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Colorful art sparkles after dark in Arizona
Feb. 27, 2017
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Picture several displays of artistic creations illuminated from within by various colors. One display is a set of five helium kites hovering over visitors' heads. In a nearby canal is a collection of 50 floating spheres.
The imaginative creations were part of a busy outdoor art scene my Best Friend and I enjoyed last week. It was where we mingled at sunset with creative spirits and their whimsical art.
For two consecutive evenings, we admired the colorful creations of several artists at a popular exhibit sponsored by Scottsdale Public Art.
The Feb. 23-26 display, called Canal Convergence Water + Art + Light, offered visitors a variety of artistic works that include light and changing colors.
The Thursday-to-Sunday events began at 4 p.m. closed at 10 p.m. daily. The spectacle offered a variety of colorful creations, including tall metal polyhedron sculptures, helium light kites, and colorful spheres floating on water.
Colorful and intricate shadows were cast by HYBYCOZO, a display consisting of three 7-foot-tall polyhedron sculptures. Internal LEDs shining through the geometric designs created intricate designs of changing colors on the surrounding sidewalks.
HYBYCOZO, created by San Francisco artists Yelena Filipchuk, who is an environmental scientist, and Serge Beaulieu, an industrial designer. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
Les Lumineoles is an aerial display of helium light kites, which appeared to float on the night breeze. If their gentle movements were put to music, a solo of a piano or a saxophone would be appropriate. Floating nearby in the Arizona Canal is another display, Lentille d'eau, which consists of 50 luminous spheres that change color. The two adjacent displays were created by the French artist association Porte par le vent.
Les Lumineoles, above, and Lentille d'eau, right, floating in the Arizona Canal. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
The event featured more than 30 attractions near, over or in the Arizona Canal at Scottsdale Waterfront, which is between Scottsdale Road and Goldwater Boulevard, south of Camelback Road.
The creative and colorful works were a welcome distraction from the daily barrage of negative political news. It was rejuvenating. It was real.
The first night, a Thursday, was more crowded than we expected. I was not satisfied with my photos because spectators predictably crowded around the artists' works. My Best Friend said we should return the next night at a later time for more photos. She was right.
(Copyright @ Mike Padgett, ArizonaNotebook.com. All applicable U.S. and International copyright laws pertain to any and all photographs and other images and articles on this site. Downloading, hot-linking, copying, reproducing, manipulating in any way and/or distribution by print, electronic media or other means is prohibited by law.)
(Please contact Mike Padgett if you are interested in purchasing prints or licensing images on this site, or if you wish to use any of the images on this site for noncommercial purposes. All rights reserved.)
(Ideas for interesting news stories about Arizona residents and businesses are welcome. Please send ideas and suggestions to email@example.com.)
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Arizona sunset in early January
Jan. 9, 2017
Sunset over north Scottsdale, Ariz. Photo © copyright Mike Padgett
"A large drop of sun lingered on the horizon and then dripped over and was gone, and the sky was brilliant over the spot where it had gone, and a torn cloud, like a bloody rag, hung over the spot of its going. And dusk crept over the sky from the eastern horizon, and darkness crept over the land from the east."
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
Forever Views in Red Rock Country North of Phoenix
Dec. 12, 2016
Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
SEDONA, Ariz. – About 120 miles north of Phoenix are some of Mother Nature's best creations. The absence of city noise and pollution and the contrast of towering red bluffs with the high desert's greenery are good for the soul. Pack a picnic lunch and a good book and find a solitary location near Sedona to enjoy the views with a best friend.
New Stars Lighting Sonoran Desert Nights
April 24, 2016
PHOENIX – Every evening after sunset, there are colorful new stars in the night at Desert Botanical Garden.
The stars are eight distinct displays installed throughout the garden by British artist Bruce Munro. His creative work, "Bruce Munro: Sonoran Light at Desert Botanical Garden," runs through May 8.
Munro and garden workers and volunteers spent several weeks installing hundreds of miles of glowing fiber optics for the brilliant display.
The largest exhibit, called "Field of Light," features a network of about "30,000 individual spheres of gently blooming light nestled on the hillside of the Garden Butte," according to a description of the exhibit on the garden website.
"Field of Light" photo by Adam Rodriguez.
Another of Munro's works is called "Water-Towers." It consists of plastic bottles assembled into towers of light that slowly change color. If visitors walk to the western edge of this exhibit and look back past the "Water-Towers," they will see the "Field of Light" display on the side of Garden Butte in the background.
"Water-Towers" photo by Adam Rodriguez.
In the garden's Sybil B. Harrington Succulent Gallery is a display of spiraling acrylic rods called "Chindi," which in Navajo means dust devil.
"Chindi" photo by Adam Rodriguez.
We visited the exhibit earlier this month. It was a Tuesday. The special exhibit is popular, so advance reservations are recommended. Garden members must log in on the garden website to receive free reservations. To avoid crowds, garden officials recommend arriving after 8 p.m. The exhibit is open until 11 p.m.
We arrived at the garden at 6:30 p.m. That gave us about 30 minutes to park, enter the garden and get our bearings before sunset.
The exhibit's colorful fiber optics become brighter as daylight fades into darkness. It is after sunset when Munro's creations become the newest stars of the night.
The light-based installations reflect the artist's interpretation of the Sonoran Desert's flora and fauna.
Artist Bruce Munro. Photo by Mark Pickthall.
Munro's other current exhibitions are at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minnesota, and the "Field of Light Uluru" at Ayers Rock Resort in Uluru, Australia.
Previously, Munro has displayed his creativity at gardens and museums worldwide. They include the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; the Guggenheim Museum, New York City; Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania; Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, Nashville, Tennessee; Hermitage Museum & Gardens, Norfolk, Virginia; Simbionte, Mexico City; Discovery Green, Houston, Texas; Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia; and many others.
For more details about the "Sonoran Light" exhibit, visit www.dbg.org.
More information about the artist is available at www.brucemunro.co.uk.
(Copyright @ Mike Padgett, ArizonaNotebook.com. All applicable U.S. and International copyright laws pertain to any and all photographs and other images and articles on this site. Downloading, hot-linking, copying, reproducing, manipulating in any way and/or distribution by print, electronic media or other means is prohibited by law.)
(Please contact Mike Padgett if you are interested in purchasing prints or licensing images on this site, or if you wish to use any of the images on this site for noncommercial purposes. All rights reserved.)
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Oregon Sunset, Between Trees
Feb. 9, 2016
Photo © copyright by Mike Padgett
"My soul is full of longing for the secrets of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me." – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A few days in the lives of baby hummingbirds
March 14, 2015
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The tiniest sword swallowers are gone. Over 10 days, I watched them grow. I was a spectator until they launched themselves from a nest the size of an empty walnut shell.
I spotted the nest the morning of March 3. A hummingbird hovered nearby before flying to a bump on a tree branch. I walked slowly toward the iridescent jewel of nature and discovered the bump was its nest. After she flew away, a single tiny beak popped up over the edge of the nest.
Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
Over the next several days, I approached the nest slowly. I hoped to document – with photos – the first days in the life of hummingbirds. The tree was next to our driveway and the sidewalk, so the hummingbird was familiar with my daily routine and occasional joggers.
These magical birds in recent years have treated me with several close encounters. They have no fear, probably because of their speed. Once, while standing in our courtyard, a hummingbird hovered within inches of my face. Maybe it was attracted by its reflection in my sunglasses.
Over a period of several days, I watched two chicks grow rapidly. First, I could see only the tips of their tiny black beaks poking over the edge of the nest. Soon, their beaks were longer. Next, I could see the tops of their heads. I watched the mother feeding them a diet of nectar and insects.
Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
A few times, mother hummer returned while I was watching her nest. I captured images of her feeding her chicks. Her shiny black needle-like beak disappearing down their throats reminded me of the circus posters of sword swallowers.
I photographed the nest almost every day. Mornings offered the best light. Nine days after I discovered the nest, the chicks were spilling out of the nest. Soon, they gripped the nest with their tiny claws as they exercised their wings.
Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
The nest's location in the tree offered only one ideal spot from which to shoot photos. After feeding its young, the mother usually sat on the edge of its nest for a few seconds. A few times, it flew towards me. It hovered close to me and my camera at my face. I stood motionless.
The tiny bird stayed within arm's length for a few seconds before zipping to a nearby branch. It preened its brilliant green feathers or stretched its wings. Then it vanished to retrieve more food for its babies. The father has no role in the care and feeding of its young, according to www.worldofhummingbirds.com.
Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
On March 12, nine days after I discovered them, the young birds appeared to be ready for their first flight. Near sunset, I went to check on them a fourth time that day. Walking on the driveway, something to my left flew away from me and up into the tree. It appeared to struggle to gain altitude. I thought it was a large insect. But when it landed on a branch, I recognized it as one of the chicks. Then I spotted the mother and the other chick sitting on nearby branches.
I returned for my camera. One of the babies appeared less active than the other. It sat alone in the fork of a branch. I worried that it wouldn't survive the night.
But the next morning, at sunrise and with my second cup of coffee, I saw that its sibling had joined it. I left to grab my camera. The day was cloudy, which meant photographing birds against a white sky. Ugh.
Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
The babies stayed huddled while I captured more images. They faced opposite directions on the branch. For what became the last time, they tolerated me with my camera. Soon, the mother returned to feed them.
Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
By late afternoon, they were gone. The empty nest was the only hint at the start of new lives.
(Copyright @ Mike Padgett, ArizonaNotebook.com. All applicable U.S. and International copyright laws pertain to any and all photographs and other images and articles on this site. Downloading, hot-linking, copying, reproducing, manipulating in any way and/or distribution by print, electronic media or other means is prohibited by law.)
(Please contact Mike Padgett if you are interested in purchasing prints or licensing images on this site, or if you wish to use any of the images on this site for noncommercial purposes. All rights reserved.)
(Ideas for interesting news stories about Arizona residents and businesses are welcome. Please send ideas and suggestions to firstname.lastname@example.com.)
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A Flood of Memories from a Desert Rain
Jan. 11, 2015
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The smell of rain can revive memories.
Scientists say rain's fresh smell comes from the action of rain and wind stirring up the air with ozone from the atmosphere and aromas from beneficial microbes in the soil.
I am sure that scientific explanation is true. To me, the smell of rain, sometimes accompanied by a colorful rainbow, can revive a memory. As years come and go, memories accumulate. Some become favorites, like books that will be kept and reread. Other memories are uncomfortable, even painful.
Raindrops collecting on mesquite trees add sparkle to the desert's beauty. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
A recent rain and its fragrance triggered memories of a boy exploring along the Columbia River. This inquisitive first-grader once imagined he would have enjoyed exploring the American West. Until he read about life-or-death struggles faced by pioneers.
One day, as the boy searched for agates near the river's edge a few miles west of The Dalles, Ore., a chunk of obsidian the size of a baseball was uncovered. The boy was visiting his grandparents. They were renting a house near the river. Today, the boy cannot remember if they found the obsidian and gave it to him, or if he found it.
The ancient glass rock, created eons ago by volcanic activity, is jet black with veins the color of blood. Maybe it came from Mount Hood or Mount Adams, the closest of several snow-covered and dormant volcanic peaks in the Cascade Mountains. Today, decades later, the shiny childhood treasure sits next to the boy's laptop.
A year later, in a lazy mountain stream near Mount Hood, the little boy saw his first salamander. To him, the colorful four-legged creature was like an alien. He didn't touch the salamander, but he squatted to watch it swim and meander slowly over water plants. Nature's wonders had captured the attention of the boy, who then was in the second grade.
This was the year of other discoveries for the boy – learning how to navigate knee-deep snow; and making a kite from newspaper, glue, strips of balsa wood, and string. The kite soared. Until the string broke. The boy recovered his kite from the neighbor's corrals. It never flew again because of damage from its nosedive.
Dangers of BB guns
The boy and a friend also learned the dangers of BB guns that year. The friend, probably acting out what he had seen in cowboy or war movies, fired his rifle at the boy. The BB pellet left a painful and bright red welt on the chest of the shirtless second-grader. The boy and his friend – who was a couple years older – vowed to keep the incident a secret. They never played that game again. The boy kept the welt hidden under his shirt as it faded.
By the next summer, the boy and his family had relocated to central Oregon. One day, the boy and his father left home to hunt deer. They had been walking for hours, without seeing any deer, when they heard an animal scream. It sounded like a large cat. They stopped to listen, but the animal made no other sounds. They never learned whether the cry came from a bobcat or a mountain lion.
The family was living in a small Oregon community. It had an elementary school, a small grocery store, several homes and a hobo camp near the railroad.
A short distance from the grocery store was a small shanty. It lacked a foundation, and the siding of unpainted wood had been darkened and dried by the sun. The boy learned it was the home of Otis, who lived alone.
The boy never learned Otis' last name, nor did he ever see his face. Once, the boy saw Otis on the dirt path that led from his shanty to the store. He stopped to watch Otis walk slowly to his shanty. His shoulders were hunched.
The boy, who had been learning in his third-grade class how to write a check, wondered about Otis. He didn't have a car or a job, so how did he pay for groceries from the general store? Did he have any friends? Where was his family?
Though Otis is long gone, he is represented today by many others living from check to check. If they have no family, they probably depend on social agencies for subsistence. If they are able, they might migrate to public housing in metro areas. Otherwise, they join the other homeless struggling in towns and cities across America.
A deer too far
Another year, the boy and his father again went deer hunting. From a high vantage point, they spotted a buck in the distance. The father dropped to one knee and took aim. Too far, he said.
The father aimed again. After a couple breaths, he gently pulled the trigger. The shot echoed across the valley. Missed. The buck fled into brush and trees. That was the only deer they saw that day.
The lingering raindrops and the fresh scent they create in the desert prompted these fleeting memories and others.
Fast forward a few years, past the boy's part-time jobs after school, the Army's draft notice he received after joining the Air Force, past his university graduation, a rewarding career that lasted decades, and his other encounters with nature.
There was the black rattlesnake resting coiled along a hiking trail, and his accidentally stepping over another rattlesnake stretched in the dark across a warm sidewalk. Once, he had an arms-length staredown with a territorial hummingbird, and he wrote about riding with a park ranger to check on a pair of eagles nesting in a cliff over a lake.
If Native American ruins could talk
Nature is one of many topics that fascinate my Best Friend and me. She introduced me to archeology. I introduced her to walks in the forest as well as in the desert. One summer weekend, while camping in northeastern Arizona, we shifted closer in our sleeping bags during a lightning storm.
Sleep finally arrived, after the thunder and lightning. The next day, we turned off the gravel road on the Mogollon Rim to follow a logging road. We drove a short distance before parking. We had the forest to ourselves. It was a sunny summer day with fresh mountain air and the sounds of a gentle wind rustling through treetops.
On the ground, where logging equipment had disturbed the soil, we saw shell fossils. Maybe they were brachiopods, marine creatures that lived on ocean bottoms eons ago.
We also enjoyed walking at sunrise along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and through California's Muir Woods National Monument. Equally fascinating are Native American ruins in Arizona – Montezuma Castle National Monument, Tuzigoot National Monument and Canyon de Chelly National Park.
If the prehistoric ruins could talk, my Best Friend said, they could share some amazing history.
Some memories fade. Others are revived when a rain's outdoor aroma encourages quiet reflection.
(Copyright @ Mike Padgett, ArizonaNotebook.com. All applicable U.S. and International copyright laws pertain to any and all photographs and other images and articles on this site. Downloading, hot-linking, copying, reproducing, manipulating in any way and/or distribution by print, electronic media or other means is prohibited by law.)
(Please contact Mike Padgett if you are interested in purchasing prints or licensing images on this site, or if you wish to use any of the images on this site for noncommercial purposes. All rights reserved.)
(Ideas for interesting news stories about Arizona residents and businesses are welcome. Please send ideas and suggestions to firstname.lastname@example.com.)
(To avoid missing news, essays, features and photos on www.ArizonaNotebook.com, sign up for convenient email alerts in the FeedBurner box in the right rail. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose.)
Discovering gargoyles and ghosts at historic hotels
Oct. 26, 2014
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Gargoyles are perched outside our hotel window. A ghost in a red gown roams our hallway. And at the end of our journey, we watch several water taxis perform a ballet.
Our adventure began on a Tuesday afternoon. We opened the drapes and discovered two gargoyles outside our hotel window. From this vantage point on the 14th floor, these stone creatures have a view of the downtown of one of the world's most beautiful cities.
Gargoyles outside our hotel window, overlooking downtown Vancouver, B.C., were a pleasant surprise. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
Our journey in Canada actually started nearly two hours earlier, after we landed at Vancouver International Airport. "Ever been here before?" the customs officer asked. She had our passports open in front of her. She glanced at us, then at our passport photos. She was youngish and all business.
"No," I said. I wasn't sure if "here" meant Canada or Vancouver. We visited a different part of Canada in 2012. And in the 1990s, we rode the Victoria Clipper ferry from Seattle to Victoria. That was years before 9/11. It was a time when travel across international borders was simpler.
"Why are you here?" the officer asked.
Vacation, we said.
"Where are you staying?"
"The Fairmont," I said.
"Oh," she said. She stamped our passports and returned them.
"Thank you," I said. No response. The officer waved us through. She motioned to the next visitors in line to step forward.
My Best Friend and I headed for the luggage carousels. It was summer in Arizona and we longed for cooler weather. For weeks, we had been dreaming about British Columbia's mountain scenery and two of Canada's historic hotels. It's now fall in Arizona, and we're still thinking about our summer adventure in Canada.
The flight from Phoenix to Vancouver, B.C., is a short three hours. Another 90 minutes later, after walking the meandering line at customs, collecting our luggage and the ride from the airport to the neo-gothic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, we checked into our room.
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is one of the city's historic cornerstones. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
I joined my Best Friend at the window. We stood admiring the view of downtown Vancouver, the mountains in the distance across the harbor, and the gargoyles. I put my arm around her. She rested her head on my shoulder. British Columbia was another destination on our growing list of places to explore.
Once upon a time, travels for us were rare interludes in our high-energy careers. But no more. Today, with our careers behind us, travel is our priority. And with airlines increasing costs and charging for everything – from seats closer to the door, to luggage, to printing tickets – we're giving more thought to trips closer to home. That way, we could drive to our destinations and avoid check-in times and emptying pockets for intrusive security. And no angry passengers feuding over knee space.
We're nearing a milestone year of our journey together, and it seems like the clock is running faster. Each day we anticipate tomorrow because yesterday was better than the day before. We plan to spend more time walking, holding hands and sharing sunrise with the quail.
Five blocks from the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is Burrard Inlet where floatplanes jockey for takeoff and landing. These planes resembling giant water striders share space on the water with private boats. A white cruise ship is docked nearby. Across the inlet are docked freighters. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
Vancouver has three Fairmont hotels downtown. Adjacent to the Vancouver Conference & Convention Centre is the Fairmont Waterfront. Nearby is the Fairmont Pacific Rim. History fans that we are, we chose the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, a historic hotel that opened in 1939 at Georgia and Burrard streets. This hotel, often called the "Castle in the City," is a few blocks up the hill from the waterfront.
We learned that this majestic Fairmont is the third hotel bearing the Hotel Vancouver name. The first opened in 1888 at Georgia and Granville streets, two blocks from this location. It closed in 1916 and was replaced by a second one that had a short life because of "structural problems," according to an account in USA Today.
Historic hotels, with their roots in the city and distinctive architecture, offer much more than clean rooms and attentive staffs. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
Hilton Hotels bought the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and later sold it to Canadian Pacific Hotels. In 2007, the hotel was purchased by Quebec's public pension fund, the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, as part of its real estate expansion. Earlier this year, the pension fund announced its plans to sell the Hotel Vancouver and other hotels.
We had some time before dinner on our first day, so we explored the hotel. Outside our hotel room door is a brass framework that can be closed to create a security door for the other rooms down the corridor. Past the brass door a few more rooms is another brass security door.
During our stay, we were pampered by the dedicated and attentive hotel staff. Our well-appointed room was clean and neat. Each day, after a visit by housekeeping, a note listing the following day's weather forecast was left on our pillows.
The 14th floor of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, with elaborate brass hallway security doors off the elevator lobby. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
Whenever we visit historic hotels, our curiosity powers up. One can only imagine the hotel's previous guests. Who else stood at the window in our 14th floor room and enjoyed the views? What decisions or deals did they make during their stay? Were they local or foreign politicians? Business tycoons? Did they appreciate the gargoyles outside our window?
On our first day, we spotted a construction crane towering over a high-rise building near the waterfront. We saw many other cranes at construction sites during our ride from the airport. Vancouver is a city undergoing major growth. It would be interesting to see a time-lapse video comprised of photos of this city's skyline shot from the same vantage point once a month since the city's earliest years.
Such a video would show one downtown Vancouver building changing very little, if at all – Christ Church Cathedral, which opened in 1894. The church, built with local stone and wood, was founded in 1888. It is across Georgia Street from our hotel. The church once was "the brightest and tallest building" in Vancouver, according to the church's website.
A historic hotel's link to the past
There are many fine contemporary hotels offering luxurious accommodations. But historic hotels offer something found nowhere else – a glimpse of life in another era.
The architecture and interior design of a historic building are from another time. The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver's high ceilings, interior arches, seating areas in elevator lobbies and stone gargoyles on the structure's highest corners are reminiscent of Vancouver's earlier years.
Historic hotels are a combination of unique architecture, influences of architects and owners, and dedication of conscientious employees. A few, like the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, have a ghost story for intrigue.
According to a narrative on the hotel's website, the friendly apparition wearing an elegant red gown has been spotted on the 14th floor. Some say her name is Jennie and that she and her husband and their daughter began frequenting the hotel after it opened in 1939. They died in an automobile accident in 1944.
Hotel guests and employees have reported seeing a lady in red in the hall and in one of the rooms on the 14th floor. The hotel bar has named a drink honoring the ghost.
We learned about the hotel ghost while riding the hop-on, hop-off trolley. It was in her narrative about Vancouver that the trolley driver shared the ghost story. We later verified her yarn with a hotel employee and by checking the hotel website.
The trolley driver's energetic narrative also answered our questions about the city and its history, parks and neighborhoods. She told us about Robson Street, lined with many fine restaurants and exclusive shops.
At one of the trolley stops, we stepped off to walk to the waterfront for lunch at Mahony & Sons Restaurant. From the promenade, we watched Harbour Air's floatplanes arrive and take off.
The Fairmont has its own fine restaurant, and many other restaurants are within walking distance. We enjoyed dinners at Joe Fortes and Cin-Cin. For lunch one Sunday, after services at a downtown church, we stopped at YEW seafood + bar, the Four Seasons hotel restaurant. The restaurant's 40-foot ceiling and the towering sandstone fireplace mimic Canada's great outdoors.
To Victoria B.C. by bus and ferry
After a few days in Vancouver, we boarded a Pacific Coach bus for the short trip to Victoria on Vancouver Island. The bus took us from the hotel to the ferry landing at Tsawwassen, a suburb of Vancouver. After a short wait, the bus driver drove onto the ferry. He parked second in line to drive off the ferry. The crossing to Swartz Bay, a distance of 24 nautical miles, lasts about 95 minutes.
Sailboats are a regular sight during ferry trips to and from Vancouver Island. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
During the crossing, we and the other passengers left the bus to find seats on the observation floors. We returned to the bus prior to docking at Swartz Bay.
Fairmont Empress
Once at the Victoria bus station, we retrieved our luggage. Our destination was the Fairmont Empress Hotel. It is about a block from the bus station, so we walked. After sitting much of the morning, the walk was invigorating.
The Fairmont Empress Hotel was built in 1908 in the style of a French chateau. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
In 1965, the hotel's supporters rallied against a proposal to demolish this historical centerpiece of downtown Victoria and replace it with a modern high-rise hotel. A local newspaper, calling the iconic Empress "the heart and soul of this city," opposed demolition. "Without this splendid relic of the Edwardian era," the newspaper warned, "literally tens of thousands of tourists will never return."
A year later, it was announced that the Empress would remain. The resulting renovation cost about $4 million.
In 1989, more then $45 million was spent on a more extensive renovation and the addition of a health club, indoor swimming pool and guest reception, according to the hotel website.
Earlier this year, Vancouver developer and philanthropist Nat Bosa and his wife Flora, bought the 477-room hotel from a subsidiary of the Quebec pension fund. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will continue as manager, according to news accounts.
One window of our corner room offered a view of the Inner Harbour across Government Street from the hotel. We watched ferries arriving from Seattle and Port Angeles, Wash., private boats, and the local water taxis. Copyright © photo by Mike Padgett
The Empress' guestroom floors have wide hallways with occasional seating areas where one could enjoy reading during inclement weather.
We wandered the hotel and found the Tea Room, which we discovered is a victim of its own popularity. Too busy for our liking. But we enjoyed meals at the hotel's Veranda restaurant. Most days we sat at one of its outside tables. One evening we sat inside and enjoyed the brilliant sunset.
Earlier that evening, we crossed the street to walk along the harbor. On the sidewalk were a few arts and crafts vendors. A fortuneteller sat at her table waiting for a client. Behind us, the hotel took on a glow from the setting summer sun. To our left, across the street, are the British Columbia Parliament Buildings.
The British Columbia Parliament buildings were designed by Francis Mawson Rattenbury, the English architect who also designed the Fairmont Empress. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
The Empress has its own permanent residents, according to the hotel history. A guest several years ago wrote about "a little girl who had watched over her bed and then floated across the room." The hotel history also mentions "an early 20th Century maid" who sometimes helps with cleaning on the sixth floor.
The Fairmont Empress' gardens welcome visitors seeking quiet and beauty. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
In the hotel garden on a late afternoon, we walked the path slowly, absorbing the beauty and the quiet. A couple sat quietly on a nearby bench tucked into the flowerbeds. The late July weather is perfect, with an occasional light breeze. White roses and other flowers and a patch of lavender next to a trellis punctuated the lush lawn.
The Empress' roses were a prelude to our visit to the Butchart Gardens, a series of gardens that has been blooming since its beginnings more than 100 years ago.
Butchart Gardens occupy a worked-out limestone quarry established by Robert Butchart in the early 1900s. Butchart and his wife, Jennie, completed the first part of their home nearby in 1904. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
A friend gave the Butcharts a rose and some sweet peas to celebrate their new home. A garden publication says Jennie Butchart, in planting the rose and sweet peas by their home, "probably little realized this was the modest start to one of the world's great horticultural adventures."
As limestone in the quarry was exhausted, Jennie Butchart and workers recruited from the quarry crews added more flowers, shrubs and trees in establishing the 55 acres of Japanese, Italian, Rose and other gardens. Tour buses run hourly between downtown Victoria and the gardens 14 miles north of the city.
In 2004, its centennial year, the gardens was named a designated National Historic Site of Canada. The Butchart residence houses a historical display of the development of the gardens.
An elegant end to a memorable vacation
The morning we were packing for our return to Vancouver, we glanced out our window and saw several water taxis performing a ballet in the middle of the harbor. They were accompanied by classical music broadcast on loudspeakers. The unexpected visual treat was an elegant end to our summer adventure in Canada.
From our hotel room, we watched water taxis perform a water ballet in the harbor across the street from the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
(Copyright @ Mike Padgett, ArizonaNotebook.com. All applicable U.S. and International copyright laws pertain to any and all photographs and other images and articles on this site. Downloading, hot-linking, copying, reproducing, manipulating in any way and/or distribution by print, electronic media or other means is prohibited by law.)
(Please contact Mike Padgett if you are interested in purchasing prints or licensing images on this site, or if you wish to use any of the images on this site for noncommercial purposes. All rights reserved.)
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Storm leaving Phoenix creates dramatic sunset
Oct. 10, 2014
Copyright © iPhone photo by Mike Padgett
Pictured above is the departure of the storm that rattled metropolitan Phoenix in late September. I captured the iPhone image from an upper floor of the parking garage at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport's Terminal Four.
At the horizon in the center is a rain shaft. A bank of low-hanging clouds obscures the mountains to the left. At the far right is part of the downtown Phoenix skyline.
Our flight that day into Phoenix from Seattle was diverted to Tucson, where we waited a couple hours for the powerful weather system to move out of metro Phoenix. Our plane was on final approach into Phoenix when the pilot was ordered to fly on to Tucson.
We learned later that our flight was one of several diverted that day from Phoenix. When we landed in Tucson, paramedics boarded to treat an elderly man complaining of chest pains.
After the storm passed, we returned to Phoenix and landed about seven hours after leaving Seattle. The Phoenix-Seattle flight usually lasts less than three hours.
Arizona mesquites glisten with early morning rain
Oct. 9, 2014
Photo copyright © by Mike Padgett
A walk in the Arizona desert after a gentle morning rain is a special treat. The air is clean and fresh, filled with the aroma of creosote bushes and other plants. Rabbits, quail and other wildlife begin emerging from cover offered by trees and brush. Overhead, the grey sky begins changing. By noon, it will be a collection of fluffy clouds scattered across a blue canvas.
The drops of rain glistening on the tiny leaves of a mesquite tree fit this quote from author John Updike: "Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life."


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Originally published on 12th January, 2017
- UPDATE [5th May, 2018]: Added 3 new items.
1. Saying the Liberal Party is not run by factions
At an October 2015 meeting of the NSW Liberal Party State Council, Turnbull said the Liberal Party is "not run by factions". This triggered a mocking laughter among the crowd because the NSW Liberal Party is notoriously factionalised.
In the introduction to former Liberal Senator Peter Baume's 2015 book 'A Dissident Liberal', it says the following:
"The Liberal Party has always sought to deny the existence of factions within the party because it is a key point of differentiation from the ALP…However, by the mid-1980s, groupings within the Liberal Party, both nationally and within some state branches, started to form that went beyond personality cliques…
At the NSW level, Baume was a member of the inner circle of the powerful faction known prosaically at the time as the Liberal Forum Group ('the Group'), which coalesced into a political force in New South Wales in 1984. Baume was also a founding member of the Liberal Forum at the federal level…The Federal Liberal Forum, originally a clandestine group within the broad church of the larger Liberal Party, was officially formed in February 1985 and was irreverently named by its members the 'Black Hand'."
2. Saying he supported John Howard's border protection policies
In a March 2016 interview on 3AW, Turnbull said:
"When I was Opposition Leader, before Tony became leader, I strongly opposed Rudd's dismantling of the Howard policy. So whether it is Howard as leader of the Liberal Party, Abbott, or Turnbull, we've had the same policy on border protection. So this is not something that was invented by Tony Abbott, this has been a continuum."
This is not true. Turnbull, as Opposition Leader in 2008-09, weakened the Coalition's border protection rhetoric and refused to clarify whether the Howard policies would be re-introduced under a Turnbull Government. Turnbull was explicitly and publicly criticised as having "gone soft" on the issue by the then Liberal backbencher, Bronwyn Bishop.
Furthermore, in October 2009 Turnbull rebuked Liberal backbencher Wilson Tuckey, who warned that terrorists could be entering the country disguised as refugees. Tuckey was later proven correct, with Muhammedan "refugees" involved in several terrorist attacks and planned attacks.
3. Saying he is a Catholic
After years of openly barracking for Labor, and financially supporting them, Turnbull changed tactics in late 2000, and started seeking Liberal pre-selection. This was his only means of becoming Prime Minister. It was inconceivable that he could win Labor pre-selection in a House of Representatives seat as a millionaire carpetbagger from blue-ribbon Liberal territory.
Turnbull feigned remorse over his previous anti-Liberal and anti-Howard comments1, but this wasn't enough to secure pre-selection in the seat of Wentworth for the 2001 federal election. After failing to sabotage the campaign of the chosen Wentworth Liberal candidate,2,3,4 he took the deception up a notch.
He quit his position at Goldman Sachs, became deputy party treasurer, sucked up to John Howard, made donations to the party, and began acting like a social conservative, giving speeches on family values and declining birth rates. He then took it up another notch in claiming to have converted to Catholicism.5
Having safely secured the leadership in 2008, Turnbull openly pushed abortion and homosexuality, both of which are dogmatically condemned by the Catholic Church.
On abortion, Canon Law 1398 states that those who procure (i.e. obtain, persuade or cause) completed abortions are automatically excommunicated. On homosexuality, the Catechism clearly states that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered" and "contrary to the natural law". It adds that "Under no circumstances can they be approved".
Public words or actions that knowingly tolerate sin (or merely give that appearance), and hence tempt others to sin, are themselves a sin. This sin is called 'scandal', and the Catechism states that it is a grave offence.
Jesus Christ himself was recorded in chapter 18 of the Book of Matthew commenting on the grave nature of causing scandal, especially to children, saying:
"…he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea."
4. Saying Senate voting reform was not on the agenda under Tony Abbott
In an interview on the ABC's 7.30 program in March of 2016, Turnbull was asked how his government was different from that of Tony Abbott. He responded:
"Firstly, we dealt with Senate voting reform. That was not on the agenda and it's done. It's been voted in and done."
Tony Abbott responded saying:
"False. My plan was to do it as the last measure the current parliament considered."
Abbott's claim was confirmed by senior frontbenchers on both sides of the House, and the matter was publicly reported in 2015.
5. Saying he's a legal traditionalist
On the 4th of February 2016, during Question Time in the House of Representatives, Labor MP Terri Butler asked Turnbull whether he would scrap the non-binding homosexual "marriage" plebiscite and allow a free vote in parliament, as he had argued for (in defiance of cabinet solidarity) before the coup d'état against Tony Abbott.
Turnbull said the plebiscite was Coalition policy, but he personally supported a free vote in parliament. Of the plebiscite, he said:
"It is a new approach. It has not been a practice in the Australian political system other than in constitutional referendums…It is certainly not the approach that I favoured at the outset. I am a traditionalist. This was a case of democratic innovation. The innovator was out innovated! There you go!"
Firstly, non-binding plebiscites are not a novelty in Australia, as Turnbull asserts. In 1916 and 1917, during World War I, there were two non-binding plebiscites on conscription. There was also a non-binding plebiscite in 1977, to determine a national song to be played on non-regal occasions.
Furthermore, plebiscites are covered under section 7A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act as a service the Australian Electoral Commission can provide.
Secondly, according to his record, Turnbull is most certainly not a legislative traditionalist. For instance, he was a vigorous supporter of the infamous leftist-'progressive' High Court judge Lionel Murphy (former Whitlam-Labor Attorney-General), who notoriously tried to legislate from the bench, bypassing parliament.
In his biography of Turnbull titled 'Born to Rule', journalist Paddy Manning writes:
"Turnbull commended Murphy for "dragging our law into the 20th century", being willing to throw precedent out the window in reinterpreting the Australian Constitution…" 6
In October 2002 the then soon-to-be High Court Justice and future Royal Commissioner, Dyson Heydon, commented on Lionel Murphy's approach to law, saying:
"…he treated judicial work as an act of uncontrolled personal will, and sneered at the doctrine of precedent…"
Furthermore, Turnbull has repeatedly attacked the Australian Constitution, calling it, or parts of it, variously a "total failure"7, "woefully undemocratic"7, "ill-conceived"7, "anachronistic"7, "drab and misleading", "frustrating", and an "error" on the part of the founding fathers.
6. Saying he was a battler growing up
This has been thoroughly covered in my previous article titled ''Battler' Turnbull's family income in the 1950s was 7 times the average.'
7. Saying he and his clique didn't undermine Brendan Nelson
In an interview on Channel 9's A Current Affair program immediately after his overthrow of Brendan Nelson on the 16th of September 2008, Turnbull was asked the following question by host Tracy Grimshaw:
"…you and your supporters have been the key destabilisers of Brendan Nelson these past 10 months haven't you?"
He replied:
"That is completely untrue. That is absolutely untrue."
On the other hand, former Treasurer Peter Costello said:
"Turnbull's supporters were ruthless in tearing down Nelson. Weakened by this campaign and suffering poor polls, Nelson called another ballot. Turnbull won by four votes. In total, only three votes moved. It was an ominous sign. He got there, but not by building support among his colleagues."
8. Saying the indigenous procurement policy was his
On the 17th November 2016 Turnbull gave a speech to a meeting of the Business Council of Australia. In that speech he lies, saying that the Coalition's indigenous procurement policy was a "great initiative of my government". That policy was actually initiated under Tony Abbott, and had been launched on the 1st of July 2015, over two months before Turnbull's coup against Abbott.
9. Saying that his immigration policy is based on economic need
On the 11th of December 2017 Turnbull appeared on the ABC's Q&A program and was asked why he was allowing approximately 200,000 people per year to permanently immigrate to Australia. His answer was as follows:
"Our immigration program is overwhelmingly skills-based, so it is driven by the demands in our economy. So, as you have more demand for people with the skills that we need in our economy then you'll get more immigration…"
Immigration expert Dr Bob Birrell, President of the Australian Population Research Institute, has written a 17-page study that contradicts Turnbull. In an appearance on Sky News, Birrell said:
"What's happened with the skilled program is that over the past 6 years it's been radically changed. Six years ago one of the criterion was that you had to have an occupation that was in short supply in Australia. That rule has now been abolished. There is no requirement anymore that you have to have scarce skills to be selected in the skilled migration program."
10. Saying he started OzEmail
On the 16th of September, 2010, a letter was published in The Australian newspaper from Sean Howard, the founder and visionary of OzEmail, clarifying Turnbull's role in the success of the company:
"I do wish Malcolm Turnbull would stop claiming, as he did on the ABC yesterday, that "I've been involved in the internet since 1994 when we started OzEmail". The corporate entity which ran OzEmail changed in 1994 when Trevor Kennedy and Turnbull invested in it, but OzEmail itself began two years earlier, in 1992…Malcolm initially passed on the opportunity, but on Kennedy's second approach he decided to invest in what was by then already Australia's largest ISP. OzEmail's rapid growth was the reason the business needed Kennedy and Turnbull's investment capital of $500,000 each."
Back to Homepage
1. Gordon, M. (2000, Dec 22). Turnbull Returns to the Liberal Fold. The Age.
2. Price, M. (2001, Jul 18). Libs dismiss jaunt MP's seat loss. The Australian.
3. Nason, D. (2001, Sep 05). Liberals hose down Turnbull ambition. The Australian.
4. Humphries, D & Robinson, M. (2001, Sep 05). Liberals try to quash rumours of Wentworth climb for top republican. Sydney Morning Herald.
5. Lawson, V. (2002, Aug 17). Power pair turn heads to prayer. Sydney Morning Herald.
6. Manning, P. (2015). Born to Rule: The unauthorised biography of Malcolm Turnbull. (ch. 2). Melbourne University Press.
7. Turnbull, M. (1975, Oct 24). The Constitution: A democratic failure.Nation Review, p. 38.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Reliance Jio made its grand entry into the country's market kicking aside the stereotypic Internet offers, call cutters and other recharge benefits of all the Mobile network companies.
The Indian telecom players such as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are constantly pushing themselves into gaining new customers for their services. Thus, both the telecom providers have been offering never-seen-before offers to claim the top position in the Indian telecom industry.
Although the challenge is tough, the other telecom companies have managed to come up with several value-for-money data and voice calling plans to counter Reliance Jio. Despite the mere success it tasted in the field of mobile phones, JIO has made it big in mobile networking attracting the huge 100 million crowd.
After the sensational Rs 309 for 3 months offer from JIO, the company now comes with a new data plan offering 100% cashback on every recharge of Rs 399. Jio is giving Prime customers 100 percent cash back only on recharges of Rs. 399 under a new promotional offer for the festive season.
The 399 recharge facility will be available through online and offline channels. This essentially means you can avail the plan from MyJio app, Jio.com, Jio Store, Paytm, PhonePe, Mobikwik, AmazonPay, JioMoney, and stores such as Reliance Digital.
The plan is available until October 18. From the very next day i.e. on Diwali, the company plans to revise data plans but there are no details yet regarding what the new plans might entail.
According to Reliance Jio's website, all Jio prepaid customers who recharge between October 12 and October 18 will be eligible for a 100% cashback worth Rs 400 in the form of 8 vouchers of Rs 50 denomination. But, there is a catch. Customers can use these vouchers against future recharges of at least Rs 309.
The vouchers can also be used with data top-ups of at least Rs 91. Note that you can use only one voucher at a time. The coupons can be redeemed after November 15, 2017. For example, after you get a Rs. 50 voucher, you can use it to buy a recharge of Rs. 309, and you will only need to pay Rs. 259 via debit card, credit card, net banking, or other payment means.
Reliance Jio's latest data plan comes amid intensifying competition with rival Bharti Airtel, which on Wednesday launched a Rs 1,399 smartphone. Pitted against the Reliance JioPhone, Airtel has teamed up with domestic handset market Karbonn Mobiles to launch the Karbonn A40 smartphone. For the Karbonn A40, a customer will need to make a down payment of Rs 2,899 and make monthly recharges of Rs 169 for 36 continuous months.
Also Read: Bharti Airtel Rolls Out New Tariff Plan With Unlimited Calls And 1GB Data For Rs 199 To Counter Reliance Jio


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Dave Matthews Band plays Central Park
Dave played Central Park last night for a charity gig to raise money for NY's schools. My sister went (for a hefty fee was actually going to be in a VIP section), I will have to call her and see how it was. Set list looks very nice.
Don't Drink the Water
So Much To Say -->
Anyone Seen the Bridge? -->
Too Much
When The World Ends
Dancing Nancies
Rhyme & Reason
Two Step
Help Myself
Cortez the Killer *
Jimi Thing *
What Would You Say
Where Are You Going
All Along the Watchtower
Grey Street
What You Are
* Warren Haynes on guitar
That asterik there is the most important part. Warren joined them?!?!?!? AHHHH!! I was almost supposed to be in NY this week and was going to try and go, but WARREN coming out blows my mind, that must have been sick. If ANYONE has a recoding of this show, I would love to hear it, especially those two songs. I can't believe CNN didn't even MENTION him coming out.


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|Kristina Jackson
4th Grade
This is my third year here at Bush Elementary School and the staff and students have truly become family. I have been teaching for 10 years and this will be my fifth year teaching 4th grade. I graduated from Salem High School and received my Bachelor's Degree from Southwest Baptist University. I am currently pursuing my Master's Degree in Education with an emphasis on integrating technology in the classroom.
|Phone: 573-590-8457
|Email: Kristina Jackson
|Bush Elementary
Room 304
Achieving Excellence Everyday


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link to mp3???
sounds dope!
22. Jackname Trouble - Light Again (KiNK Mix)!!! AWESOME! :)
Really nice mix by Wolf + Lamb, really looking forward to the album.
first track is the bollocks! love it
Any release info on the Nicolas Jaar Come n get it?? Hot stuff!
Great show! Loved the new Nicolas Jaar & the Gwen Guthrie - Hot Scotch edit by Burnt Island Casuals
The Disco D track is awesome
jack name trouble : nice tune
maido ookini~
every single track is awesome !
Nice, proper send off with Disco D. This mix is on heavy rotation at the restaurant. Home run, kid. Or, a "Sixer", eh?


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I didn't have the heart to put away the Glittery Monogram Tree Topper that I made. I really liked the way it turned out and think I can use it many times during the year.
See HERE how it was such a quick and easy project to make.
I am still sweeping up glitter from my kitchen floor! By the way my LadyBug made a 96 on her Science Fair Project that she completed the same evening as I made the M - I am sure it's due to all of the glitter that she used on her project board. Just kidding - she is a super smart cookie!
Anyway, I decided to put the M on my Forsynthia wreath that I purchased from Kirklands a few years ago. I know it's a little springy, don't accuse me of getting my seasons wrong! I dont want to buy anything else right now and it matches the yellow lantana that is still trying to bloom in our front yard.
And here it is on my front door. I love how the glitter sparkles in the sunlight (first sight of sunlight since BEFORE Christmas!) and the red and yellow colors make me happy! Who cares if it's winter, right?
I also repainted the pots...remember? I'm still loving the red!
Read more about my love for red HERE.
Now off to deal with the rest of this...
Happy Treasure Hunting!
I cannot wait to show you a few curbside things that I have found the last few weeks!


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9 Tales Powered By Steampunk
Blazing Bodices By Robert Jeschonek
From the Files of Her Majesty's Clandestine Service By James Palmer
Aetherium, Book 1: Assassins of the Steam Age By Joseph Robert Lewis
Heart By Leslie Claire Walker
Riding the Mainspring By Andrew Knighton
To Dream of Flying By Debbie Mumford
The Rescue By Blaze Ward
The Man in the Mask By Marcelle Dube
Best of Penny Dread Tales By Kevin J. Anderson and Quincy Allen
Pay a minimum of $2.99 USD and receive all 9 ebooks.
This bundle is available for $2.99 USD as a box set directly from Kobo.
When you purchase from Kobo the box set will be automatically delivered to your Kobo ereader or Kobo app.
You can purchase this box set for $2.99 USD at Amazon.
Amazon will automatically deliver the box set to your Kindle ereader or Kindle app when you buy from Amazon.
The box set is available for $2.99 USD at Barnes & Noble.
Barnes & Noble will deliver your purchase directly to your Nook ereader.
For $2.99 USD you can purchase this bundle as a box set from iBooks.
Apple will deliver your purchase directly to your iPhone, iPad or other Apple product capable of running iBooks.


text:
Reviews of The Forever Girl
***Brian Witten "This is a great book. A MUST read!" The producer who signed the rights for The Forever Girl film! Witten Pictures, producer of American History X, Wedding Singer, Final Destination, Friday the 13th, Chernobyl Diaries, and soon, Stephen King's CELL with John Cusack***
HarperCollins…"I was really drawn in by the writing from the first instance. The voice is clear and easy-to-read; it's rare to see such natural flow and tempo from a debut author."
Forever Girl published in Germany by Cora Verlag (Harlequin).
Published in Hungary through IPC Books/Konyvtunder.
Melinda T. Falgoust
Reviewing Wonderland
Breathe In Books
Luscious Laylah Reviews
The Reading Diaries
Gateway to Different World
Happy Tails and Tales
Midnight Book Reviews
Digesting the Words
Night Owl Romance
Pezz Rambles
Amy @ Pure Textuality
A New Kat in Pajamas
Leo Entered My House
Rhinestone Bat Reviews
The Eternal Scribe
It's A Blurb Thing
Cloey K
Apocalypse Mama
Rebecca Rynecki
A.D. Trosper's Review
Stuck on Reading
Literary Escapism
Charity @ PureTextuality
Books and Company
Amy's Book Addiction
Reviews A Million
Geek News Network
Book Obsession/Christie Rich
Indey's Watercooler
Roxy Kade's Blog
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Booknerds are Pretty Too Blog
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Kristina Schafer


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Get Rare Items! [Weekly Boost Event] Begins!!
Thank you for playing Toram Online.
We would like to announce an event to raise drop rates of certain bosses during the event period.
This is a great chance to collect Crystas and materials!
Challenge the bosses and get special items!
Event Overview
All the drop rates of the monsters listed below will increase by
This will be applied to all the Difficulties.
Evil Magic Sword (Singolare Ruins: 2nd Floor)
Ganglef(Scaro Town: Central Part)
Outerworld Wolf(Gate of Another World: Area 1 / Area 2)
Violaccoon (Darkanon Plain)
Arcoiris(Yorl Highlands)
Event Period
From: September 2nd at 12:00 AM (JST/GMT+9)
Until: September 3rd at 11:59 PM (JST/GMT+9)
*Please note that some items don't drop in Difficulty: "Easy".
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Discussion in 'User Submitted News' started by Tommy_T, Feb 7, 2008.
Source: Eurogamer and JeuxFrance
Didn't Nintendo state yesterday that this was bollocks? Also Play.com had SSBB for Feb release over here so they can't be trusted.
Yes I do seem to be a day behind (as well as eurogamer) but it suggests in the article that Famitsu printed the date within them scans (unfortunaltey I cant read japanese), but then again I dont know the legitimacy of there claims but it seems alot of people do believe this to be true. Sorry if I am spreading false information :S
That ranking thing is really awesome.. this should've been done with SSBB also :/
A world ranking of the best players.. this should certainly add replay value for a lot of people..
Provided no-one CHEATS rankings are cool. I liked what they did with Mario Strikers, with the Mii of the Week etc. as well as leaderboards with all different categories.


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Chicken Quinoa
Ingredients45 m servings 377
- Adjust
- Metric
Directions{{model.addEditText}} Print
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, and garlic in hot oil until vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir chicken and parsley into the vegetable mixture; cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add quinoa to the chicken mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook and stir until quinoa is toasted, about 2 minutes.
- Pour chicken broth over the quinoa mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Place a cover on the saucepan and cook mixture at a simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn heat completely off and allow mixture to sit covered another 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Fluff with a fork to serve.
- Tip
- Aluminum foil helps keep food moist, ensures it cooks evenly, keeps leftovers fresh, and makes clean-up easy.
Nutrition Facts
Per Serving: 377 calories; 14.9 33.3 26.5 55 553 Full nutrition
Explore more
ReviewsRead all reviews 16
19 Ratings
Perfect with a salad. I used frozen vegetables and leftover rotisserie chicken.
This recipe is bland, and,quite frankly, inedible. No one in my family could eat it.
Perfect with a salad. I used frozen vegetables and leftover rotisserie chicken.
I found this recipe because 1) I had all the ingredients on hand; and 2) it appeared to be pretty healthy and 3) quick and easy to make, and 4) it was a one dish meal. So this recipe has a lot ...
I added more than double the chicken broth on accident and was worried. It turned out great and I will make it like that again. My entire family loved it.
Made the recipe as-written with one small alteration. I had some bacon that I needed to cook or toss, so I diced and fried up a few slices and cooked the veggies with a smidge of leftover bacon ...
This recipe is bland, and,quite frankly, inedible. No one in my family could eat it.
Add some red pepper flakes, great recipe
My husband and I loved this recipe--very healthy, too. I did add 1/2 tsp. of sweet curry with the spices and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving. Delicious!
Made this recipe on a whim. The celery I had turned out to be bad, so I used celery salt instead. Also didn't have bell pepper, so I added a little sage to give it more of a savory/chickeny flav...
I will definitely make this again!


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I am a firm believer that having gorgeous heirloom portraits of you and your loved ones should NOT have to be a complicated process. Therefore, a session fee is totally unnecessary. Furthermore, I would not want you to feel rushed or frantic. I prefer you to be relaxed and enjoy being photographed but 45 minutes to an hour is plenty of time to capture the essence of what makes you and your family so beautiful.
Immediately following your session, we will set up a time to meet so you can view your portraits and make your selections of which image you would like to adorn your home. Not only am I a big fan of simplicity, I also want to emphasize that Soulful Connections understands the importance of longevity when it comes to the preservation of your memories. Therefore, each portrait purchased is guaranteed to look sleek and feel elegant the moment it's held in your hand or hung on your wall for a profound, memorable presence in your home.


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A Currency Board for Ukraine
As Ukrainians mourn their dead and vow to prosecute their recently deposed leader, the valor of those who died must now inspire others to build a new Ukraine worthy of their struggle and sacrifice. Democracy and a better future must be secured in pragmatic terms. Economic benefits must begin to flow in tandem with Ukraine's nascent commitment to genuine self-government and responsibility.
Europe and the U.S. are rushing to put together billions of dollars in financial aid for Ukraine, keenly aware that they have been granted a second chance. Last November's potential trade deal with the European Union was scuttled when Ukraine turned to Russia at the last moment for economic sustenance.
But if efforts to forge a newly generous package get bogged down in trans-Atlantic negotiations and the institutional requirements of the International Monetary Fund, the moment to help Ukraine gain a solid economic footing may be lost. And should its currency, the hryvnia, meanwhile succumb to panic and meltdown, the opening for freedom may be squandered.
The most expedient way to establish a sound-money foundation—in keeping with Ukrainian aspirations for an independent nation capable of succeeding in the global economy—would be to initiate a currency board.
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Rupp Arena Tickets
Don't miss the chance to see your favorite events at Rupp Arena! Rupp Arena Tickets are available here at ShowTimeTickets.com! Our up-to-date event listings and seating charts will help you find the seats you want, to the events you want at Rupp Arena.
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|Wed, 19 Sep 2018 7:30 PM 2018-09-19T19:30
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Lexington, KY Rupp Arena Lexington, KY
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President-elect Donald J. Trump taps Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) to be Secretary of the Interior, according to an announcement made today.
The decision comes after reports indicated earlier in the month that Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers would get the position.
As a Montana congressman, Zinke is familiar with the issues important to Western states and the federal management of public land. He is also a former Navy SEAL, serving for 23 years.
"He has built one of the strongest track records on championing regulatory relief, forest management, responsible energy development and public land issues," Trump said in a statement. "As a former Navy SEAL, he has incredible leadership skills and an attitude of doing whatever it takes to win."
Trump vowed to repeal federal regulations that were blocking economic development of the country's natural resources, but said he would do it in a responsible way.
"As someone who grew up in a logging and rail town and hiking in Glacier National Park, I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve Montana and America as Secretary of Interior," said Zinke said in a statement accepting the position. "I look forward to making the Department of Interior and America great again. May God bless Montana, God bless America and God bless the troops who defend her."
House Speaker Paul Ryan also praised Trump's decision.
"As a Westerner with close to one third of his state owned by the federal government, he is intimately familiar with how Washington's decisions affect people's lives," he said in a statement. "Ryan's experience and commitment to improving the lives of all Americans will make him an excellent Interior Secretary."


text: Meet the Ascedian: Bob Sabinash by Ascedia December 16, 2016 Tags: meet the ascedian What makes Ascedia special? Our people! Every week, we'll introduce you to a member of our team so you can get to know us a little better. NAME AND TITLE Robert Sabinash -- Director of Client Strategy MY TYPICAL WORKDAY Variable, but it typically starts around 5 am most days with a pot of coffee. I review email, news and research to get the day started. My day is a mix of client meetings, internal meetings and sometimes talking with people who don't know what to do but they have an Internet dream of riches. For the ones we qualify and target, I will take them through our process of developing a plan, estimates and proposals. (You can find me writing those proposals typically between 2 and 5 am because its quiet and less distracting.) HOW I CHOSE MY CAREER PATH I was an industrial engineer that transitioned to a business development role in the printing industry. I made the transition to digital in the late 90s and have had fun helping companies navigate the complexities of the Internet ever since. MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT WORKING AT ASCEDIA I competed with Ascedia for many years as a Business Development Manager at Northwoods, where I won some and lost some. I knew Ascedia was a great organization but didn't know it was as large as it was or as complete. I love our talent and the work we produce. Everyone is a pleasure to work with and I love the laughter from the programming pods. I am never concerned with our deliverables; I'm more concerned about bringing quality clients in. EDUCATION University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Business HIGH SCHOOL MASCOT Redcat FIRST JOB Usher at the MECCA (Milwaukee Arena) BEST PIECE OF CAREER/PROFESSIONAL ADVICE I'VE RECEIVED Never sacrifice your integrity or principles. PERSONAL HERO Not sure I have one… FAVORITE MILWAUKEE HANGOUT On Lake Michigan or Whitnall Park Golf Course LAST BOOK READ Aggressive Volleyball by Pete Waite (I coach) and Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less by Joseph McCormack (still reading...) PERSON I'D MOST LIKE TO MEET (LIVING OR DEAD) Elon Musk FAMILY My wife Mary and two daughters, Sarah and Erin WHAT I DO IN MY SPARE TIME Sailing on Lake Michigan, golfing and traveling with the family. SECRET TALENT I'm a pretty good sail trimmer and can tie a bowline knot behind my back. MOST MEANINGFUL ACCOMPLISHMENT Just being a good dad. Comments Blog post currently doesn't have any comments. Leave comment Name: E-mail: Your URL: Comments: Enter security code: Related Blog Post Meet the Ascedian: Caitlin Bognar Read Blog Post Related Blog Post Meet the Ascedian: Charlie Powell Read Blog Post Related Blog Post Meet the Ascedian: Colleen Noonan Read Blog Post


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Tuesday, May 20, 2014
The MovieFilm Podcast: Episode 47
kicked it into gear with Iron Man. After that, Brian and I (still no Sean this week!) are joined by a special guest: comedian Hasan Minhaj (MTV's Failosophy), who talks up his new project, the globe-spanning doc Standup Planet, and joins us as we discuss Viggo Mortensen's unvarnished take on Peter Jackson and the Lord of the Rings films, the Harry Potter spin-off/prequel Alfonso Cuaron is currently circling, plus Zach Snyder's surprise reveal of Ben Affleck in his Batman finest for the upcoming Batman vs Superman, and why 2011's Green Lantern flick didn't work (and why we hope the upcoming CW show The Flash will). After that, it's onto the monster in the room! Join us for a spoiler-rific discussion of Gareth Edward's take on the king of the monsters, Godzilla. Opinions are actively split on this one so listen in to hear what the guys have to say. Give it a listen via the embed below, or download or stream at iTunes or Stitcher. Like always, make sure you write us a review to let us know how we're doing, and enjoy!
Tags: Ben Affleck, Flash, Godzilla, Hasan Minhaj, Hobbit, Jon Favreau, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, MovieFilm Podcast, Movies, Peter Jackson, Podcasts, Zack Snyder
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CMBA Ontario supports its Members by advocating on their behalf to regulators. The Association participates in stakeholder consultations with both the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and the Ministry of Finance. CMBA is a FSCO-approved provider of licensing education courses in Ontario.
The Association supports Members' businesses and their livelihood by offering superior industry networking events that are low-cost to attend, as well as being ideal for professional and business development opportunities.
All Members are eligible to provide leadership to the industry by serving on Committees and CMBA's Board of Directors.
Click here to get started with your membership today!
CMBA Ontario offers our Mortgage Agent Course (MAC) in three formats to best suit your needs. Click here to learn more.
By clicking on the above link, you will be taken to the Canadian Mortgage Brokers Association national website.


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Let's Get This Party Started . . .
With healthier halloween ideas!
At HKC we love to throw a great party, and that's just what we did. (We have a video to prove it!) We came up with a menu of fun, festive food and candy that contains more than just sugar, fat and artificial dyes! YES, halloween means pillowcases filled with candy. But it is also filled with fun costumes, trick-or-treating (great exercise), and the opportunity to teach kids about the concept of moderation.
Let's face it, the similarities between Halloween and Healthy stops at the letter H! And we at Healthy Kids Co. would never propose taking all the fun out of a holiday party dedicated to candy and the ensuing rush that follows. But you can make this holiday healthier—without going batty—by taking a few simple steps. The key here is to aim for healthier options, not strictly healthy.
➤ First, when guests arrive, be sure to offer more than candy.
This means kids will have the chance to fill up on something other than candy.
➤ Have a nice mix of candy and non-candy treats.
Our Halloween party had plenty of candy, but we balanced it with healthier options and non candy treats.
➤ Remember, anything homemade is better than commercial baked goods.
Never feel bad serving cupcakes and cookies made from scratch. Cupcakes can be easily decorated with festive paper decorations that are available this time of year.
➤ Keep the kids active so they do more than eat candy!
By encouraging kids to be active with plenty of hauntingly spooky and silly games, kids can offset some of these excess calories. You can find many commercial party games, but here are some fun ideas you can easily do.
- The Great Halloween Pumpkin Hunt: Send kids on a treasure hunt for a golden painted pumpkin; provide written clues, if you like.
- Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin: Make your own version of pin the tail on the donkey.
- Mummy Wrap: Kids team up and take turns covering each other "mummy style" in a roll of white crepe paper. First team done wins, but there's a catch: the team must not rip the roll!
- Balloon Stomp: Tie orange and black balloons to colorful strips of Halloween ribbon approximately 3 feet long. Now tie this to the child's left ankle. Children "stomp" on each other's balloons. Winner is the child with the last balloon intact.
➤ Party Bag
Give parents a hand and send guests home with Halloween themed bling, not candy.
Glow sticks, glow necklaces and bracelets, spider rings, temporary tattoos, bubbles, Halloween stamps, stickers, pencils, and erasers are a few ideas. You might even consider tucking a kid's toothbrush into a festive party bag!
A Healthy Approach To All The Candy
First, barring allergies, nothing is off limits while trick-or-treating. That's just part of childhood, don't take it away from your kids! (You should, however, have them eat a well balanced meal or a healthy snack before heading out and talk about moderation.)
To Reduce Halloween Haul: If you trick or treat with your kids, encourage them to take non candy treats whenever offered. You might also consider having your child collect for a charity like Unicef, which has had a Trick-or-Treat for Unicef Campaign since the 1950's! Both conveniently limit the booty your kids can collect.
Parental Tricks-for-Treats: Once home, I am liberal for the first few days after Halloween, but then I get rid of the worst offenders (those with artificial dyes, trans fats, and high fructose corn syrup).
Some Ideas
- Have the "Switch Witch" visit your child (candy left out overnight is replaced by the switch witch for money, a fun activity "coupon" or a favorite toy).
- Trade in some of their haul for a toy (kids learn to barter and negotiate!).
- Trade in some candy for a donation in your child's name at a local animal shelter or favorite charity.
- Take excess candy to nursing homes or homeless shelters.
- Send excess candy to oversea military personnel ("Operation Gratitude").
- Some local dentists participate in halloween booty "buy backs."
- Freeze chocolate bars for a later date.
When choosing Halloween treats to give out or serve at parties, there are many factors to consider but taste, cost, and ingredients are the three most important.
Trick-or-treating with your family is fun, and you can remind yourself that it only occurs once a year. If everyone in the neighborhood does not give out healthier treats, an inevitability, don't sweat it.
But in your own house, try to hand out delicious treats with some nutritional value. It really isn't as hard as you might think! At Halloween time, healthier to me means, in addition to sugar and/or fat, the treat also contains one or more of the following: a protein (nuts, seeds), fruit, whole grain, or chocolate.
And of course, I give out non-candy snack packs (like popcorn or pretzels) and always offer a non-edible option. This year it's small cans of play doh. In warmer climates, small bottles of water or 100% fruit juice boxes are an unexpected treat.
Popcorn is a whole grain with proven health benefits. So any caramel covered or "kettle" corn is a great Halloween treat. The brand Popcorn, Indiana makes great kettle corn snack pack that could easily be given out. Smartfood makes a cinnamon and brown sugar popcorn that's also very good.
To avoid sugar altogether (they'll be getting plenty of this anyway), you could give out packets of popcorn (Smartfood Popcorn and Fit Popcorn by Popcorn, Indiana are two brands we like) instead.
Whole grains like popcorn are high in fiber, have a great antioxidant profile, including some valuable antioxidants not found in fruits and vegetables, as well as vitamins B and E, magnesium, iron, and fiber.
CHOCOLATE COVERED NUTS, DRIED FRUIT (like raisins), FRESH FRUIT (like strawberries), or PRETZELS
When purchasing, look for chocolate (or yogurt) coatings that do not contain an unhealthy fats (trans, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil) or high fructose corn syrup. Or skip the coating entirely and just give out packets of nuts, seeds, dried fruit or pretzels! (Many communities advise parents to throw away fresh fruit, so it is best to give this out to children you know.)
Dark chocolate has many antioxidants, flavonoids, and flavanols. It is also high in potassium, copper, magnesium and iron. Milk chocolate has some of these benefits, but in general, the darker the better. Hershey's Chocolate Kisses now come in dark chocolate so a 50/50 mix of dark/milk chocolate is a great idea!
Nuts are nutrient dense and a great source of healthy protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins (B, E) and minerals (calcium, potassium, magnesium). They contain heart healthy unsaturated fats (mono and polyunsaturated) and omega-3 FA's. When purchasing nuts or seeds, look for dry roasted over oil roasted.
Raisins are naturally sweet, nutrient dense and a great source of antioxidants, vitamins (B) and minerals (calcium, iron, manganese, copper and zinc). Raisins are known for their high levels of resveratrol, a polyphenol anti-oxidant that has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and cholesterol lowering properties. Raisins also contain fiber.
Pretzels While pretzels can be made from whole grains, most aren't. Choose pretzels made from simple ingredients like flour, water, yeast and salt (like Snyder's of Hanover sour dough hard pretzels). Avoid pretzels that contain oil or sweeteners (like sugar, corn syrup, malt syrup, or dextrose).
NUT TOFFEE or BRITTLE
Look for ones made with sugar and butter or healthy oils. Avoid brands made with unhealthy fats (trans, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil) or high fructose corn syrup.
Seeds are highly concentrated with nutrients, containing vitamins, minerals, fiber and many antioxidants. Sesame Crunch Candy, which contains sesame seeds, is a great option.
So by now you understand the best candy contains real sugar (not high fructose corn syrup), no artificial dyes or sweeteners, and no unhealthy fats (trans fats, hydrated or partially hydrated fats).
And the very best candies contain one or more of the following: a healthy protein (nuts, seeds), fruit, whole grains, or chocolate. Believe it or not, many candy companies fit the bill. For a large selection of natural candies try the Natural Candy Store.
View our "Healthier Halloween" Video for more ideas!
➤ See The Bee Healthy Blog for our PUMPKIN CHILI recipe
➤ Visit our Pinterest Holiday Board featuring more Halloween photos
➤ Visit our Pinterest Board Blog, blog, blog... for a visual index of all our blogs


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For those of you who haven't heard of it, the most amazing motorcycle race in the world has to be the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy). Insane speeds, long straights and tight turns through towns and countryside. A beautiful and dangerous race. Short look at the Isle of Man TT An Australian …
Tag: motorcycle race
Oct 01
Amazing Motorcycle Race
Permanent link to this article: http://metroatlantabikers.com/2014/10/01/amazing-motorcycle-race/


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Additional information
|12.6 lbs
|13.72 x 34.75 x 2.25 in
Say goodbye to hunching over your laptop and constantly getting up to navigate on your TV-connected laptop. Whether you're IMing on your small screen or surfing the Web on your big screen, you can lean back and enjoy convenient typing and multi-touch navigation right from your couch. Whichever screen you're using, this sleek wireless keyboard is designed for the way you use your laptop today
* Wireless range may vary due to environmental and computing conditions.
** Keyboard battery life calculation based on an estimated two million keystrokes/year in an office environment. User experience may vary.
9 in stock (can be backordered)
|12.6 lbs
|13.72 x 34.75 x 2.25 in


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BodyLock® Technology Strategically prevents easy escape of odor, and forces it through the scent adsorbing filter at key exit points of your body - wrist, neck, waist, leg cuffs - to allow maximum adsorption by the ScentBlocker scent control technology.
S3™ Silver Anti-Microbial Technology S3 products utilize antimicrobial technology which helps to inhibit the growth of odor causing bacteria. S3 keeps the garment smelling fresher longer.
WindBlocker® Technology A high performance laminate system that blocks the wind, while allowing moisture and perspiration to escape from the inside leaving you warm and comfortable.
Thinsulate Thinsulate™ provides 1 to 2 times the insulation of duck down, while being much less water-absorbent and much more resistant to crushing. The insulation properties are beneficial for retaining some of the heat produced by the body for comfortable warmth while the moisture produced, e.g. by sweating, evaporates.
Customer Reviews
- Review by Don
Quality Price Value Fit
- Review by Huntress
Quality Price Value Fit


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"Eddie, I think that you are an amazing talent,
and I would highly recommend you for anything and everything!"
Paulette Wolf - Founder of Paulette Wolf Events & VAULTXP
"It was so wonderful to work with you and the band!
The band sounded incredible!
Looking forward to another wedding with you!"
Ali Phillips - Founder of Engaging Events by Ali & National President of Wish Upon a Wedding


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Crossfit Chelsea: Fight Like a Girl
Head out to Crossfit Chelsea on Sunday, October 29th for Fight Like a Girl, a 2-person, mixed gender crossfitteam event. There will be 3 workouts that will be based on the "Original CrossFit Girls"
Fight Like a Girl is a fundraiser event that will raise funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama.
Return to Events


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Through the pioneering Center for Japanese American Studies in San Francisco in the 1970s, at the monthly lectures and workshops they sponsored at Pine Methodist Church in the outer Richmond District, Jim H. and Nancy Araki were among my first tutors in JA camp history. I looked forward to the flyers I'd receive in the mail each month. See this remembrance from Nancy at the Japanese American National Museum blog. Our condolences to Lane Hirabayashi and all the family.
Monthly Archives: May 2012
In memoriam: Gloria Kubota
We're saddened to learn of the passing on April 26 of Gloria Kubota. Gloria was one of the most delightful people you'd ever want to meet, and she embodied the female perspective on the resistance of the Fair Play Committee documented in our film.
Gloira reminded us of the particular worries that forced expulsion heaped upon mothers like her, like having to bring canned milk and food for her young daughter on the long train ride to an American concentration camp in Wyoming. Once in camp, she was one of the few women to brave the scorn of other Nisei mothers by hosting her husband's meetings of the nascent Fair Play Committee, and typing their bulletins onto mimeograph stencils. Gloria tells a funny story about her struggle with typing in an extended interview on Disc Two of our new DVD. You can read more about Gloria in her biography on our PBS.org site, and in the San Jose Mercury-News obit. After we finished the film Gloria stayed in touch, bringing my family fruit from her orchard in Saratoga. Our condolences to her extended family. She will be dearly missed.


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Blackhorse Lake Hiking Trail is a 1.2 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Cheney, Washington that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is best used from March until November. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
wheelchair friendly
kid friendly
nature trips
wild flowers
Blackhorse Lake Hiking Trail is one of the many nature trails in Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Washington. The refuge is home to many migratory water birds. The Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge protects a portion of the 'Channeled Scablands' of ice age flood fame. The refuge has a 5.5 mile auto route through part of it. You can also hike this loop! You can also drive or bike the auto route, stopping at the many viewpoints along the way. Blackhorse Lake Hiking Trail is just one of the many trails on this scenic loop.
This hike is short and sweet. A bit overgrown for sure, but nice scenery.
Lovely and easy hike along the shore of a peaceful lake, as well as nearby grassland and stands of Ponderosa Pine. Late spring is perfect time to see lots of wildflowers and birds galore!
This is one of the many nature trails in Turnbull Wildlife Refuge. I spent the entire day hiking some of the lovely trails in these wetlands. This is a wonderful place to do some nature hiking, especially if you like water fowl.


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This is the most well-known Swahili site on the East African coast, located 16 kilometres south of Malindi.
Founded in the 12th century AD, Gede was a large and prosperous town, which flourished until it was abandoned in the 17th century. Excavations unearthed the ruins of the big mosque, the royal house and the royal tombs.
A walk through this ancient town reveals a fascinating time in history.


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PAINCOURTVILLE — A 4-year-old boy was killed Sunday night in a single vehicle crash in Assumption Parish when his aunt's car careened off the road and struck a culvert, State Police said Monday.
Toniska Willoughby, 22, of Napoleonville, was driving a 2013 Mazda 2 north on La. 308 near the La. 70 spur about 9 p.m. Sunday when her car went off the road and into a ditch, striking a culvert, according to a State Police news release.
Cason Willoughby, her nephew, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Assumption Parish Coroner's Office.
Cason was sitting in the front passenger's seat but was not properly restrained, with only the lap portion of his seat belt buckled, State Police said.
Toniska Willoughby was taken to Our Lady of the Lake hospital in Baton Rouge with moderate injuries. State Police are awaiting the results of a blood sample to determine whether she was impaired at the time of the crash, according to the news release.


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Welfare recipient Dessie Robinson, 55, who suffers from a heart ailment, diabetes, and ulcers, was among 21 people arrested at gunpoint in Los Angeles one week in July during a sweep targeting people who said they hadn't received monthly Supplemental Security Income checks but who allegedly cashed the original and the duplicate checks, reports the Los Angeles Times. Most of those taken into custody were physically or mentally disabled and frightened as they were handcuffed and hauled off to court, says the federal public defender's office. Defenders call the arrests by agents from the Social Security Administration's inspector general's office an outrageous abuse of authority, says the Times.
The arrests departed from standard procedure at the U.S. Attorney's office. Normally, prosecutors send a summons to a defendant accused of a nonviolent misdemeanor. Many of those arrested had previously reached accommodations with the Social Security Administration and were making restitution by having money deducted from future SSI checks. All were African Americans, a fact that public defenders cited as an indication of possible racial discrimination. U.S. Attorney Debra Yang has apologized for the arrests to Christopher Prince, president of the John M. Langston Bar Association, a black lawyers group.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-raid4sep04,1,6136155.story?coll=la-headlines-california


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You Won't Believe All the Benefits of Ballroom Dancing
Today is the day to embrace something fun and new! How about ballroom dancing? You do so much for so many, how about trying a new activity with so many benefits -- just for YOU!
We invite you to join us for a complimentary first dance lesson. Give us an hour and let us show you how much fun it is to learn to dance.
In only one lesson, you'll be doing more than you ever thought possible out on the dance floor. It's fast, fun and easy. Giving yourself the gift of confidence, fun and new friends is something that will change your life.
Take a Chance, Learn to Dance and Enjoy the Benefits!
- Have fun and feel happy
- Increase confidence and self-esteem
- Meet new friends and overcome shyness
- Enjoy going to social events
- Lower depression and self-doubt
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve memory
- Strengthen muscle tone and endurance
- Lose and manage weight
- Reduce your risk of osteoporosis
- Improve your balance, flexibility and coordination skills


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University of Oregon faces heat after 'insensitive' tweet over Lake Shasta incident
EUGENE, Ore. - University of Oregon students are back from California, with their trip to Lake Shasta cut short when a fellow student died at the campground.
Now, the University is receiving harsh criticism for the way that it responded to the tragedy.
21-year-old Dylan Pietrs was a Business Administration major, and a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Deputies say he died following a night of drinking at Lake Shasta. However, it's unclear is alcohol contributed to his death.
Hours after the news broke, the UO Division of Student Life released the following statement:
Students, faculty and staff,
The Division of Student Life has received word that a Dylan Pietrs, a 21 year old business administration major and member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, died in an incident at Lake Shasta this weekend. The incident will be fully reviewed by authorities in Shasta County and at this time the full facts and details remain unknown.
The death is tragic, and the university offers its deepest sympathy to family and friends of Dylan and the communities he was a part of at the University of Oregon.
It is our understanding that UO students are returning from Lake Shasta early in light of this terrible event. We encourage our students to seek out counseling support from the University Counseling and Testing Center if they are affected by this tragic event. The dean of students' office also has drop-in hours from 1-5 p.m. each business day in Oregon Hall.
It is important to point out that this tragedy is connected to an unauthorized tradition among many college students. Students from many institutions have a history of demonstrating poor life choices during visits to Lake Shasta. These activities are contrary to the values of the University and Fraternity and Sorority Organization.
Please join us in offering our sincere condolences to all affected by this incident.
The Division of Student Life
Many people responded on Twitter, calling the response 'disgusting' and 'insensitive.'
The University deleted the statement and tweeted out an apology.
Students on campus Sunday were shocked and saddened by the news of Pietrs' death. The UO is offering counseling support to anyone affected by the tragedy.
Several students have died at Lake Shasta in recent years, including a University of Oregon student and an Oregon State student in 2005.


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By Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have signed corner back Kevin King. The signing was announced Thursday by Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations.
King was the first pick of the second round of this year's NFL Draft. He adds height at 6'3" and incredible speed. The 200-pound University of Washington player will likely have an immediate impact on the Packers defensive secondary next season.


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Kelly Thomas and Jane Lawler are our reception classteachers
Kelly Thomas is the school's Leader for the Early Years. She leads a reception team of five. Kelly teaches Amber class and works closely with Jane Lawler, who is the classteacher for Topaz. Pip Borrett and Amy Smith job share the post of leader of learning in Amber Class. Joolia Dove is the leader of learning for Topaz class. All five members of staff work, at different points in the week, with all pupils in the reception cohort.
Kelly joined the school in September 2011 having previously worked for two years as a nursery teacher in the city of London. Prior to this she studied for a degree in sports science at Roehampton University and went on to complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, specialising in early years education, at Bath Spa University. Kelly worked at Barnes for 2 years as part of the nursery team, before joining the reception team in 2013-14.In December 2014 she took on the role of Early Years Foundation Stage Leader. Kelly is a member of the school's Leadership Team.
Jane Lawler joined Barnes Primary School on a one year schools direct initial teacher training programme in September 2015. She performed extremely well, enjoying a highly successful initial teacher training experience. At the end of this she was appointed to a permanent post at the school as reception classteacher. Previous to her joining Barnes Jane taught English for three years in a school in Istanbul, Turkey. Jane has a degree in English literature from Durham University.