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Okay, let's expand here on what I briefly mentioned in the group notice we issued tonight.
* The OpenSeas Initiative is now underway... a full suite of Creative Commons software you can use to implement not only your own custom OpenFish, but also OpenBlueprints and even OpenAquarium backdrop graphics. We'll be adding to this over time, as 7Seas becomes more and more YOUR game, not just OURS. Custom work is what makes your fishing area unique and gives you an outlet for creative experession! Can't wait to see what you folks do with this. If you need help from your fellow fishers in using these new tools, visit the OpenSeas forum here on our website!
The OpenSeas kit is, at the moment, only available in Fishing Area Kits and in the recent group notice's attachment -- but it's free software, and we're going to have a more permanent free distribution method soon. Also, you can always bum a copy off a friend who owns a fishing area if you don't. It's perfectly legal.
* Custom Prize Giver v3.2 is now available to fishing area owners. At the moment this is a passive update -- you'll want to wear your Proof of Purchase, click on it, and get a new Fishing Area Kit to find your CPG 3.2. We'll be making it a mandatory upgrade after the holidays to bring the other fishing areas up to speed... you've got the INSIDE SCOOP on this by being a follower of 7Seas news!
(Use of our new OpenBlueprints requires CPG v3.2. Yet another good reason to upgrade now!)
* The new craftable FishFinder Gizmo is in the waters! This device lets you scan for nearby fishing areas, and nearby CPGs (version 3.2 only... see how that works? You'll wanna upgrade soon!) If it finds a compatible CPG, it'll actually inventory all their catchable items for you! What a handy gadget! We'll have more craftable goodies coming soon, so stay tuned...


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Cotton is grown mainly in New South Wales and Queensland, primarily for its fibre (lint). When the cotton is mature, seed cotton is taken to a gin where it is separated (ginned) into cotton lint and cotton seed. The lint is used for yarn while the cotton seed is further processed at an oil mill, where the short fibres (linters) remaining on the cotton seed after ginning are removed. These fibres are too short to make into cloth, but are used for wadding, upholstery and paper. The seeds are then separated into kernels and hulls. The hulls are used for stock feed and as fertiliser, while the kernels are crushed to extract oil. The oilcake residue (crushed kernels) is ground into meal, which is a protein roughage, and is used as a stock feed.
The quantity and value of seed cotton production have risen significantly over the past five years (table 16.39). The gross value of seed cotton in 1999-2000 was $1.4b, a 5% increase over the previous year.
Sugar cane is grown commercially in Australia along the east coast over a distance of some 2,100 km in a number of areas from Maclean in northern New South Wales to Mossman in Queensland. More recently, it has also been grown in Western Australia.
About 93% of production occurs in Queensland (table 16.40), with 75% of the crop grown north of the Tropic of Capricorn in areas where rainfall is reliable and the warm, moist and sunny conditions are ideal for growing sugar cane.
Crops and pastures cut for hay or silage
To counter Australia's seasonal conditions and unreliable rainfall, many farmers use hay and silage as methods of fodder conservation to supplement pasture and natural sources of stockfeed.
Considerable areas of Australia are devoted to fodder crops and pastures, which are either used for grazing (as green feed) or harvested and conserved as hay or silage (table 16.41).

subset: commoncrawl


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For those wanting a cool laugh in the midst of the past several months' hot rhetoric, Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, on his "Colbert Nation," delivered big-time on April 6. His program that evening featured a "Science Catfight" pitting Accu-Weather's skeptical meteorologist Joe Bastardi against the Union of Concerned Scientists' Brenda Ekwurzel.
Viewers knew from the start they were in for a typically Colbertian news-jag: he opened by welcoming audiences in the studio, those watching on cable TV, and those coming in through "fuzzy_panda_butt_munch.com."
He followed-up by saying recent East Coast cold weather had convinced him there is nothing to the climate change science issue. The snow "was freezing cold," he dead-panned. He next cited "an alarming trend" – temperatures of 10 degrees on February 6 had given way to April 6's temperature of 80 degrees. "At this rate, by August it will be 220 degrees."
Colbert flippantly characterized meteorologists as "TV weathermen who do short-term forecasting, and sports if Rusty is on vacation."
With images of Einstein buffered by those of fighting cats, Colbert pointed to TV meteorologists with names like "Storm," "Raines," and "Sprinkle."
"Those are names I can trust," Colbert said, welcoming the UCS scientist as about to be "crushed beneath the heel of common sense."
Introducing the "catfight" combatants after a series of comical introductory lead-in video snippets, Colbert opened by asking former collegiate wrestler Bastardi "What do you bench?"
Over 400 pounds at an earlier age, Bastardi replied, followed by Ekwurzel's one-word reply to the same question: "Science."
Challenging projections of increased sea level rise, Colbert wondered if the cause might be "Americans getting fatter and going swimming."
He pointed to Bastardi's call for something analogous to a Lincoln-Douglas debate, and to Ekwurzel's concerns with such a format. "Why are you pro-slavery?" he asked her.
Asking if climate isn't "just made up of thousands of little weathers," Colbert, laid back and feet up on the desk, asked why Ekwurzel "wants to keep the glaciers chained to the North Pole" while "Joe and I want to free them into the North Atlantic."
A good time was had by all. Or, at the very least, by both of Colbert's guests, Bastardi and Ekwurzel, and they and his studio audience left the segment laughing and with smiles.
More than can be said about most climate change dialogues over the past few months.
View it … and enjoy it. You too deserve a good laugh.


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I was really hoping this piece of science fiction, er, opinion piece was offered by the whole editorial board, alas, it's by some guy named James Atlas, who's crazy op-ed piece is part of a raft of crazy pieces at the times, such as Rising Seas, Vanishing Coastlines, What Could Disappear, Paying for Future Catastrophes, and
Is This the End?
No, but it might make for some side splitting reading.
WE'D seen it before: the Piazza San Marco in Venice submerged by the acqua alta; New Orleans underwater in the aftermath of Katrina; the wreckage-strewn beaches of Indonesia left behind by the tsunami of 2004. We just hadn't seen it here. (Last summer's Hurricane Irene did a lot of damage on the East Coast, but New York City was spared the worst.) "Fear death by water," T. S. Eliot intoned in "The Waste Land." We do now.
Venice is located in a swampy, waterlogged area of many islands, which has been subsiding for a long, long time. Those parts of New Orleans were already below sea level. The Indonesian tsunami had nothing to do with globull warming.
There had been warnings. In 2009, the New York City Panel on Climate Change issued a prophetic report. "In the coming decades, our coastal city will most likely face more rapidly rising sea levels and warmer temperatures, as well as potentially more droughts and floods, which will all have impacts on New York City's critical infrastructure," said William Solecki, a geographer at Hunter College and a member of the panel. But what good are warnings? Intelligence agents received advance word that terrorists were hoping to hijack commercial jets. Who listened? (Not George W. Bush.) If we can't imagine our own deaths, as Freud insisted, how can we be expected to imagine the death of a city?
Ugh, another Truther. Who would have been livid had George Bush put troops in the airports for months, if not years. There had been warnings for years that Bin Laden was determined to strike the US with commercial planes…..oh, moving on from utter left wing rantings of moonbattery…
YET we return home from our travels intoxicated by beauty, not truth. It doesn't occur to us that we, too, will one day be described in a guidebook (Fodor's North America 2212?) as metropolitans who resided in 60-story towers and traveled beneath the waves in metal-sheathed trains.
I told you this was funny. I think I read that book a few months ago. It was called Shadows Live Under Seashells by Allan J Ashinoff, which included those trains traveling around a floating city.
It's this willed ignorance, I suspect, that explains why it's difficult to process the implications of climate change for New York, even in the face of explicit warnings from politicians, not the most future-oriented people.
To quote Instapundit: "As I said before, I'll believe it's a crisis when the people who keep telling me it's a crisis start acting like it's a crisis." You Climate Terrorists, er, Warmists, have been spreading awareness for well over 20 years, yet you rarely act on your beliefs within your own lives.
Here's the kicker
The statue of liberty is 305 feet, 1 inch from the base of the pedestal to the torch. Add a couple feet of height for the island itself. And the rising of the seas is well within the historical norm for the last 7,000 years (when the massive sea height increase from the end of the last glacial period slowed). But, hey, don't let reality get in the way. Let's scare people!
Crossed at Pirate's Cove. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach.


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SpellTower Classic
Your average word game never fails to impress on some level as word formation is such a simple yet addictive puzzle for our brains to solve. What sets some above others is not only the format of finding words, but the elegance of word creation itself, and this is where Spelltower by Zach Gage shines…$2.99
- Zach Gage
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Word Monsters Review
Rovio's latest addition publishing adventure is the fiendishly tricky word game Word Monsters. Developed by Raketspel, this free-to-play puzzler blends wordsearch gameplay with gravity manipulation, creating a game that demands fast thinking and forward planning. You have to find all of the words in each of Word Monster's tile puzzles. Each round has a theme - one may have you searching for animals, while another will be spent locating girls' names. This does make things tricky at fir…Watch The Video Review
Letris 3: Word puzzle game Review
App Store success stories can often come from the place you least expect. The Letris series is one such success, and it's a game franchise we haven't really had our eye on. The premise is simple: it's Tetris with letters - essentially a more single-minded version of Puzzlejuice. You create words through tapping letters, and try not to let your stack reach the top of the screen. Letris 3 is the latest in a series so popular that's it's apparently spawned its own game show, so we though…Watch The Video Review
Sqwords Review
Sqwords refers to itself as a blend of Sudoku and crosswords. We would describe the in terms of creating the perfect board of Boggle, where each cluster makes a word both horizontally and vertically. This is easy enough to achieve when the boards are three by three. But, as you advance through four other boards, each growing in size, things start getting pretty complex. Obviously, the level of excitement you feel upon hearing the phrase 'word creation puzzle gameplay' will dictate wh…Watch The Video Review
Tumblewords Review
We don't review too many word games here at AppSpy, at least not lately. This hasn't been for lack of releases either. It's just that after you've played one or two word creation games and then notice that the majority of releases are doing pretty much the same thing, it's hard not to be pessimistic and ignore a lot of what comes out (we should probably be doing that to the endless runner genre, but that's a topic for another time). Now Tumblewords does not reinvent the wheel. You have…Watch The Video Review
AbraWORDabrA Review
AbraWORDabrA has a flaw - from the outset it feels and plays almost exactly like every 'edutainment' game crammed down your craw during your formative years. The problems are simple, but you can't move on until you get past the rudimentary game slapped on top of it. However, initial pacing issues aside, AbraWORDabrA by Total Arkade Software soon shows its teeth and you'll almost be wishing for the simple game you were complaining about. The game is split up in to two main modes, with…Watch The Video Review
SpellTower Review
Your average word game never fails to impress on some level as word formation is such a simple yet addictive puzzle for our brains to solve. What sets some above others is not only the format of finding words, but the elegance of word creation itself, and this is where Spelltower by Zach Gage shines. Words are created by swiping through letters. Not just vertically and horizontally however, but diagonally as well. And it's not to say it's like a word find either. You can start your wo…Watch The Video Review
Draw Something Review
I bring this message to you in the brief moments of time I now have spare to me. It is abundantly clear to me now that downloading, installing and playing Draw Something with my friends was a huge mistake - I need to work, but I can't... I'm stuck trying to work out how best to depict the word 'Morning' in a clever new way. OMGPOP - you have single-handedly ruined the productivity of smartphone owners around the world. For those who haven't jumped on board the increasingly popular cr…Watch The Video Review
Bubble in Paradise™ Review
With word games, there are generally two kinds. Your slow and steady searching for the best use of available letters before letting fly, and the fast paced create any word that pops into your head immediately before the timer runs down. Bubbles in Paradise is the latter with the addition of the letters themselves being in expanding bubbles that need to be popped as soon as possible, because the longer these letters stay on the screen, the larger the bubbles get, leaving less room for t…Watch The Video Review
Puzzlejuice Review
If you haven't reached a comfortable state of equilibrium with common arcade titles that feature gameplay elements such as color-matching, word-finding or block tessellating, then I can only assume you're a very VERY recent convert to the world of gaming. Don't worry, you'll join the fold soon enough and if you're interested in getting there even faster you can play Puzzlejuice because it combines all three. The best part is it caters to those with only a few seconds spare; those who…Watch The Video Review
W.E.L.D.E.R. Review
Being a welder of words admittedly sounds rather poncy. However, there's no better explanation for the task set upon you in... 'W.E.L.D.E.R.'. Luckily swapping tiles to create words is a lot of fun, and thanks to some interesting little gameplay additions, a rather unique experience among word and puzzle games is to be had. The core of the game is a mix of Bejeweled and Scrabble. Tiles can be swapped horizontally, vertically, and diagonally to create words of four letters or more. The…Watch The Video Review
Scribblenauts Remix Review
In what was almost a surprise release for the week, Warner Bros published the Nintendo DS famous title Scribblenauts to the App Store. Thanks to Iron Galaxy Studios and 5th Cell Media, iOS gamers can now play Scribblenauts Remix - a pint-sized mash-up of content from the first two games in the series... and do you know what that means? It means 'Adjectives'. And why do we love adjectives? Because now we can make giant winged rainbow beaver's to clear out entire forests in style. If yo…Watch The Video Review
Typing Maniac Review
If you haven't had a crack at Typing Maniac on Facebook, I heartily recommend giving it a go - while you may not be the best hardcore gamer around, you might just be able to out-type your friends to a first place victory. However Typing Maniac for iOS devices by MetroGames is a slightly different thing altogether - where the browser version makes great use of keyboard skills, translating the game to depend on your texting skills isn't quite as smooth. This is mostly thanks to the vert…Watch The Video Review
WordUs2 Review
Mastermind is a quirky and appealing board game thanks to its mix of luck and logic. Sure, it may simply feel like pattern recognition, but there's an undeniable feeling of having outwitted someone (even if this isn't strictly true). WordUs2 by Binary Dawn Interactive extends the pattern matching concept to words in the English language and it's no surprise that the same sense of accomplishment has transferred over as well. Four game modes are available, however the basic gameplay con…Watch The Video Review
Word Freeze Review
It has been a while since we've delved in to the madness that is word-puzzle titles, so it's great to finally kick things off again with Word Freeze by GAMEBOTICS. While the basic 'word search' gameplay is nothing terribly new, players are confronted with the challenge of dealing with 'frozen' letters that can block and limit the work-space that you have available. Each letter is contained in a sliding block that can move with relative freedom and if players rotate the screen they can…Watch The Video Review
Texting of the Bread Review
Its hard to be a gamer and not have heard about the lads over at Screw Attack central with their game retrospective videos and top lists of gaming (and not so gaming) related topics. And so it's no surprise that this bunch of Internet dwelling gamers have finally come out with their own title and for those familiar with gaming history, Texting of the Bread might just raise some eyebrows. That's right, much like edutainment titles of the past, Texting of the Bread is an homage to Typin…Watch The Video Review


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The New York University Creative Writing Program's Spring 2012 Reading Series continues in April with events featuring authors Chad Harbach (The Art of Fielding, April 13) and George Saunders (April 19).
The New York University Creative Writing Program's Spring 2012 Reading Series continues in April with events featuring authors Chad Harbach (The Art of Fielding, April 13) and George Saunders (April 19). All events are held in the program's Greenwich Village home, the Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House at 58 W. 10th Street, unless otherwise noted.
All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 212.998.8816 or visit www.cwp.fas.nyu.edu. Subways: F, L, M (14th Street/6th Avenue); 1 (Christopher Street); A, B, C, D, E, F, M (West 4th Street).
A complete schedule of the Spring 2012 Reading Series is available here.
Thursday April 5, 7 p.m.
McSweeney's Presents
Fiction readings by recent McSweeney's Books authors Adam Levin (Hot Pink) and Diane Williams (Vicky Swanky Is a Beauty). Also featuring Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, whose report from the first weeks of Occupy Wall Street will appear in Issue 40 of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. Hosted by editor Ethan Nosowsky; co-sponsored with McSweeney's.
Thursday, April 12, 7 p.m.
The New Salon: Linda Gregerson in Conversation with Darrel Alejandro Holnes
Linda Gregerson's poetry collections include Magnetic North (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007), which was nominated for a National Book Award. Co-sponsored with the Poetry Society of America.
Friday, April 13, 5 p.m.
Poetry Reading: Keorapetse Kgositsile
Keorapetse Kgositsile is the current Poet Laureate of South Africa; his books include This Way I Salute You, which features his selected poems (Kwela Books, 2009). Hosted by NYU faculty member and author Chuck Wachtel.
Friday, April 13, 7 p.m.
Emerging Writers Reading Series—Chad Harbach, Guest Author
Chad Harbach's debut novel, The Art of Fielding (Little, Brown), was selected by the New York Times as one of the "Ten Best Books of 2011". The Emerging Writers Reading Series showcases the student talent of NYU's graduate Creative Writing Program and features established writer as special guests.
Note location: KGB Bar, 85 East 4th Street
Thursday, April 19, 7 p.m.
The New Salon: George Saunders in Conversation with David Lipsky
George Saunders is a New York Times best-selling author whose titles include the story collection In Persuasion Nation (Riverhead Books, 2006) and the essay collection The Braindead Megaphone (Riverhead Books, 2007). David Lipsky is the author of Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, a New York Times bestseller and an NPR Best Book of the Year.
Friday, April 20, 7 p.m.
Emerging Writers Reading Series--Anne Enright, Guest Author
The celebrated Irish writer and Man Booker Prize–winner Anne Enright reads from her novel, The Forgotten Waltz, newly released in paperback by W. W. Norton (April). The Emerging Writers Reading Series showcases the student talent of NYU's graduate Creative Writing Program and features established writer as special guests.
Note location: KGB Bar, 85 East 4th Street
Thursday April 26, 7 p.m.
The Paris Review Presents
Readings by recent contributors to the internationally acclaimed literary magazine, including Adam Wilson, author of the debut novel, Flatscreen (Harper Perennial, 2012). Hosted by editor Lorin Stein and co-sponsored with The Paris Review.
Saturday, April 28, 2-4 p.m.
NYU Veterans Writing Workshop Reading
This reading features participants of the Veterans Writing Workshop, an initiative of the NYU Creative Writing Program offering free classes to recent veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Editor's Note:
The NYU Creative Writing Program, among the most distinguished programs in the country, is a leading national center for the study of writing and literature. The undergraduate and graduate programs provide students with an opportunity to develop their craft while working closely with some of the finest poets and novelists writing today. The Creative Writing Program occupies a townhouse on West 10th Street in the same Greenwich Village neighborhood where so many writers have lived and worked. The Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House allows writers--established and emerging--to share their work in an inspiring setting. For more, visit www.cwp.fas.nyu.edu.


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|From: Eli Barzilay (eli at barzilay.org)
Date: Thu Jul 30 08:06:45 EDT 2009
PLT Scheme version 4.2.1 is now available from http://plt-scheme.org/ * This is the last release that includes ProfessorJ. As of the next release, Kathy Gray who created and maintained the Professor will move the code to planet and maintain only at a minimal level. * Typed Scheme 2.0 extends the type system significantly, making it more expressive. For example, predicates applied to selectors, such as (number? (car x)), are meaningful to the type system. * Faster installation of Planet packages that trigger install of other Planet packages, because the documentation index is updated only once after a group of packages is installed. * The `syntax/parse' library provides macro writers with an enhanced syntax pattern matcher that reports errors based on the patterns' declared classes of syntax. * Identifier mappings following the v4 dictionary interface and naming conventions are available from the `syntax/id-table' library. * Redex: added `define-relation' and generalized patterns that appear in "where" clauses to use the full Redex pattern matcher. (This is a backwards incompatible change, but one often requested; see the Redex release notes for details.) * The Web Server's serializable closures are now available for other purposes through the web-server/lang/serial-lambda library. * Teachpacks: small changes to universe portion of the "universe.ss" API, plus the addition of a form for launching many (communicating) worlds simultaneously. Bug fixes concerning conversion to strings. * It is now possible to create custom scribble readers with a command characters different than `@', see `make-at-reader/inside' and `make-at-reader' * Note: this is likely to be the last release that includes a solaris distribution. If you need these builds, or if you have access to a (Sparc) Solaris machine than can be used in PLT builds, then please let me know. [Note that mirror sites can take a while to catch up with the new downloads.] Feedback Welcome, -- ((lambda (x) (x x)) (lambda (x) (x x))) Eli Barzilay: http://barzilay.org/ Maze is Life!
|Posted on the announce mailing list.


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As Americans hop in their cars this summer, gasoline prices are at a six-year high. Thanks to surging demand and continued turmoil in Iraq, gas is quickly approaching $4 per gallon.
With prices rising so fast, there's never been a more important time for America to invest in alternative sources of energy. The longer we're dependent on oil, the longer we're at the mercy of foreign political turmoil.
One of the most promising alternative energy sources is ethanol, a renewable fuel derived from common agricultural goods like corn, woodchips and grasses. Ramping up America's ethanol production would drive down demand for oil and wean this country off the volatility and sudden price swings that come along with it.
And yet, despite the profound promise of ethanol, some politicians are pushing to stamp it out. They're lobbying to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires the use of ethanol in the national fuel supply to promote greater energy independence and a cleaner environment.
This doesn't make sense.
The modern energy market was borne out of the substantial industrial shifts stimulated by World War I. The resulting industrial ramp-up generated planes, submarines and tanks that all relied on the internal-combustion engine. Even after the conflict ceased, the widespread commercial thirst for oil remained strong.
It's grown steadily since. And America has leaned heavily on oil-rich Persian Gulf nations to feed its demand.
Oil is what's known as a "global commodity," meaning it costs the same price regardless of where it is produced. Hence the sad irony that while the U.S. is domestically producing more oil than at any time in the past 28 years, oil prices have continued to rise.
However, because so much oil comes from the Middle East, it has an outsized influence on global gas prices. Producers in that region have banded together to form a cartel, allowing them to artificially restrict supply and drive up world prices at will.
What's more, many of the top oil-producing countries in the Gulf are exceptionally unstable and conflict-prone. That turmoil also disrupts supply, leading to price increases the ripple throughout the globe.
The price of ethanol, on the other hand, isn't set by a monopolistic cartel on the world stage. Ethanol producers are based right here in the States. They're reliable in a way foreign producers have never been.
That's why ethanol offers the best hope for America to finally break this dangerous dependence.
It's estimated that since 2000, U.S. foreign oil imports have dropped by 35 percent because of increased ethanol use. In 2013, ethanol production displaced the amount of oil America imports from Iraq and Venezuela — 462 million barrels of crude oil.
According to a study from Iowa State University, increased ethanol use saved the average American family $1,200 at the pump in 2011. Likewise, energy economist Philip Verleger recently concluded that the RFS has saved consumers about a $1 per gallon on average for gasoline.
Ethanol production is also a huge job creator. A typical U.S. ethanol plant produces 1 million gallons annually and supports nearly 3,000 jobs. In all, the RFS supports over 400,000 jobs in sectors ranging from farming and manufacturing.
Special interests have regularly encouraged members of Congress to jettison the Renewable Fuel Standard. Congress has wisely resisted. Now is the time to intensify our commitment to domestic renewables so more Americans can hit the road.
Dinneen is the president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association.
As Americans hop in their cars this summer, gasoline prices are at a six-year high. Thanks to surging demand and continued turmoil in Iraq, gas is quickly approaching $4 per gallon.


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Saturday, 12 November 2011
Vegan banana cake with maple syrup
We have been enjoying it today for snacks though it is facing harsh competition i the way of nectarines, which have just come into season. Bananas are finally coming down in price again after Cyclone Yasi. So we may start to take them for granted again, but it means that banana cake will once more be commonplace in Melbourne homes.
Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe
This time last year: NCR: Quinoa Soup and Archeology
This time two years ago: NCR Carrot, Chestnut and Lentil Soup
This time three years ago: Indulgently frugal fudge slice
This time four years ago: Swinging Pancakes
Vegan banana cake
source unrecorded
65g vegan margarine
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
1 cup mashed banana (I used 2 large ones)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1 1/2 cups plain flour (I used 1 cup wholemeal, 1/2 cup white)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 cup walnuts, crushed with the back of a fork
Cream margarine and sugar (I did this by hand). Beat in banana, maple syrup and oil. Gently stir in flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and walnuts. Spoon into greased and lined loaf tin (or 20cm round cake tin). Bake at 190 C (or 370 F) for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Cool on a wire rack.
On the Stereo:
Music for Sound Healing: Stephen Halpern
9 comments:
Yumm I love that you replaced the water with maple syrup!ReplyDelete
Your description of caramelly and slightly stodgy appeals hugely and the cake looks really good too. It made me laugh, you changing the ingredients - I'm the same and seem incapable of just doing what I'm told ;-)ReplyDelete
I am so thrilled to be able to think about making banana cake again :) I just bought a big bunch for $4/kg, which is the cheapest yet. And this looks like a great use of them - the maple syrup is a great touch.ReplyDelete
Banana, maple syrup, nutella... sounds perfect to me!ReplyDelete
Sylvia and I are on the same page again. I've barely slept this past week too, and wish I still had my mum to tuck me in!
Thanks Ashley - water seems such a waste of an opportunity in a recipe like this - also considered milk of some sort!ReplyDelete
Thanks Choclette - I always feel the same when I see you change ingredients because I know the urge to do so
Thanks Kari - wow $4 a kilo is amazing - bananas are really seeming commonplace again - which is good because I wont feel so guilty when they get over ripe!
Thanks Hannah - sorry to hear you aren't sleeping - just hope you aren't rejecting your cot right now :-)ReplyDelete
- Anonymous16 November 2011 at 20:18
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM,...What a fabulously looking cake!ReplyDelete
Yum! ;)
Aaagh!! You just reminded me that I forgot to watch The Slap tonight - and I have been watching so faithfully. Just when Hector's indiscretion is going to blow up - I must try and see this on iView. Lovely green colour on the pancakes.ReplyDelete
Banana cake slathered with nutella. . . I cannot think of anything that appeals more right now! It looks great, too. :)ReplyDelete
Thanks for dropping by. I love hearing from you. Please share your thoughts and questions. Annoyingly the spammers are bombarding me so I have turned on the pesky captcha code (refresh to find an easy one if you don't like the first one)


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Joint Statement by the Secretary of State and the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the Humanitarian Ceasefire Announcement in Gaza
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States Secretary of State John Kerry announce that the United Nations Representative in Jerusalem, Special Coordinator Robert Serry, has received assurances that all parties have agreed to an unconditional humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
This humanitarian ceasefire will commence at 8 am local time on Friday, August 1, 2014. It will last for a period of 72 hours unless extended.
During this time the forces on the ground will remain in place.
We urge all parties to act with restraint until this humanitarian ceasefire begins, and to fully abide by their commitments during the ceasefire.
This ceasefire is critical to giving innocent civilians a much-needed reprieve from violence. During this period, civilians in Gaza will receive urgently needed humanitarian relief, and the opportunity to carry out vital functions, including burying the dead, taking care of the injured, and restocking food supplies. Overdue repairs on essential water and energy infrastructure could also continue during this period.
Israeli and Palestinian delegations will immediately be going to Cairo for negotiations with the Government of Egypt, at the invitation of Egypt, aimed at reaching a durable ceasefire. The parties will be able to raise all issues of concern in these negotiations.
We thank key regional stakeholders for their vital support of this process, and count on a continued collaborative international effort to assist Egypt and the parties reach a durable ceasefire as soon as possible.
Barack Obama, Joint Statement by the Secretary of State and the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the Humanitarian Ceasefire Announcement in Gaza Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/351436


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I just returned home from a short vacation trip with family where I did more exercising than normal, including an 8-mile bike excursion and some serious hill-climbing hikes. I acquired an awakened realization that I was out of shape and needed to be more engaged in exercising. Having entered the tired mode it felt good to get home to a familiar and restful environment. Ahh, to be home! Nearly all people, and animals, have a place called home where they live and grow before leaving and establishing a home of their own.
Home is sometimes a theme of movies. For example, in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, a young girl, whisked away by a cyclone, finds she has landed in a strange country. She encounters many adventures, all the time longing to get back home. "There's no place like home" is a famous line toward the end of the movie. Home is a wonderful and safe place to be when it is a place of peace, loving relationships, comfort, good food, and where one can be him or herself.
Unfortunately, homes are not always places of protection and safety. Home is not a good word for many who have experienced it as a place of physical, sexual, or verbal abuse.
Unfortunately, homes are not always places of protection and safety. Home is not a good word for many who have experienced it as a place of physical, sexual, or verbal abuse. In many homes, parents frequently argue, fight, and eventually split up, leaving kids feeling abandoned or emotionally torn apart. Sadly, many kids grow up not wanting to be home. Admittedly, no home is perfect, yet without the care of a reasonably good home, life is difficult and leaves family members fraught with unwanted problems. How much do we think about the importance of home? Generally, it seems people do not appreciate or value the meaning of home.
Famed poet, Robert Frost (1874-1963), wrote a classic poem titled, "The Death of the Hired Man". The hired man, when he grows old, returns to a farm where he had once worked. He thinks of the farm as his home. The poem portrays home as a place of belonging where one learns the value of loving, caring, self-worth, and important life values. It is a cherished place, a place where one feels welcomed at all times. The hired man has come home to die. People need to feel cared for and loved by family.
Gerhard E. Frost, wrote a piece titled, Home Sounds. It goes like this:
I'm getting old; eleven twenty, my life clock says.
It's getting late, and later, and I hear Home sounds.
Thank you, God, in this late hour, that you are here, and there.
What does God have to do with home, both here and there?
What does God have to do with home, both here and there? God made humans and animals to experience family, in homes. Paul Copan, in his book, Loving Wisdom, tells us about Arctic terns. These birds travel 11,000 miles each year from the Arctic to the Antarctic regions and back again – often to the very same nests. Copan also mentions Monarch butterflies. They follow their "homing devices," migrating each year to their nesting grounds in California or Mexico. "Whether we realize it or not," writes Copan, "we humans have a homing device for God." He reminds us that unbelief does not dismiss life with God from being our proper home. The Bible portrays being home with God as the most restful and safest place to be. In the story of the prodigal son, God is inviting us to come home to him (Luke 15:11-24).
God created humans with an inbuilt desire for a place of belonging called home. The prodigal son realizes he is not in a good place with his life, and there is an inner longing to return home where he knows life is much better. Such a longing reminds us there really is a promised place where we can experience the perfect home, with the kind of family we need and wish was possible. Jesus said to believers, "In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3, NASB). Such a home is not only a future hope, it is now, for Jesus invites anyone, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). God provides us with a place we can call home; life with family included.


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My morning at CicLAvia, April 2012 from Ted Timmons on Vimeo.
Riding on 7th towards downtown.
Pack of cyclists on 7th.
creative bars.
Early lunch stop- kobe beef slider.
Parking the Fredbike against the lunch truck.
downtown and downhill on the bridge.
bikes at Hollenbeck Park.
punk outfit.
more punkers.
Taking a picture of Boris taking a picture.
this kid was crankin' away on this big wheel. He went many miles at full blast.
excellent engrish sign in Koreatown. Looks like it's been painted incorrectly for many years. Wouldn't want to waste money on spelling, after all. (to the nitpickers, it's spelled correctly on the door, so it isn't on purpose)
Bicycling spiderman. Perfectly normal.


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by Matthew Cobb
Last week, the British magazine New Statesman carried a thought-provoking review by A C Grayling of David Lewis-Williams' new book Conceiving God: The Cognitive Origin and Evolution of Religion. Lewis-Williams is an anthropologist who specialises in cave and rock art (in particular from South Africa). He has written two brilliant and highly-recommended popular books on prehistoric cave art, the Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art, and Inside the Neolithic Mind.
In his new book (which I haven't read), Lewis-Williams casts his anthropologist's eye over the origins and continued existence of religion, and the reasons for it. He also kindly quotes a letter Jerry and I wrote to Nature, protesting about their coverage of the Templeton Foundation. I hope that Jerry – or myself, or Greg – will have the time to write our own review here at WEIT, but for the moment Grayling's review will more than suffice:
Are direct arguments against religious beliefs likely to dissuade their votaries? The anecdotal evidence seems to suggest not; robust attacks by Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, it is said, only annoy the faithful and make them dig further in.
I am not so sure about this. In my experience, waverers and Sunday-only observers can find forthright challenges to religious pretensions a relief and a liberation. They give them the reason, sometimes the courage, to abandon those shreds of early-acquired religious habit that cling around their ankles and trip them up.
Still, Darwin and David Lewis-Williams have a point in thinking, as the former put it, that "direct arguments against [religion] produce hardly any effect on the public, and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science". In the preface to this book, Lewis-Williams says that he intends to follow Darwin's strategy, seeking to achieve by flanking manoeuvres what Dawkins and Hitchens attempt by cavalry charge.
Actually Lewis-Williams does both. There is quite a lot of galloping straight at the opposition with flashing sabre. But the main thrust of the book is incremental: a well-informed and steady march through the history of religion and its conflict with science, reprising what the author describes as the evolution of his own thought about these matters.
"Over the years I pondered the long history of religion. In particular, I thought about the implications of the earliest archaeological evidence for religion . . . I found it salutary to explore social (cultural) anthropology . . . As we look over this sorry tapestry, we must face a fundamental question – one that many today, believers and non-believers alike, try to avoid: Is there really a spirit realm occupied by supernatural beings and forces that are concerned with human life on earth? By contemplating the history of religion and science we are able to answer that question in a way that gradually leads to "freedom of thought"."
The need to do so is all the more urgent, the author notes, because the great dividing line in the world today is between opponents defined by religious commitment or tradition.
Lewis-Williams is a highly distinguished archaeologist and palaeoanthropologist who has written some of the definitive works on ancient cave art, in particular the rock art of the San (Bushman) people of his native South Africa. He wrote the classic Believing and Seeing: Symbolic Meaning in Southern San Rock Paintings (1981), whose ideas animate his account of Stone Age religion and the nature of religious belief and experience in three chapters of this book. His descriptions and interpretations are fascinating, though highly speculative.
If Lewis-Williams's expertise in Stone Age art is one plank for the argument of the book, the other is the adventure of thought in the epochs that have elapsed since classical antiquity. He traces the development of both religious and scientific thinking from ancient Greece to the 19th century – from Plato to Darwin – which includes the establishment, from Constantine onwards, of religious orthodoxy against all comers ("heretics" and pagans alike). It is an instructive review; it leads Lewis-Williams to remind us that large sections of official Christianity now merely shrug their shoulders over the question of the position of Planet Earth in the universe, a matter on which they were once prepared to kill people for taking the wrong view.
The historical chapters constitute a lucid survey of the background, from which certain patterns can be deduced that Lewis-Williams explores in chapters on religious experience, belief and origins. Together, these suggest an analysis of the nature of religion itself. They are the most original parts of his discussion. He summarises the conclusion he arrives at as follows:
"Religion is one possible explanation, not for natural phenomena, but for highly complex experiences that the human brain generates. It does so in such a way that a whole range of further explanations (for natural events, death and so forth) becomes available. Moreover, religion makes possible powerful social and political hierarchies not based on sex or brute strength. The persistence of the neurology of the brain through time ensures that the "origin" of religion is always with us."
This last remark explains what he means by the phrase "origin-as-process", and his reason for thinking that the stock analysis of earlier anthropology – that religion evolves from animism through totemism to polytheism and thence monotheism – is incorrect. He has an interesting point here. Polytheism persists in both actual and disguised forms: actual in the Hindu pantheon; disguised in the "Trinity" or in any religion, including Islam and Judaism, that admits the existence of angels and demons (and, in the former at least, a populated afterlife) along with the deity.
Lewis-Williams does not leave matters at the level of analysis. In a long and thoughtful concluding chapter entitled "God's Empire Strikes Back", he considers the current tensions and conflicts generated by the revived debate about religion. He concludes that there is no future in attempting reconciliation between theistic and non-theistic world-views, and that our hope must be that Darwin will be proved right eventually, that science will finally cut the taproot of religion. He ends by quoting Matthew Cobb and Jerry Coyne: "In reality, the only contribution that science can make to the ideas of religion is atheism." That is surely right, and it serves as the guiding principle of Lewis-Williams's endeavours in these rich and educative pages.
There is, accordingly, a great deal to applaud in this book. One aspect of it left me intrigued, however: the chapter on Stone Age religion, describing and offering interpretations of cave paintings from tens of thousands of years ago, long before the dawn of history. Did our remotest ancestors really distinguish between natural and supernatural realms? Or did they regard the significant agencies that controlled nature as part of nature, and such that they could be encountered and communicated with, just like any other part of nature?
Lewis-Williams thinks that cave walls were viewed as the sacred interface between human beings and chthonic forces. Can we really know? Perhaps he can appeal to the continuity of brain structure and function to suggest that religious experience is likewise continuous. However, he is careful enough to talk often of "maybe" and "perhaps"; and to an amateur being offered the explanation, it is the tentativeness that sounds most persuasive.


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NewYorkEnergyRates.com is not affiliated with National Grid.New York Energy Rates > National Grid NY > M > Malden Bridge
Take Control of Your Rates with National Grid in Malden Bridge
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NewYorkEnergyRates.com pulls together competitive offers on energy service for customers of National Grid in Malden Bridge. If you like what you see, in just one phone call you can establish service with a competitive retailer for your home or business. Unlike switching from cable to satellite, changing the company you purchase your energy from doesn't require installations or frustrating technology "upgrades." As a matter of fact, switching energy suppliers doesn't even mean closing your account with National Grid in Malden Bridge. Choosing a new supplier is more of a redefinition of what type of customer you are for National Grid in Malden Bridge.
The new role of New York utilities such as National Grid in Malden Bridge
Prior to New York's decision to deregulate the energy industry in 1996, utilities such as National Grid in 12115 were much more powerful than they are today, if only because they controlled more aspects of the energy industry. Today there are still many areas of the country where utilities have a monopoly, but New York's deregulated model introduced competition to the state's energy market and the benefits thereof to residents and businesses.
As a result of deregulation, National Grid is now more of a distribution company than an all-inclusive energy company. The New York legislature does allow utilities to sell an energy supply to its customers, but consumers who opt for a plan from an ESCO have the freedom to choose among various plans with features that appeal directly to them.
National Grid in Malden Bridge still owns the infrastructure needed to deliver energy to homes and businesses, so regardless of which company you choose to buy your energy supply from, National Grid will continue to read your meter and answer the phone if you call to report an outage. Beyond that, the potential for saving money on your energy rates is up to you finding a competitive rate from a retailer doing business with National Grid in 12115.
Learn more about National Grid rates in nearby cities and towns:
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|East Chatham
|East Nassau
|East Schodack
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- Examine your current bill from National Grid in Malden Bridge. Before you can begin to shop for a new energy plan, it's important for you to understand the plan you have now If you don't have a frame of reference, how will you ever know if an energy supplier's offer will be able to provide you with a better option? Look at your rate, and be sure to take note of any fees associated with your service.
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- Enjoy savings and reliable service. Once you've selected a new plan and set up an account with your new retailer, there's nothing else to do! Just sit back and relax, and watch as your rates change while you maintain the same reliable service from National Grid in Malden Bridge.


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Severe Weather More Likely Thanks to Climate Change
Scientists caution that climate change has increased the chances for high impact events like the Texas drought.
BOSTON—Wildfires. Droughts. Super storms.
As opposed to representing the unfortunate severe weather headlines of the last year, scientists said Friday that climate change has increased the likelihood of such events moving forward.
And though the misery is shared from one U.S. coast to another, scientists speaking at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston said, the type of extreme event may vary significantly from region to region. (Related: "6 Ways Climate Change Will Affect You.")
Heat waves have become more frequent across the United States, with western regions setting records for the number of such events in the 2000s, said Donald Wuebbles, a geoscientist with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
But the Midwest and Northeast have experienced a 45 percent and 74 percent increase, respectively, in the heaviest rainfalls those regions have seen since 1950.
The extreme drought that plagued Texas in 2011 has spread to New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and northern Mexico, said John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas State's climatologist at Texas A&M University in College Station.
"The science is clear and convincing that climate change is happening and it's happening rapidly. There's no debate within the science community ... about the changes occurring in the Earth's climate and the fact that these changes are occurring in response to human activities," said Wuebbles.
In 2011 and 2012, major droughts, heat waves, severe storms, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires caused about $60 billion in damages each year, for a total of about $120 billion.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climactic Data Center, these were some of the costliest weather events in the country's history, said Wuebbles.
President Obama argued in his State of the Union address this week that the time is ripe to address climate change, saying he would skirt Congress to make such changes, if necessary.
His proposals included a system similar to the cap-and-trade proposal killed in Congress during his first term, new regulations for coal-burning power plants, and a promise to promote energy efficiency and R&D efforts into cleaner technologies. (Related: "Obama Pledges U.S. Action on Climate, With or Without Congress.")
The researchers said they are glad to see that addressing climate change is on the President's agenda. But they stressed that they wanted the public to have access to accurate, scientifically sound information, not just simplified talking points.


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Exploring IEEE 802.11s mesh networking
Big Mesh
Mesh networking comes to with the IEEE802.11s draft standard. We'll show you how to mix a mesh.
The average wireless network depends on the presence of an access point device, which serves as a connection point for wireless clients and links the WLAN to the Internet. This technology is so widespread in urban areas that a wireless user is never far from a point of connection – in airports, coffee houses, offices, and even millions of homes.
In spite of its omnipresence, the access point is, in fact, not really an essential element of the wireless network. An access point--style network is said to be operating in infrastructure mode. An alternative approach, known as ad hoc mode, lets computers establish direct connections with each other. Ad hoc mode is sometimes used for one-to-one connections between (say) a laptop and a desktop system when no access point is available. Computers that connect through ad hoc mode do not have the benefit of DHCP and other services that typically run on the access point, so they must negotiate any network settings.
In remote areas, and in developing countries without a pervasive networking infrastructure, decentralized alternatives such as ad hoc mode become increasingly attractive. However, users who attempt to operate in a conventional ad hoc setting run into restrictions fairly quickly. Although you can communicate with immediate neighbors, conventional ad hoc networking does not let you use neighbors as intermediaries to access other systems, so the range of the network is limited to the range of a single wireless device. Some operating systems, in fact, don't even support more than two peers in an ad hoc network.
A further extension of the ad hoc concept is the mesh network, which is embodied in the IEEE 802.11s draft standard. Mesh networking expands the size and range of the ad hoc network by letting network peers forward messages and transmit network information to other peers. The peers can thus build a collective picture of the network topology, and a message can pass through a chain of peers to a node beyond the immediate signal range.
IEEE 802.11s received renewed attention through the work of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, which was formed with the goal of providing network-enabled laptop computers for millions of school children in developing countries. The OLPC developers needed a way to interconnect these little laptops in a setting in which a whole village might have only a single access point or Internet gateway. Mesh networking provides the solution [1]; even if a device can only find one peer, it can still access other devices (and, ideally, an Internet access point) by transmitting through a chain of connections across the mesh. Mesh networking also has uses in the developed world, although it is unlikely to ever replace the convenience and simplicity of access point networks. In rural areas, or in situations in which a network must assemble and self-configure temporarily, mesh networking might someday play an important role.
IEEE 802.11s is still a draft [2], and it is unlikely to be officially approved before 2010.
In August 2008, the Linux kernel added a patch for meshing support in the ath5k module, with native support available for the b43, libertas_tf, and zd1211rw wireless drivers. In Linux kernel version 2.6.26, zd1211rw already has rudimentary IEEE 802.11s support based on the mac80211 subsystem [3]. The code in kernel 2.6.26 does not let users set up genuine mesh networks, but the current developer version of the wireless-testing.git repository adds additional mesh networking support [4].
Unless you happen to own an OLPC laptop or some equivalently pre-configured device, the game of mesh networking in Linux is not exactly for beginners, but if you feel like experimenting with your own mesh network, the necessary tools are certainly available – but make sure your wireless hardware supports IEEE 802.11s.
How It Works
In an IEEE 802.11s network, each node is in contact with its direct neighbors. The nodes can be computers, laptops, or devices such as IP-capable smartphones. The mesh protocol tries to auto-discover the best possible route for a packet. (See the "OLSR and Batman" box for more abou routing on mesh networks.)
No fixed connections exist between individual nodes. A node transmits packets to a specific target node that it considers most suitable for taking the packets closer to their final destination. The next hop uses the same approach until the package reaches its target.
In meshing, data is synchronized as often as possible – typically every few seconds. This approach keeps the network dynamic and allows it to react to changing conditions caused by moving nodes, obstacles, or direct connections. The mesh evaluates each active link path on the basis of specific criteria and chooses the best path. Thus, routing is one of the most critical, and the most expensive, tasks in meshing.
OLSR and Batman
Developers have used different approaches to implement meshing. Two popular options are Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR ) [8] and the more sophisticated Better Approach to Mobile Ad hoc Networking (Batman) [9]. Both options use OSI Layer 3 routing to discover paths across the mesh. The more recent Batman Advanced [10], a fork of Batman under independent development, uses OSI Layer 2 switching.
In OLSR, each node sends Hello messages at fixed intervals. Each node that receives the messages evaluates them. After creating a map of its environment, a node reports its findings to its neighbors in the form of a TC (topology change) message. When a TC message reaches a node, the node recalculates the network topology. This means that each node will know the best way to route a packet at any time. Topology changes are recalculated with the Dijkstra algorithm [11]. Individual nodes propagate their knowledge of the network structure to neighbors, thus incrementally improving their knowledge of individual path characteristics. The algorithm is regarded as stable, but slow to converge in some cases.
OLSR does not recalculate the topology for each packet, and in this way saves computational cycles. It uses the existing network while recalculating the topology. OLSR evaluates the number of hops to the target over a certain path to calculate the best route. This approach guarantees a cheap route to each reachable target on the network after an initialization phase. Because the structure of a wireless network is susceptible to change, it is important to exchange Hello messages at relatively short intervals. The typical update interval is 5 seconds. In addition, message packets from other nodes arrive, causing the node to recalculate the topology. This can be an issue, especially for small devices with less powerful CPUs: These devices could use up much of their computational power just recalculating the network topology.
Plugins and alternative algorithms are available for OLSR to mitigate the effect of poor hardware scalability. Batman took this issue into consideration at the development stage. Both protocols let users specify whether a node has Internet access and is thus capable of acting as a gateway for other nodes. In addition, Batman lets you configure the bandwidth the gateway uses to connect to the Internet. This feature allows clients to discover the most favorable gateway and removes the reliance on a centralized entity to manage this information.
The Batman alternative attempts to solve the problem of OLSR with the use of too much computation time to calculate the topology. Batman uses a different approach to discovering the best route among the available alternatives. Just like OLSR, Batman first floods the network with originator messages.
Each node generates a message and lets its neighbors distribute it. Each neighbor thus duplicates each message it receives and broadcasts the message. Nodes do not store the complete network topology, in contrast to OLSR, but just the part they need to reach their immediate neighbors. Each node thus only knows which node to use to transmit a packet, but not what the rest of journey will look like for the packet. This approach reduces the overhead for recalculating the best route and allows the protocol to scale more easily. Although the physical limit for OLSR is around 100 nodes – especially if the nodes happen to be embedded systems – Batman will scale to support networks with as many as 500 nodes.
Because the more recent Batman Advanced protocol operates in the link layer, to the user, the mesh network looks like a segment managed by an Ethernet switch. From the user's point of view, each participant has a direct connection; the protocol hides the underlying details. Batman Advanced is most compatible with the 802.11s standard because it relies entirely on Layer 2 (switching). Unfortunately, this design removes the ability to define a node as a gateway. This administrative task is left to the administrator or a higher-layer protocol.
Mesh Networking Up Close
Mesh networks with Internet access typically have a main node that provides broadband Internet access via DSL or UMTS. This main node often offers other network services, such as DHCP. The network admin sets up gateway functionality on this node only by, say, running the echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward command and possibly adding NAT rules for masquerading.
The individual mesh nodes should have at least two WLAN modules. Three modules will improve availability and increase the maximum number of possible clients. Typically, one module will run in access point mode to give other clients access, or the other modules will use ad hoc mode for meshing. In a perfect world, all of these modules have omnidirectional antennas that cover a large reception area (see Figure 1).
As you might guess, the effectiveness of mesh networks is largely dependent on the range at which the nodes can receive the signal. For systems that are built specifically for mesh networking, the antenna configuration receives significant attention. (Notice the two external antennas in the OLPC XO laptop shown in Figure 2.) A network with multiple modules per node can use a more flexible antenna configuration; for example, one module can use a sector antenna to reach peers within a wide range, and another can work for nodes in close proximity. The following sections describe how to set up mesh networking in Linux.
Setting Up the Mesh
The wireless-testing.git repository now has an updated, mesh-ready version of the kernel with matching drivers. The command
git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/linville/wireless-testing.git
downloads the current version.
A Question of Location
In a truly mobile networking scenario, such as the world of OLPC laptops, the positioning of the nodes within the mesh zone is essentially arbitrary, and it is not possible to define a fixed location for the peers operating in the mesh. In other mesh scenarios, however, the admin might have some control over the location and overall topology. For example, a mesh network might consist of desktop systems assembled temporarily at a conference or construction site. In such cases, it is a good idea to choose the location of the nodes carefully.
To optimize throughput, the WLAN devices should have a line of sight connection if possible. If a node can reach one or multiple other nodes reliably and permanently, a directional beam antenna can improve the mesh's performance.
The space in which the radio waves propagate between a transmitter and receiver is referred to as the Fresnel zone. It is an ellipsoid in which the transmitter and receiver occupy the focal points (see Figure 3). Because the ellipsoid is higher in the middle, mesh participants should locate their nodes as high up as possible.
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NEW YORK -- Mariano Rivera says he never figured this would be Derek Jeter's final season.
"I didn't see this coming at all. I didn't see it,'' the retired New York Yankees reliever said Wednesday. "For sure I was one of the guys that said they would have to pull his uniform off his body to take him out. But I was wrong, and this was a surprise to me.''
Rivera announced last March that 2013 would be his final season and was honored in every city the Yankees stopped in. Rivera, who turned 44 in November, had a record 652 saves in 19 seasons and 42 more in the postseason.
Jeter said this month that 2014 is his final year playing baseball. Rivera predicted Jeter's farewell tour will be much like his own.
"It will be better,'' Rivera said. "He deserves it. He has given everything for the game of baseball, and when you have a player like that, he deserves that and more.''
Rivera spoke Wednesday during a telephone conference call to promote a two-game exhibition series between the Yankees and Miami Marlins at Panama City on March 15-16. Rivera said he won't pitch in the games, which are being played to benefit the Mariano Rivera Foundation. Proceeds from a gala dinner will go to Children's Hospital in Panama City.
"I'm a little bit down because I would have loved to participate and compete while I was playing,'' Rivera said. "I would have loved my people to see me play down there in Panama. But at the same time, I'm happy that the team is going there. Hopefully this will be the opening of doors so Panama can host some baseball, real baseball games during the season down in Panama.''
Rivera has been spending time working with his church and community groups.
"I'm doing exactly what I love to do,'' he said. "Definitely I miss it. I'm not going to lie to you. I do miss baseball. But I need my family, too. I'm fine.''


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STMicroelectronics hopes to make blurry low-light images from smartphone cameras a thing of the past with a new chip designed to boost light output from LED-based flashes.
The ideal camera flash delivers a lot of light in a short time, freezing action and illuminating more distant objects. Professional cameras use a xenon strobe light to produce a brief burst -- or flash -- of light, but the lighting on smartphone cameras is typically provided by an LED.
The light output of a battery-powered LED is continuous, and much lower in intensity than a flash, leading to longer exposure times and darker, blurrier pictures.
But ST hopes to change that with its new STCF04 multifunction chip, which it says can control flash power up to 40W, compared to perhaps 2W for typical LED flashes today.
The key is the chip's ability to control the charging and discharging of a supercapacitor, which it uses to gradually store energy from the phone's battery and then deliver it to the LED in a short burst. That's similar to the way that xenon strobes work, but the LED-supercap combination does the job with just a few volts, making it much safer -- and the components more compact -- than the hundreds or thousands of volts needed to drive a xenon strobe.
ST's chip, just 3 millimeters square, will add $2 or less to the cost of a cell phone, it said.
It contains a charger to store energy in a supercap, and a driver for an external transistor used to deliver 40 watts or more of peak power from the supercapacitor to a bank of LEDs. It also contains a temperature sensor to detect when the LEDs are in danger of overheating -- useful if they are being used as a torch rather than a flash; a light sensor for setting the exposure and flash intensity, and a driver for an auxiliary LED used either as a privacy indicator (you're on camera) or perhaps to help autofocus systems in low light.
The chip's built-in timer can be used to set the flash duration in steps of around one-100,000th of a second, although it takes around one-3,000th of a second for the LED to reach full power, according to ST. The controller can also discharge the supercap in stages to produce several flash pulses in a row, useful for red-eye reduction.
Samples quantities of the chip are available now, and ST said it will begin full production by the end of March.
The company has published a datasheet for the STCF04 giving full details of the chip and sample circuits.
Peter Sayer covers open source software, European intellectual property legislation and general technology breaking news for IDG News Service. Send comments and news tips to Peter at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The capital of Cuba, the largest island of the Caribbean, is the legendary Havana. The incredible cultural and historical heritage makes this multicolor country one of the most popular destinations of the Caribbean. Cuba is rich in cultural and historical sights, full of architectural delights that will enchant visitors of any age. Those who visit Cuba take a time travel, as they will be able to witness the ancient sugar barons' richness still present in the architecture. The 1950's American mob and the 1970's retro give a unique atmosphere. Cuba houses several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Its mountains, rivers and beautiful beaches first encharmed Columbus who wrote in his diary about Cuba: "This is the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen". As we will explore by foot the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, we will be challenged to take amazing pictures of the beautiful buildings, the vibrant culture and the everyday life of the Cubans we meet along the way.
This special round trip explores the "Authentic Cuba" that many people are looking for. We slightly go off from the traditional tourist routes to see the non-touristic side of the country. From the westernmost tip in Pinar del Rio province of Cuba, we start to explore the beautiful landscapes, going through the central part of the country to the Escambray Mountains. The tour includes visits to UNESCO world heritage sites, like the Viñales Valley, Cienfuegos and Trinidad. We admire the unique microclimate Soroa. We visit Cuba's largest Orchid farm, learn about Cuba's largest cave system, we go bird-watching at the Bay of Pigs, visit a crocodile breeding farm at the Zapata Peninsula, jungle trekking in the Escambray Mountains, where we swim in a waterfall. As the itinerary is packed full of programs, still there will be time for individual photo shooting at the locations we will visit.
Groups are limited to 10 pax / group!
10 days / 9 nights
Meal plan
- Breakfast (CP)
All transfers included in price
Travel details
Hotel Four Points by Sheraton Habana 5* or similar
Hotel Los Jazmines 3* or similar
Hotel Playa Giron 3* or similar
Hotel Brisas Trinidad del Mar 4* or similar
1. day Arrival/ Accommodation: Havana
Arrival to Cuba in the afternoon. Meet & Greet at the airport, meeting the local tour guide and transfer to the hotel. Check in. Evening free time.
Meals: none.
2. day Accommodation: Havana
Modern Havana - Habana Vieja – Canon Shoot Ceremony
After breakfast we start a full day sightseeing tour of Havana, one of the most beautiful cities of Latin America. Havana captivates all its visitors. This true Caribbean metropolis has a unique atmosphere that makes tourists travel back in time to the Colonial era while appreciating the mark of the '50s US mob which coexists with the retro architecture, and the ambiance of the current socialist society. We start to visit the Scale Model of Old Havana to have a general view of the city and see the development from the colonial times up until today. After it, we start to explore the old part of the city on foot with its rich cultural and historical attractions, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. During the tour all those who are interested can hunt local antiques at the authentic antique market while we visit the Plaza de Armas (the "Arms' Square"), the Governor's palace, and walk through the Plaza San Francisco where we will look at the old Stock Exchange Palace and St. Francis of Assis Church and Cathedral Square. Our next stop at our photography tour, we will visit La Plaza Vieja, the "Old Square" where our optional lunch will be served in a typical local restaurant. After lunch, we visit the "Taller Experimental de Grafica", where we will meet local artists and discuss their work in the workshop In the afternoon return to the hotel.
In the evening we visit the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabaña, Havana's mayor fort, a unique location offering spectacular view of the city. Here we participate one of the oldest ceremonies of Cuba, the Canon Shoot Ceremony at 9h00 when we remember the colonial times when at this time at night the city did close until dawn. After the ceremony return back to the hotel
Meal plan: breakfast. Lunch option or Full board option available!
3. day Accommodation: Havana
Today we continue our discovery in the Capital. We visit the Fototeca de Cuba to see a temporary exhibition of Cuban photographers and we will have the opportunity to exchange with them. The Center of the Cuban photography was founded in 1937 by the former City Historian, Emilio Ruig de Leuchsenring and holds about 14.000 photos inside. Next, we visit several photographic workshops of local artists where we can discuss the techniques, locations, and see the contemporary artists' work.
We have our optional lunch in a private restaurant (Paladar) and after lunch we visit the "Callejon de Hamel" where we can make an interesting photo shooting session of the local religious art. The Hamel Alleyway is located in Centro Habana where we will have a walking discovery session, exploring interiors, patios and beautiful buildings. Prepare for a warm bumpy and noisy time among bikes, people, vintage cars and diesel fumes. In the afternoon return to the hotel. Evening free.
The visit to the famous Tropicana Show or the Concert of the Buena Vista Social Club is optional.
Meal plan: breakfast. Lunch option or Full board option available!
Day 4 Accommodation: Vinales
Havana – Soroa – Viñales Valley
After breakfast we start our trip to the western part of the country, directly to Pinar del Rio province, the "green" province of Cuba. This province offers the superb natural beauty of the country by offering untouched nature and relief. Its unique climate makes this land the most fertile on the island. It is one of the highlights of our tour; we spend two days by tour the countryside and see the highlights of the area. On the way we stop at Soroa also known as the "Rainbow of Cuba", named after the "Salto de Arcoiris" waterfall that is located here. Here we visit the largest Orchid farm in Cuba that offers over 6000 plants and 700 different types of orchids - including some very rare types - in more than 25 hectares. Soroa offers a unique micro climate that makes "El Orchideario" florulent all year long. We continue to Pinar del Rio city, called the "City of columns" where we take a panoramic city tour. Later on, we leave for Viñales, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999, where the unique karst formations, the "Mogotes" can be found. Once there, we stop at the Mirador Los Jazmines, where we can enjoy the breathtaking panorama with the remote scenery of "Mogotes"(karst hills) and mountains make this place deservedly a World Heritage site. We will have optional lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch we start hiking the "Cueva del Indio", and boating inside the cave on an underground river observing the various stalactites that formed different shapes and therefore each has some story to tell. Finishing the day's program, we visit the famous wall painting, the "Mural de la Prehistoria" that fascinates us with its unique technology of gigantic size. We continue our trip to our accommodation. Check-in and dinner. Evening free time. It is worth going to the village in the evening to meet locals and experience the unique Cuban hospitality.
Meal plan: breakfast. Lunch option or Full board option available!
5. day Accommodation: Pinar del Rio
Viñales Valley – Santo Tomas Cave
After the previous day's adventures we wake up relaxed and head for more escapades. Today we discover the Cuban country life and Viñales Valley. This area of the country is the beast soil for tobacco, the best tobacco in the world is produced here. On the way we stop at a tobacco plantation where we enter the house of the tobacco farmers. They will show us around in the "Casa de Tabaco" and we will learn about the producing and processing of the tobacco. We have optional lunch at a typical Cuban restaurant. After lunch we depart to the Gran Caverna de Santo Tomas cave, the largest cave system in Cuba, second largest on the American continent: it is 46 km long and has 8 levels. We discover the part of the cave that is open to the public with a specialized guide on a 1 km way that is accessible by non-professionals. The specialty of the program is that local authorities give admission to visit the cave only to very few groups. This allows the conservation of the cave system in its original state. In the afternoon we return to our hotel in Viñales. Evening free. It is worth going to the village in the evening to meet locals and experience the unique Cuban hospitality.
Meal plan: breakfast. Lunch option or Full board option available!
6. day Accommodation: Playa Giron/ Bay of Pigs
Pinar del Rio – Montemar National Park – Guama – Bay of Pigs – Playa Larga
Breakfast at the hotel and departure to one of Cuba's most important nature reserves, the world famous Zapata Peninsula, a bird and animal sanctuary which is located in the Montemar National Park. The largest swamp of Cuba is located here. It houses many endemic and migrant birds, among others the most emblematic Cuban birds, like Tocororo (Cuban trogon), the national bird of Cuba; the Bee Hummingbird, the world's smallest bird; the Cuban Tody, who is small, but all the more colorful. In Cuba, crocodiles are indigenous; the Zapata swamp grants habitat for them. The first stop is Guama, the main attraction of the National Park. There we take a speedboat tour of the natural lagoon, the Laguna de Tresoro, where the untouched nature can be observed, and migrating and endemic birds can be seen. Then we will visit the Aldea Taino, the reconstructed Taino Aboriginal village where we learn about the customs of the ancient indigenous inhabitants. We get back to port by motor boat and visit the country's largest crocodile breeding farm, where we can observe hundreds of these reptiles in their natural habitat. We visit the crocodile nursery; where those who feel brave enough may hold the yet harmless infants in their hands. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we will arrive to the Bay of Pigs, where visitors can have some swimming time in the Caribbean Sea. Check-in to the hotel. Evening free time. Meal plan: breakfast. Lunch option or Full board option available!
7. day Accommodation: Trinidad
Playa Larga – Zapata Península – Cienfuegos – Trinidad/Ancón Península
After breakfast we depart to the city of Cienfuegos, also known as the "Pearl of the South". First we make a stop on the way for bird watching: the Montemar National Park has more than 900 plants and 160 bird species and 12 other animals in their natural habitat. A specialist ornithologist will lead the bird watching. With his help we will have a better chance to find these hiding birds. Then continue our travel to Cienfuegos. Once we arrive, optional lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Later on we begin our panoramic sightseeing tour: the city was founded by French settlers in 1819. They started to call the city "The Pearl of the Caribbean". Cienfuegos is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2005. Cienfuegos is the first, and an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble representing the new ideas of modernity, hygiene and order in urban planning as developed in Latin America from the 19th century. We walk by the famous Malecon, see the beautiful seaside villas. We will stop to take pictures at the Palacio del Valle, a unique palace with architectural richness. It is Gothic influences, Romanesque, Baroque and Italianate combined with the Mudejar style was in vogue in Spain in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Visit a local Art Galery, "La Maroya", where we will have the opportunity to meet local artists and discuss about their work, plans and their visions. Then we head towards downtown Cienfuegos, where we continue a walking tour of the city of former aristocrats. Cienfuegos, founded by French settlers, has European-style architecture. We will walk down the Boulevard of the city via the Prado; visit the Jose Marti Square, the Governor's palace, the Thomas Terry Theater famous for its excellent acoustics, and the Cathedral. In the afternoon transfer to Trinidad. Our hotel is located on the Ancon Peninsula, 10 kilometers from the city. We will spend two nights here and we will discover the area from our all-inclusive resort to ensure that we can relax after the day's trips. Check-in. Evening free time. We suggest going to the city in the evening to find sizzling nightlife with authentic salsa parties.
Meal plan: breakfast. Lunch option or Full board option available!
8. day Accommodation: Trinidad
Trinidad/Ancon Peninsula – Escambray Mountains
After breakfast we depart to the nearby Escambray Mountains on the platform of Russian army trucks and drive up to the 800 meters high peak: to Topes de Collantes. This high and abundant mountain area was the hiding place of the counter-revolutionists in 1959 after the victory of the Cuban Revolution. Cuba's second highest mountain is more famous because of its flora and fauna and its continental divide feature. Its Northern side is lush, rainy, with coffee plantations on its sides; the Southern side has a drier climate, with Agave plants and arid zones. The Topes de Collantes Nature Reserve was named after the mountain's second highest peak. Fulgencio Batista constructed here the Kurhotel that still operates as a sanatorium. Once there, we start a 3 km jungle tour in the Guanayara National Park. Today's clothing should be comfortable, and shoes are required, but you also might need towel and swimsuit, too. Our trip is led by a specialist local guide who is an expert of the Cuban Flora and Fauna. During the trip we will get to know the local animals and plants: more than 40 types of orchids are endemics and more than 100 types of ferns are registered, 7 of them grow as high as 6 meters high. We also visit a coffee plantation where we learn about coffee production, the main types of coffee produced here: there are more than 40 types of coffee grown in the shades of pine and eucalyptus trees. We will reach the "El Rocio" waterfall, where we can swim in the transparent mountain river. Keep your swimwear on you, as our next stop is the El Venado natural lagoon, where we can swim in the clear water of the lagoon. We have our lunch at "Casa de Gallega" ranch. After lunch we have our Caribbean siesta and afterwards we return to the hotel. Evening free time.
Meal plan: breakfast. Lunch option or Full board option available!
9. day Accommodation: Havana
Trinidad Old Town – Sugar Mills Valley – Havana
After breakfast we visit Trinidad. Our journey is made not only on ground but in time, also. The city was founded more than 500 years ago; Trinidad preserves the singular atmosphere of the colonial era. First, we have our optional lunch in the center of the city, and then we walk through the old part of the city. While walking along the small winding streets we have the feeling that we are going back in time. Later, sightseeing in the UNESCO World Heritage city, with visits to the Plaza Mayor, The Tower of Contrabandido, the Cathedral, La Santissima Trinidad Square and the exhibition of the Romantic Museum. The museum is located in the palace of what used to be the town's richest family with balustrade yard, marble floors, and neoclassical decoration. Walking among the frescoes of the city's wealthiest merchant family we can enjoy the exhibition. Later we walk in Old Town and stop at the famous Canchanchara bar where you can sample the authentic drink of Trinidad, the special cocktail still made from the original recipe of Aguardiente and honey, called Canchanchara. After lunch we visit the famous Valley of Sugar Mills that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, once the center of sugar production and processing in Cuba. The 270km2 valley did employ more than 30,000 slaves. The large part of the 18th century sugar consumption was produced from here. The Valley together with Trinidad was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Visit the Manaca Iznaga estate. It is possible to climb the seven-story tower that offers a beautiful panorama. The tower was used to keep an eye on the plantation and the slaves. Once the highest building in the country in its era, the tower offers beautiful view to the surrounding area. Then we will continue our trip to Trinidad, the ancient colonial town, once renowned for the abundance of its sugar cane plantations. In the afternoon continue to Havana. Arrival in the evening, check in, evening free.
Meal plan: breakfast. Lunch option or Full board option available!
10. day Farewell
Free time in the morning. Check-out until noon. You can use the hotel facilities until the transfer leaves to the airport. For extra cost, you can buy "Late check-out" services on site. Transfer to the airport, leaving to home country.
Price includes
- Breakfast in Havana (CP)
- 24 hours assistance in Cuba
- Accommodation in the chosen hotels in DBL/SGL standard rooms
- Hotels according to local standards
- Private guide
- 24 hours assistance in Cuba
- Accommodation in tourist class hotels during the round trip
- Transfers
- Guide service
Price excludes
- Travel insurance
- Cuban tourist card
- Excursions not included in the description
- Tips and other credentials
- Costs of other services not included in the description
- International flight ticket, tax
- Meals and drinks not included in the description
Booking conditions
Booking: Minimum 21 days before the arrival date. For booking, please send: name of travelers, passport number and flight details.
Payment: Minimum 14 days before the arrival date via wire transfer. Cancelation/Modification: Over 14 days: no penalty. 14-8 days, the first two days' costs (accommodation, meals, transfer, programs, etc.) and $35 administration cost will be charged. Within 7 days or No Show: 100% penalty. With all confirmed bookings a $35 administration fee will be charged in case of modification. For groups over 14 pax special Terms & Conditions apply.
Reservations: Marysol Travel Services S.A. E-mail: sales [at] marysoltravel.com Web: www.marysoltravel.com Tel: +(53) 7 86 44 555 or (+53) 5 263 1786 / Cuba