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The history of
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So you thought that visiting Athens, Greece is all about historical monuments, museums and a dazzling nightlife? Well, think again. Athens has some natural surroundings that would astound you all within reach from your accommodation. In fact, everywhere you look there is a hill or mountain you can climb. Next time you're in town, pack some hiking boots as well, they might come in handy. After all, this country is famous for its natural beauty.
If you open any map of the city, you will notice the mountainous regions surrounding Athens. Attika, where Athens is located, is made up of mountains, valleys and ridges. The city lies nestled in the central plain; also known as the Attica Basin. Four mountains look over Athens. To the west, lies Mount Aegaleon and to the east mount Hymettus. The other two mountains overshadow the northern suburbs of the city. Mount Penteli to the northeast and Mount Parnitha to the north. Of the four, Mount Parnitha is the tallest standing at over 1400 metres, which has also been declared a national park.
Mount Parnithais a breathtaking mountain range comprised of thick pine wood forest and wildlife. It is only 35 km out of the city and can be reached by car or public transport. It is one of the popular winter destinations for Athenians as well as visitors. In the summer, you can explore the mountain on bike and in the winter in boots or even skis. Its plentiful paths will lead you to its many caves, brooks and breathtaking views of the city below. Be prepared to meet a huge variety of flowers, bird species and foxes. If you are lucky, you might even meet some of the deer that call this place home.
Mount Pendeli, on the other hand, may be lacking in forest after some devastating fires stripped most of the mountain bare. However, it is a mountain of great historical importance; it is where the ancient Athenians mined the marble for the Parthenon. It is also home to the famous Davelis cave; a place few people dare visit. Shrouded in mystery and superstition, it is known for strange sightings, sounds and a creature that haunts deep within. Taking a trek up this mountain and be rewarded by the remains of its ancient past and panoramic view of the city, the mountain range and the sea.
Mind you, you do not have to go that far for a good hike. Right in the centre of the city lies Mount Lykabettus. This is basically a hill made of limestone that protrudes out of the heart of the concrete jungle. It has a rich green landscape at the base with a white top; a perfect contrast to the backdrop of the sparkling blue sky. The climb is quite challenging and few are willing to take the risk, but once on top, the view will astound you. Lay back and enjoy a coffee at the cafe as you watch the sunset behind the Acropolis.
Before you decide to make your way back to your room, take in the view a little more. Watch the Parthenon and the rest of the city light up. Look around you and notice the shadows of the mountains as they retire their glory for the night. Finally, walk through the many local neighborhoods and breathe in the faint floral scents of their blooming gardens.
The heart of present day Athens is fashionable Plateia Syntagmatos which lies below the imposing mass of the Old Royal Palace. Plateia Syntagmatos, which translated means Constitution Square, commemorates the constitution granted by Othon I in a proclamation from the balcony of the Palace on the night of 3rd September 1843.
The OLD ROYAL PALACE, which since 1935 has housed the Parliament, was designed as the residence of King Othon, at his own and his father's expense, by the Bavarian architect Friedrich Garther and built between 1834 and 1842.
At the foot of the west facade of the Old Palace is a large square bounded on three sides by walls on which, in evocation of the ancient custom of hanging the victor's shield in the temple, are set bronze shields flanked by the names of the many victories won by Hellenic arms since National Independence. Built into the center of the retaining wall is the TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, a relief impressive in its simplicity, which depicts a dying hoplite. This work is by the sculptors Constantinos Demetriades (1881-1943) and Phokion Rok (1886-1942), and was unveiled on 25th March (National Independence Day) 1932.
South of Plateia Syntagmatos lies Leophoros Amalias, which is so called after King Othon's consort, who, with the horticulturist Friedrich Schmiedt, created the delectable retreat adjoining the Old Royal Palace that we know today as the NATIONAL GARDEN. The National Garden is open daily from sunrise to sunset and the shade of its multitudinous trees provides a cool and peaceful oasis in the heart of the city.
On the east side of the Garden are the busts of Capodistrias and Jean-Gabriel Eynard, a great Swiss philhellene who donated large sums of money to the cause of Greek Independence. Both these busts are the work of the famous Pelopennesian loannis Kossos. Other busts in the National Garden are those of three leading Greek poets of the 19th century: Dionysius Solomos of Zante, who is considered the national poet; Aristotle Valaoritis, also a native of the Ionian Islands, and Jean Moreas, which was the nom-de-plume of loannis Papadiamantopoulos, an Athenian who lived the greater part of his life in Paris.
Contiguous to the National Garden is a large public park called ZAPPEION after the brothers Evangelos and Constantinos Zappas of Epirus, who donated it with its splendid exhibition hall to the Nation. On either side of the entrance to the exhibition hall stand statues of the donors, that of Evangelos by loannis Kossos; that of Constantinos by Georgios Vroutos. Among the many pieces of statuary by famous sculptors is the bust of loannis Varvakis by the master Leonidas Drossis. Varvakis is best known as the founder of the renowned boys' school, the Lykeion Varvakeion, for the endowment of which he bequeathed his huge fortune. Other busts include those of Constantinos Paparrighopoulos, the greatest historian of Modern Greece, of Stephan Dragoumis, the most prominent political personality during the Macedonian struggle (1903-1909), and of George Souris, the leading satirical poet of his times.
A short distance from Plateia Syntagmatos, on the right of Odhos Panepistimiou, we come to a Renaissance edifice of Italian inspiration. This is the NUMISMATIC MUSEUM, which contains a rich collection of Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins, cameos and seal-stones. Built by the noted architect Erst Ziller in 1878, it was the private residence of the illustrious archaeologist Henry Schliemann.
Still keeping on the right-hand side we come to a five-storeyed building situated at the corner of this street and Odhos Omirou. Here are the premises of the ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, built entirely in marble. The classical motif of the magnificent bronze door with its richly painted and gilded surround and the ceiling coffered in a delicate blue and gold deserve the greatest admiration. Besides creating the first National Archaeological Museum the Society, which was founded in 1837, has excavated sites all over the country.
Immediately after the Archaeological Society's premises stands the ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL. As the Latin inscription shows, the cathedral was begun in 1853, completed in 1887, and dedicated to St. Dionysius Areopagite. It is a three-naved basilica designed by Leo von Klenze (1784-1864), Bavarian Court architect and master-plan ner of modern Athens, and built under the direction of Lysander Kaftanzoglou (1811-1885), the outstanding Greek architect of the period.
Adjoining this edifice is the OPHTHALMIC HOSPITAL, a Byzantine-style construction designed by Theophil Hansen (1813-1891, the younger of two Danish brothers, both distinguished architects), in 1847, and completed by Lysander Kaftanzoglou four years later.
Just beyond the Ophthalmic Hospital is an ensemble of neo-Classical buildings: on the right the Academy, in the middle the University, and on the left the National Library. All three were gifts to the Nation from wealthy patriots; they are the most sumptuous monuments of Modern Greece.
The HELLENIC ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, a meticulously accurate reproduction of an edifice of the Classical period erected in the graceful Ionic order by Theophil Hansen at the expense of Baron Georgios Sinas, was begun in 1859 and completed in 1875.
The nine sculptured pediments and all the statues before the Academy are the work of the Athenian master Leonidas Drossis. The relief in the central pediment, which portrays The Birth of Athena, and the two gigantic statues of Apollo (right) and Athena (left) standing on tall columns, one on either side of the principal facade, are particularly impressive. The seated figures flanking the short flight of steps leading to the portico represent the philosophers Socrates (right) and Plato (left).
The portico consists of a double row of columns. The coffered ceiling is painted in bright blue and gold and the door opening into the vestibule has a surround of classical inspiration executed in brilliant color and gilding. A statue of the donor Baron Sinas stands on the right of the vestibule, while the interior of the Academy Hall is decorated with eight superb panels by the Oldenburg painter Christian Griepenkerl (1839-1916), depicting scenes from the Myth of Prometheus.
Visitors to the University will be surprised to see a statue of William Ewart Gladstone, standing on the right of the lawn surrounding the forecourt. The dedication on the plinth of this statue immortalizes the prominent part played by the great British statesman in the deliverance of Epirus and Thessaly from Turkish oppression, and their return to the Motherland in 1881.
The statues at the top of the steps leading to the entrance commemorate the great philologist Korais (1748-1833), ardent patriot and "father" of the Modern Greek literary language (right), and Capodistrias (1776-1831), first Head of State (1827-1831) and one of the major architects of modern Greece.
The UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS was founded in 1836, and was initially established in a large house which Schaubert and Cleanthes had built in Plaka (the old quarter of Athens) when they first came to Athens in 1831. This building, at the corner of Odhos Prytaneiou and Odhos Tholou, is still standing and is converted into a museum devoted to the earlier history of the University. The present University buildings were designed by Christian Hansen and the foundation stone laid by King Othon in 1839. The central building was ready for use in 1842, but owing to lack of funds, the buildings as a whole were not completed until 1850.
A colonnade with a handsome portico in Pentelic marble fronted by two Ionic columns with gilded capitals, and a coffered ceiling in blue and gold in harmony with the classical motif of a painted and gilded door surround, gives access to the interior of the main building.
On the upper part of the wall a fresco by the celebrated Austrian painter Karl Rahl (1812-1865) shows the resurgence of arts and sciences under King Othon. Statues of two national heroes, Patriarch Grigorios and the martyred poet Rhigas Pheraios, stand respectively at the right and left angles of the facade.
The NATIONAL LIBRARY, which is built of Pentelic marble on a foundation of poros, consists of a central building in the form of a Doric temple, with two wings. It was planned by Theophil Hansen in 1887 and the work executed under the supervision of Ernst Ziller, at the expense of the Valianos brothers of Cephalonia in 1901. A statue of one of these munificent benefactors, Panayis, stands outside the central building, and those of his two brothers Andreas and Maris inside the entrance hall. All three statues are the work of Georgios Bonanos.
The eminent philologist Andreas Moustoxidis on the island of Aegina formed the nucleus of the Library in 1827. The books were brought to Athens in 1833 and stored in the beautiful church of St. Eleutherius (the "Little Cathedral"). In 1842 they were removed to the first floor of the central building of the University – which had just been completed – where they remained until the National Library was inaugurated in 1903.
In recent years many fine nineteenth century buildings have been demolished and unimaginative concrete structures built on the sites, so that with the exception of the Ionian Bank of Greece on one corner of Odhos Pezmazoglou and the former buildings of the Arsakeion College for Girls (founded in 1836) on the other corner over the Doric portico, built at the expense of Apostolos Arsakis of Epirus in 1848, nothing remains of the splendid buildings that once lined both sides of this street of central Athens.
Continuing along Odhos Panepistimiou for a short distance, we turn right into Odhos Patission. A few hundred meters further down, on our right, stands a construction in the finest Pentelic marble, in which two educational institutions of University status are established: The POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Naval, Chemical and Mining Engineering, Architecture, and Topography) and the SUPERIOR SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Engraving, etc.). Two wings in the Doric order serve as propylaea to the central building of two storeys, the lower erected in the Doric order, the upper in Ionic. This edifice is the work of Lysander Kaftanzoglou, who built it between 1862 and 1880, and owes its name -METSOVION POLYTECHNEION- to the fact that the principal donors Nicholaos Stournaras, Michalis Tositsas and his widow Helen, were natives of Metsovo in Epirus.
Greece has hospitals that belong to both the private and the public sector.
The Diagnostic and Therapeutic
Kyanous Stavros is a privately owned hospital and diagnostic centre. The centrally located hospital was set up in the year 1963 and is one of the finest hospitals in
One of the prominent hospitals in
IASO General is a hospital with state of art facilities and services. The hospital has an ICU that is world class and is known to be amongst the best in the country. It has a Coronary Care Unit and was the first in the country to have a dedicated unit for diagnosis and treatment of heart ailments. IASO General is also equipped with an up-to-date accident and emergency department. There are 10 highly sophisticated surgical units and an angina pectoris unit in the hospital. It also has internal medicine, surgery and diagnostic divisions. The surgeries department has facilities for thoracic, plastic, cardiac, orthopedic and general surgeries. The address for the hospital is 264 Mesogeion Ave. 155 62 Holargos and the contact no is 210 650 2000.
Helena Venizelou founded Marika Eliadi Maternity Hospital in 1926. At that time there was an acute shortage for good hospitals and trained staff for maternal care in the city. The hospital was set up with an aim to provide advanced natal care not only to entire
If you need medical help, the next time you are in
Anyone who studies the classics or has a unique interest in history of philosophy should venture to the great metropolis of
Passports have been around for quite a while, they originated in France and then the US picked up on them. They became valid travel documents permitting travel to foreign lands. They are required today in order to travel to another country. They used to be somewhat difficult to obtain, now through technology and the internet they are readily available as well as ll the other passport services that may be needed.
There are many sites to visit in
The Parthenon is one of the most famous sites of
Syntagma Square
Syntagma Square is the central of the
National Archaeological Museum
The National Archaeological Museum is the countries largest museum. It was originally constructed to hold the excavated finds from the nineteenth century, but since then it has grown. It now holds over 11,000 exhibits from Ancient
Sightseeing Attractions
The most historical site in
For upscale shopping, head for Kolonaki, just outside of Syntagma Square, or, for less upscale and more original souvenirs, check out Ermou Street. Most of the city's restaurants are clustered around Syntagma Square; however, Psiri has recently been earning a name for itself as far as dining and drinking is concerned. While the businesses in Syntagma Square are fairly tourist-oriented, the businesses around Psiri are more artsy and less expensive. The smaller shops often have the best food as well. Psiri is also a great area for nighttime drinking and socalizing; however, the club district is located on the harbor, and many of the parties move out to the beach during the summer months.
The city of Athens has a history that dates back about three thousand four hundred years. The city of Athens has a population of about seven hundred and forty five thousand five hundred and fourteen. The city covers the area of about fifteen square miles.
Athens is a cosmopolitan city and nowadays it is at the center for finance, economics, industry, culture and also politics. Research has revealed that Athens is the thirty-second richest city within the world. Traditionally Athens was known as a city-state that was powerful.
The heritage that dates back to the classical era is actually still evident within the city and this era is represented by a number of different works of art and ancient monuments and this includes the Parthenon, which is very famous. Even nowadays the city is still home to vast array of Byzantine monuments and Roman monuments. There is also an array of Ottoman monuments and these represent the long history of the city. If you have an interest in monuments and culture then book online and get cheap tickets so you can enjoy what the city has to offer whilst saving money.
The city of Athens is able to enjoy a climate that can be described as subtropical Mediterranean. The southern part of Athens tends to experience a semi arid climate that means that it tends to have hot weather. This city is able to enjoy lots sunshine all through the year and it averages at two thousand eight hundred and eighty four hours per year. Most of the rain falls between the middle of October and the middle of April. There is not a lot of rainfall during the summer months and any rain that does fall during these months tends to be in the form of thunderstorms or showers. It's worth booking cheap airline tickets and making the most of the nice weather that this city has on offer.
For many years now the city of Athens has been very popular with tourists and this is assisted by the fact that the city is easy to get to from any where in the world and it is possible to get cheap flights. Over the last decade the infrastructure within the city and the social amenities have great improved. The city of Athens hosted the Olympic Games in 2004 and this was part of the reason why the city made such a massive improvements in its facilities. The Greek government worked within the European Union in order to undertake major projects such as the state of the art international airport that is known as Eleftherios Venizelos and also the expansion of the Metro System in Athens. The city of Athens is home to about one hundred and forty eight theatrical stages and this is more than any other city within the world.
There are so many aspects of current civilization that were birthed in ancient Athens. Among these are theatre, philosophy, democracy, classical art and even the Olympic games. Athens is located on the southern coast of Greece and has existed for over 7,000 years providing a rich culture expressed in a diverse setting. The term diverse fits as you will find ancient relics and sites in some of the same areas where there are trendy boutiques and sidewalk cafes all mixed in together. This mixture of the very old and the new create a very unique experience provided nowhere in the world like it is provided in the ancient city of Athens. You will need to be sure your passport is up to day so if you need to add passport pages, be sure to go online and access a passport site to help you with this so you can be on you way.
World travel requires a passport but computers have simplified all passport needs. Even if you have to get an emergency passport, an online passport is available to help you. No one plans to have their travel documents lost or stolen but if this happens, help is as close as the nearest computer.
Athens is a city that contains many sites that make history come alive so this is certainly the ideal place for lovers of history to visit. High on top of the Acropolis you will find the Parthenon. This famous sight has earned the honor of being named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Investigating these ruins takes you back to sights names in Greek Mythology related to gods and goddesses, the titans and many other mythological characters. Admission to this site also opens the Theatre of Dionysus, the Roman Agora and the Temple of Olympian Zeus to the traveler.
Being the birthplace of the performing arts, it is no wonder that the arts and culture are very important to the Athenians. While the National Gallery is certainly large and well known, many smaller art galleries populate the city. Athens is also host to approximately 148 theatres so if you are in the mood for a show, the difficult part will be which performance to see. Among the theatres is the famous Herodes Atticus Theatre.
Using a bike or even walking around this city is a wonderful way to see the sights. Green space is always welcome when you travel to big cities and the National Garden of Athens provides an exceptional treat. Within it can be found a small zoo, ponds with ducks, colorful flowers and beautiful landscape with no shortage of a shady tree to relax under and consider the sights of the day.
For those who would like to shop till your drop, your experience will be a little different in Athens. Rather than large malls and strip centers, you will find street vendors selling custom crafts rather than name brand items. Some of the most visited markets are found on Plaka, Kolonaki and Ermou Street. You will find endless selections of shoes, purses and jewelry if you visit here and the quality will certainly not disappoint you.
Authentic cuisine is always interesting in a foreign city and Athens is no exception to this rule. Known for their souvlaki, which is comprised of grilled meat, veggies and a special yogurt sauce, this Athenian staple is considered a treat by all who try it.
The Story
Tuesday March 27, 2001 was a special day for the
On March 28, the first plane landed. It was the Olympic Air flight from Montreal, Canada.
One day later, the 1572 flight of KLM to Amsterdam was the inauguration departure flight from the brand new El. Venizelos International Airport. It's been more than ten years after those opening flights and the
The name
The location
Some intriguing numbers
Αround 15 million passengers arrive and depart from
Connection to the city and the suburbs
The connection with the
Buses depart from the Syntagma Square (bus line: X95), Piraeus (bus line: X96), Metro Station Elliniko (bus line: X97), the Central Bus Station of Kifissos (bus line: X93) and the suburb of Kifissia ( bus line: X92). The average duration time of a journey from/ to
Facilities (in, out and around)
The International Airport of
In a close distance from the airport you will find a large chain stores with furniture, electrical equipment and outlets. Also, just a few kilometers the McArthur Glen mall is situated. This is an entire village with shops, cafes, restaurants and playgrounds. The Attica Zoological Park, with animals from all around the world, is at close distance.
Enjoying the
When someone mentions a holiday in Greece, the first thing that pops up in most people's minds is sandy beaches and sparkling clean water. With a coastline 13,676 kilometers long, there is certainly a beach to suit every taste. However, Greece is also known for its capital
There are many cycling enthusiasts willing to take the challenge in a foreign country. Greece has many cyclists of its own and a plethora of agencies renting bikes or offering bike tours. All you have to do is decide how you want to do it; on your own or with a group. Since
Right in the heart of this modern city lie the ruins of an ancient civilization. As you head towards the city centre, you cannot miss the majestic hill of the Acropolis, a world heritage site. Sitting proudly at the top of the hill, is the famous columned structure of the Parthenon, which was built in honor of the goddess Athena. The hill and surrounding area abounds with the splendid remains of the past such as the ancient theatre of Herodes Atticus, the Erectheion and the Agora, the marketplace of ancient
Along the way, you will find people and places to accommodate you on your tour. There are many roads that are off limits to cars as well as wide pedestrian pathways that are bicycle-friendly. Of course, during high season, the streets are dotted with people from all walks of life who come here to see the sights and experience the culture. The cafes and many eateries overflow with tourists while the locals, most of them fluent in English, are friendly and welcoming. Various artists and musicians are also there to entertain the crowds and shops spilling over with beautiful souvenirs.


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posted by David Adams on Mon 6th Oct 2003 19:34 UTC
It's an oft-repeated maxim that one of the reasons that Windows operating systems are plagued by so many viruses, worms, and security exploits is because they are so popular. Extrapolating on this, many have remarked that if Linux, MacOS, or other OSes become more popular, they will attract the attention of virus writers. That may be true, but the increased attention will not necessarily yield the same quantity of viruses and other exploits, says a Register article. Update: Rebuttal article.

subset: commoncrawl


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Main Site - :: Why Won't God Heal Amputees? ::
Having a humanitarian love for someone does not exclude recognizing that person's faults or guilt. Take my brother-in-law (please take him! ta-doosh ) for example. I love him as a person, but because of his drug-induced beating of his step-son, he deserves conviction, jail time, and psychiatric treatment.


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Back in 2004, Wayne Keith drew a line in the sand at $1.50. That's the price at which the Alabama native would no longer buy a gallon of gasoline. Keith, who makes his living raising cows, growing hay and milling timber in a small town about 30 miles northeast of Birmingham, wasn't bluffing. He knew he had an alternative fuel in his backyard: the hundreds of pounds of scrap wood he generates every time he runs his sawmill.
Since 2004, Keith has powered his trucks with wood. Sound strange? Trust me, this is no pipe dream. Many years ago, when I managed the MOTHER EARTH NEWS research facilities in North Carolina, we built wood-powered vehicles for the same reasons Keith does today. But Keith has taken wood gasification well beyond what I could've imagined. This unassuming, down-to-earth farmer is an energy and transportation pioneer, with more than 250,000 miles of wood gas driving under his belt and about $40,000 saved by using wood chunks instead of gasoline.
"My Dodge Dakota truck gets about 5,200 miles per cord," Keith says in his easygoing Southern drawl. (A cord is a common measurement for wood, meaning a wood stack 4 feet deep by 4 feet high by 8 feet long.) "I paid for my farm in the early 1990s by selling wood at $27 per cord. Today a cord costs about $50 [wholesale] in this area. I burn scrap wood from my sawmill, but if I had to buy wood, I could still travel for less than a penny a mile."
For comparison, if gasoline costs $3.50 a gallon, your vehicle would have to achieve nearly 350 miles per gallon for its driving cost to be a penny per mile.
The idea of powering vehicles with wood or other biomass energy is nothing new. Trucks, cars, motorcycles, boats, tractors and even airplanes have been adapted to burn wood. By the end of World War II, when there were critical shortages of petroleum, there were more than 1 million wood gas civilian vehicles operating in Asia and Europe.
After the energy crisis of the late 1970s, MOTHER EARTH NEWS revisited wood gas as a homegrown fuel option. We had heard from several readers who'd built their own wood gasifiers. Eventually, we had all of these running on wood gas: a Chevy pickup, a sawmill, and a 12.5-kilowatt electric generator for remote power. But why would anyone want to use wood for motor fuel?
1. Abundant Biomass. Wood is biomass that, well, literally grows on trees. In many areas, there are more wood resources than you can shake a stick at. And you don't need firewood splits to do this — small branches, construction tailings and other wood scraps make the best fuel.
2. Wood Is Carbon-Neutral. Unlike coal or petroleum, which become environmental problems when they are extracted, refined and burned, a tree absorbs carbon dioxide from the air as it grows. When a tree dies, whether it is burned or left to rot, the carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere.
3. Biochar to Enrich Your Garden. When wood is consumed for motor fuel, it creates a byproduct known as biochar. This carbon-rich char can be used as a soil amendment to decrease acidity and reduce nutrient leaching while improving tilth and productivity. (Read more about biochar for gardening in Make Biochar — This Ancient Technique Will Improve Your Soil. — MOTHER EARTH NEWS)
4. Energy Independence. Perhaps the best benefit of wood gas is that wood is a renewable, homegrown fuel. If you have moderate metalworking skills and access to a sawmill, using a wood gasifier can be a major step forward in sustainable, self-reliant living. Wood gasification isn't for everyone, but it certainly is within reach for many MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers.
When I visited Keith on his 100-acre spread, it quickly became clear to me that he enjoys tinkering and has no qualms about getting his hands dirty. Coming up the drive, I spotted the log home he built from his sawmill stock, two homemade wind turbines in the pasture, and several trucks with subtle signs of modifications.
Keith took me to an '84 Ford truck to show how he had developed his earliest wood gasification designs. Its 460-cubic-inch V8 engine is a behemoth by any measure. Keith says that a large engine is an advantage in a wood gas conversion because wood gas is weaker than gasoline. More specifically, a pound of wood has fewer Btu than a pound of gasoline. (Btu, a standard unit of energy, stands for "British thermal unit," the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit.) The Ford came with a carburetor; Keith says modern trucks with multi-port fuel-injected engines convert better to wood gas.
As we got in the wood gasification truck, I expected him to ignite the wood in the gasifier — the main tank that holds the wood chunks and converts them to gas — but he turned the key and away we went. I assumed he was starting on gasoline to warm up and we'd light the tank soon. But a few moments later, he moved a lever beneath the dash, and without any hesitation from the truck, we were driving on 100 percent wood gas.
I was surprised. First, I had no idea the wood gasifier was even lit. From my past experiences with wood gas, I expected a faint smell of burnt wood lingering around the vehicle. Not here. Second, I'd never felt such a smooth transition from gasoline to wood gas, even with a well-stoked fire in the burner. When Keith told me he hauls 15,000 pounds of large, round hay bales with this truck, I was floored. If an "alternative" fuel can pull a 7-plus ton load, why do we even need petroleum?
As we cruised along the county roads, Keith talked about his motivations for powering the majority of his transportation and farm operation with wood gas.
"From what I've read, we are spending $2 billion a day to go after petroleum," he says. "At that rate, some of these other countries are going to own us. But I've got plenty of biomass from my sawmill. As far as I'm concerned, the buck stops here."
Keith started reading about wood gas during the late 1970s. Decades later, he turned to hands-on trial and error, which proved to be his path to success. These days, Keith almost exclusively uses scrap wood to fuel his trucks.
Keith's "wood chunker" (fabricated from the differential and a brake drum of an old International truck; see it in action in the Wayne Keith Wood Chunker video), cuts on an ascending bevel so that every revolution of the drum slices off a roughly 2-inch chunk. Keith and his wife, Lisa, lay out the chunks on tarps so they will dry in the sun. After the chunks are dry, Keith stores them in old feed sacks, several of which are easy to keep in a truck bed. The chunker is powered by a thrifty two-cylinder diesel engine. One hour of work can cut and spread up to 2,000 pounds of wood chunks suitable for driving (after drying).
Tests conducted on Keith's 1993 Dodge Dakota by David Bransby — a professor of energy crops in the Department of Agronomy at Auburn University and Keith's partner on a coast-to-coast wood gas tour — showed that it takes 16 pounds of dried wood to take the wood gasification truck as far as 1 gallon of gasoline would (21 miles in conservative driving). So one hour of work with Wayne's chunker produces the equivalent energy value of 125 gallons of gasoline (a value of $437.50 if gasoline costs $3.50 a gallon) that Wayne can use to travel 2,625 miles.
What about environmental costs? I asked Keith whether anyone has challenged the impact of his vehicles.
"I have never cut a live tree to heat my house or run the trucks ... fact is, the gasifiers prefer small limbs and rough chunks from the sawmill," he says. "And using that in my trucks does not change the natural, carbon-neutral cycle of wood."
As for tailpipe emissions, one informal test found that the Dakota would meet California's emissions standards — traditionally the toughest in the nation. More specifically, Bransby contrasts the energy source for Keith's truck with the main sources of utility energy in their area.
"Wayne's truck is 67 percent cleaner than an electric vehicle charged on the Alabama grid, because 67 percent of the electricity in Alabama comes from fossil fuels," Bransby says. "Specifically, 59 percent coal and 8 percent natural gas."
Just like gasoline or diesel, wood is a carbon-based fuel. But because wood is solid, it must be converted into a gas before it can power an engine, much like gasoline or diesel must be atomized before they can be ignited. Traditional burning isn't sufficient — the wood must be heated in a high-temperature, oxygen-starved environment in order to chemically convert and produce the ideal mix of combustible gases in a process called pyrolysis.
When that conversion happens, wood gas is more effective than gasoline. Wood has less Btu "punch" than gasoline to start with, but gasoline loses some of its Btu punch in the conversion to a mist. In Bransby's 2010 tests, the Dakota achieved 21 mpg on gasoline and 29 "mpg" on wood gas.
Like any typical wood gasification system, Keith's setup has three basic components: a gasifier, a radiator and a filter.
The wood gasifier consists of upper and lower chambers in the form of drums connected in the middle by a heavy spacer. The upper drum is a lidded hopper where the wood chunks are held. There is an internal air inlet manifold that introduces oxygen a few inches from a restriction, which causes a high temperature (about 2,700 degrees) to be created in a small environment. This is where the gasification takes place.
The hot gases go from the gasifier to a heat exchanger, where the gaseous fuel is cooled with fresh air. The incoming air piped to the gasifier's inlet never comes in contact with the exiting fuel gases.
Next, the gases go to a radiator, or cooler, which Keith has skillfully camouflaged as a bed rack. There are two inlets and two outlets, so each side of the rack has cooling capacity. Here, the gas temperatures drop below the dew point, and the condensation drains into small tanks.
The third component, the filter, is simply a clamped-lid barrel filled with hay. This removes most of the particulate matter contamination in the wood gas.
After being cooled and filtered, the wood gas is pulled through two branches of PVC piping to the engine compartment. Homemade "slingshot" filters separate any remaining moisture and particulate matter from the incoming gas stream.
The cooled, clean wood gas is directed to fittings Keith has installed in the engine's air cleaner housing. Two inlets are dedicated to fuel gas and two to fresh air, which is drawn in through separate canister filters. Each of the four inlets includes a butterfly valve that Keith adjusts manually with controls on the dash.
Impressive as the old Ford was, I was eager to see Keith's seventh wood gas truck conversion, the '93 Dakota. Just days before I arrived, Wayne and his son Tally had returned from the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, where MOTHER EARTH NEWS sponsored Keith in the famous World of Speed time trials. Not only was Keith's Dodge Dakota the only wood-powered vehicle there, he was the only competitor to actually drive (not trailer) the vehicle to the event — a distance of about 2,000 miles. (See photos of the Dakota and more in this article's Image Gallery.)
"We made 73.09 mph in the measured mile," Keith says. "I beat out 12 other vehicles that were running [in other categories] on gasoline, and beat the team with the prior wood gas record of 47.7 mph."
(Read 73 MPH On Wood Gas Sets New Record to learn more. But 73 mph isn't the Dakota's top speed. MOTHER EARTH NEWS Managing Editor John Rockhold took a ride that had to slow down at 84 mph; read about it and watch it happen in I Went 84 MPH in a Wood Gas Truck; see the third video from the top. — MOTHER EARTH NEWS)
In preparation to start the Dakota, Keith flipped the switches on a pair of small in-line bilge blowers and opened the gasifier lid to reveal remnants of cold char in the tank, which he ignited with a propane torch.
"With a poker rod I make a little void that goes down to the center of the hearth," Keith says. "I've got those blower switches fixed to where I can either blow or suck the air through to get the wood going."
After pouring a sack (about 12.5 pounds) of dried wood chunks into the chamber, he sealed the lid and started the truck on gasoline. We drove about a quarter of a mile on gasoline, then he switched over to wood gas with the touch of a lever.
"On this truck, I've got a sensor and gauge that monitor the exhaust gas, telling me if it's too rich, too lean or just right," Keith says. "I've also got vacuum and temperature gauges — sort of like a doctor's stethoscope and blood pressure monitor — that let me keep an eye on what's going on. Since wood gas is slow-burning, it helps to advance the timing a bit. The older Ford does that with a cable, but the newer models are smart enough to automatically adjust to the fuel."
On a straight stretch of road, we cruised at 75 mph. Other than monitoring the gauges, Keith did not spend much time making adjustments. Aside from the occasional flick of extra levers and the barrels in the truck bed, you wouldn't know this truck runs on wood instead of gasoline.
As far as how the wood gas system performs throughout the year, Keith says the vehicle performs slightly better on crisp days, when humidity is lower.
"The gasifier works fine in hot weather," he says. "It increases in power a bit the colder it gets. In very cold weather there could be issues with the condensation freezing, so you'd have to design for that."
As far as driving range, Keith sized the Dakota's wood gasifier to allow 50 to 75 miles on one fill. Some of his earlier gasifiers were sized to allow 100 miles or more, but that required more conspicuous tanks.
Clearly there is untapped potential in wood gasification for transportation, but whether it can ever be more than a fringe movement remains to be seen. Making it work isn't easy. Even Wayne Keith — arguably the best advocate for wood gas — says that 75 percent of success comes down to operator knowledge and experience; the system itself accounts for the remaining 25 percent.
Despite all the money that Keith has saved via wood gas, it's the self-reliance that is the most satisfying benefit.
"The big plus for me — beyond the clean driving and financial benefits — is being dependent on no one but myself for fuel."
MOTHER EARTH NEWS Wood Gas Adventures blog
Learn more about gasification and see videos of various vehicles in action, including Wayne Keith's.
Drive On Wood!
Wayne Keith's website. Keith is working on a book with detailed plans for his system.
Yahoo! Groups: Wood Gas
The Wood Gas community group on Yahoo! has numerous wood gas veterans among its members, including moderator Mike LaRosa.
Richard Freudenberger was a Senior Editor at MOTHER EARTH NEWS from 1978 to 1990. He currently is the publisher for BackHome magazine, and his most recent book is Alcohol Fuel: A Guide to Making and Using Ethanol as a Renewable Fuel.
Fantastic job and excellent engineering! A great application of basic chemistry; in the oxygen-starved, extremely hot environment of the gasifier, carbohydrates are reduced to hydrocarbons (notice the similarities in their names). Although deadwood is somewhat a limited resource, with proper large-scale tree farming this could be quite sustainable. Maybe not for the whole country, but it doesn't have to be. It just needs to make a good dent in fossil-fuel usage. There are lots of other sources of carbohydrate biomass that could be used as feedstock too, many of them waste products e.g. the used fermentation mash from beer production, corn husks, etc. Any way we can give "the finger" to Middle-East oil is a plus in my book for both America and the planet... The condensate can also be distilled for useful compounds, including fuels as it likely contains quite a bit of methanol (wood alcohol). PS: Keep up the great work!
You use the air control valve to relieve pressure in the system and cover the fuel hopper to stop the reaction. That's for FEMA gasifiers. I'm guessing that it'd be the same idea with a Keith gasifier.
Hi had read about this before. Had looked for plans but plans were hard to read and didn't print well. We in Ireland pay $8.40 a gallon and has gone up by 35% in the last 3 years due to government taxes. So if anyone would have easy to follow plans it would be great.
This is a great idea for those of us who are looking to achieve self-sufficiency, but one question-- how do you turn it off when you get where you're going, just vent off the gas until the fuel is spent?
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Posted 8 years ago
(18 items)
My mom had this doll sit on her dresser for as long as I could remember. Then a few years back she was passed along to me. She is 7 and 1/2 inches tall, bisque, socks and shoes painted, arms and legs move, eyes open and close. I was told the wig on her was my great aunt's from when she was young. I have no idea how to go about finding out her history or value. Any help would be appreciated. Also how would I clean her? She is currently kept wrapped in a towel. Thanks so much.


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1 of less then 400 with this trim package. Camaro 2SS, Automatic, Charcoal stripes rally stripes, & biege & black two-tone interior. its a VERY RARE package. Chevy produced over 19,000 Viictory Red Camaros in 2010.
Wifes 2010 Camaro SS2. Fully loaded. Victory Red with Charcoal rally stripes. Two-tone beige and black leather with beige stitching. Auto matic. Purchased with 400 miles on the odometer. The dealer couldn't move it. We purchased new in March of 2011. Paid $30,500 for it.
Two -tone interior
Wifes Camaro SS & My Trailblazer SS
This photo was at the Cougar National Convention in Dallas Texas in 2006. It won it's class and was featured as November on the National Calendar. Obviously before the 429 and Hood Scoop & Ram Air (with the 351 Cleveland, FMX)
How it was aquired:
We had a christmas budget and have 4 daughters and bought them all motorcycles for christmas but I had seen this Cougar and my wife had also. One day she said, that's the most beautiful car I've ever seen. So I sneakingly stopped one day and asked the fellow what he wanted for it and it was way beyond my means at the time. He said well, make an offer so I made a very small standing offer and he laughed. 2 days before Christmas he had to have cash so I was scrambling. I aquired it and gave it to my wife for Christmas. (hence the name Chris)Since then we've painted it and built the 429 for it. http://www.yo...v=z0AQCT14Edo . This is a real old school muscle car. This car weighs 3,760# with the 429 wet.
426 horsepower
420 ft lbs of torque
0-60 in 4.6 seconds
13.3 1/4 mile @ 108mph
0.90 "G" on the skid pad
.0-60 @ 5 sec. 1/4 mile ? Dyno'd at 472hp, 501 torque @ 5,200' altitude
1 of less then 400 with the 2SS package, automatic, charcoal rally stripes, & beige/black two-tone interior. VERY RARE PACKAGE!!!!!!!
Boston Acoustic Premium Audio 245 watts
Bluetooth wireless
Four pack auxillary gauges
Two -tone beige and black leather with beige stitching
Brembo four piston brakes
Traction control
6-speed automatic transmission
Tire pressure monitor
Dual stage frontal air bags
Power sunroof
Power seats
Power locks
Power windows
Power mirrors
Heat mirrors
heated and cooled seats
20" x 8 ib front & 20" x 9 in rear alloy wheels
XR7 Package, Convertible, one of 1,929 total made, leather buckets, p/s, p/b, a/c, am/fm/8 track, This is a very rare car.
K&N intake
40 series Flowmaster mufflers
Custom exhaust: resonator delete with "X" pipe
"SS" emblems on the fenders under the "Camaro" emblems
Aftermarket wheels with a polish lip. Staggered with 315 on the rears.
Two Memphis 10" subd with Memphis amp.
Front lip spoiler
429 Ford engine out of a 68 T-bird.(which stock was 390 hp) rebuilt with high comp pistons, ported, polished heads, crane roller cam with roller rockers, 750 Holley, Edelbrock med rise manifold, Ram Air, full length Hooker Headers, 3" exhaust with H-pipe, C6 trans with extra clutches and shift kit. Dyno'd at 472HP. Tons of torque, Will run 150+ with 2.73 gears, Cragar SS wheels, 10 disc cd, 1100 watt stereo,
ROLNGTZ has no Car photo albums.
|Points for Mommys SS
|Total Votes
|Points for Chris


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In a word, yes. But, technically this is the wrong question. The correct question is probably closer to, "What is the impact of the calories I consume on my body's ability to store fat versus burn fat?"
The immediate follow-up question to some variant of this first question is, "Should I be counting calories?" In a word, no. But you'll want to read this post fully to qualify that answer.
Before I answer these important questions, let's spend a few moments reviewing ...Continue Reading


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I am currently recruiting for a thriving business in Dunfermline who are looking to add to there very friendly team. I have a couple of opportunities available for Conveyancing Legal Secretaries & Conveyancing Paralegals. offering excellent career progression and immediate starts available.
Key Responsibilities
- To support the Head of Department in the management of the secretarial workload, ensuring that the priorities of the department are met.
- To support Conveyancers in the production of files by typing dictated work as directed.
- To support Conveyancers in the maintenance of files by effective file management.
- To assist Conveyancers in the management of case-load by dealing with file related queries either face to face or by telephone.
- To ensure that clients are dealt with efficiently and politely and that appropriate legal matters are raised with the Conveyancer.
- To assist in general office administration and in the locating of files when necessary.
- To transmit correspondence by fax machine and undertake photocopying when necessary.
- To answer internal telephone calls efficiently and politely and take messages, as necessary.
- To ensure that all internal methods, systems, policies and procedures are adhered to.
- To manage own work allocation, productivity and quality of work with minimum supervision.
**If you have a recent experience working within Conveyancing, please apply immediately!
Search is an equal opportunities recruiter and we welcome applications from all suitably skilled or qualified applicants, regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/beliefs, sexual orientation or age.
Application Details
Closing date:
Nikki McCarron
Reference No: Req/426643


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Features:My husband had the stroller put together in 10 minutes or less. Here are the pieces that it arrives in.
- Big-kid friendly with easy front seat access
- Child tray with toy steering wheel & cup holder
- Handle adjusts to 3 height positions
- Parent cup holder for drinks while on the go
- Independent reclining seat backs
- Both children can recline or sit upright at the same time
- Rear seat can accommodate 15 different infant car seats
- Sunrider canopies adjust to block the sun
- Lots of storage - huge basket plus cargo bags for storing all of babies' gear
- Compact fold (21 ¾ w" x 36 ¾ h" x 18 d") makes it easy to store in tight spaces
- Height-adjustable 5-point harness for safety and padded sleeves for comfort
We were both impressed with how compact it is when folded! Its actually smaller than some of the single strollers that we've owned. Folding it up is extremely easy. Simply push the canopies all the way back and all the way forward, push the handle down as far as it will go, and pull the side handle up to fold.
There are several features that have made me fall in love with this stroller. First, I'm impressed by just how much storage there is. As you can see in the pictures above, the storage basket is huge! In the picture below, you see 1 of the 2 storage bags that are located on each side of the stroller. There is also a parent cup holder which I feel is a must-have. I do wish that there were two for when my husband is with me.
They did an amazing job when designing that front seat! It has a pretend steering wheel and cup holder that is great for sippy cups or snacks. Even my 4 year old couldn't resist sitting in the seat to try it out. As you can see, the canopies are very generous in size. They will do a great job at keeping the sun off of my babies.
You can use the stroller with two infant car seats, 1 infant seat, or none. Since Kallie Jane is a newborn, we will be using it with an infant seat in the back. Visit Kolcraft to view the 15 different infant seats that are compatible.
My husband has helped me test out several strollers over the past few years, so he isn't easily impressed, but the Jeep® Traveler Tandem Stroller had him raving about how awesome it was. We've never had a double stroller that was so compact and had most of the features we look for. Visit Kolcraft to learn more and to view all of their products.
Kolcraft is giving one of my readers a Jeep® Liberty Sport X All Terrain Stroller!
To enter, visit Kolcraft and tell me another product that catches your eye. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
1- Subscribe to my blog via email.
2- Follow my blog via google friend.
3- For THREE extra entries, post about this giveaway on your blog and link it back to this post and Kolcraft.
4- Follow twoofakind AND Kolcraft on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: #WIN a @Kolcraft Jeep® Liberty Sport X All Terrain Stroller {$180 ARV} @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/87tza8q #giveaway
5- Include a link to this post in your facebook status letting your friends know you entered this giveaway. Leave your first and last name(or initial) in a comment below. If you tag me (@Dee Twofakind or @Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House), I can actually see your status on facebook. You can do this 1x per day for an extra entry each day.
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Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on April 23rd when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 48 hours to respond!
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This was not a sponsored post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the products for review and giveaway.


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D.W.Tomlin Turf Mole Drainer
All Machine hires are subject to VAT.
Delivery and collection of machines by Technical Turf is subject to a £50.00 charge each way if the delivery/collection address is within 80 miles of Technical Turfs location (Melton Mowbray). If you require a machine to be delivered or collected outside of this 80-mile radius, then prices are available on request. Any person who hires a machine from Technical Turf must agree to the terms and conditions set out in the machine hire agreement document. Once a machine is out for hire it is the responsibility of the hirer and they must accept all liability for loss or damage.


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|2008-10-16, 23:29
|Link #1
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Gundam 00 - Voice Actor Appreciation & Discussion
The purpose of this thread is to discuss, critique and idolize the Voice Actor cast of Gundam 00. Please remember that the discussion should center on their performances as professional voice actors and not on the show content (which can be discussed in the various Episode threads). Please remember this simple rule when critiquing a VA's performance or reading another forum member's critique:
|2008-10-17, 19:11
|Link #5
ARCAM Spriggan agent
For the upcoming English dub:
The official North American site has a new trailer, though it seems familiar.
ANN's Gundam 00 entry has the latest entry on all upcoming VAs for the anime.
|2008-10-17, 20:45
|Link #6
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
While I'm in no condition to say what I watch is among of the cream of the crop, I believe 00 at least in season 1, and so far in season 2 has a different, more serious monotone but equally well done overall voice over production as Code Geass, with perhaps minor bias towards Code Geass because of their voice actors having more chances to perform a wider range of tones.
However, if we look at it just from a voice acting stand point, I think Geass wins out over 00 simply because their characters ALLOW them to act more freely. A big example is Setsuna versus Lelouch, and while Setsuna is infinitely more cooler in his voices for season 2, he's still far and away from Lelouch simply because of his character. Yagami Raito was done very well, so it's not like the guy can't do it.
=] course, if we are talking just 00, there's only 1 person so far other than some crappy grunt voice overs I can complain about (like ep2, that no name Ahead almost sounds like the Jennin guy at first, and only sounded different once they gave him a close up death) is Andrei. It's not like I can't see him sounding like that, but just the amount of....yeah he's just annoying. Everyone else at least "fits".
As for specific people doing awesome, I tend not to say "this guy did the best job" simply because mostly I recognize their voices from other works, and it just doesn't seem fair. Guys like Lockon, Setsuna, Ali, are all rigged to win in a sense because their voice is so damn awesome even when you've heard it across their many roles. The only guy I never heard of before in S1 that really stood out to me was Graham Aker, who pretty much sounded like he was going to RAPE and CLIMAX when he fought a gundam. That guy is awesome, too bad he doesn't fit some Seinen series heroes like Guts/Gatts from Berserk, or it'd be hilarious to do another anime on those things. Maybe Vagabond.
The other VA's don't shine as brightly, but if everyone shines, it feels too damn awkward. So overall, I'd say it's nearly perfect, just that the story is more 'realistic' and won't allow a main character like Setsuna to go all LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA MEIJIN BLAH BLAH BLAH. Oh and Geass had an overall more feminite feel to their voice actors, which fit CLAMP's work, while 00's VA's fit .... whoever the hell draws 00.
I'm still vague, but I guess 00 is leagues ahead of animes like Toradora I guess? Where like, the shortie tiger sounds older than the hyper bimbo? And I mean a lot older.
Whatever, Sunrise shows are pretty decent lately. That's all you need to hear from me right?
|2008-10-17, 20:59
|Link #7
Do the Monkey
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: on TOP of a rock
yeah to the guy above me. this is the discussion of the 00 cast only. Don't compare it to other anime unless they were also in it.
I find Andrei quite normal considering his ethnicity. That dude in the Ahead wasn't killed, it was another guy.
As for me, I really like Shinichiro Miki and Yuuichi Nakamura. Miki just sounds like the fun uncle type of guy. Nakamura is just really really funny. Even the amount of emotion is funny. I can't really imagine anyone else saying Graham's lines.
|2008-10-18, 05:29
|Link #10
Mr. Broshido
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Chile
Age: 25
About the japanese version, I lol'd when Ali first talked, in the only show I never imagined Keiji Fujiwara in was Gundam , his voice made me like Ali a lot more.
Never realized that 00 has a lot of my favorites seiyuus. One more reason to love it.
|2008-10-18, 06:17
|Link #12
I Want GN Flag II
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: A-LAWLS Base (orly?)
only the meisters's VA sound right for lockon and setsuna... Hope brad sweele will be good as setsuna as he was a light. Graham sounds too young =_=.... but patrick's fag factor has risen by 100% (which is good)
rest of the VAs sound too young/too old.
|2008-10-18, 06:29
|Link #13
「Darkly Charismatic 」
Join Date: May 2008
Location: The Lounge
I was hoping for a bit of Irish accent on Lockon, but well, ugh
Sergei is just a no from me
Some of the voices are pretty good,
However I didn't particularly like Grahams voice, I'll stick to the Jap dub in that case
|2008-10-18, 06:40
|Link #14
Senior Member
To all the people complaining about Graham sounding "too young", you do realise that Yuuichi Nakamura is known for voicing young, usually teenaged characters?
On the otherside of the spectrum, his dub VA Paul Dobson is known for voicing deep voiced adult males (he's usually typecast as either an evil villain or a thuggish brute), so his voice sounding "young" is really out of the ordinary. And regardless of how young or not his Graham voice sounds, it doesn't really fit either way.
|2008-10-18, 11:16
|Link #16
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: In Your House. No, really, look properly.
And I don't really pay attention to VAs, but the 00 VAs to me are pretty good. Although I liked the Seed VAs more. Because of Akira Ishida.
|2008-10-18, 19:04
|Link #18
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
I for one am glad they didn't try any accents (so far) in the dub because while an accent can add more to a show when done right, when done incorrectly (which more likely than not will happen, especially with ethnic accents) it can make a dub absolutely torture to listen to. D:
As for Japanese seiyuus in 00 my favorite has to be Hiroshi Kamiya. Even though Tieria's character design makes him seem very feminine, when he talks you realize what a strong and me thinks masculine character he is. This is a case where the voice solidifies the character for me.
As for the English dub, while I too think Graham sounds too young I think we'll get use to it after a while. So far I really like Lockon's VA and while I can't get the image of Inu Yasha out of my head when I hear Richard Cox's voice I think he'll make a great Allelujah.
|Thread Tools


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What to CookPasta
Summer Pasta alla Caprese, Redux
When I wrote about my mother's Summer Pasta alla Caprese (below) a couple years ago, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. I'd been making the pasta -- raw garlic or onion, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, fresh mozzarella -- the same way for years. But once I'd documented it in writing as a childhood favorite, something my mother used to make several times a summer, I realized that somehow my taste memory was out of whack.
It was a month or so ago that I finally put the pieces together. My mother didn't actually use mozzarella -- she used Brie! Like many of us scarred by the chalky, leaden wedges that made an appearance at pretty much every event in the late 80s and early 90s, I'd apparently blocked all memories of this once chic, now much maligned cheese. I had mentally banished it to the recesses of culinary obscurity, and no wonder. Thus it happened that a pasta which was originally introduced to me as slightly creamy and complex, with a pleasant, bitter edge from the cheese, morphed in my mind over the years into a more predictable version of itself: comforting indeed, studded with chewy bits of melting mozzarella, but far less seductive.
The truth -- though many of us would likely be slow to admit it -- is that Brie, when it's good, is very very good. A fine Brie is just as delicious at room temperature smeared on crusty bread as it is warm, oozing out of flaky pastry. And it's REALLY good folded into a fresh tomatoey, garlicky sauce for pasta. No one understood this better than Julee Rosso and the late Sheila Lukins, creators of the beloved Silver Palate series, from whom my mother got her inspiration for our family favorite.
Today I'm sharing the Stubbs rendition, which uses less olive oil (Rosso and Lukins' version calls for 1 whole cup for just 1 1/2 pounds of pasta!) and slightly less garlic and basil, but plenty of tomatoes and Brie with the rind on, which I believe is key to the endeavor. I highly recommend you cast aside any residual anti-Brie sentiments and give this one a shot before tomatoes disappear for the year. You won't regret it.
Making this room temperature pasta is dead simple:
If your Brie is good and soft (I like using a triple cream version), put it in the feezer to firm up before cubing it -- I found that did the trick nicely.
Once the cheese is cubed, you just chop tomatoes, basil and garlic, then add salt and pepper and a few glugs of olive oil and let it sit for a few hours.
Toss the sauce with hot pasta, and you're all set!
Pasta with Tomatoes, Garlic, Basil and Brie
Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook
Serves 6 as a main course
- 3/4 pound Brie (triple cream if you can get it)
- 4 medium ripe-as-can-be tomatoes
- 2 medium cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, cleaned and dried
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons excellent olive oil
- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound curly pasta (I like cavatappi)
See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.
Photos by Sarah Shatz and James Ransom.


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"So we begin another journey. I fully intend to stay with AOL for a very, very long time." – Me, one year ago.
A year ago yesterday we announced the acquisition of TechCrunch by Aol. But it wasn't until September 29 that the deal officially closed. Today marks the one year anniversary of that acquisition, an important milestone both psychologically and contractually.
Congratulations to everyone at TechCrunch who made it to the one year mark. As I said on stage at Disrupt a couple of weeks ago, the thing I'm most proud of is the team we built at TechCrunch, and the fact that we managed to keep that team together post-acquisition. It is the most talented writing team I have ever seen, led by the most talented CEO I've ever met.
Unfortunately I'm no longer there. Neither is Paul Carr. And over time more people will leave. TechCrunch will evolve into whatever it's supposed to be when it grows up, and I hope that it continues to be something I'm proud of.
One thing is certain, though. It has been a very, very good year for TechCrunch. As of the day I left the company revenues were up 50% year over year from 2010. Profits had more than tripled. Unique visitors are up 25% (12.2 million) and page views are up 30% to over 42 million.
Congrats to the TechCrunch team and also to Aol on what is most certainly a successful business acquisition.
With the exception of a very large faceplant over the last several weeks Aol kept their initial promise not to interfere with TechCrunch's editorial process. The problem is that I don't think that was just a one time hiccup. From what I can tell right now (as an outsider), Huffington Post is actually becoming more involved, not less, in TechCrunch's day to day editorial decisions. Public executions of leaders tend to have a severe chilling effect on whoever takes over, and Arianna Huffington is, without a doubt, the current editor in chief of TechCrunch.
It is my sincere hope that over time TechCrunch is able to carve out some level of independence for itself. Because, as a reader, I want TechCrunch to live on. And stay the voice, however controversial, of Silicon Valley. Tranparency, Truth and Bias. The TechCrunch way.
ps – The logo above is the very first TechCrunch logo from 2005. It didn't last long. Fred Oliveira redesigned the site and the logo and by 2006 the site looked like this: