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Author Archives: Lauren
Madrid: Land of Sunshine, Tapas, Beer
Digital Candle: #YesAllWomen
it's intense that the biggest trend on Twitter and Facebook right now are hitting so close to home. It's surreal, and I can't imagine what my roommate's sister is going through as a student living in SB at the sorority house that Rodger was ultimately targeting. The feeling all women are having this weekend? It's survivors guilt times a few million. We've all been close to situations that made the victims vulnerable this weekend…I've been alone at night walking home from class in downtown San Jose, or walking to the train station through the tenderloin alone at night after a work dinner in the financial district…I've ignored cat calls and walked fast back to my car from my sorority house, and thank god I've been untouched…I've had friends with stalkers so strange and disturbed that restraining orders have been placed.
I feel deeply for the women that have been targeted, attacked. They took the hit but I cannot avoid feeling it, too, because I know that it could have just as easily been me, or someone close to me.
I am disappointed that our society has not yet figured out a way to properly address mental illness. I am disappointed that we ignore it because it's easier. I wish we didn't need to understand the motives of the mentally unstable but to understand the workings of the illness, and learn to look past the cunning ways of sociopaths. We will not have come far as a human race until we can draw a line in the sand and move forward with fresh eyes that don't aim to understand or befriend, but to prevent situations with serious objectiveness.
I am glad that the largest part of the trending social conversations are around empowering women. Hash tags are not useless and they can bring us together in conversations of solidarity. For those who don't feel safe going outside at night, they can be the digital candle lighting a way for hope. It's not about winning a war on gender as much as it is winning a war on mental illness, in my book, but I still believe in, and fully sit with the motives behind #YesAllWomen.
Wander-lusting pretty hard for June 27-July 12.
I am ready to get lost among people who don't speak my language, risk near death experiences at San Fermín 2014, see the Eiffel tower, the Seine, and take photos of old doors and stone alleyways.
I'm ready for the dirtiness of the streets and the open minds of fellow travelers that I might cross paths with in these distant places. I am ready for an imperfect experience and discovering feelings of freedom that I can bring back with me.
I am ready to come back financially broke because truly, I know I will be richer for it 🙂
The Brightest Blue Ocean.
I was drifting off to sleep last night, and I started thinking about the physics and logistics of being happy, what it really entailed, like some totally bogged down human being. Then, out of nowhere, I felt something to the effect of: when you feel happy, don't try to figure it out. Just go with it.
And with that, in a matter of milliseconds, a vision from the point of view of a swimmer on a clear, tropical day appeared, and a smiling–beaming–dark-skinned child cannon-balled into the brightest blue ocean. It came into my mind in such a snap-instant, without time for my consciousness to have possibly conjured it on its own.
I haven't questioned it. It didn't matter who he was or why I was seeing it, it just mattered that this is how true happy felt. It was an instruction to not fear or over-think, to just jump at the slightest hint of happy.
I didn't get to keep it.
Dreamed about you last night. We were with the usual group of friends and you were the only one who would perform this stupid dance with me. I asked Megan to take a video of it, but when I watched the play back it was warped and altered and I didn't get to keep it. It was the realest dream I've felt in a long time.
Tiny Sweater
It's like someone took my yarn and your yarn and knit up a cozy sweater that's keeping my heart warm.
I got home from our road trip, pet the cats, cut the ends off the rose stems and poured new flower food in the vase. I put the dozen reds back on my night stand and crawled into my cool, unmade bed.
My heart's all warm.


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|University of California, Berkeley
|Jepson Herbarium
|Jepson eFlora
Key to families | Table of families and genera
Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.
1. Heads discoid
2. Plants < 15 cm, ± scapose; cauline leaves much reduced; heads generally < 5 ..... P. werneriifolia (2)
2' Plants generally > 15 cm; cauline leaves gradually reduced; heads generally > 5
3. Caudex taprooted; leaves thin; heads generally > 10, phyllaries deep green or ± red-tipped; generally below subalpine elevations ..... P. indecora (2)
3' Caudex weakly spreading and fibrous rooted; leaves thick, firm; heads generally 4–8, phyllaries deep red or green with ± red tips; often subalpine to alpine elevations ..... P. pauciflora (2)
1' Heads radiate, some with rays barely exceeding phyllaries
4. Basal leaves ± pinnately lobed
5. Herbage glabrous or at most sparsely and irregularly hairy when young
6. Caudex taprooted; peduncle conspicuously bracted; plants in Sierra Nevada and e ..... P. multilobata (2)
6' Caudex fibrous rooted; peduncle not bracted or bracts inconspicuous; plants west of High Sierra Nevada
7. Plants stout or slender, generally < 50 cm; basal leaves with 1–3 pairs of lateral lobes, terminal lobes ± round, ultimate margins evenly, regularly incised, sinuses rounded, bases ± cordate; heads (3)8–15+ ..... P. bolanderi var. bolanderi
7' Plants large, robust, generally > 50 cm; basal leaves with 2–6+ pairs of lateral lobes, terminal lobes ovate to oblong, ultimate margins irregularly incised, bases tapered; heads 15–50+ ..... P. breweri
5' Herbage generally hairy or becoming glabrous near flower time
8. Heads generally 3–6; plants generally <= 3 dm; basal leaves generally <= 3 cm, with 1–3 pairs of lateral lobes ..... P. ionophylla (2)
8' Heads 5–30+; plants 2–5+ dm; basal leaves generally > 4 cm, with 2–6 pairs of lateral lobes
9. Basal leaves persistent; heads small, rays 7–10 mm; herbage evenly but lightly hairy ..... P. multilobata (2)
9' Basal leaves withering before flower; heads large, rays 10–15 mm; herbage densely hairy to becoming glabrous with age ..... P. eurycephala
10. Leaves irregularly lobed or dissected, lateral lobes coarsely dentate, midribs winged; disturbed sites, woodland, roadsides ..... var. eurycephala
10' Leaf margins finely dissected, lateral lobes also dissected, midribs not winged; serpentine soils, rocky sites ..... var. lewisrosei
4' Basal leaves with margins various but not (or weakly) lobed
11. Herbage hairy to becoming glabrous at flower time
12. Rays red-orange; heads generally 1–3; plants generally on serpentine ..... P. greenei
12' Rays yellow; heads 2–many; plants of various soils
13. Basal leaves round to widely ovate, obovate or spoon-shaped, petiole >> blade
14. Fruit 0.7–1 mm; phyllaries 6–8 mm; disk flowers 35–50+ ..... P. bernardina
14' Fruit 2–2.5 mm; phyllaries 7–10 mm; disk flowers 60–75+ ..... P. ionophylla (2)
13' Basal leaves ovate, elliptic, lanceolate, oblanceolate or narrowly spoon-shaped, petiole < or > blade
15. Plants generally 7–15 cm; heads generally < 5 ..... P. werneriifolia (2)
15' Plants 10–70+ cm; heads >= 5
16. Herbage sparsely tomentose, becoming glabrous; ray 12–16 mm, plants only on serpentine ..... P. layneae
16' Herbage canescent, woolly, or densely tomentose, sometimes becoming glabrous; ray 8–10+ mm, plants of various habitats
17. Leaves ovate, elliptic, or widely lanceolate; phyllaries tomentose, fruit 2.5–3.5+ mm ..... P. cana
17' Leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate; phyllaries glabrous, fruit 1.5–2 mm ..... P. macounii
11' Herbage glabrous or at most tomentose to woolly at flower on proximal stem, in leaf axils and/or at bases of heads
18. Leaves thick, firm, glaucous ..... P. clevelandii
18' Leaves thick or thin, glabrous to sparsely tomentose
19. Heads 6–20+
20. Leaves widely lanceolate to ± hastate, margins sharply dentate, plants 5–7+ dm; heads 12–20+, phyllaries light green ..... P. pseudaurea var. pseudaurea
20' Leaves ovate, elliptic, oblanceolate, spoon-shaped, oblong or ± reniform, margins entire to dentate or weakly lobed, plants 1–8 dm; heads 6–20+, phyllaries dark green often red-tipped
21. Caudex taprooted; leaves not noticeably firm; heads generally eradiate or with ray 3–5 mm ..... P. indecora (2)
21' Caudex stout and fibrous-rooted; leaves ± thick, firm; heads radiate, ray 5–10 mm ..... P. streptanthifolia var. streptanthifolia
19' Heads 1–6(8)
22. Leaves reniform to ± round; plants only in recently burned chaparral on gabbroic soils ..... P. ganderi
22' Leaves elliptic, ovate, oblanceolate, obovate, spoon-shaped, or at most ± reniform; plants of various habitats, but not in chaparral
23. Ray 5–7 mm, deep orange-yellow; heads generally > 4 ..... P. pauciflora (2)
23' Ray 6–12+ mm, yellow; heads generally 1–4
24. Phyllaries densely tomentose; head (1)4; ray 6–10+ mm ..... P. hesperia
24' Phyllaries glabrous; head 1(3); ray 7–12+ mm ..... P. subnuda var. subnuda
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
We encourage links to these pages, but the content may not be downloaded for reposting, repackaging, redistributing, or sale in any form, without written permission from The Jepson Herbarium.

subset: commoncrawl


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This seems to be a bit of a sore subject for many. Obviously Christians can be wealthy; we need wealthy people to generously give to the Kingdom. Even looking at the prophetic history of IHOPKC; to make this prayer movement become what it is today, generous financial givers were most definitely needed. It is all about how you use the money that you are given.
I know I have had the same thoughts as many my age have had, "if only I was wealthy, I could give so much more to the Kingdom." We want to make such a big impact in peoples lives, and it seems like we only think this can be accomplished if you have a large amount of money. But it is so much more than that. It is using what the Lord has given you. If you have a large income you are held accountable for using that money wisely, and one can be just as faithful in giving with only a small income. The Lord is the only one who sees how much you make and how much you sow, and more money comes with more responsibility. If you were a multi-millionaire, and the opportunity to give a million dollars came up, would you be faithful and actually give it? These are the kind of questions that I hope I would be faithful to respond correctly to if the situation arose.
The dangerous ground comes in when Christians desire to be wealthy. That "desire" is very risky, and can cause many to sets their sights on wealth as opposed to God. It is a fine line, which you do not want to be flirting with.
To answer the question: Yes. They can desire to be wealthy, but they shouldn't.


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Also--if you want some great vegan recipes for the holidays, check out the e-cookbook A Bountiful Vegan Thanksgiving. For just $8.95 you can get the e-book delivered right to your inbox and the profits go to a great cause. There are recipes from Nava Atlas as well as many other respected authors and bloggers (including yours truly!).
Cathe Olson, author of "Simply Natural Baby Food, "The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook," and "Lick It! Creamy Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love" keeps you up to date on food politics, whole foods and nutrition, as well as sharing recipes and posting book reviews. Also see her web site at http://www.simplynaturalbooks.com
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Vegetarian Thanksgiving
If you're looking for vegetarian alternatives to the turkey dinner this Thanksgiving, check out my foodcast with ideas for meat-free meals and even alternatives to the usual sit down dinner.
2 comments:
- Carrie said...
Hi Cathe, I'll be serving a vegetarian Thanksgiving this year (my first non-turkey one). I'm looking forward to having all the time in the world to prepare my lovely and healthy side dishes without having to worry about the stupid turkey. :)
- Cathe Olson said...
I know huh.
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When LaRon Landry returned to Florham Park this week for the Jets' mandatory mini-camp, the veteran safety said he received some good-natured ribbing from his teammates.
Landry, who signed with the Jets in March, was at the team facility for the first few weeks of the offseason program. But he said he left before organized team activities started last month, opting to return to Arizona for stem-cell and platelet-rich plasma treatments on the injured Achilles/heel that ended his 2011 season.
"They gave me a hard time for not being here, like, 'Who is the new guy? Who is this guy?' " Landry said. "It's all fun and games, but when it comes down to it, all those guys welcomed me with open arms."
Landry is not able to participate in this week's mini-camp, but he worked with trainers and ran on the side during practice and said he is able to cut. Coach Rex Ryan admitted the team worried a little bit about Landry rehabbing independently, but he said Landry is "way ahead" of where the trainers thought he would be.
Will Landry be ready for the start of training camp? When asked, he said he's progressing well and hasn't taken any steps back, though he didn't give a definitive yes or no. He added that his Achilles is fully healed and the "bone issue" is what's lingering.
"Things are looking real well. I shocked myself, too," Landry said. "So I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to get back out there and be with the team."
Landry said he had the initial "AmnioMatrix" stem-cell treatment in February, but did not need the second and third rounds. He returned to Arizona for a follow-up visit and also to receive the PRP therapy.
"That was my choice and decision to go back so they could finish, complete whatever I had to do rehab-wise and strength and conditioning," Landry said. "I felt real comfortable going back and doing so, and I had no doubt that I would come back and I'd be ready, I'd be ahead of the game."
Landry believes he, Yeremiah Bell and Eric Smith can be a "great tandem" at the safety position. His brother, Dawan Landry, was coached by Rex Ryan in Baltimore and told LaRon, "As soon as you visit, just sign."
Now Landry is getting caught up with the complicated Jets playbook and learning the verbiage. He had the playbook with him in Arizona and said he has "no doubt" he'll be ready physically and mentally.
"I play with passion, just like the other guys, so I'm looking forward to being an addition," Landry said. "They've already got it, I'm just trying to add."
* * *
CB Darrelle Revis continues to patiently answer questions about his contract -- and still has declined to guarantee he'll report to training camp.
CB Darrelle Revis has still not guaranteed he'll report to training camp, hinting at a possible contract holdout. Revis has pointed to the Jets' public and private characterization of the four-year, $46 million deal he signed in 2010 as an "intermediate step," or a Band-Aid as he put it, but he said he wouldn't have trust issues with the team if he isn't extended this offseason.
"No, I think you can't really look at it that way because sooner or later something has to happen," Revis said. "Something has to happen, talks have to happen and then you go from there. You lay out all the situations when that time comes and hopefully the team and my representatives come up with something."
He added: "You can't really look at if I trust the Jets or not, because at the end of the day it's negotiations. You've got to weigh the right options, and the team is and my representatives are for me as well."
Revis was asked if he took note of the Jets extending quarterback Mark Sanchez with two years left on his deal. He said "you see it, come on now," but added that every player has his own situation and you have to support your teammates.
* * *
The Jets awarded two $5,000 "Play Like A Jet" college scholarships to a pair of New York City public school students, C'Ara McCrea and Brutus Gorum, who excelled both academically and athletically.


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The store front to Onassis reads exactly what the clothing line is, so when you walk in the shop and are greeted with old boat paddles, and buoys amongst the clothing displays and even boats as shelving units you are in no way surprised. The clothing is casual and refined, and I saw a couple boyfriend sweaters that I wouldn't mind adopting for myself!
The event was very fun and proved to be very gentlemanly with cuts and shaves planned in the back room where there is normally a cafe. This SoHo men's boutique has set quite the precedent for New York shoppers! I can't wait to see what their next event holds!


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I wanted to switch my Toshiba Tecra laptop from XP to Ubuntu Linux but I wanted to retain my Windows XP environment in a VM running under Ubuntu on the same laptop because I still needed to use XP for a few things. I backed up the original XP install and installed Ubuntu. When I came to reinstall XP into a VM, the Toshiba OEM XP CD refused to install in the VM - it simply stalled when installing mup.sys from the CD. This is because many OEM XP CDs have extra checks to ensure that they can only be used on the hardware with which they were sold. I wanted to run XP on the same hardware but in a VM under Linux. If you want to do the same, read on.
If your XP system is still running, it is best to identify the type of CD being used before reinstalling. This is stored in a registry key. At a DOS prompt, enter the following command:-
C:\> REG QUERY HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Setup\PID
or if you're happer with a GUI
Start –> Run –> regedit.exe
and navigate to the above key.
The Product ID code tells Windows if the cd-key you're entering is associated with that particular product, ie Windows XP OEM, Retail, etc. Write down the value (e.g. 55274OEM). Backup your system and install the new OS with VirtualBox / VMware etc, ready to reinstall Windows in a VM.
If you've already removed your Windows install and don't know the Product ID code, all is not lost, but you will need to know what type of XP OEM CD you have. A list of Product IDs can be obtained from http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Product_IDs. I have no idea if this is a complete list. Choose the PID that matches the OEM CD that you own. Your CD key will only work if you set the PID to the value that matches your original CD.
To install Windows into a VM, we will not use your original OEM Windows CD. Instead, download an XP Retail CD image that matches the Windows product that you have (e.g. XP Home) from the net. Choose a version that matches your CD; don't get Windows XP Pro if you have XP Home, for example, and get an image that matches the language of your original CD. Take care as some sites carry bogus downloads with viruses. It is important to download a Retail CD image, as these do not have OEM-specific checks which can break the install procedure in a VM environment and are probably the reason you found this blog in the first place. Ignore any CD keys that are usually posted with these images - they will give you a pirated copy of Windows which won't install software updates. We are not pirating software here - we are installing a valid copy of Windows in a VM on the same system as the original install. We will be using your original CD key to activate Windows.
Using your favourite VM tools, install Windows from the downloaded CD image into a VM. This will ask you for a CD key during the install procedure. Skip that step for now. Windows will give you 30 days to activate the install.
Once Windows is fully installed in the VM and you have the usual displays on screen, go to:
Start –> Run –> regedit.exe
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Setup\PID
Enter the PID value that you either obtained from your original install or from the online information described above. Exit the registry editor.
Now activate Windows. Enter your original CD key. It should accept the key. Reboot and verify it no longer asks you to activate Windows. Run Microsoft Update to update the system software. If your install is good, you should be able to update successfully. You now have a Windows VM using your original license!
If for some reason, the CD key you enter is not accepted, check the key value - it is easy to mistype it. If you are sure the key is correct, try a different PID value in the registry. If it still won't work, you'll either need to buy a legitimate Retail Windows CD or install Windows as the host OS again. You did backup your original install, didn't you? ;-)


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The Wellcome Library has announced a UK wide project to digitise 800,000 pages of archival material from psychiatric hospitals from the 18th to the 20th centuries. From the news release:
The Wellcome Library will partner with the Borthwick Institute for Archives, London Metropolitan Archives, Dumfries and Galloway Council Archives, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Archives, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists for the project, which will bring together documents from the York Retreat, St Luke's Hospital Woodside, Crichton Royal Hospital, Gartnavel Royal Hospital and Camberwell House Asylum. These collections will be added to the Wellcome Library's own collection of archives from public and private mental health institutions, including the records of Ticehurst House Hospital in Sussex, which provide a rare insight into the running of a privately run asylum.
For the full story visit http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2014/WTP057722.htm
(With thanks to @SueWilkesauthor)
Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks
The GENES Blog (GEnealogy News and EventS): Top stories concerning ancestral research in Britain, Ireland, and their diasporas, from Irish born Scottish based professional family historian, author and tutor Chris Paton. Feel free to quote from this blog, but please credit The GENES Blog if you do so. To contact me please email chrismpaton @ outlook.com.
Tuesday, 21 October 2014
Mental health archive records to be digitised
Posted by Chris Paton at 13:52
Labels: England, hospitals, Scotland, UK, Wellcome Trust
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So when we went off to Karkloof Falls for a picnic yesterday I did not suspect a thing. I didn't see the champagne he snuck into the picnic basket. I didn't see the ring box he snuck out of the cubby hole and into his pocket when we got there. And when he got all serious and told me he'd brought me there for a reason, and then got up and pulled the box out of his pocket, my brain was like Aaaaaaaaaah! And then my mouth squeaked something super intelligent like, "Are you serious?! Right now?! Really?!" before I remembered to say the very important "Yes, of course!"
|Click to enlarge ;-)


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Sep 07, 2012
Some art exhibitions are awesome, others are not. But you can't go wrong when your exhibition happens in a aircraft cemetery, and you got awesome aircrafts hand painted. This is The Boneyeard Project: Return trip.
In the beginning of 2012 this great exhibition took place in Arizona and great artists painted these retired airplanes. I wish I could have visited it. These are only a few examples of the pieces exposed there. For more, please visit the Eric Firestone gallery. Enjoy! Cheers. ;)


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I would love for you all to hop over and visit Tiffany from tamberdi.com's Better You 2017 Challenge. It will help you get off to a great start during the New Year and is full of ways for you to be able to build new habits and work towards your goals! So be sure to check it out and sign up if being a better you in 2017 is something you're interested in!
"With many of the winter holidays over and the new year about to begin, what better way to start fresh than with a plan already made for you by me?? I've created a 31-day challenge to kick start your year off in the best way, leaving you prepared to create new habits and achieve your goals."
Her full post, complete with the link to join the challenge: Better You 2017: A Challenge to Be Your Best Self This January. You know this is one of your goals, so why not join and see how much progress you can make in a month!


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Monday, September 30, 2013
The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: 5 Must See Games
Posted by Giles Ferrell at 12:00 PM No comments:
The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: Defense
Coming out of the 2011-12 season, the Minnesota Wild defense was just abysmal. They had traded away blueliners Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky, and Greg Zanon mid-season and brought in Tom Gilbert to help get a spark going offensively from the blueline (Gilbert had five assists while playing the role of top defenseman).
Sunday, September 29, 2013
The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: Goaltending
"Goaltending beats top notch scoring anytime!" – Eddie Giacomin
This will be the sixth season that the Wild will open the season with Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding tag teaming in between the pipes. Together, they have been solid and have continuously given the Wild every chance possible to win games. But entering this season, both have question marks and appear to look not as strong to the casual fan as they used to. And now it seems both are not at 100 percent entering the season.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Postseason and Award Predictions
This season, the NHL is ushering in new divisions and a new way to get in the playoffs. The top three teams in each division make the playoffs, with a "wild card" team (meaning a team from either division with the best point total in the conference can take those spots) taking the seventh and eighth spots in both conferences. With all that in mind the matchups in the first round would be the division winner versus the wild card team and the number two team against the number three team.
Meet The New Divisions: Central Division
Posted by Giles Ferrell at 8:00 AM No comments:
Friday, September 27, 2013
Meet The Central Division: Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets
Head Coach: Claude Noel (3rd Season in WPG)
Arena: MTS Centre (Capacity: 15,004)
2012-13 Record: 24-21-3 (2nd in Southeast Division)
Record vs MIN in '12-13: Did Not Play
Leading Scorer: Andrew Ladd-46 points (18 G, 28 A)
Leading Goaltender: Ondrej Pavelec-44 G, 21-20-3, 2.80 GAA, .905 SV%
Jonas Brodin and Mike Yeo Join NHL Live
Yesterday Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin and head coach Mike Yeo joined NHL Live after practice at Xcel Energy Center. ICYMI, here are the videos:
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Preseason Thoughts: New Fourth Line?
Last night the Wild, with what would appear to be their opening night roster, took down the St. Louis Blues 4-1 in the final home exhibition game. The Wild are now 4-1 on the preseason, the only loss being the 3-1 defeat to Columbus in the opener.
Meet The Central Division: St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
Head Coach: Ken Hitchcock (3rd season in STL)
Arena: Scottrade Center (Capacity: 19,150)
Arena: Scottrade Center (Capacity: 19,150)
2012-13 Record: 29-17-2 (2nd in Central)
Record vs MIN in '12-13: 3-0-0
Leading Scorer: Chris Stewart-36 points (18 G, 18 A)
Leading Goaltender: Brian Elliott-24 G, 14-8-1, 2.28 GAA, .907 SV%
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Meet The Central Division: Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
Head Coach: Barry Trotz (15th season in NSH)
Arena: Bridgestone Arena (Capacity: 17,113)
Arena: Bridgestone Arena (Capacity: 17,113)
2012-13 Record: 16-23-9 (last in Central Division)
Record vs MIN in '12-13: 1-0-2
Leading Scorer: Shea Weber-28 points (9 G, 19 A)
Leading Goaltender: Pekka Rinne-43 G, 15-16-8, 2.43 GAA, .910 SV%
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Notable Tough Guys In Wild History
The past few days, fighting has become front and center in the NHL news stream. And to be honest here, fighting has become more staged than anything, making it a joke to the game now (this rant will be saved for a different day).
But for fun today, we take a trip down memory lane and look back at the notable "goons" in Wild history.
But for fun today, we take a trip down memory lane and look back at the notable "goons" in Wild history.
Meet The Central Division: Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
Head Coach: Lindy Ruff (1st season with DAL)
Arena: American Airlines Center (Capacity: 18,532)
Arena: American Airlines Center (Capacity: 18,532)
2012-13 Record: 22-22-4 (Last in Pacific Division)
Record vs MIN in '12-13: 1-2-0
Leading Scorer-Jamie Benn: 33 pts (12 G, 21 A)
Leading Goaltender-Kari Lehtonen: 36 G, 15-14-3, 2.66 GAA, .916 SV%
Monday, September 23, 2013
Meet The Central Division: Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
Head Coach: Patrick Roy (1st season with COL)
Arena: Pepsi Center (Capacity: 18,007)
Arena: Pepsi Center (Capacity: 18,007)
2012-13 Record: 16-25-7 (Last in Western Conference)
Record vs MIN in '12-13: 1-4-0
Leading Scorer: PA Parenteau/Matt Duchene-43 points
Leading Goaltender: Semyon Varlamov-35 G, 11-21-3, 3.02 GAA, .903 SV%
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Meet The Central Division: Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
2013 Stanley Cup Champions
Head Coach: Joel Quenneville (6th season with CHI)
Arena: United Center (Capacity: 19,717)
Head Coach: Joel Quenneville (6th season with CHI)
Arena: United Center (Capacity: 19,717)
2012-13 Record: 36-7-5 (Presidents Trophy Winner)
Record vs MIN in '12-13: 2-0-1
Record vs MIN in '12-13: 2-0-1
Leading Scorer: Patrick Kane-55 Pts (23 G, 32 A)
Leading Goaltender: Corey Crawford-30 G, 19-5-5, 1.94 GAA, .926 SV%
Leading Goaltender: Corey Crawford-30 G, 19-5-5, 1.94 GAA, .926 SV%
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Meet The New Divisions: Pacific Division
Today we look at the new Pacific Division:
Posted by Giles Ferrell at 8:00 AM No comments:
Friday, September 20, 2013
Wild Lose Out on 2015 Winter Classic
In the past 24 hours, multiple sources have confirmed that the 2015 NHL Winter Classic will be hosted by the Washington Capitals. The announcement is expected to be made official tomorrow at 9 AM at the Capitals fan convention by Washington owner Ted Leonsis.
Meet The New Divisions: Metropolitan Division
Get a look at the new Metropolitan (really?) Division:
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Meet The New Divisions: Atlantic Division
Today, we kick off our countdown to the beginning of the new NHL season by taking a look at each of the new divisions. The divisions are Atlantic, Metropolitan, Pacific, and Central. In these posts, we will predict the order of finish from the teams within the division while giving you a little rundown of each squad.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Preseason Thoughts/Disclaimers
Last night, I was able to attend the Wild's first preseason game against Columbus. The Wild lost 3-1, and did not look their best but keep in mind several top players were not on the ice (Koivu, Parise, Suter, etc.). Here are a few thoughts I had from last night's EXHIBITION game:
Top 10 Prospects: #1 Mikael Granlund
Mikael Granlund
Born: February 26, 1992
Height: 5'10" Weight: 180 lbs
Shoots: Left
2012-13 Team: Houston (AHL)/Minnesota (NHL)
Acquired: 1st round pick (9th overall) in 2010 NHL Draft
Previous Rank: 1
Every year this blog has existed, Mikael Granlund has checked in at number one on the top prospects list (the blog was created in August 2011). Its all the blog has come to know from "Finnish Baby Jesus". But this will be the final year FBJ makes the list and takes home the top spot.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Top 10 Prospects: #2 Jason Zucker
Jason Zucker
Born: January 16, 1992
Height: 5'11" Weight: 185
Shoots: Left
2012-13 Team: Houston (AHL)/Minnesota (NHL)
Acquired: 2nd round pick (59th overall) in 2010 NHL Draft
Previous Rank: 4
Jason Zucker really had an up and down season with the Wild last year. He scored 19 goals with Houston before getting the call up from the Wild in mid February. Zucker scored three goals in his first five games with the Wild, and made a serious case to be on the team for the remainder of the year.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Top 10 Prospects: #3 Nino Niederreiter
Nino Niederreiter
Born: September 8, 1992
Height: 6'2" Weight: 209
Shoots: Left
2012-13 Team: Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL)
Acquired: Traded from NYI on 6/30/13
Previous Rank: NR
Yes, Nino is considered a prospect and yes, he is the third best prospect in the system.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Training Camp Thoughts
The last few days, the Wild opened their doors to the fans for practice and scrimmage during the team's training camp. I was able to get down to Xcel Energy Center yesterday for the practice session, and was able to catch today's scrimmage via the team's website (although the video quality was no help). Here are a few thoughts from the past few days:
Top 10 Prospects: #4 Matt Dumba
Matt Dumba
Born: July 25, 1994
Height: 6'0" Weight: 181 lbs
Shoots: Right
2012-13 Team: Red Deer (CHL)/Houston (AHL)
Acquired: 1st round pick (7th overall) in 2012 NHL Draft
Previous Rank: 7
When the Wild drafted Matt Dumba, it was a bit of a stretch to draft him over notable d-men Jacob Trouba, Derrick Pouliot and forward Filip Forsberg. But Chuck Fletcher liked what he saw from Dumba and took the Red Deer star with the 7th overall pick.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Top 10 Prospects: #5 Darcy Kuemper
Darcy Kuemper
Born: May 5th, 1990
Height: 6'4" Weight: 196 lbs
Shoots: Left
2012-13 Team: Houston (AHL)/Minnesota (NHL)
Acquired: 6th Round Pick (161st overall) in the 2009 NHL Draft
Previous Rank: NR
Entering last season, Darcy Kuemper was the 4th goalie on the Wild's depth chart behind Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding, and Matt Hackett. After Harding went down and Matt Hackett was traded at the deadline (Kuemper was standing at the airport on deadline day not knowing whether he was traded or being called up), it was Kuemper who found himself suddenly in the second slot on that depth chart.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Top 10 Prospects: #6 Erik Haula
Erik Haula
Born: March 23, 1991
Height: 5'11" Weight: 192
Shoots: Left
2012-13 Team: University of Minnesota (WCHA)/Houston (AHL)
Acquired: 7th round pick (182nd overall) in the 2009 NHL Draft
Previous Rank: NR
Erik Haula needs no introduction to this state.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Top 10 Prospects: #7 Raphael Bussieres
Raphael Bussieres
Born: November 5th, 1993
Height: 6'1" Weight: 194 lbs
Shoots: Left
2012-13 Team: Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
Acquired: 2nd round pick (46th overall) in 2012 NHL Draft
Previous Rank: NR
With all the bigger name prospects the Wild have had the past few years, one name that has slipped under the radar is Raphael Bussieres.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Top 10 Prospects: #8 Zack Phillips
Zack Phillips
Born: October 28, 1992
Height: 6'1" Weight: 196
Shoots: Right
2012-13 Team: Houston (AHL)
Acquired: 1st Round Pick (28th Overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft
Previous Rank: 8
After tearing up the QMJHL, Zack Phillips finally made the jump to professional hockey with Houston last year. But it was not the best season for Phillips as he struggled heavily in his first season in the AHL, only putting up 27 points with the Aeros.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Top 10 Prospects: #9 Mario Lucia
Mario Lucia
Born: 08-25-1993
Height: 6'2" Weight: 183 lbs
Shoots: Left
Shoots: Left
2012-13 Team: Notre Dame (CCHA)
Acquired: 2nd Round (60th overall) selection in 2011 Draft
Previous Rank: 10
Previous Rank: 10
Wild fans may not know much about the #10 ranked prospect Gustav Olofsson, but they know plenty about Mario Lucia.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Top 10 Prospects: #10 Gustav Olofsson
Gustav Olofsson
Born: December 1st, 1994
Height: 6'2" Weight: 190 lbs
Shoots: Left
2012-13 Team: Green Bay (USHL)
Acquired: 2nd Round (46th Overall) Pick in 2013 NHL Draft
Previous Rank: NR
When the Wild drafted Gustav Olofsson with the team's first pick in this summer's draft, the entire fanbase let out a collective "WHO?!". Olofsson came onto the scene last year playing for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL as a defenseman. Before that he had been playing in Colorado for some U16 and U18 teams, after coming over from Sweden with his family.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Top 10 Prospects: Honorable Mentions
Today we kick off our countdown of the 10 best prospects the Wild have. But since the Wild have several "prospects" who could get serious NHL ice time this season, it was decided that a couple could no longer be a part of this list.
Jonas Brodin and Charlie Coyle are locks for the NHL roster this season, and therefore, have been removed from consideration. Other than that, everyone else is fair game here because they are not for sure going to be on the NHL team this season.
With all that said, we kick off the Top 10 list with those who just missed the cut as honorable mentions:
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Remembering Pavol Demitra
On a more serious note, today is the two year anniversary of the tragic plane crash of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team. One of the players on Lokomotiv was former Wild player Pavol Demitra. Demitra, 36, was set to begin his second season with the team after his NHL career ended with the Vancouver Canucks early in the 2009-10 season.
Friday, September 6, 2013
The Countdown Hits 27
There are 27 days left until the regular season opener between the Los Angeles Kings and the Minnesota Wild. So for your enjoyment, here is a rare highlight from the Wild's #27, Mike Rupp
The speed demon Mike Rupp blows past Shea Weber for a breakaway
Oh, by the way, Mike Rupp's health is a bit of a concern now.
Happy Friday!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Vanek Watch: The Pilot
Well here we are. It has finally come to this. Thomas Vanek gets his own watch with this site, like Zach Parise and Ryan Suter did last summer.
For those who don't understand why it has come to this, here is the story: Thomas Vanek (that guy who played for the Gophers in 2003, then was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres and has played there ever since), is an impending unrestricted free agent next summer. The Wild have been rumored for a while to be a serious player for Vanek, since they will have adequate cap room (Dany Heatley's contract coming off the books is a huge contributor to this). So basically everyone wants to see Vanek, and all other former Gophers, return to the North Star state.
Last night, Josh Rimer stirred the Vanek to Minnesota pot with this tweet:
Hearing IF the Buffalo Sabres move Thomas Vanek, he wants to play for the Minnesota Wild. Vanek lives & trains in Minneapolis in the summer.Rimer definitely uses the caps lock in the correct place here. The key word is "IF". So please remember that before you start celebrating Vanek's impending return to Minnesota.
— Josh Rimer (@JoshRimerHockey) September 4, 2013
The ransom to fetch Vanek at any point in the 2013-14 season would be greater than the return the Wild gave up for Jason Pominville last winter. The Wild would have to deal AT LEAST two of their top prospects and draft picks (one would be the team's 2014 first round pick and I'm guessing the Sabres would want another first too). Sorry folks, but that price is too steep. The Wild need to sit this one out.
Even if the Wild dont go after Vanek in the season, he will still be there when free agency opens on July 1st. Its becoming more and more clear that Vanek wants out of Buffalo, but wants to politely leave the bad situation that the team has become (meaning: he is not demanding a trade but he is not going to want a contract extension either). So should the Wild land Vanek on the open market, the only thing that is taking a hit is Craig Leipold's wallet (again) and not the farm system.
Gear up Wild fans, its going to be a long 10 months, but stay tuned for lots of coverage on Vanek Watch.
Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Wild Unveil New Road Jerseys
Today at the Minnesota State Fair (I really dislike the phrase "The Great Minnesota Get Together") and on the team's website, the Minnesota Wild finally unveiled their new road jerseys for the 2013-14 season. The jerseys came after a week of teaser photos from the website and Twitter account.
The jersey was leaked for a brief period of time on the team's website last night, but it did not get past icethetics, who managed to get a post in about it.
Here is Zach Parise and Josh Harding modeling the new uniforms:
The jersey was leaked for a brief period of time on the team's website last night, but it did not get past icethetics, who managed to get a post in about it.
Here is Zach Parise and Josh Harding modeling the new uniforms:
Overall, this is another great jersey from the Wild. I love the green on the shoulder, the bold red numbers, and the bars on the bottom give it an old school feel. The only complaint here is why go with the shoulder patches? The team's other two jerseys do not have shoulder patches, so one would of assumed that they would of been done away with with this jersey.
Expect this to be another hot selling jersey from the Wild. Whenever they release a new jersey, it has always been met with overwhelming demand.
Thoughts on the new jersey, Team of 18,001?
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The Wooden World of Livio De Marchi
You name it and Livio De Marchi can build it out of wood. A table setting, a Ferrari-shaped boat, a living room set--he's a veritable mad scientist with wood. From his workshop in Venice, De Marchi duplicates the human material world in exacting detail. You can view more photos of his work at the link.
Link -via Oddity Central | Photos: The Craftsmanship Museum
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I woodn't have thought it was possible.
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Man, he NAILED it!
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Pictured below are my items: a tan scarf, two floral fabric pieces, a white tablecloth, a transferware dish, a sweet cup and pitcher and a pineapple doorknocker.
I've had a great time placing them around my home - and I smile when I see them and know where they are from.
After bidding goodbye to Eddie and Jaithan, I continued into the town of Millerton to look around.
It is very easy to walk up and down the street, looking into the shops.
I stopped at Irving Farm to sit and have some lunch. There food was delicious and the atmosphere was relaxed and cozy.
I was delighted to find Shandell's, that Eddie had talked about. It has "things that make you smile" - don't you love that phrase! I was excited to look inside.
Susan Schneider runs the shop and she greets you {along with her two canine cuties}. She has gorgeous lampshades and lights, as well as handmade night lights, tissue box covers and matchboxes. It is a fun place to explore and Susan is great fun to talk to.
I was delighted to have a beautiful day for a car trip and to see some new places.
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Today I was back at home, enjoying the Memorial Day holiday. I appreciate the freedom that we have in this country and am thankful for the men and women who have made it possible. I hope you had as an enjoyable weekend as I had!


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"Proof that ungodliness is rampant in evangelical circles is evident in megachurches that purposely cater to the preferences of the ungodly---furnishing entertainment and amusements in place of authentic worship and Bible teaching. More proof is found in a popular doctrinal system that deliberately removes the lordship of Christ from the Gospel proclamation to give a theological justification for 'carnal Christians'--- people who profess to believe in Christ but live ungodly lives."
-John MacArthur, The Truth War


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Behavioral Analyst
Reading, Pennsylvania
Provider NPI: 1003040015Provider Information:
Gender: F
Not Sole Proprietor
Practice Location:
Tel: 610-670-9923 Fax: 610-670-2587
Business Mailing Address:
Tel: 717-273-1710 Fax: 717-273-1416
Entity Type: Individual
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Sunday, August 30, 2009
Racism as I see it in Morocco
Racism as I see it in Morocco
Before I get into this topic, a couple qualifiers. First, this is what I've witnessed; it doesn't apply to all Moroccans. It would be pretty hypocritical to say, "All Moroccans are racist in this way." Given that I live in one of the least educated, least cosmopolitan regions in the country, it's likely that I witness stronger attitudes. Also, I apologize for any under or misrepresenting that I have done. It's important to take my position as a white male into account when reading this post; obviously my perspective is different than a person of different race. Finally, this is a touchy issue; there's no way to write it that reflects well on anyone. Same for America; if you wrote a history of racism in America, it would not be pretty.
There is a lot of racial tension between Arabs and Berbers (although I use the word Berber in this essay, Amazigh is the word that Berbers call themselves. Berber is the name that the Romans used, meaning barbarians). Berbers have been in Morocco for thousands of years, whereas Arabs came to the country starting in the 9th century A.D. There is a history of conflict between the two groups, with Arabs being the dominant side. As I experience it, most people identify their ethnicity (Arab or Berber) by the language that their parents speak, but the truth is much more complicated. Although Arabic is the dominant language in Morocco, some 70-90% of Moroccans have Berber blood in them. But it is rare to meet an Arabic speaker who identifies as ethnically Berber. I have experienced negative attitudes towards Berbers amongst Arabs. When I first started traveling in this country, I was excited to tell other Moroccans who I met that I spoke Berber. Surprisingly, this elicited negative reactions from a lot of people; now I only tell certain people in certain cities that I speak Berber. Several Arabic speakers have told me, "Berber is like Chinese to me." Others question why I learn the language; they say that Arabic is the only worthwhile language in Morocco. I've been told that Berbers are stupid, backwards, and uneducated. One man told me that before Islam came to Morocco and saved the Berbers, they were subhuman. Provinces that are traditionally strong Berber regions (Khenifra, my province and the Rif) were neglected under the previous King, although this trend has reversed somewhat under the current King. Berber-speaking children are taught in Arabic by teachers that do not even speak Berber. On the other hand, there are plenty of Arabic speaking Moroccans that get along just fine with Berbers. Mostly the tension between the two groups is a small issue. I have even met people who have taught themselves Berber because they were interested in the history and culture of the country. And the negative attitudes do not run just one way, either. Just this week, in my site, a couple of young men were telling me how dangerous Arabs are and that I need to be careful when I travel amongst Arabs. In fact people say that quite a lot in my site.
I believe that Jews are the most hated ethnic group in Morocco. Historically, there used to be a large Jewish presence in Morocco. Many cities have a "mellah," which was the Jewish section. However, more recently negative attitudes have become the norm. Hatred towards Jews is open and not apologized for. In my town, the Berber word for a Jew, Uday, is used as an insult. One time in a large group I told people not to say bad things about Jews, that it is racism. They asked me why I was defending Jews, was I a Jew? I tutor a local girl in English and I was asking her about racism in Morocco. I asked her why Moroccans are racist towards Jews. She said that it wasn't racism. She said Moroccans don't like Jews because they are dangerous and sneaky. During Peace Corps training, Jewish volunteers are encouraged by Moroccan staff to keep their ethnic identity a secret because "coming out" could irreparably damage their community's perception of them. Although Moses is accepted by Muslims as a prophet and the "old" testament is a part of the Islamic canon, there is a passage in the Koran that vilifies Jews and Pagans (I wish I could find exact passage, sorry). I've met one person who professed not to hate Jews. We were having a discussion about the political situation in Israel/Palestine and he was being pretty unfair against Israel. He said that, even though he was criticizing Israel, he wasn't racist; he had "lots of Jewish friends."
Black people are the target of a less vehement sort of racism. There are a couple of darker men in my site and they are often jokingly, disparagingly teased as being black. One adjective for black is sometimes used to mean "bad." My host family and I were talking about racism and they asked me if I held racist feelings against blacks. I said no. They asked if I would marry a black person. I said yes. They said that they weren't racist, but that they would never let one of their family members marry a black person. Lighter skin is seen as being more beautiful. An older Moroccan woman said to me, "I'm ugly. Look at my skin: it's black!"
Other ethnic groups are also the target of racism. East and South Asians come to mind. There are a couple volunteers of East Asian descent that are teased. Young men in my site will pull their eyes tight if we're talking about China.
I believe that some Moroccans have racist attitudes towards Moroccans. I know this sounds strange, but a recent experience with another volunteer who (sort of) appears Moroccan solidified my opinion. This racism against Moroccans is felt most strongly by Moroccan women. Another way to state this attitude would be to say that sexist attitudes are common in Morocco and that they are directed most harshly and frequently at Moroccan women. If a woman appears Moroccan, different dress and behavior is expected of her. White female volunteers certainly receive harassment, but with my limited experience I would argue that it is of a different sort. Because of her appearance, the volunteer who (sort of) appears Moroccan was held to the standard expected of Moroccan women, exposing the double standard. Dressed conservatively by American standards, but with her hair uncovered, the volunteer received lots of vulgar sexual harassment from Moroccans – harassment that a white woman would probably not get in the same situation. Swimming in the ocean, the volunteer received vulgar invitations that a white volunteer probably would not receive in the same situation. In her site, the volunteer was assaulted in public, in plain view of several people. When asked, after the fact, why they didn't come to her assistance, the people said, "Because she looked Moroccan." The volunteer speaks Arabic well, making it easier to confuse her as Moroccan. She says that she sometimes intentionally makes mistakes so that people will be more likely to perceive her as American. I've heard of Moroccan looking male volunteers receiving milder harassment such as bars refusing to serve them alcohol, but primarily this racism affects women. A Moroccan certainly wouldn't call this racism; they might say that white women are given more freedom because they aren't Muslim. But if people are making a judgment about an individual because of their (perceived) membership of a racial group, that's racism. Another example: in my site, the women from out of town (the teachers, nurses, and doctor) dress conservatively. It is expected of them. Female volunteers have come to visit me and they don't cover their hair and don't dress as conservatively as the Moroccan women. They have never received any harassment. There is a different standard for them. If this volunteer who (sort of) appears Moroccan came to my site, I would worry that men in my site might harass her.
Finally, it would be terribly unfair to talk about racism in Morocco without discussing racist attitudes held by foreigners towards Moroccans. The histories of French and Spanish colonialism in Morocco are one of condescending paternalism and harsh suppression. Today, tourists treat Moroccan customs as exotic, queer curiosities to wonder and gawk at. I've heard some virulent, disdainful comments about Moroccans cleanliness and hygiene. Worse than the tourists, however, are the foreigners who live in Morocco and make terrible generalizations about Moroccans. Peace Corps volunteers, unfortunately, express some racist attitudes. You would think that living with Moroccans would improve volunteers' ability to make distinctions between individuals within a group, but I think living here has increased racism amongst volunteers. "Moroccans are … stupid, unclean, sexist, dogmatic, lazy, etc." If one were to substitute the word "Moroccans" for another group such as "blacks" or "Jews," the statement would become unpalatable for the very person who uttered it. Yet volunteers make these sort of statements without batting an eye. I don't want to hold myself up on a pedestal on this issue; I'm guilty of making sweeping generalizations as well.
So what to make of this? What I've written is kind of depressing. It calls into question the Peace Corps mission of increasing world friendship if Americans living in other countries increases animosity and misunderstanding. For the most part, PC volunteers are liberal do-gooders who had bought into the "world friendship" thing before they came over, making their conversion into bitter people all the more unfortunate. There are volunteers who have had negative experiences who will leave the country with a bad taste in their mouths. It's sad to see. I argue, however, that good outweighs the bad. Personally, I've had some negative experiences, but I hope that readers of my blog recognize that my time here in Morocco has been overwhelmingly positive. I hold some negative opinions of Moroccan culture, but mostly the exchange between cultures has been good. I think that most volunteers would agree.
It's Ramadan. For those unaware, Ramadan is the month that the Quran was revealed to the prophet Mohamed. It is a holy month in the Islamic calendar (the calendar is lunar, so Ramadan moves forward a little every year). Good Muslims should abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, sex, speaking bad words, having bad thoughts from sunup to sundown for the entire month. Sunup is the time when you can distinguish a black thread from a white one, meaning that is still dark – 4:15 am this morning in Morocco. Sundown is the setting of the sun, not darkness – 7:00 pm last night.
For me, Ramadan is a time of stomach pain and unhealthy eating patterns. I feel uncomfortably hungry for most of the afternoon. When I break fast, I normally gorge my shrunken stomach to the point where I am uncomfortably full for most of the night. Most people in my village eat two or three meals a day during Ramadan: break fast, dinner, and a meal at 3:30 am before the sunrises. I'm always too full to eat dinner and I don't like waking up at 3 to eat and fall back to sleep on a full stomach, so I pretty much eat one meal a day.
The best part about Ramadan is that I get invited over to lots of people's houses to break fast. Each house has slightly different food and it's mostly all delicious. Thursday night I went over to one of my friend's house for break fast and I ate a lot. I'm quite fond of his wife's food. My stomach was feeling uncomfortably full. I went to my host family's afterwards to say hi and my host mom gave me a bunch of grief about not coming to their house to break fast. She said that she had made extra food just for me and it was going to go bad. She asked me to have a piece of buchiya, a flat bread cooked on a skillet. My host mom's buchiya is my favorite; she prepares it with large amounts of fresh, melted cow butter. So I said yes. After I finished eating, I really thought my stomach might burst. I told them how I was feeling and they taught me a Berber saying: "Cchigh s alln." It means, "I ate with my eyes [and not my stomach]." It seemed very appropriate.
Things are good. Everything is slow during Ramadan. Work doesn't happen as quickly, but I'm moving forward on a couple of projects. For our hammam project, it looks like a hammam is going to buy one of the stoves that we were "selling," so that's a very positive outcome. I might partner with the volunteer that I worked on the hammam project with to do a household stove conversion project. Mostly though, I lay around my house, reading and writing. I go out and hang out with people for a couple hours every day to pass the time. This year, a friend and I have taken to riding our bicycles to a nearby spring 30 minutes away in the couple hours right before break fast. It's a good way to pass what is normally the hardest part of the fast.
15 comments:
- Charlotte said...
I found your blog through global voices online and just wanted to say hi. I'm really enjoying your analyses of the things you see around you - and it's great to find a fellow blogger writing about Morocco... Looking forward to reading more!
- August 30, 2009 at 9:18 AM
- Jillian said...
Another great post (and thanks for the thanks!)
This is a discussion that I've been wanting to have for a long time. Perhaps we should bring together some bloggers to discuss the topic - it's about time the Moroccan blogosphere did something like that!
Incidentally, I agree with the majority of your post, except two points; first is the assessment that Jews are the most hated ethnic group in Morocco. In my urban Morocco experience, I heard far more vitriol toward "job-stealing Africans." There's a fear and hatred in a lot of the coastal cities of Sub-Saharan migrants, and in two years in Meknes, I only once heard an anti-Jewish comment (oddly enough, it was directed at me, and I'm not Jewish! The guy seemed genuinely crazy, though).
The other is the remark about the behavior toward Moroccan-looking women; I think calling it racism takes away from what it really is: total, utter misogyny, something that exists in every pocket of the country (though of course not from everyone). I don't even think the double standard is what's important, rather, the fact that Moroccan women are held to the standard of being "good Muslims" whether they like it or not. No freedom to choose not to be religious, regardless of what the religion actually says ("there is no compulsion in religion")
I used to ask my adult and college-aged students really inappropriate questions in class - I'd always start the semester by asking their permission to do so, and making sure no one objected (no one ever did, not once), then during discussion times I'd bring up questions about race, religion, the monarchy, the Sahara, and all the other things we weren't supposed to talk about. One fun question was, "would you ever marry a non-virgin?" A lot of the men surprisingly said they would, but some would say "but only if she were foreign." Their reasoning, I suppose, was that it was "okay" for a foreigner of another culture not to be a virgin, but not for a Muslim.
Anyway, I found it hard too not to generalize about Moroccans at times; it IS a relatively homogeneous culture with few underground counter-cultures (at least that I could access), so those assumptions are all too easy to make.
Thanks again.
- August 30, 2009 at 11:05 AM
- wide-eyed innocent said...
I´ve actually been thinking about writing a post on racism, so yours seems especially timely to me. I mentioned in a recent blog that my host mom was urging me to find a husband during my upcoming trip to the US...I didn´t report everything she said, which included, ¨Find a man with skin like yours. Good, pale skin. Then your babies will have good skin, too. Don´t marry someone with dark skin.¨
It made me sad, because she´s such a sweet person...she has just completely bought into the ¨paler is better¨ paradigm. She loves her own light-ish skin, so much that when it darkened up a bit during her recent pregnancy - the classic ¨pregnancy mask¨ - she asked me to buy her some Fair & Lovely so she could bleach it away.
- August 30, 2009 at 2:50 PM
- mary ellen newport said...
I have to go with your female readers, Dunc, regarding sexism vs racism. Of course, the two intersect as vividly portrayed in your post and your followers comments. I would love to hear what your traveling companion thinks of your analysis as well. Love, Mom
- September 4, 2009 at 5:43 AM
- Kristin said...
Hey Dunc,
Finally, I am actually reading your blog. You write a lot! It's awesome, you put a lot of thought into all your posts. So, I was thinking I'd just add a bit to your racism blurb. I kindof have to agree with Jillian, I think blacks may receive the most racism country-wide, although perhaps not in our region. I talked with other volunteers who are black, and they had CRAZY stories of how they were treated by Moroccans - not in their villages, but mostly when they would travel to cities. People would should just random names of west African countries, or shout DOG or SLAVE. For those volunteers, it was better to stay in their villages, because traveling was made so incredibly unbearable. They also said that racism from white volunteers was difficult - one black volunteer was talking about it to a white volunteer, who kindof excused the Moroccan by saying "it's because you don't look American." Um, an African American IS American. And, like another person posted, black skin was definitely seen as "bad". Our host mom would constantly talk about how she wasn't pretty because she was "black" (she's really a nice brown color), and she wasn't good like me, with my white skin. We'd CONSTANTLY tell her this was not so, that her skin was beautiful because her heart was beautiful, and we'd always ask her "Didn't Allah make your skin that way, and so isn't it a good thing?" and she'd say yes, we're right, thank Allah for being alive, but then the next day just say the same thing again. And another instance of racism in town - our good friend, who has very dark skin, is a butcher, and another shop keeper from across the street shouted at him one day "HEY BLACK! get me a half a kilo of meat!" or something like that. But NOT said in a joking way, said it a very derogatory, rude, and holier-than-thou way. Our friends face just kindof hardened, and he slowly (very slowly) went about getting the half kilo of meat. It was clear he was not happy about the interaction, even though I'd seen him joke about his skin color with his friends. It's one thing coming from your friends - it's a whole other thing coming from the jerk across the street who really means it.
We have also had discussions with Moroccan friends about Jews - one friend said they are all bad, etc etc. But, I want to see if you find this - older Moroccans had a much better impression of Jews. ALL the young men in our village watched al-jazeera, hated israel, and had never met a Jew. Our host mom, though, remembers when Jews lived IN town, when she was a kid. She said that there was no problem between the Muslims and the Jews when she was little, they all got along, and one Jewish man owned a clothing store in town and would help poor families by giving them clothes. So, I wonder if the anti-semitic attitude is a more recent phenomenon for Moroccans, basically since the creation of Israel and now with the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestians.
A very complicated subject to discuss, way to go for broaching it!
- September 30, 2009 at 8:29 AM
- bathmate said...
As always an excellent posting.The
way you write is awesome.Thanks. Adding more information will be more useful.
- December 29, 2009 at 11:34 AM
- Issam said...
WHat the hell do u know about moroccans and the way they perceive things, what makes what u know is the way you perceive is rather correct. u know little about moroccans. and i'm moroccan.
- May 16, 2011 at 11:07 AM
- Maria said...
- May 31, 2011 at 8:02 AM
- Maria said...
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- May 31, 2011 at 8:26 PM
- criticpapa said...
whoa!!!, you had a passion in blogging, thumbs up for your work of love.. Hehe very inspiring ideas,
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mind if I put a link back to you?
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- June 15, 2011 at 8:15 AM
I agree many people their so racist,Why those stupid people spending their time doing that stupid things.
Laby[alligator shoes]
- August 23, 2011 at 1:26 AM
- Sarwar J. S said...
Hi Duncan,
I stumbled across your blog while searching to know more about Moroccan society and their culture.
I have thought that I will visit the country pretty soon, the tales of the place fascinate me a lot.
Would love to talk and communicate with you more.
- January 18, 2012 at 4:08 AM
- Jaeyong Han said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- February 23, 2013 at 4:49 PM
- Jaeyong Han said...
I really like your article and the way you write, you really know how to put your thoughts together into words .
I am Moroccan and I must agree that some Moroccans are racist but not in a dangerous way. Actually Moroccans are the most tolerant among all the other Arab countries. Racism here in Morocco is not as dangerous as it is in America or Europe ..etc. From my point of view, I think Amazigh(Chluh,Berbers) are mostly to receive the harsh racism being called names such as "uneducated","mean","stupid"... but it doesn't mean that they never integrate with the so-called-Arabs, because after all we're all Moroccans. The same thing goes for dark-skinned people(or blacks), Moroccans mostly joke and call someone "Azzi(black)" or "Lwiyen(colored)" but it's not out of racism . I know so many black people who lives here Moroccans were or Immigrants and they're living just fine . Maybe Moroccans prefer the white-skin but they don't hate dark people either . It's just a matter of how good a person is in integrating with others and how well he is dealing with people, Moroccans feel more secure and are friendly with confident people. Be confident and they won't push you away further more, they would want to be like you. And everything else you mentioned is due to culture and religion .
- February 23, 2013 at 4:55 PM
- nadia reaves said...
I really enjoy reading this article simply cause it s true and cause im Moroccan myself , i just want to say that you forgot to talk about the 'racism between Moroccan from Fes and Moroccan form Rabat, witch is i believe is the worse ....try to found out a little about it you ll be amazed ....
- June 30, 2013 at 9:34 PM


text:
I cannot believe it, but Matilda has completed the L-CHOP Chemotherapy Protocol Treatment for Lymphoma. She is in remission, and doing pretty well. I thought I would want to celebrate if we reached this day. Instead of losing her six months ago, her life has been extended, and is pretty good. Our neighbors saw her last night, and remembered when they had helped me get her back into the apartment when she had collapsed in front of the building and was diagnosed the next day. They were excited by how bright and alive her eyes are now, and how fast her tail was wagging, and that she was trying to get them to give her their food.
I am extremely thankful to have her still, and to see what a strong soul she is. She loves life, and struggles to hang in there even when not feeling that great. As soon as she feels well, she does her dancing around, flinging her long legs all about, nosing me and insisting on certain treats. Always, on our walks, she wants people on the sidewalk to pet her, and to hang out with whatever people and dogs are there. The sweetness of this 13 year old pup combined with the knowledge that she was put up for adoption from a divorcing couple when she was age eight make her my hero.
When she feels better from this last chemo, I want to do something special for her. Maybe I will invite her favorite people over, and we can all read to her and cuddle with her. She loves that!


text:
With all the headlines revolving around how Donald Trump will fare in the White House and how successful or, more commonly, unsuccessful he will be, there has been surprisingly little coverage and reflection on Trump's predecessor. Obama is widely respected as a man around the world due to his likeable personality and calm and classy demeanor when addressing the country. However, there are some who feel that Obama's policy has been ineffective and that he has failed to live up to what was expected of him when he was elected in 2008.
One of the most surprising failures of Obama's campaign was that, according to 58% of the Americans asked, race relations have worsened since the last Presidential election. Racial tolerance was expected to be one of the strong points of Obama's America but it seems that, since electing the country's first black President, things have taken a turn for the worse on that front. The deterioration of racial relations is seen as being one of the main reasons Donald Trump has been elected as the next President, with his anti-Islamic and Mexican stance reflecting the state of the country. Certainly this is a step back for America and has seen protests against the treatment of African-Americans by policemen and the need for pressure groups such as Black Lives Matter to try and improve the situation.
Another of the main criticisms of Obama is that he will have no real legacy to be remembered for. One might have expected his greatest and longest lasting achievement to be 'ObamaCare', his reforms on health insurance to make it more widely available. However, this is set to be repealed by Donald Trump because of the impact ObamaCare has on businesses. It has been argued that Obamacare is bad for businesses because they have to provide health insurance for employees and some Republicans claim it has resulted in the loss of jobs. This is presumably why Trump is so keen to repeal it, as his interests lie in the business sector. With the repeal of ObamaCare, the ex-President will lose his greatest achievement while in office, although his legacy could live on in aspects of what Trump passes as ObamaCare's replacement.
However, there have also been areas in which Obama has undoubtedly been successful during his time in office such as his economic policy. When he was first elected the US economy was in a terrible state and looked on the brink of collapse, but Obama managed to rescue the situation. In 2008 the American auto industry was in danger of collapsing and General Motors and Chrysler were both heading towards bankruptcy, but Obama led a $80 billion bailout to keep the industry on its feet. Obama's optimism has steadied the economy on the whole, giving hope to people and businesses to continue investment and keep the economy on the road to recovery. His economic policy has been an unqualified success and he has led the recovery from the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008.
The other front on which Obama excelled was in creating jobs. When he took over in the Oval Office job losses averaged 772,000 every month, but since then there have been 75 consecutive months of job gains under Obama. Furthermore, there have been 11.3 million jobs created over Obama's tenure, with the unemployment rate dropping from 10% to just under 5%. This can only be described as a success for the President and he can be very proud of what he has achieved in this area. A big part of the rise in employment has been ObamaCare, with jobs in the health sector rising by 9%, despite claims that ObamaCare is having a detrimental impact on jobs in the US.
It is difficult to come down on one side or the other in terms of whether or not Obama's presidency has been a success. There have been some very positive aspects such as the dramatic improvements in the economic and employment statistics but there have also been some negative points such as the breakdown in race relations and the lack of a lasting legacy. However, one thing that can be agreed upon is that Obama is a very genuine man who is a far cry from what can be expected from his successor. The 44th President may not have been as successful as he wanted to be when he took office, but he has performed admirably in some areas and I feel that the country has moved forward under his leadership. He remains a popular figure with a 60% approval rating at the end of his time in the White House, and it will be interesting to see whether Americans start to miss Obama's eloquent charisma after Trump has been in power for a few months.


text:
I said I am going to match my followers with weight loss in pounds. That was at 58 followers and then 60 and I got to 60 last week and now I have 67 followers. I am loving it. Thanks to all my followers. i have to step up my exercise. One year anniversary is coming soon.
I have a job interview on Friday. I have hated my job for some time and after 11 years and no raise for over 4 years and losing sick time some holiday pay, it is time for me to move on. Change is hard and my husband is getting a little wigged out/insecure with all the changes in me this last year since I got my band, lost weight and had my nose pierced. And now a possible job change. Did I say the job is grave yard? i have never worked grave yard but I am definitely a night person so I am sure I will adjust well.
OK I just went for a walk in the middle of the post and I have to laugh at myself. I was walking by a construction site and found myself holding in my stomach, that just cracks me up that i did that.


text:
It's fun to step into the holiday hosting mode with your spaces organized and ready to go. Granted, I don't imagine Darla will be using her linen closet too much in her hostessing duties...but hey, still nice to have it tidy.
Here's how it started out.
Step One: Sort
|Beach towels
|Everyday towels
Step Two: Purge
Darla and I went through every item and got rid of things that were not being used...two garbage bags full to donate!
Step Three: Organize
I folded up the remaining items and organized them into the closet.
Since beach towels are not in use as often, I put them on the top shelf, along with the extra duvet for the master bedroom. Everyday towels are at eye level as well as extra bedding.
Containers hold various items that are stored here...batteries and flashlights, extension cords, haircutting kit, etc.. Toilet paper is low for easy access to the entire family.
On the floor, blankets...easy to grab when kids are building forts.
On the door I stored light bulbs and the hot water bottle.
|Take toilet paper and kleenex out of its wrapping for easy access.
|Store face clothes in their own bin to keep them tidy.
|Throw blankets in a box or bin and don't worry about folding.
Time elapsed: one hour
I also did a quick organize of the tea towel bin.
You guessed it. Sort. Purge. Organize.
Hostess ready.
Merry Christmas Everyone!


text:
Keep calm & carry on
shall pass
Times are tough. Since January's Black Monday, the US economy continues to hemorrhage jobs as global financial markets plunge. Personal debt is astronomic. More credit is nearly non-existent. Here in The Windy City the anxiety are palpable; although folks are muddling through. Whether or not it was last week's record warm spell, there are more bikers on the streets. Costco Warehouse memberships are at a record high. Neighborhood taverns and restaurants are quieter than usual on weeknights. The same is true for every large city across the world.
So it isn't at all surprising that Barter Books, in the UK's Northumberland, now sells a reprint of the WWII propaganda poster above. Several million copies of Keep Calm and Carry On were printed but never distributed. Winston Churchill's Ministry of Information had decided to use them only in the event of a German invasion. Fortunately they were never needed. They would've then been consigned to the dustbin of history if it weren't for the discovery of a single copy by Barter's owners, Stuart and Mary Manley, in 2001. Their subsequent decision to sell reprints at £3.60, or $5.54, has met with great success. While we are nowhere near the dark times of the 1940s, these posters are a wonderful reminder that this current crisis shall pass. Or as Churchill declared,
The English know how to make the best of things. Their so-called muddling through is simply skill at dealing with the inevitable.
Labels: history, pensées, war stories


text:
Albany International Airport (AIA) is partnering with the American Red Cross (ARC) to help thousands of people recovering from the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy. Red Cross volunteers will be collecting donations at Albany International Airport's security checkpoint from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7 and Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012.
"The Red Cross has been providing mass care feeding and sheltering, bulk distribution of goods and providing health and mental health services to thousands of residents in New York, New Jersey and down the Atlantic Coastline for the last week," said Gary Striar, CEO of the American Red Cross Northeastern New York Region. "We are extremely grateful to Albany International Airport for hosting this fundraising campaign to help the Red Cross continue to provide comfort and aid to people in need."
"We have learned too well in the past year that New York is not immune to chaotic weather that can disrupt the lives of family, friends and neighbors," said John A. O'Donnell, CEO of the Albany County Airport Authority. "The Red Cross can always be counted on to respond to our lifesaving needs in times of disaster."
The Red Cross has mobilized the full resources of the organization across the country to get help to people affected by Sandy.
To find a Red Cross shelter, download the Red Cross Hurricane App, visit the Red Cross website, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or check local media outlets.
The response to Sandy is likely to be the biggest Red Cross response in the U.S. in the past five years. Those who want to help can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. They can also use the "donate" feature on the free Red Cross Apps for mobile devices to support this relief response. Contributions may also be sent to local Red Cross chapters or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
Hundreds of Red Cross blood drives have been cancelled due to the storm, representing a loss of thousands of blood and platelet products. The Red Cross is asking people who are eligible, especially in places not affected by the storm, to schedule a time to give blood in the days and weeks to come.
To schedule a donation time or get more information about giving blood, people can visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). To give blood, someone must be at least 17 years of age, meet weight and height requirements and be in general good health. Donors should bring their Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID with them. Some states allow 16-year-olds to give with parental consent.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.


text:
* Though, not a heavy email user, I often find myself sending emails to more than one and usually with almost same information. As a Consultant, I email out weekly time sheets, reminders, progress updates to my managers and clients. Doing so, I found myself entering the same email address, subject and body texts most of the time. And, as you all know though iPhone is a great piece of work, it still misses some nice key features. One such feature was being able to create a group that you could use for email or SMS. The release of iPhone SDK inspired me to create an app to fulfill my personal need and fill the gap that was missing out in iPhone. Hence, Mail2Group was developed. I spent close to 2 months developing, as the app went through several iterations. I spent most the time thinking about the UI as I wanted the users to be able to use my application without any instructions. Hence, a lot of care was taken to make the app look similar to iPhone's Phonebook UI which all the users are familiar with.
Why create new groups instead of using the one in Phonebook?
* When I started to develop, I wanted to make sure to give the user a lot of flexibility in how they would like to use my application for their needs. One of the most important thing was being able to configure To, CC and BCC labels to contacts, set subjects, and also be able to add email address of contacts that are not part of your phonebook (personally, I didn't want to add my clients information to my phonebook). After some research, I found if I use the Groups framework in iPhone SDK, I will be running into a lot of synchronization issues and it also raised a lot of UI questions like:
- What happens when a contact has multiple email address? Should, I add them all to the list or let user choose one.
- What happens when a group gets deleted externally through some other app? Should, I still keeps the details or discard it. If i discard, should I inform the user that a group doesn't exist anymore.
- And finally, load up time and performance. Since my goal was to provide a nice user experience I was not willing to sacrifice performance.
So, I found out that even I use the existing groups in the phone book, I would still have to hold the same anount of information that I would have to hold if I don't use the phonebook's groups.
Hence, I decided to go with the option of creating groups that are only available to Mail2Group application.
But, I am still trying my very best to add the ability to use the phonebook's groups without scarificing any of the features or performance.
How your reviews helped me?
I am very thankful to all the reviewers on the App Store and users who had sent me their feedbacks and helped me add some great features. Few such features that were implemented based on feedback/reviews are:
- Sort Groups by Name
- Exclude a Contact without deleting him/her from group
- Copy an existing group to a new group (i.e., using existing group as template)
After developing, I spent quite some time on thinking about pricing and marketing options. I realized that my app is not meant for all the iPhone users out there (Although, I will be extremely happy if everyone uses it). So, I decided my goal is reach the users who will be really benefited by an app like "Mail2group" and serious users don't mind spending couple of bucks for a quality app. After all, we all bought an iPhone in spite of the high cost Why? It has quality in it.
So, after careful consideration, I decided on a dollar amount.
Hope you enjoyed reading my story, feel free to leave any comments as you like. Good or bad. It's always welcomed.