fifties B-movies and in TV's Rawhide and his launch into superstardom in Sergio Leone's sixties spaghetti westerns.Ā Later rolesĀare discussed, including Beguiled, The Bridges of Madison County and Million Dollar Baby.Ā Since 1970,ĀEastwood has enjoyed parallel success as director-producer of his own Malpaso Productions, with Bird, Mystic River and Letters from Iwo Jima, demonstrating formidable directing credentials.Ā
Alongside details of all his movies, Eastwood's story is illustrated with film stills, glimpses behind the scenes, and rare poster advertising material.ĀAlso featuringĀĀthe most comprehensive credits filmography ever compiled on Eastwood's work, as star and director.ĀĀĀĀ
From inside the book
69 pages matching shot in this book
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I'm always envious of people whose kids have summer birthdays. Planning a kid's winter birthday party can be tricky and often, expensive. With Elliot's birthday in the middle of December, and Lucie's in March-- which is warmer, but still not reliably nice-- we're pretty much stuck renting some sort of facility, or limiting the number of kids and doing it at home. We've tried both, and it's always been successful, but this year we decided to embrace the weather and host an outdoor winter birthday party.
Because Elliot's birthday falls during the last week of school before winter break, for the past three years we've held his birthday party in early January. It's a good time because people are mostly available, and during Michigan winters, on a typical Sunday afternoon, you're pretty much dying to get out of the house. For a free activity, well, that's a huge bonus.
This past Sunday we had a sledding birthday party for Elliot, and I suspect that it may be the first of many spent in the great outdoors. We packed up our SUV with a nice little tailgate set-up and headed out to our favorite local sledding hill, at a local elementary school. I wish I had some photos of the sledding hill, or of actual sledding taking place, unfortunately my iPhone did a little sledding of its own after Lucie and I took a spill. (Word to the wise- don't sled with a white phone, with your pocket unzipped) I was only able to capture photos of the first few minutes, which only includes the tailgate. I don't haul my Nikon to events like this because I much prefer to be involved in the moment, enjoying my friends and family.
It was a beautiful sunny Michigan winter day, almost balmy really, with plenty of snow. You couldn't ask for much more than that. Except, well, the company was exceptional, and the food, that was pretty tasty too. I can't say I didn't like the stares from the bewildered sledders, but just maybe I felt a tiny bit bad for them too.
This is the second time I've used the One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart's Baking Book (it's not the same one on their website). They're perfectly moist and I love that it yields about 28 cupcakes, although the recipe says 24. This year rather than sending home a bag of favors for the parents to manage for the next month, I opted to make these cute Melted Snowman cookies. My piping skills were somewhat lacking (I didn't have enough icing to fill the pastry bags enough to control the flow), but I still think they turned out pretty cute. Here's a link to the original tutorial, but I found it via OhDeeDoh.
One other idea I had for a winter birthday party- a Solstice hike would be fun on December 21st. I'd love to hear any ideas you have.


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Langue: Poumei Naga
Version Information
The Poumai Naga tribe is one of the recognized scheduled tribes of Manipur, predominantly inhabiting in Senapati District of Manipur with the population of little over 40,000 (2001 census). Members of this tribal group are also seen living in Phek District of Nagaland with a population of about 6,500 people. They belong to the language group of Tibeto-Burman. Formerly, Poumai Naga and Mao Naga were recognized as Mao tribe till the Poumai Naga tribe was recognized as separate tribe by the Government of India in 2003. Almost the whole tribe embraced Christianity, and subsequently the Poumai Naga Baptist Association was formed in 1978. Today majority of the Poumai Christians are Baptists followed by the Roman Catholic. The Bible Society launched the New Testament project in 1982 and released it in 1992. The Old Testament was launched in 1995 with a request by the Poumai churches. This project is launched in order to provide the complete Bible. By providing the scripture more people will be led to focus their attention on the core message of the Bible. Thus, the Poumai Naga Holy Bible was published in 2009.
This translation, published by the Bible Society of India, was published in 2009.
If you are interested in obtaining a printed copy, please contact the Bible Society of India at www.bsind.org
Informations concernant les copyrights
©2009 Bible Society of India


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25 Kan. App. 2d 176
(959 P2d 929)
No. 79,824
STATE OF KANSAS, Appellant, v. TONY L. COWDIN, Appellee.
Petition for review denied 265 Kan. 887 (1998).
1. Rules governing the issuance and execution of search warrants are noted and discussed.
2. When the information in an affidavit for a search warrant is stated to have been obtained from the defendant's spouse, who resides with the defendant in the residence to be searched, no further showing of the witness' reliability is required.
3. The basis of an informant's knowledge of the facts related in an affidavit for a search warrant is a factor to be considered in determining the validity of the search warrant.
4. An affidavit for a search warrant should disclose facts such as the informant's criminal record and other matters of relevance.
5. The failure of an affidavit for a search warrant to state the type of facts such as the informant's criminal record and other matters of relevance is improper but will not render the affidavit unreliable and insufficient to support the issuance of the search warrant unless the omission is of material facts.
6. In order to determine if omissions in an affidavit for a search warrant are material, it must be determined whether, if the issuing judge had had the omitted information when he or she examined the affidavit, a finding of probable cause to issue the warrant still would have been proper.
7. Law enforcement officers are not required to include rumors about the affiant in an affidavit for a search warrant.
8. A magistrate's determination of probable cause for issuance of a search warrant should be paid great deference by reviewing courts.
Appeal from Franklin District Court; THOMAS H. SACHSE, judge. Opinion filed May 22, 1998. Reversed and remanded.
Bryan M. Hastert, deputy county attorney, Lawrence M. Wright, county attorney, and Carla J. Stovall, attorney general, for the appellant.
Jacqueline Reid-Peterson, of Topeka, for the appellee.
Before LEWIS, P.J., RULON, J., and JACK A. MURPHY, District Judge, assigned.
LEWIS, J.: The State of Kansas prosecutes this interlocutory appeal from an order suppressing evidence obtained from defendant's residence pursuant to a search warrant.
The legal problems for this defendant began when the police responded to a domestic dispute call at his residence. Defendant and his wife, Heidi, were present and involved in a domestic dispute. Heidi plays a significant role in the developing story.
When Undersheriff Craig Davis arrived at defendant's house in response to the domestic disturbance call, he was invited into the home by defendant. While at defendant's home, Davis saw, in plain view, a Bendix/King radio in the house. This was of some significance because the sheriff's department had been made aware of the fact that defendant was suspected of receiving radios stolen from the Wellsville Police Department. To Davis' knowledge, Bendix/King radios, such as he had seen in defendant's home, are not sold to individuals but are sold only to fire departments and police departments.
Davis left the house and advised the sheriff of what he had seen. The sheriff decided to ask Heidi to come to the sheriff's office for questioning. Heidi did so and was interviewed for more than 2 hours and was at the office for approximately 10 hours.
While at the sheriff's office, Heidi told the officers conducting the questioning that defendant had received property stolen from the Wellsville Police Department and that he was in possession of guns, marijuana, and other drugs. She pinpointed for the officers the location of the contraband in defendant's house.
Based on her information, an application was made for a search warrant. The affidavit identified Heidi as the informant, indicated that she resided at the residence to be searched along with defendant, who is her husband, and recited the facts she had provided to the police officers.
Defendant's arguments and the trial court's basis for suppressing the evidence is based on what the affidavit did not say. The affidavit did not point out a recent false report of rape by Heidi, her past use of drugs, and a theft conviction. Heidi was also rumored to be having an extramarital affair with a member of the Ottawa Police Department. None of this information was disclosed in the affidavit. However, at least as to the information concerning the alleged affair, the record shows the officers who prepared the affidavit had only heard rumors about the affair and had no hard evidence that it was actually taking place.
The affidavit was taken to a magistrate, who issued a search warrant authorizing the search of the residence of Heidi and defendant. The search was executed, and it is apparent that the information provided by Heidi was accurate; a varied quantity of drugs were found, along with stolen guns and other items of contraband.
The trial court, after hearing defendant's motion to suppress, granted the motion and suppressed the evidence seized under the search warrant. It did so for the following reasons:
(1) There was no information in the affidavit regarding the reliability of past information provided to law enforcement. Because of the domestic disturbance call, the affidavit on its face provides the bias of the informant.
(2) There was no corroboration in the affidavit for the information provided by Heidi, other than what Davis saw at the residence.
(3) Davis is a credible witness, but his observation is insufficient corroboration of the information provided by defendant's wife.
(4) "The affidavit omitted information that Heidi Cowdin had been previously convicted of falsely reporting a crime; that she had, at least twice previously, been institutionalized for drug abuse, and in fact, may have been intoxicated at the time she gave information to the officers; and that she was romantically involved with a City of Ottawa police officer."
(5) "These omissions from the affidavit, on the part of affiant Campbell, were deliberate, and material. They were deliberate in the sense that Officer Campbell was aware of the information, and simply chose not to include it, and they were material, from the standpoint that they could have substantially affected Judge Fromme's analysis of the totality of the circumstances, in determining the sufficiency of the affidavit."
(6) United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 82 L. Ed. 2d 677, 104 S. Ct. 3405, reh. denied 468 U.S. 1250 (1984), and Kansas cases interpreting the Leon doctrine do not apply because of the willful omission of certain information from the affidavit.
In determining whether the trial court erred in suppressing evidence, the first inquiry is whether the warrant was properly issued. The standard of review on that issue is well established:
"Before a warrant for arrest or search may be issued, there must be a finding of probable cause by a neutral and detached magistrate. The complaint should supply the magistrate with sufficient factual information to support an independent judgment that probable cause exists. . . . Probable cause is the reasonable ground for belief that a specific crime has been committed and that the defendant has committed or is committing it. . . . Probable cause does not require specific evidence of each element of the offense as would be needed to support a conviction. Probable cause exists if the facts and circumstances within the arresting officer's knowledge and of which he has reasonably trustworthy information are sufficient in themselves to warrant a person of reasonable caution to believe that an offense has been or is being committed." State v. Abu-Isba, 235 Kan. 851, 853-54, 685 P.2d 856 (1984).
"'[A]fter-the-fact scrutiny by courts of the sufficiency of an affidavit should not take the form of de novo review. A magistrate's "determination of probable cause should be paid great deference by reviewing courts."'" State v. Bartlett, 14 Kan. App. 2d 237, 238, 787 P.2d 1211, rev. denied 246 Kan. 769 (1990). This standard of review applies equally to a trial court's review of a magistrate's decision as it does to an appellate court's review of the trial court's decision. 14 Kan. App. 2d at 239.
We have examined the affidavit in question and conclude that it did set out sufficient evidence for a magistrate to determine that there was probable cause that defendant was in possession of stolen property, that he was a felon in possession of a firearm, and that he was in possession of illegal drugs with no tax stamp. All of these facts were testified to by defendant's wife, who lived in the residence sought to be searched. The statements of defendant's wife were corroborated in part by the police officer's statement that he had observed a Bendix/King radio in defendant's residence on the date of the domestic disturbance. The location of the guns, stolen property, and illegal drugs was pinpointed as accurately as possible by Heidi, who indicated that defendant had hidden or buried guns and illegal drugs on the property outside of the house. She stated that defendant had a Bendix/King radio sitting by his bed, which apparently was the same radio observed by Davis.
We do not hesitate to conclude that the affidavit in this case sets forth sufficient facts to enable a magistrate to find the necessary probable cause for the issuance of the warrant.
However, the trial court found the affidavit to be misleading, particularly so in its failure to disclose certain unpleasant facts of Heidi's past. The trial court went on to conclude that the omissions were deliberate and material and "substantially affected Judge Fromme's analysis of the totality of the circumstances, in determining the sufficiency of the affidavit."
First, it does not appear to this court that proper deference was paid to Judge Fromme, who issued the search warrant. We observe that the information in the affidavit was absolutely factual and not bald conclusions of fact. The names and the addresses of the informants were stated in the affidavit.
"While the sufficiency of an affidavit for a search warrant is to be determined by an analysis of the totality of the circumstances, the veracity of a confidential informant, the reliability of the information furnished by an informant, and the basis of the informant's knowledge are factors to be considered in making such a determination." State v. Probst, 247 Kan. 196, Syl. ¶ 2, 795 P.2d 393 (1990).
It appears to us there are certain informants who, because of their obvious knowledge of the facts at issue, are more likely to provide reliable facts than others. The affidavit in this case stated that defendant and Heidi were husband and wife and resided at 2092 Jackson Road, Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas. The address for which the warrant was sought was 2092 Jackson Road, Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas. We believe no further showing of reliability was required once it was disclosed that the informant was defendant's spouse and that she resided at the address to be searched.
We hold that the affidavit in question was more than sufficient to provide probable cause for the issuance of the search warrant in this case.
The next issue is that of the concealed information. The trial court found that the police officers had deliberately omitted facts concerned with: (a) Heidi's affair with another police officer; and (b) Heidi's past criminal record.
The question is whether those omissions were material and rendered the affidavit unreliable. We hold they were not.
The trial court found that the affidavit omitted the fact that Heidi was romantically involved with a City of Ottawa police officer. The problem is that the officers who were executing the affidavit knew nothing of the alleged affair other than gossip they had heard. There was no need for the officers to include gossip in their affidavit. Search warrants are issued on disclosed facts and not on the latest rumors in town. In fact, the only evidence we can find on this issue is that the police officer with whom Heidi may have been involved was not a Franklin County sheriff's deputy and was not involved in any way in the arrest or preparation of this case.
We do believe, however, that the affidavit should have disclosed Heidi's past criminal record and all of its ramifications. The deliberate omission of these facts is regrettable; however, we conclude it was not material under the circumstances.
In State v. Lockett, 232 Kan. 317, 320, 654 P.2d 433 (1982), the Supreme Court, in discussing omissions from affidavits, said: "However, even if the omission were deliberate it must also be material. In other words, if the issuing judge had the omitted information before him when he examined the affidavit, would a finding of probable cause to issue a search warrant still have been proper?"
We cannot imagine that a qualified judge such as Judge Fromme would simply ignore all of the specific facts listed in the affidavit if he had been told that one of the informants had been convicted of a crime, was having an affair, and had used drugs in the past. There is no question that if the omitted material had been included in the affidavit, the warrant would still be supported by a showing of probable cause, and we hold the information omitted was not material.
The State then argues that this evidence should be admitted under the good faith exception of United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897. We do not reach the issue of Leon. We have already indicated that, in our opinion, the search warrant in this case was not defective. Leon does not apply when a warrant is valid and executed for the terms on its face.
We hold as follows: (1) The affidavit executed by Heidi and the sheriff's officer and placed before the issuing magistrate judge set forth sufficient facts to allow the magistrate to make an intelligent and independent determination that probable cause existed for the issuance of the search warrant. (2) There was no requirement that the officers state in the affidavit that they were aware of a rumor that Heidi was having an affair with an Ottawa police officer. (3) The omission of the fact concerning Heidi's criminal record from the affidavit was error and should have been included. However, the omission was not material. Even with the omitted facts, the affidavit showed sufficient probable cause to support the issuance of the warrant. The evidence seized under the search warrant was admissible, the trial court's ruling to the contrary is reversed, and the matter is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Reversed and remanded.


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For one week only, our space columnist Richard Hollingham turns financial adviser* to tackle readers'** questions.
Hi Richard, I am a successful multibillionaire businessman searching for something new to change the world. It can't be evil. Is asteroid mining the answer? Larry P
Well Larry P, with headlines such as billionaires say they will save humanity by mining asteroids you might be forgiven for thinking all the Earth's problems are over. Not to mention your future investment decisions. Certainly it sounds like there is a lot of money to be made with plenty of benefits for all humanity. But are asteroids really worth the billions of dollars the promoters claim?
Planetary Resources has announced its plans to identify, prospect and mine asteroids and return the resources to Earth. The US company is targeting platinum-rich asteroids as well as rocks with a high-proportion of water. These are serious people, with serious money. So, you would expect their maths to add up.
"We've completed a detailed technology roadmap," co-founder of the company Eric Anderson tells me. "We have outlined all the different bits and pieces that we need to develop to ensure we have low cost, highly reliable, high performance spacecraft to do everything from prospect to extract resources."
Anderson says they aim to make money along the way by developing and selling new technology. At the moment, for instance, they're working on a laser communications system for MIT and Nasa to improve communications in outer space. "Then we have a number of other contracts that are for pieces of our technology that are useful in other areas."
All of which should help keep the business going for a few years. "Then we move onto the prospecting phase," says Anderson. "We can characterise the top 20 or so asteroids for maybe four or five hundred million dollars, which is nothing in the mining industry."
"A 30m (90ft) diameter platinum-rich asteroid is worth about 50 billion US dollars – you're talking about something the size of a big house – if you can't extract the resource from a rock the size of a house for less that 40 or 50 billion dollars, something's wrong."
Space refill
But not everyone agrees that asteroid mining makes financial sense. Editor of Spaceflight magazine and former Nasa scientist, David Baker, is more cautious in his calculations. A contributor to my podcast, he points out that this isn't a new idea.
"I did some work on this sort of thing back in the 1970s when eco-planetary exploitation was all the rage," says Baker. When he examined the costs of surveying, extraction, refining and getting the material back to Earth, it just didn't add up. "The whole thing is like a slippery pig," he says. "Just when you thought you had it, the thing gets away from you. You would certainly need a massive market to justify the outlay."
So what is the market for the platinum metals – the bulk of the material that Planetary Resources hopes to mine?
An ounce of platinum will currently set you back more than $1550. Platinum group metals (including Ruthenium, Rhodium and Palladium) are becoming increasingly valuable for a range of industrial applications. But if you want to make money from mining them, does it make any sense to flood the market with extraterrestrial platinum, driving the price down?
"Nothing would make me happier," exclaims Anderson. "We want to create a world of abundance. I believe the more we have that's available for humans to create new machines and computers, new medical devices and renewable energy devices using platinum group metals that don't cost $1500 an ounce, the better."
This is all very well, but where's the profit for investors like you Larry P? This is where much of the coverage of the Planetary Resources launch has rather missed the point. It does not take much digging to discover that this endeavour is more about mining resources in space, for use in space (it's in big letters on their website). Or, in other words, interplanetary gas stations.
"We want to establish propellant stations around the Earth-Moon system and, quite frankly, around the Solar System," Anderson explains. "So missions that launch from the surface of the Earth need not carry the fuel with them to go any further than the gas station."
By his calculations, a 50m (150ft) wide asteroid that is made up of 20% ice would generate enough liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to have launched every space shuttle mission in the history of the space shuttle programme. "That's an enormous amount of fuel that becomes available." Suddenly, human missions to Mars and beyond become much more feasible. "This has the ability to reduce the cost of deep space exploration by [factors of] 10 or 100."
And, as we know from the oil industry on Earth, if you have got the monopoly on gas supplies, you can't fail to make money. Although that does rather assume that there's an interplanetary transport industry to support. No point in owning a space gas station, if no-one has any rockets to fill up.
So Larry P, investing in asteroid mining is definitely high risk. This unprecedented venture faces enormous technical and financial challenges. But talking to Anderson it's clear that this is about a lot more than just profit: "At its very core, this is about creating an economy in the solar system…this is about creating a pathway for humans to colonise the solar system. That's what it's really about."
Before we go, just time for one more question. James C of Los Angeles writes: Will there be blue aliens living on these asteroids?
*Richard Hollingham is not a qualified space financial advisor
**These are not actual reader's questions. However. Richard is always keen to hear from you. If you would like to comment on this story or ask a question, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.


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In this first post, I want to talk about tools and toys, two of the basic elements of RPG design. Understanding tools and toys allows us to understand the strengths and weaknesses of many games. I will be assuming that we are talking about games in which the player has a clearly defined goal which she will reach or fail to reach depending at least partly on her own strategic and tactical decisions.
Definitions of tool and toy
First, my definition of a tool:
A tool is an element of the game that the player can acquire (and/or lose), and that, when correctly used, increases the chance of success that the player has when following certain strategies.A tool is something that you can get, and that will make your character better. In most RPGs, a new weapon will be a tool, because it makes you more effective when you hit something. Hit points would also be a tool: if you acquire more hit points, you'll be more effective in combat.
Second, my definition of a toy:
A toy is an element of the game that the player can acquire (and/or lose), that opens up new possibilities for play.Whereas a tool makes you better at something, a toy allows you to do something that you couldn't do before. Common examples are magic spells, potions, scrolls, and so on; but also new abilities that are unlocked as you become better.
Using these two definitions, we can say that there are four types of acquirables: pure tools (which make you better but don't give you new options), pure toys (which give you new options, but options that do not help you win the game), tool-toys (which give you useful new options) and junk (which gives you no new options and isn't useful).
Why good design makes use of tool-toys
What makes this interesting from a game design perspective is that in general, you will want to design tool-toys. Neither pure toys nor pure tools are very interesting for the player. Pure toys are in a sense not part of the game; they may be fun to fool around with, but will ultimately feel empty. Pure tools, on the other hand, either don't change the game or they trivialise it. Either the challenges will progress in difficulty with the tools you find, in which case nothing changes; or the challenges remain the same, and thus become easier and easier as you get better and better tools, leading to play that becomes boring.
Hybrid tool-toys, on the other hand, are fun. They enlarge your tactical arsenal, allowing you to overcome old challenges in new ways, or to face new challenges that require new ways of thinking.
The problem with pure tools I: Dragon age versus Baldur's Gate
This seems obvious, but many games have sinned against this insight. Having too many pure toys is rare. Fable is the worst offender that comes to my mind -- all those gestures, houses, wives, and so on that have no impact on the core gameplay -- but it is easy to ignore all that and get on with the real game. Much more annoying and much more frequent are games that 'reward' the player with pure tools.
Let's talk about Dragon Age: Origins. Why did the loot in Dragon Age feel so underwhelming and just plain boring? Because most of it consisted of pure tools. Somehow the developers thought that it was a good idea to take every kind of weapon and armour in the game, and supply it in a number of levels: a level 1 sword, a level 2 sword, and so on, all the way up to level 9. So you would be spending the game first slowly finding all the level 2 items you need for your entire party; then finding all the level 3 items you need; then... and none of this had any discernible impact on the game, because all the enemies also become more difficult. This is awful design; it makes sifting through treasured feel like a chore rather than a reward.
There are some items with special properties in Dragon Age, but they are still just tools. You might for instance find a battleaxe with the following special properties: "+1 damage, +5% melee critical chance, -1 dexterity". Which just means that you'll be slightly better at hitting things, and slightly worse at sneaking around. Getting such an item does not open up any new possibilities, and this means that it is not much fun, not something to get excited about.
If we think back to an earlier big RPG, Baldur's Gate 2, we'll immediately see the difference. Remember that katana that would stun opponents, and could call down lightning from the sky once per day? Of course you remember it. It was cool. What made it cool was that it allowed your fighter character to do things he couldn't do before: stun people and call down lightning on them. Or you get into an incredibly difficult fight and then be rewarded with the Staff of the Magi: " +1 THACO (strikes as +5 weapon), +2 AC, +2 saves, Invisibility, Immunity to Charm, Prot. from Evil, area fire/elec. damage 3x/day, Spell Trap 1x/day". That's right it makes you invisble, makes you immune to charm, protects you from evil, and allows you to cast four special spells every day. That is something you'll want to find. And the game if full of this kind of stuff.
The problem with pure tools II: fighters versus wizards
Pure tools are boring. There's nothing wrong with a few pure tools in your game, but you really need tool-toys to spice things up and keep the player interested.
Why is it much more fun to play a wizard than a fighter in all D&D-like game? Precisely because fighters generally get more pure tools as they level up, while wizards get more tool-toys. What excited you more in Baldur's Gate, the fact that one of your fighter characters was ready to level up, or the fact that one of your mages was ready to level up? Exactly, the latter. Because a fighter just got more hit points and a higher attack bonus -- sure, it made him better, but it didn't open up any new possibilities. While a wizard (or a priest) got new spells, and new spells meant new avenues of play, new decisions, new tactics.
I haven't played much Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition, so I don't know how good it is; but one thing I was happy to see is that the designers finally realised that this discrepancy between fighting characters and spell casting characters was bad design. In the new rules, every class gets new toys (special moves, special attacks, and so on) as they level up.
Another way of solving this problem, once you have saddled yourself with it by adopting a classic fighter/wizard paradigm, is by adding so many toys to the game that the fighter won't lack in options. This is the way that Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is designed: you'll have so many scrolls and potions and godly powers and whatnot that you won't miss the magic spells too much. Still, playing a wizard remains more interesting than playing a warrior, because the wizard has ten or twenty spells to choose from every turn, while the warrior will generally use only one or two weapons.
It seems to me that merely keeping the idea that tool-toys are often the most interesting parts of the game in mind, helps us design better games. For instance, every dungeon in Kerkerkruip will contain a small amount of "epic" items, which are supposed to be very good. It is tempting to just take a type of item you already have, and make it better -- e.g., we have a weapon, and now we make an epic version, which is just a better weapons: it is more accurate and does more damage. But that would be the boring decision, the "pure tool" decision.
So I've made sure to require of myself as a designer that every epic item should change the way the player will play in some meaningful way -- that is, it should not just be a very powerful tool, but also a highly interesting toy. And so as an epic weapon, we have the "glass cannon", which is highly accurate and deals a lot of damage, and is a ranged weapon to boot; but also permanently halves the player's maximum health whenever it is equipped, makes it easier for the player to be hit, and cannot be used to parry attacks (it is made of glass, so it will shatter). Equipping the glass cannon allows and requires the player to develop a new strategy: one that utilises the fact that you can deal a lot of damage very quickly, but at least at first will lean heavily on using escape options (scrolls of protection, scrolls of teleportation, portals) to not die. Having this weapon makes the game feel different.
This is example should also clarify that a toy doesn't necessarily give the player completely new actions to perform; it can also change the tactical situation in such a way that old actions can be combined into new tactics. An excellent example of this would be a ring of stealth in Brogue: you can always try to walk away from approaching monsters, avoid them, try to remain undetected -- but only once you have a nice ring of stealth does this become a full-fledged strategy, a general way of dealing with the dungeon rather than something you might desperately try to do when you're almost dead. So it opens up new options in the sense that old patterns of behaviour (walking away, and so on) take on a new tactical meaning.
Let me end with some caveats. There can certainly be situations or systems in which pure tools can be interesting -- an obvious example would be having to choose between different tools. There can also be interesting acquirables that are hard to fit into the tool/toy scheme. Items which have both good and bad effects might be a good example, like rings in Nethack: they give some benefit, but they also increase your food consumption. They're not toys, but they are not as boring as my description of a pure tool would have you believe. And then there are unidentified items -- they can be tactically interesting even though they are pure tools or downright harmful, simply because of the fact that the player doesn't know what they'll do when used. Under what circumstances could it be worth it try this item?
So the tool/toy distinction and the claim that hybrids are the most interesting elements of a game is not presented here as something written in stone and without exceptions. But I do believe it is a useful idea, that can help us design better games.


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Amy Lea is the U.S. Small Business Administration District Director for Wyoming. In this role, she strives to connect the Wyoming small business community with the Agency's access to capital, counseling and training, and government contracting tools and resources. She is responsible for the implementation and oversight of all SBA programs in the state.
Previously, she served as the Wyoming Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Program Manager; the SBA Senior Area Manager in Juneau, Alaska; and worked for the Wyoming Women's Business Center. She is certified as an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) by the National Development Council; achieved a Certified Contracting Assistance Specialist (CCAS) through the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers; and holds a B.S. in biological sciences from Cornell University. She lives in Casper and Thermopolis with her husband, Tom and their daughter, Karina.


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Portrait of a Great Horned Owl
This is one of the captive Great Horned Owls at Mountsberg Conservation area.
Portrait of a Great Grey Owl
Portrait of a Great Grey Owl
Portrait of a Great Blue Heron
Juvenile Great Blue Heron stalking its lunch in Spruce bog in Algonquin provincial Park.
Portrait of an Osprey
What is a photographer to do when Momma Osprey lands in front of you?
Kestrel searching for lunch
Pair of young Kestrels found hunting in the Kawartha Lakes. This one was more curious about the camera than the other.
Afternoon Nap
Eastern Screech Owl sleeping the afternoon away in Waterloo.
Fledging Peregrine Falcon
Saddie is one of the peregrines fledging in Waterloo.
Osprey in Flight
Osprey flying North West of London in Southern Ontario. The nest this young one was from, is across from one of the old family farms.
Egret peeking around the Reeds
Egret Migrating, and was very patient about the people birding.
Ever get that Sinking feeling?
Even the birds are sinking into this mud. After the rain yesterday, that muddy muck was soup.
Needless to say, you crawled and didn't walk!
This is back again in the mudflats at Wildwood conservation area. The lesser and greater yellow legs can still be found there in the mud. Not nearly the variety of birds as before. Most can be seen easily enough with binoculars or a scope.
Portrait of a Ruby Throated Humming Bird
Ruby throated Humming bird coming to flowers on the family farm.
Portrait of a Gull
Snowy Owl watching the bi-ped
The snowy was very tolerant of me, only glancing down as the shutter of the camera shutter clicked. Unfortunately it was not a fan of the snow mobiles that did not see either of us, and roared through.
Portraits of Sandpipers
Down in the mud in the bay of Fundy. Interesting how they are willing to run around the human taking photos. They never flushed, even with the pair of juvenile peregrine's showing up trying to flush shore birds.
The past 4 years, its been a struggle to get even a fleeting photo of a Heron. I see them all the time, when I don't have a Camera. When I do have a camera... they are no where to be seen. Not just the great Blue Herons, but the other herons and egrets as well.
Luckily this one was only momentarily curious about me. Taking that moment to pose as if instructed for the photo. Although it did make me late to get photos of Ospreys in the golden hour. Oh well, I'll take this shot.
I am a pretty Bird
I was really surprised to find these stunning birds at Mer Bleue.
I have always enjoyed having cedar waxwings around. I could not get over the difference of bohemian waxwings, they were absolutely stunning! This bird was apart of a fairly large flock, that was weathering out a storm in the shrubs.
Mystery - Trying to Lure her oldest Fledge off his comfortable perch
Mystery trying to get her eldest, Mercury up and flying. He eventually did give chase, despite having eaten a pretty big lunch.
Gull in the Golden Hour
Snowy Owl on the Wing
She was seated on a post. Until, she leapt into the air flying within 10 feet of me. There was another snowy owl in the distance that she was headed off to.
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle hunting the geese behind the Milton Dump. The geese enjoy the corn fields, and the Eagles can be found every so often keeping them on their toes.
There was a GPS transmitter on this bird.
Portrait of a House Wren
This persistent little guy, insisted on having it's photo taken.
I was setting up in the road to take landscape shots. And this little guy was unusually curious about what I was upto and came in for closer inspection. So of course that meant it needed a photo!
Portrait of a Snowy Owl
He was sitting on the remnants of an old corn crib. Gave me a cursory glance, before going back to looking for mice at the base of the crib.
Kingbird Fly Catching
Portrait of a Redwing Blackbird
The first ones to greet you at the marsh, and the last to call out your departure.
They were a surprise to see at Mer Bleue, considering how early in the year it was.
The water was still icy, snow and frost lingered in the shady spots. Usually the march break, I start finding them down in Point Pelee. These boys were fairly established, prior to even that.
This boy in particular, was fairly friendly and photogenic.
Turkey Vulture on the wing
Love watching these giants soaring above the fields of the old family farm.
Swamp Sparrow
Really enjoy taking photos of Sparrows. This little Swampy was bouncing all over the Lilly pads, getting within 15' at times.
Portrait of a Hummer
Male humming bird coming into the flowers. The humming birds nest some where around these flowers at the old family farm.
Ever get a Sinking feeling?
Kingfisher actually being patient
Rare moment of a kingfisher posing, and waiting patiently for the photographer.


text: People gather at the site of an explosion in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, India, on Saturday. Scores of people were killed in twin blasts linked to cooking gas cylinders. EPA/Landov hide caption toggle caption EPA/Landov The Two-Way Blasts At Restaurant In India Kill Scores September 12, 2015 The massive explosions were traced to cooking gas cylinders, but officials say the restaurant was located next to a house that store construction explosives.


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Mark Vandermaas had an outing planned with his wife on Aug. 4, and he had already cancelled once.
But when the founder of Israel Truth Week heard that London Ribfest organizers had invited an anti-Israel group to erect a booth at the five-day family food and music event, which draws up to 200,000 people annually, he said he just had to organize a peaceful protest.
"I didn't want to have to do it. But when I saw that at a park in my community, a family festival was being used to promote a one-sided message, I just couldn't leave it unopposed," he said.
"I went by to take a photo of the booth to make sure it was for real."
Vandermaas, who is not Jewish, founded Israel Truth Week in 2012 in response to the vilification of Israel and the intimidation of Jewish students at the University of Western Ontario, in London, Ont., where he lives. Vandermaas is a former member of the Canadian Forces who has served with a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Middle East.
When he learned of the anti-Israel's group's presence at the festival, Vandermaas emailed and visited the festival office to clarify the situation. He couldn't reach the organizers, but a volunteer told him the group – led by members of People for Peace London and the Canadian Palestinian Social Association of London – had held a peaceful march through the grounds on Aug. 2, waving flags and speaking to attendees. To appease them, festival staff invited them to set up a booth at the event, which was held at Victoria Park in London.
Mark Vandermaas
Cecil Hillier, whose family co-ordinates Ribfest, said organizers asked the group to set up a booth in order to diffuse the situation.
"This has happened before with other groups," Hillier said. "Like with vegans, [who were] going around talking to people. We told them, 'If you want to get your message out, you can stay contained within your booth and pass on your message,' rather than have them disrupt the event."
In response to the group's presence, Vandermaas sent out an alert to Israel Truth Week supporters. And on the holiday Monday – Erev Tisha b'Av – as many as a dozen supporters joined him at the park for the peaceful vigil. Dozens more emailed and called festival organizers and local politicians to complain.
"Many people came to talk to us. The other side also came to talk in a friendly manner. We were a small but progressively growing group as the afternoon wore into evening, but we had a huge presence and impact: emails and phone calls to the organizers; postings on Facebook; tweets and emails to Israel Truth Week."
Hillier said Ribfest organizers also invited Vandermaas' group to return next year.
"They were not just allowed to stay but very welcome," Hillier said.
David Heap, a professor at Western in French and linguistics and the son of the late Dan Heap, a former Toronto NDP MP, is an organizer with People for Peace London. He said his group often rallies at Victoria Park, as it is a busy spot.
On Aug. 2, he said, it held a vigil for victims of the Gaza conflict, during which he was told to contact festival organizers about setting up a booth.
"It was entirely positive. We were invited to set up a booth with information for Sunday and Monday (Aug. 3 and 4), which we did," Heap said.
"The reception was very positive with people wanting information."
Vandermaas said he now realizes that Ribfest organizers weren't trying to take a side in the conflict, just trying to put out a fire.
"It doesn't mean it shouldn't go unopposed. We took a stand for truth," he said. "We galvanized people – even those who could not be there. I have never seen such a direct mass action than I saw with this little vigil. It was a great victory."


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Passware Kit Forensic
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As the global leader in defense imports, India is becoming an arms bazaar
The growth in the Indian defense sector is surging, and the U.S. is jostling with traditional arms suppliers Russia, Israel and France for a prominent space in the South Asian nation's military modernization plans.
The mad rush to get a piece of the Indian defense pie is evident from the fact that over 600 companies around the world are participating and vying to sell their products at the ninth Aero India show in Bengaluru Feb. 6-10.
Among them, 67 armament and aviation companies are from the U.S., followed by 49 from France and 33 from the U.K., along with 29 manufacturers from Russia and 18 from Israel.
These aerospace and defense companies are taking all possible steps to update their business strategies and operations to seize opportunities in this highly competitive, lucrative and rapidly expanding market.
"With India's defense budgetary allocation expected to touch $50 billion in the next fiscal year, beginning April 1, 2013, nobody wants to miss the bus," says a senior Indian defense ministry official.
The major portion of India's expenditure on new procurements will go to air platforms in the near term, with spending expected to exceed $15 billion in the next couple of years.
In the fight for major aircraft deals for the Indian air force, American companies currently have an edge over the Russians. U.S. aircraft makers, having lost out on the multibillion-dollar Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), have been trying to convince Indian authorities to replace Russian equipment, and they have been surprisingly successful.
Despite Indian authorities' hesitance to buy systems from the U.S. due to American dual-use technology export control restrictions, U.S. companies have notched orders worth $8 billion in India in the last few years and deals worth over $10 billion are in the pipeline.
The latest announcement from the Indian air force late last year was the selection of Boeing's Apache AH-64D to meet its requirement for 22 multirole combat helicopters.
Boeing submitted proposals to offer the latest Block III version of Apache to India in 2009. Russia, which had bid the Mi-28, announced late in 2011 that it was out of the estimated $1.4 billion deal after failing to meet several of the air force's technical requirements.
Close on the heels of the Apache deal, Boeing got another boost when the air force opted for Chinook CH-47F to fulfill its requirement for 15 heavy-lift helicopters. Boeing emerged as the lowest bidder when life-cycle costs were calculated, edging out a proposal for the Russian Mi-26.
"These deals, estimated at around $2.5 billion [together], are expected to be signed in 2013," the Indian defense ministry official notes.
Another major Boeing contract is the $4 billion deal to supply 10 C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift aircraft. "The first C-17 aircraft will be delivered to India in May or June 2013, and by mid-2014 all 10 aircraft are likely to be with the [air force]," says Patrick Druez, head of business development for Boeing Military Aircraft's Mobility Div. in Northern Europe and India.
India will also receive the first three of its eight contracted P-8Is long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft this year. "The program is progressing on schedule as Boeing assembles the fourth and fifth P-8Is," Dennis Swanson, a vice president at Boeing Defense, Space & Security, tells Aviation Week.
Under a $2 billion contract signed in 2009, Boeing will deliver eight of the long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft to India starting in the first half of this year, with an option for four more. India is the launch customer for the P-8I, a variant of the U.S. Navy's P-8A Poseidon.
"With 7,500 kilometers of coastline and three aircraft carriers, the Indian navy is going to have a tremendous need for . . . maritime and surveillance aircraft," says Carl Lang, Boeing's P-8I program manager. "So we expect that once the navy starts using the P-8I, the demand may go up to 30 or more."
The air force is also planning to exercise its option for another six C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin, in a bid to complete the full squadron of 12 Hercules in its transport fleet.
As it seeks to reach its sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons by 2022, up from its current 34, the air force is advancing its modernization process. Under its 15-year Long-Term Integrated Perspective Plan 2002-17, the service is buying fighters, transport aircraft, helicopters, radars and missile systems in a phased manner.
"We are on a path of modernizing our assets. In the last five-year plan [2007-12], the [air force] procurements were around $27 billion. We envisage procuring assets worth more than $37 billion over the next two plan periods [by 2022]," says the air force deputy chief, Air Marshal R.K. Sharma.
Several megadeals could reach the signing table this year, including the estimated $20 billion MMRCA project with Dassault to supply 126 Rafales to the air force.
"Termed as one of the largest defense deals in the world, the fighter deal is large enough to change the face of the defense industry in India and France," says Gurpal Singh, deputy director general of the Confederation of Indian Industry, who heads its defense, aerospace and security group.
Some of the other big-ticket contracts in the offing include the 214 units of fifth-generation fighters to be jointly developed by India and Russia, as well as the Swiss Pilatus PC-7 Mk. II turboprop aircraft.
In addition, the air force has plans to buy around 220 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), orders for the initial 20 of which have been placed with an Indian consortium led by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
The air force is progressively introducing BAE Systems Hawk advanced trainers, 123 of which were ordered in two contracts inked in March 2004 and July 2010 totaling 160 billion rupees ($3.2 billion).
India has signed a $2.4 billion contract with Thales and Dassault to upgrade its 51 Mirage 2000 combat jets that were acquired in the 1980s. Plans also are underway to modernize Su-30MKI fighters deployed by the air force with certain so-called fifth-generation aircraft characteristics to convert them into "Super Sukhois."
And the air force plans to buy an additional 59 Russian-made Mi-17 V5 helicopters; it ordered 80 in 2008.
"Most of these deals are expected to take a final shape in 2013," says the Indian defense ministry official.
The air force is also likely to take delivery of the two remaining Embraer 145 AEW&C aircraft on order from Brazil's Embraer Defense and Security toward year-end. India received the first last August under an agreement worth more than $200 million signed in 2008 to jointly integrate the indigenously developed AEW&C systems onto three of the modified regional jets. The aircraft carries the Indian Active Array Antenna Units developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
The Indian government is expected to choose the winner of a 197-helicopter competition this year. The Eurocopter AS350 Fennec and Russian Kamov Ka-226 Sergei are vying for the contract expected to be worth over $2 billion. The army will take delivery of 133 of the helicopters and the rest would go to the air force.
Moreover, India may sign a final deal with Airbus Military to supply A330 MRTT Multirole Tanker Transport for its new midair refueling tankers. "Detailed negotiations will now begin, which is expected will lead to the award of a final production contract for an envisaged six aircraft in 2013," an Airbus Military official says.
The twin-engine MRTT was competing with the Russian Ilyushin IL 78 Midas; the air force operates six IL 78 refuelers now. The Airbus Military official estimates the value of the project is about $1.55 billion.
The defense outlay for the current fiscal year, which ends March 31, constitutes 1.9% of the country's gross domestic product (estimated to be 101.6 trillion rupees), a marginal increase from the 1.83% of the GDP in 2011-12.
As one of the largest defense equipment markets in the world, India is expected to spend about $120 billion on capital acquisition alone during the next five years.
"We are in one of the world's most dangerous regions, with two nuclear-armed neighbors," the Indian defense ministry official says. "The rising military might of China and threats from Pakistan, along with an underdeveloped aerospace industry, have by default made us the world's leading weapons importer."
Meanwhile, a report by Deloitte Aerospace & Defense on the 2013 outlook says India is poised to become a favorite destination for global defense sector players with total offset opportunity for the commercial segment in the country set to cross the $10 billion mark this year. According to the report, while the global defense industry is expected to shrink, India continues to be one of the promising A&D markets in the world, due to its armed forces' increasing demand for A&D equipment.
"Due to the huge offset requirement and the Indian government's objective of building up an indigenous manufacturing base, the global industry has an opportunity to integrate with the Indian industry to set up their manufacturing lines in India," says Nidhi Goyal, director at Deloitte India. "This could be achieved either through joint ventures or collaborations."
While the Indian defense market is providing new opportunities for foreign defense companies, the government is well aware of the importance of building up its internal industrial defense base. As a result, it has introduced stringent offset requirements and insists on transfers of technology under the Defense Procurement Procedures. It recently announced a new strategy, "Buy Indian, Make Indian," in an effort to keep production local.
Offset contracts valued at more than $4.5-5 billion have been signed by Indian and foreign companies since the offset policy came into effect in 2005. However, with the new 2012 guidelines and the assumption of a formal civil policy, the total offset opportunity for the commercial segment is estimated at $10-15 billion.
Current procurement rules require any foreign vendor receiving an Indian defense deal worth more than 3 billion rupees to reinvest 30% of the value into the country's industry. In 2012, the rules were revised to put a 20% cap on the penalty for foreign companies that fail to fulfill their defense offset requirements within the set time frame.
Indian companies will likely succeed with the help of foreign companies, benefitting both. Once indigenous manufacturing takes root, research and development for the Indian military and civil aircraft sectors is likely to be the government's next focus area.
The Indian defense ministry official points out that there is "a lot of scope for both public and private sector" players to participate in the air force's upgrade plans. "The Indian aerospace industry will have to focus on developing in-house infrastructure, training and R&D capabilities to energize this sector," he says.


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How Do You Measure The 'Benefits' Of Copyright?
from the evidence-based deptOne of the major problems we have with the way copyright law today is developed is how much of it is faith-based -- with supporters insisting that more stringent copyright law is obviously "better," without presenting any evidence to support that. The history of copyright law is filled with examples of this sort of argumentation in favor of stronger copyrights. Thomas Macauley famously (and quite eloquently) argued against such things in the UK House of Commons 160 years ago, and his words still stand today. Here are just some brief excerpts, though the whole thing is worth reading:
I believe, Sir, that I may safely take it for granted that the effect of monopoly generally is to make articles scarce, to make them dear, and to make them bad. And I may with equal safety challenge my honorable friend to find out any distinction between copyright and other privileges of the same kind; any reason why a monopoly of books should produce an effect directly the reverse of that which was produced by the East India Companys monopoly of tea, or by Lord Essexs monopoly of sweet wines. Thus, then, stands the case. It is good that authors should be remunerated; and the least exceptionable way of remunerating them is by a monopoly. Yet monopoly is an evil. For the sake of the good we must submit to the evil but the evil ought not to last a day longer than is necessary for the purpose of securing the good....But, that, of course leads to the question of just what is the benefit that copyright provides. If you talk to many of today's copyright system supporters, they will claim the benefit (or even the entire purpose) of copyright, is to provide remuneration to creators. That, of course, ignores the basic history of copyright law, but even if we assume this is true, then copyright does not seem to serve that purpose. After all, very few content creators get remuneration for their creations, and among those who do, fewer still get enough remuneration to make a living.
... consider this; the evil effects of the monopoly are proportioned to the length of its duration. But the good effects for the sake of which we bear with the evil effects are by no means proportioned to the length of its duration. A monopoly of sixty years produces twice as much evil as a monopoly of thirty years, and thrice as much evil as a monopoly of twenty years. But it is by no means the fact that a posthumous monopoly of sixty years gives to an author thrice as much pleasure and thrice as strong a motive as a posthumous monopoly of twenty years. On the contrary, the difference is so small as to be hardly perceptible. We all know how faintly we are affected by the prospect of very distant advantages, even when they are advantages which we may reasonably hope that we shall ourselves enjoy. But an advantage that is to be enjoyed more than half a century after we are dead, by somebody, we know not by whom, perhaps by somebody unborn, by somebody utterly unconnected with us, is really no motive at all to action...
The principle of copyright is this. It is a tax on readers for the purpose of giving a bounty to writers. The tax is an exceedingly bad one; it is a tax on one of the most innocent and most salutary of human pleasures; and never let us forget, that a tax on innocent pleasures is a premium on vicious pleasures. I admit, however, the necessity of giving a bounty to genius and learning. In order to give such a bounty, I willingly submit even to this severe and burdensome tax. Nay, I am ready to increase the tax, if it can be shown that by so doing I should proportionally increase the bounty. My complaint is that my honorable and learned friend doubles, triples, quadruples, the tax and makes scarcely and perceptible addition to the bounty.
In discussing how copyright law might be rethought, Cory Doctorow does a nice job pointing out the extremes which disprove the common claims of copyright. After all, he notes, if copyright is about helping content creators make a living, then the "best" solution would be to simply award content creators a living wage. So arguing that copyright is designed to serve that purpose is misleading. Similarly, in measuring the overall impact of copyright, you can't simply add up the aggregate amount made from copyright -- as some copyright system defenders love to do with the oft-cited $1.52 trillion dollar number. Doctorow again disproves that as the proper measuring stick, by again taking it to the extreme: if only one person were to make all that money thanks to copyright, no one would think that was a good program.
So, how do you judge the benefits of copyright? Cory's suggestion is the following:
In my world, copyright's purpose is to encourage the widest participation in culture that we can manage -- that is, it should be a system that encourages the most diverse set of creators, creating the most diverse set of works, to reach the most diverse audiences as is practical.While this sounds nice, I still don't believe this is the proper way to measure copyright, either. After all, one could easily take this to the same extreme and note that if we get the widest participation but, in doing so, it creates disincentives for great artists to create their works, is that the best system? I'm not convinced that's the case either. This is also why I think Cory's piece, which starts out so promising, goes somewhat askew at the end, in proposing a blanket music tax for file sharing -- an idea that I believe is actually quite a bad one due to serious unintended consequences.
So I would posit that the way you judge the "benefit" of copyright is the way economists judge such things: you look at the aggregate marginal benefit across all stake holders. That is, what is the marginal benefit to everyone in society from a specific change to copyright. Does it increase output but decrease consumption? Thus, you should be looking at not just if it makes artists better off, but by how much, and whether or not it makes others better off and by how much. This may not be easy to measure, but it is how to best think about the impact of changes in copyright law. Look at both the increases and decreases in "benefits" to everyone in the ecosystem and see which maximizes the overall societal benefit.
This is also why I disagree with Cory's concept of "balance" -- a concept I have argued against in the past. If you are striving for "balance," you are arguing for what everyone must give up. Yet, if you are looking for the greatest marginal benefit, you are seeking the result where you are maximizing overall social benefit -- meaning, you are increasing opportunities for content creators to create and to make money, while at the same time increasing the social benefit that others can get out of their art by consuming it, by sharing the experience associated with it, by building on it, etc.
The goal should not be to "balance" what needs to be taken away or to just focus on one side of the equation (artists or "participants"), but to seek out what policies would actually maximize the marginal benefit to all.
Filed Under: benefits, copyright, cory doctorow, economics, licensing


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The rumors that Kate Gosselin is having an affair with her long-time bodyguard Steve Neild have been swirling for a while, but is there some truth to the gossip? I mean, Kate is apparently worried over her finances given that she no longer has a "real" job, yet she is still keeping Steve on the pay roll? Sounds fishy to me!
After being caught on what seemed like a romantic date without Kate's eight, In Touch Weekly is reporting that the two looked quite cozy during an intimate dinner last month. "They were smiling and laughing," an onlooker reports. "They definitely looked like a couple."
Kate has long denied any romantic relationship with Steve, telling the Today show: "There is no affair. There never has been an affair;" claiming they are just "very good friends." However, viewers of her former show Kate Plus 8 can attest that there were certainly some sparks (remember the pizza meltdown of the final season? yikes!)
Even her ex-husband Jon Gosselin has added to the rumors that Kate and Steve are a little more than just friends. "I speculate, but I don't know — that's a general feel," Jon told Good Morning America. "You know, almost like when they were traveling together, I felt jealous. Here I'm Mr. Mom. And then there's some other guy traveling with my wife." And he was wondering just what kind of protection Steve was providing for his then wife! "Whether it's protection or not, it's all in — it's in the back of my mind."
Indeed, an insider is telling the mag that Kate and Steve definitely have a relationship! "Kate and Steve take long, lingering walks and even stay in the same room when they travel." On a recent trip to Chicago the pair was definitely acting like a couple, and Steve also accompanied Kate on a recent trip to Australia! "Kate doesn't hide her feelings for Steve," the insider adds."They're not ashamed of their relationship." But perhaps they should be!
For those of you who are thinking 'good for Kate for finding a man!' think again as Steve is actually a married man (who is often spotted sans wedding ring)! Steve's wife of 20 years, Gina must not be too pleased by the amount of time he spends with a woman other than his wife. When In Touch attempted to contact Gina for her opinion on Kate's relationship with her husband, she hung up! "She must be outraged," a friend informed the mag. Kate has also claimed to be "good friends" with Steve's wife, but somehow I doubt that! A photo of Gina Neild is below.


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Sequins and beads on fabric
(22 3/4 x 18 1/2), c.2012
Georges Valris was born in1953, in Cavaillon, Haiti. Valris had worked as a basket-maker, in a clothing factory and as a stevedore on a cruise ship before a friend showed him the technique of sewing sequins used in vodou flags. He sold his first flag to Galerie Marassa in Port-au-Prince, and went on to successfully market his flags to galleries, collectors and tourists.


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1 Review Written2 Helpful Votes
Sail Date: March 2012
My partner and I have served back to back tours in Afghanistan, so we wanted to make my R & R leave extra special, given that we haven't seen each other a lot these last two years. I also didn't have a lot of time to plan ... Read More
My partner and I have served back to back tours in Afghanistan, so we wanted to make my R & R leave extra special, given that we haven't seen each other a lot these last two years. I also didn't have a lot of time to plan things, so we thought a cruise was the logical choice. We chose Crystal Cruises because I like a more formal atmosphere. In that aspect, Crystal delivered. The women always dressed stunning on the ship on formal nights -- even on some casual ones. The men were always at least in suits on formal nights, but many more wore tuxedos, which was nice. We found the following things to be especially good about the cruise: 1. The service. We can't say enough about how willing the staff were to cater to your needs and how cheerfully they did so. 2. All inclusive. We could not possible have eaten or drank anymore. And all inclusive does not give you rail drinks. It gives you pretty much anything short of Louis XVII Cognac, which they have for an upcharge. Glenlivet or Glenfiddich, though? It's on the house. 3. Food. Prego and Silk Road are always booked, yes, but both made for a special experience. Book them early, and don't expect more than one seating at each. It won't disappoint you that much, though, as the Main Dining Room fare is excellent and varies each night. 4. Friendly cruisers. We met many interesting people and shared plenty of great conversations. We didn't encounter any bias as a gay couple, at least we didn't perceive any. 5. Avenue Saloon and the Connoisseur Club. The Avenue Saloon was by far the best bar on the ship. The piano player was great. The Connoisseur Club was my favorite room on the ship. If you like cigars, it is amazing. Though I might suggest bringing your own cigars (prices were a bit high), their premium alcohol prices (30, 40 year old cognacs, etc.)were very reasonable. A couple of minor complaints, neither of which will deter us from cruising wiht Crystal again: 1. The internet. We realize that it's a cruise and there are logistical issues to getting connectivity. Perhaps these issues are so great that the charges and problems with the internet onboard are justified. But it seemed overly expensive. $50 got you two hours of internet and $200 got you 10 hours. That's pretty steep, even if you have the money to pay for it. All that aside, it didn't even work half the time. 2. Demographics. I don't know if its always this way on Crystal, but the crowd seemed very old. We expected an older demographic, but this group seemed to be 65 or even 70 plus, with a small smattering of other ages. I heard some comments from some of the older patrons to this effect that the crowd seemed older than usual, so perhaps this was an anomaly. Like I said, we had a wonderful time, but we feel the cruise could benefit from a more mixed crowd. Read Less


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as an
Beasts of Burden
Bright, Gentle and Strong
The yoke's clatter signifies the workday's beginning.
Directing the team's mighty brawn requires only a verbal command.
Oxman Darin Tschopp trains the animals he refers to as "my guys."
The fur from an ox's back is shorn for use in the brickyard and at the wigmaker's shop.
A slender goad is the only persuasion needed to lead the heavy steps of these ruddy behemoths.
An empty cart makes for a light burden on this dappled afternoon.
A team of Randalls in placid toil.
Oxen invert a field, their dragging plow churning a wake of dark soil.
Their task increasing by the shovelful, a team awaits its burden.
A lumbering pair shoulders a load of hogsheads.
An ox pulls a cart past a Greek Revival church, erected in 1856 on Market Square.
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation © 2007