text:
How to squeeze Dublin into just five things to do? Well, there are priceless – and free – galleries, the famous Book of Kells, a toast to Arthur Guinness and some traditional boxty for dinner
Dublin's galleries and museums harbour priceless treasures – and you can visit them for free in Dublin. Gaze at a stunning Bronze Age gold collar in the National Museum or be moved by incredible Iron Age bog bodies. Then there's the National Gallery's own spectacular discovery – a Caravaggio masterpiece, The Taking of Christ. It's one of the highlights of a collection that includes Van Gogh, Monet, Titian, Rubens, Van Dyck and Irish expressionist Jack B Yeats.
You can stare into the artistic chaos of Francis Bacon's Studio at the Hugh Lane Gallery; seek out works by Dorothy Cross, Louise Bourgeois and filmmaker Neil Jordan at the Irish Museum of Modern Art; and learn about Eileen Gray – one of the world's most influential designers – at the National Museum of Decorative Arts & History. All without spending a penny.
Survey panoramic views of the city from atop Dublin's Guinness Storehouse. The Gravity Bar is like a glass bird's nest, with views stretching from rooftops to parkland and steeples to mountains. You'll have to get through the Storehouse's seven storeys first, though.
Guinness has the whole sensory experience of the production process covered: you'll touch, taste and smell what goes into the world's most famous stout. In the advertising section, recall the toucans, ostriches, and award-winning surfers of the brand's past iconic advertising. Then learn the secret to pouring the perfect pint.
Squint at the detail in the renowned Book of Kells in Trinity College. This lavishly illustrated manuscript of the Gospels dates from the 9th century, and is simply a marvel of Early Christian art carried out by the monks' steady hands. The 65-metre Long Room in the Old Library is an incredible sight, and is filled with old books, marble busts and a barrel-vaulted ceiling. This is also the room that inspired the imagery of the Jedi Archive in Star Wars Episode II.
Think a friend might enjoy this article? Click to save and share
In a city laced with literature, there's a story around every corner. And in every pub. Toast to a few on the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl – an actor-led tour of Dublin's literary luminaries.
Hear the story of WB Yeats, Ireland's most illustrious poet, and his muse Maud Gonne at a National Library exhibition deemed "dazzling" by the New York Times.
Around the corner in St Ann's Church, see the bust of Bram Stoker – the Dubliner who wrote Dracula. He married Florence Balcombe, Oscar Wilde's ex-girlfriend, in this hallowed place.
James Joyce is known for setting a story or two in Dublin – from Dubliners to his masterpiece Ulysses. Explore the writer's life and work at the James Joyce Centre.
Artists, musicians and writers founded the bohemian enclave of Temple Bar in the 1980s. Now the warren of car-free cobbled streets houses a hotbed of alternative culture, art-house cinema, film archives, photography, galleries, music and arts centres. On Saturday, locals head for the tasty farmers' market in Meeting House Square.
For the full Dublin Foodie experience, try the traditional fare of Dublin coddle (sausage, bacon, onion and potato stew), colcannon (mashed potato and cabbage) or boxty (a potato and flour pancake) at Gallagher's Boxty House.
Catch a show at the cutting-edge Project Arts Centre, see what's on at the National Gallery of Photography, browse vintage chic at Cow's Lane Market or sink a pint in the historic surrounds of The Palace Bar on Fleet Street.
Save this page to a Scrapbook:
Save this page to your Scrapbook:
You have Scrapbooks created. Click below to see all of your saved pages.
Create a new Scrapbook:
This page has been save to your Scrapbook
As friendly as a village and as intimate as a pub, Dublin is a capital city like no other
Dracula author Bram Stoker has a global literary fame to rival James Joyce – and they had something else in common,...
Dublin locals share their perfect day in their home city
Dublin locals tell us their perfect day in their home city
Home to the Book of Kells, biting humour, great craic and moments of disarming charm, Dublin is a small capital with...
From €599 per person sharing for 5 nights.
8 day Guided Walking Tour of Donegal & Antrim including Giants Causeway £889 per person sharing
2 nights bed & breakfast and a Prosecco Picnic for 2 people from just £199
Offers from €458.00
from €175pps
20% discount off our standard Coasteering package
Admission: £9 (Adult), £4.50 (Child), £22.50* (Family)
€1989.00 per person sharing
£190 per person sharing
£30 for adults and £20 under 16's
From €1495 pps
Holiday ideas, news, offers… sign up for our ezine and we'll keep you in touch with Ireland.
By sea or by air, find the best route here
Want to know more? Ask a question in our Community, they're the people who know Ireland best.
For more information on travel and accommodation, attractions have a look at our brochures and maps.
If you're a visitor from the island of Ireland you may want to visit one of these sites… Otherwise proceed to Ireland.com
Ireland.com uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies from Ireland.com.


text:
The next evolution of Norton AntiVirus is here.
In order to better protect you, we have substantially enhanced our security services. We took everything you loved about Norton AntiVirus and added better protection, improved performance and superior design to create Norton Security. It's the best of Norton for your PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets.
If you are currently using Norton AntiVirus, you can still renew your subscription here.
If you need help with your current subscription, please visit our Customer Support.
Thank you for choosing Norton.
Operating Systems Supported
Minimum Hardware Requirements
Email scanning supported for POP3-compatible email clients
Browser Support for Phishing Protection, Safe Search, and Password Management
Browser Support for Vulnerability Protection
1Some protection features are not available in Windows 8 style browsing mode.
Copyright © 2013 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec, the Symantec Logo, the Checkmark Logo, Norton, Norton 360 Premier Edition, NortonLive, and "Protecting the Stuff that matters", are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Internet Explorer, Outlook, Windows, Windows Vista, and the Windows logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Google Chrome is a trademark of Google, Inc. Firefox is a registered trademark of Mozilla Foundation. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Mike,mikenz66 wrote:Frankly, I have little interest in re-hashing arguments for or against particular points of view.
Frankly, I have little interest in you rehashing your batallion of off-topic meta-discussion quibbles every time you post either.
retrofuturist wrote:Well I agree with this assertion personally. The Buddha never taught this notion of bhavanga.
I think Theravada undertook speculation primarily for the purpose of explaining the mechanics behind kamma and transmigration... a concept the Buddha never gave a particularly detailed account of. As for "answering" the questions posed by the Puggalavadins, they do this in the Points Of Controversy. Both groups kind of "talk past each other", which is often the case when different people have different doctrinal bases.
Explaining that which was never explained in the suttas somehow became more important than what was in the suttas themselves. In the process, key doctrines the Buddha taught repeatedly (i.e. anatta, dependent origination) were diminished in importance, and often misrepresented against later frameworks....
Here is what he has to say (the only place where bhavanga is explicitly mentioned, as far as I remember in my reading):mikenz66 wrote:Hi Eric, Would you (or someone else) like to elaborate on how Conze sees bhavanga as "pseudo-selfhood"? I recall Ven Huifeng posted some material about how bhavanga was partly an answer to how the "cessation of perception and feeling" attainment could work, which other schools dealt with using "storehouse consciousness". I'll see if I can locate that, but unfortunately it may have been an E-Sangha thread.
Later, Conze claims that the Theravadins minimized the importance of "luminous mind" by connecting it to bhavanga citta (subconscious thought).Buddhist Thought in India, Part II, Chapter 2.1 wrote:Personal 'continuities' [I put Conze's definition of a continuity in my OP] perform at least two functions of a 'self' in that (1) each continuity is separate from others, and (2) is constantly there, thoguht not 'permanent'. The Buddhists reject a 'self' which runs like a single thread through a string of pearls. There are only the pearls, and no thread to hold them together. But the collection of pearls is one and the same because strictly continous, i.e. each pearl sticks to the one before and the one behind, without any interval between. The Sthaviras saw little reason to comment on the multiplicity and separateness of these 'continuities', which they seem to have just accepted as one of the facts of life. But they took great care that this chain of events, though continuously replacing its constituents, should be constantly there, and that no interstices should interrupt the continuous flow of causality through the threadless pearls, packed closely to one another. In order to definitely eliminate the disruptive effect of such gaps, the later Theravadins put forward the theory of a 'life-continuum' (bhavanga) which is subconscious and subliminal. Even when nothing happens in the surface-consciousness the subconscious supplies the continuous process required, since the mind, otherwise unoccupied, never ceases to function even for a moment, though lapsed into subconscousness. Likewise the Sautrantikas taught the 'continuous existence of a very subtle consciousness' and also the Mahasanghikas had a basic (mula) consciousness and believed that karma matures in the subconscious mind where thought has no definite object.
If you have a complaint about a post that's been made...
Use the Report Post function (exclamation mark in a triangle) and we will attend to your report as quickly as practicable, given our available staff. Please do not publicly quote and object to the content of a post, because this then embeds it within the flow of conversation and it becomes difficult for moderators to extract the offending material without disrupting the thread. Public complaints, regardless of how legitimate, tend to take threads off-topic and have a tendency to become a sideshow unto themselves. If you're not satisfied with the way we deal with your complaint, proceed to the next step.
EricJ wrote:Conze seems to be claiming that bhavanga citta carries self-view in that it is posited as being always there....
I thought that the most [basic] supporting cause of consciousness is the contact between sense object and sense base? Without a base/object contact, consciousness cannot arise. Death brings with it the absence of both a perceived object and sense base, and therefore consciousness as associated with a specific 'individual'.Peter wrote:He seems to regard a process as a single thing. Thus he takes the continuity of that process as equating to the persistence of a thing. Thus he faults the process for not bearing the mark of anicca. But as far as I know, the Buddha did not teach the 3 marks in this way. Simply, Theravada teaches the supporting condition for a moment of consciousness to be a previous moment of consciousness.
I don't think that this is what Conze is getting at. Rather, he seems to be claiming that various schools posited the continuity of a single substratum/consciousness which persists across the process of becoming. It is a khanda which persists even whenever the other khandas arise and fall and then cease at death.Peter wrote:Each consciousness moment arises and passes, thus bearing the mark of anicca, inconstancy. Thus not-self. That a process continues to function as long as the supporting conditions continue to arise does not mean constancy is to be found in the process.
This not the only function of a supposed atta.Peter wrote:Something is atta because it does not become ill or broken or troublesome; it is atta because it is controllable. The Buddha does not say (here or elsewhere as far as I know) that something is atta simply because it continues. Here's the other important thing he teaches about anatta:
In this context, the Buddha claims that self-view occurs whenever someone claims that one of the five aggregates has, among other qualities, the qualities of "stability," "immutability," and "abiding eternally in the same condition."Alagaddupama Sutta wrote: "Lord, can there be anxiety about unrealities, in the internal?"
"There can be, monk," said the Blessed One. "In that case, monk, someone has this view: 'The universe is the Self. That I shall be after death; permanent, stable, eternal, immutable; eternally the same shall I abide in that very condition.' He then hears a Perfect One expounding the Teaching for the removal of all grounds for views, of all prejudices, obsessions, dogmas and biases; for the stilling of all (kamma-) processes, for the relinquishment of all substrata (of existence)..."
"You may well take hold of a possession, O monks, that is permanent, stable, eternal, immutable, that abides eternally the same in its very condition. (But) do you see, monks, any such possession?" — "No, Lord." — "Well, monks, I, too, do not see any such possession that is permanent, stable, eternal, immutable, that abides eternally the same in its very condition..."
"Whatever feeling... whatever perception... whatever mental formations... whatever consciousness, whether past, future or present, in oneself or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near — all... consciousness should, with right wisdom, thus be seen as it is: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.'"
I quote this particular sutta because it is related to one of the self-functions these 'continuities' perform according to Conze: a continuity is separate from others. That is, each 'person' being reborn has his/her own personal continuity which abides separately from other continuities. Basically, this is a proposition that beings, which are not the same from life to life, are all connected by a singular property, which is the 'substratum' of kamma fruition ("things coming out of earth [consciousness in this case]"). Now, regardless of whether or not this is a self-view under the guise of depersonalized dhammas, the idea of a singular property which is present across cycles of birth, death and becoming seems to lend itself to "I-making" and especially to "my-making." This seems to be the natural result of trying to cognize the mechanism of rebirth in the context of anatta. In this context, why even bother accepting such notions?Mulapariyaya Sutta wrote:The Blessed One said: "There is the case, monks, where an uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma — perceives earth as earth. Perceiving earth as earth, he conceives [things] about earth, he conceives [things] in earth, he conceives [things] coming out of earth, he conceives earth as 'mine,' he delights in earth. Why is that? Because he has not comprehended it, I tell you.
Conze is not referring to the process of the arising of consciousness. Conze is referring to 'continuities/substratums' of consciousness which persist. This means that these continuities/substratums are there whether or not there is contact between sense organ and sense object, which are the conditions the Buddha gave for the arising of consciousness.Peter wrote:To call a process a "psuedo-self" merely because that process continues appears to me to be using one's own definition of "self" in place of the Buddha's.
Precisely. Which is why I find it so strange that these schools, including the later Theravadins with reference to the commentaries, proposed the existence of a citta dhamma which is stable (constantly there, unlike other cittas which arise and fall constantly with relation to the sense object-base relationship) and not subject to change within the context of samsara.Peter wrote:[It is not] fitting to regard what is unstable, stressful, subject to change as: 'This is mine. This is my self. This is what I am'.
Mogharaja-manava-puga Sutta wrote:"Look upon the world as empty, Mogharaja, ever mindful; uprooting the view of self you may thus be one who overcomes death. So regarding the world one is not seen by the King of Death."
EricJ wrote:I don't think that this is what Conze is getting at. Rather, he seems to be claiming that various schools posited the continuity of a single substratum/consciousness which persists across the process of becoming. It is a khanda which persists even whenever the other khandas arise and fall and then cease at death.
Conze is referring to 'continuities/substratums' of consciousness which persist. This means that these continuities/substratums are there whether or not there is contact between sense organ and sense object, which are the conditions the Buddha gave for the arising of consciousness.
Well, I'm not particularly knowledgable about this issue. As far as I know, the Mahavihara dhamma theory is based on the idea of instantaneousness/momentariness (one of the more difficult concepts I encountered in Buddhist Thought in India, which has implications for this topic/Abhidhammic theory but is an entire other topic in and of itself) and that no two citta can occur at the same time. Conze himself claims in a footnote that although bhavanga is "subconscious" and "subliminal" it is always accompanied by a degree of awareness. I suppose I could see this in the case of gaps in daily consciousness, but it seems harder to believe whenever I consider the role of bhavanga citta in dreamless sleep. I can't remember ever having any sort of awareness of dreamless sleep. Then again perception is "a mirage" and consciousness is "a magic trick" so its not as if my ability to remember being aware is of any consequence. However, I think Conze may have included the bhavanga citta in this discussion because it is a dhamma which will always occur (since there moments, while asleep and awake, in which there is no other citta) where as, for me as an example, sight-consciousnesses with the Mahabodhi Temple as an object have yet to occur and may never occur if I don't get to Bodh Gaya at some point in my life. Then, of course, there is the identification of bhavanga citta with the 'luminous mind'.retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Eric,
Thanks for the quotes.EricJ wrote:Conze seems to be claiming that bhavanga citta carries self-view in that it is posited as being always there....
Is it though? What about when there is a different citta present? Is it inferred in the Mahavihara model that an unchanging bhavanga citta remains constant throughout all that?
jcsuperstar wrote:here is an interesting article about the Puggalavadins
admittedly i have always found the Puggalavadin argument a bit convincing. it's also interesting how some of their ideas have manifested in modern Thai Buddhism. I've even seen ajahn Thanissaro compared to them. it is also interesting that they were pretty much the largest school of Buddhism in India, maybe we are the unorthodox, and just by luck of history made it through the years.
The Kathāvatthu is an extensive refutation of heretical views, but of Buddhist heretical views. Thus there is a decided tension in the story: are we supposed to see this account as a purification of the Sangha from non-Buddhist heresies (eternalism, etc.), or wrong interpretations of Buddhist teachings? Perhaps we are tempted to synthesize these perspectives; after all, the first and main debate in the Kathāvatthu is against the puggala, the 'person', who, in a suspiciously Self-like manner, is supposed to somehow exist outside the 5 aggregates and to pass on from one life to the next. No doubt there is something to this, as Buddhists, sometimes justifiably, often suspect 'innovations' of practice or doctrine to be 'Hindu' influences. This is perhaps suggested when the Kathāvatthu commentary ascribes the puggala controversy to: 'In the sasana, the Vajjiputtakas and Saṁmitiyas, and many other teachers not belonging to the sasana.'[11]
Yet the debate on the puggala would seem to primarily revolve around a tension within Buddhist doctrine. When the Buddha taught, he was largely surrounded by 'Self' religions, and of necessity had to emphasize 'not-self'; that is, against those who would assert the absolute unity of the person, he emphasized that what we call a 'self' is an abstraction inferred from experience, motivated by fear of death and dissolution, but which, when we look for it in experience, cannot be found. Thus, against those who asserted to absolute primacy of unity, he proposed the contemplation of diversity, without, however, reifying that diversity into another absolute.[12]
This is effective as a philosophical counter to self-theories, but leaves us having to seek an explanation for why we feel or experience a sense of 'identity': why, if there is no truly eternal core or essence, do we nevertheless feel as if we are a person? Certain indications in the canonical texts suggest ways of approaching this problem, but the schools were left to work out their own definitive solutions. For some schools, such as the Mahāvihāravāsins, the sense of identity was explained in terms of causal relations among disparate elements. But for the Puggalavādins this was not enough, so they attempted to 'draw out' certain Sutta passages as implying the existence of a 'person' (puggala) in some sense outside the five aggregates, which was, however, not the Self spoken of by the non-Buddhists. For them, this was a 'middle way' between the self-theories and the absolute 'no-self' of the Abhidhamma theorists.
Thus we are justified in thinking of the Puggalavāda schism as primarily an internal matter among Buddhists, and while not denying any connection with non-Buddhist teachings, would resist an attempt to simply 'collapse' the two issues we are presented with at the Third Council: the infiltration of non-Buddhist heretics, and the development of Buddhist philosophical ideas as debated in the Kathāvatthu. Our text makes no attempt at a synthesis of these perspectives, but rather leaves us with an impression of disparate, although perhaps related, agendas.
EricJ wrote:I thought that the most [basic] supporting cause of consciousness is the contact between sense object and sense base?
I don't think that this is what Conze is getting at. Rather, he seems to be claiming that various schools posited the continuity of a single substratum/consciousness which persists across the process of becoming. It is a khanda which persists even whenever the other khandas arise and fall and then cease at death.
i.e. they persist without arising and falling
Now, regardless of whether or not this is a self-view under the guise of depersonalized dhammas, the idea of a singular property which is present across cycles of birth, death and becoming seems to lend itself to "I-making" and especially to "my-making."
why even bother accepting such notions?
Which is why I find it so strange that ... the later Theravadins with reference to the commentaries, proposed the existence of a citta dhamma which is stable (constantly there, unlike other cittas which arise and fall constantly with relation to the sense object-base relationship) and not subject to change within the context of samsara.
my response to Peter was not tied specifically to Conze's views of the Theravada, but to the general tendency of various schools to construct "pseudo-selves".
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Mike,mikenz66 wrote:The intention was simply to provide a possible of example of how how some sort of "pseudo-self beyond the khandas", might be expressed in early Buddhism, which is the point of this thread, I think.
That's fine. I just didn't see any "pseudo-self" in Thanissaro Bhikkhu's teachings comments on the Dhamma, so was interested in clarifying what you may have seen in this space. Mind you, I've focused more on his writings on anatta than his writing on nibbana... so am speaking primarily in relation to the anatta material.
FWIW, I don't see any "pseudo-self" in the suttas either.
In other words, normal sensory consciousness is experienced because it has a "surface" against which it lands: the sense organs and their objects, which constitute the "all." For instance, we experience visual consciousness because of the eye and forms of which we are conscious. Consciousness without surface, however, is directly known, without intermediary, free from any dependence on conditions at all.
This consciousness thus differs from the consciousness factor in dependent co-arising, which is defined in terms of the six sense media. Lying outside of time and space, it would also not come under the consciousness-aggregate, which covers all consciousness near and far; past, present, and future. And, as SN 35.23 notes, the word "all" in the Buddha's teaching covers only the six sense media, which is another reason for not including this consciousness under the aggregates. However, the fact that it is outside of time and space — in a dimension where there is no here, there, or in between (Ud I.10), no coming, no going, or staying (Ud VIII.1) — means that it cannot be described as permanent or omnipresent, terms that have meaning only within space and time.
from http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
Ultimately, by following this program to greater and greater levels of refinement through the higher levels of mental absorption, one finds less and less to relish and enjoy in the six senses and the mental processes based on them. With this sense of disenchantment, the processes of feeling and thought are stilled, and there is a breakthrough to the cessation of the six sense spheres. When these spheres cease, is there anything else left? Ven. Sariputta, in AN 4.174, warns us not to ask, for to ask if there is, isn't, both-is-and-isn't, neither-is-nor-isn't anything left in that dimension is to papañcize what is free from papañca. However, this dimension is not a total annihilation of experience. It's a type of experience that DN 11 calls consciousness without feature, luminous all around, where water, earth, fire, & wind have no footing, where long/short, coarse/fine, fair/foul, name/form are all brought to an end. This is the fruit of the path of arahantship — a path that makes use of dualities but leads to a fruit beyond them.
from http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
Sylvester wrote:It's hard to tell how "consciousness" which is dependant on Nama-Rupa can transcend the 6 sense-bases and the 5 Aggregates and still survive post-mortem
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests


text:
Movgrab is a command-line movie downloader for sites like YouTube. It has no dependencies; everything that's needed should be there in the tar.gz package. Movgrab can connect through an HTTP proxy, can output the download to stdout for piping into another program, and can fork into the background to free up the console. When forked into the background, its progress can still be seen in a ps list.
phoneutria is a Web crawler that is multi-threaded, scalable, high performance, extensible, and polite. It can be used to crawl, index, load-test, or even download any Web or enterprise domain and is configurable through a XML configuration file. Phoneutria can be used for either checking the links of a Web site or for load-testing purposes (i.e. the level of politeness can be configured). It provides a plug-in mechanism for further extensions.
MuDownManager is a program for managing downloads from Megaupload and Rapidshare for premium members. It is lightweight and cross-platform. Downloads can be started in a batch by specifying a list of URLs. Links can be copied directly from your preferred Web browser and pasted into MuDownManager. MuDownManager lets you skip LinkBucks. It has a very simple and intuitive GUI. It is pluggable, allowing support for other download sites to be added in the future.
IPMI libraries and tools.
A Wordpress plugin for running database queries in the admin panel.


text:
VLC might be able to do it. I dont think it comes included with BT so you may have to install it.
I want to play an online streaming video file, in wma format. When i try to play that file, a window pops up asking which programe i want to use to play that file. Is that possible? If it is, what software and/or commands will I need? Thanks in advance.
PS. I use BT4 R2 on a usb stick.
VLC might be able to do it. I dont think it comes included with BT so you may have to install it.
Capitalisation is important. It's the difference between "Helping your brother Jack off a horse" and "Helping your brother jack off a horse".
The Forum Rules, Forum FAQ and the BackTrack Wiki... learn them, love them, live them.
You will probably also need to install restricted audio and video codecs along with vlc. I just used apt-get install vlc and apt-get install kubuntu-restricted-extras.
wh1t3 fang
I've used 'mplayer' (in the repo's) to get streaming audio, not sure about streaming video
but perhaps worth a shot..
Thank you all for your reply. I already have VLC installed so i'll give a shot to what wh1t3fang suggested otherwise, i'll try mplayer.
One more question. When the window pops up asking which software i want to use to play that file, how do i choose VLC?
Last edited by sickness; 03-12-2011 at 09:05 PM.


text:
My Deck and Patio
Request an Appointment
Spa and Hot Tub Surrounds
On this page we'll include examples of past projects. We may use
a format similar to the one below, with small images linked to other pages with larger images and more
Click a pic to enlarge.
My Deck and Patio Serviing San Antonio and
the Hill Country with the FinestCustom
Decks, Stone and Masonry Patios, Patio and Deck Covers, Porches, Outdoor Kitchens, Shade Arbors, Pavilions and GazebosPhone: 210-875-4774Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Policy"We
Create Environments"™


text:
So second oldest sister has a son who is turning seven in a week, and he is having a bday party, and we are invited. I happen to know that the dad is also invited. The dad is a registered sex offender, and the party is at a place where there will be a lot of children who aren't even related to the party. Not to mention, my friend does not plan on telling guests her father is a sex offender. This bothers me. I doubt the father will be inappropriate in any way during the party, but its illegal for him to be there for one, and for another, I do not think its okay to not let parents know so they can decide if they want to go or not.
WWYD in this situation? I know several people who are going, and I want to give them a discrete heads up, but I'm also not trying to be a nosy nelly. If it were me, I would want to know, but maybe I'm overreacting? He isn't going to be unsupervised with any kids at any time.


text:
Note: This message is displayed if (1) your browser is not standards-compliant or (2) you have you disabled CSS. Read our Policies for more information.
Henry County, in east central Indiana, was founded in 1821, and named in honor General Patrick Henry, a Virginia state senator and Revolutionary War hero.
Image: Indiana 1895 - Color Landform Atlas/Ray Sterner
Available at: Perry-Castañeda Map Collection - UT Library Online
Seth Hinshaw (1787-1865) was active on the Underground Railroad, but also operated a free labor store in Greensboro. A free labor store only sold items which were produced without the help of slave labor. Instead of cotton and sugar the store might sell wool and maple syrup.
Along with this work, Hinshaw also erected "Liberty Hall," which held the anti-slavery meetings, which Hinshaw ran. The last meeting of the abolitionists here was in 1852, but the building remained until 1880.
A large Quaker settlement, it was an active abolitionists and UGRR center in southeastern Henry County. Much of what is know about the area is thanks to the writings of Daniel Newby, the son of Thomas Newby, an active conductor.


text:
Prepare for Filing Your Case
Learn about the requirements to file for divorce or legal separation to end your marriage or domestic partnership (or both), and where to get help.
Filing Your Case
Get step by step instructions on filing your divorce or legal separation case, with links to forms, instructions, and where to get help.
Find all the forms you will need to file your divorce or legal separation case, with links to the forms and instructions where available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Read answers to common questions related to filing for divorce or legal separation.


text:
- Loan Repayment Programs
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Forgiveness Program
The NHSC Loan Repayment program gives fully trained health professionals, who are dedicated to serving the underserved and have qualifying educational loans, the opportunity to compete for repayment of those loans if they choose to serve in a health professional shortage area. Students in their final year of medical education will also be considered to participate in the program.
The NHSC Loan Repayment Program provides up to $60,000 tax free, to health professionals in exchange for a 2 year service commitment at an approved site in a Health Professional Shortage Area. Upon completion of the initial service commitment, clinicians may be eligible to apply for additional support for an extended service commitment.
NHSC primary care health professions include:
- Physician (allopathic or osteopathic)
- Primary Care nurse practitioner
- Primary care physician assistant
- Certified nurse-midwife
- Dentist
- Dental Hygienist
- Mental or behavioral health professional
Visit the NHSC web site for more information about the NHSC Loan Forgiveness Program.


text:
They chop it up every night in the studio. Sometimes they agree. Sometimes they disagree. Regardless of their take, TNT NBA analysts Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith always engage in spirited discussions about the league.
That's why it was a no brainer to reach out to O'Neal and Smith to provide their opinion on everything surrounding the Lakers. There's plenty to talk about, what with Mike D'Antoni becoming the Lakers' head coach, Phil Jackson getting passed over and Mike Brown getting fired.
Both O'Neal and Smith provided their candid thoughts on these topics and more in a roundtable discussion.
QUESTION: What do you make of the Lakers hiring Mike D'Antoni as their head coach?
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL: The Lakers said they were built for a championship run immediately, so I think people are upset they didn't make the logical choice in Phil Jackson. But D'Antoni is a fabulous coach. He's going to bring a lot of excitement back. Kobe Bryant is one of the best players of all time. Steve Nash is happy that he's back. He's going to bring a slight element of Showtime back.
KENNY SMITH: There were probably five or six candidates that were probably eligible with Phil Jackson leading the way. I'm not totally surprised at it. Mike D'Antoni has been on the Olympic team, has been around great players, coached Kobe and Dwight (Howard) before and has coached Steve Nash before. He's been on the staff. There's a familiarity with those guys. I think any player has enjoyed his style of play offensively. I think it could be a great fit.
QUESTION: What do you make of the Lakers' rationale that, aside from Bryant and Pau Gasol, the current roster would've had a difficult time learning Jackson's triangle offense?
O'NEAL: He gave you what, five championships this millennium alone? It's not hard to learn. When I played for him, we only had five additional plays. The good thing about Phil is you run it every day in shootarounds and practice. You meditate and think about it. Guys would be able to learn it.
SMITH: He gets a lot of discredit for coaching talent, but he always comes in when the person before couldn't coach the talent. There's something to be said. But you have to learn D'Antoni's system. There's only one guy who knows what D'Antoni's system is with Steve Nash. No one else played with that offensive flexibility. Phil would've had an advantage.
QUESTION: How does D'Antoni's offensive system fit with the Lakers?
O'NEAL: It's going to be good for Dwight (Howard). He's a great pick and roll big man. D'Antoni is an offensive wizard so he's going to keep everyone involved. He's the type that he's not going to yell at you for taking a shot. He just wants you to run hard and play hard. They're going to play with a lot of freedom out there.
SMITH: If you played 15 minutes in your older system, you'd only have three or four shots. His system, if you play 15 minutes, you'll get nine shots. Your offensive output doesn't become an issue in not getting enough touches or the ball not going in enough places. He eliminates that by the style of play.
QUESTION: How much concern, if any, do you have about the Lakers' veteran-laden roster playing at a faster pace?
O'NEAL: Being that he's not going to practice them a lot, he's going to want them to run hard in the game and guys are going to be loose. Trust me. It's not like when you play with certain people and they practice you five hours a day. Guys are going to be super loose.
SMITH: I don't think it's going to be an issue. When you increase the tempo, it actually helps you as you get older. You don't have to bang as much. All of a sudden, the double teams don't come as quickly because you're taking shots earlier in the offense. Dwight Howard won't get as double-teamed as much. With Kobe, you're not playing as much half court so he's not going head to head against a defense, he's going head to head against a particular player. It's kind of like what San Antonio did with Tim Duncan.
QUESTION: How fair is the criticism surrounding the defense in D'Antoni's system?
O'NEAL: I don't think it's fair criticism. I won three in a row with Phil. We never worked on defense, as when I played for the great Pat Riley. Phil gave us the ability to figure it out. Our defense always started from guys on our team that wanted to play defense. Championship teams win because of team defense, not because of one guy shutting down your guy.
SMITH: Because you're in transition, it's more difficult to play defense. The same way you want to get teams in 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 situations, you're in that. It is more difficult to play defense in that regard. But the fact is they have Gasol, Howard and Metta World Peace, who are three really good defenders. I don't think D'Antoni has had three defensive guys like that ever. You have shot blockers. That's the difference.
QUESTION: What do you make of the Lakers firing Mike Brown following a 1-4 start?
O'NEAL: I thought they were going to give him at least 10 games. But it didn't make sense to me that he has two of the best post big guys at the top of the key. If I was a coach, I wouldn't be doing that. I'd tell them whenever one big gets the rebound, the other has to be the first to get down the court. They're going to look at you first posting up instead of getting into a set. The Princeton offense is used for people with no talent.
SMITH: When I watched the Lakers in these first exhibition games and first five games, the grating thing to me is why are they using so much of the shot clock. To me, that was the obvious thing. When (Lakers GM) Mitch (Kupchak) hired D'Antoni, I go, 'He saw what I saw.' He wants to get more shots earlier in the shot clock, so he's going to get a guy that will make sure that happens.
email@example.com Twitter.com/MedinaLakersNBA


text:
Exhibitor Options
Reach out to the largest gathering of orchestra professionals and decision-makers in the United States by exhibiting at the League's 2012 National Conference.
Online registration for the 2012 National Conference is now closed, but it's not too late to register! If you'd still like to attend, come to our Conference Registration Area at the Sheraton Dallas to register onsite. On Tuesday, June 5, the Registration Area will be in City View 7 (4th Floor, Sheraton Dallas) from 8am –noon. The rest of the week, Registration will be in the Lone Star Ballroom Foyer (2nd Floor, Conference Center, Sheraton Dallas).
Why exhibit?
- Increase your brand recognition in the orchestral community
- Company listing and description in the Conference Program Book as well as on the Conference website with your logo
- Receive a mailing and email list of conference attendees addresses three weeks before the Conference
- Learn about new developments in the orchestral world in addition to meeting colleagues and prospective customers at professional development sessions and networking events
- Show your support of the only service organization dedicated to the entire orchestral field
- Hear great performances by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra Pops Series
- Connect with attendees in the centrally-located Exhibit Hall. The Exhibit Hall area is home to many important services and events throughout the conference, including the registration area, Internet Café, All-Delegate reception, and complimentary snacks throughout the week
Each exhibit package includes the following
- Full Conference registration for one person
- Attendee contact information so you can target your pre-Conference marketing
- Full carpeting in exhibit spaces and aisles
- Display table(s) with table coverings/draping (as described below)
- Chairs (as described below)
- Standard organization name signage
Exhibit packages do not include the following
These services must be purchased separately using the forms in the Exhibitor Services Kit (see below):
- Electricity
- Internet connection
- Shipping
- Custom or additional furniture
Exhibit Options
Tabletop Package
$695 – One registration for the conference and one 6 foot draped table (approximately 6x2) with a chair and an identification sign. This tabletop has no depth. No floor standing displays, or displays exceeding 7 feet in height (including tabletop) are permitted.
Standard Booth Package
$995 – One registration for the conference and one pipe and draped 8' x 10' booth with two six foot draped tables, 4 chairs, one identification sign and a trash receptacle. Perfect for pop-up booths and small meetings. Displays may not exceed 8' booth height.
All individuals working at your organization's booth must register for Conference. The League does not offer "booth only" badges.Additional registrations can be purchased separately at $580 (or $480 for first-timers).
All rates increase by $50 after April 30, 2012
Exhibit Schedule
Tuesday, 6/5
2:00PM – 5:00PM: Optional Load-in
Wednesday, 6/6
8:00AM – 10:00AM: Load-In
10:30AM – 3:00PM: Exhibits Open
Thursday, 6/7
8:00AM – 4:30PM: Exhibits Open
3:30PM – 4:30PM: All-Delegate Reception in the Exhibit Hall
Friday, 6/8
8:00AM – 3:00PM: Exhibits Open
3:00PM – 6:00 PM: Load-out – Conference Programming continues in the meeting rooms adjacent to the exhibit hall until 5:00pm including a closing party from 4:00PM – 5:00PM
Decorating Company
Superior Expo Services (SES) will be designing and managing the exhibits this year. The information listed under "Exhibit Options" details all amenities included with your booth purchase.
The following services are available from SES at an additional cost:
- Exhibit transportation/booth shipping
- Materials handling
- Additional furnishings and accessories rental (including rental of booth carpet)
- Onsite load-in/load-out assistance
- Creation of additional booth graphics/signage
In addition SES will coordinate services such as:
- Audio/visual technology rental for your booth
- Electricity rental for your booth
- Rental or purchase of flowers/plants for your booth
- SES will provide you with a full service kit outlining these options in Early March, 2012
SES can be reached at:
Superior Expo Services (website)
3366 Miller Park South
Garland, TX 75042
t 972 271 7444
f 972 271 7888
The 2012 Exhibitor Services Kit (available in March) will contain a complete list of services, costs, order forms, and deadlines. Registered exhibitors will receive the kit from our decorator company via email, and we'll also post the kit here.
Misc. Information
Inclusion in the Program Book: Booths must be purchased by April 13, 2012 in order for your organization's name to appear in the printed Program Book. Booths may continue to be purchased after this date; however, your organization's name will not be included in the printed Program Book if you purchase your booth after April 13th.
Multiple Tabletop Purchase: If you choose to purchase multiple tabletops, a $300 surcharge will be added to your total cost.
Booth/Table Selection Process: The League assigns booths/tables within the exhibit area based on longevity of attendance, size of booth purchased, and finally, date of conference registration.
Attendee Lists: Exhibitors will receive an attendee list via email in mid-May. NOTE: the list will provide names and mailing addresses only, unless attendees opt to allow electronic contact, in which case email addresses will also be listed. Otherwise, no phone numbers or email addresses will be provided, to maintain the privacy of the attendees.
What advertising or promotional opportunities are available to exhibitors?
- Exhibit Listing
All exhibitors who register before the April 13th cut-off date for the program book receive a 30-word description of their company, listing by category of business: Complimentary
- Online Banner Advertising on The Hub or SymphonyNOW
Place your banner ad on the most-trafficked area of the League's website. Banner ads will appear on each page view, providing advertisers with clickable links to their websites. Availability starts at $300
- General Support Sponsorship
Your company will be listed as a general conference sponsor in the program book, on the conference website, as well as have the opportunity to include a promotional piece in the League tote bags at Conference. $1250
- Event Sponsorship
Make a big impression by sponsoring at event or meeting at the national conference. Full sponsorships usually include a booth and a registration in addition to all of the other branding opportunities. Please contact Steve Alter at 646 822 4051 for more information. Sponsorships start at $3500 and up
- Symphony Magazine Conference Issue Ad
Place your ad in the magazine that is handed out to all delegates of the national conference upon their arrival to Dallas. Ads run from $500 -- $2850.


text:
By Theresa Goffredo Herald Writer
Director Jeff Steitzer is asking just one favor of the audience: Don't give away the ending.
For Steitzer, the biggest trick he has to pull off as director of Village Theatre's production of the Agatha Christie murder mystery, "The Mousetrap," is to make sure the audience doesn't see where the story is going too early.
It's a trick that has challenges, seeing as how the play has been around for more than 50 years. But Steitzer has been pleasantly surprised by audiences so far.
"It's amazing. There have been some audiences who, once the murder has been revealed, there have been quite a few gasps," Steitzer said in a phone interview. "Nevertheless, there are a lot of folks who know the solution, but part of the fun is watching those who don't know it."
"The Mousetrap" opens Friday at the Everett Performing Arts Center.
Steitzer has had some experience with Agatha Christie's work, having directed "Ten Little Indians." So when Village Theatre artistic director Steve Tompkins asked Steitzer to direct "Mousetrap," he was excited because he's a fan of great mysteries.
"It's a formula I've always loved," Steitzer said.
The tale kicks off in a snowstorm where an unlikely group is stranded in a guesthouse.
So the formula works out to one snowstorm equals eight people, one murderer and one nameless target.
Steitzer said this whodunit is different than Christie's "Little Indians" because the cast is much smaller and the suspect is more easily revealed among the cast, sort of.
"He's described," Steitzer said of the suspect, "though Christie does throw a little bit of sand into the works when she suggests it could be a woman. The trick is to hold off the revelations that are going to come until they are meant to come."
Steitzer is excited to work with the cast, many members of which he has known for years and worked with before.
Steitzer has directed or acted alongside most of the cast. Steitzer and castmembers R. Hamilton Wright and David Pichette have all played Ebenezer Scrooge in ACT's "A Christmas Carol."
In "Mousetrap," Pichette plays Mr. Paravicini and Wright plays Major Metcalf.
"Generally, those people that I like to work with have a sense of humor," Steitzer said. "I like to have fun even in serious plays."
Steitzer also said he likes actors such as Hamilton and Pichette "who bring a lot to the table."
"That's the way it should be," Steitzer said. "I'm not the kind of director who believes actors are merely puppets who are made to be bent to my conceptual will; it's directing not dictating."
Steitzer said the cast has done a splendid job and he's eager to see the performance March 10. The director will miss opening night because he has to finish his stint as Mayor Shinn in the 5th Avenue Theatre's production of "The Music Man."
But just one reminder to the audience since he won't be here: "Don't give away the ending."
"The Mousetrap" opens at 8 p.m. Friday at the Everett Performing Arts Center, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett. Performances are at various times through March 24.
Tickets start at $55. Go to www.villagetheatre.org or call 425-257-8600.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; email@example.com.


text:
Career Counselor
Anya Hunter, MA, MSW, LICSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
86 St. Paul Street, Burlington, Vermont
I can help in several areas: 1) Making relationships at work more productive. Conflict management. Assertiveness training -- i.e., asking for what you need, and standing your ground. 2) Reflecting on where you are in your career, where you want to be, and how to get there. 3) Dealing with burnout. 4) Balancing work and life outside of work. Stress management. I offer mindfulness practices, guided imagery, hypnosis, and communication and assertiveness training, all of which can be most helpful in sorting through work issues and supporting you in becoming healthier, happier, and more productive.
12901 is a zip code located in Clinton County and part of Plattsburgh, New York. It has a land area of 75.965 square miles.  The population of 12901 is 33,439 people.


text:
Joined: 20 March 2012
Posts: 9
The following 22 member(s) liked the above post:
*Shruti*, shivnir, Jasmin81, Archana, AMST, jerks, RashmiSandeep, Humtum25, milweb, india88, pavneet, panpan, ssanjana, SinSin, deep27, Neets, dent4u, pratts, j&b84, -Khush-, samrudhi.r, -Swetha-,
And she couldn't have been happier..
And the actress felt ecstatic.
Disclaimer: All Logos and Pictures of various Channels, Shows, Artistes, Media Houses, Companies, Brands etc. belong to their respective owners, and are used to merely visually identify the Channels, Shows, Companies, Brands, etc. to the viewer. Incase of any issue please contact the webmaster.
Popular Channels :
Quick Links :


text:
I am looking for fighters for Gainsboroughs first MMA event to take place at the State Club on the 7th of May.
The original date was postponed due to fighter illness and injury and as such some fighters cannot fight on the rescheduled date.
Fighters needed:
80kg Semi Pro MMA (1 fight)
83kg Thai OR semi pro MMA (1fight)
77kg Amateur MMA (2 fights)
94kg Semi Pro MMA (1 fight)
77kg Semi Pro MMA (2 fights)
Please get in touch either via PM or my private email (preferred) email@example.com


text:
Results 1 to 2 of 2
Dick still says Mitt by 7-10 pts and says beware of phony Times poll
Hannity had Rasmussen on who has Mitt up by +2 and when asked for a prediction he said he has no idea and anyone who says he does is lying. Hannity mentioned Dick Morris and Ras just shook his head.
Ras is probably right but Dick is sticking to his guns on O'Rawley's show who is having him back next Wednesday to eat crow.
Dick said the Times poll had OBY up by +8 point but they polled all DEMs and worded the survey a certain way. He along with another expert agree that Mitt is leading in that poll by +7 if they polled from a wide sample base.
He cited several other polls.
Karl Rove wouldn't agree with Dick but said the same as the RNC Chair who said the
early voting has the GOP over-performing from 08 and the DEMs under-performing.
Rove gave specific numbers like OBY has over 181,000 less turnouts than 08 while
Mitt has over 75,000 more turnouts.
Rove said the GOPs are more energized this time and more conservatives are voting than before.
They know how crucial it is.
Morris said take FLA. They had OBY up by polling DEMs when Mitt is up by +7
with a wider sampling base.
OHio is still too close to call but the RNC said the are over-performing there too.
They know exactly how many ballots have been turned in and their outcome.
I've been saying polls like the PPP on real clear and the Times and other DEMs polls
are skewed as the media is trying to win the election for the DEMs like they
have done in the past.
It all comes down to which machine can get the most people out and the GOP is
holding it's own in both Ohio and Wisconsin in the early voting and absentee ballots.
Mitt has a chance in Iowa and Nevada too.
Last edited by AirFlacco; 11-01-2012 at 02:40 AM.
Re: Dick still says Mitt by 7-10 pts and says beware of phony Times poll
Dick might not be the only one calling for a land slide.
Mark Halpernin says it wil be:
A close Obama win or
A close Romney win or
A Romney land slide.


text:
20th C. Chrysanthemum 18" Brasserie Table
- No Longer Available -
In turn-of-the-century Paris, decorative brasserie tables like ours populated its cafés. Our reproduction captures the stylized chrysanthemum base and the antiqued, weathered patina.
Show Details +
- 18" diam., 24"H
Product Not Available
We're sorry. This product is no longer available
Please continue browsing.


text:
JRI Industries, Inc., offers the most complete line of parts washers and parts cleaning systems in the industry. Our complete line of standard parts washer systems include Front-Loading Washers, Top-Loading Washers, immersion agitation cleaning systems, cellular cleaning systems, inline cleaning systems, monorail cleaning systems, rotary drum (auger) cleaning systems, and Heavy-Duty Washers. We have the largest Engineering Staff in the Parts Washer Industry to design and engineer custom cleaning systems to meet customers' expectations.
Here at JRI, we design and manufacturer all of our parts washers. Our manufacturing facility in Springfield, Missouri, allows us to fabricate our Cleaning Systems - without having to rely on outsource-manufacturing. This enables JRI to modify or customize washers to meet the cleaning requirements of the customer with much shorter lead times than industry norms.
JRI Industries is proud to bring the very best to customers in aqueous parts washers, dip tank agitation washers, industrial belt washers, and immersion cleaning systems. We manufacture both standard and custom automatic parts washers to suit your exact needs. Our heavy-duty industrial parts washers can handle even the toughest cleaning application.
We manufacture a complete line of aqueous parts washers for de-greasing and cleaning equipment and parts for industrial, automotive, and manufacturing applications. Our Cabinet washers, Conveyor parts washers, and other Industrial parts washers use aqueous cleaning solutions that have all the cleaning power of a solvent, but are safe to use.
Whether you are a manufacturer, a re-manufacturer, or doing routine maintenance, JRI has the experience and expertise to meet your washing needs.
industrial parts washers, commercial parts washers, aqueous parts washers, spray parts washers, parts washer, pass-through parts washer conveyor parts washer, dip tank parts washer, dip tanks, ultrasonic tanks, parts cleaner, basket parts washers
Copyright © 2010. JRI Industries


text:
Associated Counselors of Tidewater, LCSW, LPC, LMFT, CSOTP, LSATP
Licensed Psychotherapists
10 Basil Sawyer Drive, Ste. A, Hampton , Virginia 23666
Family therapy can be beneficial for many reasons is a unique way to help all the members of a family to be able to communicate better, problem solve, address conflict and find balance. It can create an atmosphere of togetherness where feelings can be expressed and hurts can be healed. Understanding family systems can also take the heavy burden of blame off the individual members and point out ways to make a more healthy and functioning unit. At A.C.T., we can assist with strategies that meet the needs of challenging parenting situations and provide a safe, supportive environment to work through your difficulties.
Christian Psychotherapy Services, Ph.D., LCSW, LPC, MD
Psychologists, Professional Counselors, Psychiatrists,
11838 Rock Landing Drive, Newport News, Virginia, Virginia 23606
Our approach to family therapy is to include all members of the family in most family sessions. Sometimes this may include extended family members, e.g. grandparents, nephews etc.. The goal in family therapy is to identify any systemic problem within the family that may be enabling the identified family member with the problem. This may include addiction issues, behavioral issues, severe mental illness, etc.. The therapist will help the family develop healthy solutions to the problems they are facing.


text:
"Has this paper ever declared that a tax hike was a bad idea? Has it ever suggested cutting taxes? Has it ever suggesting trimming back the size of government?"
commenting on the June 6 Tribune editorial, "Catching up: Small tax hike reasonable"
"There are some very wealthy Americans who understand the plights of the average working person. Romney is not one of them."
commenting on the June 6 Esther Cepeda column, "For Romney, lessons not learned"
"Too bad we have to rely on foreign journalists to find out the truth of what's happening in our own damn country."
commenting on the June 6 AP/sltrib.com article, "White House defends collecting phone records"
"What a dumb idea. Take a low income immigrant and have them fill out their taxes. Factor in the child tax credits and the EITC and we'll be paying them. Does Hatch even know how taxes work?"
commenting on the June 6 sltrib.com article, "Hatch wants immigrants to pay back taxes"
"Of course Hatch know how the tax system works. You put most of your money in offshore accounts and avoid paying taxes."
commenting on the above comment
"Just another victim of the long, pointless, war on pot."
commenting on the June 7 Tribune editorial, "Keep the case open: Fatal raid must be investigated"


text:
We'd bought 14 of the heirlooms, with thoughts of a seaside picnic. We meant to stop at eight—two each—but couldn't help ourselves. They were the most glorious tomatoes, showing every hue from bottle-green to burgundy, and heavy with juice, like water balloons on the verge of bursting. The idea was to save them till Kennebunkport, three hours away.
That notion lasted 20 minutes. We had no plates, but we had a plastic knife. In the backseat, Laura sliced the tomatoes in half and handed them out for us to tip back, squeeze, and drink, as you would a grapefruit, then devour whole. The tomatoes were from Chase's Daily, a farmstand-slash-restaurant-slash-revelation in Belfast, Maine. I would call them the best midday snack of our trip—but then, we'd said the same about yesterday's crab roll, and the previous day's Camembert, and the previous afternoon's oysters.
Last summer I combed the Maine coast on a two-week culinary tour. As fortification I brought along my wife, Nilou, and two food-obsessed friends. Mark is from New England, but Laura, a California native, had never been north of Boston. Our goal was to convert her to the cult of Maine. Me, I grew up 20 minutes from the beaches of York and Ogunquit. What taco stands were to Laura's youth, lobster pounds were to mine.
Lobster is still the go-to order here, but there's so much more to Maine's pantry: artisanal breads and farmstead cheeses, zesty herbs and buttery greens, gold-glowing squash blossoms and sweet corn, wild mushrooms and blueberries. Even the humblest kitchens have access to luscious peekytoe crab, plump mussels, and absurdly fresh fish.
What Maine also has, more than ever before, is a roster of talented chefs who are redefining local cooking. Sure, plenty of restaurants still dish out retro Yankee resort food (maple-glazed salmon, potato-crusted lamb) for people like, say, the senior Bushes, whose portraits hang by the door. Now, however, you can find a bold and inventive contemporary cuisine that never places novelty before flavor, gimmickry over essence.
But hold up. First I have to tell you about the oysters.
The Damariscotta River is a tidal estuary that juts into Maine's central coast. Two thousand years ago, oysters thrived here; along the banks remain vast shell middens left by Native American tribes. By the 1970's the oysters were long gone. Yet to a handful of aqua-farmers, the Damariscotta seemed an ideal spot for cultivation: today the river yields 23 million oysters each year.
One of those pioneers was Dick Clime, who founded Dodge Cove Marine Farm in 1977. To my mind, Clime's oysters are the finest in New England. Strong and hardy, the bivalves also retain their water (or "liquor") exceptionally well. Clime's harvest finds its way to oyster bars across the nation, but I've never had fresher ones than at Scales, a winning little raw bar in Portland. (It has closed temporarily but will soon reopen in a new location on the waterfront.) Knocking back a Dodge Cove was like diving headfirst into the ocean and being walloped by a wave—a bracing, briny shot of the chilly Atlantic, backed by a captivating sweetness and the tingle of the house mignonette. "It's like drowning, with shallots," was Mark's euphoric description. After two we were practically afloat; after three we considered donning snorkels.
Portland claims to have as many restaurants per capita as San Francisco, which may or may not be true. For a city of only 64,000, it certainly has more than its share of great ones. Ever since the eighties, when quirky bistros like Café Always and Alberta's were raising the bar on New England cooking, Portland has been a magnet for aspiring chefs. What's not to love, after all?With its mix of stately roseate façades and dingy sailors' haunts, its brine-reeking wharves and its I. M. Pei & Partnersdesigned art museum, Portland nicely straddles the line between highbrow and hardscrabble.
The city's most inspired cooking can be found at Hugo's, where chef Rob Evans's technique owes much to the bold inventions of Thomas Keller. (Evans worked at Keller's French Laundry in Napa before moving to Portland and taking over Hugo's in 2000.) Forgive the eighties-kitsch interior and focus your attention on the food, which is arty, strange, and utterly luxurious. First up for us: an espresso cup rimmed with popcorn dust (!), containing a shot of lobster-and-corn bisque laced with chorizo oil. Next came Evans's masterstroke: an heirloom-tomato plate, in theory, except the tomatoes were delicately peeled, accompanied by a quivering, silken panna cotta of lemon olive oil and tomato water, then dressed with white anchovies and a Thai basilinfused vinaigrette.
Evans riffs on familiar combinations—say, lamb in mint sauce, with carrots and squash—only in novel forms. In this case, the lamb saddle came with a luscious carrot mousse and a spearmint-zucchini "cake." Both side dishes were like understudies outshining the original cast. Therein lies Evans's talent: his creations seem hypercerebral on paper (it took our waitress 37 seconds to "explain" the duck) but are ultimately about pure flavor. Meanwhile, ingredients that sound extraneous are revealed as essential. Take that duck, for instance—the breast cooked sous-vide, the leg slow-roasted, both tender and moist—paired with golden beets and spiced plums. The fundamentals were excellent. Add the surprising crunch of diced water chestnuts and the complementary bitterness of kola-nut froth, and the dish was transcendent.
I visit Portland several times a year and go to Fore Street whenever I'm in town—not to trace the culinary vanguard but to be sated with honest, earthbound cooking. Over a 10-year run, Fore Street has become Maine's answer to Chez Panisse, with chef Sam Hayward as Alice Waters—champion of local producers, proponent of sustainable fishing and farming, sultan of the greenmarket. For Maine farmers, a namecheck on Fore Street's menu is equivalent to a spot in an Oscar-party gift bag.
Even on weeknights, you might wait an hour for one of Fore Street's copper-topped tables. Faded brick walls, burlap sacks, and unfinished beams set the tone in the dining room, a former garage for oil tankers. The male clientele is clad in regulation New England guy-wear—Top-Siders, Red Sox caps, khaki shorts with belts. (Ahh, my people!) In the open kitchen a dozen cooks, also wearing Sox caps, tend to flame-licked turnspits and stoke a roaring brick oven.
Out of that 900-degree oven come Fore Street's famous roasted mussels, shrouded in steam: juicy, raft-cultured gems from nearby Bangs Island. "We're so spoiled by Maine mussels that we never use anyone else's," Hayward says. "If they're not available, we just take mussels off the menu." Splashed with vermouth and cooked with garlic-and-lemon butter, parsley, and toasted almonds, they're the platonic ideal of shellfish.
Despite Fore Street's proximity to the sea—the misty wharves are visible through the windows—Hayward's menu focuses on meat and fowl. We were wowed by spatchcocked, wood-grilled harlequin quail. Spatchcocked means the bird is butterflied to allow for faster cooking time and moister meat. Dryness was a nonissue, however, since the quail had also been basted in a stock of shiitakes, veal, and duck fat, then finished with I don't want to know how much butter. Bring Lipitor; the result is fabulous and worth the risk.
In Portland's highly democratic dining scene, Erik Desjarlais's cooking can be described as defiantly uncasual. Desjarlais opened Bandol in 2003, when he was just 26. Despite rave reviews, his often brilliant $69 tasting menus—with their predilection for offal—never found a wide audience in Portland. Nor did the hushed, Vivaldian tone of the dining room. Desjarlais abandoned the original space last fall, and at press time planned to reopen at a new location this fall.
At the original Bandol we were knocked out by three—count 'em, three—amuses, including a sublime fried oyster in a cucumber consommé. The pan-roasted sweetbreads were remarkably light; the succulent leg of lamb was matched with a delightful cassoulet of leeks and cranberry beans. But the highlight was Desjarlais's way with the cheese course. Translucent plum slices, like shards of stained glass, complemented a wedge of creamy, mushroomy Constant Bliss from Vermont. A sharp Neal's Yard Cheshire came drizzled with wildflower honey and scattered with diced pear. Even the fig tart was topped with a dollop of chalky-yet-sweet chèvre ice cream.
While seeking a new address for Bandol, Desjarlais opened an informal soup joint called Ladle, confirming a new trend in Portland: name chefs starting casual lunch spots. Sam Hayward gets his ya-ya's out at Scales. And Rob Evans of Hugo's finds his outlet at Duckfat, an all-day eatery that's as homey as Hugo's is refined: bar stools, rose stems in Coke bottles, and a communal Magnetic Poetry board (today's entry: I AM NOT YOUR TROUSERS). The kitchen is staffed by friendly dudes in cargo shorts who crank My Morning Jacket while assembling the city's best sandwiches, including a fall-apart duck-confit panino with black-currant chutney. There are also fries, twice cooked in duck fat and seasoned with a powder of dried capers, onions, parsley, and garlic—umami heaven in a paper cone. And for dessert, a root-beer float made with Duckfat's fizzy concoction of Italian soda water and sassafras. Add two scoops of fragrant vanilla ice cream from Smiling Hill Farm, and presto—a tumblerful of childhood.
Smiling Hill Farm, it turned out, was just a 10-minute drive from downtown Portland. It's been owned by the Knight family since the 1700's, but only recently has its dairy been gaining broader renown. Besides that fantastic ice cream, Danny Meyer now sources Smiling Hill's butter for his restaurant, The Modern, in New York. The farm is also home to one of Maine's top cheese makers, Silvery Moon Creamery.
Farther up the coast, Maine's shoreline becomes craggier and the Atlantic breezes more insistent, and one's thoughts inevitably turn to sauerkraut. Generations have made the pilgrimage to Morse's, a little red farmhouse in North Waldoboro.
This area was settled by German immigrants adept at farming and fermenting cabbage. Continuing in this tradition was Virgil Morse, who began selling his sauerkraut commercially in 1918; his family kept up the business for decades until David Swetnam and Jacquelyn Sawyer took over in 2000. Not much has changed.
The best sauerkraut is made from sweet, ivory-hued "winter" cabbage, which holds its flavor better than its more attractive, green-tinged cousin. Here it's fermented in plastic drums in a frigid storage room, slowing down the process—"the longer it takes to make, the better the kraut," says Swetnam—then transferred to wooden barrels. The genial staff will scoop out pints into flimsy plastic tubs that inevitably leak when you carry them on to, say, an airplane. (Trust me on this.) No matter: the result is tangy and assertive, clean and still crunchy. This is raw, unpasteurized, "live" kraut, almost too good to use as a mere garnish.
A salad is a salad, you say. But not in Maine, not in late summer. The $7 salad we had at Primo was, by any measure, above and beyond. On the surface it was an unassuming tangle of summer lettuces, subtly dressed with a red-wine vinaigrette. But tucked within were powerful herbs from Primo's own garden—verbena, basil, mint, fennel, cinnamon basil—so that each forkful was like slamming hits of herbal extract. Mark sat dumbfounded for minutes, ruminating over a shiso leaf.
If chef and co-owner Melissa Kelly weren't a star in her own right, her garden could carry the day. I've followed Kelly since she was at the great Old Chatham Sheepherding Inn near the Berkshires. After leaving in 1999, she and her pastry-chef fiancé, Price Kushner, ended up in Rockland, Maine, where they bought and renovated a gingerbread Victorian, carving out several homey dining rooms across two floors. Primo (named for Kelly's grandfather from Bologna) is nominally an Italian restaurant, though not so you'd recognize it. Consider Kelly's take on, er, spaghetti and meatballs: bright-green arugula linguine cooked al dente and an ethereal tomato-veal-and-pork ragù topped with feathery wisps of fennel. Every dish manages to seem light and delicate while carrying the most robust and assertive flavors—none more so than what comes from that magnificent garden.
Kelly gets the bulk of attention from out-of-staters, but another young chef has been causing a stir in nearby Camden. One of the nation's most photogenic seaside resorts, Camden remains a favored retreat for the Rockefellers and their ilk. Most chefs up here remain stuck in Ye Olde New England mode—but not Brian Hill of Francine Bistro. Hill got his start in Boston, working under Todd English at Olives when it was still good; after stints in L.A., Hawaii, and New York, he washed up in Camden in 2002 and took a job at Francine. Back then it was just a modest 25-seat café with a single hot plate for a stove. This didn't stop Hill from dazzling local foodies with improbable hot-plate feasts. Hill eventually bought the place, installed a proper kitchen, and drew a devoted following. The night we stopped in, there was an hour wait for a table; James Rockefeller Jr. was ahead of us in line. But Francine is hardly posh. The wooden tables were bare except for tiny planters of chive blossoms.
Hill sources most of his ingredients at the Camden farmers' market: broiler chickens from Mainely Poultry in Warren; organic beef from Caldwell Farms in Turner ("the finest I've tasted, anywhere," Hill raves); and wild-foraged chanterelles from the Oyster Creek Mushroom Co. in Damariscotta. Like me, Hill is obsessed with fungi. "Maine's chanterelles are actually better than the European variety—they give off this intense apricot-jam aroma the second they hit the pan," he says. "Black trumpets, too. I've never found anything as satisfying as truffles, but these come closest to that big, animal flavor." That evening the black trumpets found their way into a marvelously savory spinach soup. A cluster of oyster mushrooms lent a peppery bite to the sautéed calamari. Hill's cooking is rooted less in the sea than in the funky flavors of the earth; for instance, the powerful tastes of rosemary and braised bacon that accompanied the seared scallops.
Odd coincidence: before he donned his chef's whites, Hill was the guitarist for Heretix, one of Boston's great unsung bands and a favorite of mine and Mark's back in college. We both recognized him as soon as he stepped out of the kitchen: "Wait, weren't you ?" Hill was a talented guitarist, but he's even better behind the stoves—alt-rock's loss, gastronomy's gain.
The cove-studded, wildflower-laced Blue Hill Peninsula is famous as the home turf of E. B. White, Helen and Scott Nearing, and Robert McCloskey, who together go a long way in describing the region's bucolic appeal as well as its demographic. Pottery studios, antiques emporiums, glassblowers' studios, yarn boutiques: Blue Hill is heaven for some, twee for others, and absolute hell for anyone between the ages of 6 and 22. I was a sixth-grader when my parents first dragged me here on vacation, and besides the cool sailboats, the only thing that kept me from bolting was the crab rolls.
Smaller than the familiar Jonah crab, peekytoe crab are endemic to Maine and proliferate in the inshore waters around Blue Hill. Until recently, sand crabs were reviled as worthless pests with a penchant for stealing lobster bait; fishermen called them "picked toes" for the shape of the two hind legs, and usually tossed them back. Then, in the early 1980's, Rod Mitchell, founder, along with his wife, Cynde, of Portland's Browne Trading Co., discovered how tasty picked-toe crabmeat could be when cooked and shelled correctly. "Of course, the name wasn't very appealing, so I started selling them as 'peeky-toe,'" he recalls. A quarter-century later, peekytoe has become a prized catch; Mainers will tell you it's even sweeter than lobster. "Wish I'd patented the name," Mitchell says with a laugh.
Around Blue Hill, everyone's got a favorite crab joint—Crosby's in Bucksport or Jordan's over in Ellsworth—but you can find a great peekytoe roll anywhere. Take the Bayview, a screen-doored trailer parked on Route 175 in Penobscot, where owner Larry Reynolds greets you in a Down East drawl so extreme you wonder if he's putting you on.
To mix the perfect martini, Winston Churchill would reputedly glance across the room at a bottle of vermouth and then pour the gin. The same idea holds for a crab roll. Unadorned peekytoe meat is sweet and creamy enough; any mayo should remain sealed in the jar. Reynolds will add Miracle Whip, but tell him there's no need. Mixed only with a little pepper, served on a toasted hot-dog bun, his crab roll is outstanding—and a bargain at just $7. "Plus the gov'nuh's shayuh," Reynolds says, adding 49 cents tax. "Heck, he's making a bettah mah-gin than we ah!"
The harbor town of Belfast is one of Maine's overlooked showpieces. Its sloping main street is lined with neo-Gothic and Neoclassical architecture; candy-cane barber poles and soda fountains still occupy the ornate storefronts. But don't take its primness as mere tourist fodder: Belfast is a vital working town, and Chase's Daily is its buzzing hub.
The Chase family—father Addison, mother Penny, and daughters Meg and Phoebe—owns a 500-acre farm in nearby Freedom. That's right, Freedom. Six years ago they took over Belfast's 1888 Odd Fellows Hall, whose ground level is a plank-floored, tin-ceilinged warehouse space. It now resembles a SoHo gallery; funky artwork hangs on the brick walls. A 49-seat restaurant occupies the front half. Out back is a retail market selling produce from the Chases' farm. Shafts of sunlight stream through the tall windows, illuminating bins of vegetables like some ray-of-God tableau: scarlet and fuchsia turnip greens, yellow and purple baby carrots. I challenge you to locate a more tantalizing assortment of produce, outside of a Dutch still life. (This was where we found the aforementioned killer tomatoes.)
The all-day restaurant and bakery fills up with an eclectic crowd: farmers, Feldenkrais practitioners, meter maids on coffee breaks. Three of the waitresses when we visited were ruddy-cheeked farm girls; the other had a Bettie Page tattoo. We came for breakfast (omelettes with roasted sweet onions, sautéed Swiss chard, and fontina) and, not believing our luck, returned two hours later for lunch (a frothy, chilled soup of potato, leek, and fennel, sprinkled with zesty chives—all of it from the Chases' farm). Only after we left did we realize that everything on the menu was vegetarian.
Maine is blessed with a thousand knockout restaurant locations but never enough restaurateurs to properly exploit them. The exception: MC Perkins Cove in the tidy resort of Ogunquit, site of Maine's finest sand beach. Perkins Cove itself is an uncannily pretty harbor, with a whitewashed wooden drawbridge that's cranked up by hand when a tall mast glides in.
For years, the best spot in the Cove was occupied by the late and not-at-all-lamented Hurricanes, which stood on a rocky promontory with views across tidal pools to the roiling ocean beyond. Last summer the site was taken over by chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier (hence the initials in the restaurant's new name), who earned national renown at Arrows, also in Ogunquit. Over the course of two decades I've had great meals at Arrows, but on a recent visit I found the food overthought, overpriced, and underwhelming. MC Perkins Cove goes for the more casual vibe of a seafood shack and succeeds admirably.
The two-story space is nearly all windows, with minimal decoration (that view is drama enough). Service is assured and unforced. And the kitchen works magic with coastal classics: luscious crab cakes, steamed mussels, plank-roasted cod. Gaier and Frasier have a knack for sourcing superb ingredients (the double-tiered shellfish tower is remarkably fresh), while most of the produce comes from the vast garden at Arrows. The chefs inject just enough creativity to keep things interesting. Take the deconstructed clam chowder: a timbale of succulent clams and herbed potatoes forms an island in the buttery milk broth, which is topped with a swirl of paprika oil and a sprig of fragrant thyme. I grew up on the chowder served at Barnacle Billy's down the street—but MC's reinvention made me consider switching sides.
Look, I love lobster as much as—no, way more than the next guy. I come from a line of New Englanders who eat the slimy green tomalley and knock back "claw shots" to savor the remaining juice. But I'll admit that lobster doesn't dress up well. Maine menus are rife with whimsical takes—lobster spring rolls, lobster @#$%ing nachos—but do any chefs improve on the classic, saltwater-steamed preparation?Hardly ever.
Jonathan Cartwright does. The chef at Kennebunk's White Barn Inn has developed a repertoire of inventive lobster riffs that are clever but never cloying. Funny, too, because WBI is a resolutely old-school place, with linen-topped tables and a tuxedoed pianist. The menu spells out the prices ("eighty-nine dollars" for a four-course prix fixe). Jackets are required; if you forget yours they'll issue you a spare—invariably navy with brass buttons. And service is impeccably formal: our waiter said things like, "I'll give you a moment to explore the menu," then returned to ask, "Are you tempted to enjoy anything you see?" It's a throwback in every way, except for Cartwright's cooking.
You can order lobster for every course and never tire of the flavor. Our meal began with a sensational amuse: a coddled egg served in the shell with poached lobster medallions and a subtle, not-too-sweet maple compote. Next came a zesty lobster gazpacho, sharpened with roasted pine nuts and accompanied by a miniature lobster roll on warm brioche. A powerful grapefruit sorbet served as a palate cleanser (another retro touch). Then came Cartwright's signature dish: a 1 3/4-pound lobster removed from its shell and steamed in a reduction of Cognac, cream, butter, and coral (lobster roe), then served atop a nest of white fettuccine with snow peas, carrots, and ginger. The dish is richer than the couple at the next table and ridiculously good.
But let's face it: coddled eggs and Cognac are kind of cheating, no?Sometimes you simply need a great lobster roll. For that, you head a quarter-mile down the road and queue up at the Clam Shack, next to the Kennebunkport Bridge. It's been said by every food writer who ever passed through here, but the Clam Shack's lobster roll really is the best in Maine. Actually, it's tied for first with the one from Red's Eats, another roadside stand up the coast in Wiscasset. Both are generously filled (Red's claims to use an entire one-pound lobster per sandwich). And each comes with your choice of mayo or drawn butter—or, if you're insane, both. Both make a point of shredding the meat by hand instead of by knife, to avoid the taint of oxidation; the resultant morsels are pleasingly intact and clean-tasting.
The benches outside were occupied, so we ate the rolls while leaning against the railing of the bridge, watching the yachts and sailboats bob gently in the Kennebunkport Marina, alternating hits of salty air with tangy, sweet bites of lobster. In the end, it was the Clam Shack lobster roll that proved the tipping point in our Maine-indoctrination experiment: Laura was thoroughly converted. We're all going back for another go-round next month. See you at Chase's—and, for God's sake, save us some tomatoes.
Peter Jon Lindberg is a T+L editor-at-large.
19 Essential Maine Tastes
1 Crab roll from Bayview Market & Takeout (Penobscot)
2 Heirloom tomato salad from Chase's Daily (Belfast)
3 Pick-your-own blueberries from Sewall's Orchards (Lincolnville)
4 Any dish with foraged mushrooms at Francine Bistro (Camden)
5 House-grown greens and herbs at Primo (Rockland)
6 Sauerkraut at Morse's (North Waldoboro)
7 The lobster roll at Red's Eats (Wiscasset)
8 Silvery Moon Camembert (Westbrook)
9 Gingerbread from Standard Baking Co. (Portland)
10 Lamb-and-feta flatbread at 555 (Portland)
11 Olive-oil panna cotta at Hugo's (Portland)
12 Belgian frites and a root-beer float at Duckfat (Portland)
13 Roasted mussels at Fore Street (Portland)
14 Smoked salmon from Browne Trading Co. (Portland)
15 Lobster with Cognac and coral butter sauce at White Barn Inn (Kennebunk)
16 Fried clams and a lobster roll at the Clam Shack (Kennebunkport)
17 Soup at Joshua's (Wells)
18 Classic clam chowder at Barnacle Billy's (Ogunquit)
19 Deconstructed clam chowder at MC Perkins Cove (Ogunquit)
All of the places mentioned in this story are within a three-hour drive north or south of Portland, Maine's largest city. Portland International Jetport is served by USAirways, Continental, Northwest, Delta Connection, United Express, and, as of this spring, JetBlue. There's also a decent airport in Bangor that's more convenient to Camden, Rockport, and Blue Hill.
Barnacle Billy's
50 & 70 Perkins Cove Rd., Ogunquit; 207/646-5575; www.barnbilly.com; lobster rolls and clam chowder for two $40.
Bayview Market & Takeout
Bayview Rd. (Rte. 175), Penobscot; 207/326-4882; crab rolls for two $14.
Browne Trading Co.
New England's finest seafood market sells incredible smoked salmon, Iranian caviar, and a dizzying range of delicacies for picnics. 260 Commercial St., Portland; 207/775-7560; www.browne-trading.com.
Chase's Daily
96 Main St., Belfast; 207/338-0555; lunch for two $35.
Clam Shack
2 Western Ave. (Rte. 9), Kennebunkport; 207/967-2560; lobster rolls for two $27.
43 Middle St., Portland; 207/774-8080; www.duckfat.com; lunch for two $26.
Open just three years, 555 has quietly become one of Portland's most assured restaurants, hewing to the greenmarket school of fresh, clear-flavored food, such as a mint- and lemon-tinged pea soup laced with baby fiddleheads. 555 Congress St., Portland; 207/761-0555; www.fivefifty-five.com; dinner for two $75.
Five Islands Farm
Fantastic selection of Maine farmstead cheeses. 1375 Five Islands Rd., Georgetown; 207/371-9383; www.fiveislandsfarm.com.
Fore Street
288 Fore St., Portland; 207/775-2717; www.forestreet.biz; dinner for two $72.
Francine Bistro
55 Chestnut St., Camden; 207/230-0083; dinner for two $80.
88 Middle St., Portland; 207/774-8538; www.hugos.net; dinner for two $120.
This south-coast newcomer occupies a beautifully restored 1774 clapboard house on Route 1. Chef Joshua Mather grew up on his family's farm up the road; mom Barbara is the hostess, and father Mort harvests most of the produce—and what produce it is. The kitchen showed great promise last summer, especially in a well-balanced potage of leek and potato spiked with Parma ham and drizzled with neon-green chive oil. Keep an eye on this guy. 1637 Post Rd., Wells; 207/646-3355; www.joshuas.biz; dinner for two $40.
K. Horton Specialty Foods
Portland's top cheesemonger returns to a new address this fall. 28 Monument Sq., Portland; www.khortonfoods.com.
MC Perkins Cove
111 Perkins Cove Rd., Ogunquit; 207/646-6263; www.mcperkinscove.com; dinner for two $85.
Morse's Sauerkraut
3856 Washington Rd. (Rte. 220), N. Waldoboro; 866/832-5569 or 207/832-5569; www.morsessauerkraut.com.
2 S. Main St. (Rte. 73), Rockland; 207/596-0770; www.primorestaurant.com; dinner for two $100.
Red's Eats
41 Main St. (Rte. 1), Wiscasset; 207/882-6128; lobster rolls for two $28.
Sewall's Orchard
Pick your own wild blueberries from mid- to late summer. Masalin Rd., Lincolnville; 207/763-3956; www.sewallsorchard.com.
Silvery Moon Creamery & Smiling Hill Farm
781 County Rd. (Rte. 22), Westbrook; 207/775-4818; www.smilinghill.com.
Standard Baking Co.
Maine's best bakery is housed in an atmospheric old brick warehouse, where there's always a queue for baguettes, sourdough boules, and plush brioche. Secret weapon: the heavenly gingerbread. 75 Commercial St., Portland; 207/773-2112.
White Barn Inn
37 Beach Ave., Kennebunk; 207/967-2321; www.whitebarninn.com; dinner for two $178.
Inn at Sunrise Point
The most stylish and best-situated of the Camden area's inns—a porch-rimmed 1920's manse overlooking a broad sloping lawn and glittering Penobscot Bay. The best rooms are in the four outlying cottages, each with a fireplace and spacious deck (the Winslow Homer suite was our favorite). 55 Sunrise Point Rd. (Rte. 1), Lincolnville; 207/236-7716; www.sunrisepoint.com; doubles from $305.
Portland Harbor Hotel
In a town with surprisingly few worthy hotels, this 2003 arrival is the top choice for both location (right in the Old Port) and comfort (spacious rooms are done up in butter yellow with dark-wood furnishings; granite bathrooms have outsize soaking tubs). 468 Fore St., Portland; 888/795-9090; www.portlandharborhotel.com; doubles from $289.
Yachtsman Lodge & Marina
Our favorite of the three delightful properties run by the owners of the White Barn Inn (a roster that also includes the oceanfront Beach House). The Yachtsman, on the banks of the Kennebunk River, is the most informal of the lot: a chic, converted motel whose 30 airy rooms have cathedral ceilings, bead-board paneling, and French doors opening to semiprivate patios. 57 Ocean Ave., Kennebunkport; 207/967-2511; www.yachtsmanlodge.com; doubles from $319.


text:
Town Square
Sort by: Most recent topic/comment Most viewed Most comments
Navigation tip: Clicking on any category label will display all recent posts in that category
SCHOOLS & KIDSDocuments detail Walnut Grove principal's ouster
Jon Vranesh left his office at Walnut Grove Elementary School so quietly on Oct. 25, 2013, that not even the people closest...Original post made on Jun. 5, 2014
Last comment by AP, on Jun 13, 2014 at 9:30 am | 175 comments | 23312 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSSchool board trustees, backers of pro and con sides sound off on Measure G defeat
Voters defeated a potential funding source for the school district Tuesday, and now members the Pleasanton Unified School...Original post made on Jun. 3, 2009
Last comment by Wadsworth, on Jun 5, 2009 at 6:25 pm | 172 comments | 4257 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSSchool board approves modified 'lite' calendar
After last night's two-hour report and discussion on the approval of a modified calendar option, the school board approved...Original post made on Jun. 18, 2014
Last comment by Twilight Zone, on Jul 13, 2014 at 10:32 pm | 170 comments | 21700 Views
AROUND TOWNCalstrs/teachers union opposes pension spiking bill
Teachers want changes in bill that limits public employee pensions "The California Teachers Association and California...Original post made by Be a part of the solution on Aug. 4, 2011
Last comment by Reviled, on Aug 13, 2011 at 4:15 pm | 170 comments | 4720 Views
AROUND TOWNThe Pleasanton's Pension Situation for Dummies
I've been reading the PleasantonWeekly.com posts regarding the Pleasanton entitlement situation so I decided to research...Original post made by Shoot_The_Messengers on Dec. 9, 2010
Last comment by Bill F, on Jan 14, 2011 at 5:10 pm | 168 comments | 9189 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSTwo school district employees refute investigation details
Two school district employees are asking for a public apology from the Pleasanton School District, alleging their reputations...Original post made on Mar. 12, 2014
Last comment by Jtjh, on Mar 22, 2014 at 5:01 pm | 165 comments | 17786 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSPleasanton considering eliminating class-size reductions, teaching and administrative positions
Pleasanton School Supt. John Casey warned yesterday that the state's growing deficit problems could force the district...Original post made on Jan. 9, 2009
Last comment by concerned parent, on Jan 23, 2009 at 7:26 am | 164 comments | 5125 Views
STATE, NATIONAL, INTERNATIONALThe President Steps Up
This one's for you, Steve of Parkside. It takes a big man to apologize to a private citizen (putting herself out there)...Original post made by Stacey on Mar. 2, 2012
Last comment by Charlie McPoyle, on Apr 17, 2014 at 10:28 am | 163 comments | 6188 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSPUSD Board's Moment of Truth
Now is a Moment of Truth for the PUSD Board. Will the Board fight for the children? Fight to maintain the current level...Original post made by Dark Corners of Town on Feb. 8, 2010
Last comment by Start Afresh, on Feb 9, 2011 at 6:42 am | 159 comments | 5464 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSA Teachers View of Salary Concessions: Just Say No
This email was sent to me as a cut/paste from a friend. I believe it is important that all sides get their points of view...Original post made by Concerned Citizen on Feb. 18, 2010
Last comment by kfs, on Jul 4, 2010 at 11:47 am | 154 comments | 6619 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSLayoff notices headed to PUSD employees
The Pleasanton school board voted last night to send layoff noticesto more than 62 employees, although board members hold...Original post made on Mar. 2, 2011
Last comment by Really?, on Mar 12, 2011 at 10:38 pm | 154 comments | 8562 Views
STATE, NATIONAL, INTERNATIONALGabrielle Giffords Shooting: The Missed Warning Signs
A 2009 Homeland Security study warned that the rise of right-wing extremism could spur violent attacks. But the report was...Original post made by Chet on Jan. 10, 2011
Last comment by Jeb Bing, on Jan 19, 2011 at 6:52 am | 154 comments | 5835 Views
AROUND TOWNCold Stone, landlord square off over lease as popular ice cream store moves out of Pleasanton
The franchise owners of Cold Stone Creamery in downtown Pleasanton have closed their store and moving out of Tully's Plaza...Original post made on Mar. 26, 2013
Last comment by Damon, on Jul 20, 2015 at 10:52 am | 152 comments | 9090 Views
COMMENTS ON STORIESPleasanton council gets an earful at its pension reform workshop
Emotions ran high last night at a four-hour-long public workshop on city pension reforms hosted by the Pleasanton City Council. Read...Original post made on Feb. 2, 2011
Last comment by two cents, on Feb 11, 2011 at 11:30 am | 151 comments | 6366 Views
AROUND TOWNGuest opinion: Wal-Mart comes at a high price for Pleasanton
Your Jan. 27 editorial "Wal-Mart's Neighborhood Market good for Pleasanton" made me wonder if the Pleasanton Weekly is a...Original post made on Feb. 10, 2012
Last comment by Florence Tarkington, on Feb 18, 2012 at 9:52 pm | 150 comments | 46706 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSResidents share concern over parcel tax
As the state continues to negotiate its budget, the Pleasanton Unified School District school board is listening to residents'...Original post made on Feb. 5, 2009
Last comment by Kevin, on Mar 9, 2009 at 8:20 am | 149 comments | 5016 Views
STATE, NATIONAL, INTERNATIONALTo the homosexual members of our community: I'm sorry
I'm terribly disappointed in the citizens of our state. Constitutional amendments should be used to enshrine rights, not...Original post made by Jill on Nov. 5, 2008
Last comment by Jeb Bing, on Nov 11, 2008 at 7:16 am | 149 comments | 5277 Views
CRIMES & INCIDENTSImmigration arrests made at area El Balazo restaurants
Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) searched area El Balazo restaurants, including the Hopyard...Original post made on May. 2, 2008
Last comment by Jeb Bing, on May 15, 2008 at 6:12 am | 149 comments | 5210 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSTeachers Bringing Pink Slip Issues Into the Classroom
Just out of curiosity, would you find it inappropriate if your child's teacher constantly talked about losing their job to...Original post made by Concerned About Teacher Behavior on Mar. 12, 2009
Last comment by Jeb Bing, on Mar 15, 2009 at 9:43 pm | 148 comments | 5465 Views
SCHOOLS & KIDSScool Budget Crisis: Have we really thought outside the box?
A couple of months ago I resigned from the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) due to a growing frustration that this was an...Original post made by Al Cohen on Jan. 12, 2010
Last comment by Stacey, on Jan 21, 2010 at 10:30 am | 148 comments | 4852 Views
Question credibility, corroboration before condemnation
By pleasantonweekly.com | 5 comments | 1,564 views
What You Need to Do Before Your Child Goes to College
By Elizabeth LaScala | 0 comments | 337 views


text:
Explanation of vote by Ambassador Berger on the Security Council resolution on Côte d'Ivoire
(as delivered)
Mr. President,
Germany also welcomes the unanimous adoption of the resolution and thanks France and Nigeria for their initiative on this resolution.
The rapidly deteriorating security situation in Cote d'Ivoire is highly alarming. We are deeply concerned about reports of increased fighting and violence against civilians, as well as armament and recruitment, including of mercenaries. Côte d`Ivoire is on the brink of full-scale civil war.
By adopting the resolution today, the Council has demonstrated that it is ready to act in face of the deteriorating security situation on the ground.
With this resolution, the Council sends a strong and urgent signal to Laurent Gbagbo and his entourage that their time to step aside has come, also in order to prevent further violence and to enable the start of a political process that should result in peace, reconciliation and democracy in the country.
Germany fully supports this resolution, which urges all parties to show utmost restraint and to prevent a relapse into civil war.
Mr. President,
We commend the work of the UN Peacekeeping mission UNOCI and we encourage the Mission to make full use of its mandate provided by the Security Council to ensure, within its capabilities, the protection of civilians under imminent threat from physical violence.
We are very concerned about increasing attacks and violence committed not only against civilians but also against UN personnel. Those who commit such acts must be brought to national and international justice, including where applicable to the International Criminal Court.
Mr. President,
Today's resolution should not be seen as substituting a political process. We strongly welcome the efforts undertaken by ECOWAS and the African Union to seek a political situation of the crisis in concert with the Security Council. We encourage the AU and ECOWAS to redouble their efforts in finding a lasting political solution.
Mr. President,
We are deeply concerned about continued human rights violations and the dire humanitarian situation for IDPs and refugees in Cote d'Ivoire and neighboring states, particularly Liberia. We look forward to the report of the independent international commission of inquiry, to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council, as well as to reports on the humanitarian situation.
Thank you.


text: Do you ever need to convert an image from one format to another? How about quickly resize a photo to shrink it down for posting on the web or including in e-mails? SendTo-Convert is a fantastic utility that adds this functionality to the Send to menu. With SendTo-Convert you'll be able to… Continue reading